Sportiest Mini

There’s new exclusive MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS GP content on "The Source" app on Facebook.

Check it out

Hilarious Mini Orchestra

Minis play the British anthem.

Looking for classic car insurance

A couple of days back there was a story in the British press about a vintage Bugatti while had been found in a garage under piles of rubbish. Apparently the car is estimated to get about £100,000 in an auction. What is even more amazing is that the car is not even an authentic one but a good replica model Bugatti Type 51. This story shows the level of interest generated by some of these vintage models.

1931 Bugatti Type 51
Originally posted to Flickr by Brian Snelson

Some people collect really vintage models, spending time and money to maintain and keep them running. They even go to the extent of building new engines based on original plans as there are no one selling the replacement parts anymore.

However, the term "classic cars" can be very misleading. The AARP classic car insurance site defines these as those vehicles which are 10 or more years old and differentiates them from Antique auto which refer to autos more than 25 years old.

The great thing about driving cars more than five years old in the US is that you actually pay less car insurance as compared to newer cars.

So if you have 10 years or more old car, there are some great discounts out there and special offers which allows you to get even more affordable classic and antique Auto Insurance coverage.

Lesser impact of automotive sponsored events

According to newly released results of the 2012 Automotive Marketing Communications
Study, carried out by Foresight Research, the automotive research specialists, it was found that:

• Overall, 10% of new vehicle buyers in 2011 attended an automotive sponsored event in the 12 months prior to vehicle purchase (down from 13% in 2010).
• Overall, 5% of all new vehicle buyers were highly influenced in their purchase decision by an auto sponsored event, down significantly from 12% in 2010 and 10% in 2009. Among event attendees, however, 24% were highly influenced by the event they attended.
• Purchase incentives, previously the most influential element of events were less available or less enticing resulting in lower event influence on purchases.
• Buyers who participated in a ride and drive were influenced by the event at a 42% higher rate than those who did not participate in a ride and drive.
• Interestingly, Mitsubishi, Audi, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Cadillac and Jeep buyers reported the highest purchase influence from events.

The study was based on interviews of 7,851 new vehicle buyers in the U.S.

Buying car tyres online

If you need tyres most people would usually go to the nearest tyre shop, choose one recommended by them and get it fitted. However, because of the current economic climate, an increasing number of people are searching for ways to get the best possible prices. The growth of the Internet has helped facilitate this process and it is not only possible to find the best prices but you can buy car tyres online and even search for a place to get them fitted.

It's time to get my tyres replaced and while searching for discount tyres, I recently came across the ValueTyres site which besides helping you find the best tyre prices via their competitor price checker tool, also has several helpful features like an online tyre size calculator to help you choose the right tyre and you have the choice of getting them delivered to your address or find a fitting centre in your area where you can take your car and get the tyres fitted.

If you are looking for great deals on tyres, check out the ValueTyres site.

Car magnets - effective and affordable advertising

In today's economy, it's difficult for small businesses to get off the ground. Advertising doesn't come cheap, especially when belts are being cinched and pockets are nearly empty. Car magnets are great advertising solution for small businesses.

Here's why your business should use car magnets:

Car magnets are affordable.
Compared to other advertising options like billboards or radio spots, car magnets definitely won’t break the bank. They’re an inexpensive way to improve business. Driving around town with a car magnet on your vehicle helps spread the word quickly about your business.

Car magnets allow you to transform your personal vehicle into a moving advertisement.
There's no need to go purchase a fleet - all you need to do is slap on a magnet and drive as opposed to vinyl graphics which can be difficult to apply and remove. Car magnets make promoting your business easy, and at the end of the day, you can pull off your magnet and turn it back into a personal car.

It’s important to remember, however, a cheap magnet does not equal a good magnet. Investing in high-quality magnetic signs means that they won't go flying off your car the next time you're on the highway. Make sure the magnets you're buying are made from thick magnetic material and have curved corners to prevent curling and fly-always.

Alfa Romeo Giulia 50th Anniversary Celebration in Malaysia

The Alfa Romeo Giulia 50th Anniversary Celebration will be held at Citta Mall, Ara Damansara on the 15th July 2012 from 08:30am till 02:00pm .

The event is open to all and organisers reported that they have close to 200 parking lots reserved for Alfa Romeos(both Classic & modern) and Classic Italian cars .

A lot of activities are planned for the event and you can also enjoy wide variety of food at Citta Mall as well.

Thanks for the info Ganesh. Unfortunately I will not be around in Malaysia to enjoy the event.