1975 Honda Civic Car Dealer Sales Brochure on 2040-parts.com

Budget 2014 – what it means for the motorist

Chancellor George Osborne today addressed parliament with his 2014 Budget statement. There was plenty in there to talk about, but what we were desperate to find out was how Osborne’s financial plan for the next 12 months was going to help the average motorist in the UK. Here, we’ve got everything you need to know about the 2014 Budget when it comes to cars. From the fuel duty freeze to Vehicle Excise Duty road tax reforms, company car tax to classic car tax, this is what Budget 2014 means for drivers in Britain.

McLaren P1 gets an Arctic shakedown (+video)

So McLaren are busy throwing the worst conditions they can at the P1 to make sure it can perform even in the harshest of conditions and be the best driver’s car in the world – even when there’s several feet of ice under its wheels. McLaren has had several XP prototypes of the P1 running round the world’s harshest climates – hot and cold – and have delivered a video of the P1 prototype playing on the ice in the north of Sweden – inside the Arctic Circle – to keep interest in the P1 bubbling along ahead of its dynamic debut in the UK at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Despite its enormous power – 903bhp from a combination of its turbo 3.8 litre V8 and electric motor – the P1 does look composed and capable, even with sub-zero temperatures and a surface that has zero grip.

DVLA clamps down on illegal foreign cars

Getty Images A DVLA clampdown on illegal foreign-registered cars is proving to be a success, with 237 vehicles targeted over the last two months. Cars can legally be used on British roads with foreign plates for a maximum of six months before they need to display a UK registration. Drivers who fail to do this will face a fine based on the cost of road tax for the period beyond this time.