Three very rare Aston Martin DB5 Vantages are up for sale. The price for the complete collection? A cool £4 million.

Offered through Nicholas Mee & Co, the trio of DB5 Vantages – a coupe, convertible and one-off shooting brake estate – is said to be a one-in-a-lifetime sale.

Just 66 DB5 Vantages were built originally, with the production run consisting of 60 coupes, five convertibles and the single shooting brake.

Vantage specification cars had their engines enlarged from 3.7 litres to 4.0 litres. They also produced an extra 40hp above the standard model’s 282hp.

The shooting brake was reportedly built to accommodate former Aston Martin chairman David Brown’s gun dog and polo equipment, and was commissioned by dealer Cyril Williams of Wolverhampton. It features a hand-built aluminium body by London-based coachbuilders Harold Radford & Sons.

The three cars were collected over a 12-year period and have never been offered together before. Each has been restored and the company claims they are in ‘as new’ condition. 

They all come with a history file populated with original build details, BMIHT certificates, maintenance records, ownership documentation and restoration particulars, detailing the stories of each individual car from new.

“In the 40 or more years I have been dealing in Aston Martin cars, I have never been more excited than to offer this fabulous collection of iconic DB5 Vantages,” said Nicholas Mee. 

“Each one of them is extremely rare, they are all in a beautifully restored condition and we are delighted to bring to market, this once in a lifetime opportunity for a collector to invest in this unique DB5 Vantage collection.”

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The Highland Council in Scotland has relaxed licencing regulations to allow landowners to create motorhome stopover sites this summer.

The organisation is hopeful a network of sites – called Àirighs, the Gaelic word for ‘shieling’, which is a rough shelter traditionally used by shepherds while tending flocks on summer pastures – could be set up to offer basic services, such as waste disposal, and boost the number of resting areas in the region.

The demand for travelling in motorhomes has ‘intensified’ during the pandemic and created significant pressures for safe overnight parking in rural communities.  

The idea is based on continental Europe’s long-established Aires network. Many of the motorhome sites are provided free of charge, while others can be used for a small fee.

“Aires are used all over Europe and Àirighs could offer an opportunity to assist the economic recovery in Highlands,” said councillor Gordon Adam, the chair of the council’s tourism committee.

Alan Henderson, chair of the council’s communities committee, added: “Dedicated motorhome parking areas are provided in many European countries and these bring welcome tourists into well-known and undiscovered areas alike. Aires make suitable night stops all year round. The Highland ‘Àirigh’ symbolises the freedom of motorhoming and reflects the way people are choosing to holiday. 

“This approach is necessary in the Highlands to allow us to adapt to the increased popularity of this type of travel and to mitigate the problems experienced in many communities from overnight parking in unsuitable places and congestion caused in beauty spots.”

According to the council, the temporary relaxation in planning laws will remain in place until 31 December, or until the need to socially distance has been removed.

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May marked the seventh consecutive month of petrol price rises, new data reveals.

According to the RAC, the average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol went up by 2.24p during the month to 129.27p. The price of diesel fuel also increased by 1.95p to 131.59p. In the seven months since November 2020 – the last time fuel costs fell – the price of petrol has increased by 15.5p.

The RAC says petrol is also 22p a litre more expensive than in May 2020 – the largest 12-monthly increase in 11 years.

Filling a full 55-litre tank for a family car will cost £71.10 for petrol and £72.37 for diesel – around £8 more than before the rises began in November – the RAC added.

“After a weekend which saw millions of cars take to the roads to enjoy a sunny Bank Holiday and a half-term away from home, the price of filling up with petrol has unfortunately reached its highest point in just shy of two years,” said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams. 

“After seven consecutive months of rising prices, drivers will be wondering if the increases are ever going to end. We’ve now witnessed the biggest petrol price rise in any 12-month period since May 2010, when unleaded rocketed from 99p a year earlier to 121p.”

RAC calls on retailers to cut prices

Williams added: “Looking at the wholesale price of both fuels, in normal circumstances unleaded definitely shouldn’t be continuing to rise with the numbers actually pointing to the potential for a 2p reduction. And diesel is currently 4p too expensive, which suggests retailers are using the saving in the wholesale price to help make up for lower fuel sales over the last year. 

“We urge retailers not to take advantage of drivers and fairly reflect what’s happening with wholesale prices on the country’s forecourts.”

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A tool has been developed in order to compare the lifetime costs of electric vehicles with petrol and diesel equivalents.

According to Halfords, which has developed the tool, EVs are on average almost 50 percent more expensive to buy than a comparable ICE model.

However, after three years and 30,000 miles, the average EV driver will actually end up saving £100 overall.

The Halfords calculator currently compares data for more than 100 electric, petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles.

Cost comparisons vary depending on length of ownership and annual mileage; in some cases, electric vehicles are more expensive on a total cost basis, though fuel costs and other savings will ‘at worst, substantially narrow the gap’, the company said.

As an example, Halfords showed that a Mini Cooper Electric Level 3 costs £25,500 to buy, which is a hefty £9,855 more than its petrol equivalent – the Mini Cooper Classic.

However, after three years of ownership, the electric Mini Cooper will have saved the owner so much money in fuel and other costs, they’re actually almost £800 better off.

“Intuitively we know that electric vehicles can be better value than their nearest petrol and diesel equivalents, but we wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to see it for themselves,” said Andy Turbefield, head of quality of Halfords.

“We’re not suggesting that people should buy electric because of the long-term savings, but if people are delaying purchase because of the up-front cost, this should give them pause for thought.”

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BMW has issued more details about its Tesla Model 3-rivalling i4 pure electric saloon ahead of its arrival in the UK in November.

Priced from £51,905, it has a range of up to 367 miles under the WLTP testing regime – an impressive figure that ranks it ahead of the Tesla Model 3.

The i4 will initially be available in two guises; the entry-level i4 eDrive 40 is powered by a 340hp electric motor, while the range-topping i4 M50 version consists of a 544hp all-wheel drive model.

The M50 has a slightly lower range of 316 miles and is priced from £63,995.

This version – pictured here – also carries BMW M Performance styling features outside and in.

BMW says the inclusion of its Combined Charging Unit allows use of DC high-power charging stations with an output of up to 200kW.

It estimates 102 miles (entry-level) and 87 miles (range-topping) of range can be delivered within a 10-minute charging stop at stations of this kind.

The battery, meanwhile, comprises a floor-mounted 80.7kwh lithium-ion pack, which is said to be 30 percent denser than the battery in today’s i3 EV.

Standard kit includes 18-inch alloy wheels, a digital cockpit display, a reversing camera, a parking assistant feature, automatic air conditioning, ambient lighting, LED lights front and back and acoustic protection for pedestrians.

The i4 EV is similar size to the firm’s 3-series saloon and shares underpinnings with the popular model. BMW added that customers in the UK will also receive a 12 subscription to the BP Pulse and Ionity networks when they take on the car.

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