“Whilst all of his other friends were eyeing up Madonna by moonlight, he was learning about the Prancing Horses heritage”

Driving games are notoriously unrealistic. They arrive with a pretense of being the most “realistic driving simulator” and usually come with inspirational quotes from the likes of Michael Schumacher on the box. Once the glitz and glamour of packaging and turbo-charged graphics are worn away however, the actual experience usually turns into something a lot more boring. You’re usually presented with a well-rendered model of your ideal car, and are then expected to drive it with a controller that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the controls for a car. I’ve driven a few cars in my time, and never in any of them was the gear change controlled by a little green button. Nor was the accelerator actually a small trigger on the side of the steering wheel. And I may be wrong here but I’m pretty sure the car wasn’t presented to me in a third person view either. But here’s the thing. Aside from all of the technical problems associated with driving games, what they do offer you, especially if you’re racing a mate is a unique glimpse into their automotive mind. And that is a very interesting experience indeed.

“ So what do you think I saw gaily fluttering in the breeze yesterday morning, quietly attached to my windscreen? Yep, I got ticketed good and proper.”

It occurs to me now that cars are essentially useless. Oh sure they can get us from A to B pretty effectively, but when we get there we still face one of the biggest and most terrifying challenges of the modern transport age. I am of course talking about parking. Now this might not be such a problem if you live in Surrey and your idea of crowded street is having your neighbors visible on the horizon. But if you live in a city as I do a good parking space is a very rare commodity indeed. And when you think about it, it’s shocking just how little parking technology has progressed since the car was invented.

Fancy A Track Day? Castle Combe’s Open

A new series of “Elite” track days are being planned at Castle Combe race circuit. The Elite Performance days are restricted to drivers and riders aged over 25 who have full licenses and who have experienced ten previous Track Days, five of which must have been at Castle Combe.

Dates and prices have yet to be announced but both cars and bikes must be street legal and comply with Castle Combe’s sound regulations. Cars must be over 1800cc and exhaust noise is limited to 100db (A) at 4,500 revs, while bikes must be over 650cc and register a maximum of 105db (A) measured at half a metre from the exhaust outlet at three quarter revs.

For more information on track days and other events contact Castle Combe circuit on 01249-782417 or visit the website http://castlecombecircuit.co.uk.

Toyota Launches New Auris

Toyota today launched its latest version of the Auris hatchback. Toyota is looking to target younger customers with the car, appealing to them with its “sporty” styling. But with an on-the-road price of £14,463, they may have priced the car out of the market.

Rather than simple styling tweaks, Toyota seems to have gone back to the sheet metal to give its new Auris more road presence and driver appeal. The front end has been comprehensively reworked with a new deep bumper with integrated fog lamps on TR and SR models. New 16-inch and 17-inch alloy wheels have been designed for the TR and SR models and all versions feature turn indicator lights integrated into the door mirrors.

At the rear there is a smart flash of chrome across the top of the number plate, revised lamp clusters and a new rear bumper with extended corner sections that create a “catamaran” look. Owners can choose from seven exterior colours, including three new metallic shades.

Worst Locations For Speeding Found

A survey by price comparison site moneysupermarket.com has found that the worst areas for speeding in the UK can be found in Swindon, Scotland, and Sheffield. The survey found that 53% of male drivers aged 17-21 in Milngavie, Scotland have a speeding conviction.

Institute of Advanced Motorists Chief Examiner Peter Rodger said “Young men have a bad safety record on the roads, backed up by IAM statistics – young male drivers are twice as likely to be in a crash as young female drivers and, although they make up only 9% of the driving population, under 25s are involved in almost a quarter of all crashes that cause death and injury.

“The insurance industry is quick to condemn them, but is much slower to do anything to help improve their driving standards. The industry needs to work with those already trying to find ways of improving young male drivers’ skills and behaviour on the road, and to invest in their driver education. The present situation discourages them from trying to improve – the biggest incentive to do anything to improve themselves would be lower insurance premiums but the industry denies this to those in the highest risk range, effectively trapping them there.”

Fiat 500 Goes Girly

It’s the colour we’ve been asking for ever since the Fiat 500 was launched a few years back. Yes, the class leading hatchback is now available in pink!

Just 500 examples of the supermini will be made available as the car goes went on sale yesterday. Appealing to the firm’s female followers, the 500 Pink is based around the 1.2 lounge specification, and features such extras as a pink key fob, and specially designed car mats. And what is the cost of having your 500 painted pink? £11,070, that’s £1000 more than the standard 500.

Pothole Poetry

Proving once again that people just don’t have anything better to do, motoring campaign website Potholes.co.uk has launched a competition to find the best pothole prose. Warranty Direct, which set up Potholes.co.uk two years ago as a sounding board and source of advice for disgruntled motorists, reported a 13 percent year-on-year rise in the number of pothole-related axle and suspension claims after the wintry weather at the start of 2009.

