Autoweb Article list

ACCIDENTS – CAN WE MAKE THEM A THING OF THE PAST? In a recent independent survey, an alarming one on ten motorists admitted to having momentarily fallen asleep at the wheel. If like me, you do a lot of motorway miles, you won’t have any trouble believing that. Driving when tired obviously increases the risk of an accident, and according to the DETR (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions), driver fatigue is the principal factor in 10% of all road accidents. Nevertheless, only 17% of motorists in the survey said they take a break on a long journey because they feel tired. Read full Article

CAR IMPORTS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Firstly, are you looking for a new or a previously owned model and can the company in question offer both options? Read full Article

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW – ROGER COOK Over Thirty Years, Roger Cook Has Covered Thousands Of Miles As Britain's Best-Known Investigative Journalist, Many Of Them Behind The Wheel Of A Jaguar. His Success Has Brought Him A British Academy Award – And A Jaguar XJR... Read full Article

DIESEL CARS The increasing popularity of the diesel-engined car in the UK has been truly remarkable. In 1983, just 24,486 took to the road - a mere 1.37 per cent of all new car registrations. A decade later, the figure had risen to 340,472, a total which itself was more than twice the level of sales two years previously. Today, diesel is an alternative that no new car buyer can ignore. Read full Article

PETROL – HIGH PRICES Fuel duty has little to do with the environment. Leaded petrol was supposedly taxed highly for environmental reasons. Why then, when it was replaced with LRP did the price not come down? Read full Article

KARTING – WHY YOU’LL WANT A THUNDERKART Want To Go Motor Racing In Something That Won’t Cost You A Fortune, Doesn’t Need Much Maintenance Yet Is Fast Enough To Take Your Breath Away? Bring On The Thunderkart. Jonathan Crouch Tries It. Read full Article

RAZORBACK COMMERCIAL VEHICLE To some, a Razorback might simply be a breed of truffle hunting walking bacon sandwich, but to those in the know, ‘Razorback’ also represents the grand truffle mother lode of health and safety… Neil Hopkins explains. Read full Article

USED CAR JARGON – UNDERSTANDING IT A good start is to make yourself aware of the meanings of commonly used - and misused - terms in the used car market. Read full Article

AIRBAGS - THE COST OF INFLATION Not long ago, top German motor racing driver Bernd Schneider was hurling his Mercedes touring car around the twists and turns of Europe’s most dangerous motor racing track, the 14 mile-long Nurburgring circuit built among the Eiffel mountains south of Frankfurt. Read full Article

ANTI-LOCK BRAKES – GETTING THE BEST OUT OF THEM Getting The Best Out Of ABS In Practice Read full Article

ANTI-LOCK BRAKES - THE ORIGINS Advances in electronics technology in the Seventies and Eighties however, allowed car manufacturers to develop highly reliable anti-lock braking systems that could be economically installed in a wide variety of vehicles. Read full Article

AWFUL CARS - LOVING THE LEMONS The Reverend Colin Corke seemed innocuous enough. Even the sort of chap you’d go for a drink with, if you could ignore the dog collar, conspicuous avoidance of industrial language and the fact that he is the chairman of Allegro Club International. Proud owner of a good number of the marque and font of all knowledge on this doyen of lamentable cars, he discharges his responsibilities with game enthusiasm. Read full Article

BREAKDOWNS - ARE YOU PREPARED? What To Carry In Your Car… Read full Article

BREAKDOWNS – WHAT TO DO If your car is regularly serviced, you’ll be unlikely to suffer the inconvenience of a breakdown. However, it may still happen and if it does, it’s as well to be aware of the most common causes – and some of the more obvious solutions… Read full Article

CARAVANS - TOWING WITH CONFIDENCE Handy Hints… Read full Article

CAR BATTERY MAINTENANCE - CHECK YOUR BATTERY BEFORE WINTER CHECKS YOU Problems with car batteries are high on the RAC’s annual list of the 10 most common breakdown faults. Not that they need to be. Thanks to new technology such as calcium silver, modern batteries provide much better cold starting performance and longer service life than ever before, in spite of the far greater amount of electronic and current consuming equipment found in today’s cars. Read full Article

