Tag Archives: car

Ten practical ways to reduce your car insurance premium

 
Comfy Motoring
Not all insurance companies are the same they basically are the middlemen in between you the policy holder and the underwriter, the underwriter first needs to understand the type of risk associated with your disclosed profile and to see if you are an ideal policy holder for them to underwrite, if not your premium will be higher than underwriters targeting that particular profile of risk.

So by reducing an insurer’s appraisal of your risk you can reduce the insurance premium you end up paying.

There are of course many factors you either can’t change or can’t change easily for example your postcode if there is a high car crime rate your premium will be higher even if third party.

However there are ways to reduce your risk and basically reduce your insurance burden:-

  1. If you have a garage or a driveway you should use it as it is suggested this will reduce your payments by 4-8%.
  2. Avoid insuring high risk drivers on the same policy as this will add to the cost of the insurance premium.
  3. Avoid getting caught speeding or using your mobile phone as the latter is a serious offence which is reported to add more than 40% to the premium.
  4. Avoid modifying your car from the default manufacturers specification as this results in higher risk.
  5. If you have just passed your test take additional tuition for example PassPlus this will reduce your premium.
  6. Choose a car which reflects your risk if you have just past your test choose a vehicle with a 1.2 litre or perhaps even electric and if you want a little more power earn your way to the new car by building your no claims discount.
  7. Sounds an Obvious one this but don’t crash even if you have protected no claims discount as this will still reflect in a higher renewal.
  8. If you have no security system installed, it would be worth purchasing a professional install of a thatcham approved security device .
  9. Share the risk with the insurer by increasing your personal excess in case of a claim.
  10. Buy a new car which comes with 12 months free insurance could be a good option, but can also be rejected if the driver is deemed high risk.

If you manage your own perception of risk prior to buying a car and use the above tips to reduce premiums will ensure that your Car Insurance costs are kept to a manageable cost.

Castle of Windsor’s Concours d’Elégance – Bentley

Bentley at Windsor Castle 2012
Bentley was the main sponsor of the Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance and revealed six of its best among 60 of the finest motor cars in the world,” including the 4¼-liter Bentley ‘Embiricos’.

Concours d’Elégance dates from 17th century France where the aristocracy paraded their highly ornate horse-drawn carriages through the parks of Paris. In time the carriages became horseless and the gatherings became a competitive ‘beauty pageant’ for automobile owners.

Continue reading Castle of Windsor’s Concours d’Elégance – Bentley

2001 Bentley Speed 8 Le Mans Prototype Racing Car – Auction

Bentley Speed 8
Well here is another auction for a more recent Le Mans racer, this time its the 2001 Bentley Speed 8 and has the following racing pedigree.

• First Team Bentley to finish on the podium at Le Mans in 71 years
• Third Place at 2001 24 Hour of Le Mans
• Last raced at Road America in 2007

The inspiration for the successful Bentley Speed 8 program belongs to Dr. Ferdinand Piech, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who designed the Audi’s “Auto Union” Grand Prix cars in the 1930s.

As chairman of Volkswagen, Piech directed the acquisition of Bentley in June 1998, but he had been the guiding force on the Porsche 917 program, which had won Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. Piech also worked on the formidable Audi Quattro rally car and thought that Audi should enter sports car racing.

In 1998, Piech commissioned Italian contractor Dallara to build a sports racer to use the Audi 3.6-liter turbocharged V-8, mid-mounted in a carbon fiber tub. The car became the Audi R8 roadster, which would enjoy a spectacular competition record, losing only 16 races in which it was entered, between 2000 and 2006.

Piech decided that Bentley’s racing heritage should be revived and it should have a parallel course to Audi, competing in the closed LMP GTP class at Le Mans, while Audi would contest the LMP 900 open division. The Audi R8C Coupe would evolve into the Bentley EXP Speed 8 Coupe, the car which is on offer today.
Continue reading 2001 Bentley Speed 8 Le Mans Prototype Racing Car – Auction

1931 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre SC “Blower” – Auction

Bentley 4 1/2 litre Blower
This rather special Bentley “Blower” has appeared on auctioneers Gooding and Company, albeit the name comes from the addition of a supercharger to the already tested four and a half litre inline 4 cylinder engine.

