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

New MINI Crossman caught testing

The new MINI Crossman caught testing at the Nurburgring [ad#ad-1] Yes, the MINI has become ubiquitous ( to its detriment), and sales have fallen off, despite the plethora of variations on the market. But that’s not stopped BMW from pushing on with the MINI Crossman, which has been spotted testing at the Nurburgring this week. But, although I’ve moaned that MINI has lost its way of late, this particular MINI, odd though it may sound in concept, could be a real winner.

40 Years of Mmmm

In 1972, the Dow Jones closed above 1,000 for the first time, the Olympic Games in Munich were marred by the killings of 11 Israeli athletes, gasoline averaged 55 cents a gallon, Bobby Fischer became the world chess champion and the last U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam. It was also a notable year for German automaker BMW, as that year saw the birth of its famed M division.

Insurance group lists its Top Safety Picks

After increasing its standards for 2011 models, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that 66 vehicles--more than double the 2010 total--rate as best in the industry at protecting passengers from front, side, rollover and rear crashes. Only 27 vehicles qualified last year after the group, funded by the insurance industry, required that vehicles pass a roof-strength test to earn a good rating, claiming that stronger roofs would reduce the risk of serious or fatal injury by 50 percent in a rollover accident. The most mentioned carmakers on the 2011 list are Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi, both with nine vehicles to get the Top Safety Pick designation.