Dehavilland Mk 2 Gipsy Queen 6 Cylinder 9 Litre Motors on 2040-parts.com

Volt, Leaf win top safety rating in crash test

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf electric cars won the highest safety ratings in crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, putting them in the top 57 percent of models tested so far this year. About 80 of 140 vehicles tested among 2011-2012 models have received the Institute's "top safety pick," the group's award for state-of-the-art crash protection that exceeds federal safety rules, Institute spokesman Russ Rader said. The Volt and Leaf received a "good" rating -- the highest of four rankings -- on each of four crash tests, said the Institute, which is funded by auto insurers including State Farm, All-State and Geico.

Police get tough with Ariel Atom supercar

ANYONE with a taste for speed might fear the sight of flashing blue lights in their mirrors, but nothing could be more frightening than this! British supercar maker Ariel has created this police-specification version of its new Atom 3.5 in order to support the Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s Safer Rider campaign. The Atom PL1 has the same 350bhp supercharged 2.0-litre Honda engine, sequential gearbox and spectacular performance as the regular car – with a 0-60mph time of 2.5 seconds it can match most superbikes – but with the addition of Avon and Somerset Constabulary livery, aerodynamic pursuit lights and safety equipment.

VW XL1 (2013) 314mpg eco-car heads for production

VW supremo Ferdinand Piech has kept his promise of putting the XL1 super-eco car into production. VW has confirmed the 313mpg XL1 will be built in limited numbers, around 50 of which are earmarked for UK sale. It's an expensive way to save money on fuel though: projected prices for the XL1 run into six figures.