8 Things you might have needed to know about THE GRAND TOUR: A MASSIVE HUNT if you hadn't already watched it

This Drivetribe article is pointless.  It's called "8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GRAND TOUR: A MASSIVE HUNT" but it is written by somebody who has just watched it.

Anyone who may be interested in this article would be watching the show rather than reading the article.

Which is why the article actually told me 8 things I already knew about THE GRAND TOUR: A MASSIVE HUNT.

Here are a couple of other things that you will already know about THE GRAND TOUR: A MASSIVE HUNT if you have watched it:

9. There was a clever bit of animation added to a "Falling Rocks" sign on the road around Reunion.

10.  Jeremy used the show to reinforce his anti-Brexit views including using a European flag to start the drag race and describing the third world conditions in a run-down bit of Madagascar as life outside the EU.  I tried to get a photo of the drag race start but if you put "Drag Race" into Google, you get pictures of men dressed up as grotesque caricatures of women.  This was the best Drag Race photo I could find:

11.  They didn't use new cars.  Good job really.

12.  Convertibles are often called "Spiders" (or "Spyders" if you are Alfa Romeo).  James' Caterham covered in mud and excrement really looked like a spider:

I hope you found it useful to read these four more things you might have needed to know about THE GRAND TOUR: A MASSIVE HUNT if you hadn't already watched it.

Or, if you don't have access to Amazon Prime, Oops, sorry!

I Fancy Tina Fey

 

Who wouldn't?

Well, I suppose a homosexual gentleman might not.  Although I have two gay friends who don't know each other and both fancy Kate Bush so who knows?

But that isn't what this post is about.

Women always claim to be attracted to men with a sense of humour.

I don't believe that.  I'm always considered my self quite funny (in the "ha ha" sense of the word not the "peculiar" sense of the word) but women have never thrown themselves at me.

Now, while it is possible that I am not funny (in the "ha ha" sense of the word), I really don't wish to countenance that idea.

Besides, I've noticed that women actually tend to go for tall, handsome men, irrespective of sense of humour.

I, on the other hand, generally find myself fancying women who are in to their cars - Vicki Butler-Henderson, Sabine Schmitz, Jodie Kidd and, more recently, Helen Stanley:

I would even forgive the tattoos.

I do also fancy Nigella Lawson but of you type "Nigella Lawson car" into Google, it wants to take you to "Nigella Lawson carrot cake"

Don't put vegetables into cakes!

Anyway, to finally get to the point, Tina Fey has finally bought her first car. Car+Driver have the story under the annoying headline:

Tina Fey Bought Her First Car during Lockdown, and It Might Surprise You

Normally I wouldn't touch a story like that because it would be some crap piece of click-bait but I like Car+Driver, I like Tina Fey and I like cars.

The gist of the story is that she bought a white Subaru Forrester - a fine enough car that I have no strong views about one way or another but I suppose it is a bit boring.

I was more shocked by Jimmy Fallon's admission that he had never heard of it.

Car+Driver misquote her a bit saying "her husband urged her to buy something fun, like a Mini Cooper or a Jeep (this is the point in the interview when it becomes clear that the Fey household is an expert-free zone when it comes to car shopping)"

According to Tina, her husband suggested "a Mini Cooper or something exciting like a Jeep or a BMW or something" I suppose a Jeep could be exciting depending in where you take it and some BMWs are certainly exciting but I think I'd have suggested a Ferrari or Aston Martin.

But she isn't a car person.

And yet I still fancy her.

I think it could be that she is a very funny lady (in the "ha ha" sense of the word)

The Green Flash

Remember October last year when I told you about green number plates?

Of course you do.

Well, as of today they are a thing. Autocar have the story - not seen it anywhere else.  The Government have plumped for this design:

Basically, just a green flash.

"But, what is the point?" I hear you ask.

Good question.

Well, they signify zero emission (aka electric) vehicles.  And, "Research carried out by Nissan and Yougov claims that 32% of people surveyed would be more likely to buy an electric car because of the new plates, and the prospect of further incentives to be rolled out as a result. This could include specific zero-emission parking zones, exemption from road charges and even zero-emission lanes."

What?

"Research carried out by Nissan and Yougov claims that 32% of people surveyed would be more likely to buy an electric car because of the new plates, and the prospect of further incentives to be rolled out as a result. This could include specific zero-emission parking zones, exemption from road charges and even zero-emission lanes."

I know but I'm still not convinced.

