What happens on the oldest Autocar news page

I happened to be cruising the pages of Autocars website as I regularly do to check out the latest news stories happening today (This is not an ad it’s just what I do) and rather than pressing the next page button on the website I accidentally miss clicked and pressed the last page.

Now where and when does the original Autocar news pages go, well all the way back to March 2003 on page 3425, where you’ll find out that there is a new cheaper Porsche Cayenne coming with a cheaper V6 engine and manual gearbox, thought to be due to low sales of the V8 Auto models. The price for this cheap Porsche 4×4 is just £34,350, certainly prices have increased these days as the current V6 Cayenne costs a frightening £59,150.

In other news there have been a number of ‘old shape’ BMW 5 Series spotted in the classified pages, with eagle eyed Autocar reader Dave taking advantage after he bagged a 2002 530d Sport Auto with just 1,000 miles on the clock for only £26,000. Dave could have waited 18 years and bagged himself a bargain as 2002 530d Sport Autos are available now for just £6,500, admittedly this car has slightly more miles at 130,000 but a bargain by comparison.

Also on the oldest Autocar news page is the news that the Audi A2 will be getting a faster model in Spring 2004 with a whopping 90bhp from the 1.4 litre turbo diesel three cylinder engine. Up from 75bhp the more powerful A2 is expected to be on sale for £15,000. Quite a sad reminder of the long dead A2, which has become a bit of an enthusiast’s favourite since it was killed off in August of 2005.

Car news was clearly more spread out in the early days of the internet as apparently there was no news until May, when “Honda caused a stir with its first in-house diesel engine, announcing figures for its 2.2 i-CDTI Accord that puts it straight to the top of the class.” And Hyundai revealed a convertible concept version of its well-liked Coupe.

Clearly the Autocar website has grown up a lot since the early days of the internet, becoming one of the go to resources for motoring enthusiasts around the world. Feel free to check out the early days of the site as it’s all freely available here.

What do you think of the early Autocar News cycle, let me know in the comments.

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The Mini gets a refresh

The Mini has been given a visual refresh along with a number of new technology upgrades for 2021. Mini say the new look keeps the Mini up to date with current trends and style, with added focus on the cars core design aesthetics. In other words, they changed some minor things just so they could say it was new. 

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The visual differences on the ‘new’ Mini include a new hexagonal grill with a body-coloured insert, which I feel does improve on the previous mouth agape styling of the previous model. A selection of exterior parts have been given a piano black refresh, the headlights have also been given a gloss black housing which is barely noticeable due to the DRLs and the sheer busyness of everything going on inside the small circular headlights. Most excitingly in my opinion the Mini has a new selection of 17- and 18-inch wheels to choose from, and Mini have been responsible for some of the funkier and more interesting wheel designs of the modern manufacturers.

“The new MINI design is more modern – it’s fresher, clearer,” says Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design. “All innovations follow a common mission: Purify MINI! Less complexity, more individuality”.

New technology features added to the Mini include a heated steering wheel, a new instrument cluster with a 5-inch display, new ambient lighting with 12 different colour options and a new centre digital instrument with an 8.8-inch display which allows owners to interface with a completely modernised look and feel. New safety and emissions features have also been added with lane departure warning and ACC stop and go technology, also added is an electric handbrake as an option.

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Overall this is just a facelift for the Mini, adding features customers have asked for and keeping the modern styling fresh and stylish. A completely new Mini isn’t expected till 2023 at the earliest, however that may be pushed back further depending on the effect the global pandemic has had on BMW and Mini operations both last year and for however long this whole thing goes on for.

What do you think of the Minis fresh new look, let me know in the comments?

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Renault returns to its roots for the all-electric 5

Renault has revealed its strategy for the next five years, and it starts with the reveal of the new Renault 5 prototype. Dubbed the ‘Renaulution’ programme it will see the brand evolving and embracing new technology, services and clean energy strategies. Strangely to signal this new start for the future of Renault they’ve looked to the past, in the form of the Renault 5, a nameplate discontinued since 1996 with the introduction of the Clio. Renault say the “5 prototype looks to reconnect with this past and draw inspiration to find the spirit of those glorious times without merely replicating it.”

