A Nice Little Hatch

 I love seeing the old-fashioned roadsigns that still remain in parts of Britain.

This one is close to my house. It is near a junction with a tight turn.  You can see the road marking is a bit faded.

So they re-did the road markings a month or two ago.

Notice the hatching on the left.

It is because there is a very narrow pavement there that doesn't give people wandering around the corner much room.

Now, according to the UK Government,

"Hatched markings with a single, broken boundary line may be used at the edge of the road or next to the central reservation of a dual carriageway: the diagonal lines always slope towards the direction of travel. You should not enter any hatched area bounded by a broken line unless it is safe to do so."

I always give that area a wide berth when I'm turning left there.

I would be just keeping quiet and not writing this post if it wasn't the case.

But I see lots of others just driving right over the hatches.

Despite them being fresh and bright. 

So I decided to just stand at that junction for a bit and see how many observed the hatching and how many didn't. I stood there for 5 minutes recording every vehicle that made that left turn.

All 18 of them.

What did I learn?

Both Ford Kugas that passed were driven right over the hatching.

But then that is a crossover SUV so I would expect nothing less.

Seven of the vehicles were crossover SUVs. Of these, four were over the line, two were fine and this one is borderline:

There were eight proper cars. So proper cars are still outnumbering cross-overs but only just.

Anyway 5 out of the 8 were over the line so it looks like I can't single out SUV drivers here like I was hoping I'd be able to.

So what does that leave?

Vans.

I wasn't hopeful.

Normally, I find vans being driven very badly on the M53.

But the first two around this junction executed it perfectly.

I was astonished. 

Then this one came round:

So, roadsigns may have changed.

And vehicle types are changing.

But you can still rely on a van driver to be a tit.

Hell on Wheels

I've never really got Halloween.

The rest of my household love it though.

As do other households.

Like the St.Helens family in this BBC News story.

Every year, they decorate their house to excess and use it to collect money for charity.  In previous years, they have done a Beetlejuice themed display, a Wednesday themed one and a Stranger Things one.

This year, they've gone with Ghostbusters.

So why is this in a car blog?

Because they bought a Vauxhall Astra estate for £400 and turned it into an Ecto-1 clone.

Well maybe not a clone - but a very decent effort.

Given they were starting from an Astra estate. 

They've probably spent a lot more than that on wrapping and decorating it.

Scary.

Who do the AA use when they break down?

The AA of course.

Although wouldn't you have thought he'd be able to fix it at the roadside?

So who do Amazon use for their deliveries?

Woodside MotorFreight it would appear...

That video was from the same bit of the M53 that I got the AA photo a few years back wondering when I would ever use it.

There were three electric 76 registered vans on that transporter.

I've hardly seen any 76 reg vehicles this year so was surprised that Google AI reckons it's been a record year.

The first two I saw were not SUVs - they were REAL CARS!

This meant I was lulled into a false sense of security thinking the popularity was waning.

They are as popular as ever - including this stupid one also on the same bit of the M53:

 So here's my fourth link to the same Blog Post today.

Welsh Sport

Four days is a long time in football.

One minute I'm ecstatic about a Welsh win.

Next they lose at home to another Scandinavian team.

Never mind, Gerwyn Price took a three set lead against Luke Humphries in the World Darts Grand Prix.

Bugger.

 

But wait a minute!  What's this?

Elfyn Evans is the new World Rally Champion!

In the last year it will be a proper competition.

And he's done it in a Toyota Yaris...

 ...not a stupid SUV!

Puma Trainers

Two different motoring stories caught my eye yesterday but I didn't add them to my 'Blog because I was busy watching Wales beat Norway in the UEFA Nations League.

The first, from Auto Express, concerns Ford returning to the World Rally Championship after a couple of years off that were preceded by four years using a Ford Puma of all things!

If Wikipedia is right, then it only won 3 races in all that time.

And one of those had Sebastien Loeb at the wheel.

That will be because it is a cross-over SUV.

And significantly lowering it didn't make enough difference.

Because SUVs are not sportscars!

They presumably didn't want to use the historically successful Focus and Fiestas because they knew that they were due to be discontinued.

So they destroyed their fan base instead.  No racing fan is going to be interested in a tall vehicle tackling winding roads.  And no Puma buyer is interested in the WRC.

Now Ford have realised this so are returning in 2028 with THE FORD FIESTA!

That they stopped building in 2023!

