Five alive! PetrolBlog is back

And so, after what seems like an eternity left in the wilderness, PetrolBlog is back. In truth, the spirit of PB never really went away, it just wasn't being spouted on the interweb. But the fact is, on the eve of its fifth birthday, PB just couldn't stay away for any longer. So apologies for that.

A small crowd has gathered in the lock-up to witness the re-launch. Mavis from accounts has raided the petty cash to find 50p for the meter. Brian from personnel has sorted out the health and safety. And Bill, well nobody really knows what Bill does. But he's wearing a party hat. So he's welcome here.

With a mountain of Ferrero Rocher perched atop a wheel trim from a Vauxhall Cavalier and three bottles of Blue Nun chilling in the bucket, we're almost good to go. There's a small ripple of applause as the lightbulb hanging above the lock-up is turned on again, startling Geoff, who was just beginning to doze off.

Why has PetrolBlog chosen to return now? Nobody is quite sure, although there are big* plans for the future. There are new features to roll out. Road trips to organise. And plenty of waffle and bunk waiting in the locker. We've even got a few celebrities lined-up.

Oh yes indeed. Wordy, formerly of Look and Read, will be conducting some exclusive research into the world of driverless cars. Philippa Forrester will be embarking on a tour of the New Forest in a Subaru. And Bernard Cribbins will be telling us about the time he was a passenger in a Hyundai Stellar.

As before, the key focus will be on cars of the 80s and 90s, along with championing the obscure, the mundane and the unfashionable. Oh, and we'll continue to look for the PetrolBlog heroes of the future.

What's encouraging is that in the time PB has been away, the visitor numbers have remained static. This either means it has reached a glass ceiling in terms of potential, or there's a small, but select group of people who don't mind a bit of niche. If that's you, pull up a chair and grab a Hobnob.

Speaking of which, new BlogNobs will be coming soon. And good food will always win over inferior content, right?

So without further ado, check out the half a dozen new posts and look forward to five more years of PetrolBlog. Thanks for your patience.

*'Big' might be overplaying things slightly. The plans are smaller than that. Try bitesize.