The Motorists Guide

If you're taking your dash cam on holiday with you this summer, make sure you're aware of the laws on using them wherever you're goingWhether you take your own car on holiday or opt for a rental, bringing your dash cam along can provide a valuable safety net in case of an accident or incident. It’s not quite that simple, though. Just as the rules of the road change from country to country throughout Europe, so do the rules on dash cams. Laws on recording in public, filming people without their permission and operating in-car electronics have no set EU regulation and are left instead to individual national governments. The UK happens to have some of the most relaxed rules in the world when it comes to regulations that may affect your dash cam, but all that can change once you arrive on the continent. Before you set off, read on to find out the rules for your holiday destination.Where is it totally legal to use a dash cam? First, the good news. You can both own and operate a dash cam throughout any of these European nations without any restrictions: Bosnia and Herzegovina Denmark Italy Malta Netherlands Serbia Spain Sweden However, things aren’t so straightforward everywhere. The following countries all have some sort of restriction on dash cam usage, ranging from the position of its installation to an outright ban: Austria Status: Banned Using a dash cam in Austria is illegal, full-stop. First-time offenders will be slapped with a whopping €10,000 fine, with repeat offenders fined €25,000. In fact, it’s not even legal to own a dash cam. Be sure to leave yours behind if you’re planning to head there on your trip. Belgium Status: Legal, with conditions Belgium is a lot more relaxed than Austria on the issue. You can both own and use one, but only for ‘private use’. What that means to drivers is that if you’re involved in an incident you’ll need to inform all other parties before submitting the footage as evidence. France Status: Legal, with conditions French dash cam laws are largely similar to those in the UK, in that there are rules on where dash cams can be placed within the vehicle: it cannot obstruct the driver’s view. Like its smaller neighbour Belgium, France also restricts dash cams to ‘private use’ – in this case, that means that you can’t upload the footage to the internet. If you record any evidence, make sure that it goes directly to the police. Germany Status: Legal, with conditions Germany may be famed for its delimited ‘autobahn’ that lets motorists largely speed at will, but it has still seen fit to place some restrictions on dash cam usage. Like France and the UK, it must be placed so as not to obstruct the driver’s view. In compliance with the country’s strict privacy laws, any footage shared publicly must have faces and number plates obscured (in fact, ideally they should not be recorded at all). Luxembourg Status: Banned Head south from Belgium, and the rules don’t change all that much. While at least owning a dash cam is allowed in Luxembourg, using one is still totally illegal. Make sure it stays in the glovebox for the duration of your time there. Norway Status: Legal, with conditions Norway is probably the mainland European nation with rules most similar to the UK’s. Its only regulation on dash cams is that it’s installed out of the way of the driver’s view. Portugal Status: Banned It may be totally legal to use a dash cam on your drive through Spain to get there, but once you arrive in Portugal it is neither legal to own nor use a dash cam, so leave yours at home if you’ll be driving there. Switzerland Status: Legal, but heavily conditional Saving the most complex for last, dash cam usage is a very muddy area in Switzerland. While they’re legal in theory, it’s all but impossible to get any use out of them while still obeying strict Swiss data protection laws. For a start, they can never just be used for entertainment or documenting a journey – there has to be a legal purpose to recording. Then they must conform to the Swiss ‘principal of transparency’: it needs to be obvious that those being recorded are being recorded. As dash cams are discreet by nature, and other drivers are usually only aware of their existence after an accident occurs, that’s a box likely to remain unticked. It must also adhere to the ‘principle of proportionality’. Given that dash cams record for the entirety of a journey, the ratio of important stuff being filmed to unimportant stuff being filmed will probably be extremely unfavourable. Hundreds of people, vehicles and buildings that have nothing to do with any incident (if, in fact, an incident even occurs) will end up being illicitly recorded. If you’ve read all that and are thinking to yourself that it doesn’t sound as if it’s possible to use a dash cam in Switzerland at all, you’d be just about right. Keeping the roads safe is viewed as the responsibility of the police, and it would be for the best if you kept your dash cam disconnected throughout your travels there. Original article source: which.co.uk Author: Callum Tennent . Published 1st August 2018Read more: https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/08/using-your-dash-cam-abroad-what-you-need-to-know-about-driving-in-europe/ - Which?

