Category: News

A Nissan Skyline GT-R made famous by its appearance in Fast & Furious 4 with the late Paul Walker behind the wheel is set to go under the hammer at auction next month.

Due to be auctioned off in a dedicated standalone online auction hosted by Bonhams on April 28, the R34 GT-R was specially customised by Daryl Alison of Kaizo Industries to Paul Walker’s ‘personal specification’, according to Bonhams, and it’s in this guise that it’s currently offered.

Walker, who starred in a number of the Fast & Furious movies, died in November, 2013 at the age of 40 following a collision in a Porsche Carrera GT.

Special features for the Nissan include a custom roll cage, a dashboard-mounted PC and custom OMP racing bucket seats which remain in Paul Walker’s seat position to this day. Underneath the bonnet sits a 2.6-litre twin-turbocharged engine which was given a Turbonetics intercooler for even better performance.

On the outside, the GT-R was given Volk Racing RE30 wheels and an upgraded Nismo NE-1 exhaust. At Walker’s request the car was also de-stickered, with many of the car’s vinyl’s and decorations removed leaving the Bayside Blue Skyline exterior colour unspoilt.

The GT-R was heavily featured in the Fast & Furious 4 movie, which premiered in 2009, with scenes seeing it tear through the streets of Los Angeles – though many of the action sequences were conducted with one of six ‘stunt’ Skyline cars, with a body of one car mounted onto an off-road dune buggy to enable it to conduct extreme jumps.

The film star GT-R is being offered following long-term museum display and comes accompanied by a copy of the Universal Pictures rental contract. Bonhams says that an estimate is available ‘on request’. The auction will go live on Friday, April 28 before closing a week later on Friday, May 5. The GT-R can be viewed at Motorworld in Munich until April 26.

A ‘shocking’ gap in the price between petrol and diesel remains at the pumps, despite the wholesale cost of the two now matching, the RAC has stated.

The average price of petrol stands at 146.63p, according to RAC Fuel Watch, while diesel sits at 164.26p, despite the pair selling for around 114.5p on the wholesale market. The RAC also states that wholesale diesel was cheaper on two days in the last week than petrol.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “The forecourt price disparity between petrol and diesel across the UK is absolutely shocking given their wholesale prices are now virtually identical.

“At the beginning of March wholesale diesel was only 6p more expensive than petrol yet there was a 20p a litre gap between both fuels on the forecourt. Now the two fuels are identical on the wholesale market, and there’s still more than 17p difference at the pump.

“For retailers to be taking a margin of nearly 20p a litre on average throughout March, compared to the long-term average of 7p, is devastating for every driver and business that relies on diesel.”

Since the start of March, the average weekly wholesale price of diesel has fallen by 5p a litre, while unleaded has remained the same.

Williams added: “As the supermarkets buy so frequently they have had plenty of time to pass on the lower prices they are benefitting from on the wholesale market to drivers at the pumps, but they remain totally resolute in their refusal to cut their prices substantially which is nothing short of scandalous, particularly in a cost-of-living crisis.

“The sole national retailer prepared to buck this trend appears to be membership-only chain Costco, which is charging just under 150p a litre for diesel at the moment.”

Cuts to off-peak ultra-rapid charging costs have made electric cars cheaper to “fuel” than a petrol vehicle for some drivers, according to figures from the AA.

The time of day and the charging provider are the key factors which determine whether the driver can get the lower prices, it added.

The February 2023 AA EV Recharge Report shows an 8p/kWh reduction in off-peak ultra-rapid charging makes electric cars cheaper to fuel but notes that some are available outside 6pm to 8pm while other chargers switch to off-peak only after 8pm.

The charging of electric vehicles (EVs) away from homes had sometimes been seen as more expensive per mile than driving with petrol, but lower electricity costs could be reversing that trend, according to the AA motoring organisation.

It found the average cost of off-peak charging has dropped from 60p/kWh to 52p/kWh, while peak charging for these speeds is also cheaper, having fallen from 74p/kWh to 67p/kWh.

The AA also found that the cost of slow charging has gone up with flat-rate fixed prices rising from 34p/kWh to 37p/kWh.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy, said: “EV owners are still reaping the benefits of cheaper per mile motoring, and this could improve further if energy costs are to fall later in the year.

