And so begins 2009. Any resolutions for the New Year? For me, not taking any extended breaks from posting on here for a start!  On the agenda for 2009… finish the rebuild of my Violet SSS and Sunny truck for the summer and get my Civic back on the road. Also make a start on restoring my Datsun 1000 Estate and 510 before the end of the year. And finally the big task for the summer, sorting out a nice garage to put my cars in! Plenty to do so plenty to write about!

I came across this roadside scene yesterday and it serves as a good reminder as to the penalty for carelessness on slippery winter roads. I cannot know for sure what actually led this Honda Integra Type-R to become part of the scenery but I’ll wager the combination of the preceding fast right hander, a slick road surface and a bit too much speed would have had something to do with it. The impact clearly was at some speed as it’s snapped off and uprooted a tree before embedding itself in another. A sad end for an Integra but hopefully not so for the driver although judging by the state of the car and some blood on the drivers seat, I’d imagine there were some injuries. Please take it steady on those winter roads!

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As it’s nearly Christmas day so I just like to wish you all…

The latest from Tomicas awesome Limited Vintage range is a really welcome addition to my collection, as not only is it one of my favourite cars, the 710 model Nissan Violet, but it’s also a four door. Most models and kits, whether small scale or large, tend to only cover coupes or performance versions so it’s a real treat to get a model of an honest ordinary four door for a change. What’s more, the miniature is a stunning model. Even though it’s small in 1/64 scale, the detail is quite amazing right down to the emblems and the two tone interior. I’ve only picked up half a dozen or so of this series so far but this latest effort makes me think I should acquire a few more of this excellent range. If you are not familiar with the Tomica Limited Vintage and Neo ranges, you can have a look at the other offerings in the series HERE.

Autoworld was Renault UK’s in-house publication produced bi-monthly from, I believe, the late 1960’s onward. Edited by motoring writer J. Dewar McLintock, the magazine was a mix of Renault promotion, news and features, the latter often revolving around travel (in a Renault of course). Each issue also a yellow pull out centre section consisting of news and technical tips. Although printed in black and white the magazine contains plenty of interesting photos, often including shots of manufacturing, crash testing and some of the concepts and prototypes Renault produced. Sadly, it seems that copies of this magazine have not survived in any numbers as I have so far only manages to locate a mere nineteen issues, all for the 1970’s bar one. After the jump, you can take a look at some of the nice cover photography used on the issues I have. I will post up one or two of the more interesting pieces from these magazines in the future.

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When times are hard it’s sometimes necessary to repair what you would otherwise replace. Times are indeed hard for everyone at present but that’s not the reason for attempting this ridiculous repair on a recent acquisition, a 1989 Hyundai Pony pickup. I could have stretched to a new wing for it but, you know… it’s just not worth spending £166.85 on! The truck is rotten everywhere and I’ve yet to decide if I’ll repair it come MOT time or not so I’d rather not spend any more money on it than I have to. My time …well that’s a different story. I’m happy to spend time chopping and welding so with a fresh sheet of steel and a welder I set about repairing it. Those keen on performing desperate repairs on worthless cars read on…

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