Come on VW, bring the beach buggy back

TRUE to tradition the best of a bunch of new baby Volkswagens is in fact a Skoda.

Germany's giant of the car industry spent ages teasing us with the up! - which for the sake of keeping our grammar school pedants happy I'm going to immediately rename Up - which finally kills off the firm's unloved Fox in favour of a proper, cleverly thought out city car contender. Five minutes later Skoda (a Volkswagen-owned company, don't forget) launched a startingly similar car called the Citigo, which I'll bet my shoes will be every bit as good as the Veedub but quite a bit cheaper. Shot, self, foot and so on.

What grabbed my attention though was an Up which probably won't be arriving in your nearest showroom any time soon, called the Buggy Up. In a nutshell, it is a bright orange beach buggy, and beach buggies are very cool. During last week's unseasonably warm weather I'd have loved to have one in the garage.

Think about it; in an instant VW's moved the Up from its natural habitat of Liverpool city centre on a grey Monday morning to some sun-kissed boulevard in California which probably only exists in the heads of marketing men and Beach Boys fans. I've always had a soft spot for them because they are in essence convertibles with added convertible-ness and rugged styling, which is why I think the beach buggies based on the old VW Beetle sold as well as they did in the Sixties.

Sure, I appreciate that in Britain you'll look stupid if you turn up to business meetings in Burscough in a bright orange beach buggy, soaked because it's raining yet again, but VW would daft not to at least try selling it to the Americans.

Then again, some enterprising Skoda employees would probably launch their own version five minutes later. Shot, self, foot...

Mini run to Blackpool

FOR the second time in the space of week I've ended up in Blackpool on a classic car run, although the classic car in question couldn't be more different.

Last night I ended up on the seafront in my trusty old Mini on a run through the world famous Blackpool Illuminations, as part of an event organised by Mini Southport and Ormskirk District:



The Blackpool Illuminations, which take place in the Lancashire seaside resort every autumn, are a popular run for north west classic car clubs, including Mini Southport and Ormskirk District.


Have you got an event you'd like Life On Cars to cover? Get in touch by calling 07581 343476 or send an email to david.simister@champnews.com

TVR: Blackpool's tower of sports car strength

THE FORD Capri enthusiast gave the strangely styled creation a slightly quizzical look. "Why would you want to buy one those fibreglass bubbles?"

I was over in Blackpool last weekend covering a Ford Capri gathering for Life On Cars, and one owner I was chatting to seemed genuinely bemused when the one car that town can call its own suddenly thundered onto the seafront. The fibreglass bubble in question was a TVR and I struggled not to defend its honour. I challenge anyone with even the vaguest interest in cars not to love Blackpool's very own sports car.

The thing with TVR is that their products aren't really created in any conventional car industry sense, so I doubt any visiting bigwigs from BMW or Lexus would have been very impressed with the ramshackle sheds it called its factory. Certainly, I can think of no other car which was partly styled by the MD's dog, which after getting a bit peckish, bit a chunk out of the clay styling model for the Chimaera. This being TVR, the MD was pleased by his pooch's efforts and included the bite marks on the production model. That's part of the reason why TVRs are packed full of meaty goodness.

TVR was a slightly bonkers company, which as a treat for my 13th birthday I actually got given the chance to witness first hand on a tour of the Blackpool factory. The Griffith, Chimaera and Cerbera, I discovered, were crafted by hand out of plastic by chaps who'd then equip them with enormously powerful V8 engines, but no traction control, ABS, airbags or door handles. Nor did they think a car should be painted just one colour - as the iridescent and slightly mad TVR Tuscan proved - or have interiors that followed even the vaguest of logic. The styling was best described as surreal. This, I imagined, was how all cars in the future would look.

Unfortunately I'm now a fully grown boy and the cars of the future don't look like TVRs at all. In fact, TVR went bust four years ago just as something called the Credit Crunch happened and the queue of people who wanted to spend £50,000 on a plastic sports car with Star Wars styling dried up. In these recession-ravaged times, new car buyers simply don't want something that's been styled by someone's dog.

After the Capri show had finished, I went back to the old Bristol Avenue factory - the same site I'd toured as a spotty 13-year-old - and was heartbroken by what I saw. Behind the empty building was a yard full of moulds used to make the old TVR models and a Cerbera coupe the company hadn't quite finished, and they were being left outside to rot away, untouched and unappreciated. It was of the saddest sights I've ever seen.

