Guest Contributor Giles Kirkland – a professional mechanic and passionate car enthusiast – shares his thoughts/advice for anyone thinking of buying a car... Words by Giles Kirkland. Photos by Kim Henson. When you buy a vehicle that is new to you – whether it’s previously owned or straight from the factory – there is always a lot to consider. Usually, buyers are concerned about the asking price, … [Read more...]
News & Views
Our take on what’s been happening in the world of motoring
We appreciate that these days there are vast quantities of motoring news items freely available to all, from huge numbers of global sources. It would be impossible to bring them all to you through these pages – so we are not even going to try!
Instead, we will include selected motoring-related stories which we feel will be of interest. Depending on the item, we hope that they will also inform, encourage, entertain and provoke further thought!
Each item will be dated, and as new stories arrive, older posts will be archived chronologically.
Happy Days in South Africa with an Austin 11-55
Glen Smale recalls his Austin 11-55 in South Africa… Glen operates Virtual Motorpix and his recollections about his own 11-55 first appeared on own his website blog: http://blog.virtualmotorpix.com (Kim says: “Just to set the scene, it may be helpful to explain a little about the Austin 11-55. This was a South African version of BMC’s 1100 (ADO 16) that was introduced in the UK in 1962, and in … [Read more...]
Danger ahead!! A must-read for all classic car owners! Increasing ethanol content in petrol threatens major difficulties for older vehicles…
Ethanol and Classic Cars... An Uneasy Mixture – by Dave Moss. Do you run a classic car and wish to continue driving it in the future? If so, our Wheels-Alive guide to ethanol in petrol is ESSENTIAL reading… Part 1 – The Background Ethanol is alcohol, which, but for the fact that it’s chemically modified, would be drinkable. In its original form, dating back into the mists of time, it was often … [Read more...]
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 SZ3 Dualjet Road Test
Suzuki’s compact Celerio is a practical and willing five seater companion for any journey… Kim Henson test drives the Dualjet-powered 1.0 litre version, in SZ3 form. Suzuki has long excelled at producing small, economical models that are dependable, inexpensive to run and easy to own. The five door Celerio is primarily aimed at buyers in need of a city car, and examples sold in Europe are … [Read more...]
Amazing New Audi Centre Opens in Dorset
A Car Dealership – But Not as We Know it; Poole Audi’s State-of-the-art New Centre Opens its Doors to the Public. Words and photographs by Kim Henson. Poole Audi has been operating in the east Dorset town for the last 16 years, and has grown steadily during that time, to the extent that it has outgrown its previous premises. It has therefore relocated into a brand new, up-to-the-minute base, … [Read more...]
Bridgestone Helps Keen-to-learn National Tyres Apprentices
The Kids Are Alright! Bridgestone Backing National Apprentices. Some of the most promising automotive apprentices are being backed by the world’s number one tyre and rubber company, as they make their way into the fast fit industry. Bridgestone is lending its support to National Tyres for a fourth consecutive year, courtesy of a number of ‘tyre toolbags’ to help them with their career … [Read more...]
Bikers Beware – Check Your Machine’s Tyres to Stay Safe
Bridgestone issues safety call amid spike in bike usage... Bridgestone’s very own ‘bike guru’ is offering a series of simple safety checks for riders to bear in mind as they take to the roads in growing numbers over the summer holidays, after declaring: “The majority of bikers don’t check their tyres.” Senior motorcycle product manager Gary Hartshorne, who has more than 25 years’ industry … [Read more...]
BMW 430M Convertible Road Test
The BMW 430M Convertible – Summertime Joy. By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Summer is here, at least for a few days so convertibles will be at their best whilst the sun shines, especially the new BMW 430 soft-top. If you believe cars are boring, think again. A bigger, bolder and better BMW 430 series now carries the German car-maker’s honours where the famous 3-Series left … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS: New Plans for Circuit of Wales Rejected by Welsh Government
Revised investment plans for the proposed Circuit of Wales have been rejected today by the Welsh Government. Robin Roberts and Miles Better News Agency give this update... Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure said in a statement that there was still too much risk put on the public purse by the £370 Million scheme outside Ebbw Vale, particularly in the light of the … [Read more...]
