Some 90 years after Cecil Kimber created the first MGs, Kim Henson makes a pilgrimage to the Birmingham factory where today’s cars bearing the MG name are assembled… Before we start, I have to confess to rather more than just a slight personal interest in the factory where the current range of MGs is assembled, and in the adjacent Technical Centre where the cars were designed and developed … [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.
Bratislava or Bust… They Made It!
‘Everything Keeps Going Right’ was a Toyota advertising slogan of a few years ago, and thankfully it held true for a group of friends who drove a 16 year old RAV4 to Bratislava (and back again!) in aid of the Dementia UK charity. Kim Henson reports… Recently on Wheels-Alive I wrote about a group of first year medical students who were about to set off in an ageing Toyota RAV4 on the exciting … [Read more...]
Bratislava or Bust…On a long journey for dementia sufferers
Kim Henson meets a young enthusiast from Dorset driving an old Toyota to Bratislava to help raise funds for a charity supporting dementia sufferers and their families… These days there is much talk in the news about dementia. So there should be, with an estimated 800,000 people in the UK (plus many millions more, around the world) suffering from this awful affliction, which is a progressive … [Read more...]
Stay Alert and Safe; Don’t Get Dehydrated
The benefits of taking regular breaks when driving are well-known; driving when tired is a recipe for disaster. However, you may not be aware that staying hydrated is also essential. According to Shell, a drop of just two per cent in your body’s water level can affect your concentration levels. It is worth bearing this in mind when travelling, especially if driving long distances, and when … [Read more...]
‘For Britain And For The Hell Of It’
New Land Speed Record Breakers display opens at The National Motor Museum, Beaulieu – Kim Henson reports… Ever since the dawn of motoring, the quest to achieve the fastest speed on earth has driven people and machines to the very limits of what is possible. The costs and the risks have always been very high, but through generations the rewards for those involved – in personal satisfaction … [Read more...]
Haynes International Motor Museum – Bigger And Even Better!
Improved Haynes International Motor Museum opens Kim Henson was there… For me, it was certainly a case of déjà vu… On a beautiful summer’s day in July 1985, I was as Sparkford, in Somerset, on the site of an old sawmill, witnessing the opening of a brand new motor museum. At that time, the new Museum accommodated just 33 vehicles, donated by Founder and Chairman John H. Haynes OBE (who, of … [Read more...]
Sunbeam Start-up – National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
Sir Malcolm Campbell’s land speed record breaking 350hp Sunbeam has been fired up in anger in the New Forest for the first time in over 50 years following a major eight-year mechanical rebuild. BY CHRIS ADAMSON The first car to exceed 150mph it was also the first vehicle to carry the famous Bluebird name and over its life set numerous speed records. Prior to this week’s start-up at the … [Read more...]
Finding Future Classics
When do the first indications appear that a car is turning into a classic and its value could start rising? The only real answer is eventually - maybe... but there are certain clues that, intelligently interpreted, can point thoughtful buyers in the right direction. Much depends here on your definition of a "classic," for many regard any car of a certain age in that light; others might give more … [Read more...]
Electric vehicle land speed record
At a time when attention to Land Speed Records is rightly being concentrated on the Bloodhound SSC project, attempting to lift the World Record to over 1,000 mph, it is interesting that, for the first time in nearly 40 years, a fresh and successful attempt has been made at the ‘World Electric Land Speed Record’ for lightweight electrically-powered vehicles. Under rules laid down by the FIA … [Read more...]
Skoda Octavia vRS
Skoda has announced the world debut, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 19th July 2013, of the new, third generation Octavia vRS. The new model is offered in saloon and estate form, and with a choice of two new engines, a 220 PS, 2.0 litre petrol motor, or a 184 PS, 2.0 litre diesel unit. These provide enhanced performance but at the same time give savings in exhaust emissions and fuel … [Read more...]