“The recent shift in peak and off-peak charging prices for ultra-rapid devices provides brilliant value for money, especially with Easter just around the corner.”

The AA is calling for investment to improve the public charging network.

It fears the UK will miss an aim to have 300,000 publicly available charging units to be installed by 2030 without more action to help local councils, EV charging companies and energy providers to deliver the infrastructure.

Public charging carries a VAT rate of 20%, but domestic energy use is 5%.

Cutting the VAT on public charging to 5% could help the 40% of households that do not have any form of off-street parking and rely on the public charging network, according to the AA, which said that “a golden opportunity to boost the EV revolution” was missed in the Budget.

Mr Cousens believes that new EV sales are “only increasing” and an expansion of the EV charging network needs to occur.

He added that “with around 40,000 devices currently in the ground, we will need so see a monumental shift in installations over the coming years”.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We‘ve put more than £2bn into accelerating the transition to electric vehicles and, alongside industry, have supported the installation of over 37,000 publicly available chargepoints – and we expect the network to expand tenfold by the end of the decade.

“Today a driver is never more than 25 miles away from a rapid chargepoint anywhere along England’s motorways major A roads.”

Germany has reached an agreement with the European Union, ending a dispute over whether internal combustion engine (ICE) cars could be allowed after 2035.

The European Union’s plan to ban all new cars that weren’t fully electric by 2035 was put on hold earlier this month after Germany and Italy strongly opposed the decision.

The European Council was forced to postpone the final vote on March 3 after fearing it would be blocked by the two countries, which demanded other types of sustainable fuels be allowed after this date.

However, Germany has now said it has reached an ‘agreement’ over allowing man-made e-fuels, which are able to power a traditional combustion engine, even after 2035.

Frans Timmermans, executive vice president of the European Green Deal, tweeted: “We have found an agreement with Germany on the future use of e-fuels in cars.

“We will work now on getting the CO2 standards for cars regulation adopted as soon as possible, and the Commission will follow-up swiftly with the necessary legal steps to implement it.”

The changes mean that the final vote on the legislation is now expected to be passed. Italy is said to still oppose the rules, as the country wants to allow vehicles to run on biofuels, made from materials such as wood waste. However, Italy’s votes alone will not be enough to stop the vote from going through.

Volker Wissing, Germany’s Minister for Transport, tweeted: “The way is clear: Europe remains technology-neutral. Vehicles with combustion engines can also be newly registered after 2035 if they only use CO2-neutral fuels.

“We secure opportunities for Europe by retaining important options for climate-neutral and affordable mobility.”

German manufacturer Porsche is a strong proponent of e-fuels, with the firm keen to ensure that its sports cars can still be run with conventional engines. While the brand already sells its electric Taycan, and has various other EVs in its pipeline, it’s one of the few car brands that has not committed to going fully electric by a certain date and is a key partner in an e-fuel manufacturing facility in Chile.

The vote for the amended legislation is now set to take place tomorrow (March 28).

Nearly 700,000 car drivers in London will face a daily £12.50 ultra low emission zone (Ulez) fee when the scheme expands, according to new analysis.

The RAC, which carried out the research, said the expansion of the zone from August 29 will have a “massive financial impact on motorists and businesses”.

It comes a day after Transport for London (TfL) claimed that nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day meet the Ulez standards, so will not be liable for the charge.

It also said that many drivers are switching from older, more polluting vehicles ahead of the expansion.

The zone is currently limited to the area within London’s North and South Circular roads, but Mayor Sadiq Khan has decided to expand it to cover the whole of the capital, claiming this will boost air quality.

Most diesel cars registered before September 2015 and petrol cars registered prior to January 2006 are liable for the charge.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency figures obtained by the RAC show that 691,559 licensed cars in the whole of London fall into one of those categories.

This does not take into account other vehicles such as vans and lorries, or vehicles which enter London from neighbouring counties such as Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey and Kent.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “Cleaning up London’s air should undoubtedly be a priority, but the sheer number of vehicles that don’t meet Ulez emissions standards in Greater London suggests there will be a massive financial impact on motorists and businesses through having to fork out £12.50 every day they drive in the zone.

