18/06/2012
You can sell me a patriotic MINI anyday
Now I’m a bit of an Olympic cheerleader. Yes, I managed to get tickets – one night of athletics and a day of paralympic equestrianism – and I have purchased a total of five official 2012 pin badges (one for each member of my family and a spare for me in neutral tones to mix and match with whatever I am wearing).
I have also bought, as gifts mostly, two Olympic posters, a blue Union Jack Olympic towel, a Mandeville plush toy (the Paralympic mascot), a team GB lion-head mug and a car sticker. As you can probably tell, I am ever-so-slightly enthused by the prospect of the forthcoming games.
In fact, when it comes to all things Olympian, I am a bit of a fan – except… when it comes to Daley Thompson’s acting skills. Don’t get me wrong any man who can whistle his way through his country’s national anthem and still get a job promoting MINI/Olympics is okay by me – especially as his feats in the decathlon are legendary – but, and I pause to bow here and apologise profusely to Mr Daley, somebody should have told the former giant in multi-eventing to “STEP AWAY FROM THE MINI FILM SCRIPT!”
I am in fact talking about MINI’s promotional video, nattily nicknamed “The Britalian Job”, in which three gold medal-winning GB Olympians drive three MINIs, in red, white and blue of course, through the streets of London.
The plot involves Daley Thompson in his underground lair overseeing three drivers, James Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent and Jonathan Edwards (but not really them) in their pursuit of Jodie Kidd (errr, why???) who has stolen the nation’s gold medals.
Following some clever stunts and funny scenes, the culmination of the video comes as the three MINIs go spectacularly airborne in front of the Olympic Stadium just in time to corner the thief and retrieve the loot.
I have to say, I loved the video – I love any homage to the original film (the 1969 version, not the 2003 shameless remake) and it appears that you could sell me just about anything at the moment as long as it is painted red, white and blue.
Patriotic MINIs, Olympians and London by night – combine all that with car driving stunts and a glimpse of Olympic park, and for me you have the perfect combination. But, for my son, hmmmm…not so much. I must be getting old.
I have also bought, as gifts mostly, two Olympic posters, a blue Union Jack Olympic towel, a Mandeville plush toy (the Paralympic mascot), a team GB lion-head mug and a car sticker. As you can probably tell, I am ever-so-slightly enthused by the prospect of the forthcoming games.
In fact, when it comes to all things Olympian, I am a bit of a fan – except… when it comes to Daley Thompson’s acting skills. Don’t get me wrong any man who can whistle his way through his country’s national anthem and still get a job promoting MINI/Olympics is okay by me – especially as his feats in the decathlon are legendary – but, and I pause to bow here and apologise profusely to Mr Daley, somebody should have told the former giant in multi-eventing to “STEP AWAY FROM THE MINI FILM SCRIPT!”
I am in fact talking about MINI’s promotional video, nattily nicknamed “The Britalian Job”, in which three gold medal-winning GB Olympians drive three MINIs, in red, white and blue of course, through the streets of London.
The plot involves Daley Thompson in his underground lair overseeing three drivers, James Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent and Jonathan Edwards (but not really them) in their pursuit of Jodie Kidd (errr, why???) who has stolen the nation’s gold medals.
Following some clever stunts and funny scenes, the culmination of the video comes as the three MINIs go spectacularly airborne in front of the Olympic Stadium just in time to corner the thief and retrieve the loot.
I have to say, I loved the video – I love any homage to the original film (the 1969 version, not the 2003 shameless remake) and it appears that you could sell me just about anything at the moment as long as it is painted red, white and blue.
Patriotic MINIs, Olympians and London by night – combine all that with car driving stunts and a glimpse of Olympic park, and for me you have the perfect combination. But, for my son, hmmmm…not so much. I must be getting old.
Labels: car driving, mini, stunts, The Britalian Job
06/06/2012
A gold medal for British drivers!
The Queen’s impending Diamond Jubilee celebrations together with the countdown to the London 2012 Olympics seem to be having a real impact on all of us, including the British motorist.
And while you can be sure that there’ll be a fair amount of enthusiastic flag waving taking place over the summer, there are other ways we’ll be showing our patriotism.
Perhaps surprisingly, given the economic austerity we all find ourselves in, more than two-thirds of drivers intend to purchase a car over the next six month – and, most surprisingly, 58% of these say that the vehicle they buy will be British.
And while around half of these drivers that they will do it out of a conscious desire to boost the UK economy, nearly as many say that they will do it out of a pride in our British heritage.
It’s great to hear that people are thinking outside of a purely individualist mentality and looking to, by their actions, bolster Britain.
And while not everyone may be able to afford iconic British vehicles such as the Range Rover, Aston Martin or Jaguar, many of us may still be able to invest in brands such as Mini and Vauxhall.
Here’s a gold medal for effort!
And while you can be sure that there’ll be a fair amount of enthusiastic flag waving taking place over the summer, there are other ways we’ll be showing our patriotism.Perhaps surprisingly, given the economic austerity we all find ourselves in, more than two-thirds of drivers intend to purchase a car over the next six month – and, most surprisingly, 58% of these say that the vehicle they buy will be British.
