HONDA FIREBLADE WINS AWARD

The class-leading and race winning Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade has won an award for ‘Best Used Bike of the Year’.

Almost six hundred motorcycle dealers across the country - representing a broad range of manufacturers - voted in the recent British Dealer News motorcycle industry survey, with the vast majority choosing the Honda Fireblade as the best used bike of the year.

Reasons for the decision included opinions that the CBR1000RR Fireblade offers the best overall riding package, is a consistent top seller and desirable motorcycle, rates very highly in reliability and quality and retains its value well.

With a nineteen year established and award-winning road riding history, coupled with four BSB championship titles and countless TT race wins to its name, as well as being and the first machine to break the 200mph barrier at the North West 200 and 130mph lap at the legendary Isle of Man TT, the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade really is a leader in its class.

Steve Martindale, General Manager of Honda (UK) Motorcycles commented, “The Fireblade has consistently proved itself as an incredible machine both on the road and track. The fact that it’s still as popular today as it was back in 1992 when it was introduced in its first incarnation is testament to the machine’s impressive credentials and, we’re delighted to know that motorcycle dealers across the industry hold the Fireblade with the same regard as our customers do.”
Source: Honda

Stop! Don’t buy a FireBlade without buying this book first! Honda CBR FireBlade – The Essential Buyer's Guide
By Peter Henshaw

Having this book in your pocket is just like having a real marque expert by your side. Benefit from the author’s years of Honda FireBlade ownership, learn how to spot a bad bike quickly, and how to assess a promising one like a professional. Get the right bike at the right price!

Click here for more info about the book.

VELOCE BOOK ON JAY LENO'S GARAGE!

The fate of the Sleeping Beauties
By Ard op de Weegh, Kay Hottendorff & Arnoud op de Weegh

The ‘Sleeping Beauties’ – an array of neglected Bugattis, Lancias, Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, Cords and Aston Martins on a French rural estate – have fascinated car lovers worldwide since 1983, when they were immortalised in a sequence of photographs. The full story behind the collection has remained a mystery – until now.
More info.

LICS 2011 - CUSTOM BIKE BUILDING SHOW

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The London International Custom Show taking place at Alexandra Palace over the weekend of 26th & 27th February is now just five weeks away and events are now starting to move very quickly.

Back Street Heroes are continuing to show their full support for the event, once again previewing the event heavily in the latest issue - click on the image to the right to view their new article.

As last year the event will host the UK affiliate round of the AMD World Championship of custom bike building, the first prize being £5,000 towards bike freight and related expenses for the winning builder to travel to Sturgis, South Dakota, USA to compete in the world championship itself. Last year one of the two London show winners, built by Shaw's Speed Shop of Lewes in Sussex, came home from Sturgis with the prize for the Worlds Best Modified Harley Davidson.

This year there will be four categories in the custom show, Modified Harley, BSH Invitational, Streetfighter and Freestyle. The editorial staff of Back Street Heroes the leading publication in the custom bike world has vetted all the entries and we are hoping to double last years entry list of 60 bikes. As well as first prize of £5,000 the Dutch based aftermarket parts and accessories firm, Zodiac International will be donating vouchers worth 1500 euros in three of the four classes.
More info: www.classicshows.org

Coming soon from Veloce! BMW Custom Motorcycles: Choppers, Cruisers, Bobbers, Trikes & Quads
By Ulrich Cloesen

Customising BMWs - does it work? This book, the first of its kind solely devoted to the BMW custom bike scene, proves it does! Features stunning images of customised BMW singles, twins and fours from contributors around the globe, many complemented by owner's stories and technical descriptions. More info.

VELOCE'S JUDE IN THE DORSET ECHO TODAY

Veloce co-founder Jude Brooks, gives her personal opinion on a Motorcycle safety course in the local area.

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CELEBRATIONS BEGIN FOR THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JAGUAR E-TYPE

The 50th anniversary year of Jaguar's iconic E-type got underway in London yesterday (Tuesday February 8th) when legendary test driver Norman Dewis, who this year celebrates his 91st birthday, and John Surtees, only man to win World championships on two wheels and four, unveiled a stunning 1961 E-type which has recently been restored.

The car has been loaned by Classic Motor Cars of Bridgnorth in Shropshire who approached the museum about having an example of the car on display to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

F1 Champion John Surtees, who travelled to the Jaguar factory at Brown's lane in Coventry to pick up his car said: "Up until 1961 people had associated motoring beauty with either Italy or Germany but here was a beautiful car which had been built and designed in the UK -it was a must have."

He added: "The E-type has the Jekyll and Hyde personality that every good sports car must have, fierce at one moment, and docile the next."

Standing in front of E-type 77 RW, Norman Dewis, Jaguar's test driver told journalists that he well remembered being on a test run in the car and getting a call asking him to "drop everything" and drive the car from Coventry to the Geneva motor show so that it could become a press car.

