Archive for October, 2011
Blog : It is *not* a forum, honestly…
Keith Adams Over the weekend, I did some more fiddling with the website, and added another feature, which I hope you’ll enjoy using. It’s the bbPress system, and the idea behind it is simple – once you’ve logged-in to AROnline as part of your top tool-bar, you’re able to add posts yourself to the website, [...]
October 31, 2011
· 
Keith Adams · 
11 Comments
Events : Staples2Naples 2012 is go!
The 2012 rally season officially starts on 1 November at 10.00am, when the sign-ons for next year’s Staples2Naples Banger Rally (for wage slaves) opens on StreetSafari’s swish new website. Regular readers will know all about Staples2Naples – the four-day event where you get to drive sub-£250 bangers from Calais to (somewhere near) Naples, taking in [...]
October 31, 2011
· admin · 3 Comments
News : MINI Roadster unveiled
The MINI family is expanding again. Hot on the wheels of the Coupé comes the launch of the sixth model in the line-up, the all-new MINI Roadster. This is the first open-topped two-seater in the company’s history. And being built at Cowley means MINI is claiming it to be a spiritual successor to the traditional [...]
October 31, 2011
· admin · 47 Comments
Blog : Is it the age of the disposable car?
Benjamin Adams Bangernomics is something that we at AROnline have been passionate about for some time; the ability to buy and run a car for as little financial outlay as possible, sometimes even selling the car on for the same or more than the original purchase price. As some of you may know, I myself [...]
October 31, 2011
· Keith Adams · 32 Comments
Unsung Heroes : Peugeot 505
Mike Humble remembers yet another car that, not only once blessed the highways and by-ways of the UK, but seemingly travelled – the indestructible Peugeot 505. It was car that not only marked the end of rear-wheel drive for Peugeot, but was also the last big French saloon to sell in decent numbers in the [...]
October 30, 2011
· Mike Humble · 28 Comments
Blog : Base – How low can you go?
Mike Humble takes a sideways look at the once mind-blowing array of Limited or ‘Special’ edition cars and wonders if makers could have stooped any lower for custom! City, Merit, Popular… ‘ah yes.’ I hear you cry, ‘the poverty spec models from Austin Rover, Vauxhall and Ford. And the first step on the ladder for [...]
October 30, 2011
· Mike Humble · 187 Comments
Blog : Five years ago this month…
Keith Adams Memory lane: Blogs, November 2006 It’s been a busy time for me on AROnline the past few weeks. I’ve finally bit the bullet, and am now paying for a dedicated server to run this site on (thank you Google ads – and thank you all for clicking them) – and the services of [...]
October 30, 2011
· Keith Adams · 5 Comments
Blog : 25 years old – the Road to Hell
Andrew Elphick Yep. On 29 October 1986, blessed Margaret opened the path to Hades, when she cut the ribbon which declared the M25 London orbital motorway finally open. 117 miles of miserable tarmac that reputedly holds the crown of Europe’s busiest motorway. Whether this is true is debatable, but everyone knows someone who has spent time [...]
October 29, 2011
· Keith Adams · 29 Comments
Advert of the week : British Leyland
Keith Adams Don’t let it be said that national stereotyping is a predominantly British pass time. This European effort (shown in Germany as well as, possibly, Austria and Switzerland) advertising the BL range in 1977 (hence it’s still under the ‘Leyland’ banner) is a charming sideways swipe at the individuals that make up this fine [...]
October 29, 2011
· Keith Adams · 12 Comments
In Memoriam : Škoda Estelle 120LS
The continuing series of features about cars on the endangered list in the UK, according to data supplied by the brilliant How Many Left? website based on DVLA data. 12: Škoda Estelle 120LS The years fly by as you get older, your parents and teachers would tell you that, summer school holidays seemed to last [...]
October 28, 2011
· Mike Humble · 16 Comments
News : Heritage Motor Centre’s lottery help
The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, based at the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon in Warwickshire has received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Multi-Story: Museum’s Collections Centre project. The £2.5 million project aims to create a new building to store and display the Trust’s reserve collection of historic British cars. [...]
October 28, 2011
· Keith Adams · 21 Comments
Events : Meet the girls to rally across Africa
Words: Keith Adams Photography: Gerard Brown We love an adventure at AROnline, and so the London to Cape Town World Cup Rally, which kicks off on 1 January 2012 has certainly caught our imagination. It’s going to be an epic event, and unique in its scope – as it will capture the spirit of the [...]
October 28, 2011
· Keith Adams · 16 Comments
News : Lenham Café celebrates its 60th safari-style
The famous Lenham Café – the transport café on the A20 between Maidstone and Ashford – sees its 60th birthday in January, and will celebrate by hosting a checkpoint for crews on the London to Cape Town World Cup Rally which will stop here on the night of 1 January 2012. This café has an [...]
October 28, 2011
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Drive story : VW Passat // New chasing the old
We aim for the deep south of France on a single tank of fuel… our mission, to find old cars and buy great wine. Our car of choice for the adventure is a Volkswagen Passat 1.6TDI SE with Bluemotion technology – and it sure beats flying. Words: Keith Adams Photography: Keith Adams and Michael Hayward [...]
October 27, 2011
· Keith Adams · 18 Comments
In Memoriam : Fiat Strada ES
Mike Humble The continuing series of features about cars on the endangered list in the UK, according to data supplied by the brilliant How Many Left? website based on DVLA data. 11: Fiat Strada 60ES Yet another car from our series of seemingly extinct vehicles that rightly or wrongly have ended up as bean tins [...]
October 27, 2011
· Mike Humble · 36 Comments
Blog : AROnline’s time machine
Keith Adams The latest AROnline value-added feature comes courtesy of long-time site contributor Ian Nicholls. It’s a simple, but I hope worthwhile addition, and a perfect example of why moving the website to its new system would be exceptionally beneficial in the long-term. But what is this fine new feature from Ian, I hear you [...]
October 27, 2011
· Keith Adams · 9 Comments
News : Reunion at Longbridge
Keith Adams The current management at Longbridge is opening its doors for what it is hoping to be a trip down memory lane for ex-workers at what locals for years called ‘The Austin’. The reunion takes place on 30 November and the organisers are hoping it will be one special days and are inviting everyone [...]
October 26, 2011
· Keith Adams · 61 Comments
News : Honest John’s winter driving guide
All you need to know from winter tyres to snow socks. The last two winters have hit the UK hard with cold temperatures, snow and ice that the road network and motorists alike have struggled to cope with. This winter may be equally as bad but either way it’s best to be prepared for the [...]
October 26, 2011
· Keith Adams · 31 Comments
News : Drivers searching for ever smaller-savings on premiums
Almost a quarter of drivers in the UK would switch car insurance policies to save as little as £25 on their premiums, according to research by the UK’s leading price comparison website, Moneysupermarket.com. Moneysupermarket finds the cheapest car insurance for every kind of driver and conducted the research to find out what kinds of savings [...]
October 26, 2011
· Keith Adams · 2 Comments
Unsung Heroes: Opel Monza GSE
Back in the early-’80s, the big coupé market was sewn up with the BMW 6-Series, the Jaguar XJ-S and Mercedes-Benz SEC. But for those with a smaller budget who still yearned for a punchy straight-six, your local Vauxhall-Opel dealer was able to help you. Roomy and affordable, the Monza GSE offered good performance and sleek [...]
October 25, 2011
· Mike Humble · 33 Comments
