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

Good news for British car factories

NEW FIGURES have revealed that UK-based car production raced ahead in April, resulting in the biggest monthly rise since July 2012. A total of 133,437 cars were made in the UK last month – a 21.3% increase on the April 2013 figure, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. The excellent April figures took the year-so-far total to 538,240 – a 6.9% rise on the figure for January-April 2013.

Double Oh My! James Bond Aston Martin sells for $4.6 million

Perhaps the single most breathtaking car of the fall auction season, a 1964 Aston Martin DB5--better known as the James Bond car--sold for $4.61 million to Ohio collector Harry Yeaggy on Wednesday at the RM Auctions Automobiles of London sale. The Aston was expected to sell for more than $5 million, and the sale fell a bit short of that, registering a final bid of 2.6 million British pounds, or $4,114,760. Buyer's premiums raise the total sale price to $4.61 million.

Rolls Royce Wraith returns

The coupe version of the RR Ghost is to be the Rolls Royce Wraith, with the first tease of the most sporty Rolls Royce ever. There was never any doubt that Rolls Royce would build a range of cars round the Ghost, with a coupe and convertible on the cards ever since the Rolls Royce Ghost arrived more than three years ago. In fact, just over a year after the Ghost launched, we reported that RR were planning an extended wheelbase version of the Gost and a coupe and convertible, just as expected.