Archive for November, 2010

About this time last year, I stumbled across some great artwork. It was Light Graffiti Cars, a really cool one of using light painting to show cars on different backgrounds. It was an original, inventive way of using light painting which got them included in the 10 Masters of Light Painting Photography. The original series featured the Morgan Aero, Ferrari F430 and the Audi R8 among others.

The creators, media entrepreneur Marc Cameron and photographer Mark Brown, are back with Light Graffiti Cars – The Final Chapter! And the latest instalment is arguably better than ever. It features some of the hottest and most talked about cars around at the moment, the Audi R8 Spyder, the Bugatti Veyron SS, the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Lamborghini Gallardo and more. Here are some of the best:

Cameron and Brown have now decided after this, their third and final set, that they’re going to take a break and decide what to do next.

Apparently there’s an interesting chap who lives in Stamford, who has a rather unhealthy obsession with mobility scooters. And rather than pootle around at the normal speeds of up to 8mph, Colin Furze has modified the scooter frames with a 125cc engine from a motocross racer.

As a result he can propel the unorthodox mode of transport to a whopping 71mph, which has earned him a Guinness World Record for his collection.

Colin’s own words, as reported in the Sun, give an insight into the mind of the kind of person who does this kind of thing.

“You hear lots of people complain about scooters going really slowly around supermarkets and blocking the aisles so I thought it would be a laugh to make a really fast one. It takes people by surprise as it looks like the real thing but it’s really noisy when it gets going.”

He continues

“You can’t take your eyes off the road when driving it as any rash steering decisions could make it flip over and the slightest dip or bump in the road makes it drift off course.”

Err… OK, I think I’ll pass on that lift. Anyone wanting to get some mobility scooter insurance for a more conventional model is in luck though, thanks to our sister company, Chartwell Insurance Services.

Read more at the Sun

I don’t know if you have seen, but recently a very bizarre legal battle has been going on in France. The French automaker was being sued because of their new electric supermini, the Renault Zoe. The suit was filed by David Koubbi on behalf of all women in France called Zoe and in particular two girls called Zoe Renault. The families of the two girls fear that if Zoe car became as well known as the Clio, then their children would be in for a lifetime of mockery.

“Can you imagine what little Zoes would have to endure in the playground, and even worse, when they get a little bit older and someone comes up to them in a bar and says, ‘Can I see your airbags?’ or ‘Can I shine your bumper?’,”

David Koubbi, said.

Unfortunately for the two French families, the tribunal rejected a request for an injunction banning the car marque from using the name as they need proof that is would cause “certain, direct and current harm”. Although this may not be the end for the Zoe as Mr Koubbi plans to go further stating that the had just begun, and could potentially go as far as the European Court of Human Rights.

The Zoe is set to hit showroom’s in 2012 and is mainly aimed at women. The zero-emissions car is set to feature a skin hydrating climate control system, a scent diffuser which emits scents, to stimulate or relax drivers depending on their needs and a light therapy system designed in partnership with Philips.

At the weekend I stumbled across a great story on the Sun-Times website, a daily newspaper in Chicago. It’s about a car dealer being arrested in quite a peculiar way.

Police were alerted by a call in the middle of the day saying that a man was naked from the waist down, they then found him half-naked in the passenger seat of his 2006 Bentley trying to cover himself with a jumper. When police asked what he’d been up to, he said that he had just urinated in the alleyway? Officers then spotted a handgun hanging out of the pouch behind the passenger seat, which turned out to have rounds in the magazine.

Eugene Bernshtam, 43, didn’t have a licence for the firearm and has now been held on a $50,000 bond! What more could you want from a story… gun crime, nudity and a luxury car?

And then Park Outside it too.

I have a certain amount of admiration for Hyundai. Having made a name for themselves with cheap and cheerful utilitarian fare like the Accent and the Sonata, they have not rested on their laurels, and, as even more cheap and cheerful rivals, like Kia and Daewoo/Chevrolet have entered the market they have striven to offer something more.

First there was the Hyundai Coupé introduced in 1996, which genuinely surprised a lot of people with its looks and performance. Then came a successful expansion into the burgeoning SUV market, with cars like the Santa Fe.

And in recent times Hyundai have reinvented themselves once more, relaunching almost their entire range, and positioning themselves as a cutting edge blend of technology, style and value. They perhaps still don’t have the cachet they would like, but as each generation of cars improves on the last, even enthusiasts are starting to seriously consider the range.

Their latest vehicle, the ix20 represents another new segment for the Korean company. The ix20 is a supermini-MPV designed to compete with vehicles such as the Honda Jazz, Nissan Note and Renault Modus. Is this the right direction, given that these types of cars tend, in the UK, to be popular with the elderly motorist? Only time will tell. Certainly the advert seems to be pitching it as a family conveyance.

Er.

Hang on a minute.

That’s four spaces you peasant!

You can’t park like that…