The 5 prototype closely mirrors the original 5 with slab sides small stature and square features. The 5 is fully electric and if put into production looks to take on the likes of the Volkswagen ID3, Fiat 500e and Honda E as a fashion-conscious electric city car determined to take over the streets of London, Paris and Los Angeles. 

Rally fans are certain to identify with the rebirth of the 5 nameplate following the success of the homologation classic that was the Renault 5 Turbo, which these days can see prices as high £70,000 for clean original cars. The slightly lesser 5 GT Turbo can be found on many auctions sites these days creeping up in price as well, sometimes even reaching five figures. 

As previously stated, the new 5 is a dawn of a new generation of car for Renault, who hope to launch 14 core new models (seven electric and seven petrol/hybrid) before 2025. While not reaching the public soon, the new 5 is expected to reach showrooms as soon as 2023 and will look to replace the Electric Zoe, Renault’s current fully electric supermini. 

Renault hasn’t confirmed whether a ‘hot’ version of the new 5 will be released to bring back those memories of the 5 Turbo rally cars. But Renaults subsidiary company Alpine who have seen massive success with the A110 sports car in recent years, also has a history with the 5 nameplate and have remained quiet on returning to the super mini market although they will be coming the Formula One grid this year so who knows.

The return of the Renault 5 is a smart move by the French company, not only does the welcome return of a treasured nameplate entice the old guard of Renault fans who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and craved a 5 Turbo far more than the latest Ferrari or Porsche, it also encourages a younger generation of drivers who care little for racing pedigree, or classic looks, they care more about the fashion-conscious style of this new French supermini. Similar to the Fiat 500 I predict that every school car park will be filled with Renault 5s every posh high street, lined with the new French icon. In other words, the new Renault 5 is on track to become a hit.

Christmas gifts for Car People 2020

Well, 2020 hasn’t been the best year let’s be honest, but it’s coming to a close and we can all hope and pray that there are better things lined up for 2021. But before we get to that we get to round off 2020 with a good old fashioned Christmas holiday spectacular. Yes, we may not be with our friends and loved ones this year but that doesn’t mean we can’t send them on their way with a present that will blow their minds. Car people aren’t always the easiest to buy for as me and my family seem to find out every year, but with my help I hope you can spark a little bit of joy in your car fanatic family members Christmas day. 

1. Lego Technic Lamborghini Sian £238.99

On the pricier end of the scale, we have the Lego Lamborghini Sian, the next in a long line of big build Lego replicas that have included in the past the Bugatti Chiro, Porsche 911 in both road and race trim and last years Land Rover Defender model which was a big hit last Christmas. This Lego set is certain to excite car lovers and will definitely keep them entertained over the Christmas period due to the 3,696 pieces included, I can tell you from  experience this is no 1 day build.

2. Dirt 5 £39.99

The latest iteration of the popular Dirt racing series made by Codemasters hit shelves earlier this autumn and is available on PS4/5 Xbox One/Series X/S and PC. This exciting new entry into the series sees you building your rallying career over a number of different driving disciplines, including Rallycross, Ice racing, Rock crawling and circle track racing. Making this one the most complete entries in the series. Race around the track with mud spraying everywhere as you compete to find out who can be the fastest racer out there.

3. Car Care kit £20 – £100

There’s not been a lot to do over lockdown, with the shops closed and being forced to stay home the car has certainly been neglected. Now it’s time to give it a spruce up for the new year with a car care kit, there are a number of kits on offer from various brands including Meguiars, AutoGlym and Auto Finesse. Each has a different specialty depending on the car being cleaned, but all can guarantee a nice shiny car to bring the new year in. I recommend looking for a set that comes with at least a Shampoo, Wax and a detailer, to get the best out of your money over the Christmas period.