And how will they affect you? So, you’re thinking about buying or leasing a new car in the next few months? You know that it’s going to take some time for the car to be assembled how you want, but it’s still only going to be a few weeks, right? What happens if you don’t need your car until May? Is Brexit going to make that much of a difference? In all likelihood, you will have read something about how Brexit is going to affect some areas of your life. Newspapers are full of articles warning of the potential negative effects that our withdrawal from the EU will have on people’s lives. There has been mention of the possibility that you might need a visa to take your summer holiday in Spain – something that would spell the end of a last-minute European city break. There has also been speculation that the recent removal of roaming charges when using your mobile phone abroad will be reinstated. More recently, mention has been made that you’ll be unable to use your UK Netflix or Spotify account when travelling. Of course, all the headlines are just speculation. At the moment, no one knows exactly what is going to happen, and this lack of knowledge means that businesses feel they have no choice but to prepare for what could be seen as a worst-case scenario. Brexit has dominated the news for over two years and with the deadline fast approaching plans still have to be made and a deal needs to be struck. One thing that has become apparent is that no matter what decisions are made and what the deal eventually negotiated actually looks like. Theresa May has warned that it’s incredibly likely the UK will leave the single market and customs union as a part of Brexit and all this will mean that the free movement of goods across European borders could end. As not all cars are built on UK shores this may also have an effect on how long it takes for your new car to travel from the factory to your driveway. Another thing that will affect the length of time it takes for goods, like your new car, to arrive in the country is the necessity for businesses to learn a new way of working. The introduction of new customs processes will impact on every industry that relies on import and export, especially the motor industry, which relies on thousands of deliveries per day to get your car assembled and off the production line. So how will Brexit affect me buying a new car? When Europe’s carmakers gathered in Paris at the beginning of October this year there was clear disquiet. The fact that Brexit is an unpopular subject and something that the industry is dreading is no secret. Companies like Nissan, Toyota and Honda have acknowledged they are nervous about the lack of progress being made in reaching a deal. Manufacturers warned of potentially detrimental effects on the future of the car industry in the UK following a ‘no deal’ Brexit. Car companies and other industries that rely on transport of products through Europe are understandably concerned about the implications of leaving Europe without a deal in hand. They are requesting that the government make sure the topic of free trade is part of the negotiations. Why this might affect you even if your car is assembled in the UK Even if your car is assembled in the UK it is likely that some of its parts will have been transported across the channel at some point during the manufacturing process. The graphic below shows you the journey that a single bumper used in the construction of the Bentley Bentayga takes before it’s added to the luxury vehicle in Crewe. Components such as engines, transmissions and even windscreen wipers require a great deal of warehouse space, and in order to reduce this, many car manufacturers operate a ‘just in time’ or ‘JIT’ delivery system. This system relies greatly on components being delivered to factories just before they’re needed. Every day over 1,100 trucks cross the Channel with deliveries intended for car and engine plants based in the UK. Just a few hours’ extra getting through Customs will be enough to cause damaging delays in the production line. If the UK government are unable to negotiate an acceptable deal for both sides before March 29th next year, then it’s likely anything being transported from the EU would, by World Trade Organization rules, incur a 10% tariff, which could see the price of that brand new car increasing by more than £1,000. The WTO tariff wouldn’t only affect car manufacturers; pharmaceutical companies and oil producers are among the other UK-based industries concerned with the additional costs they will potentially incur following our EU divorce. It’s important to note, however, that cars and car components are the UK’s second largest export to EU and non-EU countries (such as America, Canada and China), adding up to over £41 billion in value per year. They are also the third largest import after electrical and mechanical machinery, with a value of over £54 billion in 2017. The National Audit Office recently released a report warning that despite progress having been made in preparing for a no deal exit from the EU, businesses that rely upon borders running efficiently to conduct their business will experience issues for the first time after March 29th. Sir Aymas Morse, head of the NAO said, “The government has openly accepted the border will be sub-optimal if there is no deal with the EU on 29 March 2019. […] But what is clear is that businesses and individuals who are reliant on the border running smoothly will pay the price.” There would also be additional delays for the goods travelling into the country. This is what is giving car manufacturers who rely on a smooth border crossing of cars and components into and out of the UK on a daily basis a great deal of concern. A sudden change like this will have serious implications for British industry as a whole. One concern, post-Brexit, for companies that only trade with countries in the EU is the introduction of customs declaration forms. This new requirement will not only increase the amount of preparatory work a business needs to carry out prior to sending a shipment overseas, but it will also increase the volume of paperwork that HMRC has to