Month: November 2018

“Whatever the question, the answer is always yes.”

These are the words of Tim Earnshaw, managing director and founder of Windrush Car Storage, as we have a chat sitting next to a LaFerrari that’s draped under a perfectly placed cover.

As you might have guessed, this isn’t your average car storage facility.

We can’t help thinking that amid all this space there must surely be some more exceptionally rare motors – a few McLaren F1s, perhaps? Earnshaw politely declines to respond, but we reckon we know the answer.

That denial sums up Windrush perfectly. Every aspect of it is aimed at pleasing and exceeding clients’ expectations while also being as discreet and as secretive as possible.

Windrush Car Storage was founded in 2004 by Earnshaw after his part-time hobby of storing cars at his parents’ farm spiralled out of control. At the time, he worked for the Ferrari F1 team in VIP hospitality.

“I’ve always been fairly particular, but working in F1, with it being the pinnacle of motorsport, everything had to be immaculate and pin-straight,” Earnshaw tells us.

F1’s pin-point precision and OCD levels of cleanliness have clearly transferred to his car storage company, which he decided to set up as a full-time business – taking its name from the river Windrush that ran through the family’s farm – after realising that devoting just evenings and weekends to car storage wasn’t enough.

The company has grown rapidly as word has spread – after all, if you were lucky enough to be able to afford a new Ferrari, you’d want to know your car was in good hands.

Based in the Cotswolds, Earnshaw set up a London-based storage service in response to requests.

“We were getting a lot of referrals, and people would ask us: “I’ve read a lot about you and I want to put a car with you. Where are you based?” At this point we would have to say we were based in the Cotswolds, before explaining it was two hours outside of London.

“It was a deal-breaker, and it used to hurt me when people would say that it was too far for them.”

Three short years later, the London location is full and Earnshaw has further plans for expansion soon.

Windrush doesn’t publish its address for security reasons, and the safest way of saying where it is is “central London” – albeit a very busy part of the capital.

“Our number-one priority is security. We are very careful about who we show around, we are never blasé and never complacent. We don’t publish our address, and we try to be anonymous and tucked away on a need-to-know basis.” says Earnshaw.

The company charges £52 and £98 plus VAT per week in the Cotswolds and London respectively for its premium service. And when you consider that most of the cars in there are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, it all looks rather affordable to keep such valuable vehicles away from prying eyes. Parking in London is hardly cheap, either, even if it’s in a rough underground car park.

Unlike rival companies, nearly all treatments and pampering are done in-house, or using Windrush-approved suppliers.

“We’re the guys storing the car, pampering it, updating the client and we’re the guys handing the car back with a handshake. That end-to-end passionate service goes a long way.

“I’m a strong believer that if you enjoy what you do, people can see that passion, and we get a lot of people who are also very passionate about their car and trust us with it, as they can see we love our job.”

On our tour, we spot a shrouded Bugatti Chiron, Bugatti Veyron, multiple LaFerraris, Porsche 918s and so much more. Name a modern hypercar or supercar and there’s a strong chance it’ll be in there. Many of the cars are also in zones, with Ferraris, Aston Martins, Porsches, etc, clustered together based on marque.

It’s not all exotica, though, with many cars stored by Windrush for sentimental reasons, too. An old Mercedes has belonged to the client’s mother from new, but there are more ‘normal’ cars such as Ford Capris and Range Rovers as well.

All the cars are protected by matching blue Windrush covers – unless a customer wishes to use their own. It certainly put our car knowledge to the test – looking at nothing but silhouettes and trying to work out what car lay beneath. Easier said than done.

When Earnshaw said “the answer is always yes” he really did mean it. If a customer wants their car shipped to Australia it’s not a problem. “Can you meet our cars from Japan at the port and then look after them before we arrive?” Not a problem. “Can you pick up my car from a Monaco hotel in the middle of the night?” Not a problem. And these are all requests that Windrush has carried out.

More than half of the business’s time is spent going above and beyond to make clients’ lives as easy as possible – by sorting out UK registration documents on cars bought abroad, for example, or having their cars serviced and MOTed, getting them wrapped, detailed and more.

We went in fully expecting the cars to never move but that’s not the case, with the average number of times that a client takes their car out being once a month in London, albeit less often in the Cotswolds.

