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

Daftest hard shoulder stops revealed

DRIVERS have illegally stopped on motorway hard shoulders for all sorts of barely believable reasons, according to a list from the Highways Agency Some of the dumb and dumber reasons include picking flowers, renewing insurance policies and even trying to sell their car. One motorist pulled over after seeing "Fire" on his dashboard display, but fortunately for his car it turned out to be the name of an Adele track he was listening to. On another occasion, traffic officers found two cars on the hard shoulder, with the owners halfway through the selling and buying process for one of the cars.

One Lap of the Web: Bugatti state of mind

-- Last week, we looked at the new Bugatti exhibit at the Mullin Museum, which taught us more about Bugatti in an afternoon than the last three years of idly flipping through Pebble Beach programs. Having thus immersed ourselves in the House That Ettore Built, we'd really like to drive to work in a faithful Type 35 replica by the aptly named Pur Sang, which Mark Dixon of Octane drove for his 140-mile commute. "You need to keep the revs up while the engine clears its throat and warms its plugs," he writes.

Vauxhall Astra & Astra Sports Tourer get BiTurbo diesel

Vauxhall has decided to bolt their BiTurbo diesel engine in to the Astra Hatch and the Astra Sports Tourer. Vauxhall revealed last month that the Astra GTC was getting the frugal but lively 2.0 litre CDTi BiTurbo engine, offering a tempting combination of 53mpg official economy and sub 8 second 0-62mph performance. With levels of economy unthinkable just a few years ago combined with performance a hot hatch would have been proud of, the BiTurbo Astra GTC is a clever combination.