Similarly, in the BTCC, the brilliant Ash Sutton has just won his fifth championship in a FORD FOCUS!

...that they stopped building earlier this year.  And, it was the saloon version that he used - WHICH WAS NEVER SOLD IN BRITAIN!

The "B" of BTCC stands for "British" you know.

So they are prostituting their racing heritage just like they have prostituted the names Puma, Mustang and Capri.

They are also taking advantage of new WRC regulations given that, from 2027, the cars don’t need to share their shell or chassis with a road-car alternative. They must only "reference a road car that the manufacturer builds".

So they can build whatever they like, with whatever chassis and whatever engine - and call it a Ford Explorer Rally Car.

I think the World Rally Championship has just become pointless.

A bit like asking young people in Northern Ireland if the new Graduated Driving Licence is a good idea.  

Although, the BBC, who do like to give both sides of the story, have found one who isn't totally against the idea.

The GDL (not to be confused with DRL which is something completely different altogether and is so commonplace it doesn't get mentioned any more) kicks in for anyone who hasn't passed their driving test by April 1st 2027 with extra restrictions for under 24 year-olds.

The strange thing for me though, after hearing lots of stories about "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland over the past few decades, was reading the line,

For the minister behind the Department for Infrastructure reforms, Sinn Féin's Liz Kimmins, graduated driver licensing is about reducing the risks faced by those getting behind the wheel for the first time.

It's positive that a party with an "interesting" past is now able to participate fully in positive changes which, after some recent tragedies on both sides of the Irish Sea involving young drivers, has to be a very good thing.

So it does.

REO Speed Wagon

REO Speedwagon the band are named after REO Speedwagon the fire engine - and other truck-based vehicles.  It was manufactured by the REO Motor Car Company and the REO is pronounced "Rio" despite standing for its founder R.E.Olds and despite the band pronouncing it "Oreo" if I remember correctly.

Thank you Wikipedia.

Anyway, they became defunct in 1967.

Also thank you Wikipedia. (for the information that is, not for them going defunct in 1967)

Well, REO are back in the news today.

Or at least a reincarnation of the company is.  Car+Driver have the story here.

And  Frank Stephenson, star of my post last year and also designer of the McLaren P1 will be doing the styling.

Most start-ups seem to fail in the automotive industry.  Top Gear Magazine, as well as featuring Frank Stephenson every month, also feature a failed start-up every month.

Let's hope for Frank's sake - he only appears the once in future editions.

Medium Wave Hello

Two and a half years ago, I posted about how discussions were taking place to make it compulsory to have am band radios in cars in the US.

Well it looks like it's coming closer.

"The bill would require automakers to put AM radios in every car made or sold in the United States."

It doesn't use the word install though.

So my suggestion in 2024 of buying a cheap one and putting it in the glove box should do the trick.  Modern ones (if there is such a thing as a modern am radio) can be powered from a USB-C cable.

It does use the word made though.  So every car built in the States has to have an am radio!?

What will the rest of the World make of that?  My car was built in The States.

AM won't be a very useful feature where I live:

Due to the mass shutdown of the UK's analogue transmitters over recent years, the AM (Medium Wave) radio spectrum is heavily reduced. Local favorites like BBC Radio Merseyside (1485 AM) and Radio City / Greatest Hits Radio (1548 AM) have permanently turned off their AM signals.

However, you can still tune into a few national and ultra-local stations on the Wirral:

📻 Active AM Stations on the Wirral

talkSPORT (1089 kHz or 1107 kHz AM): Strong reception across the peninsula. talkSPORT actually operates a dedicated local low-power transmitter in Wallasey on 1107 AM, while the high-powered 1089 AM signal comes across from the Moorside Edge transmitter.
BBC Radio 5 Live (693 kHz or 909 kHz AM): The main national home for live news and sports can still be picked up clearly across the North West.
Radio Clatterbridge (1386 kHz AM): A true local gem. Based at the Clatterbridge Health Park in Bebington, it is one of the oldest hospital community radio stations in the world. While its low-power AM signal is meant for the health park, it can often be picked up in the surrounding mid-Wirral areas.

Thank you Google AI for that summary.

I wonder what next will they want installing in our cars?

Let me just float that by you...

What happens if you live in a flood plain and want to keep your car safe?

Car+Driver have this idea from Japan.

So your parking space is a giant block of polystyrene.

Or, more precisely, a large, resin-coated slab of waterproof foam that floats up with the floodwater.

