The latest Volkswagen camper might be called Grand California, but it’s so house-like, it could feature on Grand Designs. Although quite what Kevin McCloud would make of it is anyone’s guess.
There will be plenty of people dreamin’ of owning one – anyone who has spent time in Cornwall this summer will know that VeeDub campers are about as popular as a free bar in Newquay – but sales won’t begin until early 2019. Still, that’s plenty of time to sell your des-res and invest in a Grand Cali.
How much it’ll cost remains to be seen – we might find out at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf at the end of August – but the standard California costs upwards of £46,625, so you will need to dig deep if you plan to go Grand.
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This biggest of Volkswagens is based on the Crafter but gains more than a metre over the California, which is enough for an 840 x 800mm bathroom. Seriously, park this in a West London street and a property investor will offer you a six-figure sum for VW’s bijou residence. Fittings include a toilet, shower, fold-out basin and shelves with holders for toiletries.
There’s even an integrated toilet paper holder, to protect your precious loo roll from getting damp. If McCloud isn’t impressed now, he never will be.
Don’t forget the kids
Of course, we know that an episode of Grand Designs rarely passes without the lady of the house getting pregnant, so it’s surprising to discover that, for all its grand pretentions, the California XXL only sleeps two. A high bunk bed for children is an option, but it does come with an integrated panoramic skylight.
Elsewhere, the Grand California is a little more child-friendly, featuring a four-person dining table, a satellite dish, a wifi hotspot and a 70-litre fridge. If you can tear yourself away from Netflix, YouTube and Facebook, options include an awning, bicycle rack and camping table/chairs.
Standard kit includes a powered step, two-part mosquito net, Bluetooth-enabled speakers and windows fitted with cassette blinds and flyscreens.
Mr McCloud would mark the Grand California down for its questionable aesthetics, but for services to the great British summer getaway, he would present a favourable final piece to camera. Just don’t forget the kids.
As part of the UK release of Ant-Man and the Wasp, Hyundai has published the results of a survey focused on the coolest movie cars of all-time. Some 2,000 participants voted, with the results used to create a this rundown of the best movie motors.
Spoiler alert: the Hyundai Veloster isn’t the coolest movie car of all-time. Sorry, Hyundai.
20. Christine – 1958 Plymouth Fury (Christine)
The car reflects the genre, and in Christine, the 1958 Plymouth Fury has all the hallmarks of the ultimate horror car. That’ll be why it’s on the video cover art…
19. Robocop’s 6000 SUX (Robocop)
A weird one, as this 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass doesn’t resemble the 6000 SUX that uses it as a base. Like character, like car, then. The 8.2mpg beast, as with Robocop, is very of its era – the ultimate 80s vision of the future – minus the agricultural underpinnings.
18. Bandit’s Trans Am – 1977 Pontiac Trans Am (Smokey and the Bandit)
One of those cars that you just have to include. The Bandit Trans Am popularised the dream of tearing across America with a V8 underfoot and flashing lights in the rearview mirror.
17. Mr Frye’s Ferrari – 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)
Like the Trans Am, Ferris Bueller’s ultimate joyride – the Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder – reminds us of that dream of freedom, of bucking the authorities and doing whatever we want.
16. Iron Man’s Audi R8 (Iron Man)
Of course, before he was Iron Man, Stark was a too-cool billionaire weapons tycoon. The R8 was the coolest car on sale in 2008, so little else suited the smug to-be shellhead more.
15. Louise’s Thunderbird – 1966 Ford Thunderbird (Thelma and Louise)
In 2008, the Ford Thunderbird from Thelma & Louise (not pictured), sold at auction for $71,500. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis drove the car throughout the entire movie.
14. Bumblebee – 1977/2009 Chevrolet Camaro (Transformers)
For a robot in disguise, you’d think Bumblebee would want something less conspicuous than the then-new Camaro. Then again, he couldn’t have made much cooler a choice…
A splash of retro-futurism, a blinding paintjob, equipment to fight off the supernatural and some impressive load space. It couldn’t be anything else but the big Cadi.
