March 5, 2013

2013 The Best Year To Buy A New Car?

We all know the feeling when “Mr next-door neighbor” pulls into his driveway with a brand new car. It’s alright for him in his job, but whilst many of us are still battling the dreaded double-dip recession, a new car is quite often out of the question. Or is it? Find out about new cars here. You see the motor industry faces the same problems as any other business sector does. With people having less money to spend, less cars are sold. However, many manufacturers are combating the harsh economic conditions with enticing offers and deals on cars in order to boost sales.

A new car with a big sticker price at the moment is likely open to some form of offer lowering the overall cost. Many brands are producing excellent 0% APR and deposit contributions on finance deals that make the purchase a much more viable proposition. These tough times can often work in your favour meaning that “Mr next-door” could well be admiring your shinny new set of wheels the next time you come home. Honda in particular are doing some really rather good offers right across their range, so don’t go thinking the only money saving to be done is on a small hatchback.

2013 could well be the right time to grab a bargain.

Classic Cars To Become Exempt From MoT

Owning and running a car these days is an expensive business. Fuel prices are at extortionate levels, road tax further drains your bank balance, and lets not forget that pesky congestion zone in London. Taking pride in a classic car is even more costly as parts don’t come cheap. However, in a rare turn of events the government is looking to help the motorist out, specifically those running a classic car.

From November cars registered in 1960 or prior will no longer have to hold an MoT to drive on UK roads. Roads minister Mike Penning says “they don’t need to be told to look after them, they’re out in all weathers checking the condition of the engine, tyres and bodywork.” The man does have a point and the annual saving wouldn’t be snuffed at. We are all for the changes but do have one slight hesitation. Many people do take good care of their classic cars, but what of the man who doesn’t? Is his car going to be safe? I must stress this is not an objection, simply food for thought.

Ferrari 250 GTO Sells For £20.2 Million

It is said to one of the worlds most desired objects. It is the Italians legendary legacy embodied in a single form. It is the Ferrari 250 GTO… This machine really is a work of art combining those drool inducing curves with a pounding 3.0 litre V12 heart. The 250 GTO is a racing legend, a rare breed and one has just sold for over £20 Million in the UK.

A 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO has become the UK’s most valuable car and very nearly the most expensive car in the world. Selling for a cool £20,200,000 the Prancing horse turned its previous owner a princely profit as it was bought in 2008 for £15.7 million. Only 39 250 GTO’s were ever produced and all were hand made. As a result no two are the same and so official BHP figures were “around 300.” With a 174MPH top speed, it was the car of its generation.

Should the Speed Limit Be Raised to 80MPH?

So there I was, at 70MPH on an empty motorway heading back from London. No roadworks, a clear line of sight for a good distance and not a car in view. I did what you, your neighbor, your mate down the pub and even your mother would have done. I put my foot down a little. Though I shall not disclose how fast I was traveling, in fear of environmentalists complaining that a rare breed of frog could have jumped into the road, but it was over 70MPH.  I feel this was justified as it was safe at that point to exceed the speed limit, yet had a machine caught me, the cogs and lightbulbs would not have been so sympathetic. The government are currently in talks about raising the national speed limit and my general reaction to this is “about bloody time!”

I would not call myself a speed freak and so if you’re reading my last comment and currently think that I deserve an ASBO, please reserve your judgement. There is no good reason for the speed limit to be 70MPH. Cars today have so many features to aid in preventing an accident that a limit set for cars in 1965 is completely obsolete in 2011. Stopping distances for the average car is fantastic and almost half of what it was in ’65. Also in the unfortunate event of a crash the motorcar today comes with more airbags than children have balloons at birthday parties. Raising the limit to 80MPH is not only logical but a complete necessity in an age where our lives are so busy.

It is about time the government realised that we are not all blithering idiots that aim for lamp posts and tress whilst out driving. Yes, there are some people who should be taken off the road and put into straightjackets but these people will always exist. On a long journey traveling an extra 10 miles every hour makes all the difference.

Do I feel 80MPH is an appropriate limit for motorways? Honestly, I think it would still be safe to go a bit higher. But this is progress and as long as this change is brought in I am willing to compromise on my proposed limit of 90MPH.

Silverstone, The Home of Motorsport

1948 saw the opening of Silverstone, a race track built on top of an airfield that had the honor of hosting the worlds first grand prix. The venue captivated spectators drawing them back year on year. But there is more to the “SIlverstone magic” than it’s history…

We went to Silverstone to attend the Renault World Series that consisted of many disciplines of race car. Over the past few years the track has been undergoing changes that secured its place as host of the British Formula One leg for the next 17 years. Along with some alterations to the already spirited circuit a new building lords over the checkered flag. Named “the wing” this intriguing structure houses new pit and paddock areas bringing what is widely known as “one of the worlds best tracks” back into contention with more modern venues.