There are astounding examples too, such as the pristine Jaguar XK120 that is kept roadworthy but has never been taken out by its owner in the seven years it has been with Windrush – such is the life of the ultra-rich.

“Typically, though, because we are a more premium service, we attract people who want their cars to be pampered – the owners who don’t forget about them and want to use them.”

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A few more pictures from my visit to @carstorage the other day. It goes without saying there are some very special cars in there – I’ll let you have a look through and work out what you can see… #Ferrari #Bugatti #Porsche #Windrush #windrushcarstorage

A post shared by Ted’s Car Valeting (@car_photographs) on Mar 23, 2018 at 12:49pm PDT

And perhaps unsurprisingly, Windrush attracts a celebrity or two.

“We do get some household names, let’s say, but I’m not telling you who! Often, they are very private in their own time, so we will never talk about their career with them.

“Of course, they know we know who they are, but we will simply enjoy talking about cars with them. We love it. It’s a privilege.”

After a lengthy chat with Earnshaw, we have a few minutes to mooch around on our own, admiring the detail, attention and procedure that has made Windrush so successful – and, of course, some of the cars on show.

It’s at this point that one of Earnshaw’s colleagues – in the politest way we’ve ever heard anyone say ‘go away’ – asks us to leave as a “very important client is coming to visit, and he likes the place to himself”.

As we exit, with one final glance at the mesmerising underground Aladdin’s cave of automobiles, we resist an overwhelming temptation to ask Earnshaw if he can tell us who the VVIP is. After all, if the answer is always yes…

So, you want to switch out of your petrol or diesel car. There are plenty of good reasons for this – perhaps you’re worried about the environmental impact you’re having, or you want to take advantage of tax benefits for low emissions vehicles. Maybe you simply want to save some dosh at the pumps.

However, full-electric cars aren’t yet suitable for every driver, so a hybrid car might seem to be the answer – merging combustion technology with electrification to give, in theory, the advantages of both.

But is a hybrid car the right choice for you? Read on to find out…

Types of hybrid

First of all, you need to establish what type of hybrid you’re looking for. First of all, there’s a mild hybrid. These use very small electric motors and battery packs exclusively to aid the engine, and never drive the wheels directly. Often, they’re virtually indistinguishable from driving a standard combustion-engined car, and manufacturers may not even signal that the system is there.

Next up, there’s the traditional or parallel hybrid – the original, popularised by the Toyota Prius in the late 90s. These use a larger battery pack and electric motor and are capable of travelling for a few miles on electric power alone. Often, the cars will set off on electricity, with the engine cutting in over a certain speed or throttle load. They can’t be plugged in, and gain all of their electric power from brake regeneration and engine power – earning them the somewhat-misleading nickname of a self-charging hybrid.

Plug-in hybrids are, as the name suggests, hybrid cars you can plug in to a socket or outlet. These use bigger battery packs and electric motors still and are usually capable of travelling at least 20 miles without using the combustion engine at all. The aim, of course, is that they be driven mainly on electric power, with the combustion engine cutting in for longer journeys or under heavy load.

Finally, there are range-extending electric vehicles. These are essentially electric cars with a combustion engine added to act as a generator, and are becoming increasingly rare despite their on-paper advantages.

What’s your mileage?

High-mileage users would still benefit from a diesel over a hybrid car in most situations. The fact is, the electric motors on most hybrid cars don’t provide much, if any assistance over a certain speed. This means that on a motorway cruise, a hybrid car reverts to being a petrol vehicle – but one burdened with the weight of a battery and electric motor.

This is especially true of plug-in hybrids, which often shock motorists by posting enormous fuel economy figures when the battery is charged – then immediately dropping to substandard levels when running on combustion alone.

That’s not to say a high-mileage driver wouldn’t see the cost benefits of a hybrid compared to, say, a standard petrol car – but motorway users will still favour diesel.

Where do you drive?

The benefits of a hybrid system are most keenly felt around town. Here, the electric motor can take the brunt of pulling away and low-speed work – where a combustion engine is at its most polluting – with the engine cutting in only when necessary.

Thanks to the electric motor’s instant torque, hybrids are particularly nippy off the line, and their acceleration – at least up to 30mph or so – may surprise a few more performance-oriented cars. If you take it gently, most hybrids will remain a full EV at these speeds, too, allowing for silent, relaxed, and somewhat eerie progress through crowded city centres. It’s actually a lot of fun.