“We desperately need more co-ordination between the mayor and the Government to help small businesses, tradespeople, NHS staff and carers who have no choice but to drive into the expanded Ulez for work purposes from outside Greater London.

“Consideration should also be given to those who work at night when public transport is greatly reduced in the outer boroughs.”

TfL is running a scrappage scheme for vehicles that do not comply with the Ulez standards.

It includes payments of up to £2,000 for eligible drivers such as those on low incomes or the disabled scrapping a car, and up to £9,500 for charities, sole traders and small businesses scrapping or retrofitting vans and minibuses.

Mr Lyes urged Mr Khan to consider delaying charges by a year for certain key workers, or a scheme where TfL partners with a leasing company to provide discounted Ulez-compliant vehicles to small businesses and traders.

He went on: “Changing to a compliant vehicle at such short notice simply won’t be something many will be able to afford, especially during a cost-of-living crisis and at a time when second-hand car prices are so high.

“We need more creativity from London’s mayor and his team to help people out as the current scrappage scheme is akin to using a plughole to drain an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

“It’s simply not big enough for the scale of the job.”

Mr Khan said on Thursday that the aim of the Ulez is to “get the most polluting vehicles off our roads in order to protect both the health of Londoners and our environment”.

He went on: “People, businesses and charities understand the impact of air pollution on health and are preparing for the change.

“It’s now just one in 10 cars seen driving in outer London that aren’t Ulez compliant – a fantastic result.

“We expect the number of compliant vehicles to go up even more as people prepare for the expansion, but we know there is more to do to ensure every Londoner can breathe cleaner air.

“For drivers of the very few non-compliant vehicles, I have launched the biggest scrappage scheme ever.”

A fifth more drivers caught committing road offences were allowed to take retraining courses to avoid prosecution last year.

Some 1.8 million motorists completed a course in 2022 as an alternative to fines and possible penalty points, according to figures from UK Road Offender Education seen by the PA news agency.

That is up from 1.5 million during the previous year and represents the highest annual total in records dating back to 2014.

Motoring research charity the RAC Foundation said it is “vital” the courses lower reoffending rates.

More than four out of five (83%) of last year’s attendees went on speed awareness courses, which aim to help people identify speed limits and recognise the potential consequences of driving too fast.

The courses – which can be taken at a venue or online – cost up to £95 and last two hours and 45 minutes.

Department for Transport figures show speed was a contributory factor in one in six fatal crashes on Britain’s roads in 2021.

The second most attended course in 2022 focuses on motorway driving, with a 49% increase in participants from 113,000 in 2021 to 169,000 last year.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “The long-term rise in course attendees has coincided with an increase in the total number of speeding offences detected in England and Wales, up from 1.9 million in 2013 to nearly 2.9 million in 2021.

“Research has suggested reoffending rates are lower amongst people who have attended a speed awareness course than those who have been prosecuted.

“It is vital the same holds true for the wide array of courses now being run for other offences.

“That is something those running the scheme should be monitoring.”

UK Road Offender Education is a private not-for-profit company which administers the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (Ndors) on behalf of police forces.

Courses are run by a combination of private companies, councils and police forces across the UK.

A driver who has committed what is deemed a minor offence may be given the opportunity to participate at the discretion of the local chief constable.

Reoffending drivers cannot complete the same course again within three years.

A record one in 25 driving licence holders in Britain is aged 80 or above, leading to renewed calls for regular eye tests for motorists.

Some 1.6 million people with a licence are in that age category, according to PA news agency analysis of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) figures.

That is up from 1.4 million two years ago and accounts for 4% of all drivers with a full licence, the most in records dating back to 2012.

Responding to the increase, motoring research charity the RAC Foundation urged the Government to introduce “compulsory eye tests for all drivers” during licence renewals.

A recent YouGov survey indicated that 65% of British adults would support drivers aged 70 or above having to retake a practical test every three years to keep their licence.

Drivers are not subjected to mandatory tests or health checks after obtaining their licence no matter how old they become, although they are required to inform the DVLA if they are no longer fit to drive.

