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

New car sales accelerate again

NEW CAR SALES could be back to pre-recession levels by the end of this year after a good start to 2014. Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show there were 176,820 new vehicles registered in April - an 8.2% rise on the same month last year. Last month's figure took the total for the year so far to 864,942 - a 12.5% increase on the first four months of 2013.

2014 Range Rover Evoque revealed with 9-speed gearbox & Active Driveline

The 2014 Range Rover Evoque (pictured) gets a raft of improvements for 2014 In the run-up to the Geneva Motor Show in March, Land Rover revealed they were planning to fit a new 9-speed ZF automatic gearbox to the 2014 Range Rover Evoque. And they’ve done that, and more, as they reveal the 2014 Evoque. It’s hard to call the 2014 Evoque a facelift as it’s more about evolving the Evoque with improvements as it matures, but there are some interesting changes beyond a few cosmetic upgrades for 2014. Chief amongst the changes is the new 9-speed ZF ‘box which promises some quite impressive economy improvements, with fuel consumption, and therefore emissions, improving by up to 11.4 per cent with the most frugal Evoque – the FWD with the 148bhp 2.2 litre diesel – now boasting official figures of 57.6mpg and 129g/km.

AC Cars and Zagato launch 378 GT Zagato

AC Cars, working in collaboration with Italian design house Zagato, has announced its new sports car, the AC 378 GT Zagato. The launch was revealed at last week's Geneva motor show, where the production version of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato – which was, in fact designed in-house by Aston Martin in the UK – was being displayed on the British carmaker's stand. The car is instantly recognizable as a Zagato-designed car, with minimalist, organic surfacing and key features such as the C-pillar/rear window crossover.