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

Ashdown tells of fatal crash escape

LORD ASHDOWN has described his "miraculous" escape from a car crash in which a man died. The former Liberal Democrat leader was being driven home by his wife Jane when they were involved in a three-car pile-up at a notorious accident blackspot. The couple escaped injury but the ex-Marine was unable to do anything to save the life of the driver of another car, 49-year-old Mark Hurford, following the crash on the A356 in Somerset on January 24.

UK car production tops 1.5 million

THE NUMBER of cars built in the UK topped 1.5 million last year, the highest for six years, amid what's being called "surging" demand at home and abroad. Production increased by 3.1% in 2013, with analysts predicting that output would reach record levels of around two million by 2017. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the UK was set to become the third largest car manufacturer in Europe after Germany and Spain.

CAP call on Renault to include battery in Zoe price – when it would cost £25k

CAP has called on Renault to include the battery cost in the list price of the Renault Zoe EV, otherwise it won’t be able to set residual values. We reported recently on the price of the Renault Zoe EV – which starts at £18k – and were surprised to find that Renault weren’t including battery costs in the purchase price but charging and extra £70-93 a month for leasing them. That leads to a completely misleading headline price for the Zoe and, as used car price experts CAP say, is akin to Ford removing the engine costs from their cars to reduce list price.