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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…

It’s hard to believe as we bask in 80C and glorious sunshine, but it’s nearly winter and it might snow next week…

So it’s clearly time to protect your pride and joy against the worst the winter months can throw at your classic.
We have compiled the definitive 10 top tips to make sure that your classic is thoroughly protected through the least hospitable months of the year.
It might take you a while, but it’ll be worth it when you wheel your motor out again for the first flushes of spring sunshine:

1. The ideal place to store your classic is in a garage with a de-humidifier or corrosion inhibitor in the room. Garages are often damp, which will accelerate the problem of rust. Remember that ventilation is the key to avoiding any build-up of condensation – open the garage doors and windows on fine winter days if you do not have a de-humidifier.
2. Always store your classic car after it’s been cleaned and don’t forget to wash the undercarriage which is where your car is most likely to fall victim to rust. Make sure you wax the bodywork carefully, not forgetting the underside of doors, the bonnet and the boot.
3. Wind down the windows, leaving a 3cm gap to prevent the interior from becoming musty and damp. Chrome fittings can be protected with a layer of chrome polish and leather seats kept supple by wiping down with warm soapy water before applying a generous coat of saddle soap.
4. Drain down the cooling system and, before refilling, flush out the system to remove any sludge which may have built up and be affecting your classic’s efficiency. Refill with a solution of antifreeze.
5. Before your car hibernates for the winter, make sure you change your oil and oil filter, which will protect the internal parts of your engine against the hydro-carbons and contaminates that can lurk in old oil. Similarly, fill your fuel tank up before the winter – it will help to prevent moisture from condensing inside the tank and, as an added bonus, you’ll avoid the inevitable petrol price hikes and be ready to hit the road in the spring.
6. Remove the battery and keep it on a permanent trickle charge, or alternatively charge it in the normal way once a week. Store the battery at as close to room temperature as possible and off the floor so that it doesn’t discharge.
7. Remove the car’s bulbs and cover the contacts in a protective layer of petroleum jelly to prevent oxidization and soak all the locks and hinges with a spray lubricant to stop them seizing through lack of use.
8. Ensure you leave the handbrake off to prevent the brakes from seizing. Inevitably, rust will build up on the drums, but you can prevent this from becoming a problem by spinning the wheels occasionally.
9. If you use a car cover, ensure you place it on the car when it is clean and dry to protect it against scratches, dirt and dust and never cover your car with plastic or a tarpaulin. These will trap moisture and cause the paint to bubble and rust to form. You can use soft blocks to raise the cover off the car itself as a precaution.
10. Protect yourself and your car – even though you may not be using your classic, don’t let the insurance and MOT expire, especially the former as any problem with the vehicle, such as theft or fire, could leave you unprotected. And if your car is texed for 12 months, it’s a legal requirement to keep it fully insured all year round.

Just like the type of car you drive can reveal clues to your personality, you can tell a lot about an insurance broker from the types of car it covers the most.
The Insider’s View blog recently posted a list of the 10 most popular cars quoted for in the UK, across the insurance industry as a whole.
Unsurprisingly the top 10 is dominated by family-friendly Fords and Vauxhalls, with a Peugeot 206, Fiat Punto and Nissan Micra thrown in for good measure.
Three different models of the Ford Focus, none especially sporty, occupy first, fifth and eighth, while its little brother, the Ka, is second.
So far, so predictable, and so dull.
But for specialist broker Adrian Flux, a list of the top 20 cars on the books includes a decent smattering of vehicles in keeping with its bold outlook.
Way out in front is the VW Golf, with a fair percentage of those the sporty GTi and VR6 models.

The new VW Golf GTi

OK, the mundane Fords Focus and Fiesta, and Vauxhalls Astra and Corsa fill four of the next five places (but then there are a lot of those about)…and then it starts to get interesting.
The Landrover Discovery, like the Golf nowhere to be seen in the nation’s top 10, sits at four in Flux’s chart, with the VW Transporter just ahead of the Landrover 90 and the comparatively niche Mitsubishi Pajero 4×4 a healthy 12th.
The Beetle, Mini Cooper, variations of VW camper van, Landrover 88 and various incarnations of the Ford Escort round off an eclectic list of headline names concealing a wide array of standard, classic or modified motors.

