Stainless Threaded Bungs 1-1/2 on 2040-parts.com

Ecclestone wants to bring the noise

FORMULA ONE supremo Bernie Ecclestone has vowed to address growing concerns surrounding the sport's lack of an appealing noise. Following Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Ron Walker, chairman of the organising company that stages the race, complained to close friend Ecclestone about the lack of sound. The piercing scream of the old V8 engine has gone, and in its place we now have a huskier tone, complete with whistles and whirrs from the 1.6-litre V6 turbo as F1 tries to become greener.

Volvo S60 DRIVe & V60 DRIVe launch

The Volvo V60 DRIVe This week we’re out playing with a Volvo DRIVe model, although our car is the S40 DRIVe. DRIVe models are Volvo’s push at all things green (or all things blue if you’re German) and take a regular Volvo and eco the bejesus out of it with stuff like stop-start, low rolling resistance tyres and the plethora of eco-toys car makers use to make the headline economy and emissions unbelievable. The result is a Volvo that drives pretty much the same as any Volvo but which can – as long as you play the eco-driving game – run almost on fresh air, and because cars like this are designed to hit emissions targets on official cycles, they’re also good on stuff like VED and BIK. And if the S40 DRIVe we’ve got this week is anything to go by, you can still drive with enthusiasm and enjoy it as long as you don’t mind the economy suffering.

Mitsubishi Delica D:5

Arriving in Japan early next year is the new Mitsubishi Delica D:5, the fifth generation of a model series that began in 1968, and the third new model the company has launched this year after the eK Wagon and Pajero. Mitsubishi says the Delica was developed to 'fuse the comfort of a minivan with the powerful performance of an SUV' and uses 2.4-liter engine with four-wheel-drive. The styling of the Delica takes its cues from the Mitsubishi Concept-D:5 unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, with strong graphics and perched stance.