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
Carzone Pick of the Week: Ford Mustang 351 Convertible 2007-09-11 16:02:00 Super 'StangAbout time we had some American muscle feature as the Carzone pick, I think. The ad says this 1972 Ford Mustang
351 convertible is the only one of its kind in Ireland. It looks fantastic in balck with a white vinyl interior and I'd say the noise is out of this world, too. A lot of cars are described as head-turners, but driving something like this would really get you noticed. Yours for €25,000. Read more:Convertible
Breen on the podium again 2007-09-11 14:45:00 Breen celebrates yet againDundalk's Niall Breen made another one of his regular visits to the British F3 podium
at Croft over the weekend. He now stands fifth in the points, with one final double-header round remaining - an impressive showing for his first year in the category.
F1 to return to Suzuka 2007-09-11 14:28:00 Suzuka - too good to loseThings looked bleak last year when one of the last classic F1 circuits, Japan's Suzuka, was dropped from the calendar. In its place, Toyota's newly-revamped Fuji Speedway, once an awesome high-speed challenge, now a truncated series of hairpins, chicanes and ultra-tight corners. F1 will go to Fuji for the first time at the end of this month, and again next season, but from 2009 the Japanese race will alternate between there and Suzuka, following a new agreement. Thank goodness for that.
Three WRC drivers for the Cork '20' 2007-09-11 13:35:00 Mikko Hirvonen (left) is headed for Cork along with Loeb and SordoWorld Rally Championship fever is rising fast, with just 64 days to go until the world's finest drivers tackle the stages of the Northwest. Three
of the championship's top dogs will be paying an early visit to our shores to get some practice in, though, with Citroen's Sebastian Loeb and Dani Sordo, as well as Ford's Mikko Hirvonen all entered for the Cork '20' Rally in just over a fortnight's time.
In the papers... 2007-09-11 13:17:00 There was an outbreak of common sense at the Electric Picnic music festival as drivers voluntarily asked to be breathalysed by Gardai before getting into their cars. [Independent]Meanwhile, drivers who are convicted of drink driving will soon have to attend a mandatory rehab course. [Independent]School parking facilities are under pressure as more and more second-level students drive to school... [Independent]...but one school in Mayo has banned student drivers from entering the premises entirely. [Independent]Finally, worrying news that three in five drivers may have eyesight below the legal limit. [Independent] Read more:papers
EU set to clamp down on modified exhausts 2007-09-11 12:59:00 Oh no you don't...Just when you thought the scapegoating and scaremongering over 'boy racers' and 'modified
cars' had died down, along comes Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins with his backing for a new EU proposal to ban modified exhausts, part of a wider directive on noise pollution. Higgins has said that any car with an exhaust that has been modified in any way from the manufacturer's specificiation should fail the NCT. So the thousands of motorists who may have bought a cheaper, spurious exhaust from the likes of Kwik-Fit should be penalised for avoiding the often exorbitant cost of manufacturer-supplied spare parts? Didn't really think this one through now, did you Jim?While idiots revving the guts out of 1-litre Corsas with stuck-on backboxes are indeed a nuisance to be gotten rid of, a blanket ban on modified exhausts is not the solution. Far more helpful would be a clearly defined decibel limit on the noise an exhaust can make, something that has been sorely lacking until now.New
Review finds problems with driving test and speed checks in the North 2007-09-11 12:48:00 Concern over driving test
s in the North
Although this story from RTE last week led with the Minister for Transport's claim that driving tests will soon be available 'virtually on demand', more interesting was the information further down concerning an independent review of road safety in Northern Ireland.Of particular note was the fact that up to 5,000 people a year could be passing their test in the North without reaching the proper standard. The figure was based on the fact that significantly fewer people were seen to pass their test when the examiner was being overseen by a supervisor in the back seat.Also, it was revealed that some speed cameras in the jurisdiction had been set to record only severe breaches of the speed limit, as the police did not have the resources to handle all cases. Read more:problems
, checks
Save Tipperary Motor Speedway 2007-09-03 18:00:00 Keep the Rosebowl openI'm going to reproduce in full the following statement from Mike Barry, owner of Tipperary MotorSpeedway
and promoter of drifting and hot rod racing events at the track:"Tipperary Motor Speedway