process, potentially up to 260 million declarations in a year (a rise of over 200 million). This will further complicate and delay deliveries until an efficient system is in place, both at HMRC and the individual businesses. Even if you’ve placed an order before Brexit, if it hasn’t arrived in the country before March 29th there will be delays when crossing the border and there may even be an increase in costs for you as the customer. What are carmakers’ feelings about Brexit? At this year’s Paris Motor Show a number of carmakers were not shy in sharing their concerns on the state of Brexit negotiations. They also took the opportunity the motor show presented to announce any plans they have already made to prepare their UK-based factories for multiple possible exit scenarios. In some cases companies are looking to pre-empt potential delays with deliveries from the EU by either closing their UK factories temporarily or, where they have warehouse space available, stocking up on necessary car parts in order to ensure they aren’t 100% reliant on deliveries coming into the country that could be delayed at the border. Some UK manufacturers are also trying to encourage major suppliers of components to open plants in the country to minimise future risk to their supply chain. The UK is BMW’s fourth-largest market and annually they sell over 250,000 cars to British motorists, so the company is rightfully concerned about how they currently see the negotiations for Brexit progressing. The business acknowledges that they will need to carefully examine the impact of any changes introduced once a deal has been finalised and look at how the new rules and regulations will affect how they run their factories across the country. BMW aren’t the only carmaker finding the lack of information surrounding a potential Brexit deal to be unsettling. Japanese carmaker Nissan, who employ almost 7,000 workers at their Sunderland plant, are warning of serious implications to the car industry should Britain prove unable to forge a trade deal with the EU prior to March 29th. They are apprehensive, feeling that leaving the EU will see a loss of seamless trade. Their concern is valid, at the present time they only store enough components in Sunderland for half a day of work on the production line. The Honda plant based in Swindon use the JIT system to reduce the amount of warehouse space needed to store components for their cars. As the plant only maintains a stock of parts to hand that would keep their production line running for an hour they rely on the prompt arrival of 350 trucks a day from Europe to provide them with everything they need to assemble cars on site. They, like many other carmakers who operate the JIT method for their production line, know that a 2-minute problem at the border can cause hours of delays due to traffic build-up on both sides of the border. Toyota, who export over 90% of the cars made at their Derbyshire plant to Europe, joined their fellow carmakers in warning of uncertainty in the light of the current status of Brexit negotiations. Vauxhall: Change and Investment in the UK While Toyota, BMW and Nissan are talking about what they are planning for a post-Brexit car industry, PSA Group, who purchased Vauxhall-Opel in 2017, pre-empted any Brexit issues and axed 650 jobs at the Ellesmere-based plant at the beginning of the year. At the Geneva Motor Show in March this year, Carlos Tavares, the CEO of PSA Group acknowledged that the loss of freedom of movement would have an impact on production and affect the sustainability of their two manufacturing plants in the UK, in Luton and Ellesmere Port. He also said that PSA Group could not “invest in a world of uncertainty”. A month later, in April, Tavares visited their Luton plant where he announced PSA Group’s plans to increase output to 100,000 vehicles per year at their Luton plant, this announcement also included plans for the new Vivaro van to be built in the UK from 2019. Despite the positive announcement about investment in the UK from Tavares in April this year, at the Paris Motor Show, Maxime Picat, the European Operational Director of PSA Group said that there were limits to what they are able to do post-Brexit, fear over the additional cost implications that switching to the World Trade Organisation terms is a huge concern, “If we suddenly have to start manufacturing for the UK in the UK, and Europe in Europe, there will necessarily be an impact on production”. Carmakers like Toyota, Nissan and BMW that trade regularly with the EU and UK need free trade to stay in place. The introduction of the WTO 10% levy on goods would be devastating to some businesses and cause others to seriously consider their position within the UK. While, for the most part, the focus remains on issues that the UK will experience once we leave the EU, car manufacturers acknowledge that both sides of the negotiations will experience complications when shipping goods if the UK loses free trade. What plans are car manufacturers making for a post-Brexit market? In addition to voicing their concern about the lack of progress with the Brexit deal, BMW announced a change to their summer maintenance shutdown. Every summer the BMW MINI factory in Oxford, like many others around the world, is closed for several weeks to allow for essential maintenance to be carried out. Any closure has an effect on the availability of newly manufactured cars and BMW usually prepares well in advance for their annual shutdown. With the date for Brexit fast approaching, BMW decided that they will bring the 2019 maintenance closure forward and plan to shut down for at least a month immediately following March 29th in order to give themselves time to prepare for any new processes introduced in a post-Brexit UK. BMW also warned that they might also consider moving all manufacture of the quintessentially British MINI from the UK to The Netherlands if no deal is made, something they currently believe has a 50-50 chance of happening. The CEO of Toyota Europe, Johan Van Zyl, told attendees at the Paris Motor Show that their plant in Derbyshire will have to close temporarily following March 29th, and