tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33108757478674626992011-11-28T02:10:46.734+02:00An observation of the ins and outs of motoring in the 21st CenturyEarth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-35771475132625314232010-10-13T13:49:00.000+02:002010-10-13T13:49:37.409+02:00

Bugatti Veyron with a top speed of 253 mph in 2005 was the fastest production car in the world, it conceded the record in October 2007 by the Aero SSC at 257 mph. The 2011 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport has just regained the title for the Bugatti 2011 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport During the launch the company flatly denied that the Super Sport was designed to challenge the Aero SSC and

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-67574033810771301262010-10-08T09:24:00.001+02:002010-10-11T08:25:27.476+02:00

Big Brother has arrived. For months the wicked Ford Focus ST has had to put up with bullying from the likes of the VW Golf, but no more. The Little Brother The ST's big brother has arrived in the form of the RS and is going to be handing out a solid thumping all round.     The New Blue RS logo The New Ford Focus RS (Rally Sport) has definitely come to the party with its massive 224kW motor (

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-41819787684856428232010-08-10T07:22:00.000+02:002010-08-10T07:22:39.725+02:00

How is it that the one profession that people are allowed to not comply with any regulations are drivers? No I am not referring to racing drivers, I am referring to the paid drivers who shuttle people and goods around our country. Drivers who drive branded vehicles which represent the companies they work for. I was recently driving behind a shuttle company with a big maximum 100 speed sign on

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-78190122237287471252010-08-02T08:51:00.001+02:002010-10-08T10:14:57.367+02:00

Spent the weekend with a wide selection of off road vehicles and I think in my mind at least I have resolved the answer to the question of soft roader (SUV) versus full 4x4. There is a ongoing argument as to what defines a Soft Roader v a full 4x4, but for the purposes of this debate a soft roader is a station wagon type vehicle with all wheel drive and slightly raised ground clearance, a 4x4 is

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-77958314065413421092010-05-17T07:22:00.000+02:002010-05-17T07:22:17.087+02:00

I had the pleasure of riding shotgun in a Land Rover Discovery 3 on a informal training course run by the guys at http://www.4x4community.co.za/ What an awesome way to give back to the community and congrats guys on a superb and informative training course. With a little bit of everything from hill descents and on angle driving to the basics of vehicle recovery, the course managed to show the

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-55119675789373311752010-05-14T07:34:00.001+02:002010-05-14T07:44:47.587+02:00

Following on my Green Cars Article and the subsequent catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico I have decided to take a stand and show my support for the project below. Please take the time to read it. Feel free to comment. No more dangerous drilling I've just signed an urgent petition at Avaaz.org urging U.S. law-makers to overturn plans to expand offshore drilling. As the latest massive oil spill

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-58108336425580833792010-04-12T11:23:00.000+02:002010-04-12T11:23:17.070+02:00

With the world finally starting to wake up to the fact that our planet is changing and whether or not you believe that mankind is causing global warming you have to accept the fact that we are not contributing to the health of the planet. What with all the toxic chemicals and exhaust fumes we spew into the atmosphere even the most ardent non believer has to admit that we cant be doing the world

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-91854217188263833992010-04-06T16:12:00.001+02:002010-04-06T16:13:27.818+02:00

Wow I can't believe that a new year has come and almost gone. Been a long 3 month sabbatical for me. Needed to focus my talents in other areas. This is the year of the Soccer World Cup or Football as some of you foreign blokes call it. Its also a new year for Cars and more cars and lots of stupid idiots driving cars. With 28 tragic and unnecessary road related deaths this Easter weekend

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-15316864772959667122009-12-22T09:41:00.000+02:002009-12-22T09:41:16.047+02:00

After months of looking for a new car, this is it. Unfortunately it is not available here yet. Anybody any ideas why? The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a retro-style compact SUV produced by Toyota. First introduced as a concept car in Chicago at the 2003 Chicago Auto  The FJ Cruiser was originally not intended for production, but due to enormous consumer response about the car following the North

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-19008601232294179962009-12-11T16:43:00.002+02:002009-12-11T16:43:38.398+02:00

2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-77016299708327380592009-12-07T14:43:00.000+02:002009-12-07T14:43:01.484+02:00

