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

Mercedes-Benz slots 4 compacts for U.S.

Mercedes-Benz will launch four compact vehicles in the United States in the next three years with starting prices of $30,000 or below. The vehicles will include a production version of the A-class coupe concept shown last week at the New York auto show. Three variants of Mercedes' new-generation compact family also are headed for the United States.

Volkswagen CC R-Line announced for the UK

The Volkswagen CC R-Line (pictured) now on sale in the UK Earlier this year, Volkswagen decided they’d drop the price of the VW CC just a bit, so with an eye to a tick-box many UK buyers will like they’ve added the VW CC R-Line to the UK options to get some higher price sales in. Effectively an add-on option for the CC GT – which comes with a pretty decent spec anyway – the CC R-Line will get the usual subtle R-Line adornments to add a bit more butch to the appealing four-door coupe. That includes an R-Line grill with fog lights, new R-Line bumper, bigger sills, LED running lights, R-Line logos, 18″ Mallory Alloys and R-Line steering wheel, all of which adds a perfectly reasonable £650 to the price of the GT CC.

Concept Car of the Week: Ford Forty-Nine (2001)

Over 1.3 million orders were placed for the 1949 Ford before it even went officially on sale. The revolutionary post-war design with slick slab sides and semi-covered wheels became a symbol of American optimism. "The inspiration for the Forty-Nine concept comes from the passion and excitement of the original, combined with the imagination of people across America who customized the car and turned it into what they thought a really great car should be," said J Mays, Ford's vice president of Design at the unveiling of the retro-futurist coupe back in 2001.