So to conclude TVRs are badly built out of plastic, styled with canine assistance and completely irrelevant to any car that's gone before or since. Which is why, after all these years, I still want one.

Ford Capri Blackpool 2011 show

FANS of the Ford Capri were in for a treat today when dozens of examples headed to Blackpool for a special celebration along the resort's seafront.




Members of Capri owners' clubs from across the north west brought their examples along, with a special section dedicated this year to the Brooklands 280 special edition, which is celebrating its 25th birthday.






The event was also given an unusual feel when enthusiasts of a rather different classic vehicle - Lambretta scooters from the 1960s - took an interest in the Capris, and pulled over on their machines to have a look at the fast Fords!


Have you got an event you'd like Life On Cars to cover? Get in touch by calling 07581 343476 or send an email to david.simister@champnews.com

New Jensen Interceptor set for 2014 debut

THE biggest British sports car company you've never heard of is set to bring the iconic Jensen Interceptor back to life.

You might not be familiar with Coventry-based CPP Global Holdings but it's already linked to some of motoring's best known names and is now vowing to reinvent the Sixties supercar for the 21st century.

Brendan O’Toole, founder and co-owner of CPP, said:

"I started my career by restoring bodies and components for classic British sports cars, so for CPP to take the lead role in reviving this iconic brand is very exciting for the business, and for me personally.

"The Jensen design team has respected and honoured the great heritage and attributes of the original Interceptor, while injecting a contemporary edge and advanced technologies that will ensure it appeals to the passionate, discerning motoring enthusiast of today."

CPP might not be immediately familiar to most car enthusiasts but the brands it owns - off-roader specialists Bowler and Dutch supercar makers Spyker - will be, while the Browns Lane factory the firm operates on was for years synonymous with Jaguar as that company's main production site.

Rich car enthusiasts can get their name down for the new Interceptor, expected to arrive in 2014, by going to www.jensensportscars.com

Fire up the... BMW 640i Cabriolet

IT'S probably better to think of this, one of BMW's biggest offerings, as not really being a car in the conventional sense at all.

The problem with testing plush cabriolets that aren't trying to be sports cars is that people only end up interested in one of its many impressive figures; the price.

So let's get it out of the way so you don't have to read right to the end before you
discover you can't afford it. It's £65,695.

That makes the 640Ci Cabriolet not only significantly more expensive than, say, a similarly-specced 5 Series salooon, but also £15k pricier than the Infiniti cabriolet Life On Cars will be testing in the next few weeks. Thinking about it logically in a recession-ravaged world, this Bavarian bruiser makes no sense at all.

But, believe it or not, there are plenty of people in the north west with the funds to spend their sunny afternoons cruising along the Southport Riviera, so to get into the 6-Series mindset you have to think of it as being like a land-going motor yacht.

It was also - until Infiniti's G37 arrived on these shores - just about the only luxury car which could four fully-sized adults in al fresco comfort, so it's definitely got an appeal if you're a (rich) family man. The question is whether it's worth the premium to have the blue and white propellor badge on your bonnet.

The BMW's unusual now among open tops in that its roof's still made from old fashioned canvas rather than folding metal panels, but don't let that put you off because it's one of the slickest in the business, folding away faster than the Infiniti's hard top and taking up less of the boot space. It's only at very high speeds you'll notice the difference.

From behind the wheel the BMW's a creamy, luxurious affair, cruising effortlessly, although I found the Japanese upstart slightly sharper and more fun to drive. Both though, are aimed more at offering comfort in spades both in the front and rear, and it's in the sumptuousness and space of the interior where the Beemer really excels.

The other ace up the BMW's sleeve, of course, is its depreciation; because unlike the Infiniti it's a long-established brand in the UK with plenty of cachet and street cred. That means more people are likely to want a secondhand BMW, and means you're more likely to see more of your money back when you come to sell it.

If you go for the Infiniti you'll be far from dissapointed - and £15,000 better off - but if money really isn't any object this BMW's going to prove hard to beat.

Blackpool birthday bash for the iconic Ford Capri Brooklands

IT'S as old as me but looks and goes rather better.

