Car Chute

A popular weekly photo feature in the Otago Daily Times has
led to the Otago Settlers Museum securing a slice of
“motoring” history.

It has made a rare purchase, buying a pedal car used as a
traffic education tool in New Zealand primary schools to add
to its transport collection.

A 1958 Evening Star photograph showing a boy in a pedal car
taking part in a traffic education lesson at Mornington
School was reproduced in January last year as a Saturday
“Within Living Memory” image from the past.

Settlers Museum curator Peter Read said a reader saw the

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Goodwood once again opens its grounds a day early for the Moving Motor Show, a playground where you can sit in and ride shotgun up the hill with some of the newest cars in the commercial arena.

This year as per norm, Lord March has struck his deal with god and the voluptuous clouds are holding the water and providing us photographers with some dramatic imagery.

Festival of Speed always has a remarkable arena of celebrations and this year is no exception. With the ‘by now’ familiar 50th anniversary of the E Type Jaguar, there are some less obvious marques that are also revelling in their longevity of engineering:

The motoring pioneer Mercedes-Benz with 125 Years since the benchmark Benz Tricar appeared in 1886. The Forest Rally stage provides a spectacular for
110 years of the Skoda. For one hundred years of Indianapolis there are over 40 cars which all played a significant part, are displayed together in mini Gasoline Alley. And lastly Chevrolet is celebrating its centenary at various locations throughout the 2011 Festival of Speed.

Here at Goodwood Mercedes have made a very special wall display within their marquee, outlining the key points in their 125 year motoring history. Here is a summary: 29th January 1886 – Carl Benz patented his three wheeled motor car. 1924 – Introduced the 2 seater sports car. 1928 – The birth of the super car. 1936 – The invention of diesel power. 1954 saw the most gorgeous car of all time come into creation: the 300 SL Gullwing. 1959 – The engineering of the first fraction control device. 1973 – Safety is instigated with the 3 point inertia seat belt. “Safety comes first”. 1981 – The airbag. 1984 – Anti lock brakes. 1992 – The Airbag for driver and passenger comes as standard. 2005 – Night view advances. 2009 – Alerts for drowsy drivers.

Over the weekend I am sure I will discover some more celebrations. One thing I know for certain is that the drivers will tell me a thing or two.

Goodwood festival of speed continues through to Sunday 3rd July 2010. By Lara Platman

Worth Checking – Motoring news – Road Tests

This week, Chelmsford Borough Council put in a bid for the town to become a city. If you had to create a city in Essex, where would get your vote?

Poll History

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JAGUAR has thrown down the gauntlet to its German competitors with the most fuel efficient car it has ever built.

And to prove the point, one of the new 2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel XF models was driven from the Castle Bromwich plant, where it was built, to Munich, where the car is being launched to the world’s motoring press, on one tank of fuel.

In fact, there were still a few litres left in the tank when the car arrived after its 816-mile journey, having averaged 57 miles per gallon. Not bad for a car of this size.

In some ways, production of a four-cylinder diesel Jaguar is all the more remarkable as, for years, the British car maker refused to contemplate ever using a diesel engine as it “didn’t match the Jaguar image”. When it finally relented it was a 2.7-litre six-cylinder unit that went into an XF.

Now it’s gone one stage further with a much more compact, four cylinder diesel to address a rapidly expanding market for smaller diesel engines.

The new car, available from September, is expected to account for 43 per cent of all XF sales. It will boost production at Castle Bromwich from the 12,687 XFs built last year to more than 20,000 in 2012.

The introduction of the new engine also heralds a new look XF, both for this smaller diesel and its big brother the 3.0-litre, not to mention the petrol derivatives.

The launch of the original XF early in 2008 marked a sea change in Jaguar design strategy. It finally closed the door on the more traditional Jaguar shape that had evolved over the years in favour of a radical new body, which has proved to be an award-winning best seller.

Now Jaguar design guru Ian Callum has waived his magic wand over the car again and given it an even more striking image.

Effectively the car has an all-new front end. The bold new look features new slim headlights with dramatic LED daylight running light strips sitting either side of the larger, more upright grille. The deeper front bumper sections with three airdams all make the car look much more macho, with far more road presence, as do the new vents set into the front wings.

“We have taken a good looking car and turned the volume up,” was how Andy Whyman, Jaguar’s chief programme engineer, described the design changes.

Inside, too, there have been changes with re-designed seats to give far more support, a re-styled steering wheel and revised switches, not to mention an all-new colour touch screen built into the dashboard.

