Princess Diana's Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1 is at auction in this year's Silverstone Classic

(Reading time: 4 - 7 minutes)

You’ve got your one in a million's, and this is likely the only chance you've got to buy a rather special Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1.

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Isuzu D Max XTR First Look

(Reading time: 2 - 4 minutes)
 
We are back with our first vehicle, and it's one that should have arrived far earlier, however it's here now...  it was delivered yesterday and it's a Lifestyle pick up, the Isuzu D-Max XTR.
 
We had the D-Max Blade last year, a very capable pick up with a great price, the XTR capitalises on the D-Max and specs it up, quite literally.
 
XTR is one of the lifestyle variants of the pickup, lots of additions especially in the styling department e.g. the front guard which literally surrounds the grille and headlamps, extended wheel arches and even Kevlar ceramic brake pads, it's 25 mm higher and sports bespoke Pedder suspension.
 
Powered by 1.9 turbodiesel engine and a six speed automatic gearbox, it offers responsive throttle response, yet has short first few gears, makes sense they are made to be work horses primarily. You can also get a manual if you prefer it has on the fly four-wheel-drive and four high four low and descent control.
 
When offroading you want beastly tires, you get 17 inch wheels and 32 inch Pirelli Scorpion tyres, the sidesteps are designed to glance off rocks and there is lots of underside protection too.
 
When it comes its capabilities, on road feels well planeted and we'll find out when we go offroading in the next few days.
 
In a nutshell it can tow upto 3.5T and carry 1.24T on the bed, it comes with a fourcab allowing your passengers to travel in comfort, for this model including VAT it is around £43,000 and you can choose from four colours and they're all complimentary.
 
If this isn't quick enough you can even tune your vehicle for £800, which makes it as fast as a Raptor, it has 161 brake horsepower and 360 nm of torque, granted it's not the quietest engine in the world and its not that fast either hiting 0-60 in around 12 1/2 seconds but that's not what it builts for.
 
It's a very capable pick up with decent economy, superb looks and exceptionally good offroad, and if you want to something less sporty or something more sporty there's a range to choose from.
 
Watch out all this week on our YouTube channel to see what we get up to with the XTR.
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Tokyo Motor Show 2019 Highlights

(Reading time: 2 - 3 minutes)

Subaru Levorg Prototype

This isn't one we've not attended yet, mind you the cars they unveiled would have made it well worth while.

 
The Tokyo motor show showcases many cars, perfect for the automotive enthusiast, as you probably seen we've got the Subaru Levorg on review currently, well Subaru have just unveiled a brand new Levorg prototype and it looks fabulous ,very sporty it has a big bonnet scoop sporty sloping roof line and it does look like the perfect wagon or estate car as we call it in the UK.
 
The powerful styling and the conceptual design really do work for it and with the chnace of it being powered by a 1.8 Turbo, hopefully a manual gearbox, or an even newer breed of the Lineartronic. The thing with concepts is they change quite radically, with the exception of a few cars including the BMW i8, Subaru make this great, please.
 

New Honda Jazz

Another one of the cars that has interested many is the brand-new Honda Jazz,  it's got some really distinct design styling, love or hate it comes to mind, it's got more of a look the Civic with a more distinct front, it's it's an interesting one it's styling lends it self more to a mini van style it seems to have a more sharper front.

 
It looks like a modern version of the early Jazz, with futuristic tweaks, a bit like the top windows on the new Land Rover Defender echoing the Series 1 design style.
 
 
The New Honda Jazz has gone back to its roots, after two successive generations, the last one we loved mind you it surprised many a car on a back road.
 
It' a cooler looking car, with cabin features incuding more tech and quality materials and a sporty smaller steering wheel, as you'd expect its extremely practical, like the last one then, mind you this one has opted for a two-motor hybrid system great for urban adventures. 
 
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Silverstone, The Classic 2022 | Experiencing The RetroRun

(Reading time: 7 - 13 minutes)

Good morning, and welcome to Stowe House - we're on The RetroRun!.

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INEOS Grenadier M1

(Reading time: 2 - 4 minutes)

INEOS Grenadier M1 First Look & Prototype Off Road

The Grenadier by INEOS - conceived in the United Kingdom, engineered in Austria and built in France.

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Highway Code 2021 Update

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Highway Code 2021 Update - Has It Created a Hierarchy of Road Users?
Updates to the Highway Code have been announced today, which - when implemented - will mean that pedestrians and cyclists have more rights on the road than motorists.

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50 Years of the Ford Capri Classic Motor Show NEC

(Reading time: 2 - 3 minutes)
 
It's quite crazy to think, the Ford Capri has just turned 50 years old this year, now everyone has either owned one or experienced one.
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MK2 Golf GTI restoration Battery tray

(Reading time: 2 - 3 minutes)

The Volkswagen Mk2 Golf project is no longer at a standstill, thanks to Triple M Roadside Assistance.

Christian turned up in his trust Ford Transit Connect to assess the Valver, after a look round, he said yes im up for it, great news for us.

Triple M is a mobile mechanic local to our area with a wealth of knowledge and vast automotive skill set - Typically, our garage door failed, fixed that with block of wood...after that though, we cleared the car bit, bumper and other bits and other things that were in front of the Mk2 Golf GTI, giving Christian room to peruse.

The video is a first taster at what's going to happen in the restoration of the classic Volkswagen, the battery tray was quite bad, rusty and holey.

On inspection the rust hadn't penetrated the inner wing meaning there was good metal that he could work with, it was in the chassis leg, however not as much that could compromise the integrity of the chassis.

Christian started by cleaning up the area, then cutting out the rot with a grinder until he hit solid metal.

Then it was just a case of cleaning up the area with a wire brush, and placing the battery tray over the top, aligning it and drilling holes for the weld.

The whole job took around 3 hours, including spraying and rust treating.

The Mk2 is well on the way to being back on the road!

Next Tuesday, it's the start of the engine conversion, which will require an engine crane.

First is change the timing belt whilst it is outside the car as this far easier, and it is a lot quicker.

As you can see, the VW project forges on and ChickenPig our Mk2 Golf may well be ready for spring - yay! then it's the Mercedes W124...

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Subcategories

Pa Project cars

Cars featured as planet auto cars currnetly Golf and Beetle

 

Northern Group of Motoring Writers NGMW

Northern Group Of Motoring Writers

Annabelle Quirk Vice Chairwoman
Ben D T Quirk Member