Get ready for Christmas with our Car of the Year magazine

IT'S nearly that time of year again. Yep, the bit when a special festive edition of the Life On Cars magazine arrives.

As usual, it's a bit of a rundown of some of the best bits of 2012, including the not-at-all-prestigious announcement of what the best car Life On Cars has driven over the past few months is.

There have been dozens of great new cars this year, but to be in with a chance of being named Car of The Year it'll have to be at least as good as the current Ford Fiesta, the Honda CR-Z and the Citroen DS3 Racing (the winners in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively). Even though I can only show you the cover at the moment, so far the signs are looking very good.

You can also catch up on all the old magazines - including the 2010 and 2011 Christmas specials and the current edition - by visiting the Magazines section of this blog.

The new edition will be in ready in time for Christmas...

Life On Cars gets a new logo

THE Mini is out and the open-top sports car is in.

Eagle-eyed readers might have spotted a few changes on Life On Cars this week; that's because, for the first time in more than three years, the logos for both the online blog and the column printed in The Champion newspaper have been changed. Where for the past three years the car pictured in the logo has always been my old Mini, now it's a Morgan Threewheeler, and what you see above is what will accompany the Champ column from next Wednesday onwards.

It's been a good week for The Champion, which last night was named as the North West's best free newspaper at the prestigious O2 Media Awards. Given that Life On Cars is a small part of that - and one which I know has got quite a following locally - I'd like to thank all the motoring enthusiasts who regularly turn to our titles for supporting us!

Finally, a quick reminder that a motoring event not to be missed - the Life On Cars Petrolhead Pub Quiz - is taking place in Southport next Sunday night (November 18). Whether you're winding down after next weekend's National Classic Car Show at the NEC, keen to show off your motoring knowledge or just happy to help raise some funds for the National Autistic Society, it should be a fun night and well worth the £2 it costs to take part.

See you there...

Life On Cars Magazine issue twelve!

IT'S back!

If the miserable weather and the clocks going back is giving you the winter blues, then the latest edition of the Life On Cars magazine should help to brighten your spirits.

• Among the highlights of the November 2012 issue are:

• A look at the Paris Motorshow stars conceived, designed and manufactured in Britain

• A six page special looking back at some of the best shows across the North West this year

• What Life On Cars thinks of the long-awaited Toyota GT-86

• Driving thrills in North Wales with a trio of very different drivers' cars

• The latest news and reviews

Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed making it...

Open publication - Free publishing - More carfest

Video: Confessions of a motoring journalist

AS mentioned earlier in the week, I made a video to show the nice people at the Institute of Advanced Motorists but things didn't exactly go to plan.

This, had the computer not said no, is what they would've seen - a sort of narrated slideshow, giving a glimpse into the world of roadtesting cars and the motors I both hate and rate. Instead, I thought I'd share it with the wider world, so the finished film doesn't go unseen.

Enjoy...

Life On Cars presents The Petrolhead Pub Quiz

A FULL-THROTTLE competition to help raise funds for the National Autistic Society is being put on for petrolheads of all ages next month.

David Simister, Champion motoring correspondent, is holding a pub quiz with a twist - all the questions are motoring-related - to help raise funds for the National Autistic Society. If you reckon you know your Maseratis from your Mitsubishis, or you've got an encyclopedic knowledge of historic motorsport victories, or just know a thing or two about driving, then you could be in with the chance to win some great petrolhead prizes by showing off your automotive knowledge.

The quiz takes place on Sunday, November 18, at the Cheshire Lines Inn, on King Street in Southport, and starts at 7.30pm, and costs £2 per person to enter.

If you'd like to find out more about the event, or if you can donate any prizes to help make the quiz a success, send an email to david.simister@champnews.com or call 01704 392404.

Ormskirk MotorFest 2012 - the day in pictures

THOUSANDS of petrolheads have packed into Ormskirk to make the market town’s second MotorFest event a spectacular success.

The event, organised jointly by Aintree Circuit Club and West Lancashire Borough Council, saw scores of classic cars and bikes, including Grand Prix racers and Group B rally cars, take to the town’s one way system for the climax of a day of motorsport-themed action, in what has been one of the town’s busiest trading days.

Councillor Paul Greenall, the mayor of West Lancashire, told Life On Cars: “It’s been really good, and fortunately the weather held off. There have been lots of very good cars here, and they’ve brought thousands of people into Ormskirk.

