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

Festival of the Unexceptional: the bad cars we love

Ever been to a classic car show and noticed how many old MGBs and sports cars of yesteryear have turned up, driven by their proud owners, but wondered what happened to all the more mainstream stuff? There are twice as many Ferrari 308 GTBs on the roads in the UK than Austin Allegros, because the everyday cars of the past fail MOTs, get chucked away and replaced with shiny new hatchbacks. Fortunately, there is a select group of people in the UK who care for the mundane stuff of yesterday and, because of this, a new event for “unexceptional” cars will be taking place this summer.

Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel averages 62.9mpg on 2,884 mile U.S Road Trip

The Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel completes its US Road Trip Last week we reported that Jaguar were taking an XF 2.2 Diesel to the US to drive from New York to Los Angeles to show just how economical the new, smaller engined diesel can be when driven on long, open roads. It was the U.S version of the economy run from Jaguar to Munich earlier this year, when economy-run specialists David and Alexander Madgwick managed to squeeze 57mpg out of the parsimonious XF. Which made us wonder if there was more to this run across the States than just another bash at shining the new XF’s eco-halo.

Peugeot Quartz

In addition to a Europe-specific version of the Exalt concept, Peugeot will reveal a new show car in Paris. Called the Quartz, it follows themes established by the Onyx, shown in Paris two years ago, and the Exalt, which debuted in Beijing earlier this year. At 4,500mm long and 2,060mm wide, the Quartz is the smallest of the three, and, more obviously, switches coupé for crossover aesthetics.