Yamaha Banshee Polished Oem Thumb Throttle W/ Billet Cover on 2040-parts.com

At Japan's Prius Cup, slow and steady wins race

When racing a dowdy Toyota Prius around Fuji Speedway's demanding Formula One circuit, the cunning driver must employ some special strategies. Don't floor the accelerator. Don't slam on the brakes.

Vauxhall Insignia Ecoflex (2009) first pictures

By Ben Barry First Official Pictures 21 April 2009 13:20 Vauxhall has announced its answer to the planet-conscious Volkswagen Passat Bluemotion – the Insignia Ecoflex. Essentially the Ecoflex is a 158bhp 2.0-litre CDTi Insignia, but an army of now-familiar C02-slashing improvements have been swung into action. These improvements include under-car panelling and a lower ride height to help the Insignia cut through air more cleanly (the drag factor falls from 0.27Cd to 0.26), plus lower rolling resistance Michelin tyres.

Opel/Vauxhall Cascada [w/gallery]

The Opel/Vauxhall Cascada effectively replaces the Astra Twin Top, but attempts to move the model upmarket as a separate product line. It has moved up a size to reflect its prestige aspirations: at 4,697 mm long and 1,840 mm wide, it's longer than an Audi A5. Like many of the latest generation of convertibles, the Cascada ditches a folding solid hardtop in favor of a lighter, more space-efficient and cheaper soft fabric set-up.