Department for Transport (DfT) figures show older drivers involved in serious crashes are more likely to have failed to look properly than younger motorists.

The error contributed to 30% of incidents in which at least one person was killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads between 2016 and 2021 involving drivers aged over 70.

That is compared with 22% for younger drivers.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said he does not support people being required to take another full driving test when they reach a certain age.

But he believes there is a “strong case” for introducing a fitness to drive assessment for older motorists which focuses on “the visual, mental and physical skills needed to carry on driving safely”.

He added: “We do back compulsory eye tests for all drivers when they renew their photocard licences.”

Licences must be renewed every three years once the holder reaches 70, compared with every 10 years up to that point.

The process does not involve any tests.

Mr Gooding said older drivers tend to “know their limitations” and are good at “self-regulating” when they take to the road, such as avoiding driving at night or during the busiest times of day.

He went on: “Many families can and do play their part by having that difficult discussion with an elderly loved one who might need to vacate the driver’s seat.

“Hanging up the keys is a huge decision for anyone who relies on the independence driving brings but it is something that will face all of us lucky to live to a ripe old age.”

Earlier this month, a coroner called for mandatory checks on older drivers to be considered after a woman using a pedestrian crossing was struck and killed by a car driven by a 95-year-old man who had passed a red light.

Kathleen Fancourt, 89, was using a mobility scooter when the incident happened in Chichester, West Sussex, in September 2021.

West Sussex senior coroner Penelope Schofield sent a report to Transport Secretary Mark Harper and DVLA chief executive Julie Lennard which stated: “In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken… at present there is no upper legal limit for drivers.”

She added: “There is a concern that if no checks are carried out a driver may be oblivious to their enduring medical condition.”

Drivers aged 70 or above were behind the wheel of cars involved in 2,410 crashes on Britain’s roads in 2021 in which at least one person was killed or seriously injured.

That represents 10% of all such crashes where drivers’ ages is known.

Drivers aged 70 or above make up 14% of all licence holders.

The Duke of Richmond, organiser of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, says he is focussed on making his petrol-powered events more sustainable.

The man behind the popular motorsport events says he wants to promote the ‘joy of second hand’ as he looks to boost his shows’ environmental credentials.

Speaking to the PA news agency, the duke said he believed Goodwood’s motorsport events could ‘definitely become carbon neutral soon’ thanks to efforts made elsewhere across his estate.

He said: “There is a whole thrust at Goodwood around sustainability – it has always been a major thing for us across the estate.

“We’ve got a huge organic farm, we’ve planted 75,000 trees, we run a whacking great biomass generator for all our electricity and we’re running biofuels for our generators at the events.

“So, could Goodwood deliver a carbon neutral event? Absolutely, because we’re doing so much on the other side.”

The duke says his Revival event – which celebrates historic racing and vintage lifestyles – is also the perfect example of Goodwood’s sustainability drive.

“It’s much better to keep an old car going than buy a new one,” he said. “That is far more sustainable – keeping cars on the road, rather than scrapping them.

“Second hand is cool. It’s now seen as the chic thing to do, from second-hand clothes to second-hand cars, and I think the Revival is the biggest second-hand event in the world. We’re proud of that.”

The duke, whose grandfather opened the Goodwood Motor Circuit in 1948, is celebrating 75 years of motorsport at his events in 2023.

As he looks ahead to the shows that will increasingly feature more electric cars, he says he has mixed feelings about their impact – despite admitting he has invested in a number of unnamed electric car companies himself.

“The whole EV (electric vehicle) thing is great – it’s super fast, and it’s fun, but electric cars are all the same to me,” he added.

“They are going to move you around from A to B, and they’re fantastically efficient and a lot of it is good fun, but it’s not the same thing.

“With mobility becoming increasingly duller in the future, classic cars and the joy that they bring will be niche, but it will probably get stronger.”

Bentley saw its profits soar to a record €708m (£623.7m) in 2022 in what has been described as a ‘milestone’ year for the British luxury car brand.

Announced today (March 16), this operating profit was a sharp 82 per cent increase of €319m (£281m) on its 2021 figure of €389m (£342.5m). The firm also turned over €3.38bn (£2.98bn) in 2022 – up €539m (£475m), or 19 per cent, on the €2.85bn of revenue during the same period in 2021.

