May 28, 2010
£525,000 ex-Schumacher Bugatti for sale
The Bugatti EB 110 SS once owned by seven-times Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher is currently for sale at German supercar dealer Maranello Motors in Cologne.
Available for the bargain price of 600,000 Euros – that’s around £525,000 – the lucky buyer will be getting even more than that amazing previous-owner pedigree; this is reputedly the only EB 110 SS to feature the more luxurious GT interior.
The seller also describes its condition as the ‘best EB 110 SS available, better than new’. Having covered just 2,875 miles from new, it’s spent the last several years languishing unused in a private collection.
First registered to one M. Schumacher in 1994, the German racing superstar reportedly kept the car until 2003. Now it can be yours – assuming you don’t mind it in yellow.
Horrific crash cancels Lamborghini race series
Touted by Lamborghini as “the world’s fastest one-make series”, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo championship has been shelved after a horrific crash at Brno in the Czech Republic.
The glamorous Lamborghini series, intended for well-heeled privateer ‘gentlemen drivers’, is now in its second year and uses a race-prepped 570hp version of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, called the Super Trofeo.
But a horrific crash involving driver Giorgio Bartocci has so shocked organisers they’ve decided to pull the plug and cancel the remaining three races in the series.
Bartocci’s car spun, hit the pit wall and burst into flames at the Czech circuit but concern has been expressed at the apparent failure of some of the Gallardo SuperTrofeo’s safety systems.
Bartocci was partially flung from the car as it disintegrated around him, suggesting the harnesses and safety cage didn’t protect him as they should have. He’s now in intensive car, described as being in a “stable” condition.
The blaze that engulfed the Gallardo is also worrying, given the fuel cells and other safety gear modern race cars carry intended to prevent such fires. Bartocci was pulled from the car by fellow racers who jumped over the pitwall to rescue him.
May 27, 2010
Volkswagen Buys Italdesign
VW is expanding its empire with the announcement that are to buy the Italian design house that gave us the original Golf design.
VW will take a 90.1 per cent stake in Italdesign – Italy’s largest design and engineering firm, employing some 800 people – via Lamborghini Holding SpA, while the Giugiaro family will retain the remaining 9.9 per cent of shares in the company.
“The Volkswagen Group will be continuing its model initiative over the coming years and will benefit from the capacity and competence of Italdesign,” says VW’s CEO, Martin Winterkorn. “The company will therefore be making an important contribution to our 2018 global growth strategy.”
For his part, car design legend and Italdesign’s co-founder, Giorgetto Giugiaro, said: “Becoming part of the Volkswagen Group means revaluating ourselves and our strength. Entering Volkswagen means to open up a promising perspective for the company.”
Italdesign has created many models and concepts for the VW Group since the company was created in 1968, including the first Golf and concepts the first Passat, Scirocco and the Audi 80.
Eco-friendly Renault Clio launched
Renault are about to launch their greenest car to date, offering CO2 emissions of just 98b/km with a new ultra frugal 1.5 dCI for a tenna less than £12,700.
Thanks to its low emissions it is exempt from VED, is taxed at 13% of list price for company car tax and allows companies to write down 100% of depreciation against tax.
Renault won’t be adding any price premium to its lowest emission model, so the 98g/km model will sell for the same price as the 115g/km version. This is in contrast to other manufacturers who charge between £500 and £1,000 more for their low emission models.
To achieve the 98g/km emissions, Renault has added taller gearing, reduced friction inside the engine and also made the car more aerodynamic by smoothing the underside and adding small body extensions such as liners in the wheelarches and a flexible lip under the front bumper. A set of low-rolling resistance tyres are also included.
May 26, 2010
New front wheel drive Range Rover aimed at company cars drivers
Land Rover announced a few weeks ago that they will be making their first ever front wheel car, which is an attempt to lure the lucrative company car drivers away from their typical Audi’s and BMW’s.
With emissions reported to be less than 130g/km, the dinky Range Rover will fall into the much lower company car tax band than any previous models.
When it goes on sale sometime in 2011 it will be taxed 19% of its list price rather than the 28% of the current low emission Range Rover.
The company is also trialling hybrid technology in a Range Rover Sport model. The electric motor is allied to the 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, and the aim is for the Range_e model to cover 20 miles using electric power only.
A production version is scheduled to go on sale in 2013.
Lower tax bills with the new BlueMotion VW Golf
When you decide on your company car, the tax for it can quite often be the deciding factor, VW have recognised this and have just announced that their new Golf will be a lot cheaper when it comes to paying company car tax.
