Eibach 12" Length X 3" Id X 350lbs/in on 2040-parts.com

2012 Ford Focus ST gets 297bhp

Those clever chaps at SuperChips have given the 2012 Ford Focus ST a bit of an ECU tweak to deliver 297bhp and an extra 85lb/ft of torque. When we reported last week that WTC outfit Arena had in roped Ford’s tuner of choice, Mountune, to give the new Ford Focus a makeover, we were a tad disappointed to discover that they were tweaking the rather journeyman Focus Zetec S. That meant the Zetec S got 200bhp – a handy jump – but we bemoaned the fact that they hadn’t fiddled with the Focus ST to give us a car to fill the void left by the absence of a Focus RS in the current iteration of the Focus.

Wild weather forecast to herald 2014

PARTY-GOERS out celebrating the new year may well avoid a drenching tonight, but further rain and gales are expected to herald the start of 2014. Thousands of people across the UK are still recovering after storms last week caused widespread misery, with power cuts and flooding ruining Christmas for scores of families. And forecasters say there is more bad weather to come, with the Met Office issuing a severe weather warning for rain on New Year's Day, affecting southern England and western Scotland.

Junction auto-brake for next Volvo XC90

THE NEXT Volvo XC90 will be able to brake itself if its driver attempts to pull out in front of an oncoming car, as one of two world-first safety innovations. This auto-brake technology detects whether an approaching car is technically on a collision course and will hit the stoppers to prevent a possible accident. However, there is no mention of an increased risk of rear-end collisions where drivers following the XC90 might also accelerate, not expecting the Volvo to stop suddenly.