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

Renaultsport Megane teased

These car manufacturers do love to tease. One after another they come up with ways to ‘leak’ a little info, or present us with teaser images (like the Fiat 500C last week). And now Renault are playing the game ahead of the reveal of the Renaultsport Megane at Geneva in a few weeks.

Aston Martin Rapide storms the desert

If you asked last month what the greatest invention in the history of the world was, we would not have said fire or the wheel or the Wright brothers' airplane. We'd have told you it was air conditioning. Because last month, we were in Kuwait, a place so hot that even the Kuwaitis--who probably have the best air conditioners on the planet--get the hell out of Kuwait in the summertime.

New Mercedes SL 400 replaces SL 350

The new Mercedes SL 400 (pictured) replaces the old SL 350 It’s a little over two years since the latest Mercedes SL arrived, and Mercedes has now decided to add a little zest to sales by dropping the old SL 350 and replacing it with a new Mercedes SL 400. The new SL 400 gets its power from the new E400 which means a twin-turbo 3.0 litre V6 with 328bhp and 354 lb/ft of torque – 26bhp and 81 lb/ft more than the old SL 350 – enough to let the SL 400 scoot to 62 mph in 5.2 seconds – 0.7s better than the 350 -= and on to a limited top speed of 155 mph. The new SL 400 has to make do with Mercedes tried and tested 7-speed auto – despite a new 9-speed now being available in Mercedes’ arsenal – which gives the SL 400 official economy of 38.6 mpg and emissions of 172g/km – not that you’ll come close in the real world.