Anyway, being Welsh, I've always fancied one of these perfectly legal plates:

Would that entitle me to half-price road charges and to use half of the zero emission parking bays and lanes?

The biggest flaw in this plan though, is that there is nothing to stop you getting some green sticky paper and turning your diesel Volkswagen into something getting the benefits of a Renault Zoe.

And, after December 31st, the rather dim readers of the painfully sycophantic Daily Express will know exactly where to stick them:

Pot a Willock

 I mean "What a Pillock!"

This is Joe Willock:

Now, obviously I'm quite jealous of him - he is just 21 and he can afford to buy and wreck a new G-Wagen - that is why I've deliberately picked a photo of him looking gormless.

Here he is wrecking a new G-Wagen:

He was supposedly on the way to training so must be familiar with that roundabout.

So why be in completely the wrong lane and driving so fast?

What a pillock!

Talking of pillocks, this motorbikist on the M53 this week seems to think that the hard shoulder is a narrow lane for motorbikists.

Talking of that stretch of the M53, Here is me overtaking an emergency vehicle on blues and twos:

And finally, somebody going through a red light when it's harder not to:

What a pillock!

Dead Badgers Society

I spotted an interesting article in Car+Driver during my lunchbreak about digital licence plates.  They look like this...

...and are only legal in two of the United States of America.

I'm having problems understanding the benefits of these things.  Apparently, they can be changed to give out alerts or to indicate that the vehicle has been stolen.  They can also be linked in to the State licensing to update when the fees have been paid.

Well whoopdie-doo.

I say that because they cost $499 and then either $55 a year or $4.99 a month. It is also available for $17.95 a month for 36 months.

Yes, you have to subscribe to your own number plate.  And think of all the prisoners it's going to put out of work.

And what happens when they get hacked?

The battery lasts five years though.

So, this evening, I returned to Car+Driver to create this post and spotted another intriguing headline - one concerning a dead badger.  I posted about dead badgers many years ago when I was in a different employment to the one my lunchbreak interrupted today.

However, the new dead badger story is actually a dead Badger story - with a capital B - the Nikola Badger has been culled by GM pulling out of a deal to build the things.  

Full story here.

It looks like this is the result of skullduggery - either on the part of Nikola or on the part of an investor trying to cash in on a crashing share-price. Nobody knows who yet - that story is here.

Shame, because if you put electric licence plates on it, it wouldn't need separate batteries.

Renault Megone

Couple of unusual crime stories from this week.

First an idiot in Northampton buys a Renault Megane, doesn't insure it, gets behind the wheel, nearly crashes into a Police vehicle and gets it impounded:

Fox News have the story here.  Being Fox News, they aren't too good on accuracy.  They say that it was a "new silver Renault Megane" - that is actually a Megane cabriolet of approximately 2005 vintage.

Meanwhile, over in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, an 18 year old was arrested for suspected drink/drug driving after crashing into somebody's front porch, collecting the front door on the way and driving off.

Somehow. 

Lord knows how.

The Police Twitter feed has some great comments added including "That's an Audi not a Porsche". 

There's probably some joke here involving Jehovah's Witnesses or Double-Glazing but I'm not sure what it is.

Maybe he was just unhinged?

Roofless

Normally when one of these appears in the news, they blur out the number plate:

I suppose it's a bit pointless when the name of the Company and their website address is all over the vehicle.

So I looked them up.

Apparently, "It is our priority that your products arrive at your customer in the condition you both expect." and "Our express service has been developed with short lead times and vital just in time with delivery in mind. Archbold is an express delivery service solution provider you can rely on. We deliver on time, every time."

Apart from this occasion.

They do have some nice old pictures though:

The bridge crash is actually from this BBC story about the most hit bridges in Britain.

Network Rail said there was an average of five railway bridge crashes per day nationally, with repairs costing an average of £13,000 per strike.

That particular bridge is in Leicestershire and has been struck 25 times in a year.

This is all almost unbelievable.

The height warning signs have both Metric and Imperial markings so we can't blame ignorance of either system.

I suspect Sat-Navs.

Either that or trailer manufacturers are in league with bridge manufacturers and warning sign manufacturers to fiddle the insurance.

Home Brew

 Wheeler Dealers is coming home!

But wait, that's not Ant Anstead.

No, that's Marc Priestley aka "Elvis" - the British based mechanic who worked with Mike on Wheeler Dealers - Dream Car.

Which I never watched.