Yep, the ultimate Ford Capri - the incredibly rare and sought after Brooklands 280 - is approaching its 25th birthday, and to celebrate connoisseurs of the cult coupe are heading to Blackpool this Sunday (September 25).

The event fires up at the Middle Walk on Blackpool's seafront from 10.30am, where there'll be two displays - one for the regular coupes, and another just for the Brooklands, the 160bhp, 2.8 litre special edition which saw out Capri production back in 1986.


Life On Cars will be there. Will you?

World's Most Dangerous Roads is the best bit of motoring TV in ages

CONSIDERING I'M both a car nut and a self-confessed couch potato I find most motoring telly a bit hard to chew.

I've written about Top Gear before, which is by far my favourite car show but even I admit strays from being serious silly, often in the space of a single episode. Then there's the generic rubbish - usually on ITV or BBC Four - which are all directed by someone who deems that all motoring programmes must feature Driving In My Car at least once. It's Madness. Literally.

In fact, since the original Top Gear and the delightfully innovative Channel Four show Driven went west there's been surprisingly little to get revved up about. So I'm surprised that an all-too-short series that's just finished on BBC Two had me hooked.

World's Most Dangerous Roads sounds like the sort of horridly dull show you'd find lingering in the Discovery Turbo schedules but don't let the title put you off, because it's one of the best bits of Sunday night TV I've seen in a long time. The recipe's simple but suprisingly simple; get two go-getting celebs, send them to somewhere remote with a poor road safety record, stick them in a 4x4 and dial the tension up to 11. Well researched, packed with suspense and superbly produced, I reckon it's one of the best things the Beeb's done all year.

Admittedly, the sight of 'slebs swearing at a battered Nissan Patrol was always going to appeal to me but what's surprised me is how many non-petrolheads I know were watching it too, simply because it was a truly tense bit of television. By far the best bit was watching Hugh Dennis and Ben Fogle threading their Toyota Tundra along the narrowest of Peruvian mountain passes, crawling just inches from certain death as knackered trucks thundered past the other way.

If you liked that Top Gear special in Jeremy Clarkson had a similar near miss in Bolivia, you'll love World's Most Dangerous Roads.

It's just a shame that last Sunday's episode was the last of just three episodes, because this series was one that definitely deserved a longer run.

My advice? Catch it on iPlayer while you still can.

Driving delight in Dolgellau

THE line of vintage lorries taking on one of Snowdonia's steepest mountain passes were putting my own efforts to shame.

I honestly thought, with the Rover's engine note rising from its usual simmer to an urgent third gear hum, that I was doing well. The A470 just south of Bleanau Ffestiniog is a bit of a desolate place at the best of times, packed with challenging corners and tricky inclines, and I summised that I done rather well there on what was a wet, cold and windy morning in the wilds of Wales.

Then I saw the parade of ERFs, Scammels and Cammells chugging faithfully up the other side (albeit rather more slowly, and presumably on their way to a show somewhere). The same road that broken me into a sweat was no problem at all for lorries older than my parents. Still, that was the only downside of two days of being let loose on the wonderful, empty roads of one of my favourite parts of the world.

I love driving in Wales for all sorts of reasons. There is, for example, the cerebral joy of pulling up in places with names like Cwmllecoediog, and the frustration of trying to pronounce them properly. Then there's the food, the drinks and the people you come across on your travels, all of which are second to none. But best of all are the miles and miles of empty roads which wind their way across some of Britain's most rugged scenery. Some of the best ones, like the famed Evo Triangle, are little pieces of petrolhead heaven less than two hours from Liverpool and Manchester.


Usually, I'd head towards the Horseshoe and Llanberis Passes but this time a journalistic assignment in Dolgellau gave me the chance to discover some equally cracking driving further south than I'd usual venture, but it's well worth a try. If you ever find yourself in Dolgellau with a couple of hours to kill, enough money to pay for 100 miles of motoring and even a vaguely nice car then I can happily reccomend the following; the A487 to Aberystwyth, A44 as far as Llanidloes, the backroads past the beautiful Llyn Clywedog reservoir, hit the A470 at Llanbrynmair and then blast yourself over the mountains back to your starting point.

View Larger Map

It's hard work, but you'll love it. I just wish I could drive roads like these more often...

David Simister's review of his destination in Dolgellau - the charming Cross Foxes hotel - will appear in the next issue of GR8Life Magazine.

