Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Spyker confirms Peking to Paris will be a V8

Spyker confirms that the Peking Paris luxury 4x4 will be a V8 not a V12 [ad#ad-1] We brought you an exclusive the other day that Spyker will drop the planned V12 version of its uber-4×4 – The Spyker Peking-Paris D12 – in favour of a supercharged V8 – The Spyker Peking-Paris D8. But it’s always nice to have confirmation from the horses mouth and today, with a financial statement from Spyker, comes a tacit admission (or actual proof, as we like to think of it!) that our story was indeed correct. Spyker talk about the Peking-Paris in their statement, but only ever refer to it as the D8, dropping all references to the D12, which is probably as much as they’re willing to reveal until the car turns up at Frankfurt in September.

Volvo XC60 (2008): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 February 2008 12:10 Volvo has finally sanctioned official shots of the XC60 – a junior version of the XC90 SUV that has helped turn around the fortunes of the Swedish company. Yes, it’s another crossover entering an increasingly congested marketplace, but Volvo hopes this one will appeal to buyers wanting the versatility of a 4x4 without the heft. Key points worth noticing are the Swedes’ gently evolving design – this is the first model developed under Steve Mattin’s watch as design director.

Cost of garage labour falling

THE AVERAGE labour rate at both franchised and non-franchised garages has fallen compared to 2012, according to new figures. An annual survey of 12,000 cases conducted on behalf of Warranty Direct has concluded that the average labour rate in 2013 is £74.70, a fall of 9.84% from £82.86 in 2012. Less encouraging is the overall trend of rising labour rates, with the average having increased by 33% over the last ten years.