Classic car auction in Coventry raises £1.75 million

The annual Race Retro and Classic Car Sale saw records topple with £1.75 million raised under the hammer at Stoneleigh Park in Coventry.

With classic cars, modern sports cars, motorcycles and automobilia on offer, enthusiasts flocked to the Silverstone Auctions with the sale of two cars in particular, a 1958 Tojeiro Jaguar and a 1960 Aston Martin DB4 – both of which were sold for £286,000 and £170,000 respectively.

Nick Whale, Silverstone Auction’s managing director, said: "We have worked hard on behalf of our vendors and achieved some excellent prices for both classic and competition vehicles.

"Everyone has been delighted and we are extremely proud of our achievement in our first visit to Race Retro."

Over 75 classic vehicle lots went under the hammer with experts sufficiently pleased with the number of competition cars that were sold despite the cash-strapped nature of the race car market.

Restoring and repairing competition cars can be an expensive business for racing enthusiasts. However, there are ways and means of fitting replacement car parts without breaking the bank.

Purchasing used car parts can be the way forward for many competition cars, with recycled, guaranteed parts that are usually significantly cheaper than parts you would expect to purchase straight from a car manufacturer or dealership.

Invariably most drivers of competition cars will know their way under a car bonnet, so recycled car parts may be an equally efficient way of breathing new life into a vehicle.

For those who require a replacement car part with urgency, at ASM Auto Recycling we can provide our customers with a same day/next day parts delivery service. Our used car parts are distributed locally using our own fleet of delivery vans and nationally via reliable courier service.

Concept of 'Woonerfs' gaining support in the UK for road safety

An effective traffic-calming measure used in the streets of Amsterdam could soon be championed in the UK in a bid to improve road safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

The 'woonerf' initiated by the Dutch government to drastically cut traffic speeds and therefore reduce road accidents provides a "friendly" area where drivers, cyclists and pedestrians have equal use of the roadspace.

Now this may seem like a particularly scary concept to many, however drivers are forced to drive at walking pace at speeds typically below 12mph. These principles have been applied nationwide and are therefore recognised by all road users across the Netherlands.

There is little wonder that the initiative has caught the eye of many in the UK, with road accidents in Holland’s ‘woonerfs’ falling by as much as 40 per cent.

In a recent survey by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), 58 per cent of the 4,000 people surveyed believed motorists should be held legally responsible for any accidents involving vehicles and vulnerable road users in pedestrian-worthy areas, sparking calls for motoring experts at a professional level to give the system serious consideration.

Jenny Jones, London’s mayoral Green Party candidate and the London Assembly Planning and Housing chairman, said: "I visited Amsterdam and was impressed. We need woonerfs rolled out across the UK.

"As the cost of fuel rises we are seeing more support, more smaller cities and towns willing to try it, in addition to towns that have already introduced 20mph zones."

Despite enforced 20mph zones across the UK many road accidents are still caused due to erratic and over-confident driving. If your car has been involved in an accident and requires replacement car parts to get back on the road then have you considered used car parts?

At ASM Auto Recycling as part of our car recycling service we supply used car parts for almost any vehicle, with capability to deliver the parts to anywhere in the world. For drivers of second-hand vehicles, guaranteed recycled car parts could be a cost-effective alternative to purchasing a brand new item straight from a garage.

Famous classic cars head to auction in Paris

A host of lavish classic cars, including a collection owned by the rich and famous, went to auction at the Artcurial Motorcars event in Paris this month.

One of the most spectacular classic cars at the event was the Ferrari 250 GT California, formerly owned by French screenwriter and former husband of Brigitte Bardot, Roger Vadim.

The California was sold with its original hard top and covered headlights and was expected to go under the hammer for as much as four million euros.

Another stunning Ferrari F40 owned by former Formula 1 racing driver Nigel Mansell, was also expected to sell for up to 400,000 euros.

