We're not going to ignore the fact that there is an element of humor to the video, but it's balanced by a considerably larger helping of the pair just being plain mean. After apparently feeling some form of guilt, Kerry contact the police herself about the video. The police now say she might be prosecuted and fined under Britain's Road Traffic Act for offenses of "careless, and inconsiderate, driving." [Telegraph]

The concept behind scrappage is to get people out of their old clunkers and into new, safer and more efficient vehicles. The hope is to salvage this year's sales numbers in the UK, which are expected to drop significantly, while at the same time doing something for the environment. It makes sense people are looking at companies like Hyundai, which offer some of the cheapest cars in the UK. It also coincides with Hyundai's plans to offer approximately $1,800 on top of the $1,500 from the government. In all, Hyundai expects to sell their i10 and i20 models for approximately $7,400 and $8,900, respectively.

As much as we like the idea of people trading up to safer cars, we're worried a few classics will get thrown in the scrapper. We hope they have a no Jensen scrapping policy.

HYUNDAI ORDERS UP 400 PERCENT IN WEEK AFTER SCRAPPAGE

Industry experts who are wondering what effect scrappage will have on car sales might want to use Hyundai as a barometer. In the first week after the announcement, enquiries at the company's dealerships are up 400 percent, with buyers clamouring to make sure they can secure cars before stocks – or the government money – run out.

Although dealers aren't yet allowed to take orders under the scheme officially, they are noting ‘expressions of interest' which will allow customers to reserve cars from existing stock.

Hyundai dealers have also been supplied with a provisional scrappage price list, allowing customers to see what a new Hyundai can be expected to cost including the government and manufacturer allowances.

As expected, it is the i10 and i20 models which are attracting the most attention from buyers. An entry level i10, complete with air conditioning and the new 77bhp 1.2-litre engine, is predicted to cost just £4,995 with the scrappage allowance (£1,000 from the government, £1,100 from Hyundai). Alternatively, an i20 three-door could well be had for £5,995 (£1,000 from the government and £1,200 from Hyundai).

Tony Whitehorn, Hyundai UK's managing director said: "It seems that a few big-name manufacturers are still prevaricating about scrappage. While they have been scratching their heads and confusing customers, we've been only too happy to show hundreds of potential buyers how a new Hyundai is within their reach."

The Korean company has drawn on its experiences in the German market, where a scrappage scheme has been in place since January and Hyundai sales have leapt up by 140 percent.

Mr Whitehorn continued: "We've just had a delivery of 800 i10s and i20s and we will get them out to dealers in time for mid-May when the scheme is expected to go live. We expect these, and our existing stocks, to sell quickly though and so are negotiating with the factory to secure more production and keep up with the expected demand. This is a great opportunity for car buyers to move up to a cleaner, safer and more reliable new car and we don't want to disappoint a single customer."

A local photographer in the village of Wool in Dorset spotted the Google car mapping the area and decided to capture a few shots of it. The driver of the car was not pleased:

The Google driver then proceeded to shout at the photographer and said: "Don't you take pictures of me, mate." He then asked the photographer to blur his face out of the pictures as Google does in its Street View images.

HA! The photographer managed to get several shots of the vehicle without having to resort to fistcuffs, but we will be sure to keep an eye on the powderkeg that is Google Street View's UK adventure. [Telegraph]

Here's the full e-mail response from Michael Harvey:

I've gone part time Ray, I haven't left. I have two new gigs I can't talk abouy yet but one is in the UK and one in the US. Where my girl lives.... another reason why I've gone part time.

Additionally, we've also received the following statement from the BBC:

Michael Harvey is standing down as Editorial Director of Top Gear magazine from today but will continue his relationship with the brand as Editorial Consultant.

Creative Director Charlie Turner has been appointed Acting Editor and he and the team will continue to work with Michael in further developing the market leading motoring title. We wish Michael all the best and are hugely grateful for his work on the magazine over the last six years during which he has guided the title to considerable successes.

A spate of burglaries in the Buckinghamshire village of Broughton caused residents to spring into action when the Google Street View car puttered towards Broughton with a 360-degree camera on its roof. The villagers formed a human chain to stop it, haranguing the driver about "invasion of privacy" fears, claiming a belief that the images Google planned to put online could be used by burglars.