12. The Bluesmobile – 1974 Dodge Monaco (The Blues Brothers)
Not much says “I’m above the law” more than the police-liveried Dodge Monaco as used by the Blues Brothers.
11. Tim Burton’s Batmobile (Batman, Batman Returns)
Tim Burton means bat***t, and Bruce’s Batman Returns Batmobile is just that. Complete with jet engine and sleek matte black bodywork, what isn’t there to love?
10. 1960s Batmobile – customised 1954 Lincoln Futura (Batman: The Movie)
The original, the iconic. There is no bettering the custom Futura Batmobile, even with something akin to a tank.
9. Ford Mustang GT Fastback (Bullitt)
A key character in one of the greatest movie car chases of all-time, the Bullitt Mustang must be one of the coolest movie cars of all-time.
8. Charlie’s getaway Minis – 1968 Mini Cooper S (The Italian Job)
Of course, power is nothing without control. So the humble Mini is no doubt the better companion in the greatest movie heist of all-time than any Lambo would have been.
7. Greased Lightning – 1948 Ford Deluxe (Grease)
To survive high school in 50s America you needed bravado and ego, something John Travolta in a leather jacket delivered in spades. A Ford Deluxe hot rod is the only car to match, though, not this one. This one you can have for your wedding car courtesy of americandreams.co.uk…
6. James Bond’s Lotus Esprit S1 (The Spy Who Loved Me)
This would have to be Bond’s coolest car were it not for the history-wide Aston Martin association. The ultimate 80s wedge is also arguably the coolest submarine of all-time.
5. Batmobile/Tumbler (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight)
When you need a car for war, look no further than the Dark Knight’s Batmobile. The Tumbler is more tank than car, it’s just that most tanks don’t have rocket boosters. Nor do most cars, really…
4. Herbie – 1963 Model 117 Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle (The Love Bug, etc)
No cars are characters quite like Herbie the Love Bug, beating the colourful characters of the Cars films to automotive sentience by 38 years.
3. Doc Brown’s DeLorean – 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (Back to the Future)
It’s a tough battle at this point for most iconic car of all-time. Doc Brown’s time-travelling masterpiece will always be in the running.
2. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – customised Paragon Panther (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
The original car that had us looking at our cars and then looking to the skies. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is one of the ultimate cult classics. We’re in little doubt that no car has taken to the skies in cinema and garnered such a gasp as this.
1. James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 (James Bond movies)
No contest, really. Bond’s original Superleggera-bodied masterpiece is immortal, probably because they keep wheeling it out. Why? Because it will never be bettered, for Bond or any other movie.
If you’ve got yourself a new Ford Mustang Bullitt on order, Steeda can offer an injection of McQueen muscle to take it to the next level.
The Steeda McQueen Edition Bullitt Mustang is that car, created in collaboration with Steve McQueen’s son, Chad, and his company, McQueen Racing LLC.
What is it?
True to its name, this is a modification package offered by Steeda exclusively for Bullitt Edition Mustangs, with a maximum of 300 cars available per year. It will also obviously be limited by the amount of Bullitts ordered from Ford.
Power (as standard) is around 500hp, with the cold air intake and tuning package boosting the standard 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine.
A supercharger retrofit and half-shaft upgrade is available as an option, taking it up to 800hp. These, along with the overhauled suspension, short-shifter and more are carried over from other already-excellent Steeda-modified Mustangs.
What’s exclusive to the McQueen?
As well as the Highland Green paint of most Bullitts, the Steeda car has HRE wheels with McQueen Edition centre caps, a decklid emblem and rear quarter window louvres.
The devil, however, is in the finer details, with bespoke light-up sill plates, a dash plaque, floor mats and engraved key fobs. Optional McQueen-exclusive parts include an Alcantara-clad wheel complete with green centre stripe and brake calipers finished in dark charcoal with green accents.
