Month: April 2018

Vehicle manufacturers have always needed a way to instantly differentiate their products from rivals. While some simply settle for writing their brand names, the majority of manufacturers opt for a logo – often with a meaning behind them which isn’t entirely obvious.

We’ve rounded up ten manufacturers with a subtext behind their logo here.

Audi

Audi’s four interlocking rings date back to the very origin of the company. The early Audi joined forces with three other brands in 1932 – DKW, Horch, and Wanderer – to create Auto Union, and each ring represents an arm of that company. The brand would later revert to simply calling itself Audi.

Hyundai

Glance at it and Hyundai’s logo looks simply like an italicised H. However, it’s intended to symbolise two people shaking hands and making a deal – not the easiest thing to spot!

BMW

BMW’s logo is commonly said to represent a spinning aircraft propeller, but this likely dates back to a 1929 TV ad showing a plane with the logo superimposed on it. The truth is much simpler – the blue and white represent the colours of the Bavarian Free State. At the time it was illegal to use national symbols in a commercial trademark, so the order was reversed.

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi’s deceptively simple three-pointed emblem is actually the combination of two family crests – Yamauchi and Iwasaki. The name also derives from these – Mitsu, which means three, represents the three oak leaves of the Yamauchi family crest, while bishi means water chestnut, as well as rhombus. The overall shape of the logo is also reminiscent of the founder’s first employer – the three-leaf crest of the Tosa clan.

Alfa Romeo

The double-sided Alfa emblem features a red cross on its left side, as the symbol of Milan, and on the right, a snake ‘eating’ a man. This is the symbol of the Visconti family, and dates back to the crusades, when Otone Visconti fought a noble Saracen knight. Beating the knight, he took the symbols from his shield. Alfa Romeo says that the symbol actually shows a man being reborn and renewed from the mouth of the snake, but the flailing arms say otherwise to us.

Ferrari

One of the world’s best-known car logos, the prancing horse emblem first appeared on the plane of WWI pilot Francesco Baracca. Baracca’s mother told Enzo Ferrari that using the horse would bring good luck, and it certainly seems to have done the trick. The yellow background represents the brand’s Modena hometown.

Rolls-Royce

The original ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ is thought to be actress Eleanor Thornton, who modelled for a sculpture called ‘The Whisperer’. When Lord Montagu of Beaulieu requested a custom logo for his Rolls-Royce, this was the inspiration – and it was such a hit that Rolls-Royce commissioned it for all of its cars.

Porsche

Porsche’s logo is fairly simple – the amalgamation of two coats of arms. It takes elements from the Free State of Württemberg in Western Germany as well as its former capital, Stuttgart.

Mercedes

The iconic three-pointed star was created to embody the firm’s desire to establish motorised mastery of the land, sea, and air. That’s right, Mercedes planned for world domination. Scary.

Subaru

Subaru’s six stars represent the Seven Sisters constellation – also known as Pleiades, and called ‘subaru’ in Japanese. They also represent the six companies that merged together to form Subaru’s parent brand – Fuji Heavy Industries.

For large families, having a practical and reliable car is usually a must — but with so many other things to pay for, affordability is valued over most things.

A car that can take all the kids out on an adventure to the beach while packing lots of buckets, spades and spare clothes — while dropping gran off to bingo on the way — may sound cost with so many on the market, there’s plenty of bargains to be found in the classified. We take a look at the seven best seven-seat cars on sale for £7,000£

Ford S-Max

The Ford S-Max might be the quintessential seven-seater — offering bags of practicality, easy driveability and consistent reliability.

£7k in the classifieds can get you a well looked-after example from the early part of this decade, with high equipment levels if you’re not fussed over higher-mileage — or a strong, low-mileage example for those looking for a more basic package.

Land Rover Discovery 3

If you need your budget seven-seater to head off-road, look no further than the Discovery 3.

You’ve got the practicality of any MPV, but with the proven capabilities of Land Rover’s off-roading technology. At £7k, you’ll be looking at some pretty high mileage examples so it’s worth taking extra time to find a well-kept model.

Kia Sorento

Kia has carved its name as one of the most reliable and capable brands in recent years, and you can make sure those boxes are ticked on your seven-seat checklist with a Sorento.

Thanks to the firm’s seven-year warranty, you might even be able to find an example that’s still covered by its manufacturer’s original guarantee within budget.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate

Not every car on this list has to be a big MPV! It’s not the most well-known fact, but Mercedes has offered seven-seat versions of its big estate car.

