The return of an iconic model in the Toyota line-up sets expectations stratospherically high for the new Supra. Nissan managed it with the reincarnation of the GTR of course, conversely both Peugeot and VW floundered for successive generations with the GTI at one point or another, though they did get there in the end. What’s worse, we know this new Toyota Supra is Kaiser Soze. By that I mean we all know the spoilers, and I’ve already been asked did I see the BMW labels on the wiper motors or some such other nonsense. With all this baggage out of…
Author: Andy Cooper
Pent-up demand. That’s what your local car dealer will tell you is the latest reason they can’t give you any discount. With things opening up in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, and us car lovers not able to meet up and see some new metal, pent-up is definitely what was experienced at one of the first post-lockdown motoring meets. Several hundred cars descended onto a small industrial estate in Carnmoney for a Jacob’s Supercars Cars and Coffee day, and with cars backed up onto the main road it was fair to say owners and enthusiasts have been gasping through…
I was recently invited as a guest on the Reload Podcast run by RMS members Nigel (Veedubboy), Conor (natogreen16v) and Lee (dominika). For someone who likes to let others talk, I managed to chat with the guys for over two hours. If you’re interested to hear more about me, how the site began and my love affair with all things motoring over the last two decades including drifting and the Nurburgring, give them a listen and subscribe. Google Cast Link Apple Podcasts Link RELOAD PODCAST · Reload EP014 – Andy Cooper of RMS Motoring https://open.spotify.com/episode/111UbaqKIjhCmTdZpMbzvZ?t=0
You have to hand it to Hyundai. They have the incredibly lucrative SUV segment sewn up, with the Tuscon, Santa Fe and Kona, all well reviewed. Performance is now well covered off by the super fun i30N and the brand strides ahead of the competition in its second mainstream all electric offering after the Ioniq in the Kona Electric. Sharing platform and components with its Kia E-Niro cousin, the Kona which is also available in petrol form is a polished product. Our road test vehicle, provided by Daly’s Hyundai in Belfast, is in top of the range Premium SE trim,…
Forget idling in line at a McDonald’s drive-through, or standing in the rain along with dozens of others to get the last inflatable spa from Homebase. As the lockdown brought on by the coronavirus outbreak eases, the only queue you want to be in, is the pit lane at your local race circuit. Yes, Trackskills, run by veteran competitors Keith Wray and Donal O’Neill, normally a constant in my and many other petrolhead diaries was notably absent for most of this year, was prevented from running by Covid-19 until now, when a low key email arrived signalling the return of…
Mixed weather conditions and a pandemic disease didn’t deter a large turnout at Halliday Peugeot for cars and coffee along with NI-BMW and RMS. It was great to knock elbows, catch up with friends and see some of our spectacular members cars ranging from the stunning Ferrari 355 above to the 2020 Megane Trophy-R below. Coronavirus and the effect it will have on this year’s show season was on many people’s minds but it wasn’t holding us back from getting caffeinated and queuing up for Halliday’s turntable photo booth. Many thanks to Jamie, Lexie and the team at Hallidays for…
Over the last few months many RMS members have been taking advantage of Stena’s Car Club to Scotland deal, exploring the fantastic roads and stunning countryside of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. For only £39 for car + 2 return for the day, this has been a runaway success on the forum and a chance to explore the A77, A75 and surrounding areas that are normally just a trunk road to get home from further afield. Some headed North towards Fort William, if for nothing else but to recreate that iconic Skyfall DB5 image. Others headed to Gretna, Moffatt or Dumfries. …
One of the best and most surprisingly sensible moves by our Department for Infrastructure in the last few years was to introduce cashless parking in Belfast and other towns and cities in Northern Ireland. However provider ParkMobile lost its contract with DFI and the baton has been handed over to JustPark, it going live in Belfast, Lisburn and Newry from 6th January 2020. Parking is stressful enough, with the hordes of parking wardens now roaming our streets no motorist is safe. So save yourself some roadside frustration when you finally find a space discover ParkMobile won’t work, and get yourself…
With the launch of our new Electric Vehicle Forum section I thought it was high time RMS provided a roundup of the current state of the Electric Vehicle (EV) market in NI with a peek at the used market and a vague comment on the local charging infrastructure, or you guessed it, lack of. If you are considering purchasing an EV in the near future, hopefully the below will be of some benefit, or at least mild entertainment. Tesla First on our list and with good reason, Elon Musk’s brand hasn’t made its way to Northern Ireland in the form…
Titanic Dubs has long been the bookend of the car show season, held at the superb pump house venue of the Titanic Dry Dock. Relaxed and chilled out as always, the sunny weather a bonus. The dry dock was filled with cars, mostly from the Volkswagen Audi Group as you would expect, although NI BMW also had several cars present. There was £180 raised in the combined bucket collection with NI BMW for Clic Sargent. The organisers would like to thank Brian O’Neill at The Shortshift for the awesome porthole themed trophies, all those who attended and helped, the Northern…
The last Cars and Coffee of 2019 was blessed with dry weather at the Down Royal racecourse. The earlier 9am start time didn’t deter a huge variety of motor vehicles and enthusiasts to attend, with the carpark filling shortly before 9.30am. NI Air Ambulance was the chosen charity with collections at the entrance to the Down Royal. As this is the last Down Royal Cars and Coffee of 2019, keep an eye on the forum as we will post up the 2020 dates as they are published.
Jonny Smith is the first motoring journalist to get his hands on the currently pre-production, all electric Porsche Taycan. Headline figures are 600bhp from a two motor all wheel drive 800v system, 250kw charge system and a range of over 300 miles. The 60 sprint is dispatched in under 3.5 seconds, slightly slower than the latest Tesla Model 3, but the reusable performance is definitely what Porsche are keen to sell us motoring enthusiasts on. Watch in envy as Jonny launches the Taycan, over and over, and over… again. https://youtu.be/TP9kokeyxGU The Fully Charged series is on Youtube and is also…