Technicians at North American BMW and Mini dealerships will now have access to futuristic smart glasses to help with complex maintenance and repair work.

BMW of North America has announced that it will roll out the augmented reality glasses, alongside an updated online technical information library.

Both of these enhancements are aimed at making it easier for BMW and Mini technicians to access complex data, and ultimately improve customer service.

The world at your fingertips

The Technical Information System (TIS) 2.0 is BMW’s multimedia database for storing all the information technicians may need when working on a car.

BMW of North America took feedback from workshop technicians as to what information they needed most, and how they wanted to access. Instead of having to use a desktop computer, technicians will now have data at their fingertips by using mobile devices.

This is intended to make service procedures quicker, helping drivers get back behind the wheel sooner.

All-seeing eye

Along with the new information system, BMW has also introduced an improved Technical Support & Research Assistant (TSARA). TSARA is intended to be used for providing extra help on resolving more complicated maintenance problems.

The TSARAvision smart glasses will let technicians in the field share live video footage with BMW engineering experts, allowing them to offer advice and guidance.

Experts can then project step-by-step guides to appear in front of the technician, letting them work through the process without even having to move away from the vehicle.

At present, BMW technicians need to take digital photographs to then send via email to ask experts for help, or have complex procedures explained to them over the phone.

Looking into the future

Claus Eberhart, Vice President, Aftersales, BMW of North America commented that “vehicle technology is becoming more complex” meaning the need to give technicians the “best possible systems and tools with which to work” is vitally important.

BMW’s launch of the high-tech smart glasses follows a similar decision taken by Porsche. In 2018, Porsche began the introduction of the similar Tech Look Live system to dealerships across North America.

All 347 BMW Centers in the United States, plus selected Mini dealerships, will get access to the new systems by the end of June 2019.

Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 4 already has a larger than life approach to the racing game concept, and a new expansion pack seems set to make this continue.

Announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019 (E3 2019) in Los Angeles, the Lego Speed Champions add-on brings a host of Lego-themed extras to the game.

Whilst the concept may certainly upset some seasoned gamers, it is impossible to fault Forza developers Playground Games intention to inject more fun into the format.

Everything is awesome!

The Lego brand itself has managed to curate interest from car enthusiasts with the Speed Champions series of products.

This has included building life-sized Lego replicas of hypercars such as the Bugatti Chiron and McLaren Senna, along with a range of smaller brick-based recreations of other cars.

In the Horizon 4 expansion, gamers will get the opportunity to drive Lego versions of the Ferrari F40 Competizione, 1967 Mini Cooper S, and the aforementioned McLaren Senna.

Players will be able to pit these Lego creations against the extensive roster of regular real-world cars found within Forza Horizon 4.

All of this can be done in a brand-new Lego environment within the game, which features a city, airport, and a dedicated speedway oval all created from Lego bricks.

Those who have seen the Lego Movie may also have an advantage when racing in the ‘Super Awesome Adventure Stunt Park’, or when taking part in Destruction challenges.

“Pick up the pieces, and build a Lego house”

Also included in the Lego Speed Champions add-on are a series of special challenges developed to test your racing ability and exploring skills.

With an entire Lego-filled valley to investigate, those who travel across every dimpled section of the terrain will be rewarded for completing the Lego Brick Challenge campaign.

This will unlock a special Lego Master Builder’s house when finished, offering somewhere to store your accumulated collection of Lego cars.

Set to be released this week on Thursday, June 13th, Microsoft has announced that Lego Speed Champions expansion will cost £15.99 ($19.99) to purchase.

This places it in line with previous downloadable content offered as part of the Forza Horizon series. Forza Horizon 3 gained a similarly priced Hot Wheels expansion package, whilst Horizon 4 added the Fortune Island pack in late 2018.

Whatever the price, buying the Lego Speed Champions content will certainly be less painful than the experience of stepping on a Lego brick with bare feet.

The M25 motorway was closed overnight in Kent following the discovery of two large sinkholes in the central reservation following torrential rain in the south east region.

However, in a surprise good news update for commuters, Highways England reports the motorway has now REOPENED between J4 and J5 in Sevenoaks, ahead of the morning rush hour. 

https://t.co/o5wQiRg68I The #M25 anti-clockwise carriageway is now fully open between #j5 #Sevenoaks and #J4 #Badgers Mount following the sink hole incident overnight.

— Highways England (@HighwaysSEAST) June 11, 2019

• M25 is least-liked motorway in Britain

Highways England said the closure in the Sevenoaks area was due to a serious carriageway defect: Kent Police Roads Policing Unit confirmed it was due to the discovery of two sinkholes following an accident.

M25 Jct 5-4 also closed due to sinkhole DS pic.twitter.com/R5Rhvs4KZy

— Kent Police RPU (@kentpoliceroads) June 10, 2019

Motorists were advised to follow diversions:

• Anti-clockwise: join M26 eastbound – join M20 – exit M20 J4 – circulate roundabout and rejoin M20 westbound – remain on M20 and rejoin M25 J3
• Clockwise: exit M25 J4 – rejoin M25 anti-clockwise – at J3, join M20 eastbound – at J4, rejoin M20 westbound – continue to M26 – rejoin M25 at J5

Highways England contractors worked overnight to fix the sinkholes on the M25 with Kent Police. More information for motorists is being issued on the trafficengland.com website, the @HighwaysSEAST regional twitter feed, or by calling 0300 123 5000.