4. A Medium Sized Book of Boring Car Trivia Book (Sniff Petrol) £4.50

It’s surprising the random things that happen in the car world, and these are only the things that make it public. In this book Richard Porter (aka Sniff Petrol) former writer for Top Gear, brings to light some of the more unusual facts that go on in the car world. Facts that you wouldn’t especially need to know or even want to know but are sometimes funny. In this book you can hear about how in the world of Chevys the largest small block V8 is larger than the smallest big block, or how Belgium didn’t have a compulsory driving test until 1977. As I said, completely random. If this sort of random trivia is what your car enthusiast likes don’t hesitate to buy this book (I realise this isn’t the best sales pitch but it is a funny and interesting read nonetheless).

5. Bond Cars the Definitive History (Jason Barlow) £14

On the other end of the spectrum of car books we have Bond Cars the Definitive History which covers all the cars from the James Bond films, both famous and infamous. This celebration of movie history is a great read for both car fans and Bond fans alike with much of the excitement in the fantastic imagery included with the brilliant writing of Jason Barlow a must read book for sure.

6. Car Art £10 – £100

There is as much artistic inspiration in the car world as there is in the art world meaning that even the most mundane of vehicles has been specially designed to look that way for a reason that maybe only the designer knows. Which is why when cars are transformed into art they evoke many of the same emotions as they do in the metal. There are a number of different art sites you can get custom made work from for any budget, I recommend Etsy as the designs found there are second to none and you are sure to find something both you and your gift receiver will love for years to come.

7. Track Driving Experiences £50 – £500

2020 hasn’t been the best for driving, for many months we’ve been cooped up in our houses unable to feel the open road. This may be dangerous for some as the urge to squeeze that accelerator pedal that little bit harder may overcome you pushing you past the point of legality. Take that risk out of the question with a track driving experience, push the limits of speed and grip in the fastest supercars money can buy at a dedicated ace track of your choice and with an instructor making sure you are as safe as possible whilst living out your racing dreams.

8. Dashcams £50 – £250

Accidents are a fact of life, these things happen and sometimes are impossible to avoid. But to avoid all doubt invest in a dashcam, I would recommend this to anyone, not just car fans as safety while on the roads should be of prime importance. Making sure you get home safe to your loved ones or in the event of an accident, finding out who is at fault can save a lot of money. There are a range of dashcams on the market all with a variety of different options and wildly different prices. But I recommend getting one which is at least 1080p, and can record remotely as in the event of an accident you don’t want to be fiddling with buttons on your dashcam.

9. Car Show Tickets £20 – £40

If your car fanatic is anything like me one of the biggest things they’ve been missing are car shows, the magical time when we can indulge in our hobby with other enthusiasts at organised events with wonderful cars on show. Yes car shows aren’t guaranteed to start up again as soon as 2021 hits but above all else we have hope that they will be ready to go next year.

10. Hot-Wheels Cars £1.50

Hot-wheels cars are fantastic, they take us back to our youth, and let us indulge our super car fantasies all for a minute sum, and yes I am resisting the urge to say well back in my day they were only such and such pounds, now they are twice the price. But the fact is these wonderful little cars are still cheap, fun and wonderfully detailed making sure and car enthusiast is happy on Christmas Day.

The Return of the Mid-Range Sports car

The sports car has been a popular form of transport among car enthusiasts pretty much since the invention of the automobile. Drivers have always aimed to go that little bit quicker, take a corner a little bit faster and push the limits of physics and technology, this has resulted in the creation of hundreds of different brands and manufacturers trying to capture the publics enthusiasm for speed and the open road. Car enthusiasts from across the globe are drawn in by impressive power figures and new technologies to keep the car hugging the road, but often these new technologies only reach the pinnacle of machinery and have a price tag to make even the most aggressive of bankers weep. 