There is also ‘Special Buyer’s Thank You Package’ with even more pleasing trinketry – of which the engraved key fobs are a part. Joining them are a letter of authenticity, a Steve McQueen Edition poster and archival pigment print – both numbered and signed by Chad.
Steeda is confident the spirit of the original movie Mustang and of Steve himself is expressed to the fullest with this modification package, saying “We take things on as Steve himself would have wanted: understated, cool and with the focus firmly on enhancing performance”.
Bicester Heritage has submitted plans for a 344-room hotel on the former RAF Bicester site as part of a vision to create the “world’s leading automotive resort”.
The hotel will use materials inspired by existing pre-war RAF buildings and will include a four-storey atrium to showcase rotating automotive-themed exhibitions and displays. Situated next to the track, the hotel will provide unrivalled views of the events and rallies held on the 420-acre site.
Other amenities will include a restaurant, bar, courtyard, gym, swimming pool and sauna.
Dan Geoghegan, managing director of Bicester Heritage, said “We very much look forward to welcoming enthusiasts to our motoring hotel, from which they will be able to experience a range of automotive destinations on a single site, from the existing centre of excellence for historic motorcars to private track, exhibition hangars, OEM brand centre and future technology.”
The hotel is designed by British designer and car enthusiast Dexter Moren, who said: “Hospitality specialist architects and interior designers, Dexter Moren Associates, are thrilled to have been selected to design a landmark hotel within a former RAF base, forming part of the Bicester Heritage master plan vision focusing on motorcars and aeroplanes.
“The design objective has been to respond in a contemporary manner to the site’s rich and unique story, drawing inspiration from its historic position at the forefront of aviation, engineering, and innovation while complementing the existing period buildings.”
Motor lodges
Future plans include the building of so-called ‘motor lodges’, allowing individuals to stay within the ‘resort’ with their car and adjacent to the circuit. It will complete the transformation from a derelict site into a thriving business community.
Today, Bicester Heritage is home to 35 businesses with a collective turnover of over £20 million and is the UK’s only hub for historic motoring excellence.
Details of the planning application can be found on the Cherwell District Council website.
Fans of Apple’s MacBook computer are expected to dig deep for the ‘MAC 800K’ registration at the current DVLA auction.
The registration is one of 500 being offered at the latest Timed Auction, with reserves ranging from £250 to £2,500. If you fancy showing the world how much you like your laptop, ‘MAC 800K’ comes pre-loaded with a £250 reserve.
Anybody keen on Apple products needs to bid on @DVLAAUCTION for the number plate MAC 800K. Starts 10am #MacBook
It puts us in mind of the registration on show at the Haynes Motor Museum, with a 1987 Bentley Continental Convertible displaying CAR 800K – or CAR BOOK – a reference to the publishing business famous for producing the Haynes Manual.
If Apple products aren’t your thing, and you fancy something with a little R&B flavour, how about ‘WH17 NEY’, which is offered with a £400 reserve. You have One Moment in Time to place a bid – the 10-day sale commenced on Monday and will reach a conclusion on Wednesday 15 August.
Pinball wizards might prefer ‘TO11 MMY’, with other name-based plates including ‘CA11 THY’, ‘MA17 HEW’, and ‘PA11 ULS’.
For registrations with a touch of automotive flavour, how about ’25 FER’ or ‘MC18 REN’?
Alternatively, if you think personalised plates are a bit ‘RUB 115H’, you can tell the world courtesy of a registration with a £250 reserve.
Jody Davies, DVLA Personalised Registrations’ senior sales manager, said: “We only planned to hold four Timed Auctions this year. However, with the ever-growing demand from our customers and the incredible array of registrations available has enabled us to add a fifth into our calendar.”
‘700 O’ leads the way
At lunchtime on Tuesday 7 August, ‘700 O’ led the way in the online auction, with a price of £6,510 – some £4,000 more than its reserve. If you’ve had enough of Porsche 911 fever, maybe ‘911 BS’ will float your boat – current price a bullish £6,010.
