Owner: wheelspin URL:http://wheelspin83.blogspot.com Join Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:24:00 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: An Irish perspective on cars, driving and motorsport. Site statistics:Click here
Carrot and stick? Try chocolate and stick... 2007-07-18 18:57:00 Only if you're goodWe've already had the edible Fabia. Now, the Swiss police have been carrying out random traffic stops and rewarding drivers found to be in full compliance with the law with chocolate bars. Nice touch! Read more:Carrot
Young drivers are getting safer 2007-07-18 18:48:00 UK MPs reckon the driving age is too lowFinally some good news about young drivers. The number of 18-35 year olds dying on the roads in the first three months of the year has fallen from 58 in 2006 to 34 this year. There has also been a fall in the number of young passengers killed. If these trends continue, says the Insurance Broker's Association, young driver's insurance premiums could fall next year.Meanwhile in the UK, MPs are considering proposals to raise the driving age to 18, enforce a minimum twelve-month learning period and impose a zero alcohol limit for newly-qualified drivers. Read more:safer
YouTube Clip of the Week: Quality and safety optional extras in China? 2007-07-18 18:36:00 You'd have to be a dummy to buy one of theseThis disturbing video shows the results of a standard Euro NCAP 40mph offset impact crash test on the new Chinese Brilliance BS6 sedan. As the video graphically illustrates, the car performed disastrously and occupants would have little chance of survival. This is the car that Brilliance hopes to introduce to Europe in the near future. How anyone would buy one after seeing this is beyond me.Meanwhile, the BBC reports that Chinese tyre manufacturer Hangzhou Zonce Rubber is being sued by its U.S. distributor after faulty tyres were blamed for a truck crash that killed two.If these examples are any indication of the quality of Chinese manufacturing and engineering, all this talk of China
overtaking the West in the near future seems a bit premature to me. Read more:YouTube
, Quality
Carzone Pick of the Week: Audi S2 2007-07-17 13:52:00 Bavarian beastA little later than usual, this week's Carzone pick is this bright red slice of eary-90s Audi chunkiness. It's the S2 model, which means AWD, six-speed gearbox and a 5-cylinder, 230bhp engine. Nice! Yours for eleven grand...
Weather forces Prodrift venue change 2007-07-20 16:35:00 Next weekend's Punchestown round has been moved to RosegreenThe current horrendous weather conditions have caught up with the Prodrift Irish Series. It was announced today that round four of the championship will not be taking place at Punchestown as planned, due to the terrible condition of the car parks at the Co. Kildare venue. The event has been relocated to Rosegreen, Co. Tipperary on the same day, July 29th.This is a bitter but unfortunately unavoidable disappointment for Irish drift fans as the high-speed, sweeping Punchestown course was generally reckoned to offer the greatest challenge of all the locations visited last year. The possibility of returning to Punchestown later in the year is now being investigated.
Diesel Power 2007-07-20 16:12:00 SEAT are the first to run diesels in the WTCCSEAT have announced, at quite short notice, that they will be running turbodiesel engines in their WTCC Leons at the next round of the championship in Sweden. LPG- and bioethanol-fuelled cars have already made appearances in the British and Swedish touring car championships respectively, but there has been no major success for alternatively-fuelled vehicles in tin-tops just yet. Maybe SEAT will be the ones to emulate Audi and Peugeot's co-option of sportscar racing with diesels? It looks like they have a few issues to overcome before they do, but once success comes, could an entire WTCC grid of oil-burning machines be far behind?
More insurance troubles 2007-07-20 15:19:00 Sean Quinn of Quinn Direct - one of the richest men in IrelandMaybe young drivers shouldn't be getting their hopes up about insurance
after all. According to the Irish Consumer Association, insurance companies are still failing to pass on savings to their customers, despite a reduction in costs stemming from a fraud crackdown which has been running since 2003.Meanwhile, Quinn Direct boss Sean Quinn has been called to appear before a district court after a motorist secured an insurance certificate from Quinn Direct but allegedly did not have proper insurance cover.
