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

Next-gen Passat to offer hybrid and twin-turbo power

VOLKSWAGEN is going even more upmarket with the all-new version of the Passat, which is due to hit showrooms later this year. Soon buyers will be able to include a plug-in hybrid and an all-new 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel among their forecourt options, as VW goes chasing after its sister company Audi. Weight-saving measures have chopped up to 85kg from the new kid on a like-for-like basis, which helps achieve VW's stated efficiency boosts of 20% versus equivalent outgoing Passats.

Experiment Proves A Testing Time For Experienced Drivers

WOULD you pass your driving test second time around? Insurance company Direct Line wanted to answer that age-old question, and gathered 50 experienced drivers and put them through the standard driving test to find out. The result was that more than three quarters of them failed, with those that did recording an average of three serious or dangerous faults, with one participant committing 10 major faults.

American Picked

Toney Thomas knows his junk. Ask him about any of the thousands of items--from antique BB guns to ancient boat motors, from old service-station signage to historic military gear--in his 30-foot-by-60-foot storage barn in rural Michigan, and he'll most likely have a story to tell. Thomas's penchant for collecting led to his appearance on a fall episode of the History Channel's American Pickers with celebrity junk hunters Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz.