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

2013 Mercedes E63 AMG & E63 AMG S Facelift arrives

Ahead of a debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes has revealed the new E63 AMG saloon and Estate and the E63 AMG S. Just as we saw the other day, the 2013 E63 AMG – both saloon and estate – get a bold new treatment, particularly at the front, to differentiate further the AMG from the more prosaic E Class models. The more butch front end gets the new single headlight treatment of the regular E Class, but there’s a central splitter and great big air ducts forming an AMG ‘A’ shape to improve air flow under the car.

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.

MINI – George Harrison Homage

MINI has recreated George Harrison's 1960s Mini Cooper to be auctioned for charity Apart from the Mini nothing is more redolent of the ’60s than the Beatles – the band who changed the world. And these two sixties icons came together in 1966 when the Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, presented each of the Fab Four with a Mini Cooper S – as a thank-you for making him a wealthy man! With the big MINI United Festival looming ( May 22nd-24th at Silverstone ) MINI has re-created one of those original Minis to be auctioned in aid of charity.