Rugby and Range Rover - Thats the latest collaboration with England star Owen Farrell

• England and Saracens star Owen Farrell readies himself for British & Irish Lions Tour to New Zealand 2017 with unique Land Rover challenge
• Timed bleep-test demonstrates the all-terrain performance and speed of the new 290hp Ingenium petrol-powered Range Rover Evoque
• The Range Rover Evoque is powered by Land Rover’s new 290hp 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol engine delivering 0-60mph in 6.0 seconds flat
• Fly-half recently won European Player of the Year award

How do you help a top British Lions rugby player get to peak fitness for a tour of World Rugby Champions New Zealand?

England and Saracens star Owen Farrell pitted himself against a unique opponent; Land Rover’s best-selling luxury compact SUV, the Range Rover Evoque, in a battle between man and machine.

Farrell tackled the new high-performance Range Rover Evoque, powered by the new 2.0-litre turbocharged Ingenium petrol engine in an all-terrain bleep test – the ultimate test of endurance. The renowned SUV, with its new 290hp engine, accelerates from 0-60mph in only 6.0 seconds– making it the fastest sprinting Evoque to date.

Jaguar Land Rover’s new four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine is now in production at the company’s £1 billion Engine Manufacturing Centre. Designed, engineered and manufactured in the UK, it is one of the most advanced engines the company has ever developed, delivering up to 25% more power than the engines it replaces and offer fuel consumption reductions of up to 15%.

Saracens and England player, Owen Farrell, Land Rover fan and the inaugural winner of the Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy for the European player of the year, said: “Every sportsman knows bleep tests are one of the toughest tests on the road to peak fitness because there is no hiding place. The bleep test was a great way to challenge myself because the Evoque was relentless.”

Farrell completed a bleep test between two fixed points on two different terrains in the unique challenge, gradually increasing the pace to keep time with the ever more frequent bleeps. The international rugby star, who will be part of the British & Irish Lions on tour in New Zealand this summer, is famous for his uncompromising approach and was up against an equally tough competitor.

The powerful Evoque lined up alongside Farrell, with international rugby union referee Wayne Barnes on hand to make sure both parties played by the rules.

Land Rover’s new British-built Ingenium petrol engine is available in two variants in the Range Rover Evoque; 240hp and 290hp. It features a twin-scroll turbocharger for improved performance on the road and low-resistance technologies for an ever more refined drive.

McLaren takes its first ever Internship, the student from New Zealand will work at the Woking centre.

McLaren Automotive has awarded its first international internship to a student from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. 

Following in the footsteps of the McLaren founder, Bruce McLaren, Andrew McLaren (no relation), a third-year student in the Faculty of Engineering studying Mechatronics Engineering, will spend nine weeks at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, working alongside the company’s Research and Development engineers.

Nearly 60 years beforehand, the McLaren founder, Bruce McLaren, travelled to England on a similar ‘Driver to Europe’ scholarship to pursue his motorsport aspirations and founded his own racing company in 1963. 

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Bruce McLaren studied at the Auckland University of Technology and was an accomplished engineer and innovator as well as a successful racing driver.

Andrew McLaren was born in Dargaville, New Zealand and attended Dargaville High School before starting his Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics. Mechatronics is a mix of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering.

Andrew McLaren’s particular focus is in the Research and Development of future products, and especially the company’s efforts to reduce the emissions of the next generation of sports and super cars. 

Commenting on the internship, Andrew said: “I can’t wait, it’s a field that is very hard to get into because there is very little opportunity in New Zealand, so I thought I would never get a chance like this. 

I would love to be at the forefront of that kind of innovative thinking. I’d really like to do something that would benefit society,” Andrew continued.

Commenting on the internship, Brand Ambassador for McLaren Automotive and daughter of Bruce, Amanda McLaren said: “I’m delighted to welcome Andrew to McLaren Automotive to continue his education. 

Even though my father passed away many years ago, the connection between McLaren and New Zealand still remains very strong and the parallels in both of their early careers is especially poignant.”

Riley gets exported back to the UK to take it's place at in the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu.

A remarkable 1948 Riley RMB has been shipped across the world from New Zealand to Hampshire by its long-term owner, who has donated it to the National Motor Museum Trust at Beaulieu.

Mr James Welch, who had known the car for much of its life and had painstakingly restored it, generously donated the Riley to the museum and paid to have it transported to the New Forest.

This Riley RMB 2 ½ litre has a remarkable story to tell. Built in 1948 in Coventry, it was exported to a dealer in Bern, Switzerland, before being sent to the coachworks of Reinboldt & Christé AG of Basle. 

