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

Mini Cooper SD (2011): the faster diesel Mini

Mini today finally went official with the high-performance diesels we scooped last year. The Cooper SD trim is available across the Mini range, on the hatch, convertible, Clubman estate and Countryman junior SUV. It's a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel generating 141bhp and 225lb ft from 1750-2700rpm.

2013 Lamborghini Gallardo IS the last Gallardo (video)

Lamborghini has finally confirmed the Gallardo is now at the end of its life, with the 2013 Gallardo the ‘Final Gallardo’. But the Lamborghini Gallardo is anything but new as it’s been with us for a decade and, although still selling remarkably well, is well past its sell-by date. So we’d half expected that Paris may have seen the first sight of the Gallardo’s replacement rather than a mildly titivated version of the current car, but that now seems likely to happen at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013 after Lamborghini put up a website this week – The Final Gallardo – leaving us in no doubt the Gallardo’s time is up.

2012 Volkswagen Beetle Spied

The 2012 Volkswagen Beetle looks almost production-ready Yes, the next generation of the ‘New’ VW Beetle us upon us, certainly if the spy shots we’ve got of an almost undisguised 2012 VW Beetle are anything to go by. And we did report that VW should debut the 2012 VW Beetle in 2011 before a 2012 launch as long ago as October 2009. So it all adds up Not surprisingly, this 2012 Beetle has been snapped pounding round the US – the one place it’s sold really well.