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

Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty on all new cars (well, for 100k miles)

All new Vauxhalls now get the Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty It was going to happen sooner or later; long-established car makers biting the bullet on warranties to counter the threat form the Koreans with their huge warranties and bargain prices. And it’s Vauxhall that’s jumped in to the fray, offering a lifetime warranty on all new cars with immediate effect. Of course, that’s a ‘Lifetime Warranty’ in what has become the modern, disingenuous fashion.

VW Phaeton - the new one coming in 2015

A brand new Volkswagen Phaeton Mk2 will be launched in 2015, based on a new architecture being masterminded by cousins Audi. Dubbed VW631, the new VW Phaeton will be based on MLM Evo (modular longitudinal matrix) which makes provision for a plug-in hybrid option, an aluminium-intensive body structure and a much more advanced and less nose-heavy dynamic layout. Although VW chairman Martin Winterkorn has in the past black-flagged the Avantissimo (A8-based) and the Passat Variant Plus (A6-derived), there is still a lot to be said for a second more practical bodystyle in addition to the four-door notch which is almost compulsory in this segment.

Show Review: Tokyo Concours D’Elegance

Tokyo has hosted the first of what it hopes will become the Japanese equivalent of America's Pebble Beach and Italy's Villa D'Este. Held at the plush Tokyo Midtown shopping mall/commercial complex, the Tokyo Concours D'Elegance was initiated by enthusiast Paul Goldsmith and coincided with the first public days of the Tokyo Motor Show - though regrettably also with a typhoon, forcing organisers to cover the cars on the lawns, which were ultimately closed due to flooding. Fortunately, the exhibition had been split between in- and outdoors, and while the weather lashed out at those braving the winds, there were still some interesting displays for those wishing to remain dry.