the future for the estimated 2,600 employees who work there is uncertain. Van Zyl’s concern is that the impact additional cost would have on their competitiveness: “In the longer term, if we were to change the logistics it would add more cost and impact on our competitiveness, and of course the future of our operation.” The possibility of being unable to sell their vehicles duty-free in the EU market would harm future plans for their UK sites. Why will this affect my new car? In 2017, over 2.5million cars were purchased in the UK, out of these, an estimated 360,000 (1 in 7) were also built here. As mentioned earlier in the article, many components of a car are transported here from somewhere in the EU, US or Asia. Even a car that is 100% British can contain small parts that were driven across the border in a lorry. Some cars arrive at the docks ready to be driven off the lot, having travelled thousands of miles by land and sea before reaching your driveway. The video below will give you an idea of the sort of journey many cars after they’ve been assembled. What’s being done to help car manufacturers prepare for Brexit? The UK government is still in negotiations with the EU to come to a deal which will benefit everyone involved. While it’s not an ideal situation to be in with the deadline for the UK’s exit moving ever closer, there is little which can be done, except for trying to pre-empt the decision yet to be made and prepare for every possible scenario. Carmakers are currently preparing for a hard Brexit (no deal), with temporary shutdowns and stock-piling components a large portion of their planning. But all the time no final deal has been made there is hope that Theresa May and her government will be able to arrange an exit package that includes free trade. In an effort to minimise any issues that a so-called hard Brexit would have on the large number of SMEs (small or medium enterprises) that form the backbone of the automotive industry in the UK, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have launched a Brexit Readiness Programme. This programme aims to help prepare the SMEs for possible changes in trade conditions between the UK and EU countries following our withdrawal from the European Union. What can I do to prepare for Brexit? With the path ahead still unclear, and deals still to be made, the recommendation is to order your car in enough time that it will be parked in your driveway, or at the dealership, before March 29th. Some carmakers have already announced they are preparing for a hard Brexit and they have already confirmed temporary shutdowns of their UK factories, which means production will come to a halt. Changes in border requirements are the most likely scenario, which means that delays in goods, including cars, arriving in the UK is inevitable. Original Author: Rachel Richardson Published on 1st November 2018

A chronograph is not a typical luxury watch - It comes with an array of features and mechanisms like an added timer, and buttons to start and stop the second hand The original purpose of this additional functionality dates back to the time of French monarch Louis XVIII, who wanted to be able to time the duration of the laps in the horse races he watched. It was an easy function to transition to auto racing. Car and motorcycle-inspired chronographs have long been used to keep track of lap times for auto enthusiasts. These watches come with pushable buttons to stop and start the timer. Most racing watches also feature a tachymeter, which is a theodolite for the rapid measurement of distances, so one can get an accurate measurement of an object’s speed. The worlds of watchmaking and racing have been intertwined for years. Since the days in which race car drivers wore heavy duty wrist straps to track their paces, the racing chronographs have evolved greatly. This is a list of some of the best watches for car enthusiasts, most of them chronographs designed to be functional racing timepieces that pay homage to various figures and moments in automotive culture. DUCATI CORSE EVOLUTION CHRONOGRAPH Though it’s not technically inspired by a car, the Ducati Corse Evolution Chronograph certainly has a racing heritage. Ducati states that their Corse quartz chronograph is dedicated to all racers who desire to constantly improve their performance. The black and red trimmed look invokes a classic racing appeal to match Ducati’s dynastic motorcycle racing history.LEARN MORE: $230 SEIKO X GIUGIARO DESIGN SCED057 Like the Ducati Corse Evolution, the Seiko x Giugiaro Design SCED057 is another watch made for motorcycle riders. This watch was designed with motorcycle riding specifically in mind. The face of the watch has been given a 5-degree lean toward the rider and a 15-degree slant to the dial so that one doesn’t have to fully turn their wrist or remove their hands from the handlebars while riding to see the time.PURCHASE: $280 FORD GT ENDURANCE CHRONOGRAPH The Ford GT is Ford’s supercar that was developed to compete with the European titans like Ferrari and Lamborghini. It has a storied racing history, beginning in the mid-1960s when it toppled Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance Race in historic fashion, shutting out the reigning champ from finishing in the top three. This Chronograph is created to honor the first Ford GT40 to win Le Mans in 1966, driven by Bruce McLaren, and painted in that black-and-white striped livery, which was also revived for the 2016 edition Ford GT Heritage car.PURCHASE: $700 TAG HEUER FORMULA 1 GULF EDITION The blue and orange Gulf Livery is one of the most iconic paint jobs in all of European racing history. The Tag Heuer Formula 1 Gulf Edition is a fitting chronograph tribute to some of the greatest moments in Formula 1 racing history. Driven by TAG Heuer quartz movement, which the company declares to be “one of the most reliable and accurate made in Switzerland,” the Formula 1 Gulf Edition celebrates legendary cars like the blue and orange Ford MKII that raced in the 1966 Le Mans and the Porsche 917 driven by Steve McQueen in the 1971 movie Le Mans.PURCHASE: $1,600 REC-901 PORSCHE WATCH The REC-90 Porsche