This specialist coachbuilding firm had carried out a number of body modifications to Riley drophead models, but this was to be the only saloon to receive the same treatment. Two German coins dating from 1949 that were found inside the car still accompany it, souvenirs of its time in Europe.

James Welch’s father, Pat Welch, acquired the Riley in 1955 as part payment on his farm, after the car’s owner had brought it with him when emigrating to New Zealand. Joining a car club, Pat then started to compete in hill climbs and speed events, accompanied by his son. “In January 1957, at age 15, I passed my driving test in the car,” recalled James Welch. “My father gave me permission to compete along with him in hill-climbs, before graduating to beach races and club circuit races.”

After a series of successes, including first place in saloon car races at International Grand Prix meetings at Ardmore, near Auckland, the Riley was finally retired from competitions in 1960.

“My father sold the car in 1970,” said James. “Soon afterwards the new owner’s son fell asleep at the wheel, when on his way to Wellington. The right side of the Riley was damaged and it was then abandoned outside for some years, hence the major deterioration.” After languishing outside in all weathers, the stricken Riley was then stored for several more years in a shed.

The car’s spell of bad luck ended in 1985 when it was bought back by James, who started a total restoration, with help from the Riley RM Club. “I have been a Riley nut since 1955, so when I rebuilt my car I had to get it as near to perfection as I could.” Having worked in the luxury car building trade in his youth, including a spell making body panels for Mulliner Park Ward on the Rolls-Royce assembly line, James carried out most of the work himself, including the bodywork, paint and the interior trim, leaving only the engine, transmission and seats to be rebuilt by professionals.

“After I sold my business in 1999, I could work full-time on the restoration of the Riley, spending up too twelve hours a day on it, sometimes seven days a week,” said James. “When I think of all the work that I did on it, my guess would be that I have spent between 2,500 and 3,000 hours on the project. I spent approximately 150 hours on the interior fascia wood, while the hub caps alone took up 100 hours.”

The Riley finally returned to the road in 2007, still with just 55,000 miles on the odometer. James covered another 5,000 miles before deciding to pass the car on. “I am 74 and with no beneficiaries,” he said. “I had dreamed that this car, because of its rarity, should go to a place where it can be exhibited for all to see. The time was right to send it off.

“I decided on Beaulieu as I had visited there and to me it was a very prestigious place, where the staff treated me as if I was royalty. Now I know I was correct and as the saying goes, ‘some things are meant to be.’ After having this car in my life for 61 years, I am so very pleased that it has gone to such a prestigious home.”

Once it had arrived in the New Forest, the National Motor Museum engineers could carefully extract the Riley from the shipping container that had protected it during its ocean voyage, before putting it on display.

The Riley joins the National Motor Museum collection of over 250 cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles, which spans the history of motoring in Britain.

The Riley RM series of cars, which includes saloons, a convertible and a drophead coupe, is well known in the classic car world for its attractive styling and lively engines. The Riley RMA and RMB saloons were both unveiled in 1946, and while the RMA was fitted with a 1.5-litre engine, the RMB boasted a more powerful 2.5-litre engine.

While a standard RMB originally produced 100bhp, this example's 2443cc four-cylinder engine has been tuned to give 120bhp.

The Riley RMB can now be seen in the National Motor Museum as part of a visit to the whole Beaulieu attraction, which includes On Screen Cars, the World of Top Gear, the 13^th century Beaulieu Abbey and grounds and Palace House, which has been home to the Montagu family since 1538.

Australia and New Zealand teams take the titles at this yeas Peking to Paris Challenge Rally.

The antipodean teams from New Zealand and Australia were the winners of the 2016 outing of the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge. Bruce and Harry Washington from New Zealand won the overall prize for the Vintageants in their 1929 Chrysler 75 Roadster, while Mark Pickering and Dave Boddy from Australia won the Classic category in their 1973 Datsun 240Z.

This was Bruce Washington’s third ‘P2P’ after not finishing the first time and securing fourth with son Ben in 2013. Harry, a complete novice, said: “Each country was like its own rally. Once you crossed the border, you never knew what you were going to get. I’m so proud of my dad…and I’d go back and do it all again tomorrow.”

As well as the winner’s trophy, Harry was also awarded the Philip Young Cup, presented to the best performing novice of the event.

Second place for the Vintageants went to the British team of Mike Thompson and Andrew Davies, also in a 1929 Chrysler 75 Roadster, with fellow Brits Nigel Lee and Richard Turner in the 1938 Ford 62 securing third.

