Manchester Bike Show

Well on a very wet Sunday morning I headed over the Manchester Bike Show which is now its 4^th year, and once again its grown in size again. As per the usual the first hall is primarily the haunt of the dealers and manufacturers, with all the big boys present as per the usual, Honda, Bimoto, Ducati, Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Triumph, Indian, Victory etc

Random Video- Life in the Motor Industry

Not the usual type of video we highlight on The Petrol Stop but a very interesting lecture from Richard Parry-Jones given at the Bugatti Lectures at the University of Coventry in 2010. He had a long career with Ford working on most of the European cars through the 80’s and 90’s as well as stints in Australia and American. It’s well worth an hour of your time with some interesting insights, like, the decision not to build the next Land Rover Discovery and the Ford Explorer on the same platform for example-

The Dawn of the Hypercar

Really it should read “The Demise of the Supercar” because that’s exactly whats happened over the last 10 or so years. I grew up in the 80’s which meant the poster of the white Lamborghini Countach on my wall or maybe the Ferrari F40, it was the golden time of the Supercar. It was an arms race to build the fastest car, with the main prize for breaking the 200mph marker.

BMW 8 Series (E31) Convertible

The original BMW 8 Series was Bavarian maker’s supercar of the 1990’s, full of tech, luxury and of cause speed (well limited to 155mph). However a year after it first wow’d the crowds, BMW did it again in 1990 with a convertible version. Only 3 were built for assessment and all are still owned by BMW. The one in the video is on display at BMW’s own museum.

Random Pictures: Making the UK’s 30mph limit signs

I didn’t realise until I read it on the BBC’s website that in this week 1935 the 30mph speed limit was introduced in the UK to try and improve safety. As a result a lot of new signage was needed, the picture below shows the preparation for this huge undertaking-

Ultimate Dubs 2015

An early start to a Sunday saw me heading down to the Telford Convention Centre for what’s deemed the opener for the Volkswagen show season, where the cars built over the winter months first see the light of day. Now this isn’t a show I’d been to before so I didn’t really know what to expect when I arrived at the already full car park at 8am!!!!

Noble M12 GTO

The first of the cars to hold the Noble name of its creator Lee Noble.,the M12 GTO was produced in 1999 and represents the first sportscar built in Leicestershire (well the bodies were produced in South Africa).
The one below showed up at a recent car meet and to be fair wasn’t getting the attention it deserved, despite it being 14 years old it still looked fresh and how you expect a fast road/track car to look. It’s even got a huge rear wing.

Oldsmobile Cutlass Jetfire

Now what feature of this car, produced from 1962, was a first? I bet being turbocharged wasn’t anywhere near the top of that list was it!!!!!

If like me you live on the east side of the Atlantic, then BMW 2002 and Porsche 911’s of the 1970’s would instantly spring to mind not a muscle car from the states with its love affair with the naturally aspirated or supercharged V8's.

Review: Steve Berry’s Speed Shop Radio Show

If you’re from around the Manchester / North West area of the UK then the sound of Steve Berry’s northern tones is how many of us wake up in the morning with his breakfast show on Real Radio XS. Most though will recognise him from his 10 year stint on Top Gear or his books and regular contribution to various papers and magazines. So there’s no denying his passion and enthusiasm for all things automotive, to be honest he just sweeps you along with it.

Well he’s started a new on-line radio show, Steve Berry’s Speed Shop on FAB Radio International, which as he says at the start “isn’t for the casually interested, this is a place for enthusiasts, we’re not afraid to be talking about carburettors and crankshafts…..” with that I knew this was going to be good.

Random Video- GM’s view of the future from 1956

The self-drive cars been around for many years, here’s GM’s take on it from 1956. To be honest there’s a few predictions that are currently on production vehicles, changeable displays, communications and navigation. Thankfully a singing operator isn’t one of them-