The Pentillie Festival of Speed 2012
It isn’t often that my day job overlaps with PetrolBlog. In fact, I’ve deliberately kept the two things separate. The day job is a means that allows PetrolBlog to function, with PetrolBlog itself delivering a nice distraction away from the real world.
But sometimes it’s impossible to draw a definite line between the two. So when I was asked to get involved with the initial planning and marketing of the inaugural Pentillie Festival of Speed, I knew it would be of interest to PetrolBlog readers too. So, obligatory notices of my indirect involvement with the event out of the way, let me tell you more about it. Read more 
James Bond: Licence to park
Last week I was present at the launch of the new Bond in Motion exhibition at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum. It was a lavish affair, complete with champagne, celebrities and people who were generally dressed in much smarter clothes than I. Almost immediately I was greeted by the sight of Britt Ekland sprawled across the bonnet of an Aston Martin. Then, within a matter of minutes, I caught sight of Esther Rantzen, Colin Salmond and Eunice Gayson. I don’t recall Esther Rantzen ever being a Bond girl. Maybe she was in the concept film, Live and That’s Life?
Once the tour of the Bond vehicles was complete, I did my customary wander around the car park. You may remember that I spent a quite delightful couple of hours looking around the car park at the Goodwood Festival of Speed? Read more
PetrolBlog looks at Bond in Motion
Yesterday I was invited to the press launch of Bond in Motion, a new exhibition that showcases 50 vehicles in 50 years of James Bond films.
The exhibition, which opens on the 17th January 2012, is the largest of its kind staged anywhere in the world. What’s more, all of the vehicles are the originals.
Now you may be thinking that James Bond and PetrolBlog wouldn’t be the best of bed fellows and to be fair, you’d probably have a point. Indeed, when I arrived at the launch and noticed guests arriving by helicopter and a number of genuine celebrities, I began to wonder what I was doing there. Fortunately the sight of Richard Gunn’s delightful Austin Allegro helped me to feel at ease! Read more
FailCar visits the NEC Classic Motor Show
Last weekend, FailCar took a trip to the Classic Motor Show at the NEC. Here he does his best for marital harmony by putting together a list of cars that should be part of our eBay watch lists. I’m sure I once read that divorce rates went up in the winter and that Christmas is a big contributor to this fact. Personally, I think the Classic Motor Show is to blame. But whatever, here’s FailCar…
I do love the classic car show, but for me it’s always a dangerous time of year. The nights draw in and all of a sudden the idea of having another winter project starts to pop into my head. I never really get that excited by the ‘exotic’ stuff on display, but what does get me excited is all the stuff that’s within reach. You know the sort of classics that can be had for a couple of grand, tops.
And it hardly seems fair that I have to go through the punishing temptation, so I figured this time round I would focus on all the stuff that’s ‘attainable’. Read more
Guests may want to take sea sickness tablets
As a fledging automotive writer, I haven’t been to many car launches, but I suspect that advising invitees to take a sea sickness tablet doesn’t happen all that often. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a car’s ride and handling, is it? But on the night before I crossed the Solent in a Volvo Ocean Race yacht, all became clear. Read more
PetrolBlog at the Michelin Pilot Performance Day, Estoril
Day one in Portugal was a rather gentile affair. A leisurely stroll around the streets of Lisbon, a quick stopover in a café for a taste of some Portuguese tarts and then a short coach trip along the coast to the hotel. All things considered, it was a rather pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
Day two in Portugal was an altogether different experience. Pleasant wouldn’t be an accurate way to describe it. Pick anything from exhilarating, momentous, awesome and mind blowing and you might be closer to the mark. Allow me to explain. Read more
A damp start for Dawn Refuelling
You have to be a pretty committed petrolhead to prize yourself out of bed in the early hours of a Sunday morning and head to a motorway services on the M5. When you awake to the sound of pouring rain, you’d be forgiven if you switched off the alarm clock, pulled the bed covers over your ahead and squeezed in a couple of hours extra sleep. Read more
Dawn Refuelling: an update
Just a week to go until the planned Dawn Refuelling event, so I thought it would be a good idea to confirm a few details. Read more
The Goodwood Festival of Parking 2011
This time last week, the exceptional Goodwood Festival of Speed weekend was drawing to a close. PetrolBlog was in attendance on the Friday and among other things, was treated to an adrenalin fuelled 60 seconds in the Volvo C30 Polestar. Nice. But although the supercars, organic food stalls and hill climb were obvious attractions, I found the greatest source of interest to be just outside the gates. In the car park.
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From Shatchbacks to Supercars courtesy of Michelin
PetrolBlog is in Portugal. Or to be more precise, PetrolBlog is staying in a hotel near Lisbon with Michelin Tyres following an invite to one of their Pilot Performance Days. This means spending most of tomorrow test tyres and driving supercars on the former Portuguese Grand Prix circuit at Estoril. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Read more
All white Audi, enough is enough
Maybe they did it as a joke? After a few days of thinking time, that’s the only logical explanation I have for Audi’s ridiculous decision to display nothing but white cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011. Perhaps Audi UK wanted to prove that the ‘ze Germans have a krazy senz of humour’. Read more
Up the hill in the Volvo C30 Polestar
Just after lunch on Friday 1st July 2011, my motoring year may have just peaked. At a little after 2pm I was treated to a passenger ride in what is probably one of my favourite concept cars of all time, the Volvo C30 Polestar. That’s right, the 405 bhp, all-wheel-drive, fire breathing monster that’s unlikely to ever make it into production. What’s more, the ride took place on the fabled Goodwood hill at the Festival of Speed 2011. I can summarise the whole experience in one four letter word – epic. 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
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
