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chitty-chitty-bang-bang

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car set to make its final UK appearance

The original car used in the iconic 1968 children’s film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is poised to make its final public appearance in the UK this weekend before it’s shipped out to the US to be sold in auction.

Chitty will make her final appearance in Stratford this Saturday where children will have the chance to get up close to the legendary car and have their picture taken alongside the iconic ride.

The famous car, which bears the number plate GEN11, is the only road going car used in the actual Chitty Chitty Bang Bang film starring Dick Van Dyke.

Pierre Picton from Stratford has owned the famous car for over 30 years, ever since the vehicle starred in the hit children’s movie. Mr Picton was in charge of maintaining Chitty during the filming of the movie back in the 60’s, and even drove the car in some scenes in the film.

However after over 30-years of ownership, Mr Picton is reluctantly letting Chitty Chitty Bang Bang go. The car’s appearance in Stratford on Saturday will be its last UK outing, after which she will be shipped out to America where she will be sold in auction.

If you live in the Stratford area, don’t miss out of this last opportunity to see this famous car in the flesh.

elvis-mercedes

Elvis Presley’s Mercedes to be sold at auction

A classic Mercedes-Benz 600 once owned by the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, is due to go on sale at Bonham’s end of year sale next week.

The Mercedes sports car, formerly owned by Elvis, will be one of the highlight’s of the Important Motor Cars and Fine Automobilia auction due to take place in Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge Surrey on December 6th.

According to the auction house Bonham’s, the Mercedes-Benz 600 is one of only a handful of cars to have been registered in Elvis Presley’s name. The luxury sports car was one of two Mercedes owned by the legendary singer before he gifted the top of the range ride to his friend, James Leroy Robertson.

In 2005 a UK buyer purchased the Mercedes from a car dealer in Memphis who then had the sports car shipped over to Britain. Because of the car’s illustrious links to the iconic singer, the Mercedes 600 is estimated to fetch between £150,000 and £200,000 when it goes under the hammer in Surrey next week.

Another vehicle due to be sold at Bonham’s auction early next month which is causing a stir is a vintage 1936 Rolls Royce Phantom lll which was one of just 24 Phantom lll’s to be sold to the US. The vintage limo also has another claim to fame as it featured in a chase scene for fantasy film, Pan’s Labyrinth.

jaguar-launches-iphone-app

Jaguar marks its 75th anniversary by releasing a new app

Luxury car maker Jaguar are planning to mark their 75th anniversary with the unveiling of a brand new app which charts the iconic brand’s rise to fame.

The latest Jaguar model, the C-X75, features heavily in the new application launched by Jaguar. The new model was debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show recently and caused quite a stir amongst the visitors.

The new app has been described as a “Jaguar Encyclopaedia” as it looks back over the luxury car brands history, the cars which helped make the brand the icon it is today, and how Jaguar has developed over the years, and also its plans for the future.

With archive images, videos and interviews with the people behind the cars, the Jaguar app is a must for any car enthusiast. Those of you who are excited at the prospect of the new C-X75, the application offers exclusive videos of the new car, and in-depth interviews with the people behind the concept.

The app, which can be viewed on iPhones and iPads, can be downloaded for free online.

Jaguar also organised a procession of 75 Jaguars to drive en-convoy from Coventry Transport Museum to Goodwood Revival, via London’s Mayfair Hotel, as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations. Jaguar models from the vintage vehicles dating back to the 30’s, to the latest models and everything in between took part in the celebratory procession.

chauffeur-car

£76k car hire bill for Wales Office

Official figures revealed this week showed that the Wales Office spent £76,000 on car hire in the four months between May to September of this year.

Spending figures for the government office detailing everything from bills for office furniture, to heating costs and credit card spending were revealed in the recent figures. The information was made public after a pre-election promise from the coalition government to promote transparency within public spending.

One of the biggest bills revealed as part of the publication of spending figures was for car hire, coming in at £76,000 for four months. The previous year the bill for chauffeured cars came to £184,005.