Fit for a 'Monster' 2007-07-20 14:15:00 Are you sure the rear wing's big enough?A lot of motor racing these days is about money saving, technical restrictions, 'green' technology, relevance to road cars and so on.So it's refreshing to see people are still building utterly bonkers out-and-out competition cars. This is Nobuhiro 'Monster
' Tajima's latest hillclimb weapon, the certifiably insane Suzuki XL7. A GM sourced 3.6 litre V6 puts out near on 1000bhp with the aid of twin turbochargers. 0-100mph takes just four seconds.The vehicle was built to tackle the Pike's Peak hillclimb in Colorado (scene of Ari Vatenen's 'Climb Dance' short film), where Rod Millen's record of 10m4.06s has stood for the last fourteen years.
Carzone Pick of the Week: Datsun 260Z 2007-07-22 12:17:00 The past is orangeBack on schedule with the Carzone pick this week - a 1974 Datsun 260Z. Although generally not regarded to be quite as desirable as the 240Z, due to emissions restrictions reducing performance, a Z-Car is still a Z-Car! This example will need a bit of polishing and tidying to restore it to perfection, but it has been garaged for 15 years and the price and mileage look good.
Wheel-bashing, punch-ups, oh my! F1 getting interesting again 2007-07-25 19:06:00 Hamilton gets out of jail freeIt seems like only yesterday I was writing about the close, if somewhat pedestrian nature of F1 competition this season. Circuits like the new Nurburgring are one of the main factors contributing to that situation. But as last Sunday's European Grand Prix proved, add a bit of rain to the mix and even the most anodyne of circuits is instantly transformed into a classic. Alonso's robust move on Massa was reminiscent of Arnoux and Villeneuve's famous duel at Dijon and it's great to see a bit of aggressive rivalry building between the title rivals. Hamilton's chaotic weekend also means that Alonso is now only two points behind his rookie team-mate in the race for the championship.While there was action aplenty at the head of the field, it was Torro Rosso's American driver Scott Speed who seemed to have the most eventful weekend. He nearly rear-ended the safety car as he aquaplaned off the track at turn one, with only the quick reactions of its driver Ber Read more:bashing
, interesting
Some inconvenient truth 2007-07-25 19:04:00 CAR magazine's Gavin Green puts the self-righteous eco-warriors in their place.
Honda tops the poll, again 2007-07-25 18:39:00 Carlsberg don't make cars...People sometimes get annoyed when the old stereotypes about French and Italian cars being unreliable are trotted out. But then an up-to-date consumer survey appears that only confirms what we've known all along: The Japanese, and to a lesser extent the Germans, make the most reliable cars going.Honda
achieved first place overall, with a score of 848 out of a maximum possible 1,000, echoing its results in an earlier UK survey. My own 2000 Civic is a good example - it hasn't skipped a beat since I bought it nearly a year ago and is still going strong. Needless to say, when the time comes to changing it, I know what I'll be considering first...
New road safety strategy announced 2007-07-25 18:27:00 The new strategy has been developed by the RSANo real surprises in the government's latest road safety strategy, announced today. In short, it proposes mandatory alcohol testing for all drivers involved in accidents, a reduction in the blood/alcohol limit to 50mg/100ml, nationwide rollout of speed cameras and 'specific education programmes' for young male drivers as well as Ireland's 'diverse road user population.'My formula? Scrap the speed cameras, put more Garda Traffic Corps on the roads and reduce the alcohol limit to zero. The government are constantly telling people 'if you drink, don't drive,' so why are they unwilling to give it the force of law? Read more:New road
Phoenix Park update: Veyron in the flesh 2007-07-25 18:20:00 The ultimate supercar is coming to the ParkWord is that one of the handful of Bugatti Veyron
s to be sold in Ireland will be on show at the Phoenix
Park Motor Races on August 12th and will also be doing some demo laps around the circuit. If you were still looking for a reason to go, I think this just might be it. Read more:flesh
YouTube Clip of the Week: Atsushi Kuroi's RB26-powered Silvia 2007-07-25 18:09:00 Just to get you in the mood for round four of Prodrift this weekend (moved from Punchestown to Rosegreen), here's a clip of Japanese D1 drifter Atsushi Kuroi in his RB26-powered Nissan Silvia. All going to plan, our own Damien Mulvey should have a similar machine out in Rosegreen on Sunday. If it's even half as spectacular as this, it'll be well worth seeing. Though it has to be said, Punchestown would have been a better venue for a car like this to stretch its legs. Read more:YouTube
The (temporary) return of Top Gear 2007-07-24 14:27:00 One word: badassTop Gear
is back on BBC2 tomorrow night for a one-off summer special. It sees Jeremy, Richard and James race across the Arctic tundra to the North Pole in what are quite possibly the coolest vehicles ever to appear on the show: Toyota Hilux 4x4s specially modified by Arctic Trucks to cope with the extreme conditions.Meanwhile, filming is underway for the next full series of the programme, due to arrive in October. The Daily Mail reports on the guys' attempt to cross the English Channel after taking their 'amphibious' vehicles out of retirement.
