1971 Ford 351 Cleveland Engine on 2040-parts.com

UK new car registrations up again in July

New car registrations in the UK have risen for the fifth month running, with a total of 143,884 new cars registered in July 2012. The UK is continuing to buck the European trend with new car registrations up by 9.3 per cent in July (2102) to 143,884 according to new figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). That figure is the largest sales volume of 2012 and is the fifth month in a row that new car registrations have risen, despite economic woes and the Eurozone crisis, and brings registrations in 2012 to 1,201,564 so far, leading the SMMT to increase their prediction for 2012 sales upwards to 1.97 million.

New 200hp engine for Vauxhall Astra

The Vauxhall Astra GTC is now available with a 1.6-litre direct injection engine that produces 200hp – making it the most powerful non-VXR Astra ever. The new four-cylinder Ecotec engine is the same as that used in the convertible Vauxhall Cascada. On Bing: see pictures of the Vauxhall Astra GTC Find out how much a used Vauxhall Astra GTC costs on Auto Trader Vauxhall claims the new engine is one of the most refined units in the segment, and also points at its improved performance and fuel economy figures over the previous 1.6-litre turbocharged motor.

One Lap of the Web: Cars of Concours d'Lemons, Rally New England and a Hudson Italia

- More than 80 unique cars are trucks have just finished Rally New England, traveling 1,300 miles through the northeast, all for a good cause. Hooniverse's Robby DeGraff took part in the rally as part of a film crew, and shares his journey with readers. The rally ran from Ithaca, N.Y., to Saint John, New Brunswick, and raised money for Camp Sunshine, an organization that invites children with life-threatening diseases and their families to have fun at camp for a week for free.