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

European car sales down 9.6% Jan 2013. VW Golf sales down 17.8%

Car sales in Europe continue to decline with sales down 9.6% in January 2013 and the top-selling VW Golf down by 17.8%. In fact, the UK was the only top five market to increase sales, with Germany down 8.6 per cent, France down 15.1 per cent, Italy down 17.6 per cent and Spain 9.2 per cent. Other notable drops included the Netherlands which saw a huge drop of 30.4 per cent, partly driven by tighter emission boundaries on company car taxation.

McLaren launches Special Operations unit for customers' custom requests

British sports-car maker McLaren has launched its Special Operations unit, which will help the company's well-heeled buyers customize their cars. McLaren previewed some handiwork from the new division at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, with a custom example of the MP4-12C. The customized sports car had a variety of carbon-fiber trim upgrades and special treatment such as unique orange paintwork, a gloss-black roof, diamond-cut-finish wheels with gloss-back inners, 12C-branded carbon sill panels, a carbon steering wheel and carbon-fiber cover vents for the engine.

Jaguar confirms small saloon – and gets the thumbs up from Number 10

Jaguar will launch a small saloon beneath the XF in 2015, the company confirmed on the eve of the Frankfurt motor show. The baby Jag (seen testing as a disguised evaluation mule in our spy shots gallery) will be constructed from aluminium and built in the West  Midlands, creating around 1700 jobs. The news prompted a call to Jaguar from the office of Prime Minister David Cameron, offering Number 10's congratulations and support with the company's product expansion.