Further disruption for motorists is expected this week as severe weather continues. Forecasters are predicted 100mm of rain could fall, which could affect both road and rail networks.

Please see the latest link with up to date diversion route details. https://t.co/dWuMux6yDFhttps://t.co/5F8QDNzmHG

— Highways England (@HighwaysSEAST) June 11, 2019

The next generation of ultra-fast electric car charging is coming to Britain’s filling stations with BP Chargemaster revealing the UK’s first 150kW charger network.  

Called the Ultracharge 150, the new unit will go live soon on BP Chargemaster’s Polar public charging network. It was launched to the public at the recent Fully Charged Live show at Silverstone.

Introducing our new 150kW rapid charger, coming to BP forecourts this year! Officially unveiled at #FullyChargedLIVE by @bobbyllew! pic.twitter.com/olh08Afv96

— BP Chargemaster (@BPChargemaster) June 7, 2019

The target is to have 100 units live at 50 BP forecourts by the end of 2019 – with 400 chargers installed by the end of 2021.

Ultracharge units will deliver 100 miles of electric car range in just 10 minutes.

• A beginner’s guide to electric car charge points

Both Polar pay-as-you-go and subscription customers will be able to use the new units, which will be fitted with both CCS (used by the BMW i3, Jaguar I-Pace and Kia e-Niro) and CHAdeMO (favoured by the Nissan Leaf) connectors.

BP Chargemaster chief executive David Martell said the new Ultracharge 150 units will “be available on the Polar network within the coming months.

“We shifted consumer expectations for rapid charging with the introduction of our 50kW Ultracharge unit, and we are confident that the Ultracharge 150 unit will do the same for 150kW ultra-fast charging.”

BP Chargemaster is currently the largest public charging network in the UK. It operates more than 7,000 charging points, including over 400 rapid chargers.

Last month, Ionity opened Britain’s first 350kW-ready charger points in Maidstone, Kent, although no cars currently on sale can use such rapid charging. 

Confused by the different types of slow, fast and rapid electric car chargers? Read Motoring Research’s beginner’s guide to electric car charge points to help clear things up. 

New cameras currently being tested can detect if your car is too noisy – and could lead to fines for law-breakers. 

The Department for Transport is testing the ‘acoustic cameras’ throughout the rest of the year in many locations.

How will the acoustic cameras work?

Cameras you might otherwise associate with speed detection will be rigged up with microphones.

When noise levels get too high, the camera will flash, taking a picture of the offending vehicle.

The move is a response to campaigners who claim that some drivers and motorcyclists make their vehicles louder than is legally allowed – causing disturbances in otherwise peaceful areas.

“Noise pollution makes the lives of people in communities across Britain an absolute misery and has very serious health impacts,” said Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling.

“This is why I am determined to crack down on the nuisance drivers who blight our streets.

“New technology will help us lead the way in making our towns and cities quieter, and I look forward to seeing how these exciting new cameras could work.”

How loud is too loud?

That is currently up for debate. At present, such judgements are largely subjective.

The new technology will need to be set up with a baseline standard that penalises genuine offenders, but does not wrongly impact other motorists.

Compare a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and a Ford Focus and the noise levels will be very different. Nonetheless, the Lamborghini is a car homologated for use on UK roads. That’s to say, the noise it emits has been deemed acceptable.

Could it and other cars like it trigger one of these new cameras? It seems highly likely. We will be watching the results of these trials with interest.

A Shelby Mustang never goes out of fashion when it comes to collector cars, and this 1968 GT350 Fastback example looks set to achieve a high price.

Currently open to bids via online auction website Bring a Trailer, interested parties are already pushing the price higher and higher.

Maybe it is the retro-tastic Lime Gold paintwork, or perhaps it could be the intensive restoration this car has received after almost 50 years in storage, that is generating the bids.

The 1968 model year was a significant one in the Shelby Mustang story. Whilst the cars remained similar to the ones from ‘67, big changes happened in the way there were built.

Ford needed Shelby to produce more cars, meaning final production of Shelby models shifted from Los Angeles to Ionia, Michigan. To some, the standardization took away some of the Shelby experience, but did allow over 4,400 cars to be built.

Ordered from Northwestern Motor Car Co in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this particular Shelby was built in November 1967. According to the seller, the car was placed in storage in 1969, and remained untouched until 2016.

A report from classic Ford specialists Marti Auto Works is provided, and shows that this car was ordered with a four-speed manual transmission, black vinyl front seats and a Speed Deck rear bench.

All 1968 GT350s used the 302-cubic inch V-8 engine, producing 250 horsepower. This was lower than the output from the 289-ci V-8 used in previous years, but still left the GT350 as a potent machine.

The engine in this GT350 was rebuilt during the restoration process, and has also recently gained a new clutch, rebuilt carburetor, and other maintenance parts.

Stripped back to bare metal during the refurbishment, Le Mans stripes and GT350 graphics were also reinstated for the full Shelby look. The distinctive Shelby Cobra hubcaps for the 15-inch wheels are original.

Currently registered in Vancouver, British Columbia, this car has been owned by the current seller since 2018.

Supplied with the car are bundles of service records, detailed photographs of the restoration process being undertaken, and even a scale model of the GT350 itself.

Bidding for this distinctive collectible Shelby ends on Friday June 14th, meaning you have plenty of time to start making room in the garage.

Although given the efforts put into restoring this car, it would be a shame to leave it stationary in a collection.

Instead, we hope the lucky buyer gets out on the road and uses this GT350 like Carroll Shelby would have wanted!