Car Articles

Of course I’m talking about the latest Lotus – the Eagle.  In a Porsche rivalling move, this is their new 2+2, that’s fully ready to take on the Porsche Cayman (though not the pricier 911).  So what sort of powerplant do you get for your circa £45,000 hard earned cash?  Naturally, sir will be wanting a 3.5litre V6 with 276bhp.

The wheelbase of this incredible looking machine is 280mm longer than the Elise (which leaves one wondering if this is a permanent replacement for the aging car), that gives rise to enough room for 2 rear seats.  I assume that these will be similar to other 2+2’s, in other words just about bearable if you’re ten years old or younger – otherwise you might just prefer to walk.  Rumour has it that the boot space is reasonable too – just don’t expect to fit more than a few bags of shopping (or apparently one set of golf clubs) in there.

What about the interior of the car?  Well, to be fair, Lotus is not known for their high quality dashboards, but then that’s not what their machines are about.  Nonetheless, the Eagle should be one of the most luxurious cars they have ever made, with a touchscreen sat nav with connectivity for your iPod and Bluetooth.  There should also be soft touch plastics where necessary and hopefully swathes of leather too, given the price hike over even an Exige.

The big V6 has been sourced directly from Toyota, which should mean a pretty good state of reliability, even with British weather and wear.  However, modifications have been implemented by Lotus that sees the addition of variable valve timing – something that I’m quite a fan of.  Essentially, it means that you should have greater efficiency and power when on the gas.  Can’t be bad now can it?  If you’ve driven a Celica you’ll have experienced VVT.  The Lotus Elise 111S also has VVT (quite a few other cars do too for a more even power/torque split).

What about performance?  Well, as is the trend these days, the thing is going to be shuttled around the Nurburgring until the guys at Hethel are happy that this aspect of the car matches the frankly astonishing looks.  Rumour has it that there’ll be a 0-60 sprint implemented of less than 4 seconds; meanwhile you’ll be able to race all the way up to and beyond 160.  Mind you, top speed is never the objective in a mean Lotus like this.  You’d have to have nuts of sold, 440 stainless to manage that.

A prototype is going to be shown at the British Motor Show, as well as the name of the vehicle that for the meantime remains to be the Lotus Eagle.  With six more months of development and spring 2009 before first order, this is one car that folks should be awaiting with baited breath.  I know I am.

It of course comes back to the question of Lotus.  What does it mean?  Well until you drive one, you’ll never know.  It means, at least for me, a pure, unadulterated, driving experience.  It isn’t watered down and it won’t pander to your whims.  You’re slung low, the car hard-charges through the gears and if you have any passion for driving at all you’ll spend almost all the journey with a big grin on your face.  So do I think that this will be special?  Damn right.  There’s even somewhere to put the groceries when you take it to Asda.

There’s a town in the UK that has seen Gatsos – seen them, had them and had enough.  I’m of course talking about the recent furore in Swindon.  What’s the problem?  Well apparently civic leaders don’t raise a single penny from the £400,000 cost of the cameras that are in and around the area in their jurisdiction.

There’s also talk that it is being seen (unfairly perhaps) as a ‘blatant tax’ on drivers.  Naturally, with that sort of name, the local government is keen to put the money into other road schemes such as sleeping policemen (road humps) and vehicle activated speed signs (whoa scary!!).

Hmmm, not sure I agree with this one.  Almost everyone seems to slow down in case they get a fine, however does everyone slow?  I get the feeling that some out there (perhaps in their Subaru Imprezas or similar) think “look, I managed to get it up to 52 that time!” but it could just be me.

Swindon is a conservative-run council that operates 16 fixed speed cameras, three red light cameras, eight mobile vans and three speed-gun equipped bikes.  Last year, 30,000 motorists were ticketed, generating revenue of £1.76 million pounds.  That’s quite a lot of money, I’m sure you’ll agree.  Let’s look at the math.  1.76 million divided by 30,000 is about £59 quid each.

However, the organisation that runs the cameras, the Wiltshire and Swindon Safety Camera Partnership, said that the amount of deaths that have occurred has been cut by two thirds.  Putting that in perspective, it starts to make a lot more sense.  Especially when serious injuries have also been significantly reduced.