Registrations without a bid include ‘900 BJ’, ‘1967 BC’, ’59 DES’, ‘3000 GL’ and ‘HAC 3T’.
As for ‘MAC 800K’ – that has risen to just £780. Still, it’s cheaper than a new MacBook Pro…
With mainland Europe still gripped by a seemingly never-ending heatwave, certain areas of France have enacted anti-pollution restrictions against traffic.
The Crit’air vignette system was introduced to allow local authorities to restrict traffic to all but the cleanest of cars when air pollution spikes. With some 31 environmental zones across France, almost all major towns and cities are included.
This week Paris, Strasbourg, and Lyon have used the Crit’air restrictions to ban the most polluting of cars from town centres. High levels of ozone have been cited as the cause, with things worsened by the continuing hot weather.
Paris has already used the Crit’air restrictions 12 times since the beginning of July. The French capital is encouraging car sharing, and launched special public transport offers to cut down on car usage.
Car drivers using the low emissions zones must display a vignette, or risk a fine of €68 (£61) if caught without one. Fines can also be levied for ignoring emergency pollution restrictions.
A small price to pay
Given how little the vignettes cost, it may be wise to spend the €3.11 (£2.70) plus postage if you are planning on heading to any of the areas with low emissions zones in place.
The levels of vignette sticker correspond to the emissions level of the particular car, with those more than 21 years old unable to apply for the vignette – effectively banning them from all controlled areas.
The EU has a useful specific website, including a route planner, letting drivers see if they will pass through an emissions zone on their journey across all of Europe.
Vignette stickers can be bought from the official French environment ministry website. Beware of unofficial websites reported to be charging substantially more for the same service. Orders should be processed within 24 hours, with tracked delivery taking around 10 days.
Motorbike riders and commercial vehicle drivers are also covered by the rules, with HGVs liable for bigger fines of up to €135 (£120) for non-compliance.
A partnership between Volkswagen and navigation app Waze is set to offer roads ideally suited to get the most from GTI-badged models.
The ‘Superdrives’ campaign aims to match fun routes with GTI owners, with the tarmac choices specially selected. Volunteer Waze map editors have spent time sorting roads based on a number of criteria and ranking them in order.
Routes have been selected based upon proximity to points of interest, number of engaging corners, the volume of traffic, and even whether any incidents have been reported. Those picked are meant to fit the Volkswagen GTI ethos of driving enjoyment.
While driving, roads optimised for the GTI experience appear on the Waze app once a driver is within 12 miles of them. A special emblem will be shown, letting the driver set the navigation system to head for the ‘Superdrive’ highway.
Both Volkswagen and Waze are keen to stress that the selected routes should not encourage speeding or reckless driving. Thankfully the app doesn’t record fastest times, meaning there should be no competition between the two million Waze users.
You’ll need to be quick to find them though, as the GTI Superdrives campaign is only set to last throughout the summer months.
Although all of the 75 specially curated routes should offer fun, Waze has selected 10 which meet all the GTI criteria. So whether you drive an Up, Polo, or Golf GTI the following roads should prove to be enjoyable.
If you think getting your car serviced at your local dealership is a struggle at times, spare a thought for those living on the Torres Strait Islands.
Located between the northern tip of Queensland, Australia, and the mainland of Papua New Guinea, the Torres Strait Islands are not the most accessible of places. So when your nearest Nissan garage is over 155 miles (250 km) away, things become complicated when it comes to important recall work. Forget the Flying Doctor, airborne mechanics are what you need.
The Takata airbag recall has affected millions of cars across the globe, and been attributed to numerous deaths and serious injuries. It also resulted in the Takata Corporation declaring bankruptcy due to the level of compensation and costs from the recall.
Design flaws in the propellant system used to rapidly inflate the airbag is the cause of problem. In accidents the airbag can deploy too quickly, showering drivers with lethal shards of metal and plastic.
Since 2013, numerous manufacturers have undertaken exercises to replace the defective airbags. But this year, the Australian Federal Government mandated a nationwide recall for all cars affected, requiring some 2.7 million cars to be repaired by the end of 2020.
