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

Andy Saunders sells 'Art Cars' collection

British 'car artist' Andy Saunders' 'Art Car' collection was sold by RM Auctions in London, UK on October 29, along with a selection of classic cars and a McLaren F1 that sold for £2.5 million - a new world record. Though lacking the quality of many Californian custom cars when seen close up, the Art Cars were fascinating to see, and unlike other custom car creators, Saunders has made almost all of the cars for himself; conceiving and creating the cars without any design process beyond thinking them through and getting his hands dirty in evenings after work.  Each of the cars introduced new themes not evident in their donor designs and, within the context of many salubrious but established classic car designs at the auction, they had a powerful quixotic appeal. So why is he selling them?

Mitsubishi i-MiEV UK price and specs revealed

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV goes on sale in the UK in January 2011 As part of Mitsubishi’s wish to be thought of as the maker of eco-cars and the saviour of fluffy-bunnies and polar bear cubs, they’ve been pushing forward with their urban milk-float – the Mitsubishi i-MiEV – for all they’re worth. They launched the i-MiEV last year in Japan and have been softening up the public with bits of info this year such as the mad assertion that four policemen and all their kit would fit in an i-MiEV. So we all know the little electric Mitsubishi is coming, and in Japan – with a thumping big Government subsidy – it costs £20,000.

2013 Nissan LEAF updated

Nissan has updated the LEAF EV in Japan for 2013 with better range, less weight and a new LEAF S entry-level model. Revealed in Japan – but likely to come to the UK from 2013 when the LEAF starts rolling out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory – there are significant upgrades to the powertrain which result in both less weight and better range. Nissan has had a play with the electric powertrain and made it both smaller and lighter with a new motor that uses 40 per cent less dysprosium (a rare earth metal) than before, and comes in 30 per cent smaller and 10 per cent lighter, and a new streamline battery case and a few other tweaks drops the LEAF’s weight by 80kg.