London taxis head for Poland; Castrol get a kick out of soccer sponsorship; VW diesels go racing and triumph in Dakar; and a gruelling route for the London to Capetown Rally.
London Taxi Image:LTI |
The famous London Taxi, know in the UK's Capital as a 'black cab', is set to make a debut in another capital city. Manufacturers London Taxi International's (LTI) international division, The London Taxi Company, will be supplying the iconic vehicles to Warsaw under the promotion of Poland's Dufort London Taxis. The first vehicle appeared on the streets on 26 January this year.
The taxis are likely to be in regular use by the time of the Euro 2012 soccer tournament. The event will be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine and has now gained the support of Castrol - already major sponsors of this year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The Euro deal will include the use of the Castrol Index technology, which allows analysis and comparison of every player during the competition.
Perhaps more bizarrely the organisation's passion for soccer has also taken a mechanical direction with Castrol unveiling a football kicking machine which will feature at World Cup events. Built by Castrol Japan, pity any goalkeeper willing to try and stop a ball blasted by the machine at over 125mph (201kph).
For an equally radical, but more elegant, road machine, look no further than designer Lee Noble, whose new Fenix is set to turn heads. Its radical design is mated to a choice of two GM V8 engines and state-of-the-art Graziano transmission. Despite its potential 200mph (322kph) top speed and awesome acceleration, the price tag from Fenix Automotive is set at £75,000 ($120,000) - less than most supercars offering the same performance.
In the UK, Volkswagen have decided to add a twist to its Fuchs-sponsored Volkswagen Racing Cup by adding a 2.0 litre, 260 PS diesel Caddy TDI van to the car-based grid. To add extra entertainment, the van will driven by the company's s Director of Commercial Vehicles, Simon Elliott. At least if the usually reliable van happens to breakdown, help should be easily at hand - the team will be sponsored by motoring services and roadside rescue organisation the RAC.
Sainz on his way to victory in Dakar Image:VW |
Volkswagen are already celebrating motorsport success this year, after a 1-2-3 victory on the gruelling Dakar Rally. Again using diesel technology, this time in race-prepared Touareg prototypes, the VW team was led home by former World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz and co-driver Lucas Cruz. His victory over teammates Nasser Al-Attiya/Timo Gottschalk and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford was only sealed on the very last stage of the 14-day event by a matter of 2 minutes 12 seconds.
Classic rally cars are set to be in action on an equally gruelling event with news that the route for the London to Capetown endurance rally has been finalised. Organised by veteran rally campaigner, Philip Young, the rally is for classic cars and plans are for the event to cross the Sahara Desert, travel through Western Africa, across the River Congo and through Angola. The event will start on New Year's Eve, 2010 from London's Houses of Parliament.