As police made their way to the stand-off, the Google car yielded to the villagers and for now, Broughton remains off the internet search engine's mapping service.

So while there's yet to be found any connection between a rise in burglaries and the Google Street View service, it didn't stop this small UK village from extreme NIMBY-ism. (Hat tip to engineerd!)

[via Times Online]

Village mechanic Jimmy Blanche collected antique cars for decades on his land. The decaying but complete and restorable Daimlers, Singers and Austins will be auctioned off in April.

The British newspapers are abuzz this morning with the story of a massive cache of old cars found in a cottage in rural Norfolk. Owner Jimmy Blanche, who died earlier this year, has amassed a collection that includes Austins, Swifts, Singers, Rileys, a Daimler, a Lea Francis, a Lanchester, a Sunbeam and a rare 1930s Morris Minor convertible. Bonus points to everyone who knows what all these things look like without the help of Google Images.

Blanche lived the life of a recluse and kept his cars on private property which turned into an overgrown wilderness over the decades. “He was a familiar sight in the village on his bike. He always wore a long tatty leather coat with a bit of baler twine as a belt and wellington boots,” reports a friend as quoted by the Daily Express.

The cars, which have been off the road for 50 years, will be auctioned off on April 4. Auctioneer Guy Snelling describes the cars as being in a poor state, but adds that they are mostly complete and can be restored. “One man's wreck is another man's restoration project,” he added.

With eight men needing two weeks to hack through the undergrowth in the manner of princes on their way to Cinderella's castle, this appears to be a Project Car Hell of Danteian proportions. Especially when you consider that any restorer will have to put up with the pun Sterling Moss at least 666 times.

Photo Credit: The Sun, Daily Mail

Paulo Jorge Nogueira da Silva, 46, is currently in court on six charges of death resulting from dangerous driving because he was reportedly operating his 40 ton container truck while using his laptop on the highway.

Andrew Thomas QC, the prosecuting attorney, states,

"As the Statham family came behind a large container lorry, which was at the back of the queuing traffic, their car was struck from behind by another lorry. The Stathams' car was crushed between the two trucks. The front of the car was forced underneath the rear of the lorry ahead of them and the passenger compartment was compressed."

Thomas continues with the results of the horrible accident,

David and Michelle Statham, of Llandudno, and their four children - sons Reece, 13, Jay, nine, and Mason, 20 months, and 10-week-old baby daughter Ellouise - were killed instantly in the crash on the M6 at Sandbach, Cheshire, last October.

Texting while driving is highly dangerous and distracting for all drivers, but using a laptop while hauling heavy cargo goes tenfold. Pay attention while driving, no matter the vehicle you're operating.

[EPP]

Scientists researching the matter hypothesize that the urge to acquire personalized number plates is a mating behavior equivalent to that of the male peacock’s display of tail feathers. The larger and brighter the feathers, the more appealing the male peacock is to females.

Since the average British male lacks both feathers and the typical external signs of human male virility: height, a full head of hair, a single chin and a winning smile, he’s forced to compete for mates with gratuitous displays of bad taste and a fat credit card.

English numberplates differ from their American cousins, Vanity Plates (which can be commonly spotted adorning the walls of theme restaurants) in that they're sold at auction for huge prices rather than licenses at a token rate on a first-come basis.

Rare personalized numberplates are demarcated by their number of figures and the ability of those figures to spell out something clever. In addition to displaying wealth, they disguise the age of the vehicle they’re attached to (standard issue British numberplates contain the model year), a further boon to attracting gold digging slappers. So, for example, a plate reading “8110X” or “80085” would be quite valuable in contemporary British society.

