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Archive for June, 2007
I know my last blog was about cloned registration plates, but it seems things are even worse than I thought. Even people who have never received a fine through the post – deserved or otherwise – are now petrified about being stitched up. it’s now reached the point where it’s spreading to those who don’t even know anyone affected by cloned number plates.
Perhaps it’s the power of the press, but I’m increasingly encountering people who don’t want their classic cars to be identifiable when I photograph them. Bearing in mind that I take pictures of classic cars for several different publications, none of whom ever blank out registrations, that’s a problem!
There was a time when classic car owners would get positively moist at the prospect of seeing their car featured in a magazine – even if it was just a few lines and a small shot in the corner of the page. Now they’re terrified of their car being identifiable, lest their registration should start appearing on similar cars nationwide.
The tragedy is, even owners of ultra-rare or even unique classics are falling into the trap, assuming that only the registration matters – the car itself doesn’t seem to enter the equation. I was talking to someone recently who has a unique car; it’s the sole survivor of just a dozen or so originally built. He’s worried that if I photograph his car and leave the number plate visible, he’ll be the victim of a cloning episode. Are there no bounds to human paranoia?
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It was all set to be one of those supreme moments; a small triumph to stack up against the constant humiliations of my working life. I was at Silverstone last week, watching Sir Stirling Moss test the fabulous Aston Martin DBR1 – the actual car which won Le Mans in 1959. I was there only because I was on holiday, and I’m the girlfriend of the test driver who checked the DBR1 out first, and I didn’t want to be left at home.
After Sir Stirling’s drive, a Very Senior Person from Aston Martin Racing suggested we all go for lunch. So there we there in the pub: Sir Stirling Moss, a Very Senior Person from Aston Martin Racing, Duncan Wiltshire of Motor Racing Legends (which runs the historic support race at Le Mans), my bloke and me – the girlfriend huddled silently in the corner with a glass of orange juice. The talk was, understandably, all about the glory days of Le Mans. I kept very quiet until one of the Great Men asked: “Who drove the other DBR1 in 1959 – you know, the one that came second?”
Oh, now who was it…?” pondered Sir Stirling, who had himself been in the race, and the Very Senior Person from Aston Martin likewise scratched his head. Now it just happens that I had written something on this very subject the week before. By complete fluke I not only knew that it was Paul Frere and Maurice Trintignant, but I also knew their grid positions, qualifying lap-times – the lot. Chassis numbers of the two cars? No problem. This was my moment: the shy girlfriend would quietly reveal the profound depths of her historical knowledge to rapturous applause. I cleared my throat and all eyes turned towards me as my mind went completely blank. Utterly, totally blank. “Er… I’m just going to the loo,” I whispered, and shuffled out.
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| Can you help me with my enquiries? |
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Here is a picture of my 1947 MG Midget TC. It is a former police car registered to the East Rding (Yorkshire) Constabulary and assigned to the Beverley Motor Patrol Group, where it was one of 11 identical cars. The index number is FBT 29 and it was 60 years old on 12 June 2007 (my birthday, as it happens).
I am trying to piece together its early history without the help of official records, which appear to have been destroyed. If anyone can help me fill in the blanks I should be extremely grateful. Either leave a post here or email editor@newcarnet.co.uk.
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| Customers will have to ask for directions |
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Former Volkswagen labour leader and Social Democrat member of parliament, Hans-Juergen Uhl, admitted in court today that he used Volkswagen’s money to pay for prostitutes.
Herr Uhl was found guilty of perjury by denying he paid for prostitutes with company funds. In all he was found guilty on seven counts: two of aiding and abetting fraud, and five of perjury. He confessed to all charges.
The court in Volkswagen’s home town of Wolfsburg decided that instead of going down, Uhl must pay fines amounting to 39.200 euros (£26,480).
In view of the outcome, I understand that the company has decided to withdraw its planned summer sales promotion in which selected customers were to have received a free Tom-Tom.
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Card-sharks and magicians all know how to sucker people by distracting their attention. So while the world and his brother are foussed on the fate of Jaguar and Land Rover, don’t be surprised if Volvo changes hands.
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All manner of lurid admissions are likely to emerge as a string of prostitutes give evidence at the forthcoming trial of Klaus Volkert - one-time head of the Volkswagen works council who has been indicted on various counts of bribery and corruption, which allegedly involved very private parties, special bonuses and mucky videos.