Those same factors make hybrids a little less enjoyable on faster roads, though. Excluding performance hybrids such as the Honda NSX, most mainstream hybrid cars will use a CVT gearbox – these don’t respond well to heavy feet and will make faster progress downright uncomfortable as the revs spiral. The weight of a battery pack and motor often means hybrid handling is a bit ponderous, while the ultra-efficient low rolling resistance tyres don’t offer the last word in grip.

Where do you live?

If you’re buying a plug-in hybrid or range-extending electric car, having somewhere to charge it at home is critical. These cars benefit most from regular charging, allowing owners to make the most of the electric-only range before switching on the combustion engine.

Most of these vehicles, with ranges of around 30 miles on battery power alone, will easily cover a regular commute without ever switching on their engines – and that’s a recipe for some serious cost savings.

If you own a standard hybrid – that’s one without a plug – then you’ve nothing to worry about. These cars don’t require charging and can be treated as a normal petrol or diesel vehicle. You can happily run one even without a garage, driveway or other home charging point.

Worried about the environment?

There are a few environmental concerns surrounding hybrid vehicles. On long runs, a diesel will be both more efficient and emit less carbon dioxide, while the energy required to make batteries and mine the rare earth metals that make them up does contribute significantly to their environmental footprint.

However, when it comes to local emissions and air pollution, even a comparatively dirty hybrid will usually run rings around an equivalent diesel. A Toyota Prius, for example, emits just 78g/km of carbon dioxide under official testing – that’s miles below even the cleanest diesel car of comparable size. The ability to run on electricity alone at low speeds also helps with particulate emissions.

Are hybrid cars reliable?

In a word, yes. Hybrids have proven to outlast even the manufacturer’s wildest expectations in terms of longevity, and even the very oldest Toyota Prius and Honda Insight models from the 90s can still be going strong well into 2018.

If looked after, a hybrid’s battery pack will last the lifetime of the vehicle with no ill effects. There are also benefits to having that electric motor – with regenerative braking reducing wear on brakes and tyres, aiding maintenance costs. Just be sure you have the car serviced by a garage that knows what it’s doing.

How much do you have to spend?

Hybrids do command a cost premium over their combustion-engined brethren, due to the added complication of adding the electric motor and battery systems. Many drivers will soon see the benefit, though – after all, there’s a reason virtually every private hire driver in London uses a Toyota Prius.

For example, the hybrid Toyota Prius comes in from £24,245. For that money, you could opt for a rather plush Volkswagen Golf fitted with a 1.5-litre, 148bhp petrol engine, in swanky R-Line trim. So choose carefully when thinking of the cost benefits, and decide whether your mileage will be sufficient to make the most of it.

Vast swathes of the UK’s road network are being transformed into ‘Smart Motorways’. The government cites them as the solution for congestion, with the hard shoulder being used as a live lane and overhead gantries displaying variable speed limits with cameras enforcing them.

Highways England says the introduction of Smart Motorways has ‘increased journey reliability’ as well as reducing personal injury accidents. But this new network requires a new way of driving, as well as a better understanding of what the overhead signs mean. Let’s take a look.

Are there different types of Smart Motorway?

That’s right. Though the overall objective of the scheme is to improve congestion, there are different types of Smart Motorway dotted throughout the country.

The first is a controlled motorway. This retains its hard shoulder, which can be used in the event of an emergency.

The remaining lanes are subject to variable speed limits. These are displayed on overhead gantries, and enforced by speed cameras. If no speed limit is displayed, then the national speed limit is in place.

Then there are all lane running sections of motorway. This means that all lanes of the motorway are live, and there isn’t a section of hard shoulder. In the event of an incident, a red ‘X’ is displayed above the closed lane. Any driver who ignores this could not only be getting into a dangerous situation, but subject to a £100 fine and three penalty points on their licence. Again, overhead speed limits are enforced by cameras.

Finally, you’ve got a dynamic hard shoulder. While sounding like an 80s prog-rock band, this section means that the hard shoulder can be opened to live traffic during periods of congestion. A solid white line still signifies the hard shoulder’s location, but those overhead gantry signs will display whether or not it can be used by traffic. It shouldn’t be used if the signs above the lane are blank or displaying a red ‘X’. Again, this is enforced by the overhead cameras.