Proposed Circuit of Wales Decision Time
Circuit of Wales – Might it Stall? By Robin Roberts and Miles Better News Agency. The future of the proposed £375 Million Circuit of Wales will probably be decided tomorrow (Wednesday 13th July). The Welsh Government is expected to announce if it will underwrite a substantial part of the project that it said in April it couldn’t support in its entirety. Then it left the door ajar for further … [Read more...]
New Audi A4 Avant Road Test (and latest Audi news)
Good for Business Both for Audi and for Customers – The New Audi A4 Avant. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) reports… High flyers in the UK’s new car market are the premium brands of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar Land Rover. With BMW sales up 14% for the first six months of this year, Mercedes by 18%, Jaguar up 68% and Land Rover 17% – Audi’s 4% increase looks poor; below … [Read more...]
Electric Car Recharging Becomes Expensive
Running an Electric Car (Especially a Plug-in Hybrid) Has Just Become MUCH More Expensive... Kim Henson reports. Power supplier Ecotricity has shocked owners of electric vehicles (of which there are estimated to be around 75,000 on UK roads) by announcing that from now on it will be making a charge of £6 for every 30 minutes of fast recharge/top-up for drivers using its charging points across … [Read more...]
Motoring For Fun – California Dreaming?
Glen Smale combines the lure of the open road, the enduring magic of Le Mans and a very busy week. From Wales to Le Mans by California… If you have never yet been to see the Le Mans 24-Hour race, but have wondered what it's all about, Glen Smale tells his story about having fun attending and yet also working hard at the 2016 event; the words and photos are all his... Once a year, around … [Read more...]
SEAT Ibiza FR Road Test
Keith Ward Test Drives a Sporty SEAT... THE Fiesta-sized and Barcelona-built Ibiza, available as a five-door hatchback, three-door SC coupe and a five-door ST estate, has traditionally been SEAT’s bulk seller over the last 30 years and was revamped at the back end of last year (2015). Nothing much to speak of externally, but with changes to running gear and an upgraded interior with the … [Read more...]
UK Car Sales Dip…
Euro 2016 has been an own goal for UK car sales, particularly in Wales. Robin Roberts reports... New car sales dipped in June after four years of sustained growth, and by over 6% in Wales as the national team stormed through the series. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the industry had seen a cooling off in showrooms for a few months and it was too soon to attribute the dip of 0.8% to the … [Read more...]
Latest Audi A3 Models Arrive – News and First Impressions
Audi Gives Their A3 Family a Mid-life Refresh – News and Views. Summed up by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The Audi A3 family of three door Hatchbacks, five door Sportback, four door Saloon and the two door Cabriolet soft-top have received a mid-life refresh. These refreshed and ready to go third generation A3s adopt the brand’s latest styling changes, have new or improved engines, … [Read more...]
Motorway Madness? Turning hard shoulders into running lanes is a dangerous idea…
MPs want the brakes applied to Government plans for motorway hard shoulders to be turned into regular lanes. The concept has been suggested as a quick way of increasing motorway capacity but it has attracted criticism from motoring and road safety organisations. RAC chief engineer David Bizley, “Whilst supporting smart motorways as a cost effective and relatively rapid way of … [Read more...]
Kia’s First Quarter Century in the UK – and a Mini Road Test of the Picanto (in highest spec. form).
Kia’s 25 years in the UK and Growing Fast – and a review of their Picanto City Car. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). During 25 years of trading in the UK, Kia has sold over 750,000 cars. Almost half of those sales have been achieved in the last five years and the target is to reach the one million mark by 2020. Kia was established in South Korea in 1944 building bicycles, then … [Read more...]
Citroën’s Innovative New Suspension System
Citroën Springs Ahead… by Dave Randle. Above and beyond all its other innovations and achievements, Citroën is renowned for its ‘cushion of air’ ride quality. For over half a century it has developed and refined its ‘hydropneumatic’ and ‘hydractive’ systems until the late C6 and the still just present C5 represented the apotheosis of technical advancement in a world where it too often seems … [Read more...]
Beaulieu 23rd Spring Autojumble, 2016 – Showers to endure and sunshine to enjoy!
Kim Henson was there, and enjoyed it very much… Inevitably I enjoy all the Autojumbles at Beaulieu; the heady mix of thousands of vehicular components on offer to help with restoration projects, classic car upgrades or simply to keep an old vehicle safe, legal and on the road, is hard for me and for thousands of other enthusiasts to ignore. The social side of this gathering is great too; the … [Read more...]
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