Road - Budget News

According to the Chancellor today, next year's 2p/litre fuel duty price rise has been cancelled and the Vehicle Excise Duty, paper tax disc system, will become electronic from 2014. So no more paper discs stuck inside the windscreen or bolted to the side of bikes.

Road - A9 Speed limits

Keith Brown MSP, the Minister for Transport and Veterans, stated today that he will implement a 50 mph HGV speed limit trial on the single carriageway sections of the A9 between Perth and Inverness. The trial will run for three years.

Currently the limit is 40 mph for vehicles over 7.5t GVW, which has led to claims that this causes ‘bunching’ and frustration to following drivers, most of whom will be unaware that HGVs are restricted to 40 on stretches of the road.

But here’s the thing. Mr Brown said that the trial will be introduced at the same time as the Average Speed Cameras are introduced, as recommended by the A9 Safety Group.

The first of the cameras are expected to be introduced early next year and be fully operational by the Summer.

The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away!

Road - French love affair

The French get a lot of stick from us about design, but when they get things right, they usually triumph. 

For instance, in 1898 Frank Hornby invented Meccano, to the delight of British boys of all ages, but 9 years earlier France erected the Eiffel Tower. Same idea, just different scale.

It’s the same with the Citroen C4 Picasso which I handed back to Citroen just the other day. There were mixed emotions, most of them favourable. The car had a lot going for it, but at one point I could happily have set Basil Fawlty loose on it with his tree branch. 

So what drove such a meek, mild and kindly gent like myself to such extreme and evil thoughts?

Full report here:

http://www.jaggybunnet.co.uk/car-reviews/05-dec-citroen-c4-picasso/

And as for this week’s car, from French flair to Teutonic efficiency? We’ll see.

Road - Sacrilege in USA?

A four cylinder engine in a Ford Mustang? Surely Not. Oh yes it is, but fear not there is a V8 in the line-up. For a car which provided the soundtrack to the 60s and 70s, gave the Beach Boys ‘Good Vibrations’ and helped Steve McQueen chase down the baddies, the thought of a four pot doing the business just doesn’t bear thinking about.

 

The first ever Mustang to go directly on sale in Europe in almost 50 years of production was revealed yesterday in Barcelona. Executive Chairman Bill Ford also revealed that it will be just one of 25 new vehicles that Ford will launch in Europe in the next five years.

Ford’s 420 bhp, 5 litre V8 will be joined by an all-new 2.3 litre EcoBoost turbo-four which will pump out a ‘mere’ 305 bhp while delivering “the fuel efficiency and CO₂ emissions demanded by Europe’s car consumers”. Adding further to the onward ‘march of progress’ is an automatic transmission – with paddles. Steve will be turning in his grave!

But having said all that, the new car has brakes and suspension that work, and are not just there as unnecessary trinkets for the chest-beating ‘good ol’boys’ who were happily content with sheer straight line grunt and a parachute to slow them down.

McPherson struts are used at the front and the ‘traditional’ live rear axle has been replaced by an all-new integral-link independent rear suspension set-up. And tucked behind the 19 inch rims are a set of callipers and brake discs that will do the business.

There is no getting away from it, the Mustang is an American icon. More than 9 million have been sold since it was first launched in 1964. In fact, April 17 next year will mark the 50^th anniversary of the introduction of the original Ford Mustang.

The end of an era? Or just the continuation of the revolution?

Rally - LE JOG 2013

Over 60 cars and crews from all over the UK and Europeland have entered this coming weekend’s 20th anniversary LE JOG endurance rally which runs from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Amongst the entries there are a few oddballs including this 1979 VW Iltis entered by a couple of German lassies.

The whole affair kicks off with a black-tie dinner at the Land’s End Hotel on Friday night (7th Dec) before the first test on-site on the Saturday morning as they head northwards towards breakfast in John O’Groats on Tuesday (10th Dec) morning.

So if you want to escape the Christmas shopping, grab the weans and take them for a look at the old cars this weekend. 

Full entry list is printed in the mag along with an outline of the route, but not too much detail as the competitors might use it prior to setting off! Perish the thought. 

http://www.jaggybunnet.co.uk/2013/12/04-dec-le-jog-2013/

Rally - Lady and the Champ

Louise Aitken Walker and Euan Thorburn presented the awards at the conclusion of this year's Brick & Steel Junior 1000 Ecosse Challenge in Glasgow on Saturday. Alex Vassallo was greeted Champion for the second year running.

Full roundup and more pics at:
http://www.jaggybunnet.co.uk/2013/12/03-dec-junior-prize-night/

Rally - 1st event of 2014

Crikey we haven’t even put out the mince pies and carrots for our flying nocturnal visitors on the 24^th yet, never mind stocked up with black bun and coal for Hogmanay, and details of the first rally of 2014 are now available. 

Border Ecosse Car Club will again run their annual automotive hootenanny at Knockhill on Saturday 4^th January 2014. The Entry Fee of £225 sounds quite sensible for a fun-filled, sun-blessed (?) day out at Scotland’s motorised Butlin’s camp.

The first entry has already been received from the new true Blue Scottish Tarmack Champs, Ian and Kathryn Forgan. Entries close on 28^th Dec, but remember and put the anti-freeze in! 

https://www.rallies.info/webentry/2014/knockhill/webentry.php 

Speaking of Knockhill, Honda has revealed Gordon Shedden’s new race car for 2014. Yes, it’s still a  Honda, and it’s still a Civic, but the boy will be driving an estate car. Or as they prefer to call it, a Civic Tourer.

And maybe this is just me being a wee bit cheeky, but Gordon has been married to Jillian for about 8 years now. Might the switch to an estate car herald the imminent arrival of the patter of tiny racing bootees? Which begs the question, can you fit a ‘Weans’R’Us’ baby seat to a roll-cage?

I hardly think so, but such an event would mean that Knockhill could add even more events to its already jam-packed calendar – with the term ‘motorised buggies’ taking on a whole new meaning, never mind ‘skid-pan’ and who knows, they might even have to re-name the ‘Hairpin’ and call it ‘Safety pin’.

Well, that’s me barred for another season!