He added: "Coventry to Dover took me two hours and I completed the run to Geneva in just 11 hours I averaged 68mph - it was quite a drive. The E-type took the motoring world by storm and it was great to be its test driver and to be here today celebrating the E-type anniversary."

Also on special display just for the launch was the Jaguar Heritage Trust's E-Type 77 RW, which was one of the original press cars from 1961.

The E-type, manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1974, and considered by many experts as one of the most beautiful cars of all time, became an icon of 1960s motoring with its revolutionary design and a combination of elegance, performance and competitive price.

Chassis No 94 will be on display at the Design Museum Tank until March 6th.

Source: Classic Motor Cars

To coincide with the 50th anniversary, Veloce will be publishing Jaguar E-type – Enthusiast’s restoration Manual by Peter Crespin.
In stock July 2011!
People dream of restoring an E-type, but many fail to complete their project after time or money run out. Do you REALLY need to spend £4000 trimming a two-seater, £6000 on an engine, £2000 on a soft top, or £30,000 for a new body shell? No – you can do it yourself for far less, provided your goal is a solid, presentable, and above all driveable car. If you are time rich but cash poor, this book is for you. More info.


E-type Essential Buyer's Guide's available now!

Click covers for more info.

THE AGE OF ELECTRIC MOTORING IN EUROPE

The first regular shipment of 100% electric Nissan LEAFs bound for Europe arrived in North East England on 3rd February.

The 67 Nissan LEAFs aboard the ‘City of St. Petersburg', Nissan's brand new energy-saving car carrier for transporting vehicles in Europe, are destined for customers in the UK and Ireland and will be unloaded from the Port of Tyne as the carrier completes its maiden voyage.

"The arrival of the Nissan LEAF, the world's first affordable, all-electric car, in Europe is a landmark day for Nissan and European transport. The Nissan LEAF is a genuine alternative to petrol and diesel cars in terms of style, features, safety, performance and handling," said Simon Thomas, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Nissan International SA, Nissan's European headquarters.

"It is fitting that this first shipment of Nissan LEAFs is arriving on our new energy-saving car carrier, the City of St. Petersburg. We look forward to delivering these cars to the very first Nissan LEAF customers, who share our vision for an environmentally sustainable future for road transport," he added.

The City of St. Petersburg has a sleek and semi-spherical bow which reduces wind resistance by up to 50%, resulting in fuel reductions of up to 800 tonnes annually, equivalent to about 2,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The carrier will join the fleet of ships which export hundreds of thousands of vehicles from Nissan Sunderland Plant each year.

UK customers have been able to pre-order the Nissan LEAF since September 2010 ahead of deliveries starting in the coming weeks. Pre-orders for the Nissan LEAF, which is powered by an advanced lithium-ion battery, have reached more than 27,000 units globally. The zero-emission car is currently built in Japan, but will be manufactured in Sunderland from 2013, following the start of production of lithium-ion batteries for such cars at the plant in 2012.

A comprehensive charging network is currently under development in the UK. North East England alone will have 1,300 charge points by 2013, including quick chargers capable of refuelling a Nissan LEAF from when the empty warning light switches onto an 80% charge in just under 30 minutes. Nissan's network of EV dealers - currently 25 sites across the UK - will all be equipped with a quick charger.

Across the UK there are programmes under way to install around 9,000 charge points by 2013.

Nissan research has found that 80% of daily driving in Britain is below 30 miles. With the Nissan LEAF's ability to carry five passengers up to 109 miles (175 km) under the New European Driving Cycle, its arrival in Europe marks a significant development in the environmentally-friendly, cost efficient options available for motorists.

Source: Nissan.

THE consumer guide to electric cars is available now!

Electric Cars – The Future is Now!
By Arvid Linde
Winner of the headlineauto 2010 award for ‘Rising Star of Year.'

What if we all had to say goodbye to petrol cars tomorrow? Would you be ready? This book will help you find out. With a concise catalogue covering the best production models and the most promising prototypes, this book is the definitive guide to the future of motoring.

Click here for more info about the book.

THE FATE OF THE SLEEPING BEAUTIES VIDEO

An atmospheric look at the Michel Dovaz collection at Villemaréchal & Château de Sanxet (Copyright Op de Weegh), plus footage from a European book launch in 2008. Thanks to the authors for sending us the footage!

The fate of the Sleeping Beauties
By Ard op de Weegh, Kay Hottendorff & Arnoud op de Weegh

The ‘Sleeping Beauties’ – an array of neglected Bugattis, Lancias, Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, Cords and Aston Martins on a rural French estate – have fascinated car lovers worldwide since 1983, when they were immortalised in a sequence of photographs taken by Herbert W Hesselmann. For 25 years, the full story behind the collection and its fate has remained untold ... until now. More info.