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

Volvos to get twin-clutch gearbox

By Ben Pulman Motor Industry 14 May 2008 13:33 Volvo’s C30, S40 and V50 are now available with a new six-speed twin-clutch ‘box – dubbed Powershift – mated to the company’s 134bhp 2.0-litre diesel. The new twin-clutch gearbox has been developed with Getrag (and Volvo's parent company Ford), and is basically the same unit recently announced in the Focus and C-Max. Volvo claims the new gearbox offers an 8 percent improvement in fuel consumption over a conventional six-speed automatic.

The anti-drink-drive car

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 03 August 2007 02:25 Nissan today unveiled its answer to drink-driving: the car that monitors the driver's alcohol level before every journey and stops you if you're about to break the law. Boffins at the Japanese firm have equipped a domestic market Fuga with monitoring equipment that can spot if a driver has been boozing. It's so sophisticated, engineers claim it can differentiate between perfume (which often contains alcohol) and tell if it's the driver or the passengers that have been drinking.

The fall and rise of the budget car

Twenty years ago, the classic bargain brands like Lada seemed to be going the same way as the Soviet empire that spawned them. Woefully dated and badly made, only a weirdo would have bought a new Lada rather than a second-hand model from Ford, Vauxhall or VW. However, one of the big trends in the car industry today is the re-emergence of bargain cars.