Archive for June, 2012

With 2012 being a European Championship summer, Adrian Flux Insurance Services brings you four of the most special cars to be brought to us by some of the favourites.

Ferrari Enzo. Brought to us by Italy, whose only success in the Euros came in 1968, but who are nonetheless perennial favourites. The Ferrari Enzo Italian supercar is built using F1 technology. Only 400 Enzo’s were ever built. The V12 engine produces a staggering 660 bhp, reaching 60mph in just 3.4 seconds.

Bugatti Veyron. France, winners in 1984 and at Euro 2000, are renowned for producing cars with va-va-voom. The Bugatti Veyron is no exception. The Veyron is produced in Alsace, France and named after the French racing driver Pierre Veyron. Described by Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson as “utterly, stunningly, mind-blowingly, jaw-droppingly brilliant”, the Veyron was also named ‘Car of The Decade’ (2000-2009) by BBC’s Top Gear. With 1000bhp, a top speed of 253mph and 0-60 in 2.5sec………. Need we say more?

Benz Patent Motorwagen. European Championship winners in 1972, 1980 and 1996, Germany produced what is widely regarded as the first ever automobile. Built in 1885, the Benz Patent Motorwagen was a three-wheeled automobile with a rear-mounted, two-stroke piston engine.

Mini. England have never lifted the European Championship trophy, but were beaten semi-finalists in 1996, the same year we hosted the tournament. The original Mini is an iconic English car and was voted the second most influential, international Car of the 20th Century.

Dave Wilson on Google+

Very few dads don’t have at least some love of cars and it’s often difficult to separate a man from his motor. Father’s Day is the ideal time to treat the petrol-head pop in your life with a car related gift. Here are some ideas for motor-related gifts to bring a smile to your dad’s face this Sunday.

Gifts for under £20

1)     A personalised notebook is perfect for reminding your dad that you care and is a practical gift too. Handy for home and office, this notebook can be tailored to suit. With a number of dream cars to choose from on the cover just find his favourite and personalise the number plate with his name, nickname or even a short message.

2)     If you don’t mind his dancing, but think his CD co

llection could do with updating, why not opt for some driving music. There is a vast array of driving compilation CDs on the market designed to make even the longest or most boring journeys more interesting, like the latest Top Gear double CD Full Throttle, featuring favourites past and present.

3)     Why not combine your Father’s love of cars and fine wines by giving him a gear stick bottle stopper. This stylish bottle stopper fits all wine and port bottle sizes and makes a lovely present accompanied by his favourite tipple. Obviously this product is not intended for use while driving…

£20 and over

4)     If you’ve more money to spend, a track day gives dad a once in a lifetime experience and memories too. Ranging from stock car racing to supercar track days, or even stunt driving, there is sure to be a day perfect for your special dad. He can even drag the family along to watch. Make sure you take a camera to capture those treasured moments.

5)     If your dad likes to plan his own route rather than stick to the track, then classic car or sports car hire may be right up his street. There are companies across the country and loads of cars to choose from, your dad could spend the day cruising around in the car he’s always dreamed of driving.

£Free!

If those ideas don’t tickle your fancy or finances are tight, you could always give your dad’s car a good clean, or, if you’re feeling lazy, car cleaning vouchers to be redeemed in the future. If your dad is of the tinkering persuasion you could volunteer a days labour giving his car some TLC – I can’t think of a better way to spend some quality time together.

Dave Wilson on Google+

Both front wheels are airborne as the Daddy Cool dragster, sponsored by Adrian Flux, burns rubber at the Shakespeare County Raceway last weekend.
Dave Southworth’s best run of the weekend in the Wild Bunch group was a victory against a 7-litre Pontiac powered “Dorset Horn” Austin A35. Dave ran a 9.611 second pass and had “dialled in” a 9.600 second target for this race, so he was just  11 thousandths of a second off his target time, ending up second best in the group of more than 20 Wild Bunch cars.
There are just five weeks to go until Notts Americana, where Drag Biker Martin Holgate will again be alongside the Daddy Cool display stand with his American Ford camper van and his enormous (and very loud) V-Rod supercharged Harley Davidson bike…whch produces an ear-splitting sound to the delight of the crowds!

