Get Access To A Car In London Whenever You Need It

This is a reader offer from DriveNow. 

Owning a car when you live in London can seem an extravagance, what with forking out for insurance, tax, parking fees and fuel. Yet when it comes to the big monthly supermarket shop, the last-minute meeting in town or a trip to meet friends in the suburbs, you’ve got to admit, a set of wheels would be really handy.

 

DriveNow is the new free-floating car sharing service tailored to city life. Active in north and east London, DriveNow is different from other car rental services. For one thing, once you’ve signed up, you can whisk yourself from A to B, without having to go back to A again.

 

You’ll find one of the 270 cars available via the DriveNow app and can park it anywhere you like: forget about designated bays or drop-off points. And the quality of the car is guaranteed: it’ll always be a BMW or Mini.

 

To celebrate their London launch, DriveNow are offering Londonist readers over 60% discount on their sign-up rate.

 

Go to the DriveNow website and use the code ‘SCY-LDNST’ to get 30 minutes of free driving and a reduced sign-up fee of £9.98 (instead of £29).

 

You can look for cars in your area, book them and even unlock them directly from your smartphone — the DriveNow app is available both for iOS, Android and Windows Phone — and from 32p per minute with no base fare, short trips around town are way cheaper than a taxi app. Plus if you’re planning on going further afield there are hourly packages available from just £35 for three hours.

 

London area covered by DriveNow.

 

Offer Terms & Conditions: 

• Get 30 minutes of free driving and a reduced sign-up fee of £9.98 using the promo code SCY-LDNST;
• Available to new users only;
• 30 minutes free driving credited once user account is activated;
• An account is activated when all driving documents have been uploaded by the user and approved by DriveNow’s insurance team;
• DriveNow reserves the right to cancel offer at any time;
• Offer expires on 30 July 2015.

Original Article:
 http://londonist.com/2015/06/get-access-to-a-car-in-london-whenever-you-need-it-with-drivenow.php

Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid AMG: car review

The Mercedes-Benz C300 is compact and frugal, yet also smart and luxurious –
perfect for the undercover boss

 

 How to be both: the C300 hybrid likes to party without drinking too much. Photograph: Mark Bramley

 

£38,120
Combined 78.5
Top speed 152mph

This week, as Meridian Dan raps in his hit song, “I’ve been driving a German whip.” It’s a new word on me, but then I’m always playing catch- up with these grime artistes. A “whip” is any buff car, and specifically a Benz. Dan’s lyrics are genius: “Dem man wanna mess with my aura / Someone said that’s bang out of order…” Anyway, with its tinted windows, imposing spoilers and multi-spoke alloys, I think Dan may, in fact, have had the C300 BlueTEC Hybrid AMG in mind when he wrote the song. Clearly he was referencing the car’s 30-year corrosion warranty when he rapped: “Who told you that I got rusty / draw for the WD40.”

Such is the impact Mercedes-Benz has on our culture that it comes pre-loaded with lifestyle references. It’s a synonym for aspiration and affluence; the car of choice for street swanks. I once heard that Mercedes-Benz owners reverse park so as to dazzle passersby with that famous three-pointed star on the grille.

The C in C300 stands for compact. This is a compact executive saloon. Compact and executive aren’t words that often share the same sentence, but small-scale up-scale motors are now a thing. Just look at BMW’s 3-Series or Audi’s A4 – two other small and snooty German whips.

 Inside story: the plush and well-appointed cabin does everything to make the driver feel like

they are playing the part of the CEO.

 

Mercedes isn’t joking about the C300 being compact. It really is cosy. Its big face and dramatic styling mean it looks large in the picture, but in real life it’s surprisingly small – like a film star. But for metropolitan motoring and coping with the barbarities of parking, the reduced scale makes it very easy to live with. Besides, on the open road it still drives like a big ’un. It’s powered by a 2,143cc biturbo diesel that works hand-in-glove with an electric engine to drive the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Despite the 152mph performance, the car emits less than 100g km/CO₂ and does an austere 78.5 miles to the gallon. Today’s executives are all about that bottom line.

