In New York, Chicago and Miami owners of new and used Mini’s are signing up for a new gimmick of personalised billboard messages displayed at the road side.
A radio chip embedded within the key fob sends a coded signal to the billboard that you are approaching and messages will flag up, dependent on the information the driver has supplied in a questionnaire. Examples are ‘Hi Kate, nice day for your convertible’.
That pesky recession! Who does it think it is, coming over here, taking our jobs, hitting everyone in the pocket, grabbing all the headlines, making the lives of us Brits a misery? The best way for Britain to cope with the dire straits that is the recession, is to put on a brave face. Britain may not be the best in the world at many things these days, but one thing we are good at is having a laugh in the face of adversity.
Good things come to those that wait, as the saying goes, and since the 1989 launch of the LS 400, Lexus has gone from strength to strength, but it took the Japanese Toyota subsidiary six years research and development before going to production. And Toyota’s new line of luxury vehicles, branded Lexus, certainly were worth waiting for, with the LS series bursting onto the US market to critical acclaim.
Because of the way a BMW will hold its value, most used BMW’s are re-sold but, like anything, they do have a life span and at the end of that they’re on the scrapheap.
Or are they?
BMW are the most environmentally friendly car manufacturer in existence. Their South Carolina plant in the US has been named a charter member of the US Environmental Protection Agencys National Performance Track. They have recieved this prestigious accolade because of their recycling initiative when it comes to used BMW’s.
A new BMW is a treasure not to be touched. Built to perfection, there is nothing that can be done to improve it and neither should you try.
However, buy a used BMW from an approved dealership and the world is your oyster to customise and personalise with as much bling as your bank account sees fit.
Many BMW fans have started down the road of personalising their used BMW and, realising the attention it draws from onlookers, they become positively obssessed. Starting with replacing plastic interior trims for chrome trim is a relatively cheap way to start. Door handle covers, inside and out, trunk lid trim, gauge rings and light trims can all be replaced with chrome alternatives as well as gear knobs and tax disc holders.
The Stig is the unidentified test driver of vehicles on the favourite BBC Sunday night programme, Top Gear. So far unbeaten, The Stig’s laptimes are breathtaking.
However, he came very close to being beaten last Sunday by Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton performed a lap in 1 minute 44.6 seconds in wet, oily conditions. This came in at a mere .2 of a second behind The Stigs 1 minute and 44.4. And his performance was in dry conditions.
Lewis Hamilton has thrown down the gauntlet to The Stig with a challenge for both drivers to compete in the same weather conditions.