“There’s been a lot of interest in both our charities, and for Ormskirk the number of people speaks for itself. I hope there’s another event next year, because this one’s been a big success.”

Among the highlights for visitors was the chance to watch rally star Becky Kirvan put her motorsport-prepared Ford Fiesta through its paces, the parade of supercars, including the McLaren MP4-12C, and a poignant motorcycle parade held in memory of Southport superbike racer Ben Gautrey, who was killed at a race in Cadwell Park last year.

Although the threat of bad weather had loomed over the event, with participants being treated to downpours early on, sunshine during the parades later on helped to attract as many 15,000 visitors into the town centre to see the displays near the clock tower and in Coronation Park, as well as a series of parades around the town’s one way system.

Neville Hay, event commentator, said:  “I thought it went very well, especially given the limited amount of time you have to work with, the amount you have to do and the sheer number of cars involved. It’s not something that happens every day, but I think it went extremely well.

“Last year’s event went very well, but this year’s show has gone even better. I really hope it happens again next year.”

Life On Cars took these pictures at the event:

Keep an eye on Life On Cars for a video from the event, and read more in next Wednesday’s edition of The Champion newspaper (August 29 edition).

2012 Ormskirk MotorFest - Read the official magazine here!

IF YOU'RE looking forward to this year's Ormskirk MotorFest then has Life On Cars got a treat for you!

For the second year running I've been given the green light to team up with Aintree Circuit Club, the event's organisers, and produce the only magazine which has their official backing, and it's packed full of news, features and information all about the motorsport-themed event on August 26.

More than twice as long as previous Life On Cars magazines, it's a delve behind the scenes of the full throttle event taking place in Ormskirk on the Bank Holiday Sunday which I hope you'll enjoy reading as much as I've enjoyed creating.

See you there...

Open publication - Free publishing - More automotive

P.S: If you missed the chance to read the official magazine on last year's show you can check it out here.

The Top 50 Cars driven by Life On Cars

TO THINK it all started with a tinny Mini that had a habit of breaking down.

This is the 500th Life On Cars article published on this website, pretty much exactly three years after I moved over to The Champion from the North Wales Weekly News and figured a petrolhead blog would be a good way to keep up with what's going on in the world of motoring. Since then it's gone from strength to strength, with the blog alone attracting thousands of readers each month and the sister column in The Champion going out to more than 160,000 homes across Sefton and West Lancashire.

So I thought, to celebrate, a Top of The Pops-style rundown would be the best way to celebrate, but this isn't just any old wishlist. You won't find any Ferraris, Lamborghinis or Astons in this list because each and every car in it is one I've actually driven.

Nor though, will you find the likes of the Nissan LEAF, the Audi A1 or the BMW 6-Series, which are all cars I've driven. To be in this list a car has to have to have ticked a very particular and not democratic roadtesting box - quite simply, it has to put a smile on my face - which is probably why there's a couple of surprises among the usual suspects in this list. It's not a quest to find the greatest cars of all time, but a personal look at back at the new, the not-so-new and the truly old cars which have provided memorable motoring for whatever reason.

I hope you enjoy the read. Feel free to add your own favourites in the comments section below...

Open publication - Free publishing - More cars

2012 Woodvale Rally at Victoria Park, Southport

IT MIGHT have been held at a different venue for the first time in forty years but the organisers of this weekend's Woodvale Rally have been determined to give visitors the same offering of full-throttle attractions.

Visitors to Victoria Park in Southport - better known for the town's annual flower show - might have been offered a physically smaller venue than the Rally's traditional home at RAF Woodvale, but fans of classic cars and bikes were still treated to an eclectic variety of vehicles from decades gone by.

Scarisbrick couple John and Jean Fagan, whose lovingly-restored Morris Minor was featured on Life On Cars last month, won second prize in the show's concours competition.

John told Life On Cars: "It's the first time we've been to the Rally, but it's an absolute delight seeing all the old cars here - they're all absolutely beautiful.

"It really is a nice place to be and a great show to go, so I'm sure we'll be making a point of visiting each year from now on."

Alongside the scores of classic cars and bikes which made the trip to Southport for the show, visitors could also check out a World War Two Spitfire with regional connections, trade stalls, dance and music displays and specialist shops at the Victoria Park venue.


