Archive for October, 2011

Audi TT owners can save up to 15 per cent on their insurance premium after owning their vehicle for a year thanks to a new policy from specialist broker Adrian Flux.
The new scheme covers everything from the early turbo-charged 1.8 litre cars right up to the latest R5 TFSI and V6 quattros.
The UK’s largest specialist car insurance broker has more than 35 years experience of dealing with performance cars and is committed to helping drivers find the very best deals.
“The Audi TT is a special car and we share the love that owners have for them,” said Gerry Bucke, general manager at Flux and a former TT owner.
“We know that drivers of performance cars take special care of them, which is why we can offer such great insurance deals.
“We share drivers’ passion and enthusiasm for motoring and don’t want them to pay ridiculous amounts to insure their vehicles.”
Extra discounts are also available to members of owners’ clubs and those who agree a fixed mileage limit.
Find out more about Adrian Flux’s Audi TT insurance schemes, or call Flux free on 0800 369 8590.

Audi TT facts:

• The TT was first shown as a concept car at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show
• The car takes its name from the successful motor racing tradition of NSU in the British Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) motorcycle race
• The TT name has also been attributed to the phrase “Technology & Tradition”

BMW enthusiasts can slash their insurance premiums by up to 25 per cent thanks to a new scheme launched by specialist broker Adrian Flux.
The new scheme is designed to cover any model of BMW, from the 1 series to the M5, Z4 and everything in between, old and new.
Optional track day cover for club events can also be included to give owners the chance to legally test their car’s performance.
The biggest discounts apply to members of clubs including the BMW Car Club, BMW Club, BMW Drivers Club, or communities such as the E30 Zone, M3 Cutters and the Alpina Register.
Gerry Bucke, general manager at Adrian Flux, said club members typified the enthusiasm for their cars shared by the country’s largest specialist insurance broker.
“BMW drivers tend to take pride in and look after their cars, and club members obviously take that to the next level with a real passion for their motor,” he added.
“It’s only fair that that’s recognised in their insurance premium, and we’ve negotiated a scheme that gives a far bigger discount to club members than normal to reflect the type of driver we want to insure.
“Many of our staff are club members themselves, so we understand how people feel about their cars and wilk go the extra mile the get the best rates.”
Flux also has schemes for modified and classic BMWs, young drivers and limited mileage policies.
Read more about Adrian Flux’s range of BMW insurance schemes or call free on 0800 369 8590.
Eligible clubs and communities: BMW Car Club, BMW Club, BMW Owners Club, E30 Zone, E36Coupe.com, AlpinaRegister.com, BMWLand, M3 Cutters.

BMW factfile:

• Bob Marley once said that BMW stood for Bob Marley and the Wailers.
• It actually stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke (in English: Bavarian Motor Works)
• The BMW badge takes its colours from the Bavarian flag.
• BMW made motorcycles before car production began in 1928
• The first car was an Austin Seven built under licence
• BMW lost its Eisenach car plant to the Russian sector. Its Munich plant was heavily damaged (with all worthwhile machinery taken as war reparation).
• The company survived making pots and pans, spades and bicycles
• The 3-series was launched in 1975

They were the everyday runabouts and workhorses that littered Britain’s roads during the 70s and 80s.
From the plug-ugly Austin Allegro to the much-derided Skoda Estelle and the popular Vauxhall Viva, you couldn’t drive for more than a few miles without crossing their paths.
But time has not been kind to these cars, with many models on the brink of extinction.
Some might say that’s no bad thing but, despite their questionable styling and build quality, who wouldn’t like to see a few more Hillman Avengers roaming the streets to bring back memories of 70s motoring, when the roads were less congested and petrol cost 70p a gallon?
Here at Adrian Flux Insurance Services, we have a soft spot for these old motors, so we thought we’d flag up five of the most endangered species according to the How Many Left website, which uses Department of Transport data to show how many cars of a particular make and model are left on the UK’s roads. Of this famous five, only one of each remains…or does it? Do you know different?

Austin Allegro 1750SS

It would be unfair to call the Austin Allegro an ugly duckling. Unfair on the duckling, that is, which at least grew into a beautiful swan.
The Allegro was destined to remain the dumpy successor to the pretty, Issigonis-designed Austin 1100/1300 throughout its decade of production.
But though it has been voted the worst and ugliest car ever made, among other insults, and Jeremy Clarkson once famously destroyed one for a laugh, its appalling styling is what gives it its charm, like those somehow ugly-but-cute cats and dogs.
Dubbed the “Flying pig” and “All-aggro” because of its many problems, it was said to be more aerodynamic when driven backwards than forwards, and often came in questionable shades of mustard and beige.
The 1750SS was the sport model in production from 1973 to 1974, and sported a vinyl roof (why was that ever considered “sporty”?), as well as the idiosyncratic quartic (vaguely square) steering wheel.
Despite its problems, the Allegro was the fifth best selling car in the country in 1979, and a total of 642,350 Allegros were manufactured.
Of the SS, just one remains…

Hyundai Stellar 1600L

Ah, the Hyundai Stellar, beloved of taxi drivers everywhere and consequently run into the ground and sent to the scrapheap – though a solitary 1600L survives, somewhere…
This boxy saloon was built on the chassis of the mark V Ford Cortina, and was marketed to would-be Cortina buyers unhappy with the jelly-mould new Sierra.
It was designed by Giorgetto Giugaro, who must have had an off-day and saved his energy for the Saab 9000 and Fiat Uno.
The rear wheel drive Stellar was cheap and reliable with a big boot, and thus attracted the attention of those taxi drivers, who proceeded to rack up the miles and make this workhorse such a rarity today, despite production ending relatively recently in 1992.
But there is another reason it’s so seldom seen today – many Stellars ended up on the banger racing circuit. So if it wasn’t run into the ground around the nation’s cities, it probably ended up a mangled wreck.

