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

Off the line: Fun cars and social responsibility Autoweek op-ed stands the test of time

It's been almost 21 years to the day that Autoweek printed Matt DeLorenzo's column “Off the Line: There's room for fast, fun cars in diet of social responsibility.” And in those two decades plus, not much has changed except the vehicles themselves. For example, sports cars like the Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Huayra have astronomically high performance and safety levels; similarly, sport-utility vehicles that haul entire families (and most of their earthly possessions) achieve fuel economy similar to that of 1970s midsize sedans. To read all of DeLorenzo's thoughts and his case for automobiles, click the links to download the article.

London 'black' cabs exported to Australia

THE LONDON cab is to make an appearance Down Under - but coloured white rather than the traditional black. The London Taxi Company has exported a test sample of 98 second-hand TX4 taxis to the Western Australian city of Perth where they will under go trials over the next few weeks. It has been thought fit to paint the cabs white to take account of the perpetual Perth sunshine.

Renault unveils four electric concepts at 2009 Frankfurt motor show

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 15 September 2009 12:00 Renault has unveiled four incredible electric concept cars at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show, and all four will be in production by the end of 2012. The maddest of all is the tiny Twizy ZE concept, a 1+1 city car that Renault sources have revealed to CAR will go into production in 2011 relatively unchanged. Also on sale in 2011 will be an electric van for commercial buyers, based on the Kangoo ZE concept and mechanically identical to the Be Bop ZE Ben Oliver drove earlier in 2009.