Life is taking me in all sorts of directions at the moment,I am currently involved with a Land Rover Discovery 3 that has a safety recall, just not this particular one. Yet this vehicle has the same symptoms and physical evidence of a fault as the recalled vehicles. "It has been identified that, some vehicles may experience a reduction in braking preformance leading to an increased stopping

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-14801170976747281182009-12-01T08:39:00.001+02:002009-12-01T08:48:12.405+02:00

Who pays for the damages when some idiot (there's that word again, its almost as if I think everyone is an idiot) drives into a traffic light. Then again it doesn't matter what he drives into, the question still remains the same. Who pays? I have mentioned previously what a sterling job Joburg roads is doing with repairing the lights at the top of the street. usually their turn around time is

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-37857401548801257022009-11-23T17:30:00.000+02:002009-11-24T16:59:58.164+02:00

Last weekend I had a puncture, not a big problem in itself. The vehicle was parked when my collegue (Rather Gleefully) pointed it out. I had a spare and all the required tools and so changed the tire quite easily and was on my way. The trouble started when I attempted to have the puncture repaired. My local tire dealership informed me that the tire had a sidewall puncture which could not be

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-50179288170063332982009-11-16T09:56:00.000+02:002009-11-24T07:01:27.915+02:00

Today cars, and just about everything else including cell phones have more computing power than Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon. The question to ask though is, is this a good thing? Sure it makes for a much better and safer ride, more comfort, less taxing physicaly and mentally on the driver, and yet what happens when it goes wrong? With 105 fuses it seems that there is a lot that

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-78705244289461647202009-11-09T12:29:00.000+02:002009-11-10T08:30:20.948+02:00

I told a story last week about a taxi taking flight and mentioned that I would follow up more on that. Well that taxi in question took flight as it sped past me not entirely due to speed. I witnessed a mechanical failure on the left rear wheel moments before the vehicle turned sideways and became airborne. This is my point behind the statement Speed Kills + Idiots = Death I am not a firm

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-30792068843708446542009-11-02T11:15:00.000+02:002009-11-17T11:43:17.745+02:00

window.google_analytics_uacct = "UA-11301997-2"; I recently had an experience whereby I saw a Taxi defy the laws of physics (for a brief moment) as it took flight shortly after passing me on the freeway. The accident appeared to be mechanical failure compounded by speed. (See next weeks article) Due to the number of injuries, the fact the I had my family on board and the poor location of the

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-13747888933560036612009-10-30T07:04:00.000+02:002009-10-31T08:14:19.158+02:00

I happened to come across the new offering from Ford today. Not sure I like it. Escpecially since this latest offering is coming from the guys who brought us the Focus ST.I spent most of my early driving years in Bakkies (LDV's) of one kind or another and I can't escape the feeling that this is just another Bakkie.On paper it looks quite impressive with a 3 liter Turbo Diesel across the range

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-27616229649719470252009-10-29T08:33:00.002+02:002009-11-25T16:27:54.662+02:00

“A feeling or attitude of devoted attachment and affection” Loyalty to ones friends and Family is totally understandable, but Loyalty to a Brand is an interesting concept especially when you apply it to cars. I am in the process of changing vehicles and found myself looking at the same brand almost exclusively. I currently drive a Toyota Land Cruiser, great vehicle and have had some

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-10692972312517757402009-07-13T12:55:00.000+02:002009-10-30T14:34:42.650+02:00

var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));try {var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-11301997-2");pageTracker._trackPageview();} catch(err) {}I must admit that I am aware that this has nothing to do with motoring, but since

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-29703375619827103872009-07-13T11:43:00.001+02:002009-11-25T16:28:35.146+02:00

I have come across a niche market for all those entrepreneur's out there in the car industry. We have a predominance of four wheel drive owners who have not truly come to grips with their vehicles capabilities. I reckon there is a market for instructors who are willing to teach the Urban 4x4er how to best utilise his vehicle for optimal parking arrangements. Why park blocks away when you can

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-46329923108546931632009-04-07T14:17:00.000+02:002009-04-07T14:21:40.140+02:00

"My father rode a camel. I drive a car. My son flies a jet airplane. His son will ride a camel." Saudi saying

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-50415506315926070342009-03-27T15:28:00.000+02:002009-03-27T15:40:44.009+02:00