Sure, at this price you will be looking at pretty well-used examples that could potentially cost a lot more in repairs and service — but do your research, and a gem of a German estate could be yours at a low cost.

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso

At £7k, the C4 Grand Picasso could well be one of — if not the — newest seven seaters you can buy.

For that, you can pick up decent examples from 2014/15, albeit with high mileage. If you’re happy with an older car, you can examples with less than 60k miles with no problem at all.

Nissan Qashqai+2

The Nissan Qashqai has become one of the most popular cars on the market, and you can get in on the action with a seven-seat variant for under £7k.

Plenty of the used market at this price have high levels of equipment, allowing you to ride in relative comfort and luxury at a pretty low price — all while remaining practical.

Volvo XC90 

The Swedes know how to make high quality cars that can stand the test of time, and the Volvo XC90 is no exception to that rule.

£7k will land you a very well-kept example from the turn of the decade — offering tons of luxury and a premium badge at a not-so premium badge. You know it’ll run forever, too.

Audi has revealed the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo – an all-electric race car concept designed for virtual competition on the PlayStation 4.

The racer was originally only conceived to be included in the Gran Turismo video game to celebrate its 15th anniversary. However, the German car manufacturer has announced that it has built a one-off, fully functional version to support its team in the all-electric Formula E single-seater championship.

It will be used as a ‘race taxi’, giving guests of Audi hot laps on the series’ street circuits, starting in Rome on Saturday, April 14.

Peter Mertens, technical development boss at Audi, said: “E-mobility is rapidly gaining importance.

“That is why in 2017 Audi was the first German manufacturer to enter Formula E with a factory-backed commitment. In our motorsport development laboratory, we are continuously expanding our expertise in e-mobility and gathering valuable experience – in extremely demanding conditions as well.

“With the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo race taxi we are turning electric mobility into a tangible experience for our customers and guests as part of the Formula E races – in the middle of the world’s metropolises.”

The electric powertrain produces 794bhp and feeds all four wheels via two electric motors at the rear wheels and a third powering the front two. It has a carbon-fibre construction to keep weight down, tipping the scales at 1,450kg with a 50/50 weight distribution.

Its face is an evolution of the existing R8 supercar’s design and could signal a first look at the next-generation model’s appearance, perhaps even hinting that Audi is going to have another go at an EV R8 following a very limited trial run between 2014 and 2016.

Police officers mistakenly filled their patrol cars with the wrong type of fuel nearly 300 times in 2017 – costing the taxpayer more than £50,000.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance described the figures, released after a Freedom of Information investigation by the Press Association, as “staggering”.

Of the UK’s 45 police forces, 40 responded and 33 admitted paying out for repairs to a police vehicle after a misfuelling incident in 2017 – at an average cost of £178 a time.

Some 299 incidents of misfuelling were recorded, costing a total £53,337 in repairs.

West Midlands Police had the most incidents – 66, at a cost of £3,737.

The Met Police had 49 incidents, costing £17,589.57 in total to repair, while Police Scotland had 16, costing £2,004.92.

John O’Connell, chief executive of pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s staggering that such a simple mistake is being made almost daily.

“This careless attitude shows a lack of respect for those same taxpayers who both pay their wages and are forced to pay for the repairs.

“Millions of people manage this task with their own cars by taking a modicum of care – police officers should extend the same courtesy to their vehicles.”

West Midlands Police fleet manager Gary Mallett said mistakes increased after 2013 when the force moved away from internal fuel sites and fuel keys to external fuel stations in a cost-cutting exercise.

He said: “We saw a major spike in the number of misfuels in 2013-14 and addressed this by notifying users and local vehicle leads of the volume and cost of the mistake.

“We also labelled all vehicles with the fuel type as a reminder of the correct fuel that should be used.

“This has had a positive effect, with around a 53 per cent reduction in the number of misfuels, but more importantly around a 90 per cent reduction in actual cost of repairs.

“We put out regular reminders to staff, and this is continuing to have an impact on reducing the problem.”

A spokesman for the Met said that since 2008 its vehicles had been refuelled 1.5m times and that mistakes were “a tiny proportion of total refuelling”.

The spokesman added: “The MPS operates a mixed fleet of both petrol and diesel vehicles with a gradual move towards more petrol, hybrid and electric vehicles. Overall, the misfuelling rate is decreasing year on year.

“We ensure that every vehicle has a clear indication of which fuel is required on fuel flaps and vehicle log books.”

Motoring organisations believe the problem will be eradicated completely when police forces adopt more electric cars.

Edmund King, AA president, said: “Perhaps we need a little more detective work at the pumps to ensure that the right fuel goes in the right car.