faces a High Court battle on October 17th, 18th and 19th, 2007, to stay open.This case is being brought by one person who is a serial objector in the area. He was not happy with Judge Olive Buttimer’s handling of the injunction to close the track through the winter.The track has been before the Circuit Court five or six times from December 2006 through April 2007. This objector has been trying to stop car racing since 2001/2. Later, he included karting, and now he wants to stop car racing and drifting.He has been hassling the South Tipperary County Council for six years about planning permission at the track. He has used local politicians to arrange meetings to question our planning permission, and canvass the County Council. This is a recorded fact.He has told lies
Drift trucks 2007-09-03 17:22:00 Yee-haw!A short while ago I posted looking for suggestions of 'alternative' drift cars. Well how about these - light pickups converted to tire-shredding drift machines. The next big thing? Read more:Drift
Knight Rider coming back! 2007-10-01 19:24:00 "No Micheal, I'm not doing it for the money..."Hurrah! My favourite 1980s TV show, KnightRider
, is set to make a return to the small screen, according to Variety magazine. Movie director Doug Liman is said to be working on a two-hour pilot, which, if successful, will lead to a full series in 2008-09. It seems unlikely that the Hoff will be involved at all, with far more interest likely to centre around what model of car will be the basis for the new KITT. Read more:Knight Rider
Team Ireland makes strong start to A1GP season 2007-10-01 19:10:00 Firman in actionTeam Ireland
look set to banish the ghosts of their dismal 2006 A1GP campaign, as driver Ralph Firman steered the green car to two points-scoring finishes at the opening round of the series' third season in Zandvoort. The team have now equaled their points haul from last season in just one race - hopefully they've started as they mean to go on. Fans will also be able to follow the progress of the Irish team on TV3 this season, with live or delayed coverage of every round.Elsewhere, Dundalk's Niall Breen has rounded off a very successful rookie year in British Formula 3 - he lies fifth overall in the final championship standings. Read more:makes
Audi to Mercedes: Play fair! 2007-10-01 18:54:00 Audi's Mattias EkstromThere was an unusual end to the DTM race in Barcelona the week before last, as Audi's motorsport chief Wolfgang Ulrich ordered his drivers to abandon the race in protest after several on-track clashes with Mercedes
drivers. The fans at the circuit were not impressed, but I think Audi were right to take a stand. Touring car racing can get very scrappy as drivers take advantage of the tougher nature of saloon cars when compared with single-seaters.Things have gotten particularly bad in the BTCC in recent years, with drivers regularly being spun around or punted off by rivals. OK, touring car racing is always going to be a little more 'robust' than single-seaters (as we're constantly reminded, 'rubbing is racing'), but take things too far and it becomes a glorified banger race.
In the papers... 2007-10-01 18:35:00 There have been calls for all drink-driving convictions to be published. [Times Motors]Sales of €100,000+ luxury cars and SUVs in Ireland have jumped this year, with 2007 on course to be the second-biggest car buying year in the country's history. [Independent] Read more:papers
Carzone Pick Of The Week: Volvo P1800S Coupe 2007-10-01 17:09:00 Saintly SwedeI almost thought I wasn't going to find anything for this week's Carzone, but then I got to end of the alphabet and found this gem - a 1968 Volvo P1800S coupe. As used in the original 'The Saint' TV series, this particular example has had a bare metal respray in the past three years and looks to have been very well cared for. It should appreciate from it current asking price of €12,750. Read more:Coupe
Drift on... 2007-10-10 17:49:00 Drifting after darkThey say drifting is a way of life, and it certainly seems that way for me at the moment! Last weekend's 'Night Fight' UK vs. Ireland battle at Teeside Autodrome in Middlesbrough has been hailed as one of the best drift events ever seen on these islands and the standard of twin battle drifting was definitely the best I've seen. Check out my photos from the event here. Not a lot of night shots unfortunately, as my camera isn't really up to the job.Having only just returned from England, I'm jetting off again tomorrow morning! To Los Angeles this time, for a mini-holiday that will take in the final round of the Formula Drift series at the Irwindale Speedway. I will of course be cheering on Darren McNamara, who has made a huge impression since moving Stateside, recently being named the series' 'Rookie Of The Year'.Back in a couple of days, with lots and lots of pics... Read more:Drift
Resurrected wrecks 2007-10-10 17:38:00 Reselling of written-off cars has become a big problemThe Irish Times reports on the problem of totally written-off cars (i.e. incapable of being safely repaired) being returned to the roads in huge numbers. A recent investigation by car history firm Cartell.ie has exposed the extent of the problem, which now seems far larger than previously thought. In just one example yesterday, a Mayo fireman who was sold a written-off and defectively repaired Audi A3 by L&L autos on the Belgard Road has been awarded damages of €26,450.