The new 140bhp 2.0 litre TDI diesel will now incorporate BlueMotion technology which was pioneered in ultra frugal Polo. The new Golf will feauture stop-start technology.
Other good news is that you will be able to guise you new Golf with the GT trim or the new match trim. The Match version replaces the SE trim level and adds £1,600-worth of extra equipment for a £300 price rise. The Match versions gain 16-inch alloy wheels, leather multi-function steering wheel, DAB digital radio, Bluetooth, front and rear parking sensors and touch-screen stereo with six-CD changer.
The 2.0 litre will see monthly tax drop from £58 a month two the base rate of £42 a month. And the 1.6 TDI in BlueMotion Technology trim returns near-70mpg economy and CO2 emissions of 107g/km. This puts it in the lowest diesel benefit-in-kind tax band (13%) for the next two years.
May 25, 2010
First Ferrari 458 crash
The proud owner of a Ferrari 458 has achieved something quite special he is the first person to crash a Ferrari 458 – the incident happened in Poland this weekend.
Ironically the website that broke the story had a sweepstake on when the first 458 would be crashed, and one lucky person has since won $500.
Apparently the unlucky owner swerved to avoid an ugly VW Bora and according to an eyewitness, the Ferrari was driving between 60-70 mph on “Armii Krajowej” street which has a posted speed limit of 30 mph.
When the Ferrari approached the intersection, a small bus abruptly made a left turn in front of it. In an effort to avoid crashing into the bus, the driver of the Ferrari veered slightly to his left and crashed into the Volkswagon Bora.
Police apparently said the Ferrari driver was at fault due to the high speed.
The Ferrari had Austrian license plates and was practically brand new having been purchased in March 2010. The driver appeared to be in his early 20s.
Wider cars blamed for more accidents
Experts say wider vehicles, designed to have extra safety features and enhance comfort are a “major contributory factor” in crashes on minor rural roads where one in 40 accidents occur.
They are also a hazard in urban streets where the conversion of houses into flats means roads are lined with parked vehicles.
The problem has been managed on main roads by widening lanes Rules on lane sizes were changed in 2005 so that major A roads and motorways are now 3.65 meters wide. But smaller rural and urban are just 2.43 meters wide on average.
Accident management firm Accident Exchange says motorists are finding it increasingly difficult to judge the width of their car and advises drivers to exercise caution.
The company’s claims experts calculate accidents caused by ‘narrow road blindness’ on country lanes leave drivers with bills averaging £2,300 for repairs to bodywork panels.
“The ever increasing waistline of the modern car is a major contributory factor in crashes on Britain’s roads,” said claims settlement director Lee Woodley.
BMW spokesman Gavin Ward said legislation has forced car makers to fit larger wing mirrors and thicker windscreen and door pillars.
May 24, 2010
The moment a drag racer’s car exploded
We’ve heard of motor racing blow outs before, but never seen anything quite as amazing as this.
This is the moment that veteran drag racer Jim Head’s car burst into flames at Heartland Park Topeka, Kansas – amazingly he walked away unscathed.
The explosion blew the body of the car into the air, but driver Head kept his nerve and waked away.
“It was pretty scary, it got my attention. I run my car pretty conservatively, and frankly that’s the first time that’s ever happened,” he told the Topeka-Capital Journal.
“I’ve had blower explosions before, but that blower explosion was significant enough that it blew the whole bottom of the manifold out. Not a burn to me, not an injury to me. It’s a real testament to these race cars.”
Have the cuts begun already? Hampshire police unveil pedal-powered patrol car
Allo ‘allo ‘allo, what’s all this then?A pedal Police car? You betcha.
PC Keith Waller has designed this five-gear go-kart with the help of school children from his beat, in Ringwood, Hampshire, to compete in the British Pedal Car Grand Prix on July 11.
But besides being £1,000, 20mph racer, PC Waller has also been using it to crack down on anti-social behaviour – presumably by making would-be ne’er-do-wells laugh so hard they’re too busy chuckling to get up to anything even vaguely reprehensible.
He’s not taking himself, or his mean machine, that seriously however, admitting: ‘People have made comparisons between me and Mr Plod from Noddy but I take it all in good spirits – It’s just a bit of a laugh.’
On top of his go faster yellow and blue stripes, there’s also a siren on board and even a roll bar in case things get a bit too hairy chasing a criminal pensioner around a tricky corner. But he’s only likely to catch ‘those with Zimmer frames’ adds PC Waller.
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