The full announcement is here on YouTube:

Elvis is taking over from Ant and the three of them appear in that video talking about what will be the series-after-next.

I look forward to it being British again and I have every confidence that Elvis will make a fine third incarnation of the WD Mechanic - a Jon Pertwee to Ant's Patrick Troughton if you will.

One other thing I took from the video was a throw-away comment from Ant about his wives.

So I looked them up on Wikipedia.

His first wife, according to Wiki, is famous for being Ant Anstead's ex-wife.

His second wife, however, who is also Ant Anstead's ex-wife, seems to be a TV Presenter.

One person who gets virtually zero mention, however, is Edd - still the original and best and I bet a lot of the show's fans' first choice to resume the role.  It was stated that Ant will be calling in from time to time so I think we really need a "Three Mechanics" episode at some point - if Doctor Who can do it, then there's no reason why Wheeler Dealers can't.

Pointless

There is something wrong with the British public.

Actually, we already knew that - Boris Johnson and Brexit prove that.

But they seem ignorant on important matters too.

There must also be something wrong with Top Gear.

I've just been watching Pointless.  They had a round on Top Gear presenters - 16 photos and the contestants had to identify the presenters in the photos.

Obviously I knew them all so I decided to go with Jon Bentley - I figured he was a shoe-in to be a pointless answer.

Here are the results straight from the TV on my bedroom wall:

Two members of the British public knew who Jon Bentley is.

Two also knew who Sabine Schmitz is.

BUT ONLY ONE KNOWS WHO CHRIS HARRIS IS!

And nobody knows who Vicki Butler-Henderson is!

Crazy!

Jeremy was top scorer and those famous for other things all scored highly too.

I'm not convinced that when Richard Osman, the man with all the answers, said that Top Gear was Kate Humble's big break in TV, that he was right.  I seem to remember her already being famous and her joining Top Gear and me thinking that she was a poor choice since she seemed to know bugger all about cars and driving - how history repeats itself.

And then Richard Osman pointed out that Tiff Needell ought to be Tiffany Dell and Alexander Armstrong asked him what Tiff was short for - Richard Osman, the man with all the answers, got it wrong.

He needs to read my blog.

Picketing

I was minded to do a Post on Thursday because two different things piqued my interest:

One was this Car+Driver article about the latest of many many many special edition Minis - this one being the 1499GT

The other was the return of Bangers & Cash to TV for a new series

But which to do?

The new Mini is an homage to the old Mini 1275GT although it is really just the stripe along the bottom that they have in common:

I prefer the old one:

But it was while looking for a picture of a black example to match the new car, that I found this picture:

It's a Wood & Pickett version of the 1275GT - Wood & Pickett being coachbuilders/car converters.  The latest evidence of their existence that I can find is this article from 2011.  I suspect that they are no more but would be happy to be corrected.

That picture reminded me of a BBC Archives Facebook Post that a friend of mine once stuck onto my timeline with Lesley Judd driving around the Blue Peter studio in one marveling at its luxury vinyl roof. Click here if you are a Facebook user who wants to see her.

Now Wood & Pickett converted several different cars, specialising in Minis and other BLMC/British Leyland/Austin-Rover vehicles including my first car - the Triumph Dolomite- this is their version:

Not sure about their paint choice though - and neither was Derek Mathewson, boss of Mathewson's Auctions when he sold it in this week's series 3 episode 1 of Bangers & Cash.  He also sold a barely used Triumph Toledo.  I always watch Bangers & Cash - I'm waiting to see if Wayne Carini turns up stood at the back of the room one week and I think I'm in love with Sarah Crabtree but it was these these two Triumphs that made me want to publish this week.

So, both stories neatly linked.  My work here is done.

Humming

That's the noise an electric motor makes.

So is an electric Beetle a Humbug?

Remember when Arnie Schwarzenegger got his Humvie H1 electrified?

Not the most attractive of vehicles but the thought of an environmentally friendly Hummer was novel.

Well GMC have finally revealed lots of information about, and pictures of, their new electric Hummer:

Car+Driver have got loads of stories on it - here is just one.

And I have to say I really like it.  I don't normally like that class of vehicle - I guess I was put off by the old Nissan Navara ads which basically said that people who nobody respected should buy them.

Apparently the first 2022 models will all be white with a removable black roof, bronze-coloured wheels and a two-tone black and grey interior with bronze accents and Edition 1 badges.

