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

Ecurie Ecosse racing car collection sells for £8.8 million

Ecurie Ecosse is a name that will need no introduction to classic motorsport fans. Established in 1952 by Edinburgh racing driver and businessman David Murray and mechanic Wilkie Wilkinson, this racing team is famous for two things – its stunning Flag Blue Metallic paint scheme and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In fact, Ecurie Ecosse won Le Mans twice – back-to-back in 1956 and 1957, securing two of the three victories there for Jaguar’s D-Type.

Mini Crossover at the Paris motor show 2008

By Ben Barry Motor Shows 02 October 2008 15:46 We’ve already seen it in the November 2008 issue of CAR, but Paris marked the motor show debut of the Mini Crossover Concept – a pumped-up four-wheel drive Mini that goes on sale in 2009. As journalists crammed together in what looked like a trendy nightclub, a video of two Chemical Brother-style hipsters driving the Crossover through a warehouse played behind the covered over concept before – ta-da! – some heavily tattooed type swung down from the rafters to remove the covers and reveal the actual pair inside the actual car.

European car sales down 5.2%

EUROPEAN UNION car sales are still sagging despite the return of modest economic growth. For the first eight months of the year, passenger car sales were down 5.2% to 7.84 million compared with the same period last year, the European Auto Manufacturers' Association said - the lowest January-August figure since the group started keeping records in 1990. New car registrations in August fell five per cent from a year ago to 653,872.