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

Ellesmere Port's bid to build Ampera hits snags

By Rob Golding Motor Industry 09 October 2009 15:02 Prime minister Gordon Brown’s personal crusade to get Vauxhall's version of the Chevrolet Volt petrol-electric plug-in hybrid – the Ampera – built in Britain's Ellesmere Port factory in 2012 is a dream delayed, CAR can disclose today.News that the UK Astra plant is the best in Europe, that the Astra's Delta platform will underpin the Ampera, and that Volt will be on US sale from 2010 had been taken to mean that Vauxhall would be churning out the cars in the north west within three years.But the prospect of an electric car industry growing up around the run-down Merseyside manufacturing site is not imminent, CAR has learned.'No Ampera to be built in Europe before 2015'Vauxhall insiders have made it clear that the car to be known as the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera in Europe will be an import from the US for at least five years. One senior planner told us: 'The US will be the sole source of Amperas until at least 2015.'Bob Lutz, GM's former product supremo who recently came out of retirement as a PR, said that the low value of the dollar made the US an ideal site for the manufacturing of export cars. And with forecast sticker prices of the range-extender electric car standing at a scary £35,000+, every price saving is vital to its marketability.The European market also needs time to get its electricity recharge infrastructure in place before it is worth making cars onshore in volume, GM high-ups point out.

Alfa Romeo Disco Volante returns to Geneva, this time in green and gold

Just about everyone loved the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante by Touring Superleggera that debuted at the 2012 edition of the Geneva motor show. The curvy coupe channeled the design of Alfa Romeos of the 1960s, namely the Alfa Romeo 2000 and 2600 penned by Touring, while appearing modern at the same time. The concept, finished in red at the time, drew praise for its good looks, enough to make just about everyone forget what sort of monster lived under that svelte bodywork: the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, powered by a 4.7-liter 450-hp V8 good for a 0 to 60 sprint of 4.2 seconds.

Mopar has parts menu ready for the Dodge Dart

Just minutes after the Dodge Dart made its debut at the Detroit auto show, Mopar started bolting on parts. Chrysler's parts arm already has 150 aftermarket items ready for the company's new small car, with more on the way. “By itself, our new Dodge Dart will stand out from the crowd,” said Pietro Gorlier, president and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group's service, parts and customer-care brand.