The car is as smooth as a shaved shin and has virtually no wind drag. This means there’s little buffeting and road noise is minimal. It’s incredibly quiet on the road. An executive doesn’t want to be troubled with background chatter.

Delegation is also important, and Mercedes helps the budding CEO offload the more tedious/dangerous aspects of controlling a car. The “Intelligent Drive” package will automatically brake and accelerate in response to what the vehicle in front is doing. It will also detect a car in your blind spot and, by means of one-sided braking, change your direction if there is a risk of collision. The truly toffee-nosed don’t care about such trifling matters – they have chauffeurs. But if you don’t have a man in a cap, the C300 will park itself for you.

Humble brag: the sober exterior belies the lavish interior.

 

Inside, it’s a riot of soft-touch rubbers and lacquered plastics. The model I had was polar white with a blood-red leathery interior, so it felt like I was hiding inside a corpse. I’d rather have a red exterior with a cream interior. The sound system, satnav and media interface are all controlled with a touchpad where the gear shift normally sits. It’s like a little smartphone screen, but I never got the hang of it.

The car’s jammed with clever stuff, but in the manner of brainy things a lot of them are pretty stupid. Would you really pay £350 for a fragrance Air-Balance package or sign up for the world’s first aircon system controlled from space – where a GPS trace starts air recirculation automatically when you enter a tunnel? And your passengers can watch a “Drive Show” with an on-screen graphic showing where you are, like those you get on a plane. Anything to make the executive feel like they’ve made it.

Ride of your life

Live to ride, ride to live: time for a new set of wheels? Photograph: Alamy

 

The sun’s out, the women are competing in the Tour of Britain and Chris Froome is in the form of his life for this year’s Tour de France… if that doesn’t inspire you to get on a bike, then nothing will. If you fancy a new set of wheels, eBay is a good place to start. Bicycles, and all things bike related, is one of the online marketplace’s fastest-growing categories – I’ve just checked and seen that there are currently 776,374 bikes listing live on the site – the cheapest starts at £15. I know we all love a list, so here are the Top 10 bestselling bikes on eBay at the moment.

 

1. Cervelo S5
2. Merida Ride Carbon 94 Road Bike
3. Pinarello Angliru
4. Cannondale SL3 MTB Hardtail
5. Claud Butler Road Bike 53 CM frame
6. Scott Foil 30 Carbon
7. Scott 2011 Scale 80 MTB
8. E-GO Fold Up Electric Bike
9. Trek Superfly Carbon 29-er Pro Race
10. Carrera Vengeance Ladies MTB


Original Article http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/21/mercedes-benz-c300-bluetec-hybrid-amg-car-review

Iconic South Yorkshire hall to host classic car show

15 June 2015.....Harry Perry with his 1924 Humber Mole at Brodsworth Hall near Doncaster. Mr Perry, from Wakefield, will attending this weekend's classic car show at the Hall with his car which he bought from the owners of the hall in the 1970's. Picture Scott Merrylees SM1008/71b

 

An iconic hall near Doncaster is set to play host to a classic car event with motors dating back to the 1920’s.
Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, just outside Doncaster is to showcase almost 200 classic cars tomorrow to tie in with Father’s Day.

 

The hall has historic ties to glamorous classic cars as former owners Charles and Constance Thellusson had a fascination with speed – seeing cars as experimental, fashionable and convenient.

Some of the cars that the family owned will be on display including the classic 1924 Humber Mole.

 

Zoe Clark, assistant events manager said: “With the rich history of cars and car ownership at Brodsworth we are thrilled to be putting on this event again this year which just seems to get bigger and better.

“As Sunday is father’s day, it’s the perfect place to step into England’s history and relive the past of this beautiful English Heritage managed site.”

 

Tickets for tomorrow’s show are priced at £10 for adults, £6 for children and family tickets are £26.
For more information, visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/classic-cars-for-fathers-day-Brod-21-06-2015/.

 

Original Article http://www.thestar.co.uk/what-s-on/out-about/iconic-south-yorkshire-hall-to-host-classic-car-show-1-7318618

Movie car driven by Sean Connery could fetch £250k at auction

IT might not have an ejector seat, but a fascinating piece of movie history is up for sale.