What happens if I break down on a motorway with no hard shoulder?

Breaking down on the motorway can be stressful and potentially dangerous at the best of times, but what happens if the worst happens on a Smart Motorway with no hard shoulder?

M25 J5-J7 smart motorway has been in operation for 3 years and we publish an annual summary of its effectiveness – latest here: https://t.co/eNHl2D1XpT. Its introduction there has seen improvements in traffic flow and no degradation in road user safety.

— Highways England (@HighwaysSEAST) November 18, 2018

Should you begin to suffer with vehicle difficulties, look out for an emergency refuge area (ERA). These are denoted by blue signs with an orange SOS telephone symbol, and are dotted at 1.5 mile intervals along the highway.

If you fail to get to an ERA in time, you should attempt to get onto the verge (providing there is no barrier), switch on your hazards and exit the vehicle via the nearside door safely. If you can’t get to the nearside of the motorway safely, stay in the vehicle with your seatbelt securely fastened.

If you’ve been able to get out of the car, contact Highways England via one of the phones placed in the ERA. However, if you can’t exit the vehicle, you need to call 999 from your mobile.

Can I get caught for speeding even if a limit isn’t displayed above the road?

This has been a point of contention for some time. Highways England states that: “All mandatory speed limits are enforced by police, as is the national speed limit of 70mph when no speeds are shown. If you break the speed limits you will be caught.” The best advice is simply not to exceed the speed limit.

Do Smart Motorways actually work?

According to Highways England, Smart Motorways are helping to keep roads moving. Published statistics say that journey reliability has improved by 22 per cent and, as mentioned, personal injury accidents have been reduced by more than half. Highways England also says that where accidents did occur, their severity was much lower overall.

There’s this idea going around that everybody who wears a suit for a living must have their car on a finance deal. Not so! It’s possible to have something that carries just as much weight in the company car park, is just as comfortable and equally good to drive for just £10,000 if you buy used.

We’ve rounded up some of the best executive models – mainly saloons, though many of these have an equivalent estate model available. All of the cars here will give many years of faithful service, treading the motorways up and down the land – though plenty of them will also provide a fair few laughs on a country lane as well. Most importantly, they’ll happily do double duty as a comfortable cruiser during the week and a family bus at the weekends.

BMW 5 Series

There’s a reason the BMW 5 Series has proven to be the go-to repmobile choice for dozens of years now — with serious levels of equipment, good efficiency and quality to back all of that, it’s arguably the benchmark for the competition.

As a result of its popularity, there’s plenty of them on the second-hand market — and many within our budget here. So long-term reliability may be questionable for older examples, so its key to get something well-kept — but fair-mileage 520ds from the earlier part of this decade are a-plenty at this part of the market.

Lexus IS

Lexus may not quite hold the same level of prestige here in the UK as German rivals — but its products are known for quality and reliability. Oh, and because they’re not too popular, depreciation tends to hit hard — meaning there’s great deals to be had on the used market.

With a £10k net cast, it’s pretty easy to catch a very well-specced, not-too-old example. At the top end of that are 2012 IS 250 models, hovering around the 60,000-mile mark and completed with features such as a reversing camera, navigation and Bluetooth connectivity.

Mercedes C-Class

Merc’s baby saloon has always been a solid favourite with execs, thanks to its all-important badge appeal and involving driving experience. Though build quality has wavered somewhat throughout the years, it’s still a great option for those who want to do lots of miles in a good degree of comfort.

At this price point you’re going to be inundated with options. You’ll be able to get a 2014-plate car for under £10,000, though as is the case with these types of cars, look out for a full service history and miles which aren’t sky-high.

Jaguar XF

The XF may be the product that saved Jaguar from irrelevance. Coming off the back of the old-fashioned and softly-styled S-Type and X-Type, the XF showed the world that Jaguar could be contemporary, European and forward-thinking.

The result is a car that’s available now for less than £10,000, but looks good, drives well and if cared for can even prove to be decently reliable. It debuted features which have become commonplace on new Jags – such as the rising gear selector and rotating air vents – and introduced a design language which remains to this day.

