He said: “I don’t have a driver’s licence. In London you just don’t drive because the traffic is terrible, so you get cabs to go everywhere, which has left me being 37 and still without a driver’s licence in Los Angeles.”

Although he can’t drive, the Take That star – who has teamed up with country music star Bob Paisley to record ‘Collision of Worlds’ for the forthcoming ‘Cars 2′ movie – is fascinated by cars and loves watching motor racing on television.

In an interview organised by Disney and posted on Robbie’s official website, he said: “We have Formula 1 over in England, and it’s always been a very important part of growing up and seeing these heroes and respecting and admiring them and the glamour that surrounds them. It’s exciting.”

The ‘Flood’ singer also admitted he thinks of himself as a “steady and reliable” minivan.

Asked what type of car he thinks he is, he said: “I think I’d be a van, to be honest. Nice and comfortable, steady, reliable. I’d like to consider myself like something sporty, but I’m not. So yeah, a minivan with a plasma screen inside, big relaxing chairs and comfort. That would be me.”

On his retirement Stirling said, “This afternoon I scared myself and I have always said that if I felt I was not up to it or that I was getting in the way of fellow competitors, then I would retire.”

Moss leaves motor racing as one of the most recognised racing drivers in the world, having raced from the age of 18, winning the British Grand Prix twice, the Monaco Grand Prix three times, the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio and the Tourist Trophy, as well as countless other races, during his professional career. He is regarded as one of the greatest motor racing drivers the sport has ever known, having raced successfully in all forms of motor sport and racing not only to win, but racing because he loved the racing itself.
As Stirling said, on the day of his retirement, “I love racing, but now it is time to stop.”

Source: Stirlingmoss.com

And three per cent of these forgetful motorists have called their breakdown service to help them find their car, the survey by Confused.com found.

Women appear to have more memory lapses than men, with 63 per cent of female drivers forgetting where they parked compared with 43 per cent of males.

The survey did not report on whether or not the women misplaced their cars, and perhaps the associated male drivers, on purpose. One has to wonder!

“It’s the family story,” Mr. Benson, a computer systems engineer, said of the archive. It is the chronicle of a continent-crossing journey, stretching nearly equator to pole, that his parents once made in a 1962 MGB roadster.

“My dad had a thing for sports cars,” Mr. Benson, 41, said. “He had a Triumph TR3. He was a bit of a car freak.”

Mr. Benson’s father, Skip, bought the MGB
in 1967 for about $1,000 in Puerto Rico, where he and his wife, Barbara, were training Peace Corps volunteers. When their work contract expired later that year, the family — Joel, Blaine’s older brother, was born during that time — travelled to Nome, Alaska, where Skip was going to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Read the full story of Mr. Benson and the 1962 MGB over at The New York Times. But before you go, tell us something about your companion and automotive member of the family. What cars have transcended transportation for you and become integral to the story of your travel itself?

Alma Hill, Phil’s widow, and son Derek, will present the trophy and honor America’s first Formula 1 Champion who succumbed to Parkinson’s disease in 2008, at the age of 81.

At Monza in September 1961, Phil Hill clinched the 1961 Formula 1 World Championship at the wheel of a Ferrari 156. The quiet, unassuming, Santa Monica-resident, led the way to Europe for a group of young American race drivers, who included Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby. His Formula 1 Championship was a testament to his courage and ability, as well as intelligence.

“My mother and I are so pleased to be asked to hand out the Phil Hill Trophy at Monza,” said Derek Hill. “Not only was my father the first American to become a Formula 1 World Champion, but he also defeated the odds by walking away from the sport a living man.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t so for his main rival and teammate, Wolfgang von Trips, who was killed the very day Hill clinched the Championship. “Death was very much a risk you took every time you sat in one of those cars,” continued Hill. “To be here at Monza, a circuit my father had significant victories at driving for Ferrari, means a lot to our family.”

Monza is where Hill won his first Grand Prix in 1960, and again in 1961, when he clinched the Formula 1 World Championship.

The car in which Phil won the title, and with which the Ferrari team dominated the 1961 Championship, was known as the “156,” which stood for 1500cc/6-cylinder. It was also known as the Ferrari “Sharknose” due to its beautiful streamlined shape and particularly, its shark-like nose. Unfortunately, in 1962, at the end of the 156′s second season, Enzo Ferrari had all the models destroyed.

