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

Dacia Duster (2010) first official photos

By Richard Webber First Official Pictures 08 December 2009 15:50 This is our first look at the new 2010 Duster – the new economy crossover from Dacia. My memory’s a little dusty – remind me about Dacia...Dacia has been building cars in Romania since 1966, and, since a Renault takeover in 1999, has expanded to produce over half a million cars annually, built at plants across the world and sold in countries as diverse as Germany, Iran, Russia, Morocco and Colombia.Since 2004 all of its cars have been based on the company’s B0 – that's zero, not a whiffy 'O' – platform, and top sellers are the mid-sized Logan saloon and estate, and the five-door Sandero hatchback. Didn’t Dacia present a crossover concept at Geneva 2009?So you don’t see the resemblance?

Classic car prices on the up: Jaguar D-type sells for £3 million

Classic car prices seem to be ever-rising, with historic models becoming an investment to rival buying property or gambling on the stock market. The inaugural RM Auctions Paris sale this week was a case in point, and resulted in nearly £15 million’s worth of the world’s rarest and most exotic cars going under the hammer. Four cars alone went for in excess of £1 million, and a Jaguar D-type sold for three times that amount.

Porsche announces new Weissach design center and wind tunnel

Porsche is to invest around €150m into its Weissach development facility, including a new design center. The plans also include an electronics integration department and a state-of-the art, on-site wind tunnel, which is hoped will allow the company to realize an holistic approach to efficient design, with a strong focus on aerodynamics. When we spoke with head of Porsche design, Michael Mauer, at this year's Paris motor show, he also alluded to the fact that the Volkswagen Group's – and, more specifically, Walter de'Silva's – recent influence on the German manufacturer was shifting its attitudes: "The Volkswagen Group has a very good understanding of how much freedom a brand needs to keep its characteristics and with [Walter] as 'conductor', I feel a lot of support with design issues within the company," explained Mauer.