Audi A5

Audi proved that a coupe could be a perfectly viable alternative to an executive saloon when it released the A5. After all, how many people actually use their back seats regularly anyway?

The A5 was essentially an A4 saloon under the skin, so it’s an easy, comfortable thing to drive with the security of quattro four-wheel drive on many versions. Opt for an ‘Ultra’ model and you’ll get incredible fuel economy – opt for a sporty S5 and you’ll outrun most anybody at the traffic lights. At £10k, there should be an A5 for everyone.

Volvo S60

The Swedes are experts at building bulletproof, yet comfortable motors and the Volvo S60 is no different — no matter its age.

Subtle-yet-stylish, the S60 has always proven to be a solid alternative to traditional German competition and its a seriously good prospect for the executive buyer on a budget. With £10k to play with, base-spec examples as recent as 2015 can be had within budget — although opting for a slighter older model will net you an R-Design with more equipment.

Volkswagen CC

You could opt for a boring old Passat in this territory. But you could also decide to opt for style over practicality and go for its swoopier, classier sibling – the Passat CC, later named just the CC.

This kept most of the benefits of the Passat – its solid interior and strong engine lineup being two particular highlights – but added a swooping coupe body. £10k will allow you your pick of the classifieds – we turned up a mid-spec, diesel automatic model with low mileage for just £9,000.

BMW 3 Series

Much like the Mercedes C-Class, the BMW 3 Series is the go-to option in the exec car class. Why? Well it’s the combination of good looks, badge appeal and a fine range of engines which has made it so popular.

Again, you’re going to able to pick from a vast amount of cars for under our budget, as well as a variety of different engines too.

Mercedes E-Class

Mercedes’ E-Class has been around for decades, and it’s made a name for itself as the ultimate in mid-range luxury. There’s a certain aura of class that the three-pointed star provides – more so than almost any other badge – and that’s backed up by a really strong range of engines and a superbly comfortable ride.

You won’t bag the latest model with all of its high-tech features for our budget, but you’ll get the sharply-styled previous generation instead, and that’s no bad thing. Opt for one of the V6 diesels for the ultimate E-Class experience.

Ford Mondeo

Sure, the Mondeo occupies a class below the rest of the cars here – it’s definitely a mainstream brand rather than a premium or executive choice. But there’s no denying that it’s great to drive, and particularly well equipped in Titanium X form.

While ten thousand big ones will buy you a good example of a premium car, it’ll buy you a barely run-in Mondeo – or one of the most current models, benefitting from new tech and safety equipment. It’s also a less showy choice than many here, blending in to the crowd rather than standing out from it.

UNINSURED drivers faced a major crackdown by 10 police forces in an unprecedented joint operation on the UK’s busiest motorway yesterday (November 14).

Operation Tutelage saw 75 officers use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to monitor some 25,000 drivers an hour on the M25.

The ANPR system was triggered at a rate of 400 alerts an hour resulting in officers dealing with 44 drivers for no insurance, 14 for no tax or licence and eight arrested for a variety of offences including drug driving and car theft.

Officers from Thames Valley, Hants, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, The Met, Beds, Herts, Cambs and Essex forces used police cars, unmarked vehicles and motorbikes to pull over drivers who triggered the ANPR system around the motorway.

The technology quickly cross-referenced car registrations – picked up by cameras placed on bridges around the 117-mile M25 – with data on the national Motor Insurance Database.

The Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB), which manages the database, estimates around one million of the 40m drivers in the UK are currently using their cars without insurance.

James Upton, Chief Inspector for Roads Policing at Thames Valley Police, the force behind Operation Tutelage, said: “This is about road safety and denying criminals the use of the roads.

“Often an uninsured vehicle is linked to more serious crimes and by targeting them we can prevent criminals from using our roads.

“It has been a number of years since forces came together like this. This has been four months in the planning, but we hope the success will lead to further joint working opportunities.”

Drivers caught without any insurance during the operation were first given safety advice and the chance to remedy any genuine mistakes at the roadside, insuring or taxing their cars then and there on the phone.

Usually, motorists caught without insurance face having their vehicle immediately seized, six points on their licence, a £300 fine and possible court prosecution. In total, 21 vehicles were seized by officers during yesterday’s operation and the remaining 23 drivers who were caught reinsured their cars at the roadside.

