Gymkhana 2 - A Different Kind of Painting

As you may remember I blogged about the Subaru Gymkhana video a couple of weeks ago, well.. The second Gymkhana video from Ken Block, Subaru and DC Shoes has been released with the spanking new 09 Scooby WRX STi.

Although personally I don't think the driving is a good, it's been Hollywooded up with some cool explosions and water/paint stunts.

Enjoy...

"And it's Go, Go, Go"..... Kart

Police in Shropshire have made a plea for information after a lethal ‘go-karter’ posted his kamikaze video online!

My guess is, he won't get insurance for that contraption!



If you need ideas for entertaining the kids this summer - please don't try that!

Car Park Kitten! (Cat vs. 300 Cars)

Recently, the talk of the town (well... office) has been about the small kitten that has been wandering around the Adrian Flux staff car park... amongst three-hundred cars!

This ultimately led to a tidal wave of voluntary, Ace Ventureresque, vigilante cat rescuers... trying to "capture" the kitten and get him to safety...

All to no avail...

The small bundle of joy was obviously feline-fine in his dangerous surroundings (that was an awful pun, I apologise).

Rather extraordinarily, the tiny fluff-ball even got himself under and into a staff member's engine bay! A problem with the catalytic converter apparently - that too, was awful. I'm just clawing these jokes out of thin air.

The moral of the story is - get Pet Insurance - like our little Flux car park friend, all pets are only a whisker away from danger... and expensive vet bills!

I am happy to report however, that this story does have a happy ending. The thrill-seeking kitten survived his car park nightmare... The RSPCA were on hand to capture and care for him. They inform us after a good feed he will be back to purrrfect condition and given to a loving new family... awww.

Vive la France

Last Sunday, thousands of French car fans descended on the Rockingham Racing Circuit for the Adrian Flux French Car Show 2009. The Show was a big hit, with the great weather and the large array of activities and live action on offer. This included Track and Rally racing, trade stands, car clubs, live stunt teams, the F1 pit stop challenge and the Rockingham virtual racing game.

Attracting the largest amount of attention though was the Flux Babes. Although they were having their pictures taken for most of the day, they found time to collect for charity, drift with Opposite Lock and have the OTT Stunt team jump over them.

A good day was had by all except the people who's cars got caked in brown dust from the rally circuit.

If you are interested in your French cars, then check out influx. This month influx has taken on a French theme, with some great articles on the monstrous Renaultsport Mégane R26R and one of the biggest fans of the iconic Citroën DS.

Although there isn't very many pictures a the moment here are some of the places I found some:

Flickr
106 Owners Club
Facebook Group
French Car Show Website

Fin

Gymkhana Subaru Style

Here is a video of a truely mental man, Ken Block, in a truely mental car, Subaru WRX STi...

Truely amazing!



If you have an airfield, hangers and a friend with a Segway, please do not try this at home.

Is it a deer? Erm... no

Generally as a society we're used to hearing how "Chris hit a deer yesterday, going to be expensive to repair", or "Jane nearly hit a pheasant last week", or even a call to your insurer "I hit another car at a roundabout..."

So would anybody believe you if you turned around and said "my car's been entrapped by a load of caterpillars"? Probably not, but I suspect you might have an open mind after seeing this pack!

I hope this doesn't happen to my Honda Civic...

Funny Van Drivers

Image by DerekL via Flickr

Everyone has probably drawn a 'humourous' daubing onto the back of a dirty white van at some point in their lives. But gems such as "Clean Me" and "I wish my wife was this dirty" might have been funny once, but you rarely see anything truly original.

Fortunately, the drivers of these vans are keen to show that they have a sense of humour too, as these splendid examples of the signwriter's art go to show:

This drainage specialist in Surrey tells it how it is...


How's my driving? Don't tell anyone!


And this Essex builder seems to be fed up with his van...