Cllr Peter Greenhalgh is the civic leader behind the scheme to remove the speed cameras.  Do I agree with him?  Well, as a motorist I should take the stereotypical view that speed cameras are universally bad.  However, in this case, I can’t – at least not in good conscience.  Simply put, this does sound a little like the Cllr in question is annoyed because his ward pays the money out, yet sees nothing in return.  However, I for one see a huge reduction in death and serious injury well worth paying for.  Perhaps he would be less annoyed if some of that £1.76 million went the council’s way?

There’s no doubt that speed cameras are a great way in which to control people’s speed.  There’s also no doubt that in a lot of cases they aren’t necessary.  Is this one of them though?  I’m not convinced, at least not until there’s more evidence as to why they should be removed.  Sometimes, money isn’t the most important thing.

Well, this weekend was the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend as I had some other commitments (motoring ones, funnily enough, such as taking a look at an M3) but I thought as it’s such a classic event I should really give you all some information about it.

As Goodwood themselves say:

The Festival of Speed is far more than just a hillclimb – it is a celebration of the history of motor sport and can justifiably claim to be the world’s biggest and most diverse classic motor sports event. Taking place outside Goodwood House, using the main road through the Park as the track, it’s the only occasion where you’ll see in action the greatest competition cars and star drivers from the entire history of motor sport.

Famous drivers and riders have attended such as Sir Stirling Moss, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Nigel Mansell, Mika Hakkinen, Johnny Herbert, Juan Pablo Montoya, Richard Petty, Carl Fogarty, Giacomo Agostini, Troy Corser, Troy Bayliss, Jean Alesi, Jacky Ickx, Marcus Gronholm, Petter Solberg, Hannu Mikkola and Alan Jones to name just a few. The Festival is an unrivalled social and sporting occasion in the motor racing calendar.

Ten Top Tips to get the most from the Festival of Speed:

From 25,000 visitors at the inaugural 1993 event, attendance at the Festival of Speed has grown to accommodate 150,000 visitors each year.

The Festival is supported by around 29 sponsors and associate sponsors, including more than fourteen car and motorcycle manufacturers, plus some of the biggest names in technology, lifestyle, publishing and luxury goods.

324 journalists and 210 photographers from 102 publications reported on the 2007 Festival of Speed.

Programmes and news items from 22 television stations and 12 radio stations worldwide broadcast before, during and after the 2007 Festival of Speed.

Press features on the Festival of Speed were reported in 28 different countries.

Over 200 cars took to the hill during the Festival of Speed in 2007, along with 45 road and racing motorcycles. In addition, more than 30 cars tackled the Forest Rally Stage and 40 cars took part in the Cartier Style et Luxe.

30 historic racing cars, worth a total of $25 million, were transported to the UK specifically to take part in the Festival of Speed in 2007. However, this doesn’t include the 5 Bugatti Type 41 Royales, originally built by Ettore Bugatti exclusively for Royalty and heads of state, which are estimated to be worth around $60million in total.

52,300 private cars parked at the venue during the course of the 2007 Festival; if lined up nose to tail, the ensuing traffic jam would stretch 148 miles.

Some 1400 marshals ensure the safety of both competitors and spectators.

Building the temporary hillclimb course takes around 2000 man hours of labour, and a further 1200 man hours to dismantle it again. At least as many man hours again are devoted to erecting the marquees and exhibition stands.

9.5km of protective straw bales have to be laid out, totalling some 4000 bales weighting 1400 tonnes - these are held in place by 5500 timber stakes which, if laid end to end, would stretch 11km.

More than 7km of temporary roadway is laid down in the park.

More than 2000 acres of grassland is mown over three months in preparation for the Festival of Speed.

At the 2007 Festival, 3000 catering staff served 59,000 sandwiches, 49,000 hot drinks, 58,000 pints of beer and 496 cases of wine. More than 1810 bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne were drunk by visitors and guests, kept cool by 6.5 tonnes of ice.

To view the action film of the Goodwood FoS click here.

