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

Concept Car of the Week: Mercedes F200 Imagination (1996)

The F200 Imagination was designed at Mercedes' Advanced Design studio in Tokyo, in response to the question 'does the car of the future still have a steering wheel and foot-operated controls?' Take a look at the car's interior and the answer was fairly emphatic, as the steering wheel and pedals were replaced by joysticks, called Sidesticks, that operated the throttle, brakes and steering by wire. There were two sticks to choose from, one on the left of the cabin and one in the center console. However, both had the same function – push forward to accelerate, left or right to turn, and back to brake – so either of the front passengers could control the car.

MINI Goodwood ‘Rolls Royce’ range to grow

the MINI Goodwood range is going to grow We finally got the MINI by Rolls Royce – The MINI Inspired by Goodwood – at this year’s Shanghai Motor Show, although it had been on the cards for a couple of years. ‘Inspired by Goodwood’ is a bit less blatant than ‘MINI Rolls Royce’, but it still reflects the prestige and craftsmanship associated with Rolls Royce, as these days Rolls Royce are put together on the Goodwood Estate. When MINI officially revealed the Goodwood, they said they would be building just 1,000 cars, based on the MINI Copper S, but with a non-vented bonnet and custom alloys, burr walnut and cornsilk leather.

BMW plotting a hydrogen fuel cell EV

The BMW i3 EV (pictured) will eventually be joined by a hydrogen fuel cell BMW BMW has now taken its first fully-fledged step in to the electric car market with the BMW i3, revealed in full earlier this week. The i3 is a properly competent offering from BMW and it seems likely that, despite a price pushing on £30k even after the taxpayer bribe for EVs, that they will find a ready market in their affluent customer base for the i3 as a second (or third, or fourth…) car for local runarounds. BMW has even managed to negate range anxiety by offering the option of a range-extender engine in the i3 – basically a BMW motorcycle engine to charge the battery when it runs out of juice – so BMW’s customers who may wish to use their i3 for more than just a trip the shops can do so without getting stranded.