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

Ralliart unit folds, but Mitsubishi keeps name

Mitsubishi will continue using the “Ralliart” brand name despite the demise of the Japanese racing parts company this week. Ralliart Inc., a wholly owned Japanese subsidiary of Mitsubishi Motors Corp., informed global distributors on Wednesday that it would cease business operations March 31. In the United States and Europe, Mitsubishi markets a Ralliart sports version of its Lancer, which has become a sporty halo car for the brand.

Car makers to be forced to disclaim ‘Official’ economy figures

We’ve banged on for a long time about the futility of official economy figures, especially as car makers get better and better at ‘gaming’ the official economy tests to produce the results they want. Much of the impetus to create the best headline economy figure for a car is driven by taxation, with car makers well aware that the better the official economy results are, the lower their CO2 will be (CO2 isn’t tested for – it’s just extrapolated from the official mpg) and the more appealing the car will be to buyers, particularly fleet buyers. But a ruling by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) against Audi could at least see car makers having to admit in their adverts that the ‘official’ economy figure bears no relation to what owners can expect to achieve in the real world.

Aston Martin. Burj Al Arab Hotel. Helicopter. Mix & Serve.

As part of Aston Martin’s Centenary celebrations in Dubai, an Aston Martin Vanquish has been helicoptered to the top of the Burj Al Arab hotel. There’s no more extra power on offer from the centenary edition Astons, but they do get a special paint job and interior and come with solid silver enamelled plaques commemorating the centenary, even if Aston Martin seem to have only been able to cobble together a Vanquish Centenary Edition so far. But things have got a bit more spectacular in Dubai, with Aston Martin using a helicopter to stick a Vanquish on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, 1,000 ft up at the top of the iconic sail-shaped building.