watch has the distinction of being the only chronograph on this list to be actually forged from the car to which it pays homage. The 901 is a mechanical timepiece, with a dial constructed from a piece of a salvaged, air-cooled Porsche 911. Each 901 watch is a one-of-a-kind timepiece. The “901” watch references the original intended title of the Porsche 911 when it was created in 1964. The watch’s movement is propelled by the Miyota caliber 9100 automatic movement. It comes with a Story Card that you can scan using your smartphone to learn the detailed history behind your watch.PURCHASE: $1,700 TONINO LAMBORGHINI CENTENARY ENGINE Created to honor the 100th birthday of Tonino Lamborghini’s father, Ferrucio Lamborghini, the founder of Lamborghini who was born in 1916. A glass with carbon fiber membrane protects the skeleton movement that drives the chronograph. The black cow leather strap is a fitting tribute to Lambo’s bovine ancestry.PURCHASE: $2,250 PORSCHE DESIGN 1919 DATETIMER 70Y LIMITED EDITION Porsche recently celebrated its 70th anniversary. In commemoration, they published a coffee table book, launched an awesome parade of legendary vehicles at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and released a tribute watch, in recognition of their seven decades of dominance. The sleek, black 1919 Datetimer 70Y Limited Edition is encased in titanium and coated in titanium carbide. It is inscribed with the number 1948, paying homage to Porsche’s DOB. The face also features the silhouette of a Porsche 356.PURCHASE: $3,500 BAUME AND MERCIER CLIFTON CLUB BERT MUNRO TRIBUTE Bert Munro is certainly a man worthy of a tribute (if not several). He has already been lionized in the feature film The World’s Fastest Indian starring Anthony Hopkins. Now, luxury watchmaker Baume and Mercier has created the Clifton Club watch to honor the man who set the world record for the fastest motorcycle on land. The beautiful watch comes with a vermilion calfskin strap, black tachymeter on the bezel, and a silver-colored dial on which a bright yellow “35” is emblazoned — for Munro’s lucky number. It took a lot of luck — and plenty of skill — for Munro to break the land speed record in 1967. Pay your respects with this nearly $4,000 timepiece.PURCHASE: $3,900 BREITLING BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT Breitling is one of the top luxury watch brands in the world. Few know that they have a longstanding relationship with luxury carmaker Bentley. The partnership between the Swiss watchmaker and British car manufacturer has produced innumerable high-end watches, most notably with the 2002 creation of the Bentley Continental watches to mark the release of Bentley’s fastest car ever, the Continental GT. Among those watches, the most vibrant and elegant is probably the “Dark Sapphire” Continental GT watch, a beautiful piece made from a cambered sapphire crystal that matches the Continental GT car model.PURCHASE: $4,000 NOMOS GLASHÜTTE AUTOBAHN The Nomos Glashütte watch is a beautiful model designed in the style of the German Bauhaus school, a design movement from the Weimar era in Germany that has remained timeless since its moment in the sun a century ago. The Autobahn ‘Neomatik Datum’ model is a sport chronometer that alludes to the legendary German highway for which it’s named. Like the highway, famous for its lack of a universal speed limit, the watch is designed to be high-octane and dynamic, with steep curves that create a motif of fast movement.PURCHASE: $4,800 OMEGA SPEEDMASTER RACING MASTER CHRONOGRAPH Omega has a rich history, a large part of which is inextricably tied to the history of racing. The Omega Speedmaster is a line of chronograph wristwatches that has been around since 1957. The Speedmaster’s most famous stint was on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin, as the astronaut walked on the moon in 1968. With a power reserve of 60 hours, the self-winding chronograph is the perfect watch for race car drivers participating in long distance endurance races.PURCHASE: $8,500 ICON 4×4 DUESEY WATCH ICON 4 x 4 takes classic overlanders and offroaders them and restores them to immaculate condition. Founder Jonathan Ward is motivated by a passion for vintage cars. But he’s also an avid collector of vintage watches, and he always wanted to design his own chronograph inspired by a classic car. That’s just what he’s done with the ICON 4×4 Duesey Watch, a chronograph modeled after a vintage Duesenberg SJ dashboard. With a case made from sandblasted titanium grade 2, water resistant up to 50 meters, and a bezel forged of titanium grade 5, the Duesey watch is built to endure over the years.PURCHASE: $11,500 ROLEX COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona was introduced in 1963. It was built to meet the rigorous demands of professional race car drivers who wanted to keep track of lap times and measure their average speeds in miles or kilometers per hour. Crafted from 18ct gold alloys along with silver, copper, platinum or palladium, the Daytona is a product of superior craftsmanship. The self-winding caliber 4130 movement is a simple mechanism, ensuring that the Cosmograph Daytona will always run smoothly.PURCHASE: $28,800 HUBLOT LAFERRARI APERTA The LaFerrari, also known as the as the Ferrari LaFerrari or Ferrari F70, is a hybrid sports car. Specifically, the Aperta model was created in 2016 and has been in production until this model year. The Hublot LaFerrari Aperta experienced a limited 210 unit run. To honor the limited-edition car, Hublot partnered with Ferrari to create a $300,000 MP-05 LaFerrari super watch. The watch, crafted from sapphire crystal, is designed to be reminiscent of the shape of the supercar. Incredibly complex, the 637 pieces is the most intricate construction that Hublot has ever produced.PURCHASE: $260,000 TOURBILLON MCLAREN F1 RM 50-03 The most expensive watch on the list, the Tourbillon McLaren F1 RM 50-03, also known as the Split Seconds Chronograph Ultralight — McLaren F1 is designed in collaboration by the famed McLaren Formula 1 team and watchmaker Richard Mille. The result is the lightest split-seconds tourbillon chronograph ever made, weighing in at just 38 grams. The ultra-light composition is meant to match the dynamic, feathery speed of McLaren Formula 1 vehicles. The RM 50-03’s tripartite case is forged of Graphene, a nanomaterial that six times lighter than steel but 200 times stronger.PURCHASE: $1,300,00020 BE Original article source: High Consumption https://hiconsumption.com/2018/09/best-mens-watches-for-car-enthusiasts/