CAR CARE - PREVENTION - BETTER THAN CURE Motorists need to be prepared for every eventuality and ensuring that your car is serviced regularly is the best way to avoid all the hassle of a breakdown. Read full Article

CAR HIRE ABROAD - HIRE AND REWARD Thinking of booking a package holiday? Or perhaps you’ve already booked one and the date is drawing near. Either way, you probably just want to get there, collapse on the nearest sun lounger and relax Read full Article

CAR INSURANCE FOR WOMEN MOTORISTS - GIRLS IN GEAR As with all insurance matters, the advice is to shop around. Although hanging on the end of the phone answering the same questions over and over again can get a little tedious, companies usually offer a Freephone service (so you’re not paying for it anyway) and you’ll be surprised how much quotes can vary. Read full Article

CAR INSURANCE - INSURING YOUNGER DRIVERS - POUND OF FLESH? When I was in my final year of A-levels, most people had passed their driving tests and very quickly 6 cars were written off. One was rolled into a ditch, one driven onto a soft verge and spun into a telegraph pole; one leapt off the road, hit a hedge, somersaulted and rolled four times landing on its roof. Another was wiped out by a driver overshooting a 30mph junction at 60mph (which wasn’t the fault of my 17-year old classmate) and the others were simply driven into other vehicles. Accidents such as these are the reason, so insurance companies tell us, that premiums for young drivers are so incredibly high. Pottering to and from the school in my vintage VW Beetle, I resented paying through the nose for someone else’s stupidity. Read full Article

CAR-JACKING - BEATING THE CAR-JACKERS The rise of ‘Car-Jacking’, the kind of smash and grab attack motorists are vulnerable to when actually in their cars, is an unwelcome facet of modern motoring. Read full Article

CAR SECURITY – TRACKER SYSTEMS At 11.35am on Saturday 27th February, a Saab 900 Turbo Coupe was broken into and driven furtively from the forecourt of Cubleys garage in Ainsdale near Southport. Nothing unusual in that; statistics suggest that close to 1,700 other vehicles would have been stolen across the UK that day. Read full Article

CHILDREN & ACCIDENTS - SAVE THE CHILDREN Road accidents are the biggest single cause of accidental death for children up to the age of 15, accounting for over half of all child fatalities. Figures released by the DETR (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions), show that, last year, over 43,000 children were killed or injured on our roads, with, perhaps surprisingly, the highest number being passenger casualties as opposed to pedestrians. Read full Article

CHILD SAFETY IN THE REAL WORLD: - SAFE – BUT NOT SORRY, A SPECIAL REPORT One of the most vivid pictures I have of child safety is of the front cover of a baby seat catalogue showing a newborn in nappies crawling around a workshop full of replacement car parts. The slogan underneath is simple: “There’s one thing you can’t replace.” Read full Article

CHILD SAFETY – USED CHILD SEATS If you’re a parent of a small child, you’ll know only too well just how easily the costs add up. Clothes, high chairs, cots and car child seats. Read full Article

CLASSIC CARS - THE VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE The VW Beetle has had more incarnations than David Bowie, Madonna and Fatboy Slim put together. Ferdinand Porsche’s original design brief was to create a vehicle to drive the German motor revolution by conveying the thousands of workers up and down the miles of autobahn that were being laid as fast as the concrete could be produced. The car needed to be powerful, nearly indestructible but most of all, affordable. Read full Article

CLEANING YOUR CAR - GET MORE FOR YOUR MOTOR When it comes to selling your car, a couple of hours spent on valeting and cosmetic repairs can make all the difference – in fact £500 worth of difference, according to motor trade journal Glass’s Guide. Read full Article