Citroen Tubik: Why a shiny French box is my Frankfurt favourite

IS IT the blemish free autobahns or the stream of Porsches which pound limitlessly along them? Whatever it is, you only need look at their latest motorshow to know the Germans don't do things by halves.

Considering it's one of of the world's biggest automotive events I've never really wanted to visit the Frankfurt Motorshow, unless I was doing it as a sponsored walk for charity. Better journalists than I take pedometers with them on this traditionally expansive event, and can clock anything up to 20 miles to catch up with the latest cars. Even looking through the manufacturers' news releases, hundreds of miles away in the comfort of The Champion office, hurts my head because of the sheer number of new models and announcements involved.

Jaguar's C-X16 is obviously the star of the show, or is it? Is it the new Land Rover Life On Cars featured not long ago? Or Volkswagen's Up? Or Honda's new Civic? Or one of no less three new fast Fords? Or Porsche's latest 911? Or a new Maserati off-roader I'd forgotten about until I started typing this paragraph? These are just the tip of an enormous automotive iceberg. There were, at the last count, more than 500 images of motoring metal to sift through.

I do, amongst all that, think I've found an unlikely star of this year's show, in the form of Citroen's Tubik. Lots of boring people have told me that a car is just a big shiny box but this Citroen literally is; angular to the point of being avantgarde, blessed with the same basic proportions as a cupboard and covered in what it appears to be tinfoil. But that's exactly what you get with an Airstream trailer, which is age-defyingly cool. So, I reckon, is the big, boxy French star.

If you've made it this far into the column with getting bored I think I can get away with telling you it is in fact a homage to the H-Van, the Citroen cargo carrier which spent decades as the staple transport of every small business from Calais to Cannes. It's this square-rigged star of its motoring past that Citroen's toying with reinventing, and even though it's still in the concept stages I'd love to see them come up with a production version, which the company reckons could carry nine in comfort. Try that with your Ford Galaxy.

So my highlight of what's a proudly German event is a shiny box created by the French. How very European of me.

Fire up the... Lexus CT-200h

IN the weird and wonderful world of car badges, every letter comes with its own connotations.

D, for instance, will forever stand for diesel, while I - usually preceded by G and T - denotes fuel injection. Yet if you're in the market for Lexus' first hatchback, it's H, writ in the tiniest of fonts on the rump of the new CT200h, that you're going to be interested in.

H stands for Hybrid, the eco-friendly blend of petrol and electric power that Lexus and parent firm Toyota have made their own over the years. Indeed, step into the new arrival from the Toyota Prius Life On Cars tested earlier this year and you'll find yourself in very familiar territory.

The clever computer displays you use to find out how much of the Earth you're saving while driving, for instance, are almost identical to the ones you'll find in the Prius, and that car's party trick - seeing how long you can drive on electricity alone - has made it into its upmarket cousin. Make no mistake; like the Prius, the CT-200h comes stuffed with intelligent thinking.

But don't let that fool you into thinking this is a Prius in drag, because it's far from it. The challenging Prius styling has been ditched by the CT-200h for a far more sober set of clothes, and once you've removed the distinctive D-pillar it is, if anything, a bit of a background blender. For better or worse, it looks like a Lexus.

It's the same story on the inside, with a cabin that's cosseting and comfortably laid out rather than rakish and idiosyncratic. Passengers front and rear will find it easy to get comfortable but children in the back might find the CT tricker than most to see out of, with that unusual window shape meaning they have to crane their necks forward to get a better view.

In fact the real departure for Lexus is the way their smallest offering brings front wheel drive to the firm's showrooms for the first time, but don't let that put you off. Smooth, reassuring and a true motorway mile muncher, you won't regret being behind the wheel if you found BMW's 1 Series or Audi's A3 a little harsh for your liking.

The CT-200h isn't the last word in excitement but it gives you effortless comfort with an eco twist. Business as usual for Lexus, then.

Frankfurt Motorshow 2011: A Life On Cars guide

TWO of the show's biggest stars come in the form of Jaguar's 380bhp C-X16 sports car, likely to go into production next year, and the Citroen Tubik concept, which has more than a hint of the iconic H-Van in its proportions.


BOTH SsangYong, with the XIV-1, and Subaru, with the XV, are hoping to attract attention at Frankfurt with boldly-styled takes on the familiar five door hatchback formula.


