Browsing Category

Uncategorized and off topic

Cars for Stars limo hire agents triumph at the Transport Broker Awards

The limo hire agents for Cars for Stars who triumphed at the Transport Broker Awards can now be officially revealed after the high flying companies were presented with their trophies at this year’s glitzy awards bash held at the St David’s Hotel and Spa in Cardiff Bay over the weekend.

The awards show has become an annual event and is now in its third year. The event aims to celebrate the hard work of staff members and agents working across all three companies which make up the Transport Broker Group, namely Limo Broker, Cars for Stars and Coach Broker. This year’s event was especially significant as it was the first time Cars for Stars was involved in the celebration after they joined the Transport Broker Group last summer.

Kicking off with the regional awards, the Cars for Stars Agent of the Year for the North East and Scotland was named as LA Limos, with Millennium coming in second place. The award for Agent of the Year for the North West was presented to Star Limos with Bees Knees claiming the runner-up position.

Carrying on with the regional awards category, Agent of the Year for the Midlands was named as The Limo Scene, with Midlands Limos in second place. The trophy for Agent of the Year for South West, South East and London was handed to Absolute Style, with Phantom Drophead claiming second place. The Agent of the Year Award for Wales and the West Country was presented to Awesome Limos with Stardust claiming the runner up spot.

Moving onto the National Awards for Cars for Stars, the gong for Best Fleet was awarded to Oasis Limos, while West 1 scooped the award for Best Customer Services. The trophy for Best Wedding Car/ Chauffer Car was presented to Top Marque for their Candy Apple C300, while the top award for Cars for Stars Agent of the Year was awarded to Essex Limos.

Exclusive pictures from The Transport Broker Awards 2010/11 will be available to view on Cars for Stars News by the end of the week.

by Anita KumarFebruary 1, 2011no comment

4437_572520991209_2800407_34083998_7405687_n

Stallone’s truck seen in The Expendables movie sells for $132k

The truck driven by Sylvester Stallone’s character in the hit 2010 movie The Expendables has sold at a top auction in the US for a whopping £132,000.

The vintage 1956 truck was custom built for the movie by West Coast Customs and made to look like a 1955 model. The best part of this classic ride is the range of unique features which makes this truck extra special.

The black vehicle had a Ford 347cid Edelbrock engine installed ahead of its appearance in the star studded action movie, The Expendables, plus leather race seats fitted and also several secret compartments which were used to conceal prop weapons during shooting for the movie. The dash board has a secret area to sash a fake pistol, and another compartment at the rear of the truck which was used to conceal a machine gun.

The unique 1955 truck sold for $132,000 at the Celebrity Car Auction organised by Barrett-Jackson in Arizona last week. As well as taking home the attention-grabbing black truck, the winning bidder also received a signed picture from the man who made the vehicle famous, Sylvester Stallone.

The celebrity car auction was brimming over with vehicles with famous connections including a car previously owned by Elvis Presley, a truck made famous by its links to Evel Knieval, and Alice Cooper’s Camaro all which we’re told, sold for impressive sums.

by Andrew LloydJanuary 27, 2011no comment

Chauffeur hit by contaminated fuel prevents others from doing the same

A chauffeur from Essex prevented other drivers from filling up their vehicles with contaminated fuel after he stood by the pumps at a garage in Basildon and warned others about the dodgy diesel.

Phillip Cameron filled his Mercedes Benz chauffeur car up with £80 worth of fuel at a Tesco Garage at the beginning of the month, but upon leaving the forecourt, his luxury car broke suddenly broke down.

Despite alerting staff at the garage to his suspicions regarding the diesel, Mr Cameron revealed they didn’t initially believe the fuel was to blame for his car’s breakdown.

Convinced the diesel had been contaminated, Mr Cameron warned other drivers against filling up with diesel as he waited for a recovery vehicle to arrive to take his chauffeur car away.

It later transpired that the diesel had been contaminated by water due to a leak in the tank. The garage quickly closed the pumps, and Tesco have announced that they will reimburse customers whose cars may have needed repair, or to cover the cost for car hire while their vehicle was off the road.

