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

Volvo S60 DRIVe & V60 DRIVe launch

The Volvo V60 DRIVe This week we’re out playing with a Volvo DRIVe model, although our car is the S40 DRIVe. DRIVe models are Volvo’s push at all things green (or all things blue if you’re German) and take a regular Volvo and eco the bejesus out of it with stuff like stop-start, low rolling resistance tyres and the plethora of eco-toys car makers use to make the headline economy and emissions unbelievable. The result is a Volvo that drives pretty much the same as any Volvo but which can – as long as you play the eco-driving game – run almost on fresh air, and because cars like this are designed to hit emissions targets on official cycles, they’re also good on stuff like VED and BIK. And if the S40 DRIVe we’ve got this week is anything to go by, you can still drive with enthusiasm and enjoy it as long as you don’t mind the economy suffering.

Mercedes C 63 AMG Edition 507: Price from £66,960

Available as Saloon, Estate or Coupe, the C 63 AMG Edition 507 will cost from £66,960 (for the saloon) and £68,160 (for the estate and coupe), or at least it will until you start to bother the options list. But for the base price you do get a fair bit already, with the AMG Drivers Pack as standard – which gives you extra horses (500bhp) and a higher top speed (174mph) and a free day out at an AMG BASIC Training Power and Passion Event so you can learn to drive your new C63 properly. As well as the extra power and freebie outing, you also get a selection of cosmetic and equipment teaks to the standard C 63 AMG including 19″ AMG Cross-Spoke alloys, composite brakes with red brake callipers, AMG bonnet with power dome and gloss black air vents and gloss black highlights for stuff like the mirrors and grill.

Monterey in a Mulsanne – a Bentley mission to Pebble Beach

After a ten-and-a-half-hour flight from London, the idea of steering headlong – and solo – into the early Los Angeles rush-hour traffic in a five-and-a-half-metre-long, left-hand drive Bentley Mulsanne (worth some £230,000 with extras) and on the other side of the road to which I am familiar, might seem a little daunting. But as soon as I sink into the super saloon’s big leather seats, Bluetooth my iPhone to stream some music via the Naim premium audio, turn up the air-conditioning and press the accelerator gently, all becomes well. LAX Airport may be my starting point but the final destination is the Monterey Peninsula towards San Francisco, some 400 miles northward, for the world-famous annual classic car show Pebble Beach.