Our commercial vehicle department have a wide range of top-notch van insurance policies, and they can help you insure your cool van... whether it's refrigerated or not.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Better car and home insurance with no forms to fill in (adrianflux.co.uk)
• Motorbiking abroad: advice on insurance from Bikesure (adrianflux.co.uk)

The World's Smallest Car

Perry Watkins, a sales director and car fanatic, has built the smallest car in the world. The 47 year old from Wingrave in Buckinghamshire has built a car that stands at just 39 inches tall and 26 inches wide. Surprisingly Perry can drive the vehicle despite being six foot tall.

Mr Watkins has constructed the world's smallest car from a Postman Pat children's ride. After obviously removing Pat and Jess, Perry reinforced the fibreglass shell with a steel frame and mounted it on the body of a mini quad bike. He then added a 150cc engine, lights, indicators, windscreen wipers and washers, making it completely road legal.

The car which has been christened 'Wind Up' is now on the road and insured with Adrian Flux as a modified quad. If you also have something weird and wonderful try Adrian Flux who will insure pretty much anything that is road legal.

The washing machine sized car is not Perry's only creation. He also holds the record for the world's lowest street legal car with the 'Flatmobile', a jet powered replica of the Batmobile that is 19 inches tall.

Bennett-Baggs an Aston

Sarah Bennett-Baggs who you may remember from our previous post or the influx article, is a racing driver whom Adrian Flux sponsor... Well she is back for 09 with a brand new car, an Aston Martin N24.

Last year Sarah did really well coming second in class for the 2008 Porsche Club Championship. She managed to cause quite a stir with her bright pink 1978 911 SC and Flux Babe inspired overalls.

With the new car Sarah is competing in the GT Cup, and has already secured a cup with a 2nd in class finish at Brands hatch.

Well done Sarah, keep up the work at Snetterton in June and good luck for the rest of the season.

The AA, Nitrous & Bogus Stats

You may have seen, all over the BBC, that The AA president, Edmund King, has been banging on about Nitrous Oxide (aka NOS) on the premise that "Modified cars 'could put lives at risk'".

It seems that Mr King would like to see legislation which would limit the ability of young drivers to carry out modifications to their cars.

He says:

If you then put [young drivers] in a modified car... then accidents are much more likely to happen.

There's just one problem with that - it's complete rubbish. You would have thought that an august institution with a history as proud as the AA would have checked their facts before spouting uninformed opinion to the press (why didn't they just AAsk us?)*.

Because, since modified car insurance is one of the things we know an awful lot about, and since we keep careful records of things like claims and accidents, we actually know the truth. And the truth of the matter is this:

Young drivers of modified cars are on average 20% less likely to have an accident and make a claim than young drivers in cars with a standard specification.

What are the reasons for this - well there are several:

• Modders are enthusiasts, more knowledgable about cars than their peers
• They love their cars and take special care of them.
• The money spent on their cars is a significant proportion of their income, so they want to protect their investment.
• Modified car owners have also invested a lot of time in their vehicle - the prospect of doing all that work again in the event of a crash is not what they want.
• And in doing the modifications, the owners are getting a good understanding of mechanics, and are more likely to spot any maintenance issues too.

So perhaps, rather than calling for a ban, the AA should start campaigning to make modifications compulsory for young drivers - or more seriously for car maintenance to feature more heavily in the driving test. They should, at least, think before alienating many of the most enthusiastic of the motorists whom they claim to represent.


Good old The AA...


You can always rely on them...

*For that matter don't AA Insurance Services keep their own data on this sort of thing?

The Evolution of the Nissan Skyline

It's all been kicking off over at influx, our online car magazine, where a post on the Nissan Skyline's evolution over the last 52 years.

After someone posted that, in his opinion, the Skyline's raison d'etre was to:

"flatter the below the belt aspirations of all those who might be challenged in that region"

the car's fans have been out in force defending the honour of the car which probably comes closer than any other to being the people's supercar. You can join the debate here, so whether you think the Skyline is the pinnacle of automotive excellence, or agree with Paris, let us know. You can also let us know which generation is your favourite. And if you need Nissan Skyline insurance, give us a call on 08000 83 88 33.