The picture is (obviously) a mobile phone.  What I can never understand is why it’s always someone in a new Merc, Porsche or BMW that is behind the wheel nattering away with the handset cradled to their ear.  Perhaps they think they’re above the law, like the woman with a 206 who lives near my mother.  She does the same.  So, I guess it’s less about what you drive and more about your attitude to safety.  So, here’s a few recommendations for you regarding your mobile and driving:

Can I use my earpiece and wire with my mobile?
A hands free kit consisting of a wire and earpiece would only be legal if you did not have to touch the phone to dial a number or take a call. If your phone has voice recognition or Bluetooth capabilities you should use these and pre-programme numbers into your phone. Remember that trailing wires may cause a hazard whilst driving.

What about fully installed car kits?
A properly installed car kit fixed to the dashboard or ventilators is the safest way to take calls on the move. These kits should be fitted by a professional to ensure that all the wires are hidden, that the radio mutes automatically and (so that you don’t invalidate the car’s warranty) that the kit is not installed in front of an airbag.

Is it safe to talk on a mobile at all while driving?
Pressing buttons and talking on your phone will be legal if the phone is held in a secured cradle affixed to the dashboard and that there are no wires connected to an earpiece (see above). However, you could still be prosecuted for driving dangerously or without due care and attention and you should avoid making or taking calls at all times whilst driving.

How can I make safer calls?

• Turn off your phone before starting your journey and take any messages only when you are parked safely.
• Save any numbers you may need to a short dial number in your phone before starting your journey.
• Keep calls short and simple. Never enter into an argument or negotiation whilst on the move.
• If you do take a call tell the caller that you are driving and may need to break off your conversation suddenly if driving conditions become hazardous in any way.

Sometimes, it can be quite tempting to just sneak a quick look at your phone - but remember even at 30mph your car is a potentially lethal weapon should an incident occur with a pedestrian.  The real truth is that just about anything that is a distraction from driving when you’re behind the wheel should really be avoided, such as eating, drinking, smoking or fiddling with gadgets like mobiles and GPS systems.

Apparently, according to an investigation, about 9.4 million people will be punished by the government in the form of punitive new taxes based on the emissions of cars – yet curiously many are still claiming this is a target of gas guzzlers.  Realistically, it has nothing to do with the amount of fuel that your car needs, but the amount of cO2 that your car produces.  It could be doing 20mpg but have less than 100g/km coming out of the pipe at the back and you’d be okay.

Apparently, the increases will negatively impact 43% of UK motorists – meaning that slightly less than half of us will be paying more for our little tax discs every year (or every six months).  Naturally, this is ‘offset’ to a fashion by the 18% who will be paying less.  Do the math and tell me what this means.  No wait, I’ll save you the bother.  What this means is, yet again, the government is using us drivers as a wonderful tax mule.  In that they keep sticking more tax on our backs, curious perhaps to see when either it breaks or we simply give up.

Environmental groups (as per usual, the bloody greenie lot were out in force) told the government to stick to targets.  I’m guessing they all power their cars with cat urine or something then and achieve a wonderful 60mpg for their efforts?  No wait, they probably drive in big Jags, or at least their company directors will.

How much exactly will the government get that goes to their coffers (and presumably goes toward funding MP’s John Lewis lists?), well that’s quite a princely sum of £1 billion – by 2011 anyway, unless a) there are further hikes or b) the price of petrol keeps going up in which case the government gets even more money.

Unfortunately, in what I’d guess is a completely transparent issue to get this extra cash, the top five cars in the UK have fallen into the ‘they will pay more’ bracket.  This includes the 2.2 diesel Land Rover, 1.6 Toyota Auris, 2.2 diesel Honda CR-V, 1.8 litre Vauxhall Vectra and the 1.6 litre unleaded Vauxhall Zafira.  So if your car is on the list, I’m sorry.  For the record, I have paid more this year in road tax – something I completely begrudge, especially in light of petrol prices.

If the average person drives one of the above five cars, then ministers are hopelessly out of touch with the average person.  If I’m ‘Joe Bloggs’ and I’m struggling due to the cost of living rising and the fact that we are almost hitting a recession, I really don’t think that I deserve to have a government slapping more taxes in my face.  In fact, I know I don’t.  As usual, this is a case of Labour ignoring the people they should be trying to court – the average working class person.  Maybe it’s time for a change of government – though I’m not sure who to vote in, in order to avoid stealth taxes.

