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

£5000 electric car grants to cut a quarter off EV price

British motorists will qualify for grants lopping a quarter off the price of electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen cars – up to a maximum of £5000 discount – the Government confirmed this week. The Office for Low Emissions Vehicles, which launched six months ago, said the new grants would come into force from January 2011 as part of a £230 million low-carbon car incentive programme. Car buyers will qualify for the Plug-In Car Grant from an approved list of low-carbon cars.

Councils to cut roadworks red tape

COUNCILS in England could soon have the power to cut red tape and make road works much quicker and more accountable. The plan is to introduce permits for any company that wants to dig up a road, which means they will have to co-ordinate their work with other companies and local authorities to reduce the impact of delays on the public. The permit scheme could come into force as early as April 2015 and means anyone applying for a permit to carry out road works will need to present a convincing case for the work.

Toyota FT-86 leaks out. Well, FT-86 with Modellista extras

Toyota FT-86 leaks out (click picture for full size) It’s no real surprise that the first photos of the Toyota FT-86 in production trim have leaked out from a printed brochure ahead of the official reveal at the Tokyo Motor Show next month. After all, printers have a lead time to get hard copy brochures printed and there’s nothing that leaks quite as much as a printer with a scoop on his desk. So we get treated to what appear to be the first proper pictures of Toyota’s FT-86 (for the Subaru BRZ just add Subaru badges in your head), and it looks quite bit more aggressive than we’d expected.