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

Electric vehicles promoted

THE SCOTTISH Government is teaming up with industry leaders and environmental campaigners in a new drive to get more electric cars on the roads. Transport Minister Keith Brown has launched the E-Cosse partnership which brings together government body Transport Scotland with car manufacturers, power companies, local councils and environmental charity WWF Scotland. Mr Brown said the new group would "develop a shared vision and set future priorities to promote the uptake of electric vehicles in Scotland".

AMG Vision Gran Turismo concept shows off ahead of PS3 appearance

Mercedes-Benz has revealed a spectacular new virtual sportscar concept created by its in-house design team for inclusion in Sony's new PlayStation 3 game "Gran Turismo 6." Called the AMG Vision Gran Turismo, the brawny-looking gullwing coupe is to be revealed as a model at the opening of Mercedes-Benz's new research-and-development center in Sunnyvale, Calif., on the eve of next week's LA Auto Show. Yet despite the unveiling in 1:1 scale, the new two-seater is destined to remain a feature of the virtual world as the first in what Mercedes-Benz is billing as a series of Vision Gran Turismo vehicles to be unveiled in the near future. While the virtual properties of the AMG Vision Gran Turismo mean it will only ever see running as a high-resolution graphic within the new "Gran Turismo 6" game, this hasn't deterred Mercedes-Benz from providing it with detailed styling and mechanical data -- elements of which are said to provide solid hints to the upcoming GT AMG due to be unveiled in mid-2014 as a range-topping replacement for the SLS AMG.

Call for reform over road repair funding

FUNDING patterns mean most road maintenance is being carried out in "less-efficient, cold and wet" times, a report from a Government spending watchdog has said. The current pattern of funding, combined with the need to spend money within the financial year, means that most maintenance work goes on between September and March, said the report from the National Audit Office (NAO). It went on: "Although this is less disruptive for road users, it is less efficient than carrying out the work at other times of year because materials can be more difficult to handle in cold and wet conditions, and daylight hours are shorter." The report went on: "As a result of the additional funding for emergency repairs, which is made available at the end of the financial year, almost all highways authorities need extra capacity from the market at the same time, which makes it less likely that they will get value for money." The NAO report said there was a "lack of predictability" over road spending adding that historically, local highway authorities spent more revenue on maintenance, but were now carrying out fewer routine activities such as clearing gullies which are essential to preventing water seeping into roads' sub-structure.