In the papers... 2007-10-10 17:28:00 Oliver Carsten, a professor of Transportation Safety in Leeds University, tells a cross-border transport conference that the number of people killed on Irish roads could be reduced by up to 30% if new technology was installed in vehicles to make drivers obey speed limits. [RTE]A prominent Fine Gael councillor who told gardai: "Do you know who I am, you can't do me for drink driving", after he crashed his car while being pursued by, has been convicted for careless driving, but has escaped drink driving charges on a technicality. [Independent]The SIMI has called for VRT reform to encourage greener cars. [Times Motors]The courts system has become clogged with tens of thousand of penalty points cases. [Times Motors] Read more:papers
YouTube Clip of the Week: The ultimate sleeper? 2007-10-10 17:24:00 Props to the Scandinavian lunatics who built this masterpiece - a 1929 Ford Model A fitted with a 1970s Ford Cosworth BDA rally engine. Like Pot Noodles, so wrong and yet so very right... Read more:YouTube
Adam Carroll for A1 Team Ireland 2007-10-08 17:37:00 Carroll: Stability at lastGood news at last for Portadown racer Adam Carroll - after several false starts in GP2, he's been confirmed at A1 Team Ireland
for the rest of the season, giving him some much-needed stability that should allow him to put his head down and rack up some decent results. Ralph Firman ran well in the series' opening round at Zandvoort and Carroll should hopefully do even better. If he fulfills his promise, a proper full-time assault on GP2 in 2008 should be a real possibility. Read more:Carroll
In the papers... 2007-10-08 17:28:00 Research by Cartell.ie reveals a worrying number of total write-offs reappearing on our roads. [Times]More bad news for commuters on the M50, with no southbound access to the Naas Road at the Red Cow. [Times]125,000 second- and third-level students in Dublin are driving or being driven to school or college [Independent] Read more:papers
Carzone Pick of the Week: Ferrari Daytona Spider V12 2007-10-08 06:13:00 Seventies style...This one really stopped me in my tracks. It's a 1979 FerrariDaytona
V12 Spider
, as driven by Don Johnson in Miami Vice. Looks like it may need one or two finishing touches to make it perfect, but with 4.5 litres of on-song Italian V12, you can't go wrong! Well, actually, you can go wrong. Horribly and expensively. And the fuel bills will be astronomical. And it will probably leak. Or catch fire. Or something. But who cares - just look at the thing! No price on the ad, so I guess if you have to ask, you can't afford...
Top Gear is back! 2007-10-05 15:38:00 The boys are back on screenSunday night, BBC2, 8pm, for the next ten weeks. Need I say any more?Oh, and Richard Hammond will be popping in to Eason's on O'Connell Street on October 20th to sign copies of his new autobiography. Definitely a hand worth shaking! Read more:Top Gear
Night fight! 2007-10-05 14:43:00 Mike Deane will be lining out for Team IrelandFirst thing tomorrow morning, I'm flying over to England for the 'Night
Fight' end-of-season showdown between the top UK and Irish drifters at Teeside Autodrome in Middlesbrough. It has all the makings of a classic event, with an extensive entry list that features some of the best drivers and most spectacular cars on these isles (see link above). Full report and photos when I get back! Read more:fight
Hamilton on the brink 2007-10-05 11:11:00 The boy done goodThis time Sunday, we could be saluting Lewis Hamilton
, world champion. The British rookie's supreme drive in horrendous conditions in Japan, combined with Alonso's violent retirement, means he is on the verge of securing an unprecedented world championship victory in his debut season. Today, Hamilton escaped punishment from the stewards for alleged dodgy driving behind the safety car at Fuji.The Japanese GP chaos was the latest headline-grabbing event in what has been an extraordinary couple of weeks in F1. Most shockingly, of course, was the massive fine and constructor's championship exclusion handed out to McLaren for the Stepneygate spying affair, not to mention the revelations of dire intra-team relationships it exposed. For a detailed analysis of the transcripts from the hearing, check out Adam Cooper's article on Speedtv.com.It now seems the possibility of Hamilton and Alonso remaining team-mates next season is next to zero, with the question on everyone's