The launch of the 190 bhp, four-cylinder diesel XF dramatically expands

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The Saudi authorities have stepped in to temper the momentum of Saudi Women for Driving. It is against religious law for women to drive in the Arabian country, a fact of life that Saudi women have now decided to fight. The campaign began earlier this year, headed by Manal al-Sharif, with a video she produced and her taking to the streets behind the wheel of a car, then with a plea to Subaru to stop selling cars in The Kingdom. In early June, 40 Saudi women drove en masse, in an escalation of their efforts, and since then scores more have driven through the capital and other cities.

The authorities didn’t respond to those provocations, but they have to this latest one: five women were arrested while driving in the coastal city of Jiddah. There’s been no update on their situation, with another rights activist only able to wonder, “We aren’t sure what it means at this point and whether this is the start of a harder line by the government against the campaign.”

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Our long-term 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI started its year-long journey with us last month and spent the most amount of days in June under my care, so while I’ve already passed on its keys to a number of other editors, it’s my job to tell you how it fared in its first weeks.

As we mentioned when introducing our long-term Jetta TDI, this 2011 model is vastly different than the 2010 model we had last year. The most noticeable difference is that, unlike the 2010 Jetta and many model years before that, the 2011 doesn’t give a very good first impression. The exterior design is anonymous, the interior feels cheap, and every noise the car makes, of which there are lots, is anything but confidence inspiring.

The new Jetta, particularly when powered by diesel like our long-termer, impresses in ways that take more time to bubble up to the surface. You’re not going to know right away that it can easily clip along at a Prius-smacking 50+ miles per gallon on the highway, like it did for me on the numerous trips from Cleveland, OH to AOL’s offices in Dulles, VA. On my first trip to Dulles with the Jetta TDI, I was so shocked by the trip computer displaying an average of 53.2 mpg that I stopped near the end to fill up and manually calculate the fuel economy. The trip computer turned out to be conservative; I really averaged 53.31 mpg.

Keep your eyes locked on the official Autoblog Facebook page for the majority of our updates, as well as the official Autoblog Twitter account (@therealautoblog, look for the #ablongterm hashtag).

Gallery: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Long-Term

Another thing about the new Jetta that you won’t get right away is just how big it is. On one occasion I was ferrying around myself and my wife and both my parents, who were in the

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Filed under: Motorsports

Tags: chip yates, electric motorcycle, electric motorcycle racing, hill climb, pikes peak, ppihc, uqm

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

V8 Supercars Agrees to Five-Year Deal With Austin’s
Circuit of The Americas™ to Host Championship;
SPEED™ to Broadcast Races

Australia’s Most Popular Motorsports Series Makes Its First U.S. Home in
Austin, Texas

AUSTIN, Texas – June 30, 2011 – V8 Supercars and Circuit of The Americas, along with Texas
Governor Rick Perry and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, announced today a five-year agreement to bring the famous Australian V8 Supercar series to the new Circuit of The Americas beginning in 2013.

“While Texas has established itself as the nation’s place for business, it’s quickly becoming the
nation’s place for big sporting events, as well,” said Governor Rick Perry. “V8 Supercars now joins Formula One, MotoGP, NASCAR, the NFL, NBA, NCAA and USTA, among the many that have chosen Texas to host major events in the last few years. This is more good news for the Lone Star State, and will provide a significant boost to the economy of Central Texas.”
“The addition of V8 Supercars into our lineup at Circuit of The Americas will add to what we
already know will be a rich and exhilarating fan experience,” said Steve Sexton, President of Circuit of The Americas. “We’re thrilled the racing world is so excited about our facility. Austin is poised to become the premiere North American destination for international motorsports. In addition to hosting the 4 wheel and 2 wheel world championships, the United States will now enjoy the world’s best touring car series here in Austin.”

V8 Supercars is among the fastest growing motorsports in the world. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) recently sanctioned it as an international series. The series is enormously popular in Australia and New Zealand and will be making its first entrance into North America at Circuit of The Americas.

V8 Supercars joins the already existing 10-year agreements Circuit of The Americas has to host the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ beginning in 2012 and MotoGP World Championship™
beginning in 2013. This first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the United States is currently under construction in Austin, Texas. Additionally, SPEED™ will televise the two 200-km (124-mile) races live and in full throughout
North and South America.

“I can’t describe how excited we are to bring the V8 Supercars race to such a spectacular facility. With Formula 1 racing, MotoGP and now V8 Supercars, it’s obvious Circuit of The Americas will be a top-notch destination that houses the best racing on earth, and we are thrilled to be a part of it,” said Tony Cochrane, Chairman of V8 Supercars.

“We have expanded V8 Supercars’ geographical influence over the past few years with plans to stage up to six races each year

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PRICING FUEL ECONOMY ANNOUNCED FOR THE ALL-NEW 2012 RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

With an impressive 28 highway MPG**, the Range Rover Evoque is the brand’s most fuel efficient model to date and will arrive in showrooms in Fall 2011 for $43,995*.