COMPANY CAR TAX - BENEFITS IN KIND In the old days, life used to be so simple. If you were a company car driver, then it was relatively simple to calculate how much tax you would have to pay for the privilege. If you drove less than 2,500 miles per year, the amount of tax you had to pay was 35% of your car’s list price. 2,500 – 17,999 miles a year would hit you with 25% tax and over 18,000 miles would see 15% of your car’s list value winging its way to the IRS. Simple as that, but with the advent of the new emissions based tax it all becomes a little more complicated. Read full Article

CUT AND SHUT ACCIDENT HORRORS - BAN THE ‘FRANKENSTEIN’ CARS Thinking of buying an inexpensive second-hand car? Found a really cheap one? Then check it out thoroughly. A back street industry resurrecting cars from written-off wrecks is pumping a steady supply of four-wheeled 'Frankensteins' on to UK streets: you could end up behind the wheel of one. Read full Article

DRIVER FATIGUE - ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL The road from Las Vegas to Kingman, Nevada is utterly featureless. Running arrow straight through the Sonoran Desert, not a single car had come in the other direction for an hour. Having flown into San Francisco the night before, I was jetlagged, tired but determined to carry on the thirty or so miles left to Kingman. This was the second day of a 7,500 mile endurance test of a new car that was due to take us all the way to Miami and back to San Francisco. It was three in the morning and I was already flagging. My co-driver was spark out in the passenger seat, dribbling onto his shirt, and I was starting to develop the ‘noddies’, that infuriating syndrome where you can no longer control the balance of your head. Read full Article

DRIVING CLASSIC FERRARIS – DREAM WORKS An invitation to drive five Ferrari’s in one day isn’t one that comes along very often. When it does, you’d better be ready – so drop everything, here’s your chance. Read full Article

DRIVING IN FLOODS & GALES - WHAT TO DO WHEN THE WIND BLOWS… Not surprisingly, gales, driving rain and flooding always prompt a wave of breakdowns – and a massive workload for the emergency services and motoring organisations. The AA, for example, tend to take over 2,000 calls an hour during the morning rush in days where there are extreme weather conditions. Read full Article

DRIVING TEST FEATURE - THEORY BEFORE PRACTICE Driving schools these days must not only prepare students for a practical test, they also have to give every support in preparing them for the written theory test which must be taken first. Read full Article

DRUG-FREE DRIVING - DON’T DRUG & DRIVE Drug-driving fears have now been heightened further due to the results of a survey conducted in Scotland for the RAC Foundation by NOP Automotive. This time, however, driving under the influence of over-the-counter medications is being called into question. Read full Article

ELVIS PRESLEY MOTOR MUSEUM “The first car I bought was the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen. It was second hand but I parked it outside my hotel the day I got it and stayed up all night just looking at it. The next day, it caught fire and burned up on the road...” - Elvis Presley Read full Article

ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - COMPUTER LOGIC The last decade has seen tremendous technological development of the motor car, to the point where virtually all new vehicles are equipped with some form of management system or 'electronic control unit' (ECU), which monitors and operates fueling and ignition. Increasingly, ECUs are also being used for braking systems, transmissions, suspension, steering and air conditioning. Read full Article

EYESIGHT – IS YOURS GOOD ENOUGH FOR DRIVING? - KEEPING BOTH EYES ON THE ROAD Many motorists are unaware of their fading vision, and therefore don’t realise they are unfit to drive. Furthermore, nearly half of all drivers who wear glasses or contact lenses admit they don’t wear them at the wheel. As the number of drivers on our roads continues to increase, the potential for accidents is also set to rise and, with that in mind, experts recommend the following advice: Read full Article

FINANCING YOUR NEW CAR - MAKING YOUR MONEY WORK HARDER When you’re buying a car, used or new, you have endless choice of makes and models at your disposal - the same applies when it comes to finance. As a result, many motorists find the world of vehicle financing quite baffling. Read full Article

FUEL-SAVING TIPS FOR LONGER JOURNEYS - PUTTING A BRAKE ON MOTORING COSTS On the motorway alone, as much as £20-25 can be clawed back from school holiday trips to the seaside, amusement parks, relatives and to other tourist destinations. Even motorists taking friends and family to airports can recover the cost of short-term parking from a round trip of 80 miles. Read full Article