George Harrison's Mini Cooper

Gerry Bucke, general manager at Flux, said if every broker published its top 20 insured vehicles it would give a pretty accurate indication of where you could get the best rates for different types of motor.
“The most popular cars are always going to come out near the top, for obvious reasons, but our top 20 shows that we’ve got some good rates for niche, or enthusiast, vehicles,” he added.
“Many of the mainstream brokers will have a portfolio dominated by pretty standard vehicles, but high on our list, albeit just outside our top 20, is the Subaru Impreza, BMW M3, the Mazda Eunos import, Porsche 911 and MGB.
“I guess if Flux was a car it would be something like a slightly modified Range Rover sport, compared to the mainstream brokers’ Ford Mondeos.”

Range Rover Sport

National top 10

Flux top 20

Here at Flux, we believe in supporting local charities, and when we heard about Nikki Scott’s dreams of providing holidays for the children of fallen soldiers we wanted to help.
So we donated £2,500 to her charity, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which Nikki set up a year ago this month following the death of her husband Lee, who was tragically killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand in July 2009
Our colleagues at Norwich-based Uninsured Loss Recovery chipped in another £1,000 to push the total raised to more than £70,000 of the £450,000 needed to buy, furnish and equip three holiday homes.

Nikki Scott with Brooke (left) and Kai (right), flanked by Simon Toop (left) and Sharon Nurse (right)

Corporal Lee Scott of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, who was born in Ely and grew up in King’s Lynn, was just 26 when he died.
To honour her husband, and the father of her two children, Kai, seven and Brooke, two, Nikki’s charity offers special days out and birthday and Christmas gifts for children who have lost a parent in the armed forces.
Buying the three holiday homes in different seaside resorts across the country would give families suffering with loss a revitalising break.
“I want to make Lee proud of me,” said Nikki, who lives in Walpole St Andrew, near Wisbech.
“I can hear him saying to me all the time: ‘Come on Nik, you can do it’. I hope that all the fallen heroes will look down and see the people helping their kids and be really proud.”
The charity has already put smiles on the faces of 24 children, ranging in age from one to 14, who have all received a backpack stuffed with goodies and are eligible for special days out.
“We sent two girls to see JLS and meet them backstage – it’s really nice to know that people care and the kids get treated so well,” she said.
“When we receive donations such as this one, personally – as a widow – it really touches me because I know the money will really help the children, helping us towards our holiday home target and in providing gifts and days out.
“More than 200 children have lost a parent in Afghanistan alone. I want Scotty’s Little Soldiers to be a positive charity; fun and bright and making the kids smile, because Lee was always playing with the kids and having fun with them.”
Simon Toop, claims manager at Adrian Flux, said: “No one can fail to be touched by the fact that Nikki has turned a terrible tragedy into something wonderfully positive which will touch hundreds of children’s lives. It is a privilege to help Nikki towards her goals.”
Sharon Nurse, operations director for ULR, added: “Through Nikki Scott’s heartbreaking tragedy she has been strong enough to create this amazing charity. We were delighted to have the opportunity to contribute and we wish Nikki and her team the very best of luck.”
Later this month, the charity will move into an office in King’s Lynn, and Nikki is looking for people to donate office equipment, including computers, printers and photocopiers. The charity is also keen to hear from volunteers willing to donate their time. Latest info can be found at  facebook.com/scottyslittlesoldiers or Twitter @CorporalScotty.

Here at Flux, we sponsor a range of competitors, from saloon car racers to sand racers, and karting prodigies to classic car racers, but perhaps none as inspirational as Paralympic cyclist Jody Cundy.

Tonight (August 5) at 7.30pm, C4 will screen a documentary about the main dubbed the “Terminator of the track”.

We chatted to Jody on a recent visit to King’s Lynn about his career and his hopes for the future.

It wasn’t the most auspicious start to Jody Cundy’s life as a top class cyclist.
Having switched to the velodrome from a medal-laden career in the swimming pool, his first, faltering seconds as a world championship cyclist in the Swiss town of Aigle did not bode well for a successful transition.
To the amusement of some in the stands, Cundy failed to leave the gate for the 1km time trial (kilo), clattering to the floor in an untidy heap.

Jody at the UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships Montichiari (c) Christina Kelkel

But within a couple of minutes, the triple Paralympic champion in the pool had silenced the doubters, and stamped his mark on a sport he would go on to dominate for years to come.