Luxury and sports car numbers revealed 2007-10-04 11:13:00 Aston Martin: More popular than Ferrai with Irish buyersRecently-released SIMI sales figures reveal just how many high-performance and ultra-luxury cars Ireland's nouveau riche are swanning around in these days. Our island nation is currently home to 67 Aston Martins, 110 Bentleys, 47 Ferraris, 46 Maseratis and 31 Rollers! Imagine all those gathered in one place at the same time...822 Porsches can be found on our roads, a number probably indicative of the popularity of the comparatively more affordable Boxster. Jaguars have seen a surge in popularity, with 3,192 of the big cats now prowling around.In the more mainstream executive/company car sector, it's no surprise to see that BMW and Mercedes rule the roost, with approximately 50,000 vehicles from each marque registered. Read more:Luxury
Sleek FX Show @ Limerick Racecourse 2007-10-03 19:47:00 Omega abuseAfter travelling to Cork for the start of the rally last Friday, I made another long-distance trip on Sunday for the Sleek
FX show at Limerick
Racecourse. The 'King Of The Ring' donut/burnout competition was mildly amusing for a while, but it really just amounts to car abuse. It is incredible to see just how much of a thrashing venerable Opel Omegas, Ford Sierras and Toyota Corollas can take without giving up, though.In the parade ring, there was a mixed bag of cars on display. On the plus side there were plenty of yummy Skylines, Silvias and other performace machinery on show, but they shared the stage with some truly awful bodykitted rubbish, including a pink 'Playboy' Civic, the image of which I'm still trying to remove from the back of my retinas. Gotta cater to everyone, I suppose.There was also single-lane drag racing on the racecourse's emergency vehicle lane. Most impressive car of the day was a white R32 Skyline GT-R, running 3.2s 0-60 times and low 11-second
In the papers... 2007-10-03 19:36:00 The AA has asked for driving training to be put on the school curriculum. This is a drum that's been banged for years and it's high time the government brought it in. [Independent]Some interesting facts and figures from the Irish Bulletin of Vehicle and Driver Statistics... [Times Motors]...the most concerning of which is that the provisional license crisis rumbles on, with a fifth of all drivers on the road not having passed the test. [Independent] Read more:papers
YouTube Clip Of The Week: The Lexus IS-F cuts loose 2007-10-03 18:49:00 This week's YouTube
clip features Lexus
' new saloon supercar the IS-F being put through its paces on the Laguna Seca racetrack in California. The IS-F is just one of a rake of Japanese sportscars launched or about to be launched - it seems that after something of a fallow period that saw production of iconic models such as Nissan's Silvia, Honda's Integra, Mazda's RX-7 and Toyota's Supra, Celica and MR2 come to an end, we're about to witness a renaissance of the Japanese sportscar tradition.Nissan is already taking pre-orders for its (seemingly) Porsche-beating GT-R supercar, the brand new Mitsubishi Evolution X has been revealed (which I think could be the best-looking Evo ever), while Subaru is on the verge of lifting the lid on the new Impreza WRX and is also collaborating with Toyota to develop a cheap RWD successor to the classic AE86 Corolla. As Auto Otaku puts it, let the good times roll!And let's not forget, the launch of these new models is only the beginning. It won'
Frankfurt round-up 2007-10-03 18:11:00 Aston DBS: So pretty it hurtsI'm only now getting around
to getting my head around all the launches that took place at the Frankfurt
Auto Show - it's been a busy couple of weeks! There seemed to be two main themes running through this year's iteration of the event: On the one hand, we had a rake of prestigious performance cars, while at the same time all the manufacturers were attempting to outdo each other in the 'green' stakes: Renault/Nissan head honcho Carlos Ghosn gave a speech saying that climate change posed the biggest technical and financial challenge for the global car industry in the 21st century. Offerings from Ford and Kia in this area were particularly interesting - instead of using hybrid systems or biofuels, they push traditional diesel technology as far as it will go, with impressive gains in fuel economy and CO2 figures.Stripped VeyronBut no environmenal breakthrough is ever going to rival the thrill of the supercar. Anyone's who's shelled out for a Bugatti Vey
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