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

Top Gear Russia outs the 2014 Mazda3 Saloon – probably not coming to the UK

The 2014 Mazda3 saloon (pictured) has been outed by Top Gear The UK and Europe have eschewed small saloon cars for hatchbacks in recent years. But in other parts of the world its the small saloon that’s big news, so many will be interested in the new Mazda3 saloon, revealed by Top Gear in Russia ahead of an official debut. Looking exactly like the new 2014 Mazda3 hatch revealed last week (there’s a shock), Mazda has managed to make the translation from hatch to saloon seamless, with proper flowing lines and no sense of a ‘notch’ grafted on the back.

2012 Mercedes S Class to spawn a convertible

The n2012 Mercedes S Class will lose its top It’s probably a sign of increasing decrepitude as it seems only five minutes since Mercedes launched the current S Class, but already we’re talking about the 2012 Mercedes S Class – and it’s only a year away. As has always been the case with a new S-Class we can look forward to a raft of new innovations when the new S Class launches late next year; clever stuff that will eventually filter down to the cars of lesser mortals as the technology matures and the cost falls. And that clever stuff will be packaged up in a big saloon car – the normal S-Class – an even bigger car – the LWB S-Class – and a huge two door coupe – the Mercedes CL, which is expected to be renamed the S-Class Coupe when the new S-Class launches.

Concept Car of the Week: Citroën C-Airdream

In the 1990s and early 2000s one of the most charismatic, brave and forward-thinking car makers, Citroën, had been reduced to the maker of budget, mainstream Euro boxes such as the Saxo and Xsara. The company hinted at its intentions to break free from its mundane existence as the maker of line-of-least-resistance rental cars with its Lignage concept in 1999 that harked back to its past large sedans, especially the CX. But it was at the 2002 Paris motor show that Citroën put a stake in the ground with its fabulously avantgarde Citroën C-Airdream concept.