Motoring Newsbriefs

Sep 29 2009 Maurice Glover

Clash of the iconsAN iconic racing car lost out to a transport icon of a dramatically different kind in a novel event staged on Salisbury Plain.

With no smooth tarmac racing track to use its superior speed to escape, the Le Mans series-winning Aston Martin LMP1 was forced to admit defeat to the Challenger II battle tank, one of the most feared weapons in the British army.

Prodrive, the motorsport and automotive technology group, teamed with the army to organise a joint fun event that raised an estimated £6,000 for the Help for Heroes appeal.

'We tok the army for rides in a Subaru rally car while the army showed us how good the Challenger is off-road," said Prodrive chief engineer Steve Barwick.

'It's an amazing vehicle, but despite having 1200 horsepower at its disposal, a weight of 62 tonnes means it is never going to win any rallies. But it was interesting to see how similar the challenges in designing a military vehicle are to those of a rally car, where ultimate off-road speed and stability are paramount,'

Watch out - deer about!ROAD safety and animal welfare organisations want drivers to take extra care when they see signs warning of deer in the next few weeks.

Each year, around 74,000 of the wild animals collide with vehicles and the Highways Agency and its partners in the Deer Initiative are appealing to motorists to be more 'deer aware' in a bid to cut the death and injury toll.

'These are highly unpredictable creatures and can suddenly appear in the road, particularly at dusk and dawn. Our advice is to stay alert when you see a sigh and be prepared to stop. If your headlights are on, dip them if you see deer because they may 'freeze' and use your hazard warning lights if you do have to stop,' says the agency's senior environmental principal Tony Sangwine.

On yer Cooper bike!THEY boast all the style, verve and sharp handling you'd expect from products bearing the Cooper badge - but the latest models from Britain's famous racecar firm depend on pedal power for their speed.

Due to be unveiled next month, the Cooper Car Company's new bikes will blend classic styling with modern components and engineering expertise when they go on sale early next year.

Due to be unveiled at the Earls Court Cycle Show next month, the dark blue Monza with flat bars and the silver Sebring with bullhorn bars get their names from the circuits that saw the firm's F1 Championship victory 50 years ago.

'We've always had a passion for bicycles and we have been thinking about diversifying the business for a while. We wanted to turn our engineering know how to making bikes that offer the best pssible components for the best possible price,' said company chief Mike Cooper.

Priced from £595, the bikes will be joined later next year by the T200 Championship 50, a special edition eight-speed model finished in classic Cooper racing green to commemorate the F1 anniversary, and the Reims 5 Speed, finished in cream.

Vauxhall promises cheaper tyresA NEW price-promise campaign is set to take the sting out of buying replacement car tyres this autumn.

Drivers preparing for the rigours of winter motoring are being guaranteed the lowest prices on a wide range of tyres used on Vauxhall cars and vans.

The firm's MasterFit network is promising like-for-like quotes, fitting by experts - and each tyre purchased comes with a free 25-point visual health check on the vehicle to which it is fitted. In addition, the deal also includes a free tyre pressure gauge.

Explained Vauxhall aftersales spokesman David Elder: 'Motorists don't always think about taking their cars back to their franchised retailers when they look for replacement parts such as tyres. Our price promise campaign proves that we can provide quality parts at unbeatable prices.'

Take to two wheelsSTUDENTS struggling to cope with spiralling fees could pocket up to £6,000 in savings by choosing motorcycles or scooters instead of cars according to the organisers of the two-wheeler campaign, Get On, who reckon the potential saving equals two years of the average student rent and three times the amount students spend on food each year.

'The latest report on student debt shows most of them can now expect to be leaving university owing a crippling £23,000, but they can make significant savings by making the switch to two wheels, said a spokesman.

'Thousands of students choose to have a car, which can represent an investment of £10,000 compared withy the cost of choosing a two-wheeler costing less than £2,000. And many of them who make the switch say they like not having to pay for parking,'

Van man boostNEW scrappage scheme rules contain good news for van owners with eight-year-old vehicles now qualifying for the £2,000 allowance against new models.

But the benefit for cars remains at 10 years, although the age qualification has been changed by six months to include V-plate vehicles registered on or before February 29, 2000.

Olympic-class M25TWO sections of Britain's busiest motorway will boast extra lanes in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Work on widening the M25 to four lanes between junctions 16 and 23 and junctions 27 to 30 is now under way as part of a £6.2bn contract placed with a private sector consortium. The contract includes widening and refurbishing the Hatfield Tunnel on the A1, work on the Dartford River crossing and maintenance and covers a 30-year period.

Audi wins efficiency trophyAUDI'S R15 TDI prototype racing cars lost out to two Peugeot 908 racers in the Petit Le Mans event in Atlanta, Georgia - but the German cars carried off the Michelin GreenX challenge trophy for the most environmentally friendly competitor.