Both are handsome but only one will turn heads For sheer breadth of product, few can outdo Ford Performance. We find out if the value king Fiesta ST and GT supercar share any family traits. The sheer elasticity of Ford Performance is a remarkable thing. Within the space of a year, the Blue Oval’s fast car division knocked out one of the most intoxicating supercars of its generation, then quickly followed it up with the best affordable performance car money can buy. In the same way that a coastline seems to get longer the more accurately you measure it, the gulf that divides the GT and the Fiesta ST becomes more and more preposterous the closer you look. Consider this: while the ST counts Toyotas, Vauxhalls, Volkswagens and Suzukis among its rivals, the GT costs about the same as a mid-range McLaren, plus a mid-range Ferrari. And if you were to take every penny you had set aside for a GT of your own and spend it instead on Fiesta STs, the 22 hatchbacks that you’d become the proud owner of would weigh the same as four fully grown African elephants. You get the picture. The Ford GT is a lot more expensive than the Fiesta ST, although at £420,000 it is also a lot more expensive than most other supercars. And it isn’t even as though Ford Performance is blagging its way through building two such disparate cars. No, it’s pulling it off in some style, neither one feeling like a leap too far or a token effort. Somehow, the GT and the ST both exist in the Ford Performance heartland. It was only a matter of weeks ago that we crowned the Fiesta ST the finest sub-£30,000 performance car of 2018. A fortnight before that, we awarded it a four-and-a-half-star road test rating, which rather makes the four stars we deemed the GT worthy of 12 months previously seem a touch humiliating. Is the GT really shown up by the ST? We’ll come to that. With the two cars parked alongside each other, the stark reality is that the GT is so otherworldly looking, so malevolent, that in its company the ST almost looks pathetic, like a parasitic remora fish clinging to the flank of a great white shark. Actually, it looks as though somebody has turned up to our photoshoot uninvited and parked right in the way. Of course, the other stark reality is that the supercar was designed and developed in North America while the hot hatch hails from Ford’s R&D centre at Lommel in Belgium, so it is very possible that the personnel overlap between the two projects was precisely none at all. But they are still siblings, or first cousins at the very least, and when you drive the two back-to-back, you do pick up on a number of similarities. Mostly, though, you notice the differences. In the Fiesta you sit upright and have good visibility all around you, but in the GT you are in repose and can only really see directly ahead of you through a narrow slit of windscreen. And while the ST feels dinky out on the road, the GT feels simply enormous. Everything about the GT screams motorsport, which is no surprise at all given it was designed to monster the opposition at Le Mans, and only then made vaguely civilised for road use. And it is motorsport, of course, that justifies this car’s existence at all, because if Ford hadn’t won the world’s greatest endurance race four times in a row half a century ago, the Blue Oval simply wouldn’t have the brand cachet to pull off such a fantastically expensive supercar. If in some parallel universe Ford had gone ahead and built the GT without having won at La Sarthe all those years ago, nobody with even a flicker of sense would have spent the better part of half a million nicker on the damn thing. So the GT isn’t just derived from motorsport, it owes its entire existence to racing. That’s why it seems so appropriate that while Ferrari and McLaren busy themselves with making their supercars more and more usable every day, Ford has charged off in the opposite direction and built something so raw and uncompromising, you’d have to be a masochist to use it daily. The way I see it, a supercar should be used occasionally and be so unlike your daily transport that you never forget how special that supercar is. When the GT slaps heavily over cats eyes, therefore, and when stones ping noisily into the wheel arches and when the boost from the V6 engine’s pair of turbochargers builds extravagantly and then is dumped with a loud hiss, I can’t help but add another layer to that hectic soundscape by whooping in delight. This stripped-back, immersive kind of driving experience has become far too rare. The big rear spoiler drops so quickly from view as you slow down to urban speeds, and with such a loud thwack, that you swear every time it has just fallen off. You sit so close to the centre of the car’s cabin that, with a passenger alongside you, your shoulders are in constant contact. You also have to remind yourself that over your other shoulder there is at least another foot of bodywork. The seat itself is fixed so you tug the pedal box towards you or kick it away with your feet, adjusting the steering column for reach to get your driving position just so. The floating upper section of the dashboard brilliantly mimics the exterior aero tunnels that are this car’s signature design feature, adding to the very real impression that air doesn’t flow over the top of this car or underneath it, but that it passes directly through it. The engine is industrial-sounding, all tuneless turbocharged blare, uncultured thrashing and assorted whistles and whooshes. It isn’t in the least bit musical, but you will not happen upon a more purposeful or to-the-point soundtrack away from a racing paddock. With 647bhp on tap and less than 1500kg to punt along, the GT does feel furiously quick, but it doesn’t deliver quite the