Simon Hills, Inspector for Roads Policing at Thames Valley Police, said: “Operation Tutelage isn’t about hard enforcement, it’s a lighter, more consumer-friendly approach towards the motorist.

“This is an appropriate way of dealing with those who aren’t intentional criminals. There are always genuine cases where drivers discover they are uninsured and it’s an oversight.”

According to the MIB, uninsured and hit-and-run drivers kill an estimated 130 people and injure more than 26,000 people each year. These costs are ultimately borne by honest motorists.

Neil Drane, head of enforcement services at the MIB, said: “Socially it’s unacceptable to drive without insurance and the honest driver is funding this. We want to see action taken against those irresponsible individuals.

“We are providing intelligence to the police to help them identify which vehicles are insured and therefore much more easily identify those who are correspondingly not insured and the ones that are of interest to them.”

Top 10 Uninsured Areas in the UK

1.Birmingham
2.Bradford
3.London
4.Manchester
5.Halifax
6.Oldham
7.Bolton
8.Wolverhampton
9.Belfast
10.Ilford

You might have seen an influx of new pick-ups on the roads in recent years, and you won’t be the only to have noticed.

Pick-up sales are on the increase, with the segment now being one of the fastest growing sections of the new car market.

And often it’s not just builders and those using them as working vehicles who have them, it’s consumers getting them to replace company cars.

But what are the benefits of having one as a company vehicle?

The first thing to remember is that pick-ups don’t fall into the ‘car’ category, they’re classed as light commercial vehicles, and therefore vans – just providing they have a payload of 1000kg or over.

This means there’s big tax savings to be had, as they’re taxed differently.

Company car tax is calculated using benefit-in-kind (BiK), which in the case of pick-ups is set at a fixed £3,350 (2018/19 year). This means that if you’re taxed at 20 per cent, you’ll pay just pay £670 per year (£55.83 per month) to have a truck as a company vehicle.

Unlike car tax, pick-up rates are not calculated based on a vehicle’s P11D value or emissions, meaning that they aren’t affected by list price. For cars, company car tax rates are calculated by the car’s P11D value (list price including options, but minus registration fees) multiplied by the benefit-in-kind percentage then by your tax rate percentage.

We’re pitching the Ford Ranger pick-up against a similarly-priced Ford Kuga crossover here. A Kuga with the 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine in Titanium trim has a P11D value of £27,630. This multiplied by its 35 per cent BiK percentage (0.35) equals £9,670.50. Multiply this by your tax rate (20 per cent for example – 0.2) and it amounts to company car tax rates £1,934.10 for 12 months. If you decide to pay this monthly, it works out as £161.18 per month – nearly three times more than you would pay for your pick-up each month. When business users can save £100 a month in some cases just by switching to a pick-up, the attraction of these vehicles all begins to make sense.

What other savings are there for pick-ups?

Another area where you might be able to save money is when it comes to fuel, or more specifically private-use fuel that’s paid for by your employer. For 2018/19, the taxable benefit amount was £633, which is then multiplied by your tax banding (either 20 or 40 per cent).

This is an area where you’ll notice large reductions over using a car instead – and to your employer’s benefit, too.

What are the downsides of having a pick-up?

While there are big savings to be had through driving a pick-up as a company car, there are some negatives to using these vehicles.

The first of these is practicality. They might have huge load bays, but unless you have a lockable cover on the back, a pick-up can be impractical to use on a daily basis. That said, they can carry huge loads at one time, which is a big advantage.

If you also live on a tight street or where parking is at a premium, these vehicles can often be difficult to manoeuvre, which is something you might have to consider. Pick-up trucks can also feel a bit agricultural behind the wheel, and don’t always have all the luxuries you might expect to find from a similarly-priced car.

Finally, there is the overall running costs. Depending on the pick-up you go for, they can struggle to return over 40mpg, which could be much less efficient than other company cars. If you have to pay for your own private fuel, it could be worth weighing up the extra expense in this department, against the other savings you might be making.

Jeremy Clarkson is probably the most famous motoring journalist in the world, but it seems The Grand Tour presenter seems to be looking to stretch into a new career in acting.