Manufacturers realised this thankfully and thus cut costs to make sure their cars got into the hands of the people who would enjoy them to the maximum, the enthusiasts. Back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s many manufacturers were building mid-range sports cars for the enthusiast, Toyota had the Supra, Fiat the Coupe, Nissan the Skyline and BMW the M3. Sports cars were everywhere and were incredibly popular, but all good things must come to an end and when the global recession hit the sports car was one of the casualties. Even the most fervent enthusiast couldn’t justify the extra costs that come with owning a sports car. Slowly but surely a lot of manufacturers withdrew their sports cars from production either to cut costs or due to low sales numbers. There were a few hold outs, notably BMW with the Z4, Audi with the TT and Lotus with the Evora, but sadly the sports car wasn’t a justifiable expense anymore.

As the world came out of recession the sports car slowly peaked its head above the trenches and in 2013 the Alfa Romeo 4C launched with the Jaguar F-Type coming in the same year. In 2016 Fiat came back to the sports car market with the 124 Spider and in 2019 we saw the return of one of the most popular badges among car enthusiasts, Toyota launched the Supra, which was partnered with the new BMW Z4. Now even with everything else going on in 2020, Nissan have finally re-joined the party with the new Z Proto, a prototype for the new Z car which will follow the lineage of the 240Z, 260Z, 280Z 300ZX, 350Z and 370Z. Powered by a twin turbocharged V6 Nissan say ‘the Nissan Z Proto pays full respect to 50 years of Z heritage. At the same time, it’s a thoroughly modern sports car’.

The exterior is clearly reminiscent of previous Z cars and looks to improve of the impressive handling of the latest model, the 370Z. unlike many modern cars the Z Proto retains a conventional 6-speed manual gearbox, much to the excitement of enthusiasts around the world. Sadly for us Europeans, the Z Proto isn’t planned to come to Europe as Nissan don’t believe the market is large enough for a two-door sports car but for Asia and America expect to see the new Z car as early as summer 2021. Rather than sports cars Europeans seem to prefer much more practical crossover vehicles, which is a shame. So rather than exciting new sports cars we get stuck with the Juke, yeah that seems fair.

The 2020 Off road battle USA vs UK

There are many names from automotive history that carmakers have brought back from the dead to try and gain some retro fashion cred. The VW Beetle, Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper are all examples of successful rereleases of past icons of the industry. Two new cars soon to join these modern interpretations of timeless classics are the Land Rover Defender and the Ford Bronco.

Since the Defender went out of production in 2016 Land Rover have always stated their intentions to reintroduce the car on a modern platform more suited to the world today. Emissions and safety standards had surpassed the original Defender to the point where Land Rover had no choice to go back to the drawing board and build a car to succeed in 2020. The Ford Bronco was discontinued in 1996 following a high-profile police chase involving a White Bronco and disgraced former NFL player OJ Simpson which was watched by an estimated 95 million people. While Ford never directly associated the ending of the Bronco with the chase, stating it was to introduce new models such as the Expedition and Explorer, the chase provided a lot of negative PR for the car.

The 2020 Defender retains many of the aesthetic design choices of the original including the slab-sided body, 3+3 seating arrangement and short overhangs to aid in off road excursions. However where the popularity of the original car came from its simplicity the new car features many new additions which may scare away the purists including electronic air suspension, heads-up display, and screens to provide you with all the information you need rather than the old car’s arcaic knobs and levers arrangement to help you get where you’re going. Where Land Rover seem to have made their classic off roader more complicated with new technology Ford has gone the other way, the new Bronco is clearly reminiscent of the original Bronco design from 1965 with its simple grill design not featuring a Ford badge instead using Bronco across the centre of the grill. The Bronco also has a clear focus, it wants to go off road, it comes with 35-inch-tall big knobbly tyres ideal for mud, and features locking differentials front and back to ensure grip is maintained across all four wheels when the going gets rough.