Other variations including cheaper models will come later but let's be honest, it's these Edition 1 ones that Wayne Carini's Great-Grandkids will be getting excited about in Season 180 of Chasing Classic Cars.

So if an electric Beetle is a Humbug, then an electric Hummer must be...

...a Hummer.

Diabolical

I like Paddy McGuinness.  I find him funny.  I loved him in Phoenix Nights.

BUT GOD IS HE ANNOYING IN TOP GEAR!?

I stated when they were first announced, that this did not feel to me to be a good combination of presenters.

Apart from a few lapses, the first series wasn't too awful. But last week, when they were racing around the karting track in Bolton, I just got more and more annoyed with Paddy messing around - I reckon he caused the Freddie crash by spraying him with Cola.

Now this week, he trashes a Lambo!

Skidded on oil my foot!

I hated the car park musical chairs too - just seemed like pointless damage.

Did enjoy Freddie doing the 200mph and the Wheel of Death bit though.

Or am I just old?

Booze Bus

This is one of those stories that asks more questions than it answers.

Here is the Oxford United Team Coach:

His name is Karl Robinson.  And here is the Oxford United Team Coach:

Don't know its name. It may not even be the current one - there are lots of pictures on the Internet of different Oxford United Team Coaches.

Anyway, whichever is the latest coach has a clever device fitted to stop it being started if the driver has been at the bottle.  It also has a clever device to flood the vehicle with cleansing alcohol to kill off any Covid germs in the vicinity.

Now, can you spot a problem here?

The BBC version of the story is here.

Sounds Like Brewer's Telling Porkies

Well he is a used car salesman. 

I am a big fan of Wheeler Dealers - both the Edd era and the Ant era.

So I follow them on Facebook.

So I was somewhat perplexed to see this posting today:

Now Mike Brewer is obviously a car guy.

I am also a car guy.  I must be, I spend time writing a car blog that only 7 people read. And, speaking as a car guy, I am pretty confident in saying that things car guys find the opposite of interesting include:

• SUVs that farmers wouldn't be interested in
• Chinese Budget motors
• Bog-Standard Electric Cars

So I am incredibly sceptical when Mike Brewer says,

"MG has launched two new models, expanding the range to include an all-new EV and a plug-in hybrid variant of the HS SUV. Having seen the MG Motor UK ZS EV at the NEC last year, I can't wait to have a test drive in this. What do you think?"

I think MG must be paying you an awful lot of money to post that - it makes you less credible than Dominic Cummings.

The comments mostly though pick up on the fact that these cars look like a VW parked next to a Mazda.  All cross-overs look the same anyway but here I have got onto Paint and produced a VW parked next to a Mazda:

They've got a point.

Why Not To Post Snapchat Videos From The M25

 Headline:

Woman falls from car on M25 filming Snapchat video

BBC story:

Click Here.

Picture of where it happened:

Woman:

Dozy Mare.

But what I want to know is, Where's the bloody video?

Why Not to Post Pictures of Your Dinner

That's not my dinner by the way.  I wish it was - I like meatballs.  It was the first picture that came up when I searched for "Dinner" in Google Images.  It's owned by the BBC and I have a TV Licence so I hope they don't mind me using it.

But I digress.

I very rarely go on to the Liverpool Echo Website (or any of the other Trinity Mirror Newspaper ones)  They tend to be unreadable due to the invasive advertising but a particular headline piqued my interest and I've discovered that if you go on there using Internet Explorer, the adverts don't work so you can actually read the stories.  Most of the photos don't work either but I checked on Chrome and there are no gory pictures of the crash in the particular headline I'm on about.

Here's the headline:

'Hungry' police officer crashes after using blue lights to 'get home for tea'

And here is the story.

A 'tired and hungry' police officer put on his blue lights 'without reason' after his wife sent a picture of his tea on the table.  He switched on his emergency lights, drove at speeds up to 80 mph, ran a red light and then crashed into a BMW.

It's a shame because he had had a long day working and he has a distinguished career, first in The RAF  and then in The Police.  It appears to be a one-off mistake, but since he could have killed someone, it is right that he was punished.  He admitted one count of dangerous driving, was disqualified from driving for 12 months and was handed a 12-month community order. He must also carry out 40 hours of unpaid work and must pass an extended driving test before he will be allowed back on the roads. The officer was also ordered to pay the prosecution costs.

His job is on the line - I hope he doesn't lose it.

On top of all this, I bet his tea was cold when he finally got home.

