Written On November 23, 2011 – 12:13 am
by Carl
As the Doc would put it “Great scott Marty, we cant get back to the future as our time machine is in an auction house”, well that maybe a little imaginative but half of the story is true.
It seems as though one of the last three remaining Deloreons from the third installment of the trilogy is to go under the hammer in the next few weeks as part of the Profiles in History auction.
The time machine, sorry, Deloreon, will come with some extras such as the vest worn by Michael J. Fox’s character and a remote-control hoverboard.
This particular model was the car used in the Wild West scenes and was modified to cope with the rough terrain.
Prices are expected to start from $400,000 but thats a bargain considering it has its own built in fuel-conversion system enabling it to cross time dimensions on nothing but banana skins and cans of beer (maybe this is the solution to the Oil price volatility we are currently experiencing).
Nonetheless, fans of the franchise will be sad to see one of the most iconic cars in Hollywood go under the hammer, especially when we all know deep down, if we had a Deloreon time machine, we wouldnt of used it to do the moonwalk in an 19th century saloon!
Written On November 22, 2011 – 11:56 pm
by Carl
A new 911 and yep, no change in the design. That has been the trend for the 911 for aslong as we can remember.
With its German rivals barking up its tree and coming closer and closer to the 911 benchmark, you would of thought that Porsche would have made a bold statement with this model however it seems like Porsche has played it safe yet again.
But who can blame them, at the end of the day, if its one thing German manufacturers abide by – especially Porsche, its that if it aint broke, dont fix it and that philosophy has certainly served them well for the best part of half of century.
Porsche fans will scream this is Porsche at its finest however their detractors will scream that it wont be long now before the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes will release a rival that matches it in every department, it could be argued already with the Audi R8 looking unstoppable in its class, however, Porsche are no fools and you can bet your bottom euro that they wont be losing any nights sleep over their golden child anytime soon.
Written On October 5, 2011 – 7:00 pm
by Carl
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) have recently circulated a press release that highlights tackling the ‘compensation culture’ in Ireland led to a drop of 16 per cent in the cost of Irish motor insurance premiums.
Director General of the ABI, Otto Thoresen, believes that there is an ‘urgent need’ to reform the compensation system that exists in the UK, which could lead to a significant drop in insurance costs. He said, “Rising claims costs from personal injury claims, excessive legal costs, insurance fraud and uninsured driving, coupled with lower investment returns in recent year, have unfortunately led to rising motor insurance bills for many customers. In fact, the motor insurance sector has not been profitable for the last sixteen years because the amount paid in claims and expenses has been greater than that received in premiums.”
The government in the UK is trying to cut the costs involved in running a vehicle by fighting insurance fraud by introducing a national insurance Fraud Register to track down known insurance cheats and has offered funding to run a unit based within the City of London police to investigate bogus insurance claims.
They also hope to help young drivers by introducing certain car insurance quotes that are specifically designed to ensure insurance is cheaper for younger or novice motorists.
There has been a call for government reforms to tackle the costs and compensation culture, as when these kinds of reforms were introduced in Ireland, motor premiums dropped by 16 per cent.
Written On September 30, 2011 – 5:37 pm
by Carl
To begin this article, we feel it is only right to discuss the movie franchise first and then the cars.
When a low-budget Australian movie called Mad Max starring a then unknown actor – Mel Gibson, was released in 1979, it flopped on the big screen. It was only until the advent of video did it realise its full potential and go on to be a big hit spawning 2 more sequels, the last one starring Tina Turner.
Now for the cars. For those of you who have seen the first two films, the undeniable star of those films was Mel’s police car, which was a modified Ford Falcon XBGT installed with ‘the last of the V8 interceptors’ (see picture below).
Now however, with the franchise in the final stages of producing the fourth film, and with the stage set to be in a futuristic environment, Ford were once again asked to come up with a concept idea which would bring one of Hollywood’s most iconic cars, upto date (see picture below).
Little details are known about this new concept car except that it has a Batman style rocket thruster on the back and it also has a taser like electric feature on the front.
Either way, it remains to be seen if this new concept will have as much impact on the Hollywood A-List of cars like its predecessor did or whether it will be laid to rest, much like all the other cars and motorcycles which Mad Max destroyed in the movies.
P.S: If you would like to see the unveiling of the new Mad Max concept car at the recent Melbourne Motor Show, click the link below.
Ford Mad Max concept car at the Melbourne Motor Show 2011
Written On September 22, 2011 – 10:33 pm
by Carl
Back in 2003, Ducati decided to take a new direction from their superbike heritage to create a sport-touring motorbike which would combine high speed with a relaxing ride. The Multistrada 1000 was born.
Since then, the Multistrada 1000 has cemented itself into the hearts of motorcycle enthusiasts everywhere. However, does it still claim the number one spot in its class?
