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

Ford debuts another Australian hot rod

Ford's Australian-based Performance Vehicles operation has unveiled its fastest car to date—the Falcon-based FPV GT R-spec. To be assembled at Ford Performance Vehicle's headquarters on the outskirts of Melbourne, the rear-wheel drive GT R-spec packs the same engine as the earlier GT335, a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 producing 449 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. But, a range of chassis modifications, including a retuned suspension, wider 19-inch rear wheels and tires and new launch control system are claimed to provide the greater off-the-line speed than any previous model from Ford's Australian outpost.

BMW are rolling out their ‘BMW Genius’ programme across UK dealers

Even when you’re immersed in the latest car news day in and day out, it’s often quite tough to keep up with the new technologies car makers are offering, so many buyers must struggle to know exactly what their options are. That should be a job for the car salesman, but most car salesmen only worry about explaining how good the deal is and how it’s better than any other deal, so buyers often come away with a car that doesn’t fit their needs as well as it could. But with fewer new car buyers really wrapped up in performance and dynamics and more interested in the tech behind the wheels, BMW has been trying out an idea borrowed from Apple Stores by employing ’BMW Geniuses’ at 10 of their UK dealerships to explain the advantages of much of their technology to customers.

Win the first new Jaguar XJ

Jaguar are hoping to raise £1 million for the NSPCC in a ‘Win a new XJ’ competition But the work of actually getting the XJ in to customers’ hands in now the focus, and although we did an update on the new XJ’s progress recently there is nothing much more to report until cars hit the road in January. But if you want to have the privilege of owning the very first new XJ off the production line – a 3.0 litre diesel Portfolio worth £62k – you can enter a competition Jaguar are running to give away that very first car. Jaguar are hoping that sales of tickets for the competition – which cost £125 each – will raise £1 million for the NSPCC’s ‘Child’s Voice’ appeal, which is aiming to raise £50 million in total to fund its helplines.