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

What we drive: 1969 Triumph TR6

Updated March 2013: Go straight to the update here. Wisdom borne of experience: If you are contemplating the purchase of a British car and the vital parts of that car are in more than, say, two cardboard boxes, your purchase is suspect. Obviously there are exceptions: The D-type Jaguar comes to mind.

Schreyer: More than a designer of products I wish to be an architect of Hyundai's brand image

There's no denying Peter Schreyer has been instrumental in turning around Kia's image from a manufacturer of wheeled white goods in a creator of design-led products. Now his attention turns to sister company Hyundai in his role as chief design officer for both companies and his plans are no less ambitious. "More than a designer of products I wish to be an architect of Hyundai's brand image," he told an audience at Hyundai's European headquarters, explaining how his job is not simply 'styling' but communicating the brand's message right down to details such as the seatbelt warning buzzer.

The heartbreak of Jaguar love finally requited

As a young boy in the early 1960s, I would trek solo to our local auto show in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While other boys and their dads would make a beeline to the latest Corvettes and later American muscle cars, I would always head first for the Jaguar stand. I found the combination of different styling, luxurious wood and leather interiors and promise of fast travel through landscapes that were foreign to me to be intoxicating.