No-one can doubt its cool styling and performance but the small fuel tank seemed to be holding back its true potential.
Since the initial launch of the Multistrada 1000, Ducati have since released its predecessor, the 1200 version which seemed to address the small problems its older brother was expereincing but as the 1000 version was what originally broke the mould, does it still rank high in its class now that its Japanese rivals have also released similar models.
All we can say is that Ducati didn’t let themselves down when they released this beast all those years ago and it seems that it will take another gamble by one of its competitors before the Multistrada is laid to rest for good.
Written On September 20, 2011 – 11:06 pm
by Carl
Brooklands, the auctioneer of classic cars and motorcycles have announced they are due to auction a rare classic 1965 Ducati 350SC.
This beautiful creation was originally produced to conquer the Barcelona endurance races back in the 1960′s.
As you can see from the picture below, it still has all the hallmarks of what makes Ducati one of the most prestige superbike manufacturers in the world
This particular bike was re-built by legendary Ducati engineer Anthony Ainslie using new factory parts. The bike remains one of the most desirable Ducati’s on the planet.
The bike is expected to fetch in the region of £27,500 – £32,500 when it goes on sale at Brooklands on 22nd October
Either way, whoever snaps it up, they will be buying a slice of motorcycle history.
Written On September 20, 2011 – 10:08 pm
by Carl
When you mention the car manufacturer ‘Infiniti’ to people, you could be forgiven if people give you blank looks back.
However, Guinness World Records have confirmed that this relatively unknown manufacturer have recently took the record for the fastest production hybrid car in the world.
The Infiniti M35h (which looks like a cross between a Lexus and a Jaguar) recorded a standing quarter mile (400m) in 13.9031 seconds.
Its official 0-62mph sprint time is 5.5 seconds which is the fastest hybrid listed in the UK – yet it emits just 162g/km of CO2 and averages fuel consumption of 40.4mpg.
The M35h has just been launched in the UK and there is no better publicity when a car that has just been launched, breaks a world record.
Written On September 20, 2011 – 9:57 pm
by Carl
In 2008/09, approximately 70,000 people passed their motorcycle tests but in 2009/10 only 26,000 people passed. Why?
Well it seems it all started when the new two-part test was introduced making it alot more difficult for people to past their tests and also playing a significant part in the decline of motorcycle sales in the UK.
Also, it has been pointed out that test centres are too far away and there seems to be a lack of qualified instructors and examiners available.
Karen Cole, Director of Safety for the Motorcycle Industry Association said that tests usually start at 8.30am at a lot of the test centres which meant it was hard for people to get to their test centre, especially in poor weather conditions.
It looks like interest in forcing the Government to do something about it is picking up, as motorcycle sales have declined 20% year on year and are now at rock bottom levels.
It will be interesting to see what the big manufacturers have to say about all this.
Written On September 20, 2011 – 9:45 pm
by Carl
It looks like Jensen have decided to take a leaf out of Jaguar’s book when they decided they will be re-launching their most famous model, the E-Type (as reported on our blog).
It has been confirmed that Jensen are too looking to re-launch their most iconic model – the Interceptor and it is due to hit showrooms in 2014.
Last produced back in 1976, the Interceptor was the star of all the British police television shows of the time.
The 21st century model is due to be built in Britain in the old famous Coventry plant under new owners CPP.
Brendan O’Toole, founder and co-owner of CPP had this to say:
‘I started my career by restoring bodies and components for classic British sports cars, so for CPP to take the lead role in reviving this iconic brand is very exciting for the business, and for me personally. The Jensen design team has respected and honoured the great heritage and attributes of the original Interceptor, while injecting a contemporary edge and advanced technologies that will ensure it appeals to the passionate, discerning motoring enthusiast of today.’
So it looks like the Interceptor has been raised from the dead and is back in good hands. No prices have been confirmed but with a name like ‘Interceptor’ it will surely gain some attention.
Written On September 20, 2011 – 9:30 pm
by Carl
Its has been recently announced that Volkswagen are intending to launch a joint-venture with the market leader in outdoor equipment and clothing – Berghaus, to spruce up its iconic camper van range and provide the ultimate machine for budding outdoor enthusiasts.
So far, only 80 have been designated for the UK market however it looks like that number will increase if the demand is right.
This new super-camper van will include a special rucksack, a pair of sleeping bags, gloves, hats, mugs, water bottle, flask and more, all from the experts at Berghaus.
The camper van will run on Valkswagen’s super-sturdy 2.0 litre diesel engine which will mean it is sure to get to those awkward places where outdoor enthusiasts like.
In a nutshell, it remains to be seen if there is sufficient demand however there is no more excuses if all-terrain outdoor pursuits are your thing.
