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

One Lap of the Web: Mini challenges Porsche; kit cars; and brand loyalty

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. Mini wished the Porsche 911 a happy 50th anniversary.

Peugeot 508 gets engine and cosmetic upgrades for 2015

The new Peugeot 508 (pictured) debuts in August It’s four years since the Peugeot 508 first broke cover and pitched its tent as a French take on the Ford Mondeo. So now it’s time for some updates. The facelift for the 508 covers all three models in the 508 range – saloon, estate (SW) and the high-riding 508 RX – and mainly comprises of new bumpers front and back, new LED lights front and back, a re-profiled bonnet and a new grill with the Peugeot Lion front and centre.

Renault buys Caterham out of the joint Alpine sports car venture

Renault buys Caterham out of the joint Alpine sports car venture It’s more than eighteen months since Renault and Caterham joined forces to create a new breed of sports cars around the Alpine brand. Renault say the arrangement is a mutual one and officially brings to an end the joint venture, and that the business will be renamed Société des Automobiles Alpine this month, although Renault aren’t excluding further ventures with Caterham in the future. The split means that the Alpine project will now be a purely Renault one, and Renault are planning to get their Alpine to market by 2016.