Land Rover have taken a modern approach to the interior of the new Defender with screens taking the place of the knobs and switches the Land Rover faithful will be used to. The new Defender brings back the centre front seat, a feature not seen on Land Rovers for decades and is available as a 7-seater making it practical for larger families or people with friends. The Bronco on the other hand takes a practical approach to the interior with simplicity being key, big chunky buttons and knobs are prominent to give a utilitarian feel to the car this continues with the materials used, the Bronco is available with rubberized floors with drain holes if you go slightly too off road and the seat upholstery is mildew resistant meaning it will take everything you throw at it and more.  

Like with many American cars the Bronco appears imposing and has a presence about it that the new Defender lacks. Its bright retro design differs a lot from the Defenders more muted colour pallet. The Bronco wants to stand out whereas the Defender is designed to blend in with the rest of the Land Rover range and be as suitable in the countryside as it is in the car park of a Monte Carlo hotel. There are problems with both these cars of course, due to the amount of technology in the new Defender the price has skyrocketed with a base model costing a painful £40,000 with no accessories or additions making the realistic cost of the car you want to be around the £45,000 to £50,000 mark. This especially hurts when the old Defender was known as a cheap simple go anywhere beast. The new Bronco comes in at a much more reasonable £24,000 and of course with some extras is more likely to be around £30,000. But, sorry to burst your bubble, Ford aren’t planning to sell it in the UK. Such a shame for a car that has the looks, capability and style to take whatever the UK could throw at it. 

The age-old argument Bike or Car

The roads of Britain have always been a divisive place whenever car drivers are forced to share. The unfortunate fact is we think we own the road and get increasingly agitated whenever we come up against something that doesn’t have four wheels and is a different size to what we’re driving. Be it a truck, bus or even a tank, car drivers will find a way to get annoyed at it. Most common to face the wrath of a disgruntled motorist is the motorbike who can quite often just be going about its business in a calm safe manner and yet cause drivers to have a complete meltdown by their mere presence on the road.

The war between bikers and drivers has been going on for decades both on the road and on the track, and let’s be honest there are just as many bad bikers as there are bad drivers on the roads today. Drivers don’t like the way bikers are able to split lanes and cut through traffic in a matter of minutes, or how they feel the need to speed away from traffic lights at breakneck speed. Whereas bikers hate the way drivers never give them enough space on the roads and often don’t look for them when pulling out of junctions putting both their safety and the safety of others at risk. 

The same arguments occur on the track as to who is fastest, bikers shout about their faster acceleration and ability to carry more speed into a corner due to them being able to shift their weight around on the bike providing more agility. Meanwhile drivers rave about being able to get their power down sooner out of a corner thanks to their increased grip and go on to boast about their higher horsepower figures and higher top speeds. There are hundreds of track tests on YouTube of bikes vs cars and the victories vary massively, it generally depends on the type of track and the cars and bikes used in the contest as to who wins. But overall the results work out to be roughly 50:50.

All in all there will never be a definitive answer to which is better cars or bikes because like many things in the modern world people can never agree. All I can say, as I have in many of my previous articles is that we just need to be nicer to one another both on the roads and in general. If someone is cutting through traffic on their bike let them, there is nothing you can do about it without putting yourself at risk anyway. If a car is waiting at traffic lights to pull away, don’t challenge them to a race on your big brash sports bike, first of all because you shouldn’t be racing on the public roads but mostly because you are giving other bikers a bad reputation through your horrible riding. Just be kind to one another, is that so hard.

How a car enthusiast spends their Lockdown

We’re in strange times right now being cooped up inside to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. It can be difficult to keep yourself occupied during the lockdown, especially when you’ve cleaned the entire house twice, fixed everything that’s broken and finished the DIY items that have been sitting around in the background for years. So I thought I’d just take this time to give you some ideas of how to keep yourself and the kids entertained during these seemingly unending periods of boredom, and I’ve even added some recommendations of specific things you should check out.