GOING BY ROAD - STILL THE SAFEST WAY? Given the choice of methods of transport, motorists still feel safest behind the wheel – according at least to recent research. The Green Flag-funded survey found that over half (51 per cent) of motorists felt safest when driving, while only 26 per cent felt safe travelling by train. Read full Article

GREAT DRIVING ROADS - DRIVING TO A NEW BEGINNING The motor industry has seen the future - and you won't like it. Sprawling cities, congested motorways, endless residential areas. All point to the need for smaller, simpler cars. Read full Article

HOLIDAY MOTORING HASSLES - GETTING ROUND HOLIDAY HASSLES 1) Locked out in Europe: Alongside overheated engines, punctured tyres and flat batteries, lost keys is one of the most common causes of a breakdown for motoring holidaymakers on the Continent. Sophisticated security systems which require keys with exclusive transponder chips and rolling-coded ‘plippers’ may be impossible to bypass without the right spare key. Read full Article

HOLIDAY MOTORING PREPARATION - HOLIDAY FOCUS AVOID THE RUSH Read full Article

KILLER ROADS - TAMING THEM Cars are safer than they’ve ever been. Sadly, we can’t say the same about the roads we drive them on. Read full Article

KILLING YOUR SPEED I wonder how many drivers could say, hand on heart, that they've never broken a speed limit? Many have never been caught, but that's no reason to feel smug. Tedious as it might be to slow down to 30 mph in an apparently deserted village high street, limits have been set for a reason. Read full Article

LEADED FUEL - REPLACEMENT PETROL If you’ve inherited or bought a modern car that still hasn’t been converted to run on unleaded, details of whether your can use lead-free fuel should be listed in the handbook. If you are at all unsure, your local main dealer will be able to tell you. In some cases the car’s engine’s timing may need to be reset. Read full Article

MOTORING HISTORY - A CENTURY OF ACHIEVEMENT Few families nowadays have no access to a car. Many own two or more - we'd be lost without our wheels. That's why we've every cause to give thanks for the motor industry, now over a century old. Read full Article

MOTORBIKES – BUYING YOUR FIRST ONE The biggest area of growth in the two-wheeled market is the scooter. A situation no doubt helped by the machines’ popularity among showbiz celebrities; the Gallagher brothers, Blur and Jonathon Ross can all regularly be seen aboard scooters. Even Formula One drivers are getting in on the act; the Williams team using specially liveried Italjet Formula 50 scooters to navigate the pit area. Read full Article

MOTORBIKES – LEARNING TO RIDE Then, however, in the face of growing concern about the safety of motorcycles, the Government introduced new legislation in 1990. The first change to come about, as a result of these actions, was the need for all riders to complete Compulsory Basic Training (CBT), before being able to apply for a test date. Read full Article

MOTORBIKE SECURITY TIPS - WATCH YOUR WHEELS! Though the number of motorcycles being stolen has recently fallen, riders must still be careful to take appropriate steps to keep their transport secure. To help matters, the Home Office has published a booklet, "Steer Clear of Motorcycle and Scooter Theft", which is available from motorcycle dealers, police stations and crime prevention officers to raise awareness of motorcycle crime.' Read full Article

MOTORING IN THE FORTIES - BACK TO THE FUTURE In 1949... Read full Article

MOTORING SEX APPEAL - STRONGER SEX APPEAL The right car can increase a man’s sex appeal by up to 65%. Yes, it’s true. Give an average looking bloke a fancy car and for most women, he’ll suddenly look a lot better. That’s according to a nationwide poll of 500 women aged 18-40 by Fish4cars that reveals men can improve their sex appeal by driving a smart car. Read full Article

MOTORING SINCE THE FIFTIES - BACK TO THE FUTURE By the beginning of the Fifties, the British motor industry was almost back to the heady days that had ended with the invasion of Poland a decade or so earlier. We were the world's largest exporter of cars and home to the globe's most ingenious automotive designers. Whatever you wanted - family runabout, affordable executive saloon, powerful sports car or all-purpose four-wheel drive vehicle - we produced it… Read full Article