And as if to commemorate the trial, the name chosen by Volkswagen for its latest Polo is Blue Motion: presumably a contraction of Blue Motion Picture, which was too long to fit on the tailgate. I can’t help thinking that Blue Movies would have been a bit snappier.
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| Spy shot of proposed 2008 Defender |
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Sorry all you Range Rover fans – your luxury 4×4 is not worth the gas it’s guzzling. At least that’s the inference that could be drawn from Fiat’s rejecting an opportunity to buy Land Rover from the troubled Ford group.
In a deal intended to inject some much-needed cash into its coffers, Ford has for several months been trying to woo the Italian car-maker into taking Land Rover and Jaguar off its hands. But Fiat has just pulled the plug on the talks after concluding that the purchase of the two luxury marques would lower its credit rating - and this from a company that a few short years ago was returning pallets for the much-needed deposits.
But so successful has been Fiat’s recent turnaround that it is one short step away from securing a BBB-minus rating from Standard and Poor’s – the world’s foremost independent provider of credit ratings. BBB-minus sounds a bit like ‘Must do better’ on a school report, but in fact it is the lowest investment grade, and achieving it would make it easier and cheaper for Fiat to borrow money.
Secret talks between Ford of Europe’s chairman, Lewis Booth, and Fiat’s CEO, Sergio Marchionne, have been on-going since February, fuelled (excuse the pun) by Fiat’s wish to become a serious player in the expanding SUV market. Obviously the acquisition of Land Rover would have elevated the Italian company to pole position overnight. Fiat were also interested in using Land Rover’s dealer network in North America as ready-made outlets for Alfa Romeo, in line with a planned US re-launch.
Fiat’s interest in Jaguar was largely limited to its engines and rear-drive platforms, encouraged, no doubt, by the prospect of a BOGOF deal – Buy One, Get One Free.
So Land Rover fans must for the moment remain fans, and not tifosi. But as Ford’s crown jewels are now up for grabs on the open market, who knows what language might eventually be spoken at Solihull and Browns Lane.
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According to the Saab press office: “On average, a woman wastes one day each year fumbling around for keys in the bottom of her handbag.” What?! Are they mad? No woman on earth could possibly spend an entire day each year scrabbling about in her handbag…
Let’s work it out. I’ve just timed how long it took me to locate and remove the car key from my large and unusually unhygienic handbag… 37 seconds flat. Say that I take three trips in the car each day, and each time park somewhere before returning home. That makes 6 times that I have to dig out my keys – or 222 seconds a day. That’s 81,030 seconds a year, which equates to 1,350.5 minutes… or 22.5 hours.
Twenty-two and a half hours. Twenty-two and a half hours every year, digging through my handbag looking for keys. I think I’m going to have to shoot myself.
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I was going to post something about the Association of Chief Police Officers’ recent declaration that there’s an urgent need to revamp the vehicle registration process. But then I got talking to Paul Smith at Safe Speed (you’ll notice I do that rather a lot) and he summed it up so succinctly that it seemed pointless reinventing the wheel. So in a special guest blog, here’s what Paul has to say, echoing my thoughts exactly.
“What’s really going on here? Number plate thefts are up. Uninsured driving is up. Hit and run is up. Vehicle cloning is up. False vehicle registration details are probably well up. Many vehicles are untraceable, and motorists are being convicted of the serious criminal offence of perverting the course of justice. As the authorities increasing rely on number plates for the automated enforcement of motoring offences, for taxes and for criminal identification, people will increasingly respond by putting themselves outside of the system.
“Enforcement with cameras and computers is causing these undesirable responses and consequential new crimes. While this was easily predictable – even obvious – the authorities apparently took no account of the possibility. The actions that are causing these problems include speed cameras, bus lane cameras, overzealous parking enforcement, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and congestion charging.
“In the last five or six years these enforcement methods and technologies have multiplied at an unprecedented rate. None of it has been useful, necessary or effective. Far from building a better society, it’s clear that these devices and methods have created a far worse society. They are developed and promoted by those with a vested interest, and the only people who do well from them are the technology suppliers themselves. Crimes, like car cloning, were the exclusive preserve of organised criminals just five years ago, but already are an epidemic and a major concern. Technology makes an excellent servant, but a cruel and incompetent master.”
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