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

Kia Venga mini MPV at 2009 Frankfurt motor show

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 17 August 2009 11:00 Kia has stayed remarkably faithful to its No.3 concept car for its new mini-MPV, the Venga. Forget the name's reference to Arsenal's football manager or annoying Ibiza soundtracks, the Venga is all about sensible family transport.  It's the more practical Soul – with the space of a C-segment, Focus-style car in the footprint of a supermini, claims Kia. Eh?

Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde at Frankfurt

Alfa will be bringing the 170bhp Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde to Frankfurt Alfa Romeo has revealed that they’ll be bringing the  MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde (MiTo four leaf clover) to the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, featuring a 170bhp Multiair engine as we reported back in June (goodness, we’re ahead of the game sometimes!). The ‘Quadrifoglio’ bit refers back to Alfa’s racing history, and was the emblem used on those cars and was most recently seen on special editions of the Alf GT and 147. But the biggest news, apart from the extras and the paint job, is the clever Multiair system that Alfa is busy introducing.

Test your car's audio quality with iTunes playlist

General Motors audio engineer Matt Kirsch, who did the sound work for the Chevrolet Cruze, has developed an iTunes playlist that helps drivers test their cars' audio quality. The “10 Songs for an Audio ‘Test Drive'” playlist includes: “Don't Know Why” by Norah Jones “Diamonds and Rust” by Joan Baez “No One” by Alicia Keys “Hotel California” by the Eagles “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas “Rock That Body” by the Black Eyed Peas “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap “He Mele No Lilo” by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu (from Lilo & Stitch) “Bird on a Wire” by Johnny Cash “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box” by Radiohead While “Boom Boom Pow” and “Rock That Body” should have accurate and powerful bass beats, “No One” and “Bird on a Wire” should feature clarity in the vocals. Kirsch's playlist is available for download at http://tiny.cc/c2ach.