For many enthusiasts, the 156 was one of the most iconic of Ferrari vehicles, thus when Belgian enthusiast Jan Biekens decided to build a replica Sharknose, using many original parts including an engine and the complex transmission, his efforts were welcomed with great pleasure. Mr. Biekens’ 156 will be on display at Monza throughout the Historic Championship weekend, both on and off the track, and will be the star of the “Phil Hill Trophy.”

Read more here: http://www.vintagemotorsport.com/show_news.asp?id=2159

Dear BCF Member,

Most of you who frequent the British Car Forum know our MG forum moderator, Tony Barnhill. Some of you already know this, but for those who don’t it is with great sadness that I much inform the members of BCF that Tony was killed in a head-on collision near his home in Gurley, Alabama on Monday, 25 Jan 2010. His wife was seriously injured as well and remains in ICU. The accident occurred Monday morning, 25 Jan 2010. Tony had been a dear friend and one of my Moderators for over nine years. In that time he helped countless enthusiasts from around the world solve their MG and other British car problems. Many of you knew him personally; some only knew him from the internet. Either way, those who had the good fortune to cross paths with Lt Colonel (USA, retired) Tony Barnhill were all the richer for the experience. I have a thread in the “Pub” forum where members can post their condolences to the family and/or post remembrances of Tony. From the posts we have so far, it is obvious that Tony touched a lot of lives and his death leaves a huge void. At the appropriate time, I will print and send the thread to Tony’s family with all your condolences.

Sincerely,
Basil

British car enthusiasts gathered more than a dozen times in 2009 in the first year of events for the new Headwaters British Car Club. Club vice president Tom Hodgson said the club is based in Orangeville but has members from all over, including one from Alliston.

“We opened it up to all older British cars,” Hodgson said. “We go out for a couple of hours, have a run, enjoy the countryside. It’s beautiful here.”

While Airport Road is a joy to drive, Hodgson said, Hockley Road “with all the bends” is his favorite. “We’re in a really good area for nice drives.”

With help from his son, Hodgson restored his red 1970 MGB almost 20 years ago.

“Most of us are restoring them. Mine… was a mess, all rusty,” he said. “I enjoy the open driving, and tinkering with them.” In return, he’ll be helping his son fix up an original Mini Cooper. “You just keep adding the bits until you get there,” he said. “It’s the car you wanted to have when you were young. You’re grabbing a piece of your youth. Before, it just didn’t fit in my life.”

There are an equal number of MGs and Triumphs in the club, with a few Jag E-Types and an Austin Healey. There’s a friendly competition between the MGs and the Triumphs.

The club meets every month of the year, and will have guest speakers over the winter with a mechanic in the spring talking about tune-ups and getting the car ready for the road. “In June we’re going to join all the motorcycles and see if we can raise money for (Hospice Dufferin),” Hodgson said.

The Headwaters club has made appearances at the Tottenham car show, in Elora and at the Brampton car show.

For only the second time since 1992, the major meeting of the North American MG clubs is being held in Canada. It’ll be in Belleville in June and Hodgson said it’s likely members of the club will make the trip out.

The Headwaters British Car Club began in the fall of 2008 when a group of four people met to discuss establishing a car club in the Orangeville area. The club now has more than 27 active members. For the coming winter, the club is meeting at the Black Birch in Hockley Valley. The club collected more 150 pounds of food during trips, which was donated to the Orangeville Food Bank.

For more information, visit www.headwatersbritishcarclub.org.

–
By Matthew Talbot

Two cases in point that don’t involve injuries at all. First is my sister and her fairly new Mitsubishi Eclipse. She arrived home to visit for this holiday season with a favor to ask of me. She needs me to help her replace the passenger side mirror on her car. Seems she was parked in a parking garage during work and when she came out the mirror was scraped up and bashed in. Obviously someone had parked too close and her mirror was the casualty. Now this isn’t a huge thing, but it sure does aid in taking the new feel off the car. Just an example of someone being thoughtless and a bit careless.