MOTORING - CHINESE STARSIGNS Do Chinese Starsigns Really Say Anything About Today’s Motorists? You Might Be Surprised… Read full Article

MOT TESTING – WHAT TO DO BEFOREHAND When you hear of someone needing to spend hundreds of pounds to get their car through its MoT test, it’s easy to overlook that MoTs exist for your protection, providing the only statutory test for safety and environmental legislation. After all, how often do you get underneath your car and check that the exhaust is still firmly attached and that none of the vital suspension or steering components is worn or loose? It’s best to view the annual MoT test as a sensible opportunity to have your vehicle examined by an expert to ensure that it meets all safety and legal requirements. Read full Article

DRIVING ABROAD - KEEPING SAFE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD Heading abroad? A little worried about what it’s going to be like driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road? It’s understandable. Driving on the right hand side of the road will always seem strange at first: concentration is the key. Easy for me to say I know, but maybe these IAM tips will help. Read full Article

MUSIC WHILE YOU DRIVE - BEATS PER MINUTE New research from Israel shows that up-tempo music causes drivers to have double the amount of accidents as those listening to slower music. Read full Article

PARKING DISPUTES - NEIGHBOURS AT WAR Parking rage causes neighbour feuds. It’s official. More neighbour conflicts and feuds now start because of disputes over parking than anything else, according at least to a recent RAC-supported study. Read full Article

PETROL FORECOURT CRIME - MAKING SURE CRIME DOESN’T PAY Petrol station crime in the UK costs nearly £50 million a year and could lead to an increase in the cost of fuel to motorists. Read full Article

PREPARING FOR LONGER JOURNEYS – JOURNEYING MERCIES It may seem obvious, but one of the most important things in making long journeys both easier and safer is to ensure that neither you nor your car runs dry. Read full Article

PREPARING YOUR CAR FOR SPRING - SPRING IS IN THE AIR With finer weather just around the corner, you’re likely to be preparing to take to the road and see the sights in comfort. However, the wear and tear your car has endured over the winter months could easily spoil your fun. Everyone knows that prevention is better than cure, so here are some easy springtime steps to make sure your car gets you to your destination without any fuss… Read full Article

PREPARING YOUR CAR FOR SUMMER - BEAT THE SUMMERTIME BLUES WITH HOT TIPS FOR HOLIDAY DRIVING In the last minute rush to get away, basic car care may often be overlooked. However, a little preparation can go a long way. Read full Article

PREPARING YOUR CAR FOR WINTER - PREVENTION IS CHEAPER THAN CURE Independent research carried out by spark plug manufacturer NGK shows that 40% of cars on Britain’s roads are more than nine years old, a trend that seems likely to continue. It’s also a fact that bodywork generally survives far better than it used to, often disguising perhaps that under the bonnet, the car is in worse shape than the paintwork would suggest. Regular servicing will not only ensure better performance, but an efficient engine should also mean lower fuel consumption, not to mention a cleaner exhaust and greater reliability. Read full Article

PRE-REGISTERED CARS – THE MERITS These are nervous times for new car franchises, with many customers still not wanting to take the plunge with a new car. Despite some great incentives on offer, the market is adopting a ‘wait and see’ policy. If buyers are looking for a nearly new car at less than they may think, pre-registered models could provide the answer. Read full Article

RETAIL MOTOR INDUSTRY FEDERATION - SERVING THE MOTORING PUBLIC Originally formed as the Motor Agents Association more than eighty years ago, the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) represents the interests of thousands of retail businesses who are operating within or supporting the automotive industry. Its members include those involved in the selling or servicing of new and used cars, vans, motorcycles and commercial vehicles, supplying petrol and diesel to the public, motor auctions, cherished number plates, carrying out MoT tests and providing training and specialist mechanical services. Read full Article

ROAD FUND LICENCE - EMISSIONS BASED VEHICLE TAX Vehicle Road Fund Licence, or Road Tax, is now calculated according to the amount of pollutants your vehicle emits per mile. So it should be simple to work out, thinks Neil Hopkins. Read full Article

