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

Beetle anniversary party is more crazy than ever

OVER 4,000 enthusiasts are making their way to the Baltic resort of Travemünde to celebrate Beetles of all generations in what has been called 'The Sunshine Tour'. As well as plenty of original cars there is also plenty of fancy dress for the owners and the cars themselves, while there competition for the overall prize of Most Beautiful Beach Beetle. Volkswagen has been an official partner since 2005 and will be present again over the weekend of 15-17 August with a number of special vehicles.

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’.

Fashion link-up creates Mii by Mango

FASHIONISTAS everywhere will only be thinking about Mii this summer, after Seat and fashion retailer Mango announced a team effort to produce a special edition city car. The Mii by Mango is just the first step in a partnership between the two Spanish giants, tweaking the surprisingly spacious little car with unique styling details and a special colour option called Nude. Dark grey alloy wheels, different side skirts and Mii by Mango badges mark the model out from its more straight-laced siblings.