Lada up their Game

World of motoring

Lada, the venerable AutoVAZ brand that was once a Soviet-era clearinghouse for ten-year-old Fiats, is on the move. And by "the move," we mean they're building brand new cars of 1990s vintage. And to show off its new direction, Lada showed up in Geneva with the Lada C, a prototype of a car it probably has no intention to build, but that looks like a rally hatch version of Mitsubishi's Concept X. Sure, it's probably just a fiberglass body dropped over a Fiat 124 chassis. But dammit, it shows they've got pluck, like the crew of the
Battleship Potemkin. Or those guys from "Weekend at Bernie's."

Throwing the car out...

Dutch pranksters dumping Smart Cars in the river

Dutch pranksters have dumped dozens of the tiny two-seater Smart Cars into Amsterdam's waterways and police fear the bizarre trend will spread to the UK and the rest of Europe. Eco-friendly Smart cars are small enough to be picked up by just a few people and dumped into the Dutch capital's canals, reports De Telegraaf newspaper. One victim, Casper de Jong, was woken by police after they found his Smart floating in the waterway outside his apartment.
Mr de Jong said: "Several weeks ago the same thing happened to my companion's Smart. Both cars were a complete write-off."
One Smart sales worker said: "We're not supposed to talk about this because the police don't want the craze to spread but we've had quite a few drowned cars returned to us."




As for the Picture above, atleast they are easy to park...

NZ: Older cars just need a little more loving

NZ: Are you hanging onto your wheels

My 1996 Honda Civic is approaching 200,000km and is still going strong. It may look like a dog's dinner on the outside and I haven't cleaned it in three years, but mechanically it's as sound as.
People are amazed it runs so well but there is no secret. I look after everything under the bonnet and change the oil and filters regularly.
In these times when money is a bit tight, people are keeping their cars longer so with the help of my mechanic and the Automotive Recyclers Association, here are some tips and suggestions for keeping the old girl running a bit longer. Treating the vehicle with a little tender loving care and following a few simple guidelines will ensure cars go further.
As I said before, make sure you change your oil and filters when recommended by either the mechanic or the manufacturer. Oil is the life blood of the engine and it needs clean filters.
Check the tyre pressures regularly to avoid flat tyres or bad wear. Also, correctly inflated tyres reduce excess strain on the rest of the car.

Find a mechanic who knows what he's doing - not your mate across the road who works out of his mum's garage. You need the right tools and knowledge to service a car correctly - not a handbook and a rough idea.
Listen to the car. Sure, an older car may make a few odd noises, but something loud and constant is a warning something's about to let go. Find out what the noise is and do something about it.
The same with liquid leaks, clouds of smoke from the exhaust or a funny smell when driving. The smell may not be last week's half-eaten burger but an early warning the car's overheating.
Check the driveway often to see if there's any pooling of either water, oil, clutch or brake fluid. Leaky brake cylinders will end in big tears. Check your fluids regularly. Simply lift the bonnet and scan the various reservoirs. Use the dipstick to check the oil level.
Use tune-ups to ensure the car's major components are running smoothly. Belts should be checked and replaced, brake lines inspected, spark plugs and air filter checked and replaced, and fuel injector checked.
Prepare the car for the seasons. In winter make sure the wiper blades work and don't scratch the windscreen. Fill the washer up. Make sure the tyres have tread to work efficiently in the rain. Check that all the bulbs work.
Remember: little checks often will help avoid big costly breakdowns - and the AA is not a bad friend to have.

NZ: Ford Falcon gets four-cylinder engine - no, really

Ford Australia has dumped plans to build the small/medium Focus across the ditch and will instead introduce a four-cylinder Falcon and diesel version of the Territory SUV.
The new product plans are part of an A$230 million ($287 million) programme to introduce more environmentally friendly engines to the Australian-built models.
Also included is a new, more technologically advanced version of its LPG engine.
Ford planned to build the Focus in Australia to boost its small/medium line-up there and in New Zealand. But it says global economic conditions meant it could not make a business case for the project.
It is believed the Focus will now be imported from Thailand.
The Falcon sedan will get a turbocharged 2-litre four-cylinder engine and the Territory will pick up a 2.7-litre V6 diesel sourced from Jaguar/Land Rover and Peugeot.
The company says the engine changes will be accompanied by other engineering developments such as lightweight components designed to cut fuel consumption.