“Until all police cars are electric we will probably still see misfuelling problems.”

A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “The misfuelling of police vehicles is relatively rare, especially when you consider that forces have thousands of vehicles which are in constant use and require frequent refuelling.

“Police drivers will often move from one vehicle to another depending on operational requirements, which can increase the possibility of mistakes being made.

“Some forces are already using electronic systems which have eradicated misfuelling completely, and nationally we are implementing similar technological improvements where it is deemed to represent best value for money.”

Essex, Kent and Sussex police forces failed to respond to the FOI, Cambridgeshire police refused to respond while the Police Service of Northern Ireland said it did not hold any relevant data.

City of London, Durham, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Dyfed-Powys forces didn’t misfuel any cars.

Police are investigating after a Porsche crashed through the brick wall of a car park and landed nose-first on a pedestrian walkway.

Officers were called to the junction of Southway and Crouch Street in Colchester, Essex, at 6.15pm yesterday following reports of the accident.

Nobody was injured, but photos from the scene show the back end of the Porsche 911 Targa 4S perched precariously on top of a fence, with its heavily damaged front resting on a pathway below. Behind the car, the brick wall it smashed through is visible and debris is scattered across the scene.

Witnesses or drivers who may have dashcam footage of the incident are urged to contact Essex Police on 101 and ask for Pc Elizabeth Ferris at Stanway Roads Policing Unit, quoting reference number 970 of 05/04.

The Porsche 911 Targa 4S is a convertible version of the German car maker’s popular sports car, and features a complex folding roof. Prices for this specification start at £101,162 and it features a 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine making 414bhp.

Police unmarked cars are getting harder to spot – but they’re not impossible if you know what you’re looking for.

As technology moves on, the days of twin aerials on the roofs and lights cut into the rear bumpers are long gone. But if you know the tell tale signs the unmarked cars can still be identified.

We spent a shift with an unmarked car from the Roads Policing Unit based in Havant, Hampshire with PC Chris Powling to see exactly what they get up to.

Don’t think we’re giving away any of the police force’s secrets here without them knowing, though. They wanted us to write about their unmarked cars – because they want the public to know they have it and use it. Just as forces do up and down the country.

What’s more, if you’re looking out for one, they say, you’ll be driving more cautiously and paying more attention so its job is done by default…

They sit low at the back

Police cars – even the unmarked ones – have to carry a lot of kit including cones, signs and more. This means the unmarked BMW 3 Series sits noticeably lower at the back.

One cop or two?

It used to be thought that unmarked police cars had to be manned by two officers – but that’s rarely the case these days. Savage budget cuts have depleted roads policing units and that means you’re more likely to see unmarked – and marked – police cars manned by single officers rather than two.

Make and model

Police forces up and down the country use all manner of different makes and model of unmarked vehicles. We’ve seen unmarked HGVs, motorcycles and more. However, BMW, Skoda (often Octavia VRs), Volvos and even VW Golf Rs are commonly used up and down the country. So looking for a certain type of car is no giveaway.

They have a lot of kit on the dash

You won’t notice until you pass, but look inside and you’ll spot the large ANPR screen and buttons for the sirens and lights on the dashboard. It’s far more complicated than iDrive, but it’s lit up like a Christmas tree on the dashboard.

They have a camera behind the number plate

You’d need to have eyes of a hawk to spot it, but the infrared camera now often sits behind the rear number plate. One of the letters on the plate is mirrored so the camera can see through.

However, these have been known to break all too easily, so many forces are reverting back to cutting holes for them in the bumpers or placing them under spoilers. These are especially obvious on Skodas, where the central strut of the spoiler is now a huge box housing the camera.

Lights behind the front number plate

Look closely at the front number plate from the side and you will see it sits further forward and has a strip of LED lights either side. These are so the car can be seen side on. You can just about see them in this picture.

Behind the grille

With more cars than ever before stashing radars for cruise control and anti-collision systems behind their grilles, these two LED light strips could easily be mistaken for something else. But look closely enough and they are there.

Is it driving like a BMW?

It’s a cliché but BMW drivers have a certain, how shall we put this, “style” about their driving. Police trained drivers do not. Is it in the slow lane? Is he travelling at the speed limit? Is he behaving like a proper driver should?

Parcel shelf gubbins

If your car is high enough to look down on to the parcel shelf you’ll see there are several unusual blocks where the dot matrix board pops up to tell people it’s a police car. but you’d have to be looking very hard to spot them when retracted.

