As well as loving cars and motorcycles, I’m also a massive film fan. This means that occasionally I get the opportunity to watch as my favourite screen-bound hero slips behind the wheel of fantasy exotica. Sometimes it’s completely unexpected and catches you off-guard, like when John Travolta pulls out the keys to a TVR Tuscan in 'Swordfish'. This is a car which is likely to be obscure to the average cinema goer, but instantly evokes feelings of passion and raw speed in me. Such moments can be ruined though. In this case it was in the subsequent pursuit where several unremarkable SUVs manage to keep pace with the lightweight British powerhouse.
It’s a risky business, mixing passions across different fields. Many films attempt it, with varying degrees of success. Some have catapulted vehicles to legendary status, whereas others have fallen completely flat. Let’s take a look at a few of the film and TV vehicles which have stood the test of time.
My normal commute transport into London each day is a combination of car and coach (and sometimes only car). It's rarely by motorcycle and that's because it's such a soul destroying route. I join the A40 a couple of miles from my house. After 24 miles it turns into the M40 and I sit on the motorway for 33 miles before it becomes the A40 again. 13 miles later, I turn off and I'm less than a mile from work. 99% of the commute is effectively one road with as little variation and excitement as you might imagine. It's quicker on the bike, sure, but it's a boring ride and I don't fancy putting 1,400 miles a month on my Ducati.
Yesterday, however, I braved the rain and lunatic bike couriers because I thought I'd head over to the Ace Cafe after work for their Bike Night. Below is the video I shot from my two camera set-up and some pictures I took in the evening.
Living on the edge of the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire means I'm lucky enough to be on the doorstep of some lovely countryside scenery and good roads. Most of the time though, these roads are snarled up with traffic rendering any potential enjoyment unattainable while you sit behind a long, snaking queue of traffic disappearing over the horizon.
One advantage of kids is that it ensures you're up early in the morning. Taking advantage of this fact on a Sunday morning, I left the kids in the capable hands of my wife, grabbed some cameras, my car keys and headed for the hills. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that 9am on a Sunday is much quieter than most other times of the week (even if it is a bit cold and damp, Mid-January). The video below features some of the highlights from a pleasant drive before heading home for a late breakfast.
If you enjoyed the video, please hit 'like' and subscribe for further updates.
Have you ever wondered what driving flat out on the motorway looks like? In the summer of 2017 my friend and I were in Germany, on the unrestricted Autobahn, so it seemed like the ideal opportunity to test out the top speed of his relatively new Mercedes C63S.
With a 4.0 litre V8 biturbo engine, the car produces 503bhp. In theory the car is limited to a top speed of 155mph, although as you'll see, the speedo shows more than that. However, I've experienced how they generally over-read in the past and, without a GPS to confirm the true speed, I'm going to assume it's somewhere around the 155-160mph mark.
A couple of times a year Bicester Heritage hosts Sunday Scramble, a morning display of a stunning and eclectic mix of cars from all types, ages and manufacturers. I took a trip down there for the first meeting of 2019, grabbed some video footage (including some of my drive there and back in the M4) and many photos.
The next event is in April, and you can find more details on the Bicester Heritage website. If you haven't been before and like the look of what you see below, then I highly recommend you take the time to check it out.