In a play on the traditional 14-line sonnet, the public are being invited to submit 140-character poems about their pothole experiences or outpourings of anger about the state of our roads via Twitter. The top three entries will win an iPod Touch.

For example, Potholes.co.uk came up with this: “Wheel-breaking, money-sucking, life-sapping episode; All hail #potholes, the black holes of the road.”

Since it’s inception automatic transmission has always caused a stir amongst driving enthusiasts.

 My friend Tom and I were in the car the other week and got into a heated debate about this topic. I myself drive an automatic car and Tom drives a manual.Here is where the trouble started. Tom likes to drive and could not understand why I enjoyed driving my automatic everyday. Well the answer is simple; I quite enjoy driving my automatic, as when I am commuting I like the simplicity of not having to change gears. To my mind this makes the task simpler. Of course if I want to go out for a real drive, I want a manual transmission as there is no better feeling than getting the revs up to 4000rpm and then dropping down into fourth. Even if you aren’t necessarily a skilled driver or going particularly fast, playing at being a racing driver is something every man and boy likes to do.

 Now automatics can never provide this feeling, and this in my opinion ruins the drive. Driving is all about the car and one of the pleasures of driving is being able to change gears. Unfortunately I didn’t get a choice in what transmission I could have. Despite enjoying the automatic transmission for the simplicity and ease of use, I always miss having to change gear after the lights have gone from red to green.

 Here is where I agreed with Tom, you could never beat the sensation of changing gear, nor the fact that you feel more in control of the vehicle when there is a manual transmission. Don’t get me wrong, for my everyday driving the automatic is great, but for someone who loves cars, I always feel that there is something missing from my journey when I pull up on the drive.

Honda Launches Super GT Race Car

Honda today unveiled their newest race car, the HSV-010 GT. Designed to race in the upcoming Super GT race series, this latest racer boasts a longitudinally mounted V8 engine, and 392Nm of torque.

Here are the most important specs for the racer:

• Length x Width x Height (m): 4.675 x 2.000 x (not disclosed)
• Wheelbase (m): 2.700
• Vehicle weight (kg): 1,100 or more
• Valve train: Gear-driven DOHC: 2 intake and 2 exhaust valves per cylinder
• Bore x stroke (mm): 93.0 x 62.5
• Compression ratio: (Not disclosed)
• Maximum output: 500 or more
• Maximum torque(N•m): 392 or more
• Throttle control system: Mechanical
• Fuel supply system: Programmed fuel injection system (Honda PGM-FI)
• Fuel: Lead-free premium gasoline
• Transmission mechanism: Constant mesh
• Transmission shifting method: Steering paddle shifter
• Steering system mechanism: Rack and pinion system with electric power steering (EPS)

 

Potholes Causing Chaos For Motorists

Emergency road maintenance funding is required to stop crumbling roads costing more in compensation and accidents, the AA warned today. Drivers who think they will be in the clear after the thawing of the snow will find an aggravated plague of potholes to contend with in the coming months, the AA has also warned. Last February’s heavy snow pushed up insurance claims for pothole damage by more than 250%.

Repairing the potholed roads will cost local highway authorities hundreds of millions of pounds. If the roads are not repaired then drivers, cyclists and motor bike riders will be at risk from expensive damage and injuries. Insurance companies will be hit and more claims and potential injuries will add to NHS costs – already hit by the increase in fractured bones as a result of icy pavements. Cash-strapped councils could well face a deluge of claims from road users and the risk of paying out more in compensation than on road repairs themselves

Drivers Have “Heads In The Sand” With Dangerous Vehicles

Drivers often have their head in the sand when it comes to the safety of their brakes and other critical components, resulting in death and injury, says research from Brake and Direct Line.

When surveyed by the road safety campaigner and motor insurer, more than two in five (42%) of car and van drivers admitted to driving with one or more dangerous defects within the past year – including driving with defective tyres (with worn tread, wrong pressure, cracks or bulges), driving in the dark with broken lights and indicators, driving with poor brakes, and having dirty mirrors and windows and wrong oil or water levels.

The ability of a car or van to stop relies on brake pads (the friction material that stops the wheels when the brakes are applied) not being worn out and other braking components not being damaged. Yet when surveyed by Brake and Direct Line, more than four out of five (84%) car and van drivers said they didn’t know the percentage of wear on their brake pads at the time of their vehicle’s last check up.

Almost as many drivers (nearly three out of four – 73%) only had their brakes checked during their vehicle’s annual service or MOT, leaving lots of time for their brakes to become dangerously ineffective if they were only just acceptable at the previous check.