The cost of keeping two chauffeur driven cars in operation in London, and one in Cardiff, for use by the Secretary of State and the Welsh Minister was said to be £13,656 a month. However the second car in London has been axed in recent weeks as part of spending cuts.

A spokesperson for the Wales Office added that ministers always travelled standard class when travelling between Cardiff and London by rail.

The move to publish government spending figures was made in the wake of the expenses scandal which revealed that some government MPs had been working the system to their advantage. It is hoped the increased transparency into how public money is spent by government ministers will go some way to regaining the trust of the public.

mini-cooper-chauffeur-Peninsula-Hotels

Chauffeur driven Mini Cooper service launched by top hotel in the US

Peninsula Hotels have launched a brand new chauffeur driven Mini Cooper service for guests staying at either their New York or Chicago establishment.

The chauffeur driven Minis will be at the disposal of guests staying at either hotel, with those booked into a suite at the hotels being granted three free hours of travel in the snazzy new ride every day.

The fleet of Mini Coopers come in dark green known, as Peninsula Green by the hotel. Each Mini is fully fitted with an onboard fridge so passengers can enjoy a chilled drink, and also cold towels so they can freshen up during the trip. Extra luggage space has also been added with a box roof rack so there’s plenty of room for shopping bags if you’re planning a bit of a spree.

The official unveiling of the Peninsula Hotel’s Mini Cooper fleet is due to take place in New York this week. The scheme is due to be rolled out in Chicago in time for the Christmas season.

The chauffeur driven Minis will be available for guests to use for sightseeing tours, with a specific tour of New York having already been set up which will take the visitors on a ride around Cloisters Museum, Manhattan and also the Meatpacking District. In Chicago guests can take a tour of famous locations featured in top movies.

The luxurious hotel chain first introduced the chauffeur scheme at its Hong Kong hotel last Christmas, and the service proved so successful, they decided to roll it out across a number of other Peninsula hotels in key areas.

As well as launching chauffeur driven Mini Cooper hire in New York and Chicago, Peninsula Hotels are planning to offer the service at its Tokyo establishment in the New Year.

aston-martin-cygnet-harrods

Aston Martin’s Cygnet goes on display in Harrods shop window

The latest offering from Aston Martin, the luxury city car the Cygnet, has gone on display in top London department store Harrods.

The luxury car maker chose the world’s most revered department store for the Cygnet’s world debut. Car fans can now get the first glimpse of the luxury mini-Aston Martin while doing a bit of shopping in London’s Knightsbridge.

The new Cygnet is due to go into production next year at Aston Martin’s manufacturing plant in England. Orders are already being taken for the snazzy city car by Aston Marin dealers in Europe.

The Cygnet is made for city driving with a light, compact design and excellent fuel efficiency. The 2-door Cygnet also boasts the famous Aston Martin grille, and has inverted rear lights for a stylish look.

With a starting price of approximately £30,000, the Cygnet is much pricier than the Toyota iQ minicar which shares the same 1.33 litre engine as the Cygnet and has a starting price of £10,228. The reason for the hefty price tag, according to Aston Martin, is that each Cygnet is handcrafted with everything from the door panels to the bumpers being made with the best materials, by the best craftsmen.

The Cygnet, which is billed by Aston Martin as “luxury city car” will be on display in Harrods’ shop window until December 11th.

Europcar2

Car hire company Europcar wins two top awards

The car hire company Europcar was honoured at the World Travel Awards earlier this month when they took home two of the biggest awards of the night.

Europcar was named World’s Leading Car Hire Company for the fourth consecutive year, and also the Worlds’ Leading Green Transport Solution Company for the second time.

The World Travel Awards are highly regarded within the industry as the awards are voted for by some 187,000 travel experts across seven regions of the world.

Europcar were delighted to accept both awards at the glittering ceremony in London earlier this month. The leading car hire firm were especially happy to receive the green award as it shows the company’s commitment to environmental protection is being recognised by the travel industry.