Mark Pickering and Dave Boddy had fought hard to win their first ‘P2P’ with fierce competition in the Classic category from the Ford Escorts, Mustangs and other strong Datsun crews.

Mark said: “It is an amazing feeling to have won such an iconic event, thank you to the Endurance Rally Association for another fantastic adventure, meeting up with old friends and making new friends, seeing places in the world that you would never see otherwise. The car is tired and so are Dave and I. We’re looking forward to a well-earned rest.”

By the time they reached the finish line, second place went to Ludovic Bois from France and Julia Colman from the UK in the 1969 Volvo Amazon, with Murray and Adam Jackson from Australia taking third place in their 1974 Mercedes 450 SLC.

The Jackson crew also won the European Cup for the Classics while Bill Cleyndert and Jacqui Norman in the 1925 Bentley Super Sports lifted the trophy for the Vintageants.

There were also special awards presented at the prestigious gala dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel to those who stood out during the rally. Hok Kiang Sia and his son Eric from Malaysia were presented with the True Grit award for battling to catch up with the rally after the engine bay of their 1933 Rolls Royce Phantom caught fire.

David and Jo Roberts from the UK won the Against All Odds award for keeping their 1954 Sunbeam Alpine on the road despite many mechanical issues that they managed to fix by themselves.

The Spirit of the Rally award was presented to Australia’s Max and Julie Stephenson in the 1923 Vauxhall OD 23/60, a crew that had not completed all the time trials and checkpoints but also found time to help others in need or trouble, and to explore the countries visited on the rally.

The sixth Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, organised by the Endurance Rally Association, began on Sunday 12th June 2016 with 107 crews crossing the start line at the Great Wall of China in Beijing. Today (17^th July) 98 crews passed over the finish line.

Competitors journeyed through eleven countries including Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, Russia and Belarus before entering Europe to reach the finish line in the centre of Paris.

ERA Rally Director Fred Gallagher said: “Prince Borghese, the very first winner of the Peking to Paris, said it was driving the impossible, and I’m sure all of our crews would agree. But they arrived in Paris to a heroic welcome and should all be very proud of what they have achieved. The spirit amongst the whole rally has been fantastic with friendships forged that will last a lifetime. An amazing experience for all of us.”

The next Peking to Paris Motor Challenge will be in June 2019, with an exciting new proposed route that will take competitors into Kazakhstan and across to Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Greece. For all the results, visitwww.endurorally.com

Census of the world’s Minis completed, with responses from all corners of the globe.

• Census of the world’s Minis completed, with responses from all corners of the globe
• In conjunction with Mini World Live at Rockingham Motor Speedway, July 10, 2016
• More male Minis than females
• Most popular name is ‘Marvin’

Over half of the world’s Minis are boys, with the most popular name being Marvin, according to the world’s first ever Mini Census.

The survey, carried out by the organisers of Mini World Live, which takes place at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Northants, on July 10, 2016, received responses from Mini owners all over the globe, including places as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Malta and the USA.

The results show that in total, 51% of the world’s Mini population is male, 35% are female and 14% are neither – although anyone who’s ever owned a Mini knows it’s more than just a car.

Among the boy Minis, the most popular names are Marvin, Tommy (Cooper) and Jack, although there’s a developing trend towards the names Dave, Stuart and Bob, made famous by Minions - The Movie. Girl Minis tend to follow a more alliterative tone, with Minnie (perhaps unsurprisingly), Mollie and Millie being the three most favoured names.

Some of the more unusual names that owners have given their Minis include Pingu (because he’s white with a black roof), Tetley (because he has more holes in him than a tea bag) and Mojo Jojo (after the evil monkey inThe Powerpuff Girls). Randomly, one correspondent has also named her Mini Leigh Halfpenny after the Welsh rugby international (because he’s smallish, gorgeous and powerful).

The survey also proves the diversity of the world’s Mini owners, with the youngest respondent being 17-year old Luke from Auckland, New Zealand, who has a male Mini called Sheldon, after Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory. The oldest respondent was 80-year old John from Bangor, North Wales, who has a female Mini called Mavis, named after his late wife.

Commenting on the survey, Mini World Live event manager, Katherine Chappell, said: “Mini owners have a real sense of community, and their cars are just as much a part of that community as they are. Minis, both old and new, are the most celebrated and characterful cars in the world, and with Mini World Live we want to celebrate that character.”

Following the show’s debut in 2015, which brought thousands of Mini enthusiasts to the Northants venue, the organisers are promising even more action and more of a festival feel for the show, which is backed by three major Mini-related magazine titles – MiniWorld, Mini Magazine and Modern MINI.