They may represent our motoring future, but only two per cent of people are likely to buy an electric vehicle (EV) in the next five years according to a new survey.
Despite Department of Transport claims that 2011 would be ‘the year of the electric car’ – offering hefty subsidies and advising councils to plan for an electric future – just 1,000 of the battery-powered vehicles were sold in the UK last year.
And when specialist car insurance broker Adrian Flux asked 1,000 of its customers how likely they were to buy an EV in the next five years, just two per cent were seriously considering swapping the petrol pump for the charging point.
Nearly 70 per cent ruled out a switch entirely, with the remaining 28 per cent firmly in the wait and see camp.
While most of us agree that petrol and diesel-powered cars are unsustainable in the long term, it seems few of us are prepared to buy a car we feel has a high purchase price, limited range, long recharge times and questionable resale value.
However, the electric revolution is still charging forward despite the lukewarm appetite of the British people.
Last month, 60 charging points were opened in Oxford, making the city the EV capital of Europe with one charging point for every 2,400 people, the best ratio in the EU.
London has 654 charging points – the most in Europe – and British cities dominate the top 10 list of electric-friendly locations in the continent.
New charging stations will recharge an electric car battery in four hours, slashing previous charging times by 50 per cent, and future charging points could cut this time to just 20 minutes.
There will also be almost 30 new models of electric or hybrid car brought to market in the next 18 months, with BMW preparing to launch its first “all electric” cars, the i3 and the i8, Ford unveiling the Focus Electric and Vauxhall premiering the Ampera, which has a small petrol-fuelled generator that extends the range of the car to 360 miles.
Expense is still an issue, however, even with the £5,000 government grants available for electric car buyers – the Ampera will cost £29,995, but drivers will benefit from considerably lower running costs.
Industry figures suggest that by 2020, five per cent of vehicles on the road could be electric.
Gerry Bucke, of Adrian Flux Insurance Services, explained that people’s reluctance to switch to electric cars was often related to the perceived “hassle” of owning a vehicle which relied on charging.
“People are worried that they can’t just ‘drive and go’ and that they will have to plan ahead depending on how far they plan to travel each day and the ‘range’ of their car,” he said.
“Presently, a domestic charge at 240 volts on a 13 amp socket could take between six and 10 hours to fully charge an electric car, although this will change significantly as technology improves.
“Although the majority of people’s car journeys are short, they still want to know that – if they choose – they could travel long distances in their car without having to worry about finding a charging station.
“There are options available, such as range-extended electric cars with petrol or diesel generators to provide extra electricity and hybrid cars which recover energy from the movement and braking of the car.
“In insurance terms, insurers still have reservations about electric cars mainly based on their cost and the disposal of the batteries, which can push up premiums.”

We are often asked what is really meant by agreed value insurance, so we’ve put together below a list of the most commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave a comment if there’s anything else you’d like to know.

How do I assess my car’s value?
If you’ve owned your car for some time, its value is likely to have changed since you bought it – for better or worse! There are various ways to check out your car’s value, including:

• Price guides carried in classic car magazines
• Online price guides
• Checking out the prices advertised for similar cars in classified adverts
• Getting a valuation from a classic car special

How do I agree its value with my insurer?
Different brokers and insurers may have different processes for submitting the valuation, but at Adrian Flux customers are simply required (in most cases) to complete a valuation form, submit seven photographs (front, back, each side, interior, engine bay, mileage reading and one including the registration number) and pay a fee of £15.

Can I change its value once my insurance has started?
Most insurers require re-certification every two years, from their point of view to ensure the car hasn’t deteriorated or depreciated in the previous two years. But, with some sectors of the classic car market showing sustained increases in values, it’s also in your interests to keep a sharp eye on the value of your car.
According to the Historic Automobile Group International, some sectors increased in value by 20 per cent in 2011, while its index of key collectable classics has increased by a compound average of 12 per cent a year for the past 30 years. So it pays to update your value at every renewal if you’re fortunate enough to own an appreciating classic.
You can also update your value at any point during your policy’s term, but you will need to supply new photographs, vehicle declaration and payment of the fee.

Can I include the cost of restoration in my car’s value?
No. In the same way that some cars are written off following damage because the repairs would cost more than the value of the car, some cars will almost certainly cost more to restore than they are ultimately worth.
Similarly you can pour hundreds of hours into doing the restoration yourself, but you’ll need to think of that as a labour of love rather than accounting for your time in the ultimate value of your car.

Is my value guaranteed in the event of a claim?
Good question. In theory, yes, and this will be the case in the majority of cases. After all, to give it its technical definition, “agreed value is an insurance contract under which the insurer agrees to pay the insured a stated amount in the event of the total loss of the property insured without any adjustment for depreciation or appreciation”.
However, in the event of a total loss – or possible total loss – insurers will want to inspect the vehicle to ensure that its condition at the time of the accident remains in keeping with that at the time of its agreed valuation.
If the car has clearly deteriorated (other than its obvious damage!) then the insurer is likely to offer the current market value.