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

Aston Martin LOST £24.6 million in 2012

The Aston Martin Vanquish (pictured) launch in 2012 contributed to AML’s losses We reported just the other day that Aston Martin had axed the Cygnet after woeful sales, and it’s not just the Cygnet that hasn’t been selling well. In fact, Aston Martin sales in 2012 – 67,500 units – was still 42,500 down on its pre-recession sales levels of 110,000 cars in 2007 and that lead to yet another loss. Aston Martin has posted pre-tax losses for 2012 of £24,6 million on sales of £461.2 million for 2012, a worsening position over 2011 which saw losses of £21.2 million.

Jaguar F-Type: Comparable to the Aston Martin Vantage?

Should we be thinking of the new Jaguar F-Type as a bargain alternative to an Aston Martin V8 & V12 Vantage rather than a pricey Porsche Cayman? With a starting point of £58.5k for the F-Type with the 340PS V6 Supercharged engine, rising to £80k for the F-Type V8 S, we thought prices were strong. But actually, after a week of cogitation and argument at Cars UK Towers, we wonder if they’re actually something of a bargain?

Daftest hard shoulder stops revealed

DRIVERS have illegally stopped on motorway hard shoulders for all sorts of barely believable reasons, according to a list from the Highways Agency Some of the dumb and dumber reasons include picking flowers, renewing insurance policies and even trying to sell their car. One motorist pulled over after seeing "Fire" on his dashboard display, but fortunately for his car it turned out to be the name of an Adele track he was listening to. On another occasion, traffic officers found two cars on the hard shoulder, with the owners halfway through the selling and buying process for one of the cars.