The show will feature attractions catering for fans of both classic and modern Minis, including a concours competition, individual entries, a huge retail village, show and shine areas, club displays and on-track action, the details of which will be confirmed nearer to the date.

Visitors will also be able to enter a competition to win a Mini, sponsored by specialist insurers Carole Nash. The classic is currently being restored by the magazine teams, and will be on display at the Show. Modified Mini owners will also be able to enter a ‘Best Wheels’ competition, in association with Wheel Whores.

Live music and refreshments will also form a core part of the event, with camping available the evening before to ensure it benefits from a vibrant, festival feel.

Audi is reaping the rewards of great cars with a number of international awards awarded recently.

• In China, J.D. Power Award 2015 went to the Audi A3
• In the U.S., three more Audi models secured IIHS Top Safety Pick+ designations
• U.S. industry organization “League of American Communications Professionals” commended Audi Communications with its “Platinum Award” for the technical animation of the A3 e-tron

China: Audi A3 receives “J.D. Power Award”

In China the “J.D. Power Award 2015” went to the Audi A3. This award, which is made on the basis of extensive customer surveys, rates the quality of new automobiles in China. The Audi A3 emerged victorious in the intensely competitive segment of compact luxury sedans. (November 1, 2015)

Pictures are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be confused 

with models mentioned in the text, and the pictures issues.

Switzerland: Audi Q7 is favorite car

Audi won the “Swiss Car of the Year” reader poll with the Q7 and also achieved third place with the R8. Over 68,000 readers voted for their favorite car. (December 2, 2015)

United States: top safety in Audi A3, Audi A6 and Audi Q5

The Audi A3 Sedan, Audi A6 Sedan and Audi Q5 have received the accolade of “Top Safety Pick+ 2016,” awarded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In achieving the highest grade “good,” they are the safest cars in their segment according to the U.S. insurance organization. Audi has previously received this distinction for the crash safety of numerous models in the past two years. (December 10, 2015)

New Zealand: Audi RS 3 Sportback most popular car in category

The Audi RS 3 Sportback took the honors in the “Performance Class” at this year’s “AMI NZ Autocar Car of the Year Awards” and can now be considered among the best new cars on New Zealand’s roads. The RS 3 Sportback impressed the jury with its design, the compact and efficient construction principle and not least its emotive sound. (December 2, 2015)

Australia: double award for Audi Q7

The Audi Q7 has achieved the top rating of five stars in the “ANCAP safety rating” for passive and active safety. It has also received the title of “Best Luxury SUV” from the renowned online magazine drive.com.au. The jury reserved particular praise for the fully digitized virtual cockpit, the new Audi touchpad and the sophisticated build quality. (December 4, 2015)

American award for technical animation by Audi Communications

The U.S. industry organization “League of American Communications Professionals” commended Audi Communications with its “Platinum Award” for the technical animation of the A3 e-tron. Audi also received the cross-industry special award “Most Creative Platinum,” fending off the challenge of such competitors as General Electric and Intel Corporation. (November 9, 2015)

Germany: special merit for Audi eKurzinfo

At the “German Design Award 2016”, the Audi eKurzinfo received a “Special Mention” for outstanding innovation in the “Apps” category. The award is made by the “German Design Council,” a nonprofit foundation of the German Federal Parliament with members drawn from industry, design, federations and institutions. (November 2, 2015)

WARNING ***ALL RIGHT HAND DRIVE SUZUKI CELERIOS RECALLED - DO NOT DRIVE***

IF YOU HAVE TAKEN ELIVERY OF ONE OF THESE CARS THEN PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE IT, AND CALL YOUR LOCAL SUZUKI DEALER WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT, THIS RECALL MUST NOT BE IGNORED BY ANYONE

Following a condition experienced when carrying out an emergency braking test by a journalist from Autocar magazine on the 30^th January, Suzuki carried out an immediate investigation into the cause of this condition. 

As a direct result of this investigation and with immediate effect, Suzuki is recalling its UK Celerio models that went on official sale to the public on February 1^st. This safety recall relates to retraction of the brake pedal and affects Right Hand Drive vehicles for UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.  

It does not affect left hand drive vehicles or other right hand drive markets.

Suzuki is directly contacting its customers via its dealer network and will be providing a loan vehicle to them until full safety checks have been completed. As UK sales of the Celerio model have now been temporarily suspended, this of course applies to press vehicles.

The condition was experienced during an emergency brake test from very high speed and was conducted several times on a private road test facility. This test forms a part of the full test procedure carried out by What Car? and Autocar magazines. The Celerio model has been on sale in India and Thailand since 2014.