And while around half of these drivers that they will do it out of a conscious desire to boost the UK economy, nearly as many say that they will do it out of a pride in our British heritage.
It’s great to hear that people are thinking outside of a purely individualist mentality and looking to, by their actions, bolster Britain.
And while not everyone may be able to afford iconic British vehicles such as the Range Rover, Aston Martin or Jaguar, many of us may still be able to invest in brands such as Mini and Vauxhall.
Here’s a gold medal for effort!
Photo © foshie via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: Aston Martin, British, drivers, Jaguar, mini, Range Rover, Vauxhall, vehicles
28/05/2012
Britain producing cars again, but they don’t come cheap
Against the background of the Eurozone economic crisis, surging unemployment and rising car insurance costs, it is good to hear some positive economic news, however short-lived it might prove to be.
It was recently revealed that Britain was at last a net exporter in cars and car parts for the first time since 1976. Although Britain’s once mighty automotive industry might nowadays be in the hands of foreign owners, at least we’re busy producing vehicles and parts and sending them off to Russia, America and the emerging economies of China and India.
What do Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar, Range Rover, Lotus, McLaren, MG, Mini, Rolls Royce, Vauxhall, as well as the less British seeming names of Honda and Toyota have in common? They’re all building cars in Britain, bringing jobs as well as pride and status back to the British manufacturing sector.
Another thing that strikes me about the list is that, generally, these are not cheap cars. Compared to the average family vehicle, these are high-end models that come at a real premium both in the showroom and when it comes to buying car insurance, which, in the main, is a positive I guess.
When manufacturers look for a really first-class product, it seems they know they can rely on Britain to produce them. The only question that remains is, will our economy bounce back in such a way as to give the average Briton a good shot at buying one?
It was recently revealed that Britain was at last a net exporter in cars and car parts for the first time since 1976. Although Britain’s once mighty automotive industry might nowadays be in the hands of foreign owners, at least we’re busy producing vehicles and parts and sending them off to Russia, America and the emerging economies of China and India.What do Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar, Range Rover, Lotus, McLaren, MG, Mini, Rolls Royce, Vauxhall, as well as the less British seeming names of Honda and Toyota have in common? They’re all building cars in Britain, bringing jobs as well as pride and status back to the British manufacturing sector.
Another thing that strikes me about the list is that, generally, these are not cheap cars. Compared to the average family vehicle, these are high-end models that come at a real premium both in the showroom and when it comes to buying car insurance, which, in the main, is a positive I guess.
When manufacturers look for a really first-class product, it seems they know they can rely on Britain to produce them. The only question that remains is, will our economy bounce back in such a way as to give the average Briton a good shot at buying one?
Photo © sports-cars.fr via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: Aston Martin, car insurance, cheap, compared, Honda, Jaguar, mini, Range Rover, Toyota, Vauxhall, vehicle
21/05/2012
Sea Lion, the amphibious car
A man who set about building a racy amphibious car in 2006, has finally finished it and is putting it up for sale.
The futuristic-looking vehicle, which has been built on top of a 174hp Mazda rotary engine, can do 125mph on tarmac and 60mph in water (that’s on top of it like a boat, not under it like a sub).
The Sea Lion, as it has been lovingly named by its creator, is being sold for $259,500 – about £163,355 – and I don’t know how much it will cost to insure.
I can imagine a car insurance company would look at this vehicle and just see ‘very high risk car’ written all over it. Not only is there a risk that it will crash on the roads, but there’s the added risk of it crashing into a boat or sinking.
Would they still sort out maintenance and pick-up if you were stranded on open water? I’d like to see a road-side repairs company try their hand at some boating.
Nevertheless, I have no doubt that the car has been well built – after all it took six years to make it.
The creator states, “Building Sea Lion has been an enjoyable exploration. I have provided the basic architecture for the car and resolved every conflicting interaction between car and boat.”
I’d love to have a car-boat, but this model’s a bit too speedy-looking for me. When an amphibious mini or VW camper comes along, I’ll be buying it no matter the cost.
The futuristic-looking vehicle, which has been built on top of a 174hp Mazda rotary engine, can do 125mph on tarmac and 60mph in water (that’s on top of it like a boat, not under it like a sub).
The Sea Lion, as it has been lovingly named by its creator, is being sold for $259,500 – about £163,355 – and I don’t know how much it will cost to insure.I can imagine a car insurance company would look at this vehicle and just see ‘very high risk car’ written all over it. Not only is there a risk that it will crash on the roads, but there’s the added risk of it crashing into a boat or sinking.
Would they still sort out maintenance and pick-up if you were stranded on open water? I’d like to see a road-side repairs company try their hand at some boating.
Nevertheless, I have no doubt that the car has been well built – after all it took six years to make it.
The creator states, “Building Sea Lion has been an enjoyable exploration. I have provided the basic architecture for the car and resolved every conflicting interaction between car and boat.”
I’d love to have a car-boat, but this model’s a bit too speedy-looking for me. When an amphibious mini or VW camper comes along, I’ll be buying it no matter the cost.
Photo © sly06 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: amphibious car, boat, car insurance, crash, insure, Mazda, mini, road-side repair, rotary engine, Sea Lion, tarmac, vehicle, VW camper, water
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