PEUGEOT have not one but two new offerings at the show, in the form of the wedgy HX1 concept car and the eco friendly RXH version of its well-received 508 range.



MILLIONAIRES were well catered for with this trio of new arrivals, in the form of the latest in a long line of Porsche 911 Carrera models, the Spyder version of Ferrari's spine-tingling 458 and Bentley's open-top Continental GTC.


HYUNDAI and Toyota both have plenty to shout about at this year's show, with the former offering up its new i30 range and the latter a plug-in electrion version of its Prius hybrid car.


VOLKSWAGEN offered up two very different takes on what a small car should be, with its outlandish NILS concept car - complete with gullwing doors - and the production version of its Up! supermini.


CHEVROLET is bringing its Malibu saloon, a popular value model in the States, to Europe for the first time, while Skoda is going after the growing Russian and Chinese markets with the MissionL saloon.


LAND ROVER offered its first glimpse in 28 years of what a replacement for the iconic Defender might look like, while Ford's Evos gives more than a hint as to what form a modern day Capri might follow.


BMW's stand will see the launch of a completely new sub-range, with two fully electric models, the i3 hatchback and the i8 coupe, in a bid to boost the German firm's eco credentials.


Rival firm Audi though, is hot on their heels with two new arrivals of its own, with a revival of the A2 supermini and the latest S8 supersaloon fighting for your attention.


Meanwhile two hatchbacks which have been well received in the UK have just been given a reboot, in the shape of a new Fiat Panda, and the second generation of the Suzuki Swift Sport, a Life On Cars favourite.


The 2011 Frankfurt Motorshow starts tomorrow (September 13) and takes place until September 25.

Guess the engine

AS discovered lying around on my dad's back lawn earlier today.

In the best traditions of Rolf Harris, can you guess what it is yet?

Normal Life On Cars service will resume tomorrow with a guide to this year's Frankfurt Motorshow...

Fire up the... Citroen DS3 Racing

THE chap from Citroen's press department, it turns out, was right. Step from a Citroen DS3 into this and you realise it's a completely different beast.

Not that this is necessarily a good thing. Last year I drove two different versions of the company's then new luxury hatch - the petrol and the diesel - and concluded it was a corker. Good looking, fun to drive and frugal to boot, the DS3 was one of the best drives of 2010, feeling like a true hot hatch without the added engineering weaponry. Of the all the cars I clambered into last year, this was one of my favourites.

Making something markedly different, like this range-topping DS3 Racing, runs the risk of diluting the original's appeal in the pursuit of going faster, harder and noiser than before. It is, without doubt, much lairier in the styling department, with plenty in the way of yoof-pleasing go faster stripes and multispoke alloy wheels. Then again, this is the spiritual successor to hot hatch icons like the AX GT and the Saxo VTS.

But where they were all about keeping things lightweight and the simple, the Racing's a much more luxurious affair. You'll love the leather bucket seats, for instance, which not only look the part but also keep you comfortable whether you're cruising along the motorway or - more likely - coursing down the country lanes. The quality of the materials and switchgear, apart from the “RACING” motifs, is also good news for drivers of the normal DS3, because the cabin's a refreshing and solid sort of place to be.

Not that you'll spend much time looking at it, because out on the road the £23,000 Racing's revvy 1.6 turbo engine is forever recommending you give it the beans. Plant your foot down and its whiff of torque steer will catch out the unwary driver, but learn how well it goes and handles and you quickly appreciate it for what it is; a very, very quick and capable car.

Loud, lairy and a little bit scary, the DS3 Racing might be better trimmed than some of its ancestors but it shows Citroen can still come up with a cracking hot hatch when they want to. It might not be to everyone's taste but it's seriously good fun.

So the Citroen DS3 Racing is completely different from its slower siblings, but it's also better.

Ormskirk MotorFest "should happen again", says council

THE sight of Ferraris and Formula 1 racing cars roaring around Ormskirk's streets could happen again after the local council hailed Ormskirk's MotorFest as a boost to the region.

The local authority said the MotorFest attracted around 10,000 visitors to Ormskirk town centre and Coronation Park on Sunday, August 28, and said that it was looking at the possibility of holding a similar event.