So, what's to stop it floating away?

Well, those shiny metal tubes are fixed to the ground and the large, resin-coated slab of waterproof foam has holes that accommodate them.

So what happens if the floodwater is so high that it clears the shiny, metal poles?

Then your car floats away.

Instruments of Torture

BMW haven't learned from Volkswagen's mistake.

They did learn from their own mistake though.

But it looks like Hyundai haven't learned from BMW's mistake.

They want to charge extra for an instrument binnacle!

An instrument binnacle that stops the car looking like the inside of a Tesla.

The cars it's slated for are the Ionic 3 and the Elantra.  The Elantra looks really good from the outside.

Shame it'll be ruined by the inside.

Meanwhile, Ford are charging Mustang Mach E buyers $495 to use their front boot.

But then people who are buying SUVs that are named after sporty cars will be gullible enough to pay up.

Carr Show?

I keep referring back to this post from 2018.

I was, and still am, upset by this choice of presenters for my beloved Top Gear.

So I was interested to learn, from none other than the BBC themselves, of the return of Top Gear.

Shame they don't seem to know who the new line-up will be.

The Sun seem to think one will be Jimmy Carr.

I like Jimmy Carr.

• He's very funny.
• He did very well in the Suzuki Liana.
• He got an electric Aston Martin DB6.

Although...

• He did a gig in Saudi Arabia and
• HE ISN'T A MOTORING PRESENTER 

Another name being touted is Joe Marler.

I like Joe Marler.

• He has a very dry but funny sense of humour.
• He makes a good air freshener

Although...

I'm a Welsh Rugby fan and

HE ISN'T A MOTORING PRESENTER 

 

If these are chosen, it doesn't bode well - especially as I am not aware of any Marler car connection.

There are some other candidates out there.

Generation Why?

Not the first time I've covered this story - here is my blogging from January last year.

Car+Driver have an update today.

Apparently it is young people's fault that the BMW Neue Klasse platform vehicles don't have any buttons.

NO IT ISN'T - IT'S BMW's FAULT!!

According to Vikram Pawah, CEO of BMW Group Australia, people under 45 prefer touchscreens.

MAYBE FOR THEIR PHONES!

I bet there aren't too many 44 year-olds who want them controlling everything in their cars.

Volkswagen found that out a couple of years back.  Here's my view.

And, even if it were true, young people are becoming less interested in driving. (That is an old article but anecdotally still seems right)

And if they are less interested in driving, they will be less interested in cars.  And that seems to be the nub of his argument.

“I think you need to understand why that change is happening, and once you understand that it’s easier to comprehend what will happen in the future as well. A car is not a stand-alone piece. It’s part of what’s happening around you in society.”

It's the same reason why cross-over SUVs are taking over - the car companies want profits and don't care about the enthusiasts.

At least the Car+Driver readers understand:

Catacleansed

This is devastating news and probably the only time I've done a serious post since the very start when I didn't know what this Blog was.

Here is a statement from the BTCC.

There is nothing on the Cataclean-Plato Racing website (at time of me writing this) - although there may be nobody there to update it.

A bit more digging brought up this story.

It looks like Plato Racing has gone out of business less than a year after it was formed.  It has lost a lot of cash but just started to have on-track success and the team will probably go on to thrive.  The administrators are saying as much - although they are basically salesmen here.

I hope Jason (and driver Dan Rowbottom who is also an investor) get something back out of this. They were basically talked into this venture and things were looking up for Plato after he hit rock bottom with two previous suicide attempts while he was there.

It's all a very sudden end considering the optimism back in April. 

I am a huge fan of his and there are massive numbers more out there - his loss to the BTCC will be significant - which is probably why they acknowledge,

Jason is unquestionably one of the BTCC’s greatest stars, and his exceptional record speaks for itself. He has long been – and will remain – a valued part of the BTCC family. Although his involvement with this particular venture appears to have reached its conclusion, we look forward to seeing Jason in the BTCC paddock in the future.

They seemed to have a decent amount of sponsorship and they were a manufacturer team - so how could Mercedes have let this happen?  According to Google AI, which seems to have watched a Kwik Fit video on YouTube,

A manufacturer team primarily benefits from larger financial budgets, direct corporate marketing backing, and enhanced logistical support compared to independent privateers.

The car looks very good:

I think Mercedes should have some spare cash they could splash - the fact they haven't means this story makes them look very bad.

