Archive for October, 2012
News : Mexican stand off at LTI factory
Andrew Elphick Today Pricewaterhousecoopers (PWC) confirmed that Manganese Bronze, parent of Taxi manufacturer London Taxis International had been placed in administration. A statement was issued earlier today advising of the sad news: ‘Manganese Bronze Holdings PLC (the “Company”), the manufacturer of the world famous London taxi, announces that Matthew Hammond, Tony Barrell, Ian Green and [...]
October 31, 2012
· 
Keith Adams · 
27 Comments
Events : Preview – RAC Future Car Challenge
Andrew Elphick Saturday 3 November is the date for the third running of the RAC future car challenge. If you’re a southerner and your wallet’s threadbare, this presents a great free day out. The precursor to Sunday’s traditional London to Brighton run (which celebrated the abolition of the Red Flag Act) the Future car challenge [...]
October 31, 2012
· Keith Adams · 5 Comments
Technician’s Update : Cheap parts drive you spare!
Mike Humble Getting a deal is what makes many of tick, stealing a bargain while saving a bung makes life all the more sweeter for the wheeling dealing petrol head – it’s a great feeling. Sometimes things go slightly curly, so you learn to accept it and take the rough with the smooth by drawing [...]
October 31, 2012
· Mike Humble · 31 Comments
Our Cars : MG6 rolling on
Faith restored Bought: July 2012 Mileage: 7856 Actual economy: 37.1mpg From my last blog regular readers will know that I was having problems with some persistent issues that were starting to spoil the enjoyment of my ‘6. The main gripe was misaligned steering plus a vibration at motorway speeds. The car had been returned to [...]
October 30, 2012
· Keith Adams · 30 Comments
Our Cars : First service (online)
Keith Adams Current mileage 12,101miles Claimed economy 62.8mpg Actual economy 49.6mpg I’d been complaining that the Astra was beginning to feel a little on the baggy side on the run-up to its service – there were some clonking noises coming from the front suspension and that venerable 1.7-litre turbodiesel was beginning to sound a little [...]
October 29, 2012
· Keith Adams · 19 Comments
What the papers say : Range Rover L405
Keith Adams The journalists are back from Morocco having sampled the fourth generation Range Rover on some of the world’s most demanding roads for the first time. The question is whether the new car, which has consumed hundreds of millions in development resources is the leap forward over the outgoing L322 – itself hardly shabby [...]
October 28, 2012
· Keith Adams · 7 Comments
Sales Talk : ‘Sweating money’ sells cars!
Mike Humble I don’t know about you, but I simply love spotting private cars for sale on people’s drive ways, its a barometer of motors ranging on the whole from dog rough trash, to over priced mutton dressed as lamb. Those huge cardboard signs wedged into the windscreen of unloved cars daubed with childish marker pen scribbles [...]
October 28, 2012
· Mike Humble · 21 Comments
Advertorial : What is the carbon footprint of the average UK motorist?
The awakening of the world to the problem of climate change has ushered in a new carbon conscious mind-set amongst consumers in the West. Now, in almost every sector, companies and their customers are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint in order to minimize the impact of their habits on climate change. Many motorists [...]
October 28, 2012
· Keith Adams · One Comment
News : Italian Job tops the polls
The 1969 hit The Italian Job has taken the top spot a poll held for the Classic Film Festival that takes place at this year’s Footman James Classic Motor Show held in Birmingham on 16-18 November. More than 1700 fans voted for the popular British film, with Bullitt finishing a strong second. Film fans votes [...]
October 27, 2012
· Keith Adams · 10 Comments
Unsung Heroes : Škoda Rapid Coupe and Cabriolet
Mike Humble Another look backwards through rose tinted driving glasses, this time we look at the Communist Porsche Carrera wannabe – The Škoda Rapid Coupe. The rear engined Czech Mate We have all sorts of Skoda cars on sale: the Octavia, Superb, Yeti and others, all offering a genuine experience of quality motoring. Think of it [...]
