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

Mercedes shows the future of crash protection

By Mark Nichol Motor Industry 09 June 2009 10:00 It might look familiar, but the Mercedes ESF 2009 concept is about as futuristic as they come. Ostensibly an S400 Hybrid, the car showcases the very latest Mercedes safety technology, some of which will be in mainstream models soon, and some of which is, frankly, pure fantasy mollycoddling. The concept will be officially unveiled next week, but CAR has already been to the company’s Stuttgart base for a sneak preview.

New Citroen DS3 Cabrio costs from £15,045

Citroen has revealed the new DS3 Cabrio will cost from £15,045 and come in three trim specs - DSign, DStyle & DSport. The Citroen DS3 is already one of our favourite cars, and Citroen has made sure the DS3 Cabrio still looks good with the roof up – and kept costs in check – by using a similar ‘landaulette’ style roof to the Fiat 500C, where the cabrio but is more like a long, canvas sunroof that site on the boot when open. The new DS3 Cabrio will come in Citroen’s main DS3 trim levels - DSign, DStyle & DSport – with the DS3 VTi 82 Cabrio DSign costing £15.045, the DStyle VTi 120 Cabrio £17,425 and the DSport THP 155 Cabrio £19,675.

London Black Taxi maker Manganese Bronze in administration

Manganese Bronze – makers of the London Black Cab – has called in administrators after failing to secure funding following a TX4 recall. Manganese Bronze – makers of the iconic London Black Cab – has had a pretty torrid few years. They sold a chunk of their shares in LTI (London Taxis International) to China’s Geely after years of failure to invest in their taxis left them struggling for sales, cash and turnover.