Driverless (Autonomous) Cars A personal view by Dave Randle, who is unconvinced this is the best way forward... Whatever it says on the packaging, smart televisions and smart phones are anything but. Any smartness going around remains with the people who made them. All any machine can do is to choose between various pre-programmed options through binaries and Boolean algebra. This is not … [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.
Driving on Flooded Roads – Kim’s Tips
Advice to help you stay safe and keep motoring, from Kim Henson. The recent very heavy and persistent rain has resulted in widespread flooding in many parts of the country. This can make driving very hazardous and certainly has the potential for wrecking your vehicle, if not risking life and limb. However, if you keep your head and don’t panic, you should be okay; just think carefully… The … [Read more...]
First ‘enhanced’ audio video eBook on Porsche 911
Glen Smale delivers an innovative eBook treat for Porsche 911 enthusiasts... Performance Car Publishing, an all-Welsh team in South West Wales, has published the first in a series of new enhanced eBooks. Believed to be a first in the field of automotive publishing, this eBook will cover the design and development of the iconic Porsche Carrera RS 2.7, originally unveiled in 1972. The … [Read more...]
Getting More Enjoyment and Information from ‘Wheels-Alive’
Kim Henson advises... If you have just discovered ‘Wheels-Alive’, you may be interested to know that there is a wealth of information within the site, in addition to the most recent features, which are listed on the ‘Home’ page. While of course this website does cover in-depth analysis and driving of new cars, that's only one aspect of it, since the site also incorporates so much more – … [Read more...]
Emissions Mission?
Emissions Mission? Robin Roberts reports. British politicians are discussing a possible major shake up of our vehicle emissions testing. After the Volkswagen emissions scandal, MPs are looking into current testing and its relationship to other parts of Europe. It could result in a much tougher test, possibly based around the strict United States system which one leading international … [Read more...]
Austin A30 Van Stolen!
WHEELS-ALIVE APPEAL; CAN YOU HELP PLEASE? Can anyone help us please? On the afternoon/early evening of Sunday 1st March an enthusiast’s Austin A30 van was stolen from his home near Welland, in Worcestershire. The vehicle was locked and the owner, Colin Dolding, still has the keys. This is an exceedingly rare Austin van, with just a small handful surviving (especially by comparison with the … [Read more...]
Check your oil – save your engine!
Here at Wheels-Alive we have long appreciated the crucial importance of maintaining engine oil at the correct level (as well as carrying out regular and frequent oil and filter changes). Indeed, often we have witnessed the sad and expensive consequences of not maintaining oil at the correct level. The engine oil serves to keep apart metal components working in very close proximity, minimising … [Read more...]
Wheels-Alive visits MG at Longbridge, Birmingham
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...]
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...]