A video posted on YouTube on Clarkson’s official page sees him play a Belgian traffic warden called David Souffle. The short sketch involves the former Top Gear host dressed in an apt uniform and sporting a comical moustache – presumably riffing on Agatha Christie’s famous fictional Belgian detective Hercule Poirot as portrayed on TV by David Suchet.

In the clip, Souffle approaches a German-registered Volkswagen Polo GTI that has been parked on double yellow lines. He begins to take its registration to ticket the vehicle but finds his eye caught by a nearby café and patisserie. After a few glances towards pastries in the window, Souffle abandons ticketing the VW and heads inside the café — at which point, the clip ends.

Little is known about why Clarkson has decided to do the sketch, but thanks to the video title we do at least know that David Souffle likes a pastry.

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His name is David Soufflé. He likes a pastry and part 1 of his story is on YouTube now.

A post shared by Jeremy Clarkson (@jeremyclarkson1) on Nov 15, 2018 at 12:32am PST

It appears this initial video could be the first in a series of clips, though. Shortly after the video went live, Clarkson posted an image on Instagram of himself dressed in character, captioned “His name is David Soufflé. He likes a pastry and part 1 of his story is on YouTube now.”

Hopefully things will soon become eclair-er…

Aston Martin has given a first look at its all-new DBX SUV during rigorous testing.

The new car, which is to be built at Aston Martin’s new, state-of-the-art facility in St Athan, south Wales, has been put through gruelling testing on a Wales Rally stage, marking the start of the ‘real world’ tests it will undergo.

These will see it taken to the world’s harshest environments to ensure that it is up to any challenge before being fully revealed in the last quarter of 2019.

Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and group chief executive officer, said: “Seeing a DBX development prototype in action is a momentous chapter in the story of our first SUV, for it is the moment it really comes alive. DBX is so much more than ‘just’ an SUV; it will be the first model built at our brand-new facility in St Athan. As such, it is very much the start of a bold new era in the company’s long history.”

The DBX has been given its own dedicated test programme to ensure that it meets its go-anywhere targets. It’s being designed to not only build on the sporting heritage that comes with the Aston Martin name, but also deliver the off-road capabilities that are expected of a cutting-edge SUV.

Matt Becker, Aston Martin chief engineer, said: “We have already developed and tuned DBX in the driving simulator, which has enabled us to make excellent progress in advance of the first physical prototype cars being available.

“Still, it’s always a big day when you get to put the first actual miles on an early prototype and I’m delighted with the near-perfect correlation between the simulator and this prototype.”

The news of Stan Lee’s passing at the age of 95 is one that has shaken the world of comics and action movies to its core. One of the most influential figures in pop culture is no longer with us.

While the cinematic universe occupied by the likes of The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy is one where motoring is far from a centrepiece, the Marvel films certainly feature a rich vein of cars for enthusiasts to appreciate.

Here are the best cars from Marvel franchises directly influenced by Stan Lee, or those that featured appearances from the icon that became the master of movie cameos in his latter years.

Iron Man – Audi R8

It’s safe to say that Tony Stark is something of a gear head. A look at his garage during the first film reveals that, with a Saleen S7 and a race-prepared AC Cobra among the cars on display.

However, the Audi R8 is the most commonly seen car in the franchise. A then-new V8 version appears in the first film, and by the time the sequel arrived, Stark had upgraded to a V10 Spyder.

In 2013’s Iron Man 3, Stark has moved on once again, to the R8 E-tron concept car.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Acura MDX

S.H.I.E.L.D. – or Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division – is certainly more than your average law enforcement department, dealing with counter-terrorism and, more often than not, the Hydra criminal organisation.

Such a specialist division needs a specialist car and this stealthy black off-roader certainly fits the bill. It is, in fact, an Acura MDX SUV, although it’s a long way from the spec you’d see on US roads!

The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series hosted a Lee cameo in season one, hence its inclusion in this list.

Doctor Strange – Lamborghini Huracan

Dr Stephen Strange shares a passion for V10-powered Volkswagen Group products with Tony Stark, if the character’s 2016 film is anything to go by.

A black Lamborghini Huracan features prominently in the film but – spoiler alert! – unfortunately it doesn’t survive, thanks to a crash that damages the hands of Benedict Cumberbatch’s character.

