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

Seat Leon and Altea facelifts (2009) first photos

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 09 February 2009 12:36 Seat has given its Altea and Leon ranges a neat visual facelift, complemented by the introduction of new common rail diesel engines and enhanced levels of luxury and safety kit. The new-look models will make their debut at the Geneva motorshow in early March, alongside the new Exeo estate and a yet-to-be-seen Ecomotive concept. According to Seat, the new-look Altea and Leon families adopt Seat’s ‘Arrow Design’ look introduced on the Ibiza by Seat design boss and ex-Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke to create a more consistent visual look to the Spanish range.

Mini offers new engines for 2010 spruce-up

Mini is replacing the current 1.4 and 1.6 petrol engines in spring 2010 – with a single more powerful and efficient Valvetronic 1.6. The new engine will power all the entry-level First and One models instead of the current 1.4. The new and improved 1.6 will also replace the existing engine found in the Cooper and Cooper S models.

Biker attempts to beat London marathon record... in traffic

AS BRITISH favourite Mo Farah prepares to challenge the British record at the London Marathon this weekend, an enterprising biker has decided to try it himself – in the thick of London traffic. On closed roads a man vs machine race would be a bit one-sided, but with the average speed of a fast marathon runner being 12.43mph and the average speed of a motorbike in London traffic being 12.5mph, the result turned out not to be so clear-cut – the biker missing out on the record by a full five minutes. Using the same BMW F800GS Adventure as is loaned to the marathon organisers, Michael Mann of online community Bike Social followed the route as closely as possible, albeit with a few extra loops where the runners will take advantage of closed one-way streets.