 The thing about Silverstone is that there is not a bad seat in the house, be it sat at Stowe corner or on a grass hill. Its design pushes man and machine at every opportunity meaning action on track is thrilling from every perspective.

Though the British weather can play its part, Silverstone has not lost its charm that it was graced with way back in 1948.

Ford’s New £14,000 Focus

If you don’t have vast rivers of money flowing around your bank odds are that when it comes to buying a new car prices tend to be a little intimidating. As the cost of living has increased so has the cost of a new car and for many what was an affordable family ferry is now just out of reach. Ford are addressing this issue with a new base model of the Focus.

The new Focus is a very accomplished car but the cheapest model on sale is still a little on the pricey side. Today the blue oval announced a new entry level car named the Studio. Priced at £13,995 it makes for a better financial proposition than the current base and even the cars competitors. The Focus Studio is only available with one engine being a 1.6 litre petrol with 84BHP. But don’t go thinking that this new model is “basic.” It still comes with alloy wheels, body-coloured rear spoiler, CD player, USB connectivity, air-con, electric mirrors/windows, and ESP.

The Ford Focus Studio goes on sale September this year.

Snow Britannia

Well that was unexpected… The weather men are notorious for telling fibs about what the weather will do in the following days and so when he said “heavy snow” we really didn’t take much notice. The plan for today was to road test the latest Mazda MX-5 and as Inside Lane is based near the south-coast of England, we thought even if there was snow it would just be a dusting. How wrong we were…

I have lived here for over ten years now and the most snow I have ever seen in this area is about an inch, so the MX-5 sounded a good idea even if it did snow. Looking outside now there is still a foot of snow in some places! The little roadster is outside but it isn’t going anywhere today. I have witnessed cars sliding down hills with the breaks on, vans understeering towards pavements and a snow plough on the coastal road less than 200M from the sea.

Where ever you are in the UK please do try to avoid driving as much as possible and if you do go out be careful! Enough of health and safety, enjoy your snow day!

Audi R8 V10 Spyder Wins Scottish Car Of The Year Award?

The annual car of the year awards are being decided at the moment and for every manufacturer these are tense times. To add this trophy to their new model instantly gives the car, no matter what it is, more credibility. However these awards are given out by dull beard  wielding men who enjoy reflecting on how the colour beige stimulates them. As a result cars such as the bland Vauxhall Vectra have won awards and beat the likes of the Ferrari F430. Now I know there is practicality issue with the Ferrari and also the cost is much steeper than the Vauxhall but it has better build quality, better comfort, better equipment and more importantly a better car to drive. But through the smog of ignorance comes hope from an unlikely place… Scotland.

Because the Scottish like to try and be independent, they have their reasons and I won’t be responsible for war breaking out, they have their own car of the year awards. So the winner of “drop-top of the year” is? Something stupid like the Astra TwinTop? No, the Audi R8 V10 Spyder! A car that we 100% agree deserves this award. Not only is it very practical for a supercar but it also offers German reliability and epic performance. If this form continues from the Scottish I feel we should at least have one of them on the panel to judge next year.

Study Finds 45% of Drivers Can’t Pass Again

“Don’t do this do that!” “I know what I’m doing; I’ve been driving 20/30/40 years…” These are just a selection of phrases young drivers are confronted with by their elders. The common conception is that if you’re under 25 and behind the wheel of a car you might as well be driving a nuclear warhead as you lack the key ingredient of experience on the roads and are dangerous as a result… WRONG as a recent study has found that 45% of road users couldn’t pass their driving test again.

UK magazine What Car? discovered after conducting research into the capability of drivers that nearly half of drivers on the road today could not pass the practical element of a test by current standards. This proves A) experience on the roads does not make you the world’s best driver, B) There is no good reason for young driver’s insurance premiums to be so high as they have only just passed their test and thus are more up-to-date with the rules of the road.

So, parents of the world… LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN’S DRIVING ALONE; odds are you couldn’t pass your test again!

UK’s 1,000MPH Record Breaker Launched

Speed is something we as humanity have craved since the dawn of time. It began with being able to run fast enough whilst hunting and today it is the quest to travel faster on land than a bullet. The land speed record is one of the most prestigious titles a man can hold and men have died in its pursuit, despite this title is still fought for. Today the British Bloodhound team have unveiled their 1,000MPH machine.

Shown at the Farnborough Airshow this potentially record breaking design has 133,150BHP thanks to a Eurofighter jet engine as well as a secondary rocket. We say secondary but it is the largest rocket ever produced in Europe. The Bloodhound SSC will begin testing at the start of 2012 and expects to claim 1,000MPH soon after.