SAFE DRIVING IN BAD CONDITIONS - STAYING SAFE ON THE ROADS More motorists lose their lives or are seriously injured during the winter months than at any other time of the year. While practicalities - sound tyres, ample fuel, adequate anti-freeze and a clear windscreen – are essential to check before setting off, winter motorists should also address their driving technique. To help gear up and face the challenges of poor driving conditions, we’d suggest the following: Read full Article

SAFE DRIVING IN WINTER Planning a shopping expedition? Visiting relatives and friends over the festive season? Make sure you don’t forget the most important thing: is your car up to surviving the winter weather? Read full Article

SEAT BELTS - BELT UP! Figures from a recent survey show that 40% of motorists admit to not wearing their seatbelt when behind the wheel. This staggering statistic becomes known in a recent poll, which also reveals that just 35% of back seat passengers belt up when travelling in the rear of the car. Read full Article

SERVICING - GO FOR EXPERIENCE Motorists are still having to pay out hundreds of pounds in unnecessary garage bills because of mechanics’ ignorance of auto electrical systems, according to a leading fleet management specialist who first highlighted the problem four years ago. Read full Article

SERVICING – WHY USE A MAIN DEALER? These days, driving and owning any car is more pleasurable than ever before. Nevertheless, when the time for servicing – or an MOT – does finally arrive, you’ll want an experienced place to go that keeps running costs low. Read full Article

SHELL OPTIMAX PETROL - A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF… It’s easy to be swayed by the marketing puff that accompanies such product launches. Without driving a car you know well, it’s difficult to apply a subjective basis for the test, something that will make or break Optimax at the nation’s pumps. If drivers can feel the benefits for themselves, they’ll buy it. No amount of graphs or charts telling them their car is better off with the fuel will matter when the time comes to pay the bill if there’s little discernible advantage. Read full Article

SHOCK ABSORBERS – THE HIDDEN DANGER What is of even more concern is that the majority of car owners are not even aware of the potential dangers. They do not know what shock absorber does, and because it is hidden behind the car’s wheel, never think about the need for checking or replacement. Read full Article

SPEED CAMERAS – THE ONGOING DEBATE We all hate unnecessary speed cameras – or at least, most of us do. The Government has in recent times introduced guidelines aimed at ensuring that GATSOs are visible to motorists and correctly sited in accident blackspots. Read full Article

SPEED DETECTION DEVICES - HOLIDAY SPEEDING SHOCKS Drivers with speed detection devices fitted to their cars could face a jail sentence, a driving ban, having their vehicle confiscated or paying a huge fine if they take them to Europe this year. Read full Article

SPEEDING - THRILLED BY SPEED A survey released recently has revealed that over 90% of drivers in the country admit to frequently exceeding the speed limit whenever they get the opportunity. The research also showed that a reckless 43% of drivers would exceed the speed limit by at least 20mph if they felt they were not going to get caught. Read full Article

TOP TIPS ON ECONOMY MOTORING As certain as the sun will rise tomorrow, petrol prices won't ever see the £3 gallon again. So the economy-minded motorist has two avenues to explore: seek out the most fuel-efficient cars – and learn to drive more efficiently to save money and the environment. But how? Martin Holzhofer, the man in charge of General Motors’ European ECO model programme, offers these top practical hints to wallet-friendly motoring. Read full Article

TOWING TIPS - GETTING SAFELY HITCHED Once you’re towing, you suddenly have to think about controlling not just one vehicle but two. Driver awareness and good perception are therefore all important – but so too are directional stability, engine power and brakes. Follow these successful towing techniques from the Institute of Advanced Motorists and you should get there safely. Read full Article

TRAVEL - BALTIMORE & THE US EAST COAST The whole ‘Road America’ thing sounds great until you’re the one that has to be on the road. Seeing even a small part of the USA requires a great many miles at the wheel and an awful lot of stamina. Or does it? Read full Article