Professional chauffeur, Phillip Cameron, lost three days work because of the incident as he was unable to get to London to chauffeur his regular clients in the Canary Wharf district of the city. The cost of repairing the Mercedes after the engine was contaminated with the diesel and subsequent checking of parts ran to £790.

by Andrew LloydJanuary 25, 2011no comment

Thrifty car hire to go smoke free

Thrifty Car Hire has announced their plans to offer vehicle rentals in the US which are completely smoke free. The policy will bring the car hire giant in line with other travel industry providers States who offer 100% some free services.

To ensure the smoke free policy is upheld by all car hire customers, Thrifty has announced that any customer who is found to have smoked inside a rental vehicle will be hit with a hefty fine. All vehicles will be issued with a large no smoking sign inside to remind customers to adhere to the new policy.

If a car is returned to Thrifty and a customer is found to have smoked inside, the vehicle will be immediately taken out of the rental fleet to be thoroughly cleaned. The car hire provider will have the vehicle expertly cleaned to ensure all traces of tobacco smell are removed. Any customer found to be in breach of Thrifty’s new non-smoking policy will be hit with a $250 fine.

The car hire provider say the new non-smoking policy will enable them to maintain the high standards expected of them from car rentals customers in the US. Offering cars which have not been the subject of smoking passengers will enable Thrifty to offer vehicles which are maintained to the highest standard.

by Simon BerryJanuary 21, 2011no comment

Jenson Button’s dad recovers his lost Ferrari sports car

Police in Italy have reunited Jenson Button’s dad with his Ferrari after the 65-year-old reported the luxury sports car missing.

The authorities initially believed the red Ferrari 550 Maranello sports car had been stolen, however within the 24 hours, the police found the vehicle parked on the sea front at a town on the Italian Riviera. The car was completely undamaged and didn’t appear to show any signs of a break-in as the windscreen and locks were untouched.

Witnesses have been quoted in the press as saying that the Ferrari had been parked in the same position all night, prompting the suggestion that the sports car hadn’t been stolen at all, but the driver had simply forgotten where he’d parked his car.

John Button, the father of Formula One racing car driver Jenson Button, returned to his home in Monte Carlo after reporting his top of the range Ferrari missing. The police had the vehicle transported back to its owner after recovering the sports car the following day.

It’s believed John Button, an ex-rally driver, had taken a trip to the Alassio town on the Italian Riviera for weekend away when the car went missing. The Ferrari was taken back to the 65-year-old’s Monte Carlo home on the back of a transporter lorry.

by Andrew LloydJanuary 20, 2011no comment

Irish car hire franchise wins customer service award

Every year car hire company Thrifty Car and Van Rentals honours one franchise with a coveted customer service award for their performance over the last 12 months. This year, the accolade was awarded to the Irish franchise who have excelled in customer service over the last 12 months.

Thrifty Car and Van Rentals analysed the feedback from hundreds of car hire customers from franchises across the company to find the best performing region. The Irish franchise came out on top having “set the standard” in terms of superior customer service practice within the Dollar Rentals company.

The Irish branch of Dollar Car and Van Rentals were praised for maintaining outstanding levels of customer care, despite the current economic climate which has been a challenge for the car hire industry as a whole. But despite the problems faced by the industry which included a sharp drop in customer numbers, the Irish franchise ensured standard of customer service didn’t slip.

Accepting the award on behalf of the Thrifty Car and Van Rentals team, Chief Executive Colm Menton praised his staff for the award who worked hard to ensure an excellent standard of customer care across all Thrifty Car hire locations in Ireland.

by Susan TaylorJanuary 19, 2011no comment

Car hire firm and airline join forces

Leading car hire experts, Hertz, and Eithad Airways have joined forces in order to offer their customers an integrated land and air travel service.

Kicking off the partnership in true style, Hertz and Eithad have launched an exclusive competition. Any customer who flies with Eithad Airways and rents a vehicle with Hertz will be entered in a prize draw to win a luxury package holiday courtesy of the two companies.

The lucky winner will win two return flights tickets to either a European destination or Australia where they’ll also receive 5 night’s accommodation in a 5 star luxury resort, plus use of a vehicle from Hertz’s Prestige Collection for the duration of their trip.

