Month: April 2023

An amphibious all-terrain vehicle once owned by Jeremy Clarkson is to be sold at auction.

The 2005 Argo Avenger 8×8 was bought new by the journalist and former Top Gear host, before it was sold around 2010, according to auctioneers Cheffins.

It is estimated it will fetch between £2,000 to £4,000 when it goes under the hammer in Cambridge on April 22.

Cheffins described the vehicle as a utility task vehicle (UTV), which is a larger type of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) designed for off-roading.

A UTV is designed to haul heavier loads and perhaps allow additional passengers, rather than an ATV built for one rider.

Tom Godsmark, an associate at Cheffins, said: “UTVs are all-round good fun, but this one with its previous life of having been owned by one of TV’s most popular personalities certainly gives it a whole new level of desirability.

“A true boy’s toy, the Argo Avenger is one of the most iconic amphibious vehicles on the market, and we expect this to do well at our sale.

“Unfortunately this UTV never lived at Diddly Squat Farm; however, Mr Clarkson has an army of fans out there, and, with the recent release of the latest season of Clarkson’s Farm, I am confident this will appeal to a number of buyers.”

The vehicle comes with an operation manual, service manual and safety video.

It is being sold by a machinery dealer based in Oxfordshire, and is part of the Cheffins Cambridge Vintage Sale.

A grandmother has won a Porsche worth £100,000, but has decided to stick with her Vauxhall Corsa.

Joanne McGuigan, from Fife in Scotland, won the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe in the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, which is raising money for Marie Curie.

The 49-year-old and her husband plan to sell the sports car to pay off their mortgage and treat their six children and four grandchildren.

Mrs McGuigan said she does not want to part with her beloved Corsa, which has 44,000 miles on the clock and is worth about £10,000.

She said her husband Iain, a car mechanic, did not believe her at first when she said she had won a Porsche.

“I’d just come in from work and saw an email from Omaze saying I’d won something,” she said.

“I thought it sounded too good to be true so didn’t even mention it to my husband when he came home.

“Later that night I decided to check it again and was flabbergasted to find that my entry code did indeed match – and I’d genuinely won a Porsche!

“My husband was still dubious though and told me not to get my hopes up, but now the car is actually here I think he’s finally convinced!

“I have never won anything before this so I’m still in shock, to be honest.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever been inside a Porsche and the car is absolutely stunning – after going for a spin I can safely say it’s definitely quicker than my Vauxhall!

“As much as my husband would love to keep it, the money we’ll get from selling it is life-changing – so we’re going to sell it and use the money to pay off our mortgage and treat our children and grandchildren.”

Full-size, self-driving buses will begin public services next month in what is believed to be a world first.

Stagecoach announced the ground-breaking scheme over Scotland’s Forth Road Bridge will launch on May 15.

It will cover a 14-mile route between the Ferrytoll park and ride in Fife and the Edinburgh Park train and tram interchange.

Five single-decker autonomous buses will run to a frequent timetable with capacity for about 10,000 passenger journeys per week.

The vehicles have sensors enabling them to travel on pre-selected roads at up to 50mph.

They will have two members of staff on board.

A safety driver will sit in the driver’s seat to monitor the technology, and a so-called bus captain will help passengers with boarding, buying tickets and queries.

The UK Government believes this will be the world’s first, full-size, self-driving, public bus service.

Kevin Stewart, transport minister for the Scottish Government, said: “This is an exciting milestone for this innovative and ambitious project, and I very much look forward to seeing Project CAVForth take to the roads next month.

“Our trunk road network can provide a wide range of environments as a diverse testing ground, and the ground-breaking and globally significant Project CAVForth will really help Scotland establish its credentials on the world stage.”

Stagecoach UK managing director Carla Stockton-Jones said: “We are excited to introduce the UK’s first autonomous bus fleet in east Scotland which is also home to our headquarters and where it all began over 40 years ago.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of transport innovation with this project that marks a significant milestone for public transport and we look forward to welcoming our customers on board in the coming months.”

Drivers are being warned to expect severe queues on the roads with up to 17 million leisure trips by car predicted to be made over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Major roads in south-west England and some in the Home Counties are likely to experience the worst congestion on Good Friday, according to the RAC and transport analytics company Inrix.

More than double the normal traffic levels are predicted for the A303 westbound near Stonehenge in Wiltshire, the M5 south between Bristol and Bridgwater, and the M25 anticlockwise between Hertfordshire and Surrey.

Queues are likely to be increased by engineering work on the railways, including the closure of London Euston station.

A survey of 2,400 UK drivers commissioned by the RAC suggested 2.7 million car journeys have been planned for Good Friday and Easter Sunday by drivers embarking on day trips or overnight stays.

Saturday and Easter Monday are expected to be slightly less busy, with 2.3 million separate getaway trips on each day.

Many people may be waiting to see what the weather has in store as there is potential for another seven million trips to be staggered throughout the long weekend.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “With many people keen to make the most of the double bank holiday this Easter weekend, we’re expecting the customary jams across parts of the road network to make this Good Friday a bad Friday for drivers, especially those who are planning on covering longer distances.

“Traffic volumes could be even higher if the sun chooses to make a welcome appearance.

“The South and West are the areas to watch as they’re home to some vital roads responsible for carrying vast numbers of people to the holiday destinations of the West Country.

“Our advice to anyone heading that way is to get on the road as early as possible on Good Friday, or travel on a different day entirely.”

Inrix transportation analyst Bob Pishue said: “We expect a large jump in holiday driving, with most congestion occurring on major roads around urban areas and popular destinations.

“Nationwide, we anticipate travel times during the holiday weekend to increase about 25% compared to normal.

“Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic.”

Mr Dennis urged motorists to give their vehicles “a bit of TLC before setting out”, such as ensuring tyres are properly inflated and checking levels of oil, coolant and screenwash.

National Highways will temporarily remove more than 1,400 miles of roadworks on England’s motorways and major A-roads by 6am on Thursday until Tuesday April 11.

That means more than 98% of its road network will be free from roadworks.

Network Rail is carrying out more than 600 engineering projects on Britain’s railways over the Easter weekend.

No trains will run to or from London Euston between Good Friday and Easter Monday as the West Coast Main Line will be closed up to Milton Keynes Central.

This will disrupt Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway services, and Caledonian Sleeper trains will use London King’s Cross.

Track and signalling modernisation work on some lines into London Victoria means Southern and Gatwick Express services will not call at the station during the bank holiday weekend.

Some trains will be diverted to London Bridge.

Network Rail said it often schedules major engineering work for bank holidays to minimise disruption for passengers as fewer people travel during those periods.