TRAVEL - MOTORING IN DENMARK In search of something different, I decided on Denmark - a forgotten choice but a surprisingly rewarding one. Unlike most of the rest of mainland Europe, it’s not actually on the way to anywhere; that means lightly trafficked roads and a generally calmer atmosphere. Read full Article

TRAVEL – MOTORING IN FRANCE The real France still exists. I know, I've been there. A land where you really can drive through peaceful mountains and verdant valleys, sample exquisite, yet affordable, food and wine, staying in quaint little hotels. A land where the pace of life is slower and people have the time to stop and talk, even if they can't understand you. Read full Article

TRAVEL - THE ISLE OF SKYE - SKYE’S THE LIMIT… “Swap the stress of urban life for the space, freedom and tranquillity of Scotland – For the cost of a good night out!”. The Motor ‘N’ Rail brochure sounded appealing. And hadn’t Katie, little Caris and I done enough to deserve a short break? It took a second to decide: we would go. Read full Article

TRAVEL - THE ISLE OF WIGHT - AN ISLE WITHIN AN ISLE You don’t have to go abroad to get away from England. How about an island with a temperate climate, cheap accommodation and superb fish & chips? If you haven’t already guessed, I’m talking about the Isle of Wight. Read full Article

TRAVEL - MOTORING IN MAURITIUS When I first went to Mauritius ten years ago, the roads around the island were filled with a kind of moving museum, dedicated to the British motor industry. Since Mauritians drive on the right and since this Indian Ocean island was a British Colony until the Sixties, there were old British cars everywhere: Vauxhall Vivas, Morris Oxfords, Austin A40s, Humber Sceptres and Sunbeam Rapiers. Many were taxis: all were battered – but still in use. Read full Article

TRAVEL - TOURING THE AMERICAN MISSISSIPPI Mark Twain used these words over a century ago to describe one of the greatest natural resources and most scenic waterways in the world. Yet they could have been spoken yesterday. Read full Article

TRAVEL - PENNSYLVANIA - AMERICA OLD & NEW “We don’t live in America,” US citizens like to tell you, “America lives in us.” If that’s true, then Americans must be extremely complex people. Take Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a couple of hours to the North of Washington and home to the Amish, a people who have chosen to ignore the march of time. For more than 200 years, they have dressed, lived and farmed the same way, ignoring every pressure to conform to modernity. Read full Article

TRAVEL - WASHINGTON, ALEXANDRIA & ANNAPOLIS Washington DC. What do you think of? The White House? Capitol Hill? Various monuments and memorials? Yes, it’s all these things, but it’s also much more if you’re prepared to get over there, get yourself a car and get around the place. Read full Article

USED CAR BUYER’S GUIDE – YOUR KEY CHECKLIST Ten Points To Consider Read full Article

VANDENBRINK CARVER - THE LEAN MACHINE As anybody who’s been humbled by an eight year old at a go-kart track will attest, there are ways and ways of taking a corner. As long as you’ve got a steering wheel in your hand, none of them involve a great deal of leaning which, when you pause to consider it, is a trifle odd. Put us on skis, on a bike, on a snowboard or even in a pair of running spikes and we soon realise that the quickest way to negotiate a corner is to lean well into it. Put us behind the wheel of a car and we seem to disregard this basic nugget of physics. Until now. Vandenbrink, a Dutch engineering company who have a distinctly unconventional take on the fact that motorcycles and cars represent separate entities, have released the Carver, a three-wheeled, twin seat tilting vehicle. Read full Article

VEHICLE EXCISE DUTY – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Motorists have had a rough time of it recently. Along with petrol price rises, we’re now also faced with far-reaching changes to the road tax disc system, thanks to new government policy introduced on March 1st. Read full Article

WEDDING CARS - ARRIVING IN STYLE Every bride wants the ‘happiest day’ of her life to be perfect. Quite apart from the bridegroom, everything must fit; the dress, the flowers, the church and, of course, the car. No wedding is complete without a stately arrival at the church or registrar’s office in something befitting the occasion. Read full Article