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

Engine of the Year Winners: Ford 1.0 litre EcoBoost is top dog

Ford’s 1.0 Litre EcoBoost wins Engine of the Year 2013 If anything is going to overturn the received wisdom that all small cars should come with a diesel engine, it’s Ford’s 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine. Torquey, lively and frugal, the 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine is a little marvel, a fact recognised for the second year running by the judging panel for the Engine of the Year Awards,  which has given the 1.0 litre EcoBoost the highest ever marks in the award’s fifteen year history. A total of 87 car journalists from 35 countries were hugely impressed with the power, torque and small size of the Ford engine, with one journalist, Peter Lyon, commenting: “Who’d have believed it?

2012 Mercedes A-Class undisguised on video

The new A-Class caught on video on Lanzarote The 2012 Mercedes A-Class will launch at Geneva next month, and we have the first undisguised video and photo of the new A-Class. Mercedes-Benz has already confirmed that the new 2012 Mercedes A-Class will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and that it’s the five-door A-Class that will hit the road first. Which means Mercedes are out shooting footage for the launch of the A-Class, and a sharp-eyed cyclist has managed to grab a brief bit of footage of the new A-Class on the road to Playa Blanca on Lanzarote as Mercedes went about their work.

Peugeot Unveils Hybrid Le Mans Racer

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 07 October 2008 13:03 Peugeot used the final round of this season’s Le Mans Series at Silverstone this weekend to show off its new hybrid-powered 908 HDi FAP racer, which features a similar kinetic energy recovery setup to next year’s Formula 1 system.The 908’s ‘HY’ undertook a number of demonstration laps in front of the packed grandstands and showed how Peugeot’s passenger car technology is filtering through to its motorsport activities.Over the weekend, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest – the company that runs the Le Mans series – announced a raft of aerodynamic and air-intake changes to next year’s regulations to even out the advantages of diesel over petrol. But rather frustratingly for Peugeot, there were no moves to incorporate hybrid powertrains in the 2009 season.But Peugeot claims that it will enter the 908 HY into next year’s Le Mans Series as a ‘Double Oh’ non-competitor to further evaluate the car’s hybrid technology.The HY’s layout comprises three key components - an 80bhp gear-driven electric motor-generator which replaces the conventional starter motor, 10 lithium-ion battery stacks to store the recovered power (six in the cockpit instead of the conventional battery and four on the left-hand side of the floor pan) and an electronic power converter, located in the rear part of the front left wing, which controls the flow of energy between batteries and motor.The result is a 3-5% mechanical energy recovery – and the associated economy and performance benefits. Over a single lap of Le Mans, for example, the system will recoup lost energy for up to 30seconds.This is then converted into a 20second 80bhp kick can either be meted out automatically by the car’s electronics to bolster acceleration throughout the lap or be selectively used by the driver using a ‘push to pass’ boost button.The additional and modified components add a further 65kg to the car’s weight, but Peugeot’s engineers claim the racecar will still easily meet the minimum regulated weight. “As a car manufacturer we can use motor sport as a research and development tool for the Peugeot brand as a whole,” said Michel Barge, Peugeot Sport’s director.