Bilstein 6565 on 2040-parts.com

New diesel engine for revised Meriva

VAUXHALL’s clever Meriva compact MPV is to benefit from a new 1.6-litre diesel engine. The quieter, smoother and more efficient engine replaces the aging 1.7-litre unit that had been in service across the Vauxhall, Chevrolet and other General Motors brands for many years. This is the second application for the new engine, following its debut in the much larger Zafira Tourer.

Koenigsegg Agera at Goodwood: Up close and personal

Koenigsegg Agera on the Goodwood hillclimb We have to confess that we have a huge soft spot for the creations of Christian von Koenigsegg. So when we knew that friend of Cars UK Tommy Wareham, purveyor of all things stunning on four wheels at SuperVettura, was taking the only Koenigsegg Agera in the UK to Goodwood we thought Claire’s Goodwood Odyssey should continue with a good poke round the Agera. Understandably, Tommy wasn’t going to let Claire – or anyone else – loose on the Agera up the hillclimb as it’s a customer’s car, but he did chuck Claire the keys for a good look round, the opportunity to grab a set of Agera photos (below), and the chance to dream… Beautifully finished and oozing carbon fibre from every pore, the Koenigsegg Agera is perhaps the ultimate bonkers supercar, at an equally bonkers price – just think of it as a million pound supercar; it’s close enough.

U.S., European models are hot at 2009 Tokyo Special Import Show

There are times when we have to wonder whether there really is a global economic crisis; the Tokyo Special Import Show is one of those times. The show in mid-June was all about bling--lots of it--with just enough performance pizzazz to liven things up. It's ironic that while U.S.