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

Vauxhall Astra GTC gets new 1.6 litre 197bhp engine

Vauxhall Astra GTC gets new 1.6 litre 197bhp engine If you want a quick Vauxhall, you’d normally opt for a VXR. But the new 1.6 litre turbo petrol Vauhall has fitted to the Astra GTC may make you think otherwise. Vauxhall has taken the 1.6 litre petrol turbo from the Cascada and planted it in the Astra GTC where it manages to be 30 per cent more powerful than the old 1.6 litre and still manages to improve economy and emissions.

2012 Ford Focus ST gets 297bhp

Those clever chaps at SuperChips have given the 2012 Ford Focus ST a bit of an ECU tweak to deliver 297bhp and an extra 85lb/ft of torque. When we reported last week that WTC outfit Arena had in roped Ford’s tuner of choice, Mountune, to give the new Ford Focus a makeover, we were a tad disappointed to discover that they were tweaking the rather journeyman Focus Zetec S. That meant the Zetec S got 200bhp – a handy jump – but we bemoaned the fact that they hadn’t fiddled with the Focus ST to give us a car to fill the void left by the absence of a Focus RS in the current iteration of the Focus.

Mazda halts production of the RX-8 rotary-engine sports car

Mazda Motor Corp. has canceled production of its RX-8 rotary engine sports car, citing falling sales and stringent global emissions standards. Production in Hiroshima, Japan, ended in early July and global sales of the car will conclude later this year.