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

Bluebird Electric aiming for UK Land Speed Record

Bluebird Electric You’d hope that anyone of any age would associate ‘Bluebird’ with ‘Campbell’, but as many of our schools don’t seem too keen on anything that may be even remotely considered part of Britain’s history, perhaps not. So we’ll just throw in that Sir Malcolm Campbell drove a variety of Bluebird (or Blue Bird) cars to new land speed records on Pendine Sands in the 1920s and his son, Donald Campbell, matched his father’s achievements with world speed records on both land and water – the only man to have held land and water speed records at the same time. And he too used the Bluebird moniker for his record-breaking transport of choice. Fast forward the best part of fifty years and it’s the grandson of Sir Malcolm – Don Wales – who’s plotting to take the Bluebird Electric to a new UK Land Speed Record, and planning to make a start on that quest at Pendine Sands (a location Top Gear fans will probably recognise – and was it Pendine Sands on the new Torchwood series last week?).

Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept Details

Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept Ahead of a launch at Detroit next week, Volvo releases details of the XC60 Plug-in hybrid concept and a raft of photos. Despite calling the Detroit-bound Volvo XC60 hybrid a concept, it’s clear that the hybrid crossover/SUV is heading for a production model, probably sometime later in 2012. And what better place to showcase a petrol-engined hybrid (the XC60 Hybrid is a petrol-engined hybrid, unlike the diesel-engined V60 plug-in hybrid) than in the US, where diesel is still the fuel of Satan for most?

AUCTION GOES BANANAS FOR CLASSIC VW

A VINTAGE 1950s Volkswagen Beetle owned by a pensioner will go under the hammer at an auction later this month. The classic car, which has picked up a number of awards, is expected to fetch around £9,000 when it appears alongside a selection of rare art and antiques in the McTear's Collectables sale in Glasgow on September 29. The 1953 Beetle, which is a 1200 Deluxe model, has been in the hands of 72-year-old Willie Black since 1966, the same year that VW gave it the Best Beetle in Britain accolade.