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

Fiat 500 gets 3-star safety rating from NHTSA

The slow-selling 2012 Fiat 500 now has another obstacle in its sales path: It has been tagged by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with a three-star safety rating, the lowest of any new model tested so far. The two-door subcompact received four stars from NHTSA for frontal crash and rollover accidents but received just two stars for side-impact crash safety, the agency announced on its Web site, safercar.gov. The tests gave the car a combined overall safety rating of three stars, NHTSA reported.

New Jaguar XJR UK debut next week

The New Jaguar XJR (pictured) gets its UK debut at Moto Expo 2013 Lovers of powerful XJs were delighted discover that a new Jaguar XJR, which debuted at the New York Auto Show in April, will finally give them a properly sporty XJ, rather than the somewhat compromised SuperSport version of the current XJ with the 5.0 litre Supercharged engine. Jaguar has kept faith with the history of the XJR by giving the new model a subtle ‘Sporty’ makeover with only gentle go-faster bits – like ‘R’ badges, new alloys, quad tailpipes, small boot spoiler, front splitter and a subtle body kit – so the new XJR looks purposeful, rather than looking like its been dipped in a Halfords bargain bucket. The real changes come under the skin, with the new XJR getting the 542bhp version of the 5.0 litre supercharged engine, tweaked dampers and spring rates, refined active diff and DSC and new shift patterns for the 8-speed auto box.

Renault is reviving the Gordini name for high-performance models

They don't sell Renaults in the United States anymore, but it's worth noting that the French automaker is reviving the Gordini name for high-performance versions of the Twingo and the Clio. The name pays homage to Amedee Gordini, a mechanical whiz known as "the sorcerer" for taking production-car engines and making them competitive on the great racetracks of Europe. The Gordini versions of the Twingo and the Clio will wear the trademark light blue paint with a pair of white stripes running from nose to tail and centered over the driver.