Autoblog UK

Gallery: Porsche Boxster roadster

Once the butt of many a joke, the Trabant was a big a symbol of East European communism as Leonid Brezhnev's eyebrows.

Unlike Brezhnev, the the Trabant is on the verge of making an unlikely revival...

Britons are renowned for their love of the car - our overclogged streets and motorways bear testament to that. But now it seems we're actually a nation of caraholics who will get up to just about anything in the comforts - or confines - of our four-wheeled friends.

Yes, it seems the great British drivers just can't wait to get their clothes - and their rocks - off while behind the wheel. A new survey by online insurers who shall remain nameless and who clearly have too much time on their hands, has shown that more than two-thirds (67%) of us have had sex in our cars with almost half (49%) of us having automotive sex more than twice. They don't say if the respondants were actually on the move or not whilst joining the 67-percenters club although the way some people suddenly change lanes on the motorway these days who knows what's going on in their nether regions.

And how does the company concerned link this to car cover? Here's their marketing director: "With Brits spending so much of their time behind the wheel, it's no surprise that many relationships begin, blossom or even end on four wheels. However, as a responsible insurer, [we] would like to point out that drivers should always concentrate on the road ahead otherwise it would invalidate your car insurance cover." So, now you know.

Is this Carry On-style jape scraping the bottom of a very deep barrel and have we just played swiftly into their hands? Of course. Now, where's my commission?

If you were going to sail across the Irish Sea, a 100 quid French saloon car would probably not be your transport of choice - especially in October.

But high seas or not, a Renault Laguna was what four friends from Ireland decided to charter for a 23-mile trip from Donaghadee Harbour to Port Patrick - and remarkably, the amphibious craft carried them across in one piece.

Skipper Peter Martin and his 'crew' Carl McConkey, Rick Miles and Mark Farrell, left the Irish port at 9.30am on October 31 crammed aboard the modified Laguna and reached their destination seven hours later.

This was a huge step forward for the team after the dismal failure of their first attempt in 2007 when their craft, Sir Galahad, sank within four minutes of setting sail.
Not wishing to embarrass themselves again in front of the large - and sceptical - crowd that had gathered, Martin and his mates left nothing to chance, sticking an outboard motor on the back - perhaps an improvement on the standard engine - as well as attaching plenty of foam to the car.

"Nearly everyone on shore thought we wouldn't make it, but confidence rides high on the boat", Martin said. "At one point some of the crew even got in a little fishing."

The cruise wasn't some bizarre protest at Irish Sea ferry prices but rather a trip in the name of charity - and with £3,000 raised, the four can regard that as a job well done.

Sir Tristram sea trials:
Launching Sir Tristram:

Diamonds might be a girl's best friend but a £140,000 supercar might just come close as one footballing WAG has just found out.

Melanie Slade, the long-term girlfriend of Theo Walcott, has just been presented with a brand spanking new Ferrari California by the Arsenal striker to celebrate her 21st birthday.

According to The Sun, the physiotherapist student is 'over the moon' and has already got personalised plates for the car.

It's a bit of a step up from the Volkswagen Beetle he bought her three years ago and the insurance premiums for the Ferrari are probably more than the Beetle was worth, but with a 193mph top speed we imagine Mel will find the upgrade more than makes up for the cost.

When you see on Jenson Button's face how much it means to win the F1 title it's then you realise how much, in spite of all its flaws, F1 is still a sport.

Sure there are millions of dollars sloshing around but essentially it's motor racing and a test of a driver's abilities and guile against his peers.

So, when the merry-go-round once again focuses on the British Grand Prix and how it must justify its existence beyond doubt to Bernie Ecclestone you're left exasperated at how adept the sport is in shooting itself in the foot.

Sebastien Loeb sped to a muddy victory on the Rally of Great Britain on Sunday to claim his sixth successive World Rally Championship. Not bad but is it healthy?

The Citroen driver's 54th career WRC win further extended his record-breaking achievements in the sport and once again left fans and pundits alike wondering what his rivals need to do to beat him. For some time there has been criticism that Loeb has turned WRC into nothing more than a showcase for his talents as Michael Schumacher did with F1 - and fans have consequently turned off.

Fortunately, as evident by his comments after winnning in Wales, Loeb faced a serious threat in the shape of Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen, who only missed out on his first WRC title by a single point. The Finn is a serious contender gave Loeb a real run for his money but his challenge only really materialised once another of his countrymen, Marcus Gronholm, retired in 2007.

As Mikko Hirvonen lines up for the first stage of the Rally of Great Britain this morning motivated by the prospect of a first World Rally Championship title, he may also draw inspiration from the remarkable efforts of one of his compatriots, Pentti Airikkala.

One of the original and these days mythical, 'Flying Finns', Airikkala claimed his one and only WRC win on this event in 1989, beating the likes of Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Ari Vatanen as well as Malcolm Wilson, the current boss of the Ford M-Sport team that runs Hirvonen and his team-mate, Jari-Matti Latvala.

Airikkala's death from cancer just weeks before the event has robbed the sport of a figure regarded by many as from the same mould as Colin McRae, Henri Toivonen and Roger Clark - drivers who you could guarantee would give their all in spite of the odds. He gained huge popularity amongst British fans in the 1970s and '80s, never more so than when he was at the wheel of a Vauxhall Chevette - the car he drove to the 1979 British Rally Championship title.

These days, Latvala is probably the closest to Airikkala in terms of style, which perhaps is understandable as the Ford driver was a pupil at Airikkala's Left-Foot Braking rally school in Berkshire. However, if Hirvonen plays his cards right this weekend he could become the seventh Finn to win the WRC and in doing so, deny France's Sebastien Loeb a sixth successive world title. If ever he needed extra motivation, then perhaps the memory of his countryman 20 years ago in an unfancied Mitsubishi Galant will do the trick.



* The Rally of Great Britain runs from 23-25 October. See WRC website for full coverage

It's that time of year again, when the clocks go back and we gain an extra hour in bed in the morning. But that's little consolation considering the long, dark evenings ahead.
For drivers, the change in the hour on 25 October heralds months of commuting or doing the school run in the dark. Pedestrians, other road users and road signs become more difficult to see. Add to that the fact that the weather gets worse and you have a recipe for disaster.
So, what can drivers do to minimise these problems and make sure they and other road users are safe? Here are a few tips from the RAC:

· Spend a few minutes checking lights and brakes to make sure they're in good working order
· Clean your lights - a quick wipe over means you'll see better and, crucially, you'll be seen more easily too, and carry a spare set of bulbs
· Clean the inside and outside of your windscreen - a smeared windscreen can cause glare when driving at night or when the sun is low in the sky
· Don't forget to turn your lights off when parked - RAC anticipates a 15% increase in flat battery callouts due to vehicle lights being left on over the winter months compared to summer months
· Make sure your screen wash is working and top it up with the correct fluid, and check your wiper blades
· Autumn leaves and weather can make the roads slippery so check your tyres. Make sure they are at the correct pressure, that the rubber is in good order and that the treads meet minimum requirements – 1.6mm for cars, vans and light trailers and 3mm when it's wet
• If you feel tired – pull over and rest for half an hour

First it was Michael Schumacher, then Luca Badoer, now it looks as though there could be another face about to line up on the F1 grid - Sebastien Loeb.

Ok, so Schumacher and Badoer had their F1 returns thrust upon them after the unfortunate injury to Ferrari's Felipe Massa but the appearance of the reigning World Rally Champion in an F1 car at the end of the season and possibly into next year has already drawn mixed responses from within the sport and beyond