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

Andy Saunders sells 'Art Cars' collection

British 'car artist' Andy Saunders' 'Art Car' collection was sold by RM Auctions in London, UK on October 29, along with a selection of classic cars and a McLaren F1 that sold for £2.5 million - a new world record. Though lacking the quality of many Californian custom cars when seen close up, the Art Cars were fascinating to see, and unlike other custom car creators, Saunders has made almost all of the cars for himself; conceiving and creating the cars without any design process beyond thinking them through and getting his hands dirty in evenings after work.  Each of the cars introduced new themes not evident in their donor designs and, within the context of many salubrious but established classic car designs at the auction, they had a powerful quixotic appeal. So why is he selling them?

Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo (2011) launches

The Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo 2011 debuted at Goodwood If you went down to the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend you may well have come across Alpina’s latest offering – the Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo – which, following the news yesterday that BMW have retired the current generation (E60) M5 and that you’ll have to wait intil next year for the new M5 – is the only way to hop in to a brand new ‘Hot’ 5 series for at least the next 9 months. Not only is the Alpina B5 the only really quick 5 series on the market now, it will also be a lot less ubiquitous in the long run than BMW’s own M5. A lot to be said for that.

Heathrow congestion charge pondered

DRIVERS travelling to Heathrow could face a congestion charge should the west London airport be chosen for expansion. Bosses at Heathrow will tell the Whitehall-appointed Airports Commission there could be a case for introducing a charge once improvements in public transport in the area are delivered. Such a charge would not apply to surrounding roads such as the M25, the M4 and the A4, but would affect vehicles travelling to the airport.