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

Gordon Murray Design T27 crash tested

The original Smart car probably did more than its fair share to persuade us that small cars needn't necessarily be unsafe. But now Gordon Murray is on the same mission: to persuade us that his titchy T27 city car is as safe as houses too. Gordon Murray Design has just issued its first crash test results, showing a T27 electric car after a crash test at the UK's MIRA industry research lab.  The crash test in question was the European-standard 40% offset deformable barrier front high-speed impact.

BMW M5 manual mess-up

By Chris chilton Motor Industry 27 January 2007 01:34 North American customers were delighted when BMW bowed to their demands for a full three-pedal manual version of the current V10 M5 super saloon, but aren’t quiet so enamoured with the finished product. The issue is not with the gearbox itself – BMW successfully replaced the European model’s seven-speed SMG box with the old-shape M5’s six-speed manual – but with the compromises that were needed to get there. Without the benefit of computer control for the opening and closing of the clutch plates, M division’s engineers couldn’t eliminate axle tramp under hard take-offs.

VW Eos BlueMotion Technology revealed

The VW Eos Bluemotion launches in the UK A New Year, but still VW are rolling out new BlueMotion Models. This time on the Eos. The usual tweaks apply to give the Eos its BlueMotion status – regenerative braking, start-stop, hill-hold and a gear change light – but this is the first time (unless we’ve missed something along the way) that VW has utilised its BlueMotion toys on a petrol engine.