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Nissan 350Z from Tokyo Drift is up for sale

A very special car is currently listed for sale on one of UK’s online used car portals, Auto Trader. A Nissan 350Z with distinctive body artwork that resembles that featured in Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, is currently being listed for sale for £99,950 (RM543,203.26). It is one of two cars that survived filming, six of them were written off.

The car was registered in Japan in 2002, and bears all the original hallmarks expected of a street racing film car. It is said to be the only one to have the desirable performance upgrades, including the APS twin turbo engine. And is believed to be the main car used in the famous drifting scenes of the film.

Equipped with a Nitrous Oxide system, which was only installed for cinematic purposes, it was the primary vehicle of Takashi AKA The Drift King, a character in the third installment of the Fast and the Furious movie franchise. Auto Logix, is the car retailer that has advertised the 350Z for sale on Auto Trader.

“Unique in every way, we’re delighted to have another Hollywood star showcased on the UK’s largest automotive marketplace, and I’m certain we can match it with an owner that shows a little bit more TLC than Takashi did 11 years ago,” said Erin Baker, Auto Trader Editorial Director.

According to Auto Logix, it claims to be selling the car on behalf of a car collector, who purchased Takashi’s drifting machine from Universal Pictures. This particular 350Z was also featured on most of the promotional material for the 2006 film.

Tokyo Drift was considered an international box office success when it hit the silver screen in 2006, grossing $95,953,877 (RM391,443,841.22) worldwide. The ninth installment of the franchise is expected to be released in 2020, which will probably break further records during its premiere.

Abbie Eaton is The Grand Tour’s racing driver

After 9 months of searching high and low for a ‘tame racing driver’ to replace the unpopular ‘American’ on Amazon’s The Grand Tour, the team have found a winner in Abbie Eaton. The former trio of BBC’s Top Gear, Clarkson, Hammond and May have broken convention by introducing a female to take the role of the show’s racing driver.

The news was announces on The Grand Tour’s twitter page with a caption “Ladies and gentlemen, our new driver”. Just stopping short of mentioning her name, The Grand Tour hopes that 25-year-old Eaton provides a breathe of fresh air to a segment that hasn’t been particularly entertaining in the first season. Mike Skinner, a former Nascar racer played the role of the American.

His character had an abrasive nature, seeming irritated and obnoxious about having to drive non-american cars around the show’s test track. Meant to portray the character traits of true rednecks, Skinner wasn’t particularly liked by fans and viewers alike. Even his professional racing credentials weren’t enough to convince viewers to overlook his less than funny rants.

Eaton, who has taken part in numerous professional racing competitions, is a British born racing driver who has 28 wins and 38 podium finishes to her name. She was the 2010 Production Touring Class B champion and 2014 Mazda MX-5 supercup champion. A seasoned racer with several big title finishes, Eaton should be more entertaining to watch than The American.

Polestar chooses 6 countries for initial launch

Polestar, the electric performance brand that is a spin off from former parent company Volvo, will be introducing its first ever vehicle to a select number of markets. The car will be offered with a subscription service to the U.S.A., China, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands.

Outlets called Polestar Spaces, will be launched in these countries, serving as showrooms for the general public. The spaces are expected to open by the middle of 2019 in these 6 chosen countries due to the high initial demand for the vehicle. That said, eventually, the Polestar 1 will be introduced to more markets across the globe.

When it was introduced in October, interest in the car was so overwhelming that approximately one customer per minute was registering their interest in being one of the first to receive it. Other than its performance credential, what’s makes the Polestar 1’s presence so extraordinary is the fact that it will only be offered with a subscription service.

That means that owners won’t be able to buy the car outright, instead they will pay a monthly fee that covers insurance, depreciation, collection and delivery for inclusive servicing, and various on-demand benefits as-and-when required. This will negate the need for hefty deposits, down payments and complicated insurance and bank loan applications.

Production for the Polestar 1 is expected to begin by mid-2019 in the automaker’s new state-of-the-art, purpose-built Polestar Production Centre in Chengdu, China. The highly anticipated car is a 2+2 Grand Touring Coupé with a 600hp Electric Performance Hybrid powertrain. Once launched, it’s bound to cause quite a stir in the industry.

