Valve cover racing. What the...? It's actually quite cool, look see...

Just in case you were wondering (what do you mean you weren't...?), I don't own a V8 limo on LPG. Or a Cinquecento. Which is probably a good thing. It is only a matter of time though...

Like funny complaint letters? They don't come much better than this site...

There's not been much going on in here recently... So, in the style of a normal blog where people tell you what they have been up to for no apparent reason, here is a run down of some random car based goings on from this week.

I've basically been racking up miles across the country like a demented yoyo for the last few days. An early start on Thursday for a trip to Sheffield and back was followed by a comically early start (4:30am with no milk for tea, crikey) on Friday for a day out to Cadwell Park.
After just enough time for a rest on Saturday morning, I was back on the road to Manchester, the combined total including track pounding being something silly like 1300 miles in three days.

Highlights of the road included a Subaru SVX wafting along (bloody cool), a fully laden Jaguar XJS Eventer (a rare estate version in case you were wondering) cruising around South Manchester as if it was a Volvo 240GL, and seeing a BMW E60 M5 giving it all 500bhp from standstill to about 75mph. The grin on the (50 odd year old) driver's face when he passed was even bigger than the size of the wagon ruts on the M62.
Since we're on the subject of motorways, let's talk about the M60. I am definitely going to nominate it for the worst in the UK for driving standards. Maybe it was just that all the other drivers had geiger counters and the inside lane was actually emitting huge levels of radiation or syphalis or something. Or maybe it was just that nobody (literally not one person) could be arsed to use it except me.
Oh yeah, and to top it all off, on the one time I travel there this year they just happened to be holding the National Tailgating Championships at the same time, how hugely inconvenient.

Rant over. On the plus side, Cadwell Park remains one of my favourite places in the world and the E30 proved remarkably fun and reliable once again considering it is a budget track car, taking as much abuse as I could throw at it without so much as a hint of brake fade. 

Meanwhile, the LPG'd E36 daily is also making me smile, soaking up the other two trips with ease and the equivalent of over 55mpg - not bad considering the relative size and comfort on offer (ie. it is not a little 106 diesel turd). Unfortunately, due to the prevalence of stupidity contained within me, I've been having one of those 7 Series weeks. I found a bloke in Blackpool willing to swap his immaculate brown '94 740i for the E36. Since both are worth £1200 at the very most it seemed like an exciting deal. Until I though about the realistic prospect of a four litre V8 and about 20mpg. Solution? Well, obviously I've found an LPG'd 730i. It is still a V8 limo but joyfully sensible in comparison. Watch this space tomorrow to see if I actually end up doing the dirty. 

I'm not BMW obsessed by the way, just getting a few out of my system this year. Also, has anyone noticed how cheap Cinquecento Sportings are these days? Great little funboxes, I was watching one on the 'bay last week, grey with 10 months MOT, 2 months tax and nothing really wrong with it apart from a broken rear light lense and cracked bumper. The sale price? £275. The consequence? I'm now watching all the others in auctions. 
It would be the perfect accompaniment to a 7 Series for nipping around town. If both were possible for the value of the E36 I'd be a happy man indeed. A stupid one, but a happy one.

Just a quick note to bring attention to a good cause:

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Enter here

With all this talk of the winter Olympics, anyone would think that it was something new...

Check out this video clip from Jalopnik to see how they did bobsleigh in the past. It looks like extremely good fun.

CAR MANUFACTURERS: Money saving tip; Instead of testing at MIRA or other such test tracks with deliberately rutted surfaces, just go to Sheffield and drive about in the city.

How about this as a novel solution for getting about in the snow?

Is this the most bizarre kit car you have ever seen? I'm sure cars of the era it is styled upon didn't have flip colour paint or steering wheels like that....

Yum

Seriously, who buys a magazine with such ridiculous cover stories as this? 

Like subtle modified cars and count yourself as a bit of a wheel whore? Then this is the forum you need to be hanging around on. I bloody love it.

Stanceworks.

This is rather cool indeed. Everybody needs a car that 99% of the population haven't heard of, especially one that has been converted with a V8.

It's been a bit quiet on here over the last few days as I've been away...

So to kick things off again, how about this for more money than sense in a custom project. I thought it was vaguely acceptable until I saw the rear end.  

Here.

The single most ridiculous website for a person in the public eye that I have ever seen. Complete and utter drivel from the man with F1's most 90s boybandish hair. What a tart.

'Experience his journey' here: www.nicorosberg.com

If I really had to be transported in a stretched limo (fingers crossed it will never happen for reasons of taste).... I think this would get the nod:

Lancia...

I'm not a betting man but I reckon there is an approximate 101% chance that there will be yet another special edition Elise, this time based on Lotus F1's new colour scheme...

Autosport Lotus spy shot

Incredible CAD skills + Motorbike enthusiasm + Too much spare time = This

Amazing designs skills.

A one man stealth plane developed by Nasa? Yes please, I'd definitely like a go.

But I'm confused - how do you teach someone to fly a one man craft such as this? It would be pretty difficult and a heavy landing doesn't look like it would be an awful lot of fun...

Link.

Every time I see an Audi S8 I think of the film Ronin. Infact I'm sure that if you just sat and watched TV all day you'd probably see more than on UK roads. Audi doing subtlety at its very best.

The Man from Del Monte has bought an Aston Rapide! Look see!