Black Panther – Lexus LC

There aren’t many cars in the fictional nation of Wakanda, so any motoring-related product placement had to occur away from the film’s homeland.

Sure enough, a chase scene in Busan, South Korea includes a Lexus LC, which has its roof ridden by T’Challa, who is in full Black Panther mode after a fire fight in a casino. By all accounts, T’Challa wasn’t doing badly before everything started going awry, so who took the chips won by the African king? None other than Stan Lee.

The car in the film, which was painted in Structural Blue, inspired a special-edition LC500.

Iron Man 2 – Stark Formula One car

In Iron Man 2, Tony Stark is seen competing at the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique in a custom Formula One car, replacing his team’s driver while quipping: ‘What’s the point of owning a race car if you can’t drive it?’

Unfortunately for the man most effective in red and gold armour, villain Ivan Vanko gains entry to the circuit by posing as a marshal, ending Stark’s race early and destroying the car.

For viewers who enjoy motor racing, the cameo from the Monaco circuit and legendary F1 cars from Wolf, Ferrari and Lotus is a great surprise – of course, the film doesn’t resemble 1970s motorsport flick Rush for long!

Captain America: Winter Soldier – Chevrolet Corvette C7

Lee and illustrator Jack Kirby were responsible for much of Marvel’s ’60s comic book successes, and Captain America certainly benefited from their work, being revived as a character after debuting in 1941.

The superhero movie boom has again propelled the character into the limelight, and in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the Chevrolet Corvette C7 was the vehicle of choice for Black Widow and the patriotic hero himself.

The Avengers – Acura NSX Roadster concept

For one reason or another, Tony Stark seems to be able to buy cars before they reach production – and even cars that never get produced at all. If we had to guess, being a billionaire might help his case.

Interestingly, the Acura NSX Roadster concept car seen in 2012’s The Avengers is actually a 1992 NSX with new bodywork, that had covered 250,000 miles in its lifetime. Allegedly, its new cloak would shake if it went above 20mph – maybe Stark is a cheapskate after all!

Modern day car design is all about standing out – being bold and eye-catching. Nowadays, if manufacturers aren’t daring with their designs, their cars simply don’t sell. So for better or worse, beautiful or ugly, car design is changing.

 

So, what about the old fashioned front number plate? Will they work on the faces of radical new designs? Well, that brings us to the five new cars we’ve picked out – all of which feature beautiful bold designs that simply don’t go well with a front number plate.

 

Aston Martin Vantage

The new Aston Martin Vantage is a striking car to say the least, with an aggressive yet elegant design. One of the stand out features is the gaping front grille, that looks as if the car wants to eat the road ahead. The only problem is, when you put a number plate on it (which you have to – it’s the law in the UK) it just looks as if the car is posturing to swallow the number plate first.

 

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

 

Another new Aston with a gaping mouth is the gorgeous DBS Superleggera. Unfortunately though, it suffers from the same ailment as the Vantage – the front grille is so big that the number plate looks small in comparison. This results in the car looking as if, yet again, it’s eating the number plate. Not ugly as such, just a bit odd.

 

Alfa Romeo 4C

Alfa’s has always struggled with number plates, mainly due to the signature triangular front grille in the centre of the front bumper. This means number plates have always had to be awkwardly pushed to one side. And with the sleek curvy nature of the 4C, number plates stand out more than they should on such a good-looking car. Instead of the first thing you see being the beautiful Italian design, either in coupe or spider form, the first thing you actually see is some numbers and letters placed on the front of it.

 

Honda NSX

 

Like the Alfa Romeo, where the front number plate sits on the latest Honda NSX isn’t completely flat, causing the plate to stand out. This in turn draws your attention away from the futuristic, aggressive, good-looking exterior, and focuses it on the number plate instead. Without it, the NSX would look that bit more sleeker and streamlined, just as Honda intended. By no means does it ruin the look of the car, but by no means does it improve it either.

 

Lamborghini Huracan Performante

 

For the more dramatic version of the already over-the-top Huracan, Lamborghini made the front very straight forward – a wide aerodynamic piece with a couple of fang-esque details at each end of the carbon fibre splitter. Now, with most of the middle part of this handsome bull’s face coloured black, a number plate placed on it becomes all the more obvious. But that’s just what sometimes happens with exotic supercars like the Performante.