Councillor Ian Grant, leader of West Lancashire Borough Council, said: "This was a fantastic event which really put Ormskirk - and the whole of West Lancashire - on the map. Not only did it attract thousands of visitors into the town during a bank holiday weekend, but it proved a bonus for local businesses, who had a real boost to their trade.

"It was a great day out for people of all ages and the council is incredibly proud to have supported it and look forward to the possibility of another similar event in the future."

The event, which was free to attend, saw more than 230 cars ranging from a 1915 Model T Ford to a Ferrari Enzo formerly owned by Rod Stewart taking part, with the highlight of the event being the closure of the town's one-way system to allow a series of parades along the streets of the market town.

The event, organised by Aintree Circuit Club with the backing of the borough council, had been billed as a one-off event, but entrants, visitors and West Lancashire councillors have overwhelmingly told The Champion they would like to see the event happening again, including some who feel it should become an annual event.

John Bailie, MotorFest co-ordinator, said: "This was a real demonstration of civic pride at a local level. With the support of West Lancashire Borough Council and the superb co-operation of the police and involvement of local businesses, we were able to put on an access-all-areas event which might normally be expected to take place at a conventional motorsport venue or the grounds of a stately home...we did it on the streets of a vibrant Lancashire market town.

“The feedback we are receiving from participants and spectators is very positive, and it seems that we've hit on a formula that works. The aim was to bring all aspects of motor sport and motoring literally to the man in the street, and it proved most effective. Over 90% of the participants were from Lancashire.”

In the third and final Life On Cars video from the event, enjoy these stunning images Champion photographer Martyn Snape took on the day. See if you can spot your pride and joy...

Did you participate in the MotorFest? Aintree Circuit Club is inviting any drivers, riders or event marshals/stewards to join them at an informal evening next Tuesday (September 13) looking back at the success of the event, which will see the club showing videos from YouTube and photos from Flickr on a big screen for all to see.

The evening starts at the club usual meeting venue at 8.00pm in the newly refurbished Aintree Suite at The Park Hotel, Dunningsbridge Road, Netherton. For more information visit www.aintree.org.uk

Video: SMMT North test drive day 2011

Champion motoring correspondent and Life On Cars writer David Simister has travelled to Wetherby to try out some of this autumn's new motoring arrivals:

Full road tests of all the cars David drove will appear on both Life On Cars and in The Champion in the coming weeks.

For better, for worse?

CAN a car be better and worse than its rivals at the same time?

That's the question that's been troubling me all the way back from Wetherby, North Yorkshire, where I've just been on one of the SMMT's test driving days. Thanks to having the A1(M), some sweeping A-roads and lots of twisty little country lanes just a stone's throw away, it's the perfect place to put some new motors through their paces and come to some contrived conclusions.

Last year it was the revelation that I'd rather have Suzuki's stonkingly good Swift over the rapid Lexus IS-F that got me, but this year it's Jeep's new Grand Cherokee, the big 4X4 bruiser you see pictured above. It is - and bear with me on this one - better than one of its key rivals despite being a bit worse.

I know this because I took it for a spin just after being let loose in BMW's X3, which aside from the £40,000 pricetag is annoyingly brilliant. Its 3.0 litre diesel quietly offers up all the punch you'd ever ask for, it's beautifully built, takes corners amazingly well for something so high-rise and even looks better than its slightly awkward predecessor. If you're in the market for a £40k off-roader, you really can't do much better.


But....but..... I'd rather have the Grand Cherokee, a car which - despite also having a 3.0 litre diesel unit - is thirstier, more roly-poly around the roundabouts and slower on the straights. Quantatively speaking it's not as good as the £5k cheaper X3, but it's the car I'd rather have because it has an indefinable X factor to it, a certain shine that makes it feel special.

I'll put it to you this way; on the X3's centre console is the circular silver switch which gives you access to BMW's iDrive system, which is a thing of technological beauty. Glance at the same space in the big Jeep and you're met with a chunky switch which lets you choose whether to conquer sand, rocks, mud or the M62. It's the little things. The X3 looks like an off-roader, but the Jeep - for better and worse - feels like one.

In that sense, the Grand Cherokee's a lot like the Wrangler I drove last year, because while it doesn't tick as many as the boxes you can't help but develop a bit of soft spot for it because it makes you smile. So it's worse than the X3, but it's also better.

Which would you rather have?

A full video report from the SMMT North test day will be posted on Life On Cars later this week.