It was the second time Europcar had taken home the Green Transport Solution award and the firm said that winning the accolade the first time round, spurred them on to achieve even better environmentally friendly car hire solutions.

Last year, Europcar became the first car hire company to launch a specialist environmental agency and the first in Europe to introduce an Environment charter. Europcar also boasts an impressive fleet of low emission cars, and also hybrid vehicles, which helped them to secure the green award at this year’s World Travel Awards.

Paul-Weller-Mini

Unique Paul Weller designed Mini Cooper goes under the hammer

A unique Mini Cooper designed by mod rocker Paul Weller is to be sold online during a month long auction.

Potential buyers from across the world can bid for the one-of-a-kind Mini Cooper using the online auction site set up especially for the sale of the eye catching mini. The auction opened on November 11th and will run for four weeks.

All proceeds from the sale of the funky Mini will be split between two charities of Paul Weller’s choice, namely War Child and Nordoff Robins.

Paul Weller took inspiration from a shirt he designed for clothing range, Ben Sherman, for the Mini’s colour design. The vehicle has been hand painted by top craftsmen with a bold pink and brown stripe, with a single silver stripe running the full length of the car from the bonnet to the boot.

If you’d like to see the Paul Weller deigned Mini in all its glory, head down to the car maker’s flagship branch in Park Lane, London, where the car will be on display until the end of the auction.

The 2009 Mini Cooper boasts a number of great features such as heated front seats, Bluetooth technology, full black leather upholstery 17 inch alloys and Chilli Pack.

Paul Weller was seen as the perfect choice of designer for the one-off Mini because both the singer and the car brand are “synonymous with the quintessential British mod scene.”

maserati-sports-car

Adam Sandler gifts his co-stars with £130k Maserati sports cars

Hollywood actor Adam Sandler has gifted each of his co-stars in his hit comedy movie, Grown-ups, with a brand new shiny sports car.

The movie was a smash hit across the world, pulling in $267 in box office sales. To show his appreciation Sandler, who also produced the movie, presented four of the other stars of the film, namely David Spade, Kevin James, Chris Rock, and Rob Schneider with Italian sports cars.

Adam Sandler is estimated to be worth £100 million and was recently ranked ninth in the list of the most overpaid stars in Hollywood.

In a recent interview, comic actor David Spade admitted he’s been “too embarrassed” to drive the top of the range sports car, while Chris Rock described being gobsmacked to find the sleek Maserati ride parked on his driveway one morning. Rock added that the movie Grown Ups was a big deal for Sandler and that “he appreciates the help” for the part his co-stars played in the hit comedy.

The top of the range luxury Maserati sports cars were said to be worth £130,000 apiece. The luxury car brand was established back in 1914 by the Maserati brothers in Bologna, Italy. Maserati is now widely recognised as one of the world’s leading sports car brands.

Best-Western_Sydney

Car rental company teams up with hotel chain to offer great deals on hire

Sixt Car Rental has joined forces with leading hotel chain, Best Western Australasia to offer great deal on vehicle rental for hotel loyalty card holders.

As a Best Western loyalty cardholder you’ll receive a number of benefits thanks to the new partnership with Sixt car rental including reduced hire rates, and free upgrades to better vehicles, free GPS navigation systems in all hired cars, plus you’re guaranteed a car is delivered to your within 4 hours of making a car hire booking if you’re staying at a selected Best Western establishment in Australasia.

A spokesperson for Best Western Australasia says the joint venture with Sixt car hire will be especially beneficial to their customers as a high percentage of people who stay at Best Western hotels in Australasia are on self-drive holidays. Thanks to the new scheme, car hire will now be cheaper and more convenient for these holidaymakers.

Different tiers of loyalty cards offer different rates of discount on car hire with Sixt. Gold cardholders receive a 10% discount, while Platinum loyalty card members will receive 15% off, and the highest tier, namely the Diamond cardholders, will receive a 20% discount on car hire with Sixt.

Best Western customers will also earn points through their car hire with 1000 points being rewarded onto their loyalty card for any car rented, while 2000 points are rewarded for limo hire.