Uniformed officer

The biggest giveaway will be the fact a police officer is sat behind the wheel. Although they won’t be wearing their high visibility jackets they will have epaulettes on their shoulders and the word ‘police’ written on their clothing. it’s hard to spot at night, but not so hard during the day.

 

The wheels on a car are often the area that end up the dirtiest, and therefore need the most attention.

They attract brake dust like a magnet, particularly front alloys that typically have disk brakes. Mud-splattered roads also mean that rear wheels can end up caked in grime, needing attention to remove safely.

As more wheels are painted in gloss black finishes that are prone to scratching, as well as many being a pricey optional extra on new cars, there is even more of a need to keep them looking their best to prevent marks.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a handy step-by-step guide to get your wheels sparkling again. It might seem a bit time consuming, but it will definitely be worth it in the end.

And unfortunately we couldn’t find a Ferrari with filthy enough wheels to take photos of, so we had to make do with a dented brown 2011 Skoda Yeti. At least it was in need of a clean…

1. Get the wheels their own bucket – they are often the most fiddly, time consuming and grimy area. Get them out of the way first.

2. Spray them with a pre-wash product, or a wheel cleaner, and leave to soak for a couple of minutes.

3. Pressure wash the dirt away – just look at the difference made already!

4. Next,  clean the wheel faces using a soft wash mitt or wheel mitt.

5. Don’t forget the wheel barrels – use long ended brushes to clean them – you often need several brushes to reach all the areas.

7. If the wheels look like they still need a bit of attention, use what’s known as fallout remover to remove any iron particles from the brake dust left on the wheels. The product turns red, and then it can be sprayed off. The reaction shows up better on neglected wheels. 

8. Don’t forget the tyres and wheel arches, either. Spray a strong APC on them and leave for a couple of minutes.

9. Scrub the tyres using a dedicated tyre brush and the wheel arches if ingrained dirt is present on them.

10. Fully rinse the wheel removing any dirt.

11. Once you’ve cleaned the rest of the car, and dried it – don’t forget to dry the wheels and tyre arches, too. This leaves a good base to apply tyre shine to.

13. And there you have it – one sparking set of wheels, we did have to clean the rest of it, too.

For every car brand that works, there’s probably fifty that have failed in one way or another. While the likes of Ford, Volkswagen and Toyota continue to this day as multi-billion pound conglomerates, there are hundreds and hundreds of other car brands which no longer exist.

There are a variety of reasons why brands disappear. Some, such as DKW, didn’t really die, but merely became absorbed into the larger Auto Union – a merger of DKW, Horch, Wanderer and Audi, which eventually turned into the modern-day Audi.

Others were killed off by their parent brands. Take Scion or Saturn – hampered by slow sales, and taken out of action by owners Toyota and GM.

Then, of course, there are the manufacturers which simply fade into insignificance – often through bankruptcy, leading them to close up shop and depart forever.

We’ve rounded up a few dead car brands you might not be so familiar with below.

Scion

If you live in the USA, you’re likely to know Scion quite well – but the brand’s lineup is a mystery to European buyers as it was only ever sold Stateside. A sub-brand of Toyota, it was pitched at the total opposite end of the spectrum to Lexus, with youthful verve a key selling point.

However, the boxy design of its first car, the xB, gave it an unfortunate reputation. Those with liver spots and dicky hips adored its high driving position and brilliant visibility. With the rest of Scion’s range consisting of rebadged Toyotas, the brand never achieved the youthful desirability it craved, and after 13 years it folded in 2016.

Autobianchi

Originally a bicycle manufacturer, Bianchi joined forces with Fiat and Pirelli to become ‘Auto’ Bianchi and begin manufacturing cars. Based on Fiat mechanicals, Autobianchis were pitched as luxurious alternatives to workaday fare such as the 500.

Autobianchi continued producing quirky and high-end small cars, culminating in the Y10. However, as parent company Fiat now owned the luxurious Lancia brand, there was little need for Autobianchi. The Y10 was branded as a Lancia outside of Italy, and eventually Autobianchi disappeared altogether in 1996.

Panhard

Panhard et Levassor (later just Panhard) embodied the sense of chasing innovation rather than profit in the way only French brands can. A pioneer of aerodynamics, the 1954 Panhard Dyna was capable of cruising at 70mph with six adults on board using just an 850cc, air-cooled twin-cylinder engine – shaming many 2.0-litre equivalents from other brands.

A selection of other aerodynamic and innovative cars followed, and Panhard experimented with aluminium bodywork, sleeve-type valves, and Panhard Rod suspension which continues to be used to this day. Panhard was sadly absorbed into Citroen in 1967, though the brand does still exist as a manufacturer of military vehicles since 2005.