I wonder if a lender has got nervous?

Whatever has happened, the team will be continuing under a different name and without Plato.

Maybe someone has seen a chance to cash in given that the team have finally found a winning formula?

Not sure how Rowbottom fits into this as he is supposed to be driving one of the cars.

I guess we'll find out more this coming weekend when the team show up at Donington Park.

Without Jason.

I wish him future success and good mental health.

Seize The Day

This driver's head isn't blurry due to high speed.

Despite driving a 186mph Ferrari Monza.

With no real windscreen. 

He is a very lucky policeman. 

And the car is one of many seized for antisocial driving/no insurance/no driving licence and/or several other naughty acts.

The BBC have the story here.

That particular car had been in the country for one day.

And was being driven on a provisional licence without insurance.

They estimate its value as £3.7million.

Unfortunately, the police don't get to keep the car - they just charge for its storage.

Unless it isn't claimed within 7 days.

Then they can dispose of it however they want.

According to that story, they also impounded a Rolls Royce, Mercs, BMWs and a Lambo or two. 

Bet they didn't impound any Luces.

Peaqy Blinders

According to the BBC, there's a bit of a hoo-ha going on in The Peak District.

Or is that the Peaq District?

No, that isn't one of those amusing stories about signage that has been spelled incorrectly.

Skoda have sponsored the Peak District National Park to change their signs FOR ONE WEEK.

I put that in capitals to stress the massive impact this will have on the area.

Not.

But some people have got quite upset about it. Including presumably Jessica Peach who has been taking photos of the protests for the BBC.

Including that one.

Did she wait until a Skoda was passing before taking it?

Pity that's a 2013 Skoda Fabia estate rather than a 2026 Skoda Peaq.  She'd probably still be there waiting today to catch one of them up there.

Given that we still have to pay for Brexit and the many years of austerity, I don't see anything wrong in this deal FOR ONE WEEK to top up the funds of the national parks.

Although I don't think it would have worked without the protesters.

I wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for this item about them.

But I'm not going to buy a crossover SUV and I went to The Peak District last year which I enjoyed but want to do other places for the next breaks I have.

And what do we know about the Peaq?

As an electric crossover SUV it is, by definition, boring.  It certainly doesn't look any different to the rest.

Everything Electric Cars have reviewed it.

I'd not noticed it before but they do what Tory councillors always do in local newspapers and get theire photos taken pointing at whatever is annoying them.

Now, where have I seen someone else doing that lately?

Photo credit Jessica Peach.

Bad News for Elon (and Donald)

Not that the trillionaire with fascist tendencies will be that bothered.

Autoguide today are suggesting that the Cybertruck might be a flop.

Registration data shows that U.S. registrations hit a record quarterly low of just 3,519 units in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 45.1% drop compared to the same period in 2025.

Oops.

But what about elsewhere?

Tesla also officially sells the Cybertruck in Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

It's not even legally allowed on the roads in the UK.

I can't imagine the Canadians or Mexicans are buying many.

Back in January, Torque News also suggested that the Cybertruck might be a flop.

And they had this excellent picture which I'm happy to credit them with:

And, it looks like a lot of the American sales are internal corporate fleet purchases from other Elon Musk-led ventures such as SpaceX.

So how is that working out?

Meanwhile, Elon's former best friend isn't doing too well with his latest venture either.

About a fortnight ago, I reported on A White House promoted scheme to sell cheap fuel to Americans in certain States who had noticed that the Iran War was badly affecting their everyday costs.

Well, that went well.

1000 Not Out!

This is my 1000th Blog Post!

Number 1 was a bit serious - I hadn't got into my stride of  commenting on car news items at that point.

And I was right. 

That was November 2009 by the way - when the World was a better place but we didn't know it.

In fact, it wasn't until 2021 that the end of the World was announced.

By me.

And it was 2018 when I foresaw the end of Top Gear.  I may not have said it, but I definitely foresaw it.

Number 999, just last week, was an amusing electric Bentley story.

So, what have I got for today's Number 1000 story?

An amusing story about a Yorkshire cyclist who decided that a car had passed him too closely so sent footage of it to the Police.

That footage also showed the cyclist squeezing his bike through this gap:

(The car on the left is parked)

The BBC story is here together with the video. There is no news of the car driver that he reported.  But there is news that the cyclist ending up with over £1200 in fines for riding without due care and attention.

I have a vision of the police officer watching the footage then spotting this.

