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

Almost 1 million cars made in UK this year

CAR MANUFACTURING accelerated ahead last month, according to official figures. A total of 132,570 cars were made in the UK in July 2014 - a 2.8% rise on the figure for July 2013, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. Last month's total took the year-to-date figure to 923,884 - a 3.4% increase on the total for the first seven months of last year.

Aston Martin in talks with Mercedes for engine supply

It has seemed for some time that Aston Martin’s wish-list for future engines revolved around Mercedes. They currently use a V12 developed from Ford’s Mondeo V6 and a V8 that’s a development of the 4.2 litre that was in Jaguars (and Range Rovers) until a few years ago, but new engines (and new platforms) are vital if Aston are to remain competitive. Before the recent investment in AML by Investindustrial, there were plans for Aston to use both engines and platforms from Mercedes (the Lagonda SUV was built on the underpinnings of the Mercedes GL) and even the possibility that Aston Martin would design and build the next generation Maybach.

McLaren Special Operations (MSO) P1 and 650 S Spider Pebble Beach debut

The McLaren P1 MSO (pictured) will debut at Pebble Beach 2014 It may be Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations in the news at the moment, but McLaren’s own Special Operations has been around since 2011, creating extreme examples of McLaren’s cars for deep-pocketed customers. And they’re back with two new MSO specials for this month’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The most impressive of the two MSO cars is, of course, a special edition of the already very special McLaren P1.