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

Best Western Hotels rolling out EV charging points in the UK

We’re electric car sceptics – or at least sceptical about their ability to replace the ICE car as our principal form of personal transport – although EVs do have their place as runarounds in urban areas, where their limited range isn’t really a factor. But taking your EV off for a weekend jaunt does pose logistical problems when the average range is probably no more than 80 miles, and something worth making the effort for a weekend away is almost always going to be further away than that. But a bit of smart marketing by Best Western Hotels – a group of 270 or so independently run hotels round the UK – means EV drivers will soon be able to plot their weekend away on the basis of Best Western Hotels en route, with Best Western planning on fitting EV charging points in their car parks, with half their hotels having free charging points by September.

Citroen DS3 DSport 150 Review & Road Test (2010) Part 2

Citroen DS3 Road Test With the DS3 Citroen has got just about everything right (well, apart from a short-lived, poor-taste anti-retro advert or two) from the cool, funky and incredibly contemporary exterior to the equally cool – and very upmarket feeling – interior. True, our car has a chunk of extras- including some upmarket leather – which make it feel more premium, but even without the extra toys this is a stunningly good-looking car, inside and out. In fact the DS3 is so appealing to the eye it’s the only car this year – apart from the new Jaguar XJ – where we’ve had people knock on the window begging for a look.

Ferrari F450 – due at Frankfurt in September ’09

Rendering of the Ferrari F450 - due to show at Frankfurt in September and go on sale in 2010 But the new Ferrari F450 is getting closer, and spy shots of the F450 have enabled Auto Express to come up with a rendering that is, we reckon, near as dammit to the finished article due to be shown at Frankfurt in September. Sporting a pair of big side vents that have been enlarged to help the engine breathe and the brakes cool, the F450 is different enough to the F430 to set it apart as a new car – not just an evolution. The F450 is going to have to go upmarket to compete with the likes of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, and in an effort to compete Ferrari has upped the capacity of the F430, increased the rev limit and produced an engine that, in the F450, should deliver something around 500bhp.