panic-inducing, unrelenting acceleration of the admittedly more powerful McLaren 720S. The GT’s steering is detailed and incredibly direct, and there is so much body control even on a cresting, yumping road that it seems daft to mention it at all. Body control is to the Ford GT driver what sand is to the Bedouin. On top of that, the car has enormous grip and freakish agility, but while the springs are very firm and there’s only a modest amount of wheel travel, the quality of the damping in that very short stroke means the ride is actually mature and sophisticated. In fact, it is the Fiesta ST that feels busier when flung across our chosen stretch of Cambridgeshire B-road, boinging up and down in its trademark way where the GT is a little more settled. The ST’s 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbo motor is more or less half the engine the GT’s 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 is, but rated at 197bhp it delivers not even a third of the power. Aside from their industrial soundtracks, the two engines have very little in common – the ST’s three-pot feeling as though it’s done its best work by 5500rpm, whereas the GT’s V6 wants to keep on going. Both cars have frantically responsive steering, to the point where you have to calm your steering inputs to avoid making either car feel nervous or flighty. If there really is any shared DNA between them, however, it’s this: while both cars are enjoyable to drive at medium speeds, they really come together and start working as a cohesive whole rather than a series of interconnected components when you start pressing on. They both want to be flogged near enough to death, and in both cases the engineers have compromised some level of everyday agreeableness – a little in the case of the ST, a lot for the GT–to make it that way. What about those star ratings: is the ST really half a star better than the GT? Only in the vaguest, most meaningless sense, because while the ST is by some margin the best car in its class, the GT is much more expensive than a number of its rivals, it’s not necessarily more exciting to drive and it is actually less adept at the day-to-day stuff. So it’s all relative. The elasticity of Ford Performance is a unique thing and something to be celebrated. That is true for the time being, at least, because when Mercedes-AMG’s Project One hypercar finally comes on line, the title of stretchiest performance sub-division will transfer from Dearborn, Michigan, to Affalterbach, Baden-Württemberg. After all, alongside building £2 million hypercars with Formula 1 powerunits, AMG will also sell the recently announced A35 hatchback at something like £35,000. As the Ford GT drives away at the end of our photoshoot, I realise that in all likelihood I will never drive one again, let alone own one myself. At least in the Fiesta ST, there is a Ford Performance product that is also enormously good fun to drive, and rather more affordable too. Used fast Fords that won’t cost you £400k: ESCORT RS COSWORTH, 1992-1996, Pay £40,000: The RS Cosworth was so popular among car thieves that in certain parts of the country it became uninsurable. With four-wheel drive and a 224bhp four-pot, it had a level of performance we’d rarely seen in a hatchback before. MK1 FOCUS RS, 2002-2003, Pay £12,000: Arguably the original super-hatch, the first Focus RS was laden with go-faster hardware but some reckoned its pronounced torque steer made it a liability. Most agreed it was a real looker, though. GT, 2004-2006, Pay £250,000: What the previous Ford GT lacked in outright performance compared with the newer model, it made up for through sheer force of character. With a walloping V8 and a manual gearbox, it was rewarding to drive too. MK2 FOCUS ST, 2005-2008, Pay £4000: It may not have been universally adored but, with a characterful 225bhp five-cylinder turbo engine, the second-gen Focus ST did at least have a USP. The good news is that since going off sale, it has dropped into bargain basement territory. MK6 FIESTA ST, 2013-2017, Pay £9000: Like its successor, the Mk6-based Fiesta ST was one of the most cohesive performance cars you could buy at any price point. The engineering was reminiscent of a purpose-built sports car, but what mattered more was how much fun it was. View the full article - original article courtesy of Autocar

Nextbase has launched the 512GW, the newest addition to their range of Dash Cams and features new and improved technology to further enhance the video clarity Other new features include Quad HD 1440p resolution, recording at 30 frames-per-second, via 140-degree wide angle, six-element sharp lenses made up of six layers of glass, covered with a special anti-glare polarising filter to reduce glare from the dashboard reflecting off the windscreen. This provides amazingly clear images, capturing the important information such as number plate and road sign detail. Combined with Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) to capture more detail by taking multiple videos at different contrasts to provide the best image possible in all light conditions. The picture quality is better than ever with stronger colours and amazing clarity thanks to the upgraded Sony Exmor R Sensor.  This new sensor is exclusive to Nextbase Dash Cams and really helps to enhance the image at night and in bright conditions. The 512GW is equipped with a 3” LED screen with touch buttons for ease of access. In the event of an accident, the 512GW can be instantly accessed to capture all the evidence which could be vital in being used in the event of a claim. SOS Data Protection prevents any crucial events from being deleted, while the inbuilt GPS receiver provides essential data such as speed and accurate location, which may be required by Insurers or the Police in the event of an accident. Another new feature is the addition of built-in WiFi to review, download and share footage instantly to your mobile phone or tablet by using the Nextbase Cam Viewer app (available on IOS and Android). The app is your personal mobile storage for recorded footage that you may want to keep and share with friends and family and if required, to forward to an insurance company or even the Police. Using GPS receiver and G sensor to record location, speed and force data to help provide important vehicle impact information. One of the newest features include  Time Lapse  option for those on longer journeys and special drives, where one still image is taken every minute of the trip. Also, they have introduced  Auto Dimming  to darken the camera screen during times of low light and at night.  