Related articles:

• 78-year old's Nissan Pulsar impounded after AU street race with Skyline (autoblog.com)
• GT-R Wagon? Meh. GT-R El Camino? Epic Win! [El Camino] (jalopnik.com)

BMW Play the Fool

BMW have become renowned in recent years for their annual April Fool's pranks. This year's is a classic. Yesterday saw adverts promoting their 'Magnetic Tow Technology,' the premise being that a strong magnet would 'lock on' to the car ahead and let it drag you along.

As they say "Why burn your fuel, when you can burn someone else's?". Click the picture to view a bigger version:



You can view BMWs archive of classic April Fool's day adverts here. This is where you can find out about previous 'innovations' like the "Canine Repellent Alloy Protection" and "Photo Reflective Aural Transmissions."

Flux Gives Lemon Zest

At the beginning of January Peter Lemon, a Norfolk businessman, trekked to the South Pole to raise money for charity. Peter trekked from 89 degrees south to 90 degrees and the Geographic South Pole, around 60 miles. The conditions were very unforgiving and he had much to contend with, 24 hour daylight, the constant threat of frostbite and temperatures around -30°C and with wind chill getting down to -50°C.

Although having spent three weeks camping on the ice, Pete has returned with all his fingers and toes although was missing part of his nose for a short while, we're sure it was worth it though having raised nearly £20,000 for the Prince's Trust. Having been Chairman for the local fundraising group of the Prince's Trust, Peter has helped many young people who have struggled at school, have been in care, are long-term unemployed or have been in trouble with the law. This could well be Pete's last adventure after having also tackled the New York Marathon and Mount Kilimanjaro, both also to raise money for the Prince's Trust.

Peter lives just down the road from Adrian Flux and took a Flux Flag to wave high at the pole.

Geneva Fever

Going on at the moment is the 79th annual Geneva Motor Show. Here are some of the cars that have stood out to me:

Aston Martin Lagonda concept
Aston have revived the Lagonda brand, one of the oldest names in luxury car manufacturing. The Lagonda concept is a striking four door luxury car that Aston hopes will increase their global appeal, helping the brand expand into over 100 global markets. Although the Lagonda looks remarkably like a 4x4, there is a sprinkle of Aston magic with familiar styling cues and a meaty V12 engine up front.


Spyker C8 Aileron
The Spyker C8 Aileron is the latest variant of the C8, Spyker have called it their second-generation of cars. The Dutch Supercar uses the same Audi V8 as before, laying down an impressive 400 hp and is now available with automatic transmission. As you can see below the car looks great and has a very unique interior. The Aileron has kept Spyker's signature aviation design theme. As a representation of the second generation of cars, the propeller motif has been replaced with turbines as they were the second-generation of aircraft propulsion.


Citroën DS Inside concept
Now for something that is a bit more affordable, Citroën are also reviving a brand with the new DS Inside concept. The DS name was first used for the iconic stylish premium car in the mid-fifties. The DS model is part of a major rebranding for Citroën, that includes the changing of the corporate logo, the range of the cars, the website and even the showrooms. When the DS Inside is released later in the year, it will be called the DS3 and will be joined by the larger DS4 and DS5.


The new influx site has also covered many of these cars and more, including the green supercars like the Koenigsegg Quant and Frazer-Nash Namir (another brand revival!) as well as the Aston Martin One-77. The One-77 is definitely worth checking out, it has been described by Aston Martin as a 'technical showcase' and has 700 hp, carbonfibre chassis and a handcrafted aluminum body. It also has the small pricetag of 1.2 million pounds!

Flux welcomes Careful PHers

Today marks the start of our brand new tie-up with PistonHeads and we'd like to welcome all the PHers to our pad. We're really pleased to be associated with PistonHeads, and we know that everyone using the site is as car-mad as we are. We've already announced a great introductory offer, where one lucky punter in with a shot to win free car insurance.

