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

Get up close and personal with the David Brown Automotive Speedback

The David Brown Automotive Speedback is certainly one of the more intriguing coachbuilt cars we've seen recently -- all the more so because it's a product of Britain, not the carrozzeria hub of Italy. We just got our first glimpse of the Speedback yesterday, and thanks to this XCar video, we can dive a bit deeper into the car's origins and its many design details (unfortunately, there's no on-road footage yet). The Speedback, in the words of DBA founder David Brown, seeks to combine the “classic simplicity of the '60s underpinned by a modern platform with all of the functionality you'd expect from a modern car.” And it does so successfully, from what we can tell so far.

'Defective tyre' prosecutions top 10,000

MORE THAN 170 motorists were convicted every week in 2012 for driving on defective or even dangerous tyres. The figures, obtained by tyre safety charity TyreSafe as part of its efforts to improve awareness during Tyre Safety Month, show that 10,228 drivers were taken to court over their tyres. As rain becomes a more regular fixture for most motorists up and down the country, following an unusually dry summer, tyre tread depth and pressure become even more important.

Raptor engineer has a taste for chassis tuning, microbrews

Hether Fedullo is a Ford noise, vibration and harshness engineer, a shifter-kart driver and a beer snob. "I do appreciate a good beer,” she says, “like people appreciate wine.” She loves a good wheat or a nice dark brew. She's partial to Bell's, be it Amber Ale, Oberon or Expedition Stout.