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

Renault unveils four electric concepts at 2009 Frankfurt motor show

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 15 September 2009 12:00 Renault has unveiled four incredible electric concept cars at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show, and all four will be in production by the end of 2012. The maddest of all is the tiny Twizy ZE concept, a 1+1 city car that Renault sources have revealed to CAR will go into production in 2011 relatively unchanged. Also on sale in 2011 will be an electric van for commercial buyers, based on the Kangoo ZE concept and mechanically identical to the Be Bop ZE Ben Oliver drove earlier in 2009.

Vauxhall VXR8 Tourer revealed: Price from £49,500

Vauxhall has revealed the Estate version of the VXR8 – the Vauxhall VXR8 Tourer – which offers oodles of room and 425bhp. That sort of power in an estate car certainly offers a different experience to regular load-luggers with 0-62mph coming up in a slightly silly 4.9 seconds. But, despite looking a bit past its prime even though it’s a new model, the VXR8 Tourer gets a reasonably sophisticated setup with McPherson Strut with progressive coils at the front and a multi-link setup at the back, launch control and a limited slip diff, all conspiring to try and put the VXR8 Tourer’s 425bhp power down through the rear wheels.

Mazda CX-7 gets sporty makeover for Europe

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 29 September 2006 03:13 Mazda is scrabbling to ready a muscular 170bhp turbodiesel engine for its new CX-7 crossover, which arrives in Europe next summer. Although the five-seat 4x4 will initially come with a 258bhp version of the Mazda 6 MPS's turbocharged 2.3-litre four, European market demands for diesel power mean Mazda will unleash a new 2.2-litre version of its four-cylinder diesel. This engine will be hooked up to a slick six-speed manual or five-gear automatic transmission.