Long distance Volgas drive to Silverstone
Making a round trip of over 6,000 kilometres (4,000 or so miles) from Moscow to the Silverstone Classic event (which runs from 26th to 28th July) are two intrepid members of the Russian GAZ-21 Car Club, in a pair of classic Volgas. Vladimir Smagin and Dmitry Kilpio will be travelling via Minsk, Warsaw, Poznan, Hannover, Antwerpe, Brugge and London, on their way to Silverstone. Over 8,200 classics … [Read more...]
45 years of the Citroën Méhari
Throughout the company’s history, Citroën has been known for producing innovative and fascinating vehicles. Well, here’s one that not everyone may be aware of… The firm is currently celebrating 45 years since the introduction (on 16th May 1968) of its now rarely encountered Méhari. This diminutive but versatile and useful vehicle was built for utility and pleasure, and was unpretentious when … [Read more...]
30 years of the Nissan Micra
Can you believe it? Surely it can’t already be 30 years since the Nissan Micra was launched in the U.K? Well, it is. Throughout four generations, the model has been known and liked for its dependability and low running costs. To help celebrate three decades of the model, Nissan has introduced a range of special ‘30’ themed offers for owners… So, for all Micra drivers with more than three … [Read more...]
Satisfied Skoda Owners
For the second year running, Skoda’s Czech-built five door ‘cross-over’ Yeti has been named as the ‘Most Satisfying Car to Own’, in the Auto Express Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. Owners’ feedback provided an overall satisfaction rating of 92.65 per cent. The Yeti wasn’t alone in terms of Skoda accolades, for a total of three of the company’s models were placed in the top six for … [Read more...]
Bristol Classic Car Show
What a Show at Shepton Mallet! Enthusiasts attending the Footman James 34th Bristol Classic Car Show, held these days at the Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, were treated to a wonderful display of approximately 200 classic cars and 65 owners’ clubs, plus a wide array of autojumble stands for those seeking components for their project vehicles. In addition, for those seeking ‘new’ … [Read more...]
Electric Volkswagen e-up!
Volkswagen has announced its first fully electric production vehicle, the four seater ‘e-up!’. The e-up! Will be powered by an 82PS motor, which will enable the car to reach 62 mph from rest within 14 seconds, and it is said that it will have a range between charges of 150 km (about 100 miles). Its battery can be recharged to up to 80 per cent of its storage capacity with half an hour. The … [Read more...]
Honda Jazz – Don’t you just love it?
In a recent survey (of 40,000 drivers with 47,000 cars), carried out by consumer organisation ‘Which?’, the first generation Honda Jazz has been rated as Britain’s most satisfying supermini to own. The externally diminutive but internally spacious and versatile Jazz notched up a score of 91 per cent overall, being rated as a ‘reliable, practical and cheap to run’ car, and saying that it was a … [Read more...]
Hyundai Fuel Cell Vehicle Production Line
Hyundai has become the world’s first car manufacturer to begin assembly line production of zero-emissions, hydrogen powered cars (for fleet use). The historic ix35 models emerging from the line each incorporate a fuel cell powered by hydrogen. The hydrogen is converted by a fuel stack into electricity, which powers an electric motor to propel the vehicle. Emissions? Just water! This … [Read more...]
Fuel’s Gold?
It is no surprise to hard-pressed motorists that real difficulties are being caused to both private motorists and businesses, due to the current extreme and artificially high prices of fuel. According to a poll carried out recently by FairFuel UK (which is campaigning for more affordable petrol and diesel prices in Britain), the impact of current fuel prices is significantly adverse, across the … [Read more...]
Classic car tax concession
Way back in the 1990s, the government changed the road tax rules so that vehicles over 25 years old qualified for a zero rate of road fund licence (‘Vehicle Excise Duty’). This helped owners who, in general, covered relatively few miles in their older cars, and helped to encourage the preservation of ‘modern classics’. The exemption was sensibly applied on a ‘rolling’ basis, so that as vehicles … [Read more...]