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

New Mercedes A45 AMG has 105 years of 4WD on its side

With the new Mercedes A45 AMG on the horizon – complete with 4WD – Mercedes chart the history of all wheel drive on their vehicles. We tend to think of 4WD road cars as a modern innovation, and certainly very few 4WD road cars hit the road in a mainstream way much before the 1980s (the Jensen FF was hardly mainstream before someone points out that was in the 1960s). But the history of 4WD goes back, certainly in the case of Mercedes, a surprising 105 years when Daimler built the Dernburg-Wagen, a 4WD vehicle that not only got all-wheel drive but all wheel steering too.

Mercedes C Class BlueEfficiency – now even more efficient

Mercedes C Class BlueEFFICIENCY now has new, more frugal engines And the new engines Mercedes has announced for its C Class BlueEfficiency are quite remarkable. Already available in the new Mercedes E-Class, they offer remarkable economy whilst still producing a very drivable car. The new Mercedes C220 CDi Blue EFFICIENCY delivers 170bhp and a 0-60mph of 8.4 seconds, but averages nearly 59mpg and only emits 127 g/km o2.

Fiat 500 Colour Therapy added to UK 500 range

Fiat has added the 500 Colour Therapy – a retro-look Fiat 500 – to the model range in the UK. The Fiat 500 belongs to the same school of marketing as the MINI, so a new trim range to cash in on its ‘Homage to an Icon’ status seems an obvious route to garner a few more sales for the very likeable 500. Which is why the UK is getting the Fiat 500 Colour Therapy, a new model range that sits in the 500 line-up between the Pop and Lounge trim levels and comes in five retro-inspired colours - New Age Cream, Countrypolitan Yellow, Pasodoble Red, Volare Blue, and Tech House Grey.