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

Automotive review of 2013: the best - and worst - cars and motoring moments

This year marked the 60th anniversary of the Corvette, and Chevrolet marked the occasion in style by launching an all-new model back in January 2013 – the seventh generation of the 'Vette. Instantly recognisable as a Corvette, the new model packs a 6.2-litre V8 rated at 460bhp. Best of all though is the news that the road racer will reach UK dealerships next autumn, priced from £61,495.

Ford Mondeo/Fusion unveiled at 2012 Detroit show

Ford unveiled its new 2013 Mondeo at the Detroit auto show - the new Mondeo is in fact now a Fusion in Euro drag. Under the One Ford rules, most major car projects are in fact global affairs, so the Mondeo follows in the footsteps of the Focus, also unveiled in Detroit two years ago and brought to Europe a year later. We'll have a similarly long wait for the Ford Fusion to make the leap to the European Mondeo, with a launch slated for spring 2013.

Phone use penalty 'could double'

THE PENALTY for using a mobile phone while driving could be doubled under proposals being examined by the Government as part of a safety drive, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has called for offenders to be handed six points on their licence rather than the present three, meaning a ban from getting behind the wheel if caught twice in three years. Mr McLoughlin said it was an "interesting suggestion" that he was considering in an effort to end the "appalling" number of people killed and seriously injured in accidents where a phone was being used in the hand.