In the papers... 2007-07-24 07:48:00 The number of drivers over the legal alcohol limit has increased by 27% in the past twelve months. [Independent]Motorists who are disqualified from driving in Northern Ireland and in Britain will be automatically banned from driving in the Republic from next April. [RTE News]The Guardian leaves the car behind in LA. [Guardian] Read more:papers
Automotive album art 2007-07-24 07:39:00 A selection of Fu Manchu coversCalifornia rock band Fu Manchu have had some great album covers over the years, depicting pickup trucks, muscle cars and custom vans. It's hardly a coincidence that their music is great for driving too - full of great riffs and pounding basslines. Can anyone think of other examples of classic car-related artwork? ZZ Top's Eliminator springs to mind. And no, rappers posing in front of their Escalades doesn't count. Read more:Automotive
Top marks for Top Gear's polar expedition 2007-07-27 19:17:00 Mission incredibleJalopnik called the Top Gear polar special 'one of the peak moments in car culture,' and it's hard to disagree with them. The boys have really outdone themselves this time.As has come to be expected of the show, the production values were top notch, with stunning camerawork, razor-sharp editing and inspired music choices throughout. On the TG website, producer Andy Wilman discusses what went in to converting hundreds of hours of raw footage of two guys in a jeep in the frozen wilderness into one of the most entertaining hours of TV I've ever seen.But Wednesday night's show was about more than simple entertainment value. James and Jeremy's achievement is both incredible and inspirational - a testament to the 'why not?' attitude that makes humanity great and life worth living. And they did no harm to the legendary reputation of the Toyota Hilux either. If you didn't catch Wednesday's show, move heaven and earth to make sure you see the repeat on Sunday at 8pm. Read more:expedition
Stepneygate: The verdict 2007-07-27 19:10:00 So McLaren are off the hook. Ron Dennis is delighted. Jean Todt is pissed. Flavio Briatore is baffled. Have we heard the end of this? Who knows... one thing is for sure, the rivalry for the 2007 F1 World Championship just a got a whole lot nastier.Oh, and the 2008 calendar was released, too!
In the papers... 2007-07-27 18:57:00 Killarney park plans curb on 'boy racers'. [Times]As many as one in eight drivers have dangerously worn tyres. [Independent]Buyers warned to beware of flood-damaged cars being imported from England. [Independent] Read more:papers
Carzone Pick of the Week: Honda Integra Type-R 2007-07-31 19:43:00 Something specialApologies once again for another delayed Carzone pick, but this one is totally worth it. A 2002 HondaIntegra
Type-R which the owner claims is the only one in the country in this colour. The DC5 model Integra is a great looking car anyway but this one really stands apart from the numerous blue and white examples doing the rounds. With blistering performance to match the looks, €19,500 is a good price for this low-mileage example.
