Daily Archives: July 8, 2012

After Goodwood, it’s the Silverstone Classic

July 08, 2012   simon   No comments

Goodwood Festival of Speed might seem impossible to follow, but the ever-expanding Silverstone Classic (Saturday 21 July and Sunday 22 July) appears to be managing it. There will be a total of 24 races. We can’t cover them all, but these are some of the highlights.One of the most famous races in British motor sport – the Daily Express International Trophy – is being revived. The prize will be awarded later this month to the aggregate winner of the two Grand Prix Masters races. First run in 1949, the roster of winners reads like a who’s who of motor sport history. Alberto Ascari won the inaugural event for Ferrari and subsequent victors include Mike Hawthorn, Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Keke Rosberg won the final contest held for Formula 1 cars in 1978.
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Latest safety systems do reduce accidents

July 08, 2012   simon   No comments

More data is coming in that shows electronic safety systems – especially automatic emergency braking – really do cut accident rates.We reported on the first UK data about this in April, but new data has now emerged from the USA. The federal Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) says that accident rates were 14% lower in cars fitted with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) – what Ford calls City Stop.It said warning systems that alerted the driver to an obstacle but did not brake the car showed less improvement. We are not surprised about that – such systems tell you via a light and a noise that something is wrong, but you then have to take a fraction of a second to figure out what the message is all about. If you have not already noticed the obstacle, it is probably then too late.
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UK car sales: Brits and Germans strong, French and Italians in trouble

July 08, 2012   simon   No comments

The UK new sales figures show that Ford has increased its lead, Jaguar Land Rover is doing well, but Renault and Alfa Romeo are in danger of falling off the bottom of the table. Ford is currently running at 14.2% year-to-date, compared to Vauxhall in second place at 11.0%. Land Rover is up 31% so far this year, and is now bigger than either Fiat or Renault. Talking of Renault, its sales have fallen another 47% to a market share of just 1.9% – that must be its lowest UK figure since the 1960s. The new Renault Clio has a herculean task on its hands. Still it could be worse – Alfa Romeo has dropped by 36% and now sells fewer than 1,000 cars a month in the UK for a market share of 0.4%.
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Biggest Classic car auction of the year

July 08, 2012   simon   No comments

It is a wonder there are any more classic cars to sell, after all the recent high-profile auctions.  However, 120 more top classics will be auctioned by Coys at Blenheim Palace on July 14.  Chris Routledge, Managing Director of Coys, said, “We already have some interesting cars attending the Concours d’Elegance including a Ferrari 212 Inter, Ronnie Hoare’s C-Type Jaguar, an Alfa 8C Monza and an Auburn 851 Speedster from the National Motor Museum.”

“But the whole point is that anyone can turn up and put their car into the Concours and have the potential for winning a prize. The car doesn’t have to be exotic it could be a Mini or a Ford Anglia, the point of the Concours is to show cars right across the collecting spectrum.”

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Two new Toyota Prius models

July 08, 2012   simon   No comments

Toyota is adding two new models to the Prius – a plug-in hybrid version of the current hatchback and a seven seat MPV. The first plug-in hybrid was supplied to its celebrity owner earlier this week – His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II of Monaco (it’s a good job our own Prince Philip doesn’t go by that title, don’t you think?). The headline figures are spectacular: 49 g/km of CO2 and 134.5 mpg, with a battery range of 15.5 miles. However, potential buyers should be warned that those figures are the result of the vagaries of the EU test cycle. Unless you can recharge the car from the mains every 30 miles, your fuel consumption and CO2 figures are likely to be around half the official ones. The price is £27,895.
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