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

CAR interviews new Renault design chief Laurens van den Acker (2009)

By Guy Bird Motor Industry 15 October 2009 10:29 CAR: How did you get the top design job at Renault? LvdA: From what I’ve been told [outgoing design boss] Patrick le Quément was asked to come up with three candidates, two internal and one external, and somehow I bubbled to the top of the external candidates. I think the criteria included international experience, being relatively young and having a good record.

Peugeot 2008 DKR heading for the Dakar Rally. Not that it looks much like a 2008

The Peugeot 2008 DKR (pictured) is heading for the Dakar Rally After steering clear of the Dakar Rally for a quarter of a century, Peugeot is back in the endurance rally game with the Peugeot 2008 DKR, a rally car that shares its name with Peugeot’s 2008 Crossover – but little else. Instead of the almost cutesy looks of the 2008, the 2008 DKR gets looks that could have come from Mad Max with a sinister-looking black paint job, just two doors, short overhangs for better obstacle negotiation, 37″ off-road tyres and a thumping great wing at the back. Unlike most cars that tackle the Dakar, Peugeot has decided that rear-wheel-drive is the way to go as it allows for bigger wheels and more suspension travel, rather than the four-wheel-drive preferred by the majority of entrants.

First details of new Volkswagen Golf revealed; GTi planned for Paris

Volkswagen has revealed the first details of its seventh-generation Golf--including a classy new interior--at a heavily cloaked press event ahead of the car's official unveiling in September in Berlin. The Golf, VW's perennial best seller, has raked in worldwide sales of more 29 million cars over 38 years of production. The new model, which is described as being up to 23 percent more economical than its predecessor, is planned to go on sale across Europe in November, replacing today's model, introduced in 2008.