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

First BMW i8 Hybrids delivered to customers – complete with Laser Lights

The first BMW i8s delivered in Germany The new BMW i8 hybrid supercar was finally revealed in production guise at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, and by the time it went in to production the whole of the 2014 run of i8s was sold out. Apart from its innovative plug-in hybrid powertrain, the i8 offers many new technologies, one of which is a set of laser lights which deliver a much brighter main beam than LED and looked set to be the first time such lights have appeared on a production car. But Audi tried to upset BMW’s applecart by revealing the R8 LMX last month, which also came with laser lights, and looked set to arrive with customers before the i8.

Mercedes launch new 9G-Tronic gearbox on E350 BlueTec

New Mercedes E350 BlueTec (pictured) gets 9-speed 9G-TRONIC auto It’s not exactly a million years ago that automatic gearboxes offered poorer performance and economy than manual gearboxes, and came as standard with just three gears. But now, automatic gearboxes are so good they can  change quicker than any driver and, with the proliferation of eight-speed auto ‘boxes, offer improved economy and performance too. The next logical step is even more ratios in an auto ‘box, and Land Rover has already revealed they’ll be fitting the Evoque with a 9-speed ZF ‘box from 2014, and the new Jeep Grand Cherokee gets a nine-speed auto ‘box too.

New Honda NSX at Tokyo Motor Show in November?

New Honda NSX could arrive next month at the Tokyo Motor Show Isn’t it strange how some cars are never appreciated fully when they’re in production? Take the McLaren F1. It’s now perhaps the most desirable modern classic on the planet, with cars selling north of £3 million.