Life On Cars, as ever, has paid a visit to the Woodvale Rally and took these pictures at the event:

The event continues tomorrow (Sunday, July 29), so there's still time to catch up on the attractions. For more on the Woodvale Rally see next week's edition of The Champion, published Wednesday, August 1.

Happy birthday Life On Cars! Eagle-eyed readers might have spotted that it's exactly three years since this blog went live (even if it was a couple of weeks later before the column got printed in The Champion). The anniversary hasn't gone unnoticed, but seeing as the blog is also verging on publishing its 500th article I'm working on something a bit special for article number 500. Watch this space in a couple of days...

Life On Cars: The Champion motoring roadtest directory

THOSE of you who have been following Life On Cars for the past few years will probably have worked out it's about motoring by now.

Driving cars - and more importantly, writing about them - is what this blog's always been about, and it's always heartening to see from the number of hits that people do read it and enjoy it. Which is why, in a tradition started way back in 2010, I've always liked to give something back by creating special, online-only magazines packed with features, reviews and test drives.

This isn't one of them.

There will be no tenth issue of the imaginatively-titled Life On Cars magazine but what I've got instead is something I use to show the car makers, the PR people and the SMMT that all my test drives do actually make it into print - what I call the Champion motoring roadtest directory.

Readers familiar with the motoring pages of The Champion will be familiar with its pages but for those of you who don't live in Sefton and West Lancashire - which I know is a lot of you - it's possibly the first time you'll get to see a range of test drives and Life On Cars pieces as they've appeared in print. Covering everything from the Alfa Giulietta to the Volkswagen Polo GTI, it's an exhaustive look at almost all the cars I've driven over the past year.

Of course, Life On Cars is about more than just test drives and there's all sorts of stories and reviews on the way, including I hope, for the first time ever, coverage of the simply colossal Cholmondeley Pageant of Power later this month. If it's got horsepower and at least three wheels involved, it ticks all the right boxes in my book!

Until then however, feel free to see how a whole raft of cars fared when they got The Champion roadtest treatment...

Open publication - Free publishing - More cars

A Life On Cars tribute to the Raleigh Chopper

 Alan Oakley, designer of the Raleigh Chopper bicycle, has died today. Life On Cars writer David Simister, who owned two, pays tribute by remembering why the funkily-styled Seventies icon was such a class act...

It’s mechanically challenged, outgunned at the lights by any moped, and has room for just one on its rather exposed seat. Yet the Raleigh Chopper is no ordinary bike, being to cycling what the Mini is to motoring or the Volkswagen Caravelle to camping.

A legend in its own lifetime, it somehow encompasses both iconic and ironic within one spin of its tiny wheels. Running a Chopper is a surreal experience. I bought one way back in 2007 to replace my old Vespa, and although it couldn't hope to beat the Italian scooter on speed, it’s a surprising equal in the style stakes and yet far cheaper.

When I was at university in Carlisle I used my Raleigh Chopper (pictured below) every day to get between my student digs on one side of the Great Border City, the campus on the other and the supermarket, somewhere in between the two. I loved it so much that it was one of the treasured possessions I took all the way to Bristol with me after I graduated, and after a couple of weeks I realised how cool a bike it was after a couple of bolt cutter-wielding thieves stole it while it was chained up a stone's throw from the SS Great Britain. I responded by immediately getting another one - even though it meant travelling to Yeovil on the train to get it - which I still have to this day.

My red Raleigh Chopper MK3, even though it's now in need of a restoration and has sat unloved in the garage for years because it isn't a car, is still one of my most treasured possessions. It is, put simply, as much an icon of Seventies Britain as the Capri or the Rover SD1 were.

Compared to a normal bike, the Chopper feels very odd to ride at first. Those enormously high handlebars seem to have no control over where the tiny front wheel goes, while the comparatively enormous rear makes every getaway a wheelie. Yet given time and a slightly different riding style, it becomes easily one of the most amusing forms of transportation ever conceived. The wacky proportions raise eyebrows, but the reincarnated Raleigh has enjoyed massive success three decades after the ancestor’s heyday.

It’s even practical - the chrome backrest is perfect for loading shopping bags onto, and much safer than dangling them off the handlebars off a normal bike. The modern Chopper’s just gone out of production, but there’s never been a better time to buy second-hand.

