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

GM and Chrysler in merger talks

By Ben Oliver Motor Industry 13 October 2008 09:12 General Motors and Chrysler are in talks to merge and create the world’s biggest car company. Reports in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal say the talks have been underway since the start of October 2008, and sources close to the possible deal put its chances of success at ’50-50’. All three US car makers have seen their sales decimated in recent months and have been forced to deny that they might seek bankruptcy protection.

New MINI JCW GP laps Nurburgring in 8:23 (video)

We have video of the fastest MINI ever – the MINI John Cooper Works GP II – lapping the Nurburgring in 8:23. We revealed back in April that a new version of the MINI JCW GP was on the way, and MINI got round to confirming that in May when the new MINI John Cooper Works GP was officially revealed. At the time, MINI told us that the new MINI GP could hustle round the Nurburgring a full 19 seconds quicker than the old MINI GP making the new hot MINI the fastest MINI ever made (well, the fastest MINI ever made by BMW, anyway).

Ultra-rare Steyr Puch 500 goes to auction

£18,000 might seem like a lot of money for a car based on the original Fiat 500, but this particular Steyr Puch example is one of just 33 ever built. Austrian firm Steyr Puch entered into an agreement with Fiat in 1954 after production was halted during World War II, and began production of the 500 under licence. Only 33 right-hand drive examples were ever produced, and of those only two survive; this example and one in the Steyr Puch museum in Austria.