Trailing Sockets

Car+Driver have raised an interesting question today:

How do you charge a electric truck that happens to be towing a trailer?

Gosh that looks strange.

 

Is it a horsebox?  Is it a caravan for shy people?

 

Just two of the many more questions that the article throws up.

 

Such as:

 

How much weight can an electric vehicle tow?

 

What does it do to the range? Can you trust the range computer on your dashboard?

 

Are caravan sites going to have to have extra charging sockets next to where you connect your caravan to the mains electricity?  Or will you have a cable running from your electric car or truck through your caravan window and plugged in next to the TV?

 

Car+Driver's main concern though is, given that charging point bays are designed to be driven into by cars, do you have to unhitch a trailer and leave it somewhere?  That trailer in the picture looks a bit hefty to be manhandled.

 

It looks like the manufacturers of electric trucks haven't thought that one through either - apart from Rivian - their agreements with charging companies specify that they will need space to accommodate vehicles that are towing trailers. They say that they will also make sure there is room for this type of charging in its own charging network.

 

Final question:

 

What is the best thing to carry in a trailer pulled by an electric vehicle?

 

Answer:

Do I Not Like Ash Sutton?

Didn't used to.

I thought he was arrogant and how dare a 23 year old become BTCC Champion?

Though maybe he had something to be arrogant about.

I suppose I've always been a Colin Turkington fan - even from when before I bought a BMW.

And Ash Sutton has always been a big rival - and he's made a few caustic remarks too.  Often about Colin Turkington.

But, I have to admit he is brilliant racing driver.  He was brilliant at Knockhill today winning two races.  And the BTCC needs arrogant drivers with attitude - especially this season while Jason Plato is on a sabbatical.  And the grumpy Matt Neal isn't getting much airtime to be grumpy in.

I suppose what worries me most about Ash Sutton is that he became champion in 2017 - the year after the Russians meddled in the Brexit vote and in the US Presidential elections.

Here is Ash Sutton wearing a face mask:

Remind you of anyone?

Soup Apes

This picture is actually a monkey - but near enough.

 

If you want to know why this post is called "Soup Apes", then  you will need to look at a lot of photos in the second Autocar/Ronan Glon story that I've picked up on in a week.  Here's the other one if you missed it.

 

This is about a museum full of post-war Citroëns.

 

Each to their own but I'm not a fan - this one is my least unfavourite: 

It's an SM.

 

Does that stand for "Soup Monkey?"

Do 28% of Car Owners own BMWs?

Maybe.

Or maybe 28% of people who read articles about BMWs on motoring news sites own BMWs.

 

That survey appears at the bottom of this Car+Driver story about how, when firefighters have to break car windows to run their hoses along the shortest distance from hydrant to fire - it is usually a BMW that is illegally parked in their way.

 

They supply the latest example - this happened in The Bronx this week: 

However, a Google Images search reveals quite a different story.

 

So, speaking as a participant in that survey, and as part of that 28%, DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE YOU VOTE!*

 

In fact, that is true every time you vote in anything - otherwise you end up with idiots in charge.

 

 

 

 

 

*I didn't, I just voted that way because I drive a BMW.

Rouille en Paix

That's French for "Rust in Peace"

Google Translate says it is anyway - a Frenchman may disagree.

It's probably not a good idea to visit France at the moment, unless you don't mind a couple of weeks quarantine on your return.

Which means that you could be missing out on an unusual tourist attraction.

Last month's Top Gear Magazine plugged an interesting book entitled "Lost Wheels" by Dieter Klein.

"It all started in Cognac, in this French town in Nouvelle-Aquitane, at the edge of a small village close by, I fell in love with Rosalie"

I think that is a better opening line than "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" and certainly better than "Call me Ishmael."

Especially when you find out that Rosalie is an abandoned Citroën delivery truck.  The book is full of beautifully photographed abandoned cars and other vehicles.

So why am I bringing this up now?

I'll tell you.

Autocar today have an interesting article by American-based-in-France-with-an-Irish-first-name Ronan Glon which involves abandoned cars in France.

Some are old:

Apparently that is a Renault Monaquatre from the early '30s.  It would have looked like this:

Some are unrecognisable:

Believe it or not, that is a Renault Fuego.

 

What I like about this article is that Ronan and his researchers have tried to find out about the specific cars and vans - checking out number plates, VIN plates and even door hinges in one case to identify a Peugeot.