Compared to the hundreds of pounds the 1970s originals fetch, now is definitely the time to buy. BMXs might be the more obvious choice for bike-riding yoofs, but with the Raleigh Chopper, you’re making a cool, retro statement.

It’s still not really motoring, but going back to the 1970s has never been cheaper.

Life On Cars is on Twitter

THAT'S right - you can now keep up to date with even more motoring news, thanks to the tiny little box of tweets on Life On Cars as of today.


For ages it's been the case that there are too just too many snippets of car-related news to squeeze onto even this blog, plus I have lots of general observations about all things automotive which are just too brief to merit a full-on article. Luckily, Twitter is on hand to help.

If you head onto Twitter make sure you follow @lifeoncars - and in return, you'll get treated to the good, the bad and the Ssangyong Rodius of what's going on across Sefton and West Lancashire. Including a rather exciting event tomorrow, as it turns out...

Ford Racing Puma: A postscript

A COUPLE of Life On Cars readers - specifically, some of the petrolheads who joined me on my adventures in Wales last weekend - were disappointed with my reflections on the Ford Racing Puma in the last edition of The Champion.

Their main criticism was that my piece suggested the fettled Ford was the superior car when compared to the Rover Metro GTi and the Volkswagen Polo G40, which also ventured into deepest Snowdonia, and the MK1 Mazda MX-5 which I was driving. All four, of course, are fabulous cars in their own particular ways, and proved more than capable of handling the challenging roads and the worst weather Wales could throw at them!

Life On Cars, while striving to be factually accurate on all matters motoring, is always happy to hear your feedback. Get in touch via the usual Champion channels or by email at david.simister@hotmail.co.uk

Life On Cars Magazine Issue Nine!

THE LATEST edition of the Life On Cars magazine is ready!

As ever it's packed with motoring features and news aplenty - including a round up of some of the stars of this year's Geneva Motorshow - and a look at two very different British sports cars.

Hope you enjoy it...

Open publication - Free publishing - More cars

A new magazine on the way

EAGLE-eyed readers will have already seen that work is underway on a new issue of the web magazine.

It's been a while - last Christmas, in fact - since the last issue came out, but with the weather getting a bit warmer and all sorts of interesting cars coming out of hibernation it's probably the right time to look into some great motoring stories in a bit more depth, not least the mad Morgan Threewheeler I got a taste of couple of weeks ago.

Watch this space...

Is the writing on the wall for troubled Saab?

I BEGIN this week not with an intro, but a disturbing statistic. In December 2011 just eight of you treated yourselves to a brand new Saab.

That's not just the figure for a particular showroom or part of the north west, but for the whole of the country. I've refrained from writing too much about Saab's slow and painful demise until now because the story's a bit too soap opera even for this column, but unless a miracle of Lazarus proportions heads their way it's safe to say the Swedish firm is another motoring name consigned to the history books.

Which is a shame, because Saab made some cracking cars right up until their final dying moments, even if they did knock a few stinkers out along the way. They were a firm renowned for sticking their fingers up at the motoring establishment and insisting on doing things differently. Even when it annoyed the hell out of General Motors, their very boring and very American former owners.

How else do you explain efforts like the fabulous 99 Turbo, a quirky saloon renowned for its mid-range punch? Or that middle class icon, the original 900 Cabriolet? Admittedly, they weren't cars modelled on jet fighters (despite what the ads would have you believe) but nor were they automotive flotsam created by committees either.

My own favourites are the two generations of the 9-5, which disguised their humble Vauxhall origins to offer up their owners a masterclass in comfort and refinement.

Their killer problem was that 99% of the potential buyers decided they'd still rather have the BMW 5-Series instead, leaving the Saab to survive solely on its “at least it's not a BMW” appeal.

Saab could and should have flourished once it passed into independent ownership, but GM's insistence that nobody should have access to its technology has ruined any chances the Swedes had. There are all sorts of complicated reasons why the firm's Dutch owners have gone bust, but a big part of it was that General Motors vetoed any ideas of Beijing's car makers coming to the rescue in case the Detroit-funded tech underpinning today's Saabs fell victim to a bit of a Chinese takeaway.

Ford happily lets Indian-owned Jaguar use its technological know-how, and BMW grants MG's Chinese custodians the same privelige, but the idea of a Chinese firm getting GM's inside info via Saab just proved too much for the Americans.

