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

Kubrick's Jaguar memories: XJ12s and more

Once upon a time there was a small boy, about seven years old, who had taken an interest in cars at a rather early stage, mainly thanks to his old man, who was (and, thankfully, still is) a car enthusiast and, back in those days, a staunch supporter of a certain Southern German marque. This naturally meant that the small boy would sometimes be a bit annoyed by his father's occasionally overbearing passion, but at the same time usually knit his eyebrows himself whenever he came across something sporting four wheels but no blue & white propeller (which, he believed, was the way things were supposed to be). So the foundations had been laid to turn this very young chap into a proper petrolhead one day, but his interest remained relatively casual and moderate until that one fateful evening.

What's New - June 2005

Mercedes-Benz Bionic concept The Bionic showcases the potential of bionics for automobile development, and is inspired by the boxfish(!) In DaimlerChrysler's words: "Despite its boxy, cube-shaped body, this tropical fish is in fact outstandingly streamlined and therefore represents an aerodynamic ideal". This 4240mm long car that seats four has a Cd value of just 0.19 which, in combination with light-weight construction and an advanced diesel powertrain, gives 20% lower fuel consumption and up to 80% lower nitrogen oxide emissions. This reduction in NO2 is achieved by spraying 'AdBlue', an aqueous urea solution, into the exhaust system in precisely metered quantities to convert the nitrogen oxides into harmless nitrogen and water, so even if it looks like it should, it shouldn't smell fishy...

Volvo Emissions Equality Campaign – Great move

The Volvo V70 - less polluting than a Fiat 500 Whenever we get the opportunity – as regular readers will know – we complain about the current obsession with CO2 emissions on cars and call for car makers and Governments to act on the emissions which actually matter – NOx, hydrocarbons and particulates (and here, and here, and here and…). And it looks like Volvo agrees. Volvo are launching the ‘Emissions Equality Campaign to get car buyers to consider the whole picture when it comes to car emissions and not just look at the figure for CO2, which buyers have been brainwashed in to thinking matters (our view of CO2 – not Volvo’s).