The three year contract between Hertz and Eithad will offer airline and car rental customers the opportunity to integrate their air and road travel needs. Eithad customers will be given the chance to book car hire with Hertz through the airline’s main website, or through any Eithad call centre. Plus customers will also be awarded bonus 500 guest miles with every Hertz car rental, and receive a special priority booking service for Hertz products.

Hertz and Eithad say the new partnership will offer their customers “superior access” to their products, as well as an exceptional service which is focused on value for money.

by Andrew LloydJanuary 18, 2011no comment

Lotus sports car on patrol with West Midlands Police

A Lotus Sports car was donated to the West Midlands police last week making it the first elite sports vehicle to be used by a UK police force.

The impressive vehicle, which boasts a top speed of 168mph and achieves 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds, will join the Midlands police force for a two week trial after it was generously donated by Evora.

Lotus have previously offered their latest models on loan to police forces in the UK including the Exige model which was used temporarily by the West Sussex police, and the Espirit model which was loaned to another force.

In several European countries, the use of sports cars by police officers is relatively common. German police officers have a number of Porsche 911 sports cars at their disposal, while the Italian police trump the lot as they once has a specially adapted Lamborghini Gallardo within their fleet.

Motorists in the West Midlands area will have to keep their eyes peeled to spot the latest Lotus model as the car has been transformed into a working police car with full branding, flashing lights, and police badges. The Lotus will be used to patrol the busiest highways in the West Midlands area including several major motorways.

The police officers hope the presence of the speedy sports car will discourage motorists from trying to out-run police officers if they are asked to pull over. The West Midlands police hope the Lotus sports car will provide them with an opportunity to interact with the public more, and send out a stronger message as regards to road safety.

by Anita KumarJanuary 17, 2011no comment

Electric car hire launched in Portugal

Car hire giant Sixt is leading the way with green car rentals in Portugal having recently launched a fleet of electric powered cars for hire in the country.

Sixt has joined forces with Mitsubishi Portugal to offer travellers to the popular European holiday destination the option of hiring an eco-friendly vehicle.

From January, Sixt will have several Mitsubishi i-MiEV models available to hire from their Lisbon rental centre. The electric powered Mitsubishi vehicle produces zero emissions making it an ideal rental vehicle for those who are concerned about their carbon footprint.

As well as the reduced emissions, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV model also offers car rental customers the chance to save money on fuel costs as the electric vehicles offer savings of up to a third on fuel costs compared to petrol and diesel powered vehicles.

The electric vehicle will only be available to hire from Sixt’s rental centre in Lisbon initially, although if there is sufficient demand, the electric Mitsubishis could be rolled out to a variety of other rental centres in Portugal during the year. Rental rates for the electric Mitsubishi start from €59 a day.

Sixt is one of the Europe’s leading vehicle rental companies and is renowned for leading the way with innovative services.

by Anita KumarJanuary 13, 2011no comment

Rolls Royce’s latest model helps boost car sales

It seems the economic downturn is a distant memory for luxury car manufacturer Rolls Royce as they’ve recently reported record sales figures for the 2010.

The world renowned brand saw sales soar by 171% during 2010 selling a total of 2,711 luxury cars during the course of the last 12 months.

The previous record for Rolls Royce sales set in 2008 was blown out of the water by last year’s results as the 2010 figures are almost double the previous record.

The popularity of the latest model to be launched by Rolls Royce, the Ghost, is reported to have had an extremely positive impact on the brand as a whole as it’s responsible for attracting a lot of new customers to Rolls Royce. The figures revealed that 80% of those who bought the Ghost, which was launched last year, during 2010 had never owned a Rolls Royce before.

As well as extremely strong sales for the newly launched Ghost, Rolls Royce has also reported healthy sales for their flagship car, the Phantom.

In addition to strong vehicle sales figures, the West Sussex based car maker also revealed that a high percentage of their customers take advantage of their bespoke service which allows clients the opportunity to personalise their new vehicles and add special finishing touches.

According to recent reports, Rolls Royce are said to be developing green technology meaning eco-friendly Rolls Royce limos could be on sale in the near future.

by Tony RobertsJanuary 12, 2011no comment

Newer Posts

Older Posts