Welcome once again to Fast News Friday. Whilst it seems strange to be concerned with the health of the auto industry in the middle of a global pandemic, it is uplifting to learn that many car makers are rallying to help those in need. We’ve also found one of the coolest post-apocalyptic movie cars ever made – driven by none other than Mad Max himself – which is currently offered for sale.
What can we learn from the Chinese car industry?
As more and more car makers stop production in the UK as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, the outlook for the industry and its thousands of employees, looks increasingly somber. However, in this brilliantly written article by Autocar, author Jim Holder looks to the Chinese car industry and how it adapted in the face of such unforeseeable adversity. With so much negative news circulating right now, we applaud Holder’s conclusion and join him in looking forward to the UK car industry recovering swiftly and effectively.
Fiat and Ferrari asked to join race to produce ventilators
In the midst of Italy’s worsening situation surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic, an Italian firm, Siare Engineering has turned to the country’s leading automaker Ferrari and Fiat to consider producing more of the live-saving hospital ventilators that are desperately needed to save lives. “We’re talking to Fiat Chrysler, Ferrari and Marelli to try to understand if they can lend us a hand in this process for the electronics part,” Gianluca Preziosa, Siare’s chief executive said in an interview this week. Automakers worldwide are being asked to step up to ventilator production. In addition to Ford and GM making plans with the U.S. government; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reached out to Ford, Honda and Rolls-Royce.
What better car for the apocalypse?
Calling all Mad Max fans! This has to be one of the coolest and most genuine movie cars ever made, and in the current semi-apocalyptic climate, is especially interesting. Based on a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT, this is the actual V8 Pursuit Special used in filming of Mad Max and the 1981 sequel. The all-black muscle car comes complete with 351-cubic inch (5.8-litre) V8 engine and huge supercharger – perfect for high speed shopping trips for one more pack of toilet roll!
In-car infotainment screens as bad as cannabis for drivers
According to a study published by the the UK’s leading road safety charity IAM Roadsmart, in-car infotainment systems have been proven to distract drivers, which in turn causes accidents. In fact, the study – no doubt in search of a more attention-grabbing headline – went one further to state that in-car infotainment systems are as detrimental to a driver’s reaction times as cannabis and alcohol. This news article on the subject by Visordown obviously takes a motorcyclist’s viewpoint; that huge in-car TV-sized touchscreen devices do more harm than good. Do you agree?
‘I just don’t get roofless collectables’
In Richard Meaden’s latest column for Evo magazine, the respected auto journalist and racing driver delivers his disdain for the roofless collectable genre of supercar – cars such as the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2, the Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss and the recently revealed, unashamedly beautiful Aston Martin Speedster. Whilst we can’t say we share his bitterness for brands exercising their right to express themselves, we do share his views on how sad it is that cars like this often don’t see the light of day, let alone the open road.