Second, my own MGB of a few years back. Actually, make that two MGBs! With each on of these cars I was parked legally on the side of a road. In both cases though someone pulling out from a driveway nearby was not looking and backed into the front fender of my car. Of course no normal insurance company will pay for the proper repair and painting of a 20 to 30 year old car, so in both cases I was left with mis-matched paint and a permanent reminder that life isn’t fair.

Hey, I know accidents happen. But many of them can be avoided. So please, don’t text while you drive, use a hands free headset to talk on the cell phone, and slow down and look where you are going. We will all live better happier lives for it.

The two former Longbridge bosses, who with fellow directors John Towers and Nick Stephenson have already enriched themselves to the tune of around £9 million each, will be entitled to another huge cash windfall next month.

Liquidators recently appointed to MGR Capital Ltd – MG Rover’s finance and lease loan book – revealed that another potential fortune would be available for shareholders Beale and Edwards after December 11.

The date has been penciled in by liquidators Begbies Traynor for creditors to apply for compensation from MGR Capital, a solvent company boasting shareholder funds of £23,232,000 at the end of 2008.

With only the Inland Revenue as a creditor, the vast majority of the £23 million plus sum will be available for potential share-out before Christmas between the two ex-Phoenix directors and fellow shareholder HBOS.

But Northfield Labour MP Richard Burden today reiterated calls for Beale and Edwards to hand over their millions to the trust fund for ex-employees and a community development trust in Longbridge.

Mr Burden said: “There is a very large amount of money there and, however you cut it, that money came out of operations related to the Rover Group and associated companies.

“If there is going to be any positive legacy out of the Phoenix years, that money has got be put to socially beneficial uses. Part of that should be to the trust fund for former employees and part to a community development trust for the area.

“The idea that that amount of money should just go for personal gain is wrong. Ultimately history will judge them (the Phoenix directors).

“There is a chance for Peter Beale and John Edwards to hand over large sums of money. If they do not do that, people will say that they were in it for what they could get. Their reputations are in their own hands now.”

A spokesman for Phoenix Venture Holdings said he was unable to say whether the two ex-directors would take the money after December 11.

He said: “I do not know. We are not thinking that far ahead – they are not counting any chickens in terms of what might be in the fund.

“This was a loss-making company; it was a risk and it made profits because it was well-managed by HBOS and the directors. During the lifetime of MG Rover, £23 million was paid or transferred from MGR Capital into the car-making operation.”

Liquidator Paul Stanley, of Begbies Traynor, said: “MGR Capital was a solvent company which has not traded for years. The creditors will get paid first, with interest, and if there is any money left over, it is available for shareholders. After December 11, money will be available.”

The former MG Rover panel beater spent five days helping lay down a total of 27 tons of concrete to mark the latest key milestone in the history of Northfield-based MGR Services.

And Northfield Labour MP Richard Burden drove along his prized MGZT as the first car to undergo an MOT at the popular garage, less than a mile from the former home of MG Rover.

Tony lost his job at Longbridge after 15 years of service when MG Rover collapsed in April 2005 – and risked everything by remortgaging his home to initially open a sports car restoration business in Worcester.

Together with former colleague Dave Chappell, he then launched MGR Services, at first doing repair and maintenance work on Rovers and MGs.

The business went from strength to strength and diversified into other vehicle makes – and now the MOT bay is adding a vital new dimension to the garage. Tony, who runs MGR Services with wife Kay and business partner Rob Fisher after Dave left, said: “It took us 13 months trying to get planning permission from the council.

“We raised the money to finance the bay by having a personal loan off a relative and doing all the labouring work ourselves.

“Banks say they are helping small businesses but interest rates are phenomenal.

“We had to barrow 27 tons of concrete in total. It took us five days and was hard work but we think the MOT bay should make a big difference to the business.

“I spoke to Richard Burden regarding the opening of the bay and his MGZT was due an MOT, so we used his car as the first MOT to be issued.”

Tony said the MOT facility represented an investment of more than £33,000 in the Northfield garage.

MGR Services has built up a string of regular customers, including many ex-Longbridge workers, since its launch around three years ago.

“The business is going excellently. People have been really good to us and they keep coming back.

“I would say 30 per cent of our business is still Rovers,” he added.