The “1 0” plate is exceptional both for its use of only two digits and for the symbolic importance of the number “10” which could signify a perfect automobile, a perfect driver or both. As such, the plate, which will be auctioned on Friday, will be given the highest ever reserve: 10,000 of Her Majesty’s Pounds or $14,221 in freedom credits. It’s expected to achieve a far greater price, maybe even challenging the current $500,000 record. [DVLA via Press Association]

Britain may not have an empire any more, but one thing we still rule the world at is bad driving."

but bored us with the tech talk. [techradar]

Well, he has called fixed speed cameras “arbitrary” and “unfair,” preferring instead the far less arbitrary and unfair average speed cameras. You know, the ones that record your speed over a large distance then send you a ticket in the mail should your average exceed the posted limit. He’s also proposed that drivers could lose their licenses after only two speeding offenses. Why?

No, not because speeding is dangerous — it seems that even the Ministry of Love Labour Party has lost faith in that lie — but, get this, because the faster you drive, the more you pollute. Coincidentally, Geoff Hoon has just approved an extra 23,000 flights per year at Stanstead and who supports a third runway at Heathrow.

Despite his anti-car policies, Hoon has had the gall to have himself described as “car mad” in newspaper interviews. Ignoring his car-hating policies for a second, let’s take a look at the Hoon fleet: a Ford Galaxy minivan, a purple Mini and his Government issue Prius.

What’s most interesting about Hoon’s appointment to the position isn’t the cynical policies or spin however, it’s the resigned acceptance shown by the English press. Writing in The Times, former CAR editor Jason Barlow cites all of the above offenses but doesn’t move on to present a cohesive argument for either Hoon’s dismissal nor the repeal of his policies; instead moving on to a tired and trivial Clarkson imitation, calling for people with stuffed animals in their cars to be banned. For this ex-resident of Blighty, it’s sad and frightening to see the degree to which the British are prepared to roll over and accept the slow progression of Orwellian rule. The United Kingdom used to be a bastion of reasonable laws and personal freedom. Not anymore. [via The Times]

NO BLUE SKIES FOR GREY CAR DRIVERS

Drivers of grey cars are more likely to need roadside assistance than any other coloured vehicle, according to research by digital motoring magazine, imotormag.co.uk.

The study by the free online magazine found that more than one-in-three of the UK’s 1.3 million grey car drivers will call on help from the likes of the AA or RAC to top the UK’s breakdown chart.

The research from imotormag.co.uk also shows that green isn’t the lucky charm some drivers were wishing for. Owners of the nation’s sixth most popular car colour are the second most likely group to require roadside assistance.

With more blue cars on Britain’s roads than any other colour - over 7 million registered - they are nearly 15% less likely to call out a breakdown vehicle than their grey-hued counterparts.

Despite an association with ageing and all things dull and boring, it’s not all bad news and expensive repairs for grey car owners as the major breakdown companies reported the majority of calls received relate to flat batteries and tyre punctures, rather than mechanical failure.

Mat Watson, editor of imotormag.co.uk, said: “The results are genuinely surprising. One theory is that many hire and company car fleets choose grey vehicles as the colour looks newer for longer, with dents and scratches less noticeable. These vehicles are often exposed to very high mileage, so perhaps their chance of needing assistance is greater. Then again, grey cars could just be cursed!”

[Source: iMotorMag.co.uk]

Well, according to Mrs Mellin:

"We had split up and been to court. He wanted me to walk away from the farmhouse and the business and leave me with nothing...so we met in a pub after a court hearing and he started having a tantrum. As we made our way back to our cars he opened the boot and said: "There's my rope, that's what I'm going to kill myself with." I told him to grow up and give me the rope. But he just laughed."

We'll let the Daily Mail continue:

"While Clarkson may not have been pulled over for speeding the 48-year-old was hauled before court on speeding charges last year.

The Top Gear host had been accused of failing to name the driver on a speeding ticket but after an intervention from his lawyer Nick Freeman, better known as 'Mr Loophole', the case was dropped before it even began.

Mr Freeman, who has made his name acting for a string of celebrity clients, said the case was 'fatally flawed'.

Car firm Alfa Romeo had sent Mr Clarkson a speeding infringement notice, saying a car caught on a speed camera had been loaned to him.

The V6 Alfa Romeo Brera was snapped travelling at 82mph in a 50mph zone on the A40 in Ruislip, West London, on October 16 last year.

The case was dropped because although Alfa Romeo had loaned the car to Clarkson they had no information as who the driver was."

Photo Credit: Top Gear