Nissan conversion

Roshaizul who blogs at autolure recently sent me some pics of a Nissan Cefiro converted to the Skyline R34 by a young Malaysian car Modifier.




More about the car on the blog post "Nissan Cefiro Skyline R34".

Thanks for the pics Roshaizul.

The new BMW Z4

The new BMW Z4 is out. In case you are wondering what's new. Well, it's the first BMW with a retractable Hard-Top roof. I wonder why it took them so long. The Mercedes SLK has had retractable hardroofs for a long time.

Anyway, the two-piece, electro-hydraulically operated Retractable Hard-Top roof can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds.

There is a choice of three six-cylinder engines. Their flagship model features the International Engine of the Year winning 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged engine. It produces 306hp at 5,800rpm, and the car goes from zero to 62mph in 5.2 seconds (5.1 seconds for a Double Clutch Transmission-equipped car) and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph.



The new BMW Z4 is slightly larger than its predecessor measuring 148mm longer at 4,239mm and 9mm wider at 1,790mm, and according to their news release, means "greater interior space and luggage capacity". Apprently, this means that the boot is large enough to stow a full set of golf clubs. As for driving comfort, bigger drivers can feel less cramped as there is more head and elbow room.

The new roadster is also offered with Adaptive M Suspension. Electronically controlled dampers allow for three different configurations and can lower the ride height by up to 10mm for a more dynamic drive.

Other new features include their latest generation of the iDrive - BMW Professional Multimedia Navigation system.

Prices of the new Z4 start from £28,645 (OTR ) for the sDrive23i.

Jaguar's Used car locator

Jaguar has launched a brand new Used Car Locator to find approved used Jaguar cars. With great features including personalised content, high quality images and links to fully interactive e-brochures among others.

According to them, all the used cars undergo extensive warranty and vehicle checks.

So if you are looking for a Used Jaguar, do check out their Approved Used Car Locator.

The Nissan Z tour

The Nissan Z has developed quite a following and as a warm up to the upcoming launch of the all new 370Z, Nissan is having a rally across the US. You can Follow the Z North American Rally which is currently in Washington D.C.. This will be followed by a stop in Gaithersburg, Maryland on December 11th.

Check out the new Z promo video clip:

National Tyres and Autocare Spon End

Contrary to what some people might believe, I don't have anything against National Tyres and Autocare. If I have a good experience as a customer with any business, I will write about it and vice versa. In case you are wondering what I am talking about read my review "Experience with National Tyres and Autocare". It was about my experience with their branch at Gosford Street, Coventry.

I wanted to make sure that it was just one branch and not all branches cheating customers. This time I decided to try out their branch at Spon End, Coventry. However, I called them first to make sure whether their wheel alignment was only £12.50 as advertised. When I received an answer in the affirmative, I drove down to their workshop.

They checked my Volvo and I found out that I had to change one of the Tyres. This cost me £44 for a Tigar Prima (one of the cheapest). The final cost came to £62/

I was quite surprised when I found out that they had given me a further discount of £5/ which was quite welcome. Of course, this was before the reductions in VAT was announced.

More info about the branch is given below:

National Tyres and Autocare
70 Spon End, Coventry, CV1 3HA
Phone: 02476674206

Monday - Friday: 8.30am - 6.00pm
Saturday: 8.30am - 5.00pm
Sunday: 10am-4pm

UK Car Industry in Trouble

Just last month, Tata the new owners of Jaguar and Land Rover announced that 850 workers could lose their jobs. This was following a meeting with Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary and attended by 17 senior representatives from the troubled motor industry. The representatives wanted a rescue package.

Today, the latest figures show that sales of new cars in the UK have fallen tremendously. The annual fall was the biggest since June 1980 - that's in 28 years. Read the BBC report: 'New car sales fall by one-third'.