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

Mini Countryman (2010): first official pictures

This is the Mini Countryman, the fourth addition to Mini’s range – after the regular three-door hatch, the Convertible and the Clubman – and also the first current-generation Mini to have four-wheel drive and four regular passenger doors. No, Mini says the Countryman is a crossover, and the four-wheel drive system – called Mini All4 – is an option. Think of the Countryman as a slightly bigger and more practical Clubman with a longer wheelbase than other Minis, four proper doors and a conventional lift-up rear hatch, but to make sure it looks a bit more butch Mini has given the Countryman a bigger, bluffer nose than its siblings.

MG 3 arrives in the UK next month – price from £8399

All the UK models of the new MG 3 (pictured) will cost under £10k MG revealed the UK MG 3 back in June as their design centre in Birmingham, and it’s not a terrible looking thing – at least from some angle. But whether the relatively low tech and the implication that this is the rebirth of MG Motors will be enough to persuade UK buyers in remains in doubt. What will help is a relatively modest entry point, and the MG3 is starting at £8,399 when it goes on sale in the UK in September.

Top Gear, Belfast and a Renault Twingo

Top Gear firing a Renault Twingo in to the sea in Belfast A couple of months ago we reported that Top Gear had upset Belfast with its filming antics for the latest series. To be fair, they didn’t upset Belfast as such, just a publicity seeking politician and a moron from FoE. All par for the course, we’d say.