Ford says the 2-litre Eco-boost engine will provide six-cylinder performance with about 20 per cent better fuel economy and 15 per cent fewer CO2 emissions.
The engine has been developed by its US parent and will arrive in Australia in 2011.
The carmaker expects it to deliver 8 litres/100km under the bonnet of the Falcon.
The diesel engine destined for the Territory uses 7.5 litres/100km in Jaguar's XF sedan and marginally less in the Peugeot 407 sedan. It has recorded around 8 litres/100km in the Land Rover Discovery 3.
The V6 will go into the Territory in 2011, where it will reduce CO2 by up to 25 per cent from six-cylinder petrol engines.
The new LPG engine will use the latest liquid-injection technology, which provides more power while delivering better fuel efficiency.
"We are ensuring our core Falcon and Territory vehicles will have the most advanced, high-tech and cleanest engines possible," says Ford Australia boss Marin Burela.
The Falcon will be the first rear-drive Ford to receive the 2-litre unit, the biggest environmental change in the car's 50-year history.
"Falcon customers will now have the choice of either the I6 [4-litre straight-six] engine, which will be Euro IV-compliant, or one of the first global applications of the Eco-boost engines," says Burela.
Australia's Federal Government will contribute A$42 million to the Ford programme through its Green Car Innovation Fund. The Victorian State Government will also contribute.
Burela says Ford could "not profitably manufacture" the Focus in Australia.
"The economic climate has changed. When we made the original decision it was the right one at the time."
He said there was "absolutely no way" for the company to build the Focus profitably and compete with cars built in low-cost plants overseas.
"We needed to bring the [Focus] in from low-cost economies but we needed to provide, absolutely, through our compliment of large cars, four-cylinder technology as well.
"Because Australians have said to us very clearly: 'We love the comfort, we love the driving performance of a large car. But what we also want is sustainability and fuel economy'.
"Our investments demonstrate not only our commitment to address climate change, but to bringing leading-edge technologies to the Australian and New Zealand markets."

Article: Computer-assisted carnage

NZ: Computer-assisted carnage

Yet more people are dying on our roads and everyone is ringing their hands in angst wondering how to fix the problem. There's talk of banning cell phones while driving - texting I agree with, but talking is pushing the envelope is a bit much. Next we'll be told we can't eat in the car or have a mouthful of water.
I've banged the drum for years about the standard of driving in New Zealand and as far as I can see, it's getting worse by the year. If the Government wants to reduce the number of deaths on the road, teach people to drive, not answer multi-guess questions.
And raise the age at which you can get a licence. It was okay back in the 60s and 70s to get a driver's licence at 15 when a traffic jam consisted of two cars at an intersection. Back then there were only about two million people in the country and bugger all cars. Now, we've got double the people and about four to five times the number of cars.
The mental age of most of the teenagers I meet these days is about 12, and they have the attention span of a gnat and are easily distracted. The thought of someone who is easily distracted in charge of a tonne and a half of metal doing 100km/h worries me.

And talking about distraction, Henry Ford would turn in his grave if he knew how much added baggage car manufacturers have added to his invention (well, not quite his, but he made the car available to the general masses).
There are now more gadgets, gizmos, widgets, knobs, buttons, dials and switches in the modern car than you can poke several sticks at. Soon drivers will have to fit a small nuclear power plant to their vehicle just to power all the electrical stuff.
On a side note, imagine how much fuel you'd be able to save if the engine didn't have to power more electrical things than the average house has in it. Also, before anyone gets up in arms about how much safer cars are these days with all the traction control, ABS and electronic this and that - just remember how bad most people are at driving.
If you let the car make all the decisions, people will drive faster and faster and if something does go wrong they won't be able to get themselves out of trouble.
I would hazard a guess that cars today have more computing power than the Apollo 11 spacecraft that put Neil Armstrong and co on the moon.
Computer microchips are so cheap today you'll find them controlling just about everything in the modern car. They control fuel supply, air/fuel mixture, anti-lock breaks, traction control, combustion timing, seat belts, airbags, transmissions, gear changes, GPS systems, heating and cooling and getting in and out of the car.
Then there's all the in-car entertainment. Why you'd want an in-car home theatre with widescreen TV and surround sound is beyond me. There are automatic headlights that turn on when it gets dark and windscreen wipers that turn on when it starts to rain. You've also got heated seats that remember who's sat in them, complete with back massagers, in-car refrigerators, sunroofs and a lot more.
And talking about distraction, Henry Ford would turn in his grave if he knew how much added baggage car manufacturers have added to his invention (well, not quite his, but he made the car available to the general masses).
There are now more gadgets, gizmos, widgets, knobs, buttons, dials and switches in the modern car than you can poke several sticks at. Soon drivers will have to fit a small nuclear power plant to their vehicle just to power all the electrical stuff.
On a side note, imagine how much fuel you'd be able to save if the engine didn't have to power more electrical things than the average house has in it. Also, before anyone gets up in arms about how much safer cars are these days with all the traction control, ABS and electronic this and that - just remember how bad most people are at driving.
If you let the car make all the decisions, people will drive faster and faster and if something does go wrong they won't be able to get themselves out of trouble.
I would hazard a guess that cars today have more computing power than the Apollo 11 spacecraft that put Neil Armstrong and co on the moon.
Computer microchips are so cheap today you'll find them controlling just about everything in the modern car. They control fuel supply, air/fuel mixture, anti-lock breaks, traction control, combustion timing, seat belts, airbags, transmissions, gear changes, GPS systems, heating and cooling and getting in and out of the car.
Then there's all the in-car entertainment. Why you'd want an in-car home theatre with widescreen TV and surround sound is beyond me. There are automatic headlights that turn on when it gets dark and windscreen wipers that turn on when it starts to rain. You've also got heated seats that remember who's sat in them, complete with back massagers, in-car refrigerators, sunroofs and a lot more.