5. Video games

It may seem like cheating to just sit in front of the TV all day but honestly sometimes the simplest forms of entertainment are the best. Now whilst I wouldn’t recommend spending all your time playing video games, as before you know it we’ll be out of lockdown and you’ll still be trying to get a better lap time round a fictional version of Silverstone meanwhile the real one is sitting right there. But for short periods you can get your driving fix in the virtual world, be it building your dream car in Need for Speed Heat or crashing through a digital version of the Lake District in Forza Horizon 4.

Recommendations: Need for Speed Heat, Forza Horizon 4, Gran Turismo Sport

4. Board games

When you think of board games what springs to mind might be the four-hour marathon Monopoly games where in the end nobody wants to play anymore, and you’ve developed a hatred for anyone involved with the game. But there are thousands of enjoyable board games out there that don’t take and age to finish. Even for car fans, you could be racing round a cardboard version of Monaco in Formula D or even give being a railroad baron a try in Ticket to Ride there is so much more out there than just Monopoly, Cluedo or Snakes and Ladders.

Recommendations: Formula D, Ticket to Ride, Downforce

3. Virtual Car Shows

Like many Live entertainment industries it is dire times for car shows this year, many have been moved to later in the year or cancelled altogether. That hasn’t stopped some enterprising sorts from holding virtual car shows where viewers are guided around a selection of the most exquisite cars in the world all from the comfort of their sofa. There are enough shows for every sort of car enthusiast and are also available globally whereas if you were to visit a museum or show in person you would probably be limited to the UK and best of all they are free. Whether its classic and vintage cars you’re into or the latest and greatest supercars there is a show for you out there.

Recommendations: The Peterson Museum, DUB Show Worldwide, Our Classic Cars 

2. Lego/modelmaking

One of the most popular toys on the market today is Lego, it doesn’t matter if you are a child or an adult you can have an immense amount of fun with a selection of little plastic bricks (until you tread on them in the dark at 2am). One of Legos great strengths is the sheer amount of kits available from real life cars to creations only the mind of a child could think of. If you feel you are a little old for Lego (I’m not sure you exist) then you can try more intricate kits such as Airfix and Tamiya, these are more aesthetically accurate to the life size vehicles but require a lot more work and tools to build.

Recommendations: Lego Speed Champions, Lego Technic, Tamiya R/C Models

1.Car maintenance/Cleaning

An excellent way of spending your lockdown time would be making sure your car is ready for its return to working life by giving it a good mechanical going over, even an amateur can check the oil and ensure the battery is charged so the car is ready for just when you need it. Or you could take this time to learn a new skill and actually service your car yourself. Obviously this is only for those who feel skilled enough, but there are plenty of YouTube videos explaining the process to ensure you get the best results and most importantly don’t break your pride and joy. Even if you don’t want to work on your car you could make it look its best by giving it a good wash which may even keep the kids entertained for a short time at least.

Recommendations: Car Cleaning, Car Servicing

Please make sure you are staying safe and following lockdown rules.

Embrace the Electric Future

The electric car has been around for a long time now, long before the likes of the Tesla and the G-Wizz, the electric car was tested on Parisian streets long ago in 1881 by French inventor Gustave Trouvé, four years before Carl Benz would reveal the first conventional car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen. With this long history of electric vehicles, you would have thought they would have caught on quicker than they have, rather than having an explosion of popularity now that we’ve realised, we really need to do something about global warming. 

But this popularity has not been welcomed by all, many conventional fuel drivers have attempted to rebel against these new-fangled silent monsters. There are countless videos online of drivers of electric cars being harassed by large diesel trucks which cover electric cars in plumes of black smoke from there exhausts in deliberate acts known as rolling coal. All because somebody wants to do their bit and help save the planet. It doesn’t end there though, thanks to Teslas sentry mode which records the outside of the vehicle with onboard cameras there are also videos of people deliberately vandalising innocent electric cars either by keying or by throwing paint over them. Why?

