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

Jaguar XJ Review (2013 MY): 3.0 litre Diesel Portfolio

We’ve got the 2013 MY Jaguar XJ in Portfolio trim with the 3.0 litre diesel engine and the new eight-speed gearbox and stop-start in for review and road test. But even though it’s changed little in the three years since it debuted, the XJ has changed minds about what a big Jaguar saloon should be; no longer the staid old man’s carriage of choice with a pipe holder in the centre console, but instead a stand-out car in its sector with better dynamics than anything else. The looks have grown on a sceptical public too, and the XJ is now viewed as a real Jaguar; it doesn’t garner crowds as it did in the early days, but it’s still a car that passing strangers feel warrants comment, comments which have always been complimentary when the big Jag has been with us.

Subaru BRZ Turbo confirmed

Subaru BRZ Turbo - which should be good for 300bhp Subaru in the US has confirmed that they are planning to build a turbo version of the new Boxer engine in the BRZ to create the Subaru BRZ Turbo. Finally, after promises that it was on its way for what seems like ever, we saw the arrival of the production versions of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota FT-86  at Tokyo (which had a small name change and arrive as the GT86). But what was a disappointment was that despite Subaru saying the BRZ would come with ‘less than 300bhp’, it actually came with almost exactly the same power as the GT 86 – a much less enticing 200bhp.

Get up close and personal with the David Brown Automotive Speedback

The David Brown Automotive Speedback is certainly one of the more intriguing coachbuilt cars we've seen recently -- all the more so because it's a product of Britain, not the carrozzeria hub of Italy. We just got our first glimpse of the Speedback yesterday, and thanks to this XCar video, we can dive a bit deeper into the car's origins and its many design details (unfortunately, there's no on-road footage yet). The Speedback, in the words of DBA founder David Brown, seeks to combine the “classic simplicity of the '60s underpinned by a modern platform with all of the functionality you'd expect from a modern car.” And it does so successfully, from what we can tell so far.