Scott speeds off as the F1 spying case rumbles on 2007-07-31 19:35:00 So long, Scott
Ha. You thought the F1 spying
saga was over? Think again. After a snotty letter from the head of the Italian automobile federation, Max Mosely has agreed to let Ferrari present their case in front of the FIA's Court of Appeal. The new hearing will take place in Paris at the end of August, meaning at least two more Grand Prixs will now take place with the shadow of a possible McLaren punishment hanging over them.Elsewhere, Scuderia Torro Rosso have finally had enough of Scott Speed. The US has now lost its F1 race and only F1 driver in the space of a few weeks. Ouch. Read more:speeds
In the papers... 2007-07-31 19:28:00 Cars cost up to 50% more in this country than in the rest of the EU. [Independent]Drivers making fast food deliveries are warned they won't be covered by their insurance in the event of a crash. [Independent]All provisional license holders must now be accompanied at all times. They mean it this time! [Independent]Looks like they're also going to have to be off the roads before midnight, Cinderella-style. [Independent] Read more:papers
In the papers... 2007-08-02 19:09:00 The final stretch of the M1 motorway has been opened, cutting the journey time to Belfast to under two hours. [Independent]Sales of new cars are up 8.4% so far this year. [Independent]Sinn Fein do something useful for once - propose an all-Ireland road safety strategy. [Times] Read more:papers
Car update 2007-08-01 17:35:00 Goodies!I've been trawling the UK Honda Civic forums recently and managed to secure a few bits and pieces for my car at knockdown prices: A Buudy Club short shifter, Spoon Sports strut bar and some Raybrig HID-style bulbs. She's going for a full service and Saturday and everything will be fitted then.Meanwhile, my cheeky neighbour has only gone and traded his rather fetching white Micra for a grey metallic Civic saloon. With alloys! He must be taking notes when I wash the car on Sunday mornings - it's both flattering and annoying at the same time. Anyone else ever experience this?
A1GP, season three 2007-08-01 17:29:00 Irish PrideThe doubters reckoned it wouldn't make it to the end of its first year, but A1GP is still going strong and the 'World Cup of Motorsport' announced its 2007/08 calendar today. Let's hope the Irish team can get off on the right foot this time around and avoid the troubles that plagued its 06/07 campaign.
Return of the AE86? 2007-08-01 17:23:00 Theory of evolution?It's been rumoured for years, but it now looks like it's actually going to happen - Toyota is resurrecting the AE86 Corolla. In keeping with tradition, a relatively modest power output from the standard engine (a 1.5l 2NZ-FE unit) will be fed to the rear wheels in a lightweight coupe chassis and sold for a modest price. No doubt the engine tuning and swap merchants are already salivating with glee. The looks could take some getting used to, but I think this car could be HUGE. Read more:Return
In the papers... 2007-08-01 17:06:00 I'm presuming this is the Veyron we're going to see in the Phoenix park the weekend after next. Can't wait! [Independent]Here we go again. Are they just going to add a new layer every decade or so until the Irish countryside is just a series of concentric motorway circles around Dublin? [Times Motors]Age Action will 'resist' any restrictions on older drivers. Get over yourselves guys - it's not discrimination when there's real physiological reasons that someone can't drive. [Times Motors]EU car companies are set to miss their CO2 emissions targets for 2008. Ah well. [Independent] Read more:papers
Prodrift Irish Series Round 4 2007-08-01 16:51:00 2nd place for Mulvey on his return to competitionIt seems there's no stopping Eric O'Sullivan's continuing charge to the 2007 Prodrift title. The Dubliner racked up another victory at Rosegreen on Sunday, beating Damien Mulvey in the final, who was making his first appearance since the first round in Mondello in a borrowed 180SX. The sun shone all day but unfortunately there was also news of a cloud of a different kind hanging over the Tipperary venue - a local resident is trying to get the track shut down in the courts. It's no exaggeration to say that the loss of Rosegreen would be death blow for drifting in Ireland. Here's hoping the courts come to the right decision...Photos from the day can be found here.Results were as follows:TOP 16Jonathan Murphy (S14 Silvia) beat Mike Deane (S13 Silvia)Alan Lenihan (S13 Silvia) beat Shane Healy (S15 Silvia)James Deane (S14A Silvia) beat Seamus Sweeney (180SX)Eric O’Sullivan (AE86 Corolla) beat Stephen Shine (180SX)Johnny Power (180SX) b Read more:Irish
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