 

Some are surprising, like this Celica:

That Toyota is probably my favourite but this Renault 4 inspired Ronan so much that they have bought it:

It's a shame that some of these cars have ended up in this state - some have been stolen and stripped for parts - some just parked and forgotten about.  Some were used to build a dam - which didn't last very long.

A bit of a beautiful mess.

Talking of messes, our Government is insisting that the schools will reopen in September.  They may have a bit of a problem now:
You do realise we're all in France? say teachers (satire - but only just)

Badvertising

First there was Bananaman:

Then came Banana-Girl:

This is apparently a VERY BAD ADVERT for the Audi RS4.

 

Audi used this still from an advert showing it as a family car on Twitter and had to apologise.

 

Now, in terms of showing off the speed and the attributes of the car, I can see that it is failing on all counts - but that isn't really a reason to apologise unless you are the advertising executive who suggested to Audi that they use it.

 

No, according to one Twitter user, it is sexually provocative:

 

"Let's add it up: Red=eroticism, sports car=substitute for potency, animal print mini-skirt=sex appeal, banana=phallic symbol. But sure this is all just accidental..."

 

Maybe I'm not as perverted as some of these Twitter users but I am really not seeing it.

 

Talking of getting offended by ads, the BBC had this story yesterday about how "A new campaign called 'Badvertising' is demanding an immediate end to adverts for large polluting cars."

 

They don't seem to mind small polluting cars.

 

The campaign wants the Government to clamp down on sports utility vehicle (SUV) car adverts in the way it curbed smoking ads. Now, I'd quite like to ban SUVs - including the electric ones - but that's nothing to do with environmental concerns.

 

I looked up Badvertising on Google - I don't think it's anything to do with this lot.  I eventually found them here.  They are also worried about the impact of outdoor advertising signage in its own right -

 

"Outdoor advertising such as giant billboards, digital screens, and panels placed at bus stops and other places for public transport, are particularly problematic because unlike other mediums, we have no choice over whether we view them or not."

 

But when you are out and about, you are in the marketplace - I'd much rather that than have the advertisers come round to my front door.

 

The group behind the campaign are a worthy enough bunch of academics and artists and I wish them well - but they aren't going to convince the Mail Readers if they haven't convinced a Leftie like me - although maybe the fact I'm a Leftie Car-lover has something to do with that.

 

Advertising doesn't work on me anyway.  Now, I could just go a banana.

This Morning I Overtook two Ferraris and a Lambo...

 

...and a Porsche and a Nissan GTR....

...and a couple more Ferraris and Lambos.

Some of them were travelling backwards!  Here's the proof:

Leaning on a Lampost

They've started to swap over the street-lamps in my street:

The old sodium lamp on the left is being replaced by the more efficient LED one on the right.

 

I was wondering which one would come on last night - it was the new one.

 

I totally get why they are being replaced and I agree with the thinking behind it.  But the change also makes me a little sad.  No more coming in to land on a plane and seeing the towns and roads lit up below in orange light.

 

No more playing out with your friends and knowing it was getting late because the lamps came on one by one firstly red, then changing to orange once warmed up - admittedly we are talking 40 years ago for me but it must be true for todays youngsters.  But not tomorrows. 

 

It's a bit like when France did away with the yellow headlamps - another bit of history gone forever.

 

Is it really though?  I'm sure I have memories of one or two old incandescent street lamps from my early childhood - they were few and far between then but white light must have been prevalent for many years before sodium lamps came on the scene.

 

Go back a further still and you find that people were employed to wander around lighting gas lamps:

There are still some in use in Europe today - but I think that's more to keep nostalgic people like me happy - maybe somewhere will do the same with sodium.

 

Meanwhile British Gas are buying electric vans - now that can't be right, can it?

Quietly Taycan

There is an interesting opinion piece in Autocar today by their contributor Lawrence Allan.

Although I mused on the same subject back in 2011.

Seen any football lately?

You can choose whether or not to have artificial crowd noise or listen to the eerie sounds of professional football happening in empty stadia.

I prefer the real sounds.

The fake crowd noise is provided with a little help from EA Games - specifically the FIFA franchise.

Well, what Lawrence today and me nine years ago have been talking about is artificial sounds for electric cars.  Lawrence recently (pre-lockdown actually) got to drive the Porsche Taycan:

He would like artificial V8 sounds added and suggests Gran Turismo to provide it.

Before I got to that bit of the article, I'd already in my mind settled on Grand Theft Auto for the job - accelerate - screech to a halt - murder a prostitute.

I think it may just catch on.