These attacks on electric car drivers are not uncommon and even spreads online via social media with entire groups dedicated to tampering with and damaging charging points for electric vehicles. This is of course ignoring the disgusting violent and abhorrent comments some people leave in car enthusiast groups about many prominent figures in the green movement, even the 16-year-old environment activist Greta Thunberg is attacked for trying to save the planet.

Conventional fuelled car drivers need to accept they are using out dated technology that has been superseded by modern needs and intelligence. They are essentially driving cars which are fuelled by dinosaurs and are becoming the dinosaurs themselves. While there is still much conjecture between motoring experts as to what future fuels we will be using it is agreed that petrol and diesel will soon become a thing of the past. 

Many motoring experts (me included) don’t see electric vehicles as the future but as more of a stop gap until we find a more reliable ongoing fuel source which can provide clean energy for much longer, not requiring a charging time and has a range comparable to that of a conventionally fuelled vehicle. What I think we can all agree on however is that these cruel and heartless attacks on electric vehicle drivers and environmentalists need to stop. 

My personal view is that electric cars are the future for now, until we find a better alternative, Hydrogen powered vehicles are already on the roads and are making many of the steps needed to become the next super fuel, a fill up takes as little as five minutes, they have a range in excess of any electric car on sale today and hydrogen is much cheaper than conventional fuels. So, what is holding it back? Well infrastructure, currently there are only six hydrogen filling stations in the UK. Electric cars have a similar problem, but you can always fill up at your house with an electric car. Electric entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk will have you believe that the only car you can drive is a Tesla but this couldn’t be further from the truth. If you are currently looking for a new car I would suggest looking at an electric car, but I also see a lot of strong hybrid choices on offer as well.

End the War on the Boy Racer

The term ‘boy racer’ has been around for a long time now, it’s used to by journalists, fellow drivers and even driving instructors. The meaning behind ‘boy racers’ has grown from being a description of any young drivers, to anybody who drives a modified car, the term is now generally used in a negative context entirely. 

Why? Just because somebody has decided to change their car to suit their own personal taste and style shouldn’t mean they are persecuted against, not only by the law but other drivers. Whenever a modified car is involved in an accident the driver is automatically called a ‘boy racer’, no matter their gender, race or religion. They are automatically blamed for the incident and accused of speeding and dangerous driving by the press, despite the police determining otherwise. 

Some so called ‘boy racers’ spend thousands of pounds modifying their cars, giving them more power, better handling or even just changing the looks and yet they are attacked for their passion, when all they want to do is celebrate their love of cars. You wouldn’t call an older gentleman with a classic car a ‘boy racer’, despite the fact that they share many of the same traits. So why do we automatically assume a modified car is up to no good? Every weekend many a car meet is shut down by police even though nobody is driving dangerously, nobody is causing any trouble and nobody has committed any crimes. They have merely come together to celebrate their love of cars and to show off their creations.

The car tuning and modification industry is a multi billion pound world where anything and everything is possible. If you want a TV installed in your car, it’s done. If you want a thousand speakers in your boot, it’s done. If you want 1000bhp and flames coming out of your exhaust, it’s done. Anything is possible in the so called ‘boy racer’ world the only limit is your imagination and how deep your pockets are.

The world of modified cars is so distant and irrelevant to a normal persons world of perfectly fine and ordinary cars, that they refuse to acknowledge that anyone who drives a modified car could possible be anything like them. But modified car enthusiasts could be anyone, they have jobs, families and homes just like anybody else. The term boy racer is incredibly reductive and hurtful, not least because a significant portion of the community is female. So what should you call these people if not boy racers? Well they like to show their enthusiasm for cars with others who are also enthusiastic about cars. Maybe we could just call them car enthusiasts just like you would any other car fan, a classic car enthusiast for example. Maybe then they would show you some more respect when you meet them out on the roads.