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

VW and Chinese ‘in talks to buy Vauxhall/Opel’ from GM

GM is considering selling its loss-making European operations, it emerged tonight. If it goes ahead and severs ties with GM Europe, the General would cede control of Vauxhall and Opel, the second biggest car brand in the UK.And in another extraordinary twist, CAR has confirmed that top-level talks have been taking place between Volkswagen and the German government, which is keen to avoid Opel falling into foreign hands. Chinese car makers are circling but Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has close connections to Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn, would prefer VW to step up to the plate as a potential buyer than a Chinese brand.

What you missed before CES even started

CES officially opens Tuesday, January 7, but the news started happening the day before. What do we mean? Everything from jumping robots to an all-electric formula race car took a bow in Las Vegas on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show.

Caterham Supersport R extends Caterham 7 range

Caterham has added the Supersport R to its range of ’7′ models with a 2.0 litre Duratec Ford engine delivering 180bhp. In the meantime, Caterham’s core road car business is the old Lotus 7 range of Caterhams, so it makes sense to keep that more appealing and relevant until new cars start to arrive, so we get the Caterham Supersport R as an addition to the range to slot in between the Supersport and the Superlight models. The Supersport R gets a Ford Duratec 2.0 litre engine which produces 180bhp, which doesn’t sound a huge amount, but when you consider the Supersport R weighs in at just 535kg it starts to look plenty.