Ford’s survey says parents are hypocrites

“Do as I say, not as I do” is a saying used to describe parents’s driving habits. According to Ford’s survey, it appers that parents, not their teenage/young adult, children tend to fiddle about with their mobile phones will driving. Despite the notion that millennials suffer from short attention spans, Ford’s statistics prove the contrary to be true.

Ford’s recent study conducted of drivers across Asia Pacific, would suggest that parents are the most distracted group of drivers on the road. Apparently, 43% of them reported to have experienced a distracted driving incident compared to 40% of people without children. Fathers were more likely to use their phones will driving.

The most popular excuses given for using a phone while driving are, taking calls from friends or family (62%), being stuck in traffic or at a traffic light (59 percent), and answering work calls or emails (46%). About 24% of millennials and 17% of parents have admitted to using their phones while driving because ‘they were bored’.

This survey was conducted to help understand distracted driving behaviour and attitudes. And it coincides with the expansion of DSFL, Ford’s flagship corporate social responsibility programme. Through this, the automaker conducts various campaigns that benefit drivers and society as a whole.

“Ford is committed to helping raise awareness of road safety and educating drivers on safe driving practices,” said Cynthia Williams, director, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, Ford Asia Pacific. “Phones are a great distraction normally, but behind the wheel they can be life threatening.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) data states that over 1.25 million people die each year from car crashes and between 20 to 50 million more of them suffer non-fatal injuries. Drivers who use their phones will driving are about four times more likely to be involved in a crash than those who don’t.

In Asia Pacific, 54% of drivers say that they try to refrain from using their phones while driving, but end up doing so anyway. Many believe that bad weather or the presence of a police officer are the only deterrents from using a phone while driving.

These numbers are nothing short of alarming, considering that how many driving licenses are issued each year. If nothing is done to curb the practise, our roads are going to become extremely unsafe overtime.

Kia wins Workshop Award

Kia is known for producing good cars at reasonable prices, Lately however, the company has been consistently outdoing itself with its latest range of vehicles. The Korean automotive giant has picked up a number of awards due to this very fact. Now, it has done so for its after sales services.

Kia Motors UK has been awarded Manufacturer Warranty Scheme of the Year at the 2017 Workshop Awards. The automaker was celebrated due to the important work that was undertaken in the service and repair industry. The main contributing factors for the win were Kia’s quick resolution time and parts availability.

Speaking of the win, Hamish McCowan, After Sales Director of Kia Motors (UK) Ltd. said, “We are delighted to receive this award. Since launch in 2007, our customers have benefited from the security and peace of mind the seven year warranty provides. We are yet to be matched in terms of level of cover and simplicity of our warranty scheme.”

Workshop Magazine is a monthly publication in the UK that is tailored to workshop owners, managers and automotive technicians. It provides the necessary information to keep its readership well informed of the automotive news that is of interest an relevance to them.

Kia provides lengthy warranty periods for vehicles sold all over the world. Over here in Malaysia, it offers a 5-year warranty for all its vehicles, which offer customers a worry-free ownership experience.

Rare classic Aston Martin goes on sale

One of the rarest Aston Martin cars that still exist, is now on sale. It’s a 1959 DB4, which has been placed on sale by classic car experts, Hexagon Classics. What elevates its preciousness however, is the fact that its a pre-production model with more than £222,000 (RM1,207,042) invested in its restoration process.

Aston Martin registered it as their London demonstration model until 1963, before production continued for the model. The car boasts a retrimmed leather interior, and has been converted to run on a Vantage triple Weber set-up. Other additions include a 5-speed gearbox and cosmetic tweaks to the front and rear wheel arches to accommodate its larger offset wire wheels.

This Blu Scozia Aston was the third right-hand-drive DB4 to come from Newport Pagnell. It was lovingly cared for by owner, Richard Williams for the past 37 years. The car was enjoyed immensely, and participated in legendary hill climb events throughout its life. This is why extra effort had to be taken to restore it to the current, almost concours condition.

Paul Michaels, chairman of Hexagon Classics, said, “The DB4 is unmistakably iconic, made more so thanks to this particular pre-production model claiming the legendary Richard Williams amongst it previous owners. It has been lovingly restored to immaculate condition and it ready for inspection from our North London showroom now.”

Under the hood is a rebuilt 4.2-litre engine that has undergone a recommissioning process that was carried out by specialists. This complements the almost pristine condition of the car’s restored interior and exterior. There’s no word yet on the car’s price tag or how much it is expected to sell for, but we will let you know more as we find out.