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

Race2Recovery starts new Dakar challenge

A TEAM of disabled ex-soldiers has arrived in South America to take on this year’s Dakar rally, known as the toughest motoring challenge on the planet. Race2Recovery, the team of severely injured servicemen and civilian volunteers, is taking a second shot at the Dakar after last year becoming the first all-disabled team in history to complete it. This year the 5,600-mile course travels through Argentina and Chile, crossing the Andes mountain range and the Atacama Desert, where temperatures are expected to top 40 degrees Celsius.

Consumer Reports gets top vehicle picks mostly right

Despite the publication's uncomfortably broad definition of reliability -- it spans everything from "the engine fell out" to "the touchscreen display shows fingerprints too easily" -- automakers still clamor to get on the Consumer Reports recommended vehicle list. This year's winners cover a broad spectrum of vehicles, and for the most part, we're in agreement with the magazine's editors, with one significant exception at the top of the list. Best overall vehicle went to the Tesla Model S.

Audi A1 Quattro (2012) first official pictures

This is the Audi A1 Quattro, a 252bhp and four-wheel drive hot hatch that’s as exclusive as an R8 GT Spyder. Just 333 Audi A1 Quattros will ever be built so they’ll be a rare sight on the road – and particularly in Britain as the entire production run is left-hand drive, and Audi UK will import a tiny number only if there’s enough customer interest. So I probably can’t afford an Audi A1 Quattro, and I might never see one – what am I missing out on?