The powered ‘Click & Go’ screen mount is a great innovation which allows the camera to be permanently powered and easily removed if required. Utilising magnets and powered touch points, allowing the camera to be free from wires. The mount can be powered with either the supplied 12-volt, 4-metre power cable connected to an auxiliary power socket. Alternatively, the mount can be permanently hard-wired by using a Hardwire Kit (optional) specifically designed to be used with the comprehensive range of Nextbase Dash Cams. The user can choose from various options within the menu system, such as switching the Audio recording on/off, Video length (2, 3 or 5 minutes), Parking Mode, Resolution, Exposure and many other functions. Easy to use control buttons are flush to the screen and touch sensitive, with illumination for easy navigation in dark conditions. Road Test Summary When fitted in a Honda CR-V, the 512GW had to sit lower down on the screen with the suction mount due to the top middle section having a painted section. With the size of the Dash Cam and the lower position, it was found to be a bit too intrusive on the drivers’ visibility, but by using the self-adhesive mount provided it was able to be repositioned further up the screen behind the mirror. It’s worth bearing in mind that a Dash Cam should not be fitted in the swept area (Drivers’ windscreen wiper zone) to obstruct visibility. Overall, the 512GW performed incredibly well in all lighting conditions with easy to use controls and features. It really does seem to be a fit-and-forget driving aid, and hopefully, not one that will need to be used in anger. Features Updated Sony Exmor 2 sensor provides unbeatable image quality  1440p Quad HD recording at 30fps and 1080p recording at 60fps  Innovative polarising filter to remove windscreen glare  Wi-Fi to allow you to share your footage directly to your smartphone or tablet  140° ultra-wide viewing angle for greater road and pavement coverage  GPS location and speed data to pinpoint incidents on your journey  Click & Go Powered Magnetic GPS Car Mount  Intelligent Parking Mode automatically indicates motion for greater safety  High Dynamic Range improves the contrast in an image whilst maintaining clarity  Wide Dynamic Range image processing ensures clear recordings in bright and dark light  3” LCD screen 960 x 240  Time Lapse features for longer journeys  Auto Dimming for low light conditions                Technical Information Dimensions: 10.9 x 5 x 1.8 cm (W x H x D) (37mm incl. lens) Storage: Supports SDHC and SDXC Micro SD Cards up to 32GB (Class 10 recommended) to provide up to 4 hours of recorded footage before entering a new recording loop Battery Life: up to 30 minutes’ back-up in the event of an accident Recommended Retail Price: £149.00 Further related articles Hardwire Kit option   Read Review

The City of London is plotting a congestion charge, zero emission zone and 15mph speed limit New transport strategy for London's business district plans to cut vehicle use by half, and introduce 15mph speed limit The City of London is aiming to reduce motor traffic by half within the next 25 years and make the capital's financial centre Britain’s first large-scale zero emission zone. The city and county, which is known as the Square Mile and contains the heart of London's business district, has developed its first long-term transport strategy as a plan for future investment following a public consultation process. Chris Hayward, the City’s planning and transportation chief, said that the plan would “future-proof this world-class, growing business and culture centre.” More than 500,000 people work in the area, and Hayward said that 93% commute in via public transport. The strategy therefore will put a priority on pedestrians, including the introduction of a City-wide 15mph speed limit, subject to the approval of the Department for Transport. The plan is also intended to substantially reduce motor traffic, with the target of cutting traffic by 25% by 2030 and 50% by 2044. To do that, the City will introduce a range of measures, including a “congestion charge that’s fit for purpose”. The City's aim to develop Britain’s first large-scale zero emission zone will begin with smaller-scale zero emission zones covering the Eastern City Cluster, and Barbican and Golden Lane areas. No specifics on how either the congestion charge or the zero emission zone would work have been given yet. They would be separate from the current London Congestion Charge and Ultra-Low Emission Zone that are enforced by the London Assembly. There are also plans to reduce the number of delivery vehicles in the area, through the introduction of timed access and loading restrictions, and the introduction of off-site consolidation areas, where deliveries are grouped together so they can be made in fewer trips. Hayward said: “Once finalised, this Transport Strategy will be transformative in ensuring that the Square Mile remains a healthy, accessible and safe commercial and cultural centre and a great place to live, work, and visit in the years to come.” The Strategy is still being finalised before a last consultation process begins. It could be approaved in early 2019. The City of London is governed by the City of London Corporation, and the strategy will only apply within its 1.12 square mile area. It is one of the 33 districts that form Greater London, which is overseen by the Mayor of London and London Assembly. Read more Variable pay-per-mile charge for London under consideration Mayor of London: electric cars should get free or discounted parking Deputy London mayor: 'we are targetting diesel' London's Ultra-Low Emission Zone to be expanded View the full article