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

Frankfurt 2011: New Vauxhall Astra GTC (2012) debut

Vauxhall Astra GTC finally arrives at Frankfurt The Vauxhall Astra GTC (and its European equivalent Opel GTC) finally gets to go on public view at Frankfurt this week, a year after it arrived as a concept at Paris. Based on the more prosaic five-door Astra, the GTC carries over just about nothing except the door handles although it still conspires to look like a slightly squashed, butch version of its sibling. The Astra GTC is a decent looking effort from Vauxhall – as is the regular Astra – designed to take the fight to cars like the Scirroco.

Peugeot 208 XY Concept – a 208 for the sybarite

Peugeot 208 XY Concept - Geneva bound The Peugeot 208 XY Concept – heading for a debut at the Geneva Motor Show – is Peugeot’s luxury take on the new 208. We’ve already had the concept for the new Peugeot 208 GTi as the performance extreme of the new 208 range, and arriving onside the 208 GTi on Peugeot’s Geneva stand will be the luxury extreme of the 208 – the Peugeot 208 XY Concept. The 208 XY looks like the second attempt by Peugeot (along with the GTi) to emulate the success Citroen has had with the C3 with the DS iconic badge, where style and performance combine with a lifestyle statement.

Volkswagen shows off new 1.8-liter engine for Jetta, Passat, and Beetle

Volkswagen is rolling out a new 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injected TSI engine which will debut in the Jetta, Beetle, and Passat later this year. This thrifty new engine will replace the 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine now available in those models. But the 1.8-liter is no slouch: it produces the same 170 hp as the outgoing five-cylinder engine, while adding 7 lb-ft torque for a total of 184.