Poetic.

Beat That!

Another excellently written story from Car+Driver.

It's about the forthcoming electric SUV from Bentley, the Torcal:

We know a couple of things about it - one is that it we don't know what it looks like but it won't look like my picture because that is a photo of a Bentayga.

We also know it will be an electric SUV and therefore quite boring.

Or will it?

Well yes, but...

Instead of fake engine noise or an annoying whirr, it will have a bit of drum and bass.

Which should sound pretty good when you are winging your way along an Autobahn or around to Welsh Mountain B-Roads, but what about when you are pootling around town? 

  

Con-Oil

I see the Iran War is kicking off again.

The idiot Trump negotiated a worse deal than the Obama one and then couldn't keep the peace.

This means that fuel prices have already started rising.

Just as they had started to go down from the peak days of Trump's War:

But don't worry!  The White House has a solution for the mess they created.

As long as you live in certain bits of Pennsylvania or New Jersey.

The Freedom Fuel Network will sell fuel at $3.47 per US Gallon.

The 47 cents is a tribute to the 47th POTUS - the moron who caused the prices to skyrocket in the first place.

But the MAGA fans won't understand that.  They will just see the patriotic signage and not realise they have been had again.

Trump watches anyone? Or some Trump crypto perhaps?

It's the same over here will gullible people hanging flags on lampposts because people funded by billionaires would rather we think that immigrants are to blame for UK hardships when tax evasion costs us considerably more.

Don't get me wrong, I'd buy cheap fuel - but it wouldn't alter my views on very obviously corrupt politicians. 

According to Autoguide...

The origins of the network remain highly obscured. Over the course of a single week, 25 independent filling stations across southeastern Pennsylvania (20 locations) and southern New Jersey (5 locations)—which previously operated under branding like Sunoco, Valero, and Shell—abruptly rebranded, hanging patriotic red, white, and blue banners over their existing architecture. Business registries reveal that "Freedom Fuel Network LLC" was quietly incorporated as a private entity in Delaware on June 23, 2026.

A White House official confirmed that the Freedom Fuel Network is a private company and did not receive federal subsidies or government funding. Instead, the administration claims the unnamed, patriotic retailer is lowering prices strictly by drastically reducing its own profit margins to set an example for the rest of the industry.

They are using the word patriotic a lot.  It will be a billionaire friend of Trump and prime for tax write-off.

And what is the significance of Delaware?

This maybe?

Plus, don't forget the Mid-Term Elections coming up this year.

Pennsylvania has a U.S. Senate race with 17 U.S. Representative seats up for grabs.

New Jersey has a U.S. Senate race with 12 U.S. Representative seats up for grabs.

Wonder why they picked those states for the Freedom Fuel?

Is Skywell Skyworth it?

Their importers don't seem to think so.

Although the fact not many people have actually heard of them may have something to do with it.

I certainly hadn't.

They are another Chinese brand and have apparently been trying to sell vehicles in the UK since 2024...

  

...when they sold 6 cars.

Their website looks professional enough - concentrating on their electric SUV, the BE11...

 

...which looks just like most electric (and non-electric) SUVs.

They have other vehicles in the range too - a hatch, a saloon and a van:

which seems to be a "Skyworth"

But they are described as "coming soon..."

 

...so probably won't now.

The Skywell short-lived story is described by Autocar here.  According to that, there will be redundancies as their 16 dealerships shut (none near me) and their spokesman is also being let go.

Sounds like a failure in marketing or investment...

 

...or investment in marketing.

Skywell have skydived.

RTFM

Unfortunately, manual cars are going to die out.

And, according to Auto Express, it may be by the end of the decade.

Although they do have some more positive news for those of us who would like to stick with stick.  Not that I could afford a Ferrari 12 Cilindre.

And I currently own an automatic.

According to the article, "In the first half of 2026, just 7.9 per cent of factory order enquiries submitted to Auto Express’ Buy a Car service concerned a car with a manual gearbox. This marks a significant decrease from a 14 per cent share in the same period in 2025, and 21 per cent in 2024."

Part of this is due to the lack of manual cars available.

I would be driving one if there was such a thing as a manual Volvo S60.

And, obviously, the rise of the electric vehicle is a strong contributor to the manual demise.

But, even if there are no new ones, there will still be millions of them on the road.  And those of us who can still drive them will find them cheaper.

And we'll be the only ones who can drive classics.

And there will be more stories like this one.