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

Mini Superleggera Vision Concept – a very different MINi Concept – at Villa D’Este

The Mini Superleggera Vision Concept (pictured) is a Villa D’Este special We’ve had our fill of VW Group concepts for Worthersee – like the Skoda CitiJet, Yeti XTreme and Audi A3 Clubsport - this last week, but now we’ve got a concept from MINI that isn’t just the usual slightly left-field take on a regular MINI, but a real original to grab our interest – the Mini Superleggera Vision Concept – and it’s heading to Villa D’Este. Built in collaboration with Touring Superleggera – which has built stunning concepts like the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante - the new MINI is a retro-looking small roadster with lots of historic design cues but with an EV powertrain under its clothes. There’s a fin on the back that looks like a Jaguar D Type, a pair of swage lines down the side, a long bonnet, a back end that has a hint of Aston Martin and even Union Jacks in the tail lights.

New Vauxhall Astra – the Race

The new Vauxhall Astra will be launched in September at Frankfurt This sixth generation of the Astra is a good looking car, and has taken a lot of its design cues from the very good Vauxhall Insignia. And it has in its sites the Ford Focus, the VW Golf and the new Mazda 3. So what better way to show its prowess than to produce a ‘viral’ video – without giving away too much detail – showing the new Astra mullering the Focus and the Golf on the track at Millbrook?

Range Rover Hybrids press ahead on Silk Trail route to Mumbai

A trio of Range Rover Hybrid prototypes is well on its way to India on a 9,950-mile endurance drive through 12 countries. Land Rover is following the old Silk Trail to the east, but while it took ancient merchants months to complete the route, the Land Rover Hybrid team will be doing it in just 53 days. The Silk Trail is a historical network of trade routes which connected Asia with Europe and the Mediterranean, and got its name from the Chinese silk which was a lucrative trade item well into the 14th century.