Hillman Avenger 1300GT

The Avenger had something of an identity crisis in its 11-year production run, from 1970 to 1981, thanks to its parent company’s ever-changing ownership.
Starting life badged as a Hillman under the Rootes ownership, it became a Chrysler in 1976 before changing to Talbot when Peugeot took over the bankrupt Chrysler Europe.
In the US, it was the Plymouth Cricket, a Sunbeam in Europe and a Dodge in South Africa and South America.
So it’s fair to say that this car was something of a survivor in its heyday, but it’s seldom seen today.
One of the more interesting models was the 1300GT – interesting because not too many were made, it featured twin carburbettors, fantastic go-faster stripes and dustbin lid wheel trims.
So we’d love to know where the one surviving example of this rare beast resides.

Vauxhall Viva 1800L

The Viva name survived three models and 16 years between 1963 and 1979 before it was finally put out to grass at the expense of the Astra.
It was a spectacularly successful motor, selling more than 1.5million units for Vauxhall as the company took its first steps into the small car market since 1936 (though was the 2.3L SL really a small car?).
By the standards of the day, this was a good looking car with heavy American styling cues, particularly the sporty Firenza Coupe, brought out to compete with the Ford Capri.
The letterbox-style speedometer and pronounced bonnet and front bumper humps were nods to the cars American heritage.
The third generation of Viva, the HC, was the UK’s fastest-selling model of all time, and the millionth was driven off the production line by Tory MP John Eden in 1971.
Given the sheer number of these cars produced, we are slightly dubious that just a solitary 1800L survives. But if it does, we hope it’s being well looked after…

Skoda Estelle 105L

Remember the days when everyone knew a Skoda joke? Like how do you double the value of a Skoda? Fill the tank. And what do you call a Skoda with a sun roof? A skip.
The Estelle was the main reason for the jibes, despite consistent class wins in the RAC rallies of the 70s and 80s. Questionable quality control, head gasket and overheating problems were the main reasons for the negative image, but surely nearly 2million owners in the Czech Republic alone couldn’t be wrong…
The Estelle was not an attractive car, but boy was it cheap…leading to more than 120,000 sales in the UK between 1977 and 1990.
A rugged and generally reliable runabout, the Estelle gained a cult following among owners.
But they are becoming an increasingly rare sight on our roads today because their resale value was so low that scrappage and sale back to the Czech Republic became better options for many than the UK secondhand car market.
As a result, prices for good examples today are rising. The proud owner of the one remaining Estelle 105L may well be sitting on a tidy sum…

Something remarkable is happening at a small west Norfolk golf club, and we’re backing them all the way.

Middleton Hall Golf Club is on the brink of winning the largest team amateur golf tournament in the world, having reached the final of the Mail on Sunday Classic competition.

In the process they have seen off 3,000 of the country’s leading clubs to reach the last four, earning their shot at glory in the final at El Rompido, Spain, in November.

And we’re helping them out with a little sponsorship to make sure they look smart on the day.

The team qualified at the UK finals at Worsley Park, in Manchester, where they beat Shrigley Hall on the very last hole.

Middleton will meet Wentworth, who had European Tour star Ross Fisher in their team the last time they reached the finals back in 2000, Scottish champions Blairgowrie and Cranleigh in the November final. Read the full story.

Everyone knows you should never accept lifts from strangers. But no-one ever told us about Timothy and Judith.

Figures released by specialist insurance broker Adrian Flux show that, among its 300,000 policyholders, these two names are the most likely male and female to claim on their car insurance.

In the past five years, 20.7 per cent of Timothys have made a claim, just ahead of Antonio, Julian and Bernard, while Judiths lead the way for the ladies with 30.7 per cent claiming, ahead of Joanna and Clare.

The least likely to claim are those called Megan (15.3 per cent) for the women and Jordan (4.8 per cent) for the men.

Gerry Bucke, general manager at Flux, said it was unlikely that names were directly linked to how often people claimed, and that Timothy and Judith had probably just been unlucky.

“There is nothing to suggest that people called Timothy or Judith are reckless drivers, but they’re probably not the names I’d have expected to see at the top of the list!” he added.

“We rate insurance premiums based on a number of factors, such as where people live, what they drive and their fault claims history, but we’re not quite ready to start charging people more, or less, depending on their name.”

The moral of the story? Always accept lifts from Megan and Jordan. Unless they’re strangers, of course…