Mercruiser Oem Alpha 1 Gen 2 Upper Seal Kit 26-88397a 1 on 2040-parts.com

ECC pulls out of ‘Spy-in-the-sky’ road charging trials

Essex County Council, in a show of uncommon common sense, has pulled out of trials for the new ‘Spy in the Sky’ road charging tax. Road pricing trials halted in Essex Secret trials of a new system to charge motorists by the mile were due to roll out in Essex, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Buckinghamshire, London, and Suffolk, trialing the technology that would enable the government to charge motorists based on where they drive and when they drive. But the whole trial has been put in doubt after ECC announced they were no longer prepared to take part.

The fall and rise of the budget car

Twenty years ago, the classic bargain brands like Lada seemed to be going the same way as the Soviet empire that spawned them. Woefully dated and badly made, only a weirdo would have bought a new Lada rather than a second-hand model from Ford, Vauxhall or VW. However, one of the big trends in the car industry today is the re-emergence of bargain cars.

Peugeot 308 with 3-Cylinder engine sets new Fuel Economy Record. Sort of.

The new Peugeot 308 managed 99.1mpg in a fuel economy run in Spain Fuel economy records are a bit like official economy figures – they have little relevance in the real world. But that doesn’t stop car makers wanting a few headlines proving just how economical their cars can be, and that’s exactly what Peugeot has done with a fuel economy run in a new 308 fitted with their new 130bhp 1.2-liter PureTech three-cylinder turbo petrol engine. But instead of running the 308 in the real world, Peugeot chose to take their car off to the Almeria circuit in Spain – under the auspices of the UTAC (Union Technique de l’Automobile, Motocycle et Cycle) – to set a new record for fuel economy and distance driven on a full tank.