The Official Motoring Blog of A.A.Blatch: A specialist supplier bearings, belts & chain based in Parkes, NSW, Australia. Distributors of automotive parts, industrial, agricultural and power transmission products since 1952. www.aablatch.com.au +61(0)26862 2666 Email: industrial@aablatch.com.au
This is Volvo's amazing new bonnet-mounted pedestrian airbag. I would rather not get hit by a call at all, but if I did, I'd like it to be a new V40. Thanks Volvo. Read on here.
This is Lexani's custom-made Toyota Sequoia 4WD; a new bomb-resistant beast for the fashionable dictator in a warzone, a Russian oligarch or a mafia don. Read on here.
Geely is the Chinese brand which owns Volvo and is synonymous with making fake Rolls Royce Phantoms. The good news for Geely is Peter Horbury the design chief who turned the Volvo brand around will be heading to overhaul the look of Geely's new offerings. I look forward to seeing what he can do when he has limitless money, no unions and a desperate and brainwashed workforce at his disposal. Time will tell. Read on here. Below: Peter Horbury as Volvo design chief.
Susannah and I are heading over for a driving holiday of California next week and I am furiously researching rental cars which is made all the more difficult because there's just so much choice! Naturally it has to have the Americana vibe, be a Yank-tank or a classic. There's a 'but' though, and it's a big one. Some of these cars cost a fortune to rent and surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) it's the classics that cost the most. There are some relatively good value choices though, in the modern muscle car:
1960s Lincoln Continental: Awaiting quote. UPDATE: This is rented by the day with a driver so that's a no for us. It would be amazing for a day-trip though! It would be like Entourage, or a parade with President Kennedy.
Then there's the option of typical Stateside Rides...
So, what should we rent to cruise the Pacific Highway in? On cost alone I'm leaning toward the standard Mustang convertible but it seems so, well...standard. Maybe the first week we could get a tiny hatchback and then the second week splurge on a muscle car. I think I can already rule out a classic Caddy at $US800 a day! Ouch.
Leave your comments below or write into exhaustpipedreams@gmail.com
Car sales in the EU are down, but in happier news, sales of Jaguar and Land Rovers are up thanks to the insatiable demand from China and the addition of the Evoque to Land Rover's Range Rover line-up. Read on here.
Below: The Range Rover Evoque whose celebrity 'interior design partner' was Posh Spice AKA Victoria Beckham. Don't get me wrong, I'd have one if you gave it to me but I think it's a bit of a pretend Range Rover tailor-made for hairdressers. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
As the news article states- 80% of Evoque buyers are new to the marque. Land Rover really struck gold with this one.
There must be a few cold-sweats going around in the car makerrs' headquarters. EU car sales fell 16.3% in December - with non-Eurozone members Britain and Sweden the exceptions. Read on here.
My friend Tom Cameron sent me this great list of the Greatest Ever Car quotes, including George Best's "If I could get back all the money I'd spent on cars, I'd spend it on cars." Read the list here featuring quotes from Enzo Ferrari, Henry Ford, Ettore Bugatti amongst others.
We seem to be having a bit of a Mercedes day again here at Exhaust Pipe Dreams but these two motors up for sale in Australia simply must be shared. After all, both models are in my Dream Garage.
The first is a short wheelbase Grosser! A Mercedes Benz 600, favoured by dictators the World over. Yes the interior looks a bit dull but that's because the car is 100% original with only 83,000kms on the clock and a price-tag of AUD$145,000/ US$152,7000. Someone please buy it for me. I'll arrange transport- it's the least I can do. Check out the Mercedes 600 here.
Want to see a Grosser in action against a Corniche? Watch Top Gear put one through its paces.
The next vehicle is an SE because we all know I'm a little obsessed with them. But this one is being posted today because of the eye-watering price. It's on the market for AUD$588,000/ US$619,300. This looks brand new showroom condition but even my concours SE owning friend in Sydney baulked when I sent him this one! Get all the details here.
And as always there's lots more to read on Exhaust Pipe Dreams about these beautiful Mercedes SE cabriolets:
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's ride wouldn't start after the Queen attended Church at Sandringham recently. But good old Lilibet found the whole thing rather amusing and eventually her head chauffeur got the £10million state limousine to ignite into life once more. Did you know her Majesty has two of them? The first was a gift from Bentley and she bought the second one. Read on here.
Just remember that a Bentley doesn't break down. It "fails to proceed".
This is the new 5.5litre V8 bi-turbo 577 horsepower top of the range E-class from Merc's tuning arm-AMG. So it's not exactly your average accountant's daily driver. Click here for all the details.
Have you ever wondered about the dark art that is AMG? Click here to read more on this sub-brand.
This isn't the first time Exhaust Pipe Dreams has advertised some interesting new jobs for car nuts. And now I bring you two ads for the very talented, highly-skilled, well-trained and well-connected out there. Yes, that counts me out too.
The BBC's small and lesser-known show Top Gear is looking for a new director.
Also, the magazine Land Rover Monthly is looking for a new Staff Writer! If going scrub-bashing in new and old Landies while jotting down the odd funny line is your dream career, read the job ad here.
The shoot-em up new blockbuster Gangster Squad has just been released and these are some of the real-life American classics borrowed by the production to give the film some rev-head authenticity!
Below: some of the 100 classics borrowed for the film.
Below: the trailer for the new film Gangster Squad starring Sean Penn, Giovanni Ribisi, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Nick Nolte.
.gif)
.gif)