October 26, 2012
· Mike Humble · 26 Comments
Blog : The case for Bangernomics
Mike Humble I may have mentioned this before but, when I purchased the Rover 75, I never intended to keep it as a long-term smoker. The purchase price was so cheap considering the mileage that the original battle plan was to iron out the wrinkles, polish a bit of value into it, then sell it on [...]
October 24, 2012
· Mike Humble · 26 Comments
News : Plato finishes third in BTCC at Brands Hatch
Words: Clive Goldthorp Photographs: BTCC Media Office The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) headed to the legendary 2.43 mile Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent last weekend for the final three rounds of the 2012 campaign with the two MG KX Momentum Racing MG6 GTs sporting an all-new race livery in aid of Cancer [...]
October 24, 2012
· Clive Goldthorp · 9 Comments
Auction Watch : Frazer-Tickford Metro
Keith Adams Appearing on eBay like a bolt from the blue, this little red bundle of joy looks like one of the most desirable Metro-shaped packages you’re going to find for sale this year. The Frazer-Tickford Metro is one of that whole raft of modified Metros that went on sale in the months following the [...]
October 23, 2012
· Keith Adams · 22 Comments
Not their finest hour : Ford Sierra 2.0 (i4 engine)
Mike Humble To quote David Grohl of Foo Fighters fame (the nice man of rock), I have a confession to make: I like the Ford Sierra. It took 14 years after its launch for me to really appreciate it, though. Being the age that I am, I grew up loving and worshipping cars that were [...]
October 23, 2012
· Mike Humble · 43 Comments
News : Black cab Monday for Manganese Bronze?
Andrew Elphick ‘Where to guv?’ ‘Holyhead Road, Coventry’ ‘That where this cab was made! You work for LTI?’ ‘Sorry driver, no – Pricewaterhouse Cooper…’ If the hypothetical conversation above sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Rewind to 8 April 2005, and MG Rover calling in Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PwC). We all know how that saga ended [...]
October 22, 2012
· Keith Adams · 31 Comments
News : Meanwhile… a new Metrocab emerges
Andrew Elphick Metro Cammell’s Metrocab is long since a footnote in history, but its moniker isn’t – future technologies (and Bristol owners) Frazer-Nash are the latest custodian of the Metrocab identity. Trade paper www.taxinewspaper.co.uk spied its prototype range extender Taxi earlier this year and asked the probing questions – read the report here. A potential world [...]
October 22, 2012
· Keith Adams · 32 Comments
Blog : Defending the legacy…
Keith Adams I had a quick spin in a Land Rover XTech special edition today. Once again, it’s almost impossible to justify why such a antediluvian, beastly, bumpy, lumpy and unwieldy has a place on the new car price lists in 2012. You can’t get comfortable, you need the window open if you want meaningful [...]
October 22, 2012
· Keith Adams · 54 Comments
News : Search is on for the oldest UK-made Toyota
In December 1992, history was made when the first Toyota Carina E rolled off the line at Toyota’s newly opened factory at Burnaston, in Derbyshire. Twenty years on, it’s time to celebrate and Toyota is hoping to mark the occasion by tracing the oldest surviving example still in daily use. To mark the 20th birthday of the first Carina [...]
October 22, 2012
· Keith Adams · 38 Comments
News : MG launches ’6 BTCC Edition
Keith Adams Better late than never seems to be MG’s mantra at the moment. While the world waits for the MG6 diesel, the company has launched a limited edition version of the car to celebrate its participation in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). Arriving too late to capitalise on the season as it progressed, [...]
October 22, 2012
· Keith Adams · 36 Comments
Events : Mini Cooper Register heads south
The first ‘Minis to Marseille’ event held by the Mini Cooper Register was a great success, with 17 cars and their crews enjoying a 1400 mile tour through some of France’s finest scenery. The Minis arrived in Marseille on 5 October, and a full week of challenging driving. Traditionally Monte Carlo has been the final [...]
October 22, 2012
· Keith Adams · No Comments
