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

A tribute to Ermanno Cressoni

Last week the car design community suffered a great loss. Ermanno Cressoni or 'Arch' as many of his designers affectionately referred to him, passed away on Thursday 30th June in Milan after battling with cancer for 13 months.'Arch' was a reference in car design and his contribution to our profession was much more important than stated in the press. As Alfa Romeo Centro Stile Director he directed the Alfetta berlina, the famous chrome GTV grille from the early seventies is attributed to him, as is the Giuglietta sedan of the late seventies, the Alfa 33, the 75, and many of the racing Alfas we adore from the late 60s and early 70s.

Mercedes-Benz A-class gets the AMG treatment

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed limited details about its most affordable performance model to date, the A45 AMG. Set to go on sale in Europe in early 2013, the rival to the Audi RS3 and the BMW M135i sits at the top of the third-generation A-class lineup. The price, although not yet officially revealed, is expected to start at about 50,000 euros, or $62,400 at current exchange rates).

1961 Jaguar E-Type ‘Barn Find’ sells for £110k

Rarity is all in the classic car world, which is one of the reasons why the early, pre-Fiat Ferraris command huge prices (there were only 33 Series 1 Ferrari 250 GTOs built and you would now have to pay north of $40 million for one) and why the E-Type – glorious and desirable though it is – commands a fraction of that. In fact, you can pick up a very decent E-Type in good condition for as little as £50k, and even E-Types that have been fully restored and with low mileage don’t often break the £100k barrier. So why has this tatty 1961 flat-floor E-Type sold for £119,020 at Bonhams auction at the RAF Museum in Hendon?