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

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.

Used car market pressure eases

AN INCREASE in the number of used cars coming into the market has “taken the edge off prices” and calmed some corners of the industry, according to used car pricing experts CAP. A greater influx of part-exchange cars arriving at dealers is partly responsible, and with many franchised dealers focusing for the time being on selling those vehicles, competition to acquire stock on the open market has decreased. CAP reports that the pressure has been lifted on some dealers who had become frustrated at how expensive it was becoming to source cars at fair prices.

Nissan GT-R Nismo leaks – gets 595bhp

Nissan GT-R Nismo leaks – gets 595bhp Nissan has been planning to add Nismo performance versions across their range of production cars for the last couple of years, and we’ve seen the Juke Nismo and 370Z Nismo already. Next up is the Nissan GT-R Nismo (even though you’d think it might be tough to make the mad GT-R any more ‘sporty’), an arrival confirmed by Carlos Ghosn back in February when he said “It would be unthinkable for us to develop a range of Nismo road cars without including the GT-R“. Now, ahead of a reveal this week, the first photo of the new GT-R Nismo has arrived together with some detail on what’s on offer.