Performance Direct Insurance

Driving a classic Beetle, the MOT was always a dark cloud looming on the horizon in the distance each year. Although I came to appreciate it for providing peace of mind - for a small fee of course.

From April 1st 2012, a new MOT regulation has come into being. The rules now require that all your dashboard warning lights be in full working order. From January 1st 2012, MOT testers have been giving warning lights a visual check (for ABS, airbags & similar) & flagging these up as advisory should they not be in working order, but next time you take your vehicle in, the failure of warning lights will equal the failing of the MOT. This is known as the Malfunction Indication Lamp (MIL) test.More...

My first memory of music, was The Monkees. Being slightly too young to remember them first time round, I inherited a prize load of 7 inch singles from my older sister, which I meticulously played, marking the tunes I liked with a small yellow price label. The Monkees stood out, and so did their wacky TV series which ran and ran. It was like a bus - wherever, whatever, you could just hop on and catch the ride as it sped circles round and round.

One thing confused me though, my friend who had all the best Corgi toy cars, had a Monkeemobile – but the series was mainly studio shot & I don't recall seeing it – so what was this strange looking car?More...

Whether you like cars or not, there’s pretty much one care you’re near enough guaranteed to take a ride in – a hearse.

Back in 2004 on holiday at Watergate Bay in Cornwall, I remember we were pulling out of the car park, after a sun scorched afternoon on the beach and in the beach bar; as I swung the car around, a fantastic sight came into my view – you can see it in the picture here, a hearse that had been converted into the coolest surfboard carrier this side of a lowered, split-screen camper van. It’s stayed with me for all these years, today I looked a bit deeper..More...

A few years ago, while browsing through a copy of Volksworld, I saw an unusual vehicle in the news section. It was a grass covered car. I'd never seen anything like this before, and you might think this is just a one-off quirky attention grabber for the summer veedub shows.

Well it's not as unique as you might think. A quick bit of research will find you a surprising number of grass covered motor vehicles. But let's look at the er, Turf Bug first of all..More...

In 2009 Jaguar revealed the new Jaguar XJ and in the same month news broke of the re-launch of the famous Jaguar Heritage Museum. “It is important that we maintain the link to our heritage..” Mike O’Driscoll, Chairman of the Jaguar Heritage Trust said at the time.

The museum, based in Browns Lane, Coventry opened in 1998 celebrating the history of Jaguar and it’s classic offshoots such as Daimler, Swallow, SS and Lanchester. There are some 120 vehicles in the museum dating back to 1896.More...

I've always had a soft spot for the lovely Jensen CV8, a forgotten classic, you might say. With a striking headlamp configuration, the Jensen looked at you in a mischievous way rather than with the mean, or happy face of other automobiles - believe it or not, manufacturers do take the vehicle's 'expression' into account during the design procedure. In fact, the unusual recessed light pods were originally designed to allow the fitting of perspex covers, but this idea was dropped prior to production.

With enough chrome to keep the traditionalist happy and a streamlined shape akin to a James Bond car - Roger Moore did actually drive a Jensen built Volvo P1800 in The Saint – the CV8 deserves it's place in British motor manufacturing history.More...

One warm, sunny afternoon walking through a rural town in Essex, I was greeted briefly with a beautiful sight. Turning a junction up ahead across the road, was a postbox red soft top car with the roof down. Inside were 4 blonde girls, their hair glistening and flowing in the breeze. Shades on and smiling, their laughter could just about be heard above the deep rumble of the air-cooled engine. I had just been introduced to the Karmann Ghia Cabriolet.More...

I remember having to abandon my Beetle half way during it's daily 2 mile drive to work one freezing winter morning as my breath was freezing on to the inside of the windscreen making it impossible to see. The legacy of owning a car where your nose is about an inch from the windscreen you might say. Well, yes partly, but also because I hadn't considered how severe the weather actually was. I've also had freezing fog freeze the outside of the windscreen while driving through it.

But there are things you can do that can help get you from A to B safely.More...

From January 17th 2012, The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire proudly hosts an exhibition of a mind boggling array of James Bond vehicles. In all, 50 vehicles, marking 50 years since the first Bond film was actually screened, will be on show at the famous automotive museum.More...

It's a constant frustration for me that concept vehicles nearly always get watered down into something similar to that which already exists. Almost as if at the last minute, fear of being too different grips the company in question.

When I saw the Colim Campervan it initially made me smile, then I felt the impending doom of a sleek, space-age design that will be whittled into a more er, acceptable shape for the masses.More...