PetrolBlog looks at: waterless car cleaning
It’s a measure of how far behind I am with fresh content on PetrolBlog that I used this car cleaning product way back in September 2011 when I still had the Honda Accord Type-Shed. It’s also a measure of how different my priorities are these days when I remember that the last time I actually washed one of my cars was back in November. Oh dear.
Once upon a time, washing the car would be weekly chore. Actually no, it wasn’t a chore, it was something I actually enjoyed. Today though, there are too many other things to worry about, meaning the weekly car wash has turned into the quarterly scrub, wash and polish. I guess the days when I reviewed new cars for PetrolBlog have a small part to play in it. A car would arrive spotless and then leave a week later covered in dirt. 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
Motorway walks for drivers and dogs!
They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but I’ve never heard anyone say you should never judge a book by its title. So you’ll forgive me for being slightly excited about the prospect of reading a book entitled ‘Walking the dog – motorway walks for drivers and dogs‘. Read more
PetrolBlog’s somewhat simple guide to Winter Tyres
Until last year, you’d be forgiven for thinking that winter tyres didn’t exist in the UK. But with the winter 0f 2010/11 bringing with it a dumping of snow for the third consecutive year, not to mention another bout of freezing temperatures, it seemed as though everyone was talking about winter rubber. A sudden surge in demand meant that stocks ran low and a fair amount of mix messages meant that there was a considerable amount of confusion surrounding the subject. Read more
Rob experiences the Caterham Slalom
Rob’s been having fun with a Caterham. Here’s what he thought of the Slalom Experience, Silverstone.
The back of the car begins to slide left and I start to apply corrective steering. The back continues to slide round and I twirl the tiny steering wheel further. My brain throws the message through – “we’re going to spin“. The steering hits full lock. Instinct says to lift off the throttle but I know that if I do that I’ll definitely spin and I won’t be quick enough to catch it. So a very gentle lift off the throttle is just enough to stop the back becoming the front, as it were, and we accelerate towards the next gate.
It’s five days after the British Grand Prix, I’m at Silverstone and I’m driving a Caterham Roadsport SV for the first time in my life. Now, just to get it in context I’m actually in Car Park 49 just outside the main gate of the circuit, and not thraping the little Caterham round the actual circuit. Unfortunately. Read more
Tyres: More than just black rings of rubber
Picture the scene. It’s Saturday afternoon and you’re in John Lewis looking at TV sets. You’re rather taken by a state-of-the-art 40″ HD television. It’s been getting good reviews and comes highly recommended by the sales assistant. But then, out of the corner of your eye, your attention is grabbed by the sight of an almost identical set. It looks the same, promises the same features and yet it could be yours for £150 less. You’re tempted, right up until the point the assistant tells you that it has a tendency to switch itself off about 15 minutes from the end of your favourite shows. Not worth the £150 saving is it? Read more
PetrolBlog looks at…the Abergwesyn Pass
As tiny hamlets go, Abergwesyn is nothing out of the ordinary. It sits nestled in a delightful part of Mid Wales, with the River Irfon running through it. It’s all rather lovely and remote, but there’s not a lot that sets it apart from other Welsh villages. In fact, you could pass through it on the way through from Llanwrytd Wells to Beulah and not give it a second look. 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
Purple days: Porsche 968 Sport
It’s funny how things work out. One minute I’m trying to make up my mind which member of the PetrolBlog Fleet should accompany me to Goodwood, then the next minute I’ve been offered a Porsche for a day. This was thanks to Porsche specialist, Adrian Crawford, who made the kind offer and told me he could supply “something suitably retro” for my trip to the Festival of Speed. So I immediately considered two things, the first being whether or not I should cancel my trip to Goodwood and simply spend the entire time driving a Porsche on my favourite roads. But then, remembering I had a date with a certain Volvo C30, I came to my senses and turned my attention to the other consideration – exactly what Porsche would I be taking custody of? Read more
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
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
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 real Skoda puzzle?
If you’re a fan of US crime dramas on Channel 5, you’ve probably noticed a couple of things in recent weeks. Firstly, and I’m guessing here, the crime dramas involve lots of dead people, a fair amount of swearing and copious amounts of pretty people going about their business attempting to solve the murders. You may also have noticed that each ad break is topped and tailed by Skoda and their latest campaign, ‘Skoda Puzzle’. Linking a campaign centred on puzzle solving with televisual crime dramas isn’t exactly genius at work, but the actual approach is really rather slick. Read more
Simon’s Car Spots: feeding the habit
I’ve got a long held belief that social media was invented for the petrolhead. Take twitter for example, which is essentially just a modern way of sharing dirty photos of cars and classified ads. You spot a car you like on Auto Trader, copy the link and post it to twitter. You’re then greeted with virtual nods of approval, tales of former ownership or encouragement to step away from the situation and stop being so silly. But whatever the situation, it sure beats flicking through the pages of Auto Trader in your downstairs cloakroom. The once lonely act of perusing car ads can now be shared with friends, leaving you safe in the knowledge that although your guilty pleasure may not be a healthy addiction, at least you’re amongst friends. Read more
PetrolBlog looks at…Bangernomics
When it comes to used cars there’s one man who stands as a giant over us mere mortals. In fact I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he is one day rewarded with a knighthood for his services to pre-owned motor cars. The man in question is James Ruppert, or to use another name, Mr Bangernomics. James has been a mainstay of the used car section of Autocar magazine for years and is the kind of guy you’d want to take with you when you’re viewing a used car or visiting an auction. Quite simply, James Ruppert is the man. Read more
PetrolBlog looks at…Mini Coyote V2
In all my years of driving I’ve never owned a speed camera alert thingy. I’m also tempted to say that in those same years of driving I haven’t picked up a single speeding ticket. But for fear of tempting fate, I won’t mention this. Instead I’ll say that for the past couple of weeks I’ve been living with the Mini Coyote V2. No, this is not yet another new variation of the Mini unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. It is in actual fact a speed camera alert thingy. Read more