W.O. Bentley, on the other hand, was firmly against the supercharging of his cars. The Bentley racing strategy was based on endurance and reliability, all too often pushing hard at the onset of a race and forcing the supercharged competitors to break; easy victory ensued. W.O. remained confident in the awe-inspiring Speed Six with its normally aspirated 6 1/2-litre engine.

After a hard but heroic 8th position in the 1928 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, Sir Henry Tim Birkin was adamant  that the Bentley 4 1/2 Litre could be substantially more competitive through supercharging considering Mercedes podium first second and third.
Continue reading 1931 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre SC “Blower” – Auction

WTCC Pace Car Stronger Than A Race Car

In the past two years’ FIA WTCC seasons, Chevrolet always was “one wheel ahead” of its peers and with the Cruze ended up first plus an additional place on the podium in 2010 and 2011.

In 2012, the world-famous American car manufacturer presents another race car for the
World Touring Car Championship that will leave its competitors far behind: the official Camaro Safety Car. The coolest pace car in the WTCC history is portrayed in its own video clip, which also shows its predecessors and the most emotional scenes from the 46-year Camaro history – outperformed by Chevrolet Europe Motorsport Director Eric Nève.

Even the first Camaro generation, built from 1966 onward, showed a huge motor sports potential. Special racing versions of the pony car won quite a number of trophies. And the Camaro was used as the famous Indy 500’s pace cars for many, many years, too. Although as the WTCC safety car the Camaro features a serial engine, it is still always in the lead. After all, with its 432 V8 hp it outraces the touring cars of the series by about 40 percent. In its new video clip, Chevrolet depicted this muscle car’s character in a glorious manner.

And just as it should become such a car with a long and successful motor sports history, Bruno Correia, an experienced race driver, will be at the Camaro’s wheel. Correia has driven in more than 350 races. To be sure, the Portuguese driver is not supposed to outrace the field, but rather to make the races safer with his aplomb. In the five-minute video clip, he casts a light on the life of a pace car driver and looks back upon an accident in 2009, when the safety car’s crew was acting rather rashly and collided with Franz Engstler’s race car, thereby causing a serious accident. Engstler, the leading driver, also lost the race, through no fault of his own.

What during a safety car phase you better not do with the Camaro is then shown by WTCC world champion Yvan Muller. After all, this Chevrolet top pilot has a very emotional relationship with the fifth-generation Camaro.

Audi Etron Production Prototype Spyshots.

Well heres the new 2012 Audi Etron uncamouflaged and raising its profile at the Nurburgring in Germany.

Powering this car will be Four motors two each at the front and rear axles driving the wheels, making this a true quattro all-wheel drive.

Hinted to Produce around 313 horsepower, the two-seater accelerates from 0-62 mph in 4.8 seconds, and from 37-75 mph in 4.1 seconds.

The top speed is limited 124.27 mph, as the amount of energy required by the flux capacitor will likely result in time travel.

Also interestingly the images give us a hint of the detailing in this years facelifted R8.

We are expecting the official announcement and the reveal of the car at this years Frankfurt IAA.

BMW M 6 Series Gran Coupe – Latest Spy Photos

This is BMWs answer to the Mercedes CLS AMG and Audi flagship S7, the M6 Gran Coupe has been spotted in light camouflage during cold weather testing in Scandinavia. With its deep front spoiler and wider fenders it looks really aggressive and the M trademark quad exhaust pipes finish the back off beautifully.

Powered by the same high revving turbocharged V8 engine as the M5 and the just revealed M6 Coupe and Convertible, the M6 Gran Coupe has atleast 560 wild horses to play with. Rumors are even talking on a 20-40 hp power boost for the M6 Gran Coupe, making it 580-600 hp in total.

All this power will be sent to BMW M´s latest seven-speed Double Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic.

Mystery Prototype Spied

Deep in the Arctic Circle we have spied something which albeit is a battery powered vehicle but apart from that we are clueless..

These are the details of what we know it is electric it is from a German OEM, from first looks it seems to look like a Smart but then other photos lead me to think wiesmann but something tells me an EV isn’t their bag.

So this ones up to you what do you guys think it is???