You couldn’t make the sort of stuff up that comes from a G8 meeting.  Let me give you a (non-car related) example – just the other day Gordon Brown came out with the statement of ‘don’t waste food’ – for me that sounds like good advice.  I don’t as a rule waste food (you may as well just throw away money right) but I’m sure plenty of people do.

However, this was on the same day when he reminded us that people were starving in Africa, whilst that night the G8 group tucked into a rather lovely champagne dinner of eight sumptuous courses.  Bearing that in mind, you can’t very well expect their environmental advice to be particularly good or free of double standards now can you?

First, the G8 summit has agreed (bear in mind that this isn’t all of the nations in the free world here, and given how long it took America to sign up to the Kyoto protocol I doubt this is at all realistic) to hit 50% reduction targets for their countries on emissions.  They aim to reach this goal by using 25 measures, including outlawing normal light bulbs.  Fair enough.  What makes less sense is the idea that all British citizens who drive will have to move over to electric cars by 2020.

Apparently, our very own Gordon Brown wants to incentivise low and zero-emission cars to try and induce people to make the switch.  This is what is known as in politics as giving the carrot.  On the other hand, you have the stick.  The stick in this case is forcing people who run a big engine, high emission car to pay far more than they used to.

Why is this bad?  Well first of all, if you want everyone to switch, merely cutting a charge that is only costing people around £180 (I say ‘only’, it’s really quite a lot for a family with children) is not the correct way to go about things.  Why not knock £1,000 off a decent electric car?  Given the appalling safety record of the G-Whiz, I think you’d be a completely irresponsible parent to put your children in one of those.  So what remains?  Well hybrids aren’t that great.  What remains?

A hugely complex solution.  Hydrogen fuel cells.  Why hydrogen?  Well given the fact that in order to power your nice new electric car all manner of fossil fuels have to be burnt, then something else has to be done.  How about a nice clean source in the form of hydrogen?  I think so.  We shouldn’t be trying to focus on anything else – there are just too many solutions out there that don’t make much sense.  This however does.

In my opinion, the government should give a huge whack of money to a contractor to stick a bunch of refuelling units up and down the country.  They should then trial these vehicles – as far as I can tell, Honda’s car has been very successful.  So Mr Brown, what’s it to be?  Are you going to force us to ‘go green’ in an incorrect way, or just beat us with sticks to pay you and those who kept the infamous ‘John Lewis list’ in second homes with lovely plasma TVs?

It couldn’t have escaped your attention that Ford is working on something very special indeed – the new Ford Focus RS.  You probably didn’t let it escape you as it is in just about every motoring magazine and it has also been featured here.  However, new information has came to light that is sure to put a smile on your face.  That information is the car is going to be even more powerful than previously thought.

Whilst the engine remains the same (a really, really sweet 2.5 litre turbocharged job), the power has now been officially announced at 296bhp – a very serious amount indeed for a front wheel drive car.  What makes it all the more remarkable is that it is 20bhp more than the original figure.  This car is packing some serious heat.

How though is a hot-hatch that’s only front wheel drive going to put all those rampaging horses down on the tarmac?  Well, through a super-trick Quaife limited-slip diff to allow either of the front wheels to find traction.  Not only that but there’s an equally clever ‘RevoKnuckle’ front axle.  This should allow for better torque distribution and less tug on the wheel.

So what’s the story with the rest of the car?  Front and rear panels are larger in order to accommodate monster 19inch alloys – you’ll love them.  Air intakes abound on the front end, including on the bonnet and even below the front fogs.  This is a serious machine.

Equally, you’ll love the rear venturi for air distribution, the indicators on the wing mirrors and the wicked chrome two-pipe exhausts.  There’s also a rear spoiler of the same shade as the one from the Clio Sport – i.e. you’ll either love it or hate it.  The car is (as pictured) in an amazing shade of green – it seems that over the top colours are making a return.

Whilst the badge is quite famous, there are those that’ll be new to the whole RS thing.  Mark my words, if you like a proper involved drive, this is a car you’ll find to be very special indeed.  I’m still not convinced that four wheel drive wouldn’t have been better, but I suppose this way you get weight saving.  Either way, I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of one of these.  Ford look to have made something very special (even in light of the whole green problem at the moment).

For those of you who are lucky enough to be at the British Motor Show, you’ll see this car there.  For everyone else, you’ll be able to see it next year at a Ford dealership near you.