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

A brief history of the 'Le Mans-style' start

The famous ‘Le Mans start’ Since the race’s inaugural meeting in 1923, tradition dictated a standing start. This later became known as a ‘Le Mans start’, and involved drivers lining their cars up along the pit wall in the order they qualified in. Racers would then have to stand on the opposite side of the track, and when the French Tricolor flag dropped the drivers would have to sprint to their cars, strap themselves in and begin racing.

Nissan Juke Nismo: Paris 2012

Nissan has kicked off its Nismo road car range with the reveal of the production Juke Nismo at the Paris Motor Show. The Juke Nismo get the same 1.6 litre petrol engine as the Juke DIG-T model, but it’s been fettled to offer more than the stock engine’s 187bhp. Trouble is, even though its due on sale in the UK in a few months, Nissan still isn’t saying exactly what the Juke Nismo gets – but it should be around 200bhp.

Fiat previews the 500X small crossover

Fiat gave an unexpected sneak preview of a crossover variant of its 500 minicar. The model, which will be called the 500X, will go on sale in Europe in early 2014 and shortly after in North America. Fiat brand global boss Olivier Francois showed a full-size styling model of the 500X during the media launch on the 500L small minivan in Turin, Italy, on July 4.