Mpa 15558 Alternator/generator-reman Alternator on 2040-parts.com

BMW Alpina D3 BiTurbo – a great diesel

The BMW Alpina D3 BiTurbo - a brilliant, quick and economical everyday drive Alpina has turned out some stunning versions of the BMW range over the years (and some not so stunning – their 8 Series springs to mind) and they fill a gap that is either not profitable in small volume for BMW or, in some cases, a hole that BMW hasn’t plugged. And this one is a good hole to fill with the BMW Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo, a 3 Series diesel with the heart of a hot hatch. Alpina has taken the engine out of the 1 Series 123d and given it a boost to 240bhp, in the process dropping the 0-60 time to a very creditable 6.9 seconds But it’s not the sprint that count,  but the way this peppy diesel unit delivers it.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-440 MR special edition revealed. Costs £50,000

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-440 MR special edition will cost £50k The Mitsubishi Lance Evo X bit the dust in the UK in 2011 after the Yen’s strength made it impossible for Mitsubishi UK to import the Evo X and sell it at a price buyers could swallow. But the weakening Yen – and Mitsubishi’s 40th anniversary – sees Mitsubishi UK backtracking and delivering a limited run of special edition Evos for the UK – the Lancer Evolution X FQ-440 MR. The Evolution X FQ-440 MR comes with 440bhp, a Janspeed exhaust, Mitsubishi’s SST gearbox, Janspeed intake and cooler piping kit, Motorsport spec high-flow injectors, Alcon brakes, lowered suspension and S-AWC 4WD, with exterior titivations including 18″ BBS alloys, Bi-xenon headlights, front fogs and silicone wiper blades.

Mercedes AMG has best year ever

With car sales plummeting in 2008 (and likely to be worse in 2009) there aren’t many bright spots around. But performance saloons are certainly one of them. As we reported back in December, BMW’s M Division had a cracking year, with sales of nearly 27,000 for the year.