One of the most intriguing classic cars on sale at the Paris Retromobile show is the 1913 Delaunay Belleville 81 Type 0.6, owned by the same family since 1918. The owners were forced to take apart and hide the vehicle throughout the Second World War.

Amazingly the parts were only retrieved back in 1984 and consequently it was almost certain to court attention at auction.

Restoring classic cars can be an enjoyable task for motoring enthusiasts. However, finding suitable car parts at realistic prices can prove a challenge. Recycled car parts often prove a hit with those who know their way around a second hand or classic car.

The beauty of used car parts is that they are cleaned, tested and guaranteed for road use, giving vehicle owners peace of mind when fitting used engines or any other type of car part.

Not only that, they are considerably cheaper than brand new parts purchased from a dealership or straight from the manufacturer – keeping more money in your back pocket.

Hydroelectric vehicles ‘increasingly recognised’ as a viable future motoring option

There is evidence to suggest the UK government is putting its weight behind the future of hydrogen-powered cars as a viable motoring reality.

The government has teamed up with a number of major companies involved in alternative fuels to drive a new project, UKH2Mobility.

The project is set to receive £400 million in funding from the government – a figure that is expected to be matched by investment and hours from some of the leading utilities, gas and car manufacturing companies.

UKH2Mobility is expected to draw expertise from partners such as Toyota, Vauxhall, Nissan and Diamler in terms of technology sharing. Meanwhile industrial gas experts, Air Products and Air Liquide, along with Scottish and Southern energy, will also be contributing to the scheme.

Minister of Business, Mark Prisk believes the success of this project could enable the UK to set itself up as a global leader in manufacturing cars powered by hydrogen cells.

"Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are increasingly being recognised as one of the viable options as we move to a lower carbon motoring future," he said.

"They are highly efficient, can be fuelled in minutes, travel an equivalent range to a conventional combustion engine, and have zero tail-pipe emissions."

According to Henri Winand, chief executive of Intelligent Energy, the technology is already there to make hydrogen-powered cars a reality.

He said: "We now need to look at how we can make these elements, together with the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, work most effectively to enable the UK to take full advantage of hydrogen as a transport fuel, stimulating inward investment, GDP growth and securing and creating new jobs."

Adopting safe technologies to our nation’s roads is important to look after the wider environment. Vehicle de-pollution is an increasingly pertinent process to achieve required levels of materials recycling and recovery as stipulated by the ELV Directive - especially if you're beginning to ask questions such as "how would you scrap my car?"

Consequently, at ASM Auto Recycling we have invested over £2,500,000 to ensure our sites meet all requirements to minimise the risk of pollution to the environment with recycled car parts and efficient vehicle dismantling.

Reversing costing drivers up to £409 million each year

A recent study has shown that the act of reversing vehicles hits motorists hard to the tune of £409 million each year.

The research conducted by Accident Exchange revealed that not only is reversing uneconomical, around 200,000 reversing accidents also occur each year – a staggering equivalent of 500 reversing accidents every single day.

The vehicle accident specialists also noted that the average repair costs for a reversing accident amounted to £2,123. Reversing accidents are said to amount to around 8 per cent of the total vehicle accidents in the UK.

Almost 2.5 million car accidents occurred in 2010 and data from the Department of Transportation (DfT) found that 38 per cent of these accidents were recorded as a result of a failure to check the whereabouts of the other vehicle involved.

The increase of reversing accidents has been blamed on increasing congestion as well as an over-reliance on modern technology such as parking and reversing cameras. Our blog piece earlier this month revealed how out-of-date satnavs cause accidents and confusion for motorists and lorry drivers.

If you have a damage-repairable vehicle as a result of a car accident and you don’t want to pay a premium to restore your car to roadworthy condition, why not try our extensive used car parts department at ASM Auto Recycling.

If you know your way around a car bonnet and are capable of repairing your own car you will see used car parts as a cost-effective solution, particularly if you own a low-value second-hand vehicle.

Many of our recycled car parts are also available on a same day/next day parts delivery service, meaning we can come to your aid if your car fails you at short notice.