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

2012 Lotus Exige V6 Spied

2012 Lotus Exige V6 Spied We’ve reported, sometimes cynically, on Dany Bahar’s plans for Lotus. And some do seem to be a bit less than credible, certainly when you factor in cost. But the spy shot we have of a 2012 Lotus Exige V6 sporting a more grown-up look – and the Evora’s V6 engine – show Lotus to be serious about its upmarket direction.

Driven: Volkswagen Golf Mk7

Walking up to the seventh-generation VW Golf, redesigned flip key in hand, you're in no doubt that this is a) new or – perhaps more importantly – b) a Golf. It's the "200 meter test" lead exterior designer, Andreas Mindt tells us and, while we're suspicious of the idea of self-conscious ‘iconic design', you have to concede he's right. In fact the Mk7 Golf's pared-back graphics and a return to a true two-box proportion create a more accurate vision of what we imagine when we think ‘Volkswagen Golf' than either of its two most recent predecessors.

Land Rover Defender 90 Yachting Edition by Startech

The Land Rover Defender 90 Yachting Edition by Startech Rather than it being a surprise that Startech has produced a cosmetically highly-specced version of the iconic Land Rover Defender, the surprise is that more tuning forms don’t do it. After all, the Defender is as iconic a 4×4 as you can get, enough to imbue it with coolness and desirability by right. True, as a fast cruiser the Defender would struggle to hack it, but as an Urban Cruiser – where posing is more important than performance – it would do a fine job.