The Licencing Department must be applauded for doing their bit to bring our Nation together. Imagine hundreds of people all crammed into a decrepit government office, people of every different creed, culture and social standing all sharing the combined and unified experience of a total loathing for the licencing department.Hundreds of people standing side by side in halls where 1 out of 68 light

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-3503964334184400762009-03-19T16:24:00.000+02:002009-03-19T16:37:58.614+02:00

Insanity is something a usually attribute to drivers, but I have come to realise that it doesn't stop there.I recently attended a cricket match at Wanderers Cricket Stadium in Johannesburg. What Insanity, what were they thinking when they developed an office block across the road from a cricket stadium?Picture this 5pm office workers going home and cricket fans arriving - Chaos! An absolute

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-37931975649437343982009-03-02T08:48:00.001+02:002009-11-25T16:29:29.303+02:00

I found it astounding that someone who has the intelligence and the ability to be a fully functional member of society can be a complete idiot. If you can afford to drive a car that costs around half a million one would assume that you have also mastered the skills to read. Based on that assumption is it not logical to assume that putting your child in the front seat, despite all the

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-81453578415279772882009-02-24T10:01:00.000+02:002009-02-24T10:03:43.863+02:00

Every so often in our journey through life we discover the one thing that truly grinds us.For me the frustration and intolerance is for individuals who drive around with faulty taillights. For years it’s frustrated me beyond belief that for the sake of a couple of Rand and a few minutes of their time there are drivers out there putting themselves and others at risk. "How many drivers does it take

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-13790085580674566082009-02-23T08:57:00.002+02:002009-11-25T16:29:44.945+02:00

The Legend lives on Its so seldom that one hears good news, or a compliment about a company in the service industry. We are usually so quick to complain, as most of my posts would indicate. Yet it is so seldom that we ourselves pass on a compliment when we get what we expect (and sometimes believe we deserve). In this case my whole hearted thanks and compliments to the guys and girls at Jaguar

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-38962566975573499862009-02-20T12:19:00.000+02:002009-02-20T12:31:11.628+02:00

Part Motorcycle Part Roadster- A very eye catching piece of automotive engineering -At first glance this hybrid offers the best of several worlds, the Freedom, handling and flexibility of a motorcycle and the wet weather handling and stopping power of a car.Unfortunately the reality is somewhere in between.The widened front end with two wheels means twice the stopping power and better wet weather

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-92088501749595034952009-02-20T09:01:00.000+02:002009-02-20T11:39:45.944+02:00

Its amazing how many drivers have no idea how to react if a fire truck or other emergency services vehicle comes charging up behind them with there lights flashing.Whats even more frightening is how many people have no idea of the presence of an emergency vehicle behind them, what with modern car having aircon and us being in the midst of global warming (Although watching the news from the

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-24603383978669418762009-02-18T08:55:00.000+02:002009-02-19T07:25:32.554+02:00

Dont stop in the IntersectionThe crossed yellow lines in the intersections are no stopping zones, first off how many people know that?Based on the number of (be polite now) drivers that stop in the intersections during peak hour traffic every morning, I would think nobody knows what it means.So for all you uneducated drivers who think they can (Not that it makes a difference what they think, they

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-83814304041547131432009-02-16T06:56:00.000+02:002009-02-16T06:58:27.574+02:00

14 Years ago when the ANC took over our new fledgling democracy one of their first tasks was to rename the Police from a force to a service.One would assume based on its very name that the police would be a service to the public. Isn't it amusing then to see these services carried out using military like tactics building camouflage hides from which to ambush us from.What possible hope can it be

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-51514354540217510092009-02-13T06:57:00.000+02:002009-02-13T07:04:37.647+02:00

In view of the recent bus accidents in the headlines you would think that bus company's would have gone over there safety briefings again in full detail.Yet that appears not to be the case. Follow any bus around for 10 minutes and you would think it was a taxi because of how many times it infringed the law.Take the Putco bus driving next to me in traffic last week; two passengers were sitting in

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3310875747867462699.post-16995583811691883782009-02-12T14:15:00.000+02:002009-02-19T07:26:55.257+02:00

This is a blog about my insights into people and vehicles in South Africa.The old saying of "but I can drive" is such an overused cliche that it should be banned from the English language.Listen up people - the ability to move an automobile from point A to point B does not constitute an ability to drive.Driving is an skill that involves the understanding of your vehicle and use it the way the

Earth Explorerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13376231318178676760noreply@blogger.com0