“Luckily you get two chances to start,” he said. “In the second start I got up and running and broke the world record. All the people who were laughing at me because of the fall shut up pretty quickly!
“I was the first one to race so I had to watch everyone else try to beat my time. It was my most nerve-wracking time as an athlete.”
That was in 2006, since when Cundy has racked up eight more world and Paralympic golds on the track and holds three world records.
Now, sitting in the board room at sponsor Adrian Flux Insurance, the 32-year-old from Wisbech is dreaming of the ultimate thrill of garnering further gold in his home games in 2012.
“London is going to be extra special,” he said. “To make an Olympics or Paralympics is the ultimate, and to win a gold medal and stand on top of the podium would be unbelievable in front of your family and friends who have travelled the world following you.
“To be in the prime of your career and fighting for medals in front of your home crowd – it’s going to be unbelievable.”

Cundy, who was awarded an MBE in 2009, was born with a deformed right foot which was amputated at the age of three.
It was never going to hold him back.
“I don’t know any different to running around with an artificial leg,” he said. “At school I did pretty much every sport going and I always tried to be as good as everyone else – there was a lot of that when I was growing up, that determination to prove myself.”
It seems that sticky starts are a Cundy speciality, with his first swimming lesson, at the age of five, resulting in a fully-clothed parent rescuing him from the bottom of the pool.
Things quickly improved, however, and he was swimming for the King’s Lynn club at 10, and made his international debut six years later, representing Great Britain at the world swimming championships.
A decade of glory followed, with 14 international gold medals among 23 overall, before a chance ride on the boards at Newport Velodrome changed his sporting life.
“I went to Swansea to train at the high performance centre and had a go in the velodrome, where I was spotted by one of the British cycling coaches who said I had a bit of talent,” said Cundy, with typical modesty.
“I pursued it a bit more and entered the national championships at the end of 2005. It was only the third time I had been on the track and in the first race I broke the British record so I thought maybe I was OK at this.
“I was still swimming six days a week then doing training to learn how to ride the track properly. The coach had been sending my times to the team manager and he called me to say that I was going faster than the person they had in the squad. He offered me a trial to compete in the World Champs in 2006 and I beat the guy in the trial. I was offered a place on the GB team two days later.
“I was towards the end of my swimming career and had suffered a few injuries, so it was not a hard decision to make to retire from swimming and take up cycling.”
And that debut world record proved that it was the right decision; Cundy was to become a better cyclist than he ever was a swimmer.

Jody handing over a signed canvas to Gerry Bucke on a visit to sponsor Adrian Flux

And, as part of the all-conquering British cycling team training in Manchester, Cundy is in exalted company.
“When I train on the track, in most sessions I’m on with people like Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton. It’s just unreal – you see them on TV, you know how fast they are and there you are a few centimetres away from their back wheel and it’s hugely inspiring,” he said.
They must be equally inspired by his presence?
“I would like to think so. Being there in training everybody is chasing Chris because he’s top dog. All the guys underneath Chris chase him, and all the academy guys are chasing those guys. I am at about the same level as those academy guys, and there’s a really progressive competition pushing everybody forward at the same time.

“The top guys are always looking to find an extra 0.1 of a second, always competing against each other. To have that kind of competition in-house is brilliant and to witness and feel like you are part of it really does in

spire you to do bigger and better things.
“It’s one of the only places in the world where you’ve got a training set up with so many Olympic and World Champions at the same time.”
As well as defending his kilo and team sprint titles, earned in Beijing, next summer, Cundy could also take in the track pursuit and two road events.
“Road racing is a new area of cycling for me, and it’s completely different with 30 or 40 other riders all on the course using different tactics and the tight corners. It’s a new area for me. Some guys who I can beat on the track can go faster than me on the road. I’ve got a lot to learn,“ he said, on the back of two top 10 finishes in Sydney Road World Cup in his first competitive road races.
“If there’s an outside chance of me getting a medal they will enter me in the road race and the time trial.”
And after London, what then?
“My girlfriend’s getting really annoyed because I won’t give her an answer about that,” he said. “The truth is I don’t really know. As long as I’m still improving my cycling I will definitely be continuing after London. If I was fortunate enough to win there it would be the perfect place to sign off but if I can give the sport more I will keep going until there’s a natural time when I can call it quits.
“Eventually, coaching the development of the sport is an option, as long as I can take the advice on board and pass it to the next generation.”
But for now, the fastest Paralympic cyclist in history has his sights set on London, and gold.

• Adrian Flux Insurance provides Jody with car insurance. The broker has a range of schemes for disabled drivers under its Chartwell Insurance brand.
• For more background information about Jody, see his website.