Andy Goldby, Director of Motor Underwriting at Direct Line said “Drivers need to take responsibility and undertake regular inspections of their vehicle, rather than believing that a once a year check, such as a service or MOT, is a guarantee of safety for the next twelve months.”

New Focus Set To “Take Over The World”

Perhaps the most important car to be unveiled at this years Detroit Motor Show was Ford’s new Focus. The UK’s best selling hatchback has been given a total re-design ahead of its launch next year. Ford plan to dominate the global market by offering up to ten different variations on the focus by the end of 2012.

The key to this domination is that the cars on both sides of the Atlantic will be up to 80% identical, with only tyre and wheel specifications set to change between American and European models. The third generation Focus will be primarily made at the Saarlouis car factor in Germany, with similar setups in China and the US sharing the load.

What Car? Gives Award To Audi A1…Even Before Launch

The most exciting car of 2010 will be the Audi A1, according to an overwhelming majority vote by What Car? readers. The award, which was given out during the What Car? awards ceremony in London last Thursday, is the A1’s first magazine award.

The car is set to be launched at this years Geneva Motor Show. Commenting on the groundswell of Audi votes from his readers, What Car? Editor Steve Fowler said: “A new, small Audi sounds like an enticing proposition and our readers seem to agree, voting it the most exciting new car to be launched this year. Although we haven’t seen the finished car yet, a funky small car with an Audi badge on the nose and aimed directly at the Mini can’t fail to succeed. It should be a strong contender for our Car of the Year Award in 2011!’

Renault Launches Sport New Clio “S”

Continuing its tradition of offering sporty hatchbacks, Renault are now offering an “S” edition of its most popular hatchback, the Clio. Planning to resurrect the “S” styling used on sporty Renault’s during the 90’s, the French car manufacturer hopes that the additions of 16” Polar wheels and “GT” spoiler to the Clio will be enough to attract customers to the £11,000 price tag.

The new entrants are based on the Expression specification, currently only available on five-door. They come with a choice of three engines, 1.2 16V 75, 1.2 TCe 100 and 1.5 dCi 86, all of which meet Renault’s eco2 criteria.

Old Drivers Are Safest…Apparently

 Drivers over 70 are safer than younger motorists, and are no more likely to cause a crash. That’s according to a report published today by the Insitute of Advanced Motorists. Neil Greig, the institute’s Director of Policy and Research said “The IAM recommends that, rather than seeking to prevent older people from driving, we need to make them aware of the risks they face, and offer them driving assessments to help them cope with these risks.”

Greg Lewis of Age Concern/Help the Aged said: “We believe that where drivers wish to continue behind the wheel beyond the age of 70, only convincing reasons should prevent them from doing so.”

“Sadly, short of actually throwing a small child into the road seeing how long it takes you to perform an emergency stop, there are very few ways of making the driving test more realistic.”

Ok, so I’ll admit that this blog post has been a long time coming. But the truth is I’ve been a bit pre-occupied by the continuing saga of my car. As readers of my previous post will know, the problem is electrical. Or I should say it was electrical, because yes ladies and gents, it’s fixed! Some £300 and a new alternator later, and the immortal Fiesta is once again up and running. I cannot even begin to describe how good it felt to drive along knowing that all was well with the car. Keira Knightley in a hot tub doesn’t even come close I’m afraid. In many ways it bought me back to that feeling of passing your driving test. The feeling that the world suddenly gets a whole lot smaller, and truly becomes your oyster. And that really brings me onto a point that’s been bothering me this past week. The driving test, is it really necessary?

“Every time I unhook the battery for a few hours of vital charging it feels like I’m putting the car on life support.”

When Alessandro Volta managed to build the first electric battery in 1779, I very much doubt he realised the implications of his invention on the average motorist. A couple of centuries later, and batteries form one of the most vital components of a car. Without a battery to start, you are pretty much dead in the water. The car battery, and what can go wrong with it is something I’ve been learning a lot about recently. This is because my car battery is, to coin the term the local mechanic used, buggered.

“I can quite happily rev the engine to within an inch of its life, and I will willingly let others come within a mile of me without wetting myself, because I don’t have the burden of supercar finance hanging over me”

I may not have mentioned this before, but apart from spending an inordinate amount of time studying, I do also have a job. Over the past few days, whilst the older generations have spent their time slowly digesting turkey whilst watching Pride and Prejudice, I along with millions of other young people have kept the country running. For most of the past week I’ve been providing the people of my home town with an important service. I’ve entered into that most noble of professions, pizza delivery. There are two very important reasons why I chose this job above any other prospects. Number 1, it means that I can sit down for most of the time, and number 2, it means I can drive. And this has lead me to a very important revelation.