By Craig Thomas

PUBLISHED: 13:44, Fri, Jun 19, 2015 | UPDATED: 13:57, Fri, Jun 19, 2015

 

The car Sean Connery used in 2003 to film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

A unique movie car driven by Sean Connery is about to go on sale at auction next month.
 

No, it’s not the Aston Martin DB5 with the machine guns that Connery drove in a number of James Bond films: it’s a six-wheeled Nautilus car that he used in the 2003 movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in which he played Captain Nemo (the character devised by Jules Verne). It’s being sold by Coys at their Blenheim Palace auction on 11 July, with a price estimated at around £18,000 to £25,000.
 

The car was originally designed by production designer and art director Carol Spier and is one of only two made for the film. It’s fully functional and complete – although sadly it’s not legal for use on UK roads – and was used throughout the film.

 

 Sean Connery is best known for his role in seven James Bond films

Starting life as a Land Rover fire tender, the car was adapted via a steel frame with the addition of a Rover V8 engine. The chassis is covered in an intricate ivory-coloured fibreglass shell and is embellished with an aged gold effect on the exterior and in the cabin. The decorative elements were inspired by the Hindu god Ganesha and assorted flora and fauna (Nemo was the son of an Indian raja), and the interior is trimmed with faux leather. However, the original Land Rover dials are still in place.

 

The wheels are all 72cm and hidden within the arches are hydraulics to adjust the ride height. The car retains most of its original functionality and shows signs of wear and evidence of running repairs from on-set use.

 

For the last few years, the car has been part of a large collection of movie props and costumes at Prop Store’s UK facility.

 

Stephen Lane, founder of Prop Store, said: “I bought the Nautilus from the film company after The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen came out because I loved the car, loved the design and felt it was one of the most emotive vehicles I have ever seen, a true design icon. I have taken it to Essen, driven it at the Lord Mayor’s Show and now feel its time to let somebody else own it and enjoy it.”

MSP urges drivers to not pay fines issued by Perth car park firm

By Jamie Buchan, 16 June 2015 9.10am.

 

Murdo Fraser MSP outside the Kinnoull Street car park. He said Smart Parking would find it ‘very difficult’ to take motorists to court over outstanding fees.

 

 

Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has advised drivers to ignore threats of court action over unpaid penalties from Smart Parking’s controversial Kinnoull Street site.

 

The firm has asked a debt recovery agency to chase up outstanding fees of up to £160.
Politicians say they have been inundated with complaints about the site’s new number plate recognition service since it went live in February.

Scores of motorists have been caught out by the new setup, including Mr Fraser.

The MSP said it would be “very difficult” for Smart Parking to take drivers to court over unpaid fees.
Mr Fraser said: “I have advised all individuals hit with a £160 claim not to pay this. 
“I have not heard of anyone being taken to court for recovery of this sum and I believe it would be very difficult for Smart Parking to successfully make a case, but I can understand why individuals are worried when they are hit with a fee of this nature.”

A Smart Parking spokesman said: “Since the new system was installed at Kinnoull Street the number of motorists using the car park has remained the same, and the overwhelming majority of them do so without any problem whatsoever.”

Gill Johnston is one of many motorists who have been hit with invoices after using the city’s Kinnoull Street site.

 

And she has voiced her frustration in a song which is destined to become a YouTube hit.

 

The track, titled Just Ignore, calls for civil disobedience to the tune of Let It Go from the widely popular Disney movie Frozen.

 

She sings: “Its time to act, it’s time to stand and show Smart Parking they’re out of hand.”

 

Urging fellow motorists to unite, Ms Johnston adds: “Let’s ignore, let’s ignore, throw the letters in the bin; Let’s ignore, let’s ignore, they’re committing a terrible sin; ‘Cos we don’t care, what Smart Parking say.

 

“Let the storm range on. Threat of court is a nonsense anyway.”

 

The impressive parody, which laments the recent closure of Perth’s Bertie Browns shop, ends with the line: “Scottish fines aren’t valid anyway.”

 

The four-minute clip, written by the Johnston family, has already been viewed hundreds of times since it went online.

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