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

MINI Countryman Cooper & Paceman Cooper get ALL4 4WD

The MINI Countryman Cooper (pictured) & Paceman Cooper get ALL4 4WD We always find it astonishing that car makers ‘ration’ the availability of four wheel drive platforms in their cars, usually citing a ‘lack of demand’. But that lack of demand is usually predicated on the lack of supply, and increasing the supply of 4WD cars would see more sold, especially after a series of harsh winters where many motorists struggled to keep their cars in a straight line. So the decision by BMW to extend the availability of their ALL4 4WD setup to a wider range of MINIs is welcome, with the petrol Countryman Cooper and Paceman Cooper now getting the ALL4 option too.

Woven in the Fabric of Enthusiasm

Editor's note: This article was first published in the April 30, 2000, issue of AutoWeek. Single chauffeur/single passenger two-door steel/aluminum/canvas/crocodile-embossed hide custom tourer 92 hp @ the shaft, 207 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm 323.50-cid Chrysler L-head inline-eight Rear-wheel drive Four-speed, clutch-free semiautomatic 0-60 mph: 10 seconds EPA combined mpg: 8+ mpg Base price, None. Built for owner's use Or you could buy: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang II ($1,100,000+) It has been 79 years since Count Louis Zborowski, a Polish nobleman, created the glorious Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs of which only one survives.

James Bond's 1964 Aston Martin featured at London auction

Two 1964 Aston Martin DB5s were featured in the James Bond Goldfinger and Thunderball movies. One survives, and it's up for grabs at the RM Auctions Automobiles of London sale on Oct. 27.