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

Mazda appoints Brit Kevin Rice as new European design chief

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 18 August 2014 10:13 Mazda has appointed Kevin Rice as its new European design director to replace the retiring Peter Birtwhistle. Rice joins at a key time for Mazda, which is replacing its model range at a rate of knots. It will show the new 2 supermini at the Paris motor show in October 2014, following the 3 mid-sized hatch and 6 family car which are both less than two years old.

Some hybrids are not a green as they seem, interest group says

Car buyers who think they are helping the planet by choosing a hybrid vehicle to aid in cutting emissions don't always get the biggest bang for their buck, according to an environmental interest group. A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists shows that some hybrids come at a much higher price tag than their similarly equipped, conventional-powertrain counterparts, yet offer little in the way of environmental gain. These not-so-green hybrids compromise their value or eco-friendliness in a variety of ways.

Puegeot win at Le Mans – Audi third

Peugeot drivers celebrate their 1-2 at Le Mans The winning Peugeot (#9) was driven by Alexander Wurz, David Brabham and Marc Gene, whilst second place was taken by Sébastien Bourdais, Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazinin in car #8, just one lap behind, and five laps in front of Audi’s #1 car driven by Allan McNish, Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen. In fact, the Audi car #1 (the other Audi entries had fallen by the wayside) finished just one lap ahead of Lola Aston Martin’s #007 car. The usual racing excuses were out in full, with Audi claiming that the cancellation of the traditional testing day this year meant they were unable to set up the R15 TDI properly in time for the race (Peugeot seemed to manage to get the 908s ready!).