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

New Rolls Royce Wraith on the road (video)

The new Rolls Royce Wraith hits the road The new Rolls Royce Wraith – revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March – is Rolls Royce’s answer to the sport credentials of Bentley, and it’s a convincing effort. Essentially a Ghost Coupe, the Wraith’s styling is, perhaps, a little jarring with its almost dog humping back end, but from some angles it also looks remarkably elegant for a two door coupe that’s the size of a delivery truck. But the key to the Wraith’s appeal – apart from the sumptuous fixtures and fittings – is its dynamism and power, with 624bhp on tap from its v12 (and an earth-turning 590lb/ft of torque too) enough to shift the Wraith to 60mph in a very un-Rolls Royce 4.4 seconds.

Gronholm makes explosive debut at Pikes Peak

By Alex Michaelides Motor Shows 24 July 2009 11:55 Finnish rally ace Marcus Gronholm averted disaster to make a promising debut at the 2009 Pikes Peak international hillclimb. The world rally champion’s attempt was severely hampered when the rear tyre of his Ford Fiesta exploded, forcing him to limp home to a still-respectable fifth position in a time of 11min 28.963sec. Japanese rally star Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima claimed first prize in his Suzuki SX4 with a time of 10min 15.368sec.

Audi Q3: new entry-level 1.4 TFSI & new S Line Plus trim option

The new Audi Q3 1.4 TFSI (pictured) offers a sensible petrol alternative Although we all now seem as obsessed in the UK by frugal diesel engines as Europe has been for many years, there’s a lot to be said for a petrol engine. So the launch of the Audi Q3 1.4 TFSI petrol as the new entry point for the Q3 range should make private buyers – and those who don’t do mega miles – sit up and take notice. The Q3 1.4 TFSI only comes with front wheel drive, but it does offer a sensible alternative to the 2.0 litre TDI 140 for many buyers, with 148bhp, a 0-62mph of 9.2 seconds (8.9s with the optional S tronic ‘box), official economy of 47.9mpg and emissions of 137g/km.