Bentley also delivered its most cars yet last year, with 15,174 cars being sold worldwide – a 3.5 per cent increase on 2021’s total of 14,659 and the first time it’s achieved more than 15,000 sales in a year.

The Crewe-based firm says its significant profit increase was a result of its 20.9 per cent return-on-sales figure – its highest ever – as customers had chosen ‘higher specification derivatives’ and opted for the brand’s limited-edition and coach-built Mulliner models.

Speaking to Car Dealer, Jan-Henrik Lafrentz, board member for finance at Bentley, said: “Very clearly, the main driver [of the company’s profit] is the value per car.

“We are in the market where we offer interesting options, interesting specifications, interesting versions of personalisation to our customers, and they’re happy to step in, they’re happy to go that route.”

The Bentayga SUV remained the manufacturer’s most popular model, accounting for 42 per cent of sales, with the Flying Spur saloon taking up 28 per cent and the Continental GT and Convertible models making up the final 30 per cent.

Adrian Hallmark, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, said: “Since the low point of 2018, the whole team at Crewe has been working intensively to restructure the business model, in parallel with launching successive segment-leading new models and features. Last year marked a milestone in this journey.

“An almost €1billion (£880m) profit turnaround has been achieved since 2018, despite an unprecedented period of disruptions and crises including Brexit, Covid, semiconductor supply, Ukraine and UK economic instability.”

He added: “We will maintain focus on customer value rather than sales volume and adapt our plan according to the emerging market situation. However, our well-balanced export success, disciplined cost-management structure and ability to maximise personalisation in an industrialised way, driving profitability, are good foundations to continue this success.”

Bentley is now undertaking the tricky task of evolving from producing internal combustion engines to EVs. Earlier this year, the firm announced that it would stop producing its famous W12 engine in 2024. But while Bentley already offers a choice of plug-in hybrid models, its first EV isn’t expected until 2026.

Bentley’s figures form part of the huge €7.6bn (£6.7bn) profit that the Volkswagen Group’s premium brands recorded in 2022, which also included Audi, Lamborghini and Ducati.

The Government’s ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 could be ‘difficult’ to achieve, believes the Duke of Richmond.

Speaking to the PA news agency at the launch of Goodwood’s motorsport events for 2023, the Duke expressed his concerns over the ambitious target to transition to electric cars.

He said: “Can we deliver enough clean energy to fire up all these cars by that time? And can we begin to deliver the infrastructure needed to keep them all powered up? That looks difficult to me.”

The Government is banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and the sale of hybrids by 2035.

The Duke said he was concerned the charging infrastructure in the UK would not be ready to meet the 2030 target.

“Can they get the infrastructure in? There’s so little support for it at the moment,” he added.

The Duke also raised concern at the level of support the Government is giving the UK motor industry.

“It’s definitely not getting the support,” he said. “It’s such an important industry.

“But the writing’s on the wall – these great brands are slowly going to be producing their cars elsewhere.

“They [car manufacturers] will still be making cars and we’ll still be buying them, but sadly they will not be made here any more because we’re not making it attractive enough.”

Goodwood will be celebrating 75 years of motorsport at the estate near Chichester, West Sussex, in 2023 with special events planned at the Festival of Speed, Revival and Members’ Meeting.

The Duke said electric cars will play a large part in all of the events, including showcasing future technology at the Festival of Speed and how classic cars can be reinvigorated with electric powertrains at the Revival.

However, he remains unconvinced about electric cars – despite revealing he had invested in unnamed electric car companies himself.

The Duke added: “Our Electric Avenue [part of the Festival of Speed] will be the biggest EV event in the world. EVs fit into Goodwood’s events very powerfully as we look to the past, present and, most importantly, the future.

“I think mobility is a joy. And a car, the whole opera of that, the whole experience of the thing, is a joy.

“And we all know the whole EV thing is great – it’s super-fast and it’s fun – but they’re all the same. It’s going to move you around from A to B and a lot of it is good fun, but it isn’t the same thing.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We remain committed to phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, with all new cars and vans being zero emission at the tailpipe by 2035”.