Hot and humid conditions make the unstable airbags even more prone to explosion, meaning northern areas of Australia are particularly at risk.
The Australian authorities also insisted that those in remote areas should not be disadvantaged by the recall process. This resulted in Nissan Australia’s drastic action to ensure even customers in locations like the Torres Strait Islands were treated fairly.
Two Nissan-approved mechanics spent the day island hopping around the northernmost tip of Australian territory. Nissan vehicles used by the local police force were top of the list to get the vital recall work.
Although an impressive display of customer service, don’t expect your local dealership to be flying in mechanics next time your Qashqai needs an oil change.
The Transport Committee has launched an inquiry into the state of England’s roads after it was revealed that the frequency of re-surfacing has dropped from once every 55 years to once every 92 years.
That’s according to the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey, which found that for unclassified roads, the leap is even more severe, with minor roads resurfaced every 132 years.
There’s a marked improvement in London, where roads are re-surfaced every 31 years, although this drops to 18 years on principal roads.
But the Transport Committee has had enough, citing road condition and maintenance as a “matter of public concern”, adding a tabloid-friendly “plague of potholes” to the mix.
‘Plague of potholes’
Chair Lillian Greenwood MP said: “Local roads are the arteries of prosperous and vibrant towns and cities. They are critical to the movement of goods as well as our own journeys. However, many people will not have to travel further than their local shops to see an extreme state of disrepair.
“This plague of potholes represents a major headache for all of us. The consequences of a deteriorating local road network are significant – undermining local economic performance and resulting in direct costs to motorists, through damage to road vehicles. The safety of other road users, particularly cyclists, is compromised.
“Our inquiry aims to investigate the situation in England, including current funding constraints and potential alternative models that could offer a solution. We know that this is a high priority issue among the public and I hope our inquiry will help put the onus on the Government to address it sooner rather than later.”
The Committee is appealing to road users and interested parties for written evidence on the state of England’s local roads and how they have fared over time. It is also seeking input on the direct and wider socioeconomic cost of not maintaining the roads.
You never know, you might receive a birthday greeting from the Queen before the road outside your house is resurfaced.
Buying your car insurance three weeks ahead of the renewal day could save you hundreds of pounds a year, an investigation by MoneySavingExpert (MSE) has revealed.
By analysing more than 18 million quotes from January to May, MSE found that the cheapest time to buy is 21 days before the start date, while leaving it to the last minute will leave you paying the highest price. Arranging the cover too early is almost as expensive as leaving it until the day it’s due to start.
This MSE investigation is a game-changer… how buying your car insurance too early or too late could mean you're overpaying by a typical £550+ – we reveal the sweet spot to slash costs by half: https://t.co/lSfL6NED7Lpic.twitter.com/9wZJVpYNLc
A policy arranged three weeks early costs an average of £589 – a staggering £531 less than buying it a month in advance. Buy on the renewal date the price rises to £1,156 – £567 more than arranging cover at the optimum time.
MSE founder Martin Lewis said: “Car insurance pricing is based on a mix of ‘actuarial risk’ and which section of the market is being targeted. To find the risk they look for patterns, and we’ve now uncovered that one of those is how early you get a quote before renewal.
“To avoid being a last-minute loser, everyone with car insurance should, at the very least, put a note in their diary 25 days before renewal to sort it within a week.”
Plan ahead to secure the best deal
While there’s no guarantee that the 21-day method will result in the cheapest premium, MSE suggests taking three steps to secure the lowest price.
Lock in a rate 60 days in advance – two insurers allow you to secure a rate a month in advance, without any obligation to take up the offer.
Check your renewal price, which is usually sent 28 days before its due date.
Use a comparison site to find the cheapest quotes.
In June, analysis from Consumer Intelligence revealed that car insurance is getting cheaper, especially for young drivers. The report showed that average bills have dropped to £712 – a 5.5 percent fall in the past 12 months.