Matra

Matra was originally a defence specialist, manufacturing missiles and bombs, but moved into car manufacturing with the acquisition of Automobiles Rene Bonnet in 1964. It produced a wide array of quirky vehicles, and can even be credited with creating two whole market sectors in Europe – the crossover, with the Rancho, and the MPV with the Renault-badged Espace.

Most exciting of the bunch were its Bagheera and Murena sports cars, which used an innovative three-across layout to provide some practicality while retaining a sporty look. However, following the discontinuation of the Renault Avantime – designed and built by Matra – the company closed down its automotive arm.

Duesenberg

In the early days of motoring, America had a luxury car brand to rival Rolls-Royce – Duesenberg. The company was run by brothers Fred and Augie Duesenberg, who were impressive engineers but terrible businessmen, and their combination of prize-winning race cars and incredibly high-tech luxury vehicles failed to make any notable profit until it was purchased by E.L. Cord in 1925.

Cord challenged the brothers to build the biggest, fastest, and most expensive car in the world – the Model J. The resulting car was beautiful, high-tech and engineered to near-perfection, but the Great Depression dulled the American public’s lust for luxury vehicles, and the company folded in 1937.

NSU

NSU was primarily a motorcycle manufacturer for the first half of the 20th century, but broke into volume automobile manufacturing with the rear-engined Prinz. It really began to be noticed after 1964, though, when its experiments with Wankel rotary engine tech spawned the Wankelspider – the first production car ever powered by such an engine.

Three years later, the iconic Ro 80 came along, powered by a twin-rotor Wankel engine and with seriously impressive performance. But investment in rotary tech proved costly, sales were slow and the whole project was unsustainable. NSU was absorbed into Auto Union, the parent company of modern-day Audi, in 1969, and its name was never used on a new car again. The last Ro 80 was sold in 1977.

Panther

Based in Surrey, Panther Westwinds was founded in 1972 as a small company producing quirky vehicles based on rather mundane mechanicals. If you’re familiar with Japanese Mitsuoka, you’ll know the type – Panther produced luxurious versions of Triumph Dolomites and retro-styled roadsters based on Vauxhall Viva underpinnings.

It shot to notoriety in 1977 with the Panther 6, an incredible feat of engineering taking the form of a six-wheel, luxury convertible, which the brand claimed could top 200mph. Only two were produced, but both remain in existence – with one selling at Bonham’s Monaco Auction in 2011 for just £36,255 (pictured). Sadly, the company collapsed in 1980, and further attempts to restart it with Korean backing failed.

Buying a used car can be a daunting experience. Without prior knowledge, selecting a vehicle from a list of thousands can prove to be a little overwhelming – and can prove costly if done incorrectly.

Fortunately, we’ve put together a list of the things you need to check when buying a used vehicle.

Check its history

Once you’ve picked out a car you like from the classifieds, it’s imperative that you check the car’s history. Many companies provide this service for a small fee and require just the car’s registration. You can also find out a vehicle’s MOT history via the government’s website, and this gives you an idea as to any faults the vehicle may have had, or still suffers from.

Ask questions

Before you even go anywhere near the car, give the seller a ring and ask them about it. This could save you hundreds of pounds by eliminating the need to travel and see the car if it isn’t quite right for you.

Get up close and personal

Once you get to the car, it’s time to give a thorough going over. Check that the engine isn’t warm – this could be a sign that the owner is trying to hide some mechanical faults.

Look out for rust spots on the arches – these are prone to corrosion – and check underneath the car’s sills, too.

Look under the bonnet

Of course, checking out the engine is a crucial part of the inspection process. Check the dipstick – is the oil fresh?

Also look around the oil filler cap – any white residue could potentially mean a blown head gasket, and could lead to thousands of pounds in repair bills. Make sure that you see receipts for any work that has been undertaken on the car too – this will give you a better idea about the state of its mechanicals.

Check the interior

Does the interior of the car match the mileage? If the car has a beaten-up interior but has low miles, it could mean that the vehicle has been ‘clocked’, where the car’s odometer is wound back. This is less prevalent in newer cars, but it’s worth bearing in mind.

Do the deal

If you’ve checked the car over, reviewed its history and feel happy with the overall package, then it’s time to make an offer. Don’t be afraid of pitching low – there’s a good chance that the seller could take it, saving you thousands.

Remember to keep things amicable and, above anything, don’t be afraid to walk away if you’re not happy.