But we've got some even more exciting things in store for you over the coming weeks and months, and although I'd love to reveal more, you'll just have to wait.

While you're waiting, you could do worse than check out www.influx.co.uk - our online car magazine, updated daily.

And while I'm here, here's something for the weekend - this is one reason we prefer to insure people who love their cars - they know how to work their handbrake...

Snowed In No More!

This morning I had a very slow and slippery journey to work, probably like many of you. I think I might buy one of these and go cross country for mornings like this one...




Although I think my budget will only stretch to one of these, fun but probably won't get me to work!

Friendly Neighbour

Recently you may have had to painstakingly srape the ice off your car in the morning, but you've got to feel for this guy from a Norwegian advert.....

Bucke Backs Ronaldo

As most of you will know, Ronaldo stacked his Ferrari 599 into a roadside barrier. Here's a before and after of the £200,000 sports car...


Adrian flux have had a bit of publicity from this unfortunate accident. The Guardian focused on the fact Ronnie might have trouble getting a new insurance deal, with Gerry Bucke offering his opinion on the matter. People from AA and Churchill seem very reluctant to insure the Man Utd Winger, with Churchill saying they may not even touch him on a 1.0 L Fiesta. Gerry was the only manager that was prepared to insure him, saying that "anything is possible" and that Flux had already insured a sportsman in his twenties on a McLaren F1.

The quote's have even made it on Bulgarian and Chinese news sites.

This may well have been the scene shortly after the accident.

Unfortunately for Gerry, rumours of the 'Fifa Player of 2008' joining Ipswich in light of these comments have been denied and Real Madrid still remain favourites.

New Fluxbabes Video's

New Fluxbabes video's are now available on Youtube and the Fluxbabes website. If you visit the Fluxbabe Youtube channel at www.youtube/fluxbabe, you will see the new video content from the 2008 and 2009 calendars. The Fluxbabe website, www.fluxbabes.co.uk, has been updated with more video content from past shows and photoshoots.

Here's the video for the 2009 Bikesure calendar, visit www.fluxbabes.co.uk/video to see the rest:

Green Machine

If you saw TopGear a few weeks ago, you will have seen Jeremy Clarkson and James May test two very different cars that use alternatives to petrol. I have found another very different one and although doesn't look it, performance is closer to the Tesla than the Honda.

The Tango is a 2-seater electric sports car that stands at 6 foot tall and because of the tandem seats, is less than a metre wide.

Its length is also slightly larger than the width of an average car, so no more parallel parking. Parking in Tesco is also easier as you can fit four of these in the average parking space.If that wasn't enough because it is narrower than a lot of motorbikes you can weave in and out of traffic jams.

Some concerns might be the safety and stability for such a small and 'lanky' car. It is built with a roll cage so is safe, even at high speeds. Also because of the heavy batteries and low ground clearance, the stability is better than many other sports cars.

For the top model, the average 0-60 mph time is 4 seconds and has a top speed of 135 mph. The top speed and acceleration can be traded off though depending on the gear ratio you choose. There are 10 gear ratios to choose from, ranging from one offering a top speed of 172 mph with slower acceleration to one with a top speed of 100 mph although has phenomenal acceleration. The range is around 80 miles so wont be able to do long distance journeys, but with a 80% charge taking only 10 minutes you can do them with a pit-stop or two.

If you were worried about your electricity costs, the cost of electricity per mile is around 2 pence. To compare a 1.6 l Ford Focus, the cost per mile in petrol is about 9.75 pence. The 1.6 l Ford Focus does 42 mpg and the Tango has an equivalent of nearly 205 mpg.

One famous owner is George Clooney, who swears by it and has also been promoting the car in the press.

If you're interested though the luxury version, the T600, will cost you over sixty grand. The slightly slower T200 that does 0-60 mph in 5 seconds will set you back £24,500, or the T100 that can do it in 7 seconds costs £11,500.

It is also only sold in America at the moment though so you will have to ship one over, but when has saving the planet been easy?!?