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

British cars dominate desirability survey

BRITISH cars are the best of the best, according to a huge new car popularity survey that has thrown up some shocks. British cars took five of the top six places in the study from Best of the Best, the in-airport and online competition operator that gives away cars as prizes. And among the amazing turn-ups that emerged from the 55,000-person study focusing on desirability, no Ferrari even made the top 20.

2013 Audi S3 – Paris debut

Audi has revealed the new S3 with a 296bhp 2.0 litre direct injection engine which will debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. The new Audi S3 – which will bow in at next week’s 2012 Paris Motor Sow – will join the new 5-door A3 Sportback on Audi’s stand at Paris and lay down a firm marker for Audi’s share of the market. The new S3 gets a new 2.0 litre direct injection engine - part of Audi’s EA888 engine range – to go with its new underpinning using the same MQB platform as the latest A3 range, making the new S3 both lighter and more powerful.

Mechanics qualifications gained using Haynes manuals

MOST MEN enjoy a good Haynes car manual, whether they really understand it or not, but a group of youngsters has used the workshop guides to achieve their first qualifications in car mechanics. The first wave of the Haynes Mechanix scheme has seen a mixed gender youth club group, aged 15-25 and from Islington in London, use Haynes manuals along with guidance from experienced mentors to fix real problems on a real car. The donor Volkswagen, known as Percy the Polo, was a theoretical MOT fail and needed replacement spark plugs, a brake fluid replacement and much more, to give the aspiring tinkerers a broad spectrum of challenges.