Mercedes have come up with a concept that in the event of an impending accident, the car takes over - seat belts tighten, air cushions inflate and the windows close. Sounds more like the proximity fuse of a claymore mine. Imagine if you're at a set of traffic lights and a car passes too close. Within seconds you're cocooned in the car and unable to move.
More worrying though, and we all know that computers can have a mind of their own, is what happens at 110km/h when the machine decides it's having a bad day and just does its own thing. You might survive the ensuing crash but what about all the other poor buggers your safety tank has taken out as it pinballs down the road?
If you think getting your laptop repaired is expensive, spare a thought as to how much it'll cost to find and get rid of a gremlin in a high-tech car's various computer systems.
Come to think of it, nowadays you're not buying a car; you're buying a modern house on wheels. No wonder the art of driving safely has got lost among all the gizmos.

Below are listed, in no particular order, some of the more ridiculous things car manufacturers are including in their vehicles.

EMERGENCY TRUNK RELEASE
Even the smallest of cars are having these fitted now as a safety device. In most two-seater sports cars you'd be lucky to fit a hamster in the boot let alone a child.

EXCLUSIVE SOUND SYSTEM IN A FERRARI
Why? The sound of a Ferrari 612 V12 screaming its head off should be more than enough music to the ears. It would be travesty to try and listen to a wailing Bono from U2 over a wailing 5.7-litre engine.

REV COUNTERS IN AN SUV
People carriers, or loser cruisers as my daughter calls them, are all fitted, almost as standard, with a rev counter. Having something that was designed for race cars in a vehicle made for the school runs and stocking up at corner dairies is odd indeed.

CONTACT PARKING ALERT IN A MINI
If you can't park a car that small without having to resort to a parking sensor you should stick to taking the bus, or buy a pushbike.

EIGHT-SPEED GEARBOXES
Most forms of race cars don't even have that many gears. The speed limit in this country is 100km/h, so you'll never need to get out of third. The ratios must be so close you may as well buy an automatic. Paddles on the steering wheel I don't mind, as it means you can keep both hands on the steering wheel. Much safer but please, not in car that develops less than 100bhp, that's just plain silly.

NECK WARMER
What is with Mercedes? When the top is down you can now turn on a heater that blows warm air on to the back of your neck. A scarf does just as good a job.

Motorsport: Ford and Holden split on mounts

A bitter feud which has split V8 Supercar racing in half will come to a head today.
The simmering dispute between Ford and Holden involving front aerodynamic parts will go before Australian motorsport officials ahead of this weekend's Symmons Plains meeting.

Falcons have been using flexible front splitter mounts, produced by Triple Eight Race Engineering for the past four years and have been on-sold to four other major Ford teams.
But the issue blew up after a Jim Beam Racing employee moved to Tasman Motorsport and informed them of the unique splitter mounts used on the Fords.
Holden claims the mounts give Fords an unfair aerodynamic advantage while Ford says they simply make the front splitters stronger.

Officials at the last Supercar round at Winton examined the mounts and deemed them to be within the rules but Holden teams have accused V8 Supercars of mishandling the dispute.
A meeting of CAMS stewards today will decide whether or not to re-open the case. The time limit for a protest has passed but a meeting can be convened if extraordinary circumstances are involved.
The Triple Eight Falcons removed the mounts from their cars on the final day at Winton but Jim Beam Racing has declared it will run with them this weekend.
Triple Eight boss Roland Dane will not say whether the Team Vodafone cars will use the system at Symmons Plains.
Whatever the outcome, racing is expected to be cleaner here with fewer incidents which marred Winton after the introduction of the new soft Dunlop Sprint tyre.
Supercar driver standards official Tomas Mezera said drivers would be more cautious about aggressive tactics due to the fast nature of the Tasmanian track.
"(Winton) is the kind of place that invites people to have a bit of a rub and a bit of a punch because it is very slow," Mezera said.
"It's very different to give someone a rub in a second gear corner doing 60 km/h than in fourth gear doing 160.

"I think they all kind of respect that and you will see in the next races a little bit less rubbing than what we've had."
Meanwhile, in-form Team Vodafone racer Craig Lowndes is confident of extending his winning streak when he debuts a new FG Falcon in Tasmania.
Lowndes snapped the grip fellow Ford pilot Jamie Whincup had on the series when he claimed both races at Winton earlier this month. He has ditched the Falcon which was first used at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide and has only competed in four Supercar events.
His new Falcon was given a brief 20-lap shakedown at Queensland Raceway in the lead-up to this weekend's round and Lowndes has already declared it an improvement on the old car.
"Twenty laps (the limit under V8 Supercar rules) is all we got but nothing went wrong," Lowndes said.

"We didn't do any lap times but we checked the wiring looms and fuel systems.
"We believe that the latest one, which is the one which will be my regular car from Tasmania, is better than what I had," he said.
"Mechanically it's all the same ... but being in a brand new car just off the production line is exciting."

- AAP

Blast from the Past

Renwick 50 Street Race
Photo's from the Renwick 50 Street
race held from 1960-65, The photos
are from my late fathers collection.
(Renwick, Blenhiem New Zealand)

________________________________