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

2014 Subaru XV – less choice, more refinement

The 2014 Subaru XV (pictured) gets a bit of a tweak The Subaru XV arrived in the UK in 2012, and it’s a perfectly able and reasonably-priced compact crossover from Subaru. But within a year of launching the XV Subaru decided to inject a bit more appeal in to the XV with a price cut of £2,300 across the range and now, not more than six months later, they’re fiddling with the XV range again. The 2.0 litre petrol XV gets new valve-train components to cut engine noise and revised suspension, with extra soundproofing improving NVH levels across the range, a revised power steering system for added stability and feel  and thicker and reshaped suspension lower arm and extra reinforcement around the base of the A-Pillar for better crash performance.

Mustangs rule at Fabulous Fords Forever

Mustangs ruled the day at the 29th annual Fabulous Fords Forever car show. “This is the Mustang year,” said Fabulous board member Marc Bodrie. “From 12 months ago, we knew we were going to center this show on 50 years of Mustang.” You could argue that every year is a Mustang year at FFF, with the storied two-door often making up more than half the entries.

Chris Economaki was one of the good guys

I'm really going to miss Chris Economaki, who died this morning around midnight, 91 years young. Elsewhere on this site, you'll find writer Leo Levine's excellent tribute to Chris. In it, he pays compliments to Chris such as “he left a hole in the motorsports firmament that can never be filled.