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

BMX X1 invades U.S. this fall priced at $31,545

At the New York auto show last month, we learned that the BMW X1 compact SUV would be coming to the United States. Now we know that it will arrive on our shores in fall 2012, with a base price of $31,545 including $895 destination. According to BMW, the X1 has been a tremendous success, with more than 275,000 copies sold worldwide.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato: First production car photos

Ahead of a debut in Kuwait in two weeks, we have the first official photos – interior and exterior – of the production version of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato.  So far we’ve had just one outside picture of the production version of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, and we know that it will make its production debut at the Kuwait Concours d’Elegance on 15th February. But now we’ve got more pictures. Aston Martin has quietly published a PDF on the V12 Zagato (link to Aston Martin V12 Zagato PDF) which gives us some of the history behind the development of the V12 Zagato, tells us how it’s made (with craftsmen and hammers) and, for the first time, gives us a look at bothy the inside and outside of the new Zagato.

Vauxhall VXR8 & SMART for-two CDI take MPG Marathon honours

Vauxhall VXR8 & SMART for-two CDI take MPG Marathon honours On the face of it, it’s reasonable to expect a car as small as the SMART for-two CDI to be capable of astonishing economy if driven in a certain way. And the ALD Automotive / Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon, run last week near Cirencester, proved exactly that, with a SMART driven by Mick Linford and co-driver Ella Flynn managing to use less than four gallons of diesel to cover the 370 mile route. That means the SMART fortwo CDI averaged 99.24mpg on the route on real roads, an improvement of 16 per cent on the official combined figure of 85.6.