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

Tokyo Motor Show: Mini appears across the globe

FRESH from its world debut at the Cowley plant in which it will be built, the new third-generation Mini has made its Asian debut at the Tokyo Motor Show. Both the modern Mini, and before it the original Issigonis Mini, are extremely popular in Japan where its strong British identity and high degree of personalisation hold strong appeal. The third generation version will build on that with its enhanced looks and specification.

Gemballa Mistrale Porsche Panamera revealed

Gemballa has released information on the Porsche Panamera Gemballa Mistrale But there might be an answer to that quandary – turn your attention to the Porsche Panamera. Gemballa has just released preliminary details on the Gemballa Mistrale, a Porsche Panamera conversion which throws a bit of Gemballa madness at Stuttgart’s latest offering. Details are still a bit limited – and we don’t have any info yet on what Gemballa has done with the oily bits – but we do have the picture you see here, which shows the cosmetic stuff.

Volkswagen Beetle R: Frankfurt debut planned?

2012 VW Beetle R - a Hot Beetle However hard they tried – and they did for a while – Volkswagen never managed to make the reborn VW Beetle anything more than a novelty; a girly car with a flower vase for girly drivers. That was enough to make the Beetle sell in almost respectable numbers in both North and South America, but it consigned VW’s retro effort to the novelty bin in Europe, where we tend to know a cynical marketing ploy from a real car. But Volkswagen seem intent on making the 212 VW Beetle rather more credible.