Unless Saab is treated to a miracle which brings its UK sales above eight a month, I think the writing's on the wall.

Life On Cars has just enjoyed its best month ever, with the site being viewed more than 3,500 times in January! I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who reads and enyoys this site and the column in The Champion (published each Wednesday).

If you've got a motoring story or event you'd like to share get in touch by sending an email to david.simister@hotmail.co.uk or leave a comment below.

Merry Christmas from Life On Cars

AS a special festive treat for both our readers a Christmas edition of the Life On Cars magazine to choose the car of the year is finally ready!

This bumper 20-page edition not only looks back at some of the best new cars, but memorable events, roads and shows from across the north west and further afield. Car and bike nuts are already looking forward to a great 2012, and Life On Cars is looking forward to reflecting that, but if you just can't wait until then put your Christmas turkey down and take a look back at some of the motoring highlights of 2011.

Sit back and enjoy the read...

Open publication - Free publishing - More cars

A Christmas gift for all you readers

CHANCES are if you're a car fan you'll like this a bit more than Mistletoe and Wine.

Yes, the not-at-all-prestigious Life On Cars Car of the Year Award is back, and as usual it comes gift-wrapped in a Christmas special edition magazine. With so many great cars launched this year it's been a right old nightmare trying to pick a favourite, but after a lot of agonising I've finally picked a winner which I reckon is just as impressive as Honda's CR-Z was this time last year.

If you liked the effort I came up with last Christmas then you'll be pleased to know all the additional awards - best road, best event, and so on - are all back as well, in what should be an enjoyable read once you've polished off your pigs in blankets and got tired of eating turkey.

The new edition will be ready in time for Christmas. Hope you like it...

Honda to offer go-faster version of CR-Z

HONDA'S just announced the sportiest hybrid it makes will be made a little hotter with the announcement that a performance version will arrive next year.

The company said that it has teamed up with tuning firm MUGEN to offer go-faster version of the CR-Z hybrid coupe, which will offer up 50% more power than the existing car and rocket to sixty no less than three seconds faster.

Martin Moll, Head of Honda (UK) marketing said: “MUGEN Euro magic has created a super responsive yet eco-conscious model building on our sporting credentials and giving us the ability to compete in the hot hatch marketplace as we move into 2012.”

The standard CR-Z is the current Life On Cars car of the year, after impressing last year with its blend of performance and eco-friendliness.

Forget the midlife crisis, the Mazda MX-5 is a brilliant sports car

MY MIDLIFE crisis has arrived at least a decade early.

That's the reckoning of my Facebook friends, reacting to the news that I've bought what I reckon is a seminal small sports car. After a lot of saving up and careful searching, I've finally got myself a Mazda MX-5!

Regular readers will remember that last week I failed in my pub-based exploits to buy an early MK1 on eBay (thanks for all your tips and suggestions, everyone who emailed in) but in the end I found what I was looking for in the classifieds of this very newspaper. A tidy blue roadster which, despite having clocked up over 100,000 miles in its 20 year life, felt tight as a drum to drive.

I've already braced myself for the armchair pundits' argument; the MX-5, lots of you have already told me, is either a girl's car or a flashing belisha beacon alerting other road users to an impending midlife crisis. Luckily, I have my ripposte ready to go, and it comes in the form of a question to all you MX-5 cynics. Have you actually driven one?

If you have then you'll have felt the finesse of its handling, revelled in the go-kart responsiveness of its steering and enjoyed what I reckon has always been its best feature; the flick-of-the-wrist gearchange. The first time I drove two years ago, is forever etched into my memory as a masterclass of how well a good car can handle.

True, these are features you'll find fitted to my MGB as standard, but the difference between a British sports car and a Japanese one is that the latter is built properly. MX-5s, in a nutshell, are fun sports cars that work properly. That's why it is by far and away the world's best selling sports car and why every car maker on Earth has copied it; if it wasn't for the MX-5 there wouldn't have been an MGF, an SLK or a Boxster.

When I was lucky enough to take a brand new one into the wilds of Wales last year, I fell in love with it, and that's why I decided to take the plunge and actually get one all of my own. Will it be better to drive, to own, and to live with than the Minis I'm used to? I look forward to letting you know.

If a midlife crisis is anywhere near as much as fun as an MX-5 is mid-corner on some twisty mountain road, then bring it on.