NOVELTY - A porous ceramic body (B1) comprises a principal phase of beta-spodumene and a minor phase of cordierite. The beta-spodumene and cordierite phases together constitute more than 80 wt.% of the body (B1). The body (B1) contains less than 4 wt.% of glass.    USE - As a honeycomb body useful in a combustion engine exhaust emissions control device selected from close-coupled engine exhaust converters, gasoline engine particulate exhaust filters, and NOx integrated engine exhaust filters (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The body contains less than 4 (preferably 2) wt.% of glass; has a total porosity of greater than 40 (preferably 40-60)% as measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry; has a honeycomb volumetric density of less than 0.3 g/cm3; has an axial modulus of rupture strength of at least 200 psi; has a porosity of at least 35 vol.% and a median pore diameter of 2-20 mu m; has a cell wall thickness of less than 4x 10-3 inches; has a thermal expansion coefficient of less than 1.6 parts per million (ppm)/ degrees C (25-800 degrees C) and a strain tolerance of greater than 0.1%; has a specific strength of at least 1400 psi.cm3/g; has a microcrack index Nb3 of less than 0.2; has a thermal shock parameter on cooling of at least 1000 degrees C; has a porosity of greater than 65 vol.% and a cell wall thickness of less than 12x 10-3 inches; and removes pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, unburned hydrocarbons and carbonaceous particulates from gasoline and diesel combustion engine exhaust gases.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following:    (1) making (M1) a porous ceramic article involving mixing inorganic batch ingredients with a liquid and an organic binder to form a plasticized batch mixture, where the inorganic batch ingredients comprising sources of magnesia, silica, alumina and lithia, and the lithia source comprising at least one lithium-containing compounds, and the magnesia source comprising at least one magnesium-containing compounds, and the magnesia source constitutes less than 25 wt.% of the inorganic batch ingredients, forming the plasticized batch mixture into a green body, and heating the green body to a top temperature of 1180-1260 degrees C to convert the green body into the porous ceramic article where the article comprising a principal phase of beta-spodumene and a minor phase of cordierite;    (2) a combustion engine exhaust emissions control device (D1) selected from close-coupled engine exhaust converters, gasoline engine particulate exhaust filters, and NOx integrated engine exhaust filters, comprising the body (B1).