MAHWAH, N.J., JUNE 30, 2011- Land Rover revealed today that the all-new 2012 Range Rover Evoque will have a starting price of $43,995* for the five-door, and $44,995* for the coupe. Both prices include Destination and Delivery.

As the lightest and most fuel efficient Range Rover ever, the Range Rover Evoque sends a powerful message that the company is serious about sustainability and is determined to deliver vehicles that are both relevant and highly desirable. The Range Rover Evoque addresses the growing consumer need for more environmentally friendly vehicles.

The Range Rover Evoque achieves 28 MPG** EPA highway and 19 MPG** EPA city. This excellent fuel economy is the result of new efficiency technologies, lightweight materials, and environmentally conscious design.

Weight saving was a primary objective in the development of the Range Rover Evoque, and engineers have applied a range of advanced lightweight materials to make this the lightest Range Rover model ever, with the five-door starting at just 3,680lbs (1,680 kg)***. Weight-saving technologies can be found throughout the bodyshell and chassis of the Range Rover Evoque, including a steel body structure with over 18%*** Boron/high strength steels in key load-bearing areas. Additional features include polymer and composite front fenders and tailgate, an aluminum hood, roof panels, front lower control arms and front/rear suspension knuckles, and a magnesium cross car beam.

As part of the comprehensive effort to minimize the car’s ecological impact, the Range Rover Evoque focuses on the use of more sustainable materials. Each vehicle uses approximately 35lbs (16kg)*** of recycled plastic material. Parts with recycled content include: headliner, center console, wheel arch liners, air cleaner, cooling fan and shroud, air ducting, side under trays, parcel shelf, engine cover and subwoofer box. In addition, the metal interior trim on the center console and dashboard is produced from recycled aluminum. The trim fabric used on the headlining and pillars is produced from recycled polyester.

This vehicle will be sold in 160 countries worldwide with North American deliveries beginning in Fall 2011.
###

* Price shown is MSRP. Includes destination and delivery fee. Excludes taxes, title, license and other local fees. Actual price set by retailer.

** Based on EPA estimate. Actual mileage may vary.

*** Manufacturer estimates

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Goodwood, June 30, 2011: The very best in British designed and
engineered electric high-performance cars are set to feature this week at
the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed FoS-TECH Exhibition, as the first of a
series of public displays this summer by the EEMS Accelerate programme.

EEMS Accelerate is presenting four cars which intend not only to
challenge the general perceptions of electric vehicles, but also aspire to
go that step further, by evoking genuine passion for the future of
sustainable motoring – and for the future of the British motoring
industry.

Led by energy and climate change consultants AEA, the EEMS Accelerate
programme brings together a consortium of specialist UK manufacturers to
design, develop, demonstrate and realise the potential of electric
high-performance cars. The cars – which are also now on the roads
undertaking 12 months of “real-life” road tests as part of the Technology
Strategy Board’s 25m Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator competition -
are the Delta E-4 Coupe, Ecotricity’s Nemesis, the Electric Lightning GT
and the Westfield Sport-E.

The EEMS Accelerate consortium manufacturers will be participating at
the Goodwood Festival of Speed as part of the FoS-TECH Exhibition, which
aims to showcase a variety of exciting new technologies from motor
manufacturers, design specialists and other motor industry suppliers. The
featured technology has a strong emphasis on future
environmentally-considerate motoring; as well as ecologically-advanced
concept vehicles, exhibits include ideas or realisations which showcase how
the automotive world is pioneering new technology to meet future
requirements and legislation.

Last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed attracted no fewer than 154,000
visitors over the three-day weekend; in the hope of similar numbers in
2011, the EEMS Acccelerate vehicles are aiming to wow the crowds with their
stunning good looks, exciting, innovative technology and incredible torque
capabilities, as a selection of the cars tackle the famous Goodwood
Hillclimb twice a day, as part of the Low Emissions Hillclimb Class.

Commenting ahead of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Director of AEA
Europe Robert Bell said: “The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an iconic
event, famous the world over and it is a great honour for the EEMS
Accelerate programme to be a part of the FoS-TECH display.

“This is the first of a series of events where we hope to highlight four
electric vehicle manufacturers who are pioneering the future of UK
manufactured electric high-performance cars, which represent green,
sustainable, cutting-edge technology.

“Challenging perceptions about how electric vehicles should look and
drive, the EEMS Accelerate cars are stylish, dynamic and innovative,
pushing technology boundaries for batteries, motors and chassis
design.”

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