The hunt for Sao Penza
According to howmanyleft.co.uk, there is only one Sao Penza left (legally) roaming the streets of Britain. That’s right, just one Sao Penza. And you’d forgotten all about them, hadn’t you?
When I wrote this article last year, I had no idea that the Sao Penza was so close to extinction. But for all its faults and obvious flaws, the fact remains that as a nation we’re down to a single Sao Penza. Granted, there appear to be three laid up, but I think we can safely assume that these are probably sat surrounded by weeds, spiraling into the abyss, never to feel the warmth of Britain’s tarmac again. I’m also pretty certain that the last time I visited the Beaulieu Motor Museum, there wasn’t a Sao Penza mingling with the F1 cars or sat alongside a Ford Sierra Cosworth. Read more 
Extreme Bangernomics: Million mile Honda Accord
It is often said that the Honda Accord is one of, if not the most reliable car in the world. Warranty Direct’s survey in 2006 certainly came to that conclusion, as did a Which? Survey in 2009. There are others too, just do a Google search for ‘Honda Accord reliability’ and scroll through the resulting 7.5 million web pages. I can only hope that my very own Accord can deliver the same levels of reliability over the coming weeks and months. Read more
PetrolBlog goes to the #AUTOTweetUP
When I received the invite to the inaugural Auto Trader #AUTOTweetUP, I was immediately struck by two things. One was a ruler that came flying across the office desk and the other was a small acorn that I’d collected during an autumn walk last year. Quite where it came from is anyone’s guess, but it did divert my attention away from the shock that I’d been invited. I was also slightly intrigued as to what on earth an #AUTOTweetUP was, but the mere mention of free food and drink was enough for me to accept the invitation. Read more
Bangerwatch: Volvo 480
You’ve seen Springwatch, you may have even seen Autumnwatch, but now PetrolBlog introduces Bangerwatch. It many ways it is much the same as the TV show, only without Kate Humble, animals or a primetime slot on BBC television. The idea is simple, PetrolBlog will hunt down interesting and increasingly rare cars that have somehow fallen into Banger territory. By giving them some exposure it is hoped that they will be considered as potential Bangernomics project cars and in some cases, saved from inevitable extinction. There are no hard and fast rules over what constitutes a Banger, but a price of sub £1k is probably a good place to start.
To kick things off, PetrolBlog looks at the Volvo 480, influenced in part by the recent test of the C30 T5 Polestar.
PetrolBlog introduces…Dawn Refuelling
I’ve always fancied going along to the Goodwood Breakfast Club. The thought of a good hearty breakfast, a line up of great cars and a chat with fellow petrolheads, all in one of the country’s most evocative motoring venues has a certain appeal. But given my location and circumstances, a 4am start is just a little bit too much to handle, even for an ardent petrolhead like me. Shame. Read more
FailCar rants: Aston Martin Cygnet
FailCar is back on PetrolBlog and this time he takes a break from driving his 205 GTi is his socks to talk about the Aston Martin Cygnet. Don’t forget you can follow FailCar on twitter or see his previous posts here.
I love the Aston Martin Cygnet. There I said it. To me it’s one of Aston Martin’s greatest products to date and that’s because by far the coolest thing about Aston Martin is the brand of Aston Martin itself. Read more
First impressions: Volvo S60 DRIVe SE
This week I’ll be spending some in the company of the Volvo S60 DRIVe. You may have noticed that I recently took a shine to the C30 T5, so it was only natural that I’d want to check out the rest of the Volvo range. But rather than opt for another hot Volvo, I thought I’d give one of the more frugal models a run out. After all, we are still living in an age of austerity. Read more
Long term test: Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 CDTi 160 EcoFlex Elite
Following his recent Real World Review and Real World Dream Barn, I’m delighted to say that Rob Griggs-Taylor has joined PetrolBlog as a resident blogger. I have of course just made up the term ‘resident blogger’, but I can’t exactly call him staff writer, as then I’d need to prepare a contract and pay him some hard cash. So resident blogger he is and in his first post under this new, made up title, he gives the lowdown on his Vauxhall Cavalier…I mean Vectra…sorry, Insignia. Read more
The Esso sign means happy motoring. Really?
Today I experienced good customer service. This in itself is something of a shock, but the fact that it came in a Post Office is almost beyond belief. Such was my surprise that I was encouraged to send a celebratory tweet. It read:
Shock horror: I received excellent service in a Post Office and didn’t have to queue. Doffs hat to Tavistock Post Office. Read more
PetrolBlog looks at: How Many Left?
These sort of websites should carry a government health warning. Not only did I lose half an hour of my working day when I discovered it via twitter, but I’ve just spent the last hour trawling back through my entire back catalogue of past motors. The website in question is www.howmanyleft.co.uk and be warned, you will lose hours on there. Read more
Washer jets: the unsung heroes of the road
Here’s a question for you. What travels with you whenever you’re out in your car but never knows where you’re heading? In fact, they always face in the opposite direction to the way you’re going and yet will always be one step ahead of you. Each one has a face, but some have one eye, some have two and some have even more. Read more
Honda Accord Type-Shed: an update
The electric aerial still works. The electric aerial. It still works. When I picked up the Honda Accord exactly two months ago, I somewhat irrationality established that the electric aerial would be used as some kind of barometer of reliability. As long as the electric aerial works, the Accord will remain reliable. OK, so in the great scheme of things, this is hardly up there with the ravens and the Tower of London, but it is my barometer, so I’m sticking with it. Read more
Real World Reviews: Fiat Panda 1.2 Dynamic AirCon
PetrolBlog is delighted to welcome a new guest blogger to our dusty little corner of the interweb. Tom Richards is a PR exec in the automotive industry and, like the rest of us, is a keen petrolhead. For his first blog he has penned a Real World Review of his Fiat Panda 1.2. You can expect more from Tom in the future, but in the meantime check out his twitter feed @teorichards. Read more
PetrolBlog looks at: The German Car Industry
On the face of it, a book by James Ruppert on the subject of German cars from the 1980s is always going to be of interest to PetrolBlog. The Bangernomics Bible has already inspired me to purchase the PetrolBlog Shed and I’ve got a long standing love affair with cars from the 1980s, particularly those from Germany, France and Italy. So you would hopefully excuse the mild excitement when I got my hands on a copy and clapped eyes on the cover, resplendent in the colours of the German flag and featuring an E30 BMW convertible. Read more
The greatest car movie of all time?
According to a recent survey by Honda, The Italian Job is the greatest car movie of all time. I find it hard to disagree with the result as I’ve been a fan of the film since I was a child. Every Christmas I’d sit down to watch what some folk refer to as a ‘comedy caper’, but in truth there was one stand out moment. The sequence starting with the three Minis escaping with the gold and ending with the coach perched perilously on the edge of the mountain road is the stuff of cinematic genius. Read more
