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Performance Driving Schools

Posted by Adam Yamada-Hanff on May 14, 2013
Posted in: Cool. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

performance driving schools

Driving can be far more than something you do because you need to. Aside from having to drive for basic transportation learning to really drive a car can be an exhilarating experience. Even the most placid drivers have a hard time not smiling on a wide open road with some sweeping curves on a clear day. Inevitably in those situations or equally on busy days on highways at 70mph your mind goes to the movies – for example, Fast and Furious movies, Ronin, The Italian Job, C’était un Rendez-Vous and similar car genre films. It’s easy to start fantasizing about driving around like a racecar driver but how would you go about learning how to safely execute such maneuvers?

Learning Performance Driving

In terms of getting started, the way you should not learn it is by trying it yourself on impulse with a car full of friends. (Youtube can show you plenty of bad drivers doing this btw.) This would be like not knowing how to swim and jumping from a boat while 2 miles from shore- far more likely to end badly than not.

Many different people are taught performance driving for a variety of reasons. The most common being police officers, whose driving skills are severely underrated by most until they see an actual police chase on TV, Youtube, or on the streets. Ambulance drivers also learn to truly control cars so they can get to an injured person quickly and safely. Something you need to keep in mind is that performance driving is not all about speed, but gaining the ability to avoid accidents.

Schools and Available Performance Driving Programs

There are a lot of different driving schools where you can go to learn and practice car control and learn some fun driving skills in the process. Some insurance companies may even offer discounts as advanced driver training reduces the likelihood your will be in an accident.

  1. Emergency Driving Programs are generally run by AAA or other driver organizations. Typically learning skid control is involved in these couses (the fun part is you need to do skidding/drifting to learn how to control it, it’s not something you can learn in the classroom) in closed open lots and pylons instead of having trees and cars to avoid. Many of these courses are affordable since they cater to the general public and the knowledge of car control and how to gauge a vehicle’s momentum, level of grip, getting used to the G-forces that are exerted are all things that are usually taught and gone over.
  2. Police Driving Programs usually involve becoming acquainted with pursuit methods, stopping a pursued vehicle, advanced braking and acceleration control, and accident avoidance. Look for a class that is modeled after the NAPD program for actual police officers in order to gain maximum benefit. These type of course is probably most ideal if you want to be stunt driver! :)
  3. High Performance Driving Schools are normally geared toward racing enthusiasts and will typically take place at racetracks. Instructors are usually retired racecar drivers and get to use high performance and sports cars. These range from 1 day affairs to week long camps. There are several nationally known Race Schools around the country that should fit the needs or budget of anyone looking to learn to “race.” Just do some Googling to find the closest one in your area.
  4. NASCAR Driving – Much like the race schools but specific to NASCAR style racing. These programs and schools usually include actual NASCAR drivers as instructors or for at least a visit. There is one in Orlando that’s impressive, currently sponsored by NASCAR legend Richard Petty. Admittedly these are rather expensive schools to take part in.

While looking at performance driving schools consider a defensive driver course as well for a break on insurance and reality check of your driving skills. In addition to Performance driver education programs and schools there are a lot of very good programs for teen drivers, inexperienced drivers and driving theory such as those at sites like Book Your Theory Online. Remember to keep your performance driving skills (well if you have any, which you probably don’t) on a track, under safe and supervised conditions and not on the street where you could hurt yourself or worse someone else.

How to Save Money on a New Car Purchase

Posted by Adam Yamada-Hanff on May 13, 2013
Posted in: New Cars. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Recent new car sales numbers have shown the auto industry is in a rebound. Even with the recession still hitting many people hard it seems some people still need to buy new cars.  The rise in consumer confidence may have triggered this growth in new car sales, which is good sign for the economy.

It is important to remember that when purchasing a car one’s own financial situation remain the most important consideration. Even if you are able to buy a brand new vehicle, it is important to be frugal and strive to strike the best possible deal whatever your financial situation.

Saving Money on your New Car Purchase: 3 Tips for Success

With this in mind, what practical steps can you take to shop frugally and make an affordable new car purchase? Consider the following: -

  1. Choose your Buying Resources Wisely: If you are motivated by finding an affordable new car, then dealerships should not be your source of information. Instead, you should visit online resources such as Exchange and Mart or Consumer Reports to access a wide range of vehicle information across a range of brands.  In addition to this, it is also easy for you to offer your existing car as a trade-in on the new model, which can drastically reduce the cost on your new car purchase.  Keep in mind dealerships make my money on used cars than new cars so be careful how they structural the deals. 
  2. Pay Attention to Financing Plans and Agreements: When buying a brand new car, the majority of consumers are forced to pay with a fixed financing agreement which may not be their best financial choice. While this spreads the cost of the car over an agreed period of time, you need to be able to commit to making regular payments. Failure to do this will trigger late payment fees and headaches. You should find a good car loan rate through a local bank or credit union. In addition to this, be sure to read the financing terms in full and review these carefully to make sure there are no hidden catches that will come back to bite you later.
  3. Choose a Medium or Low Trim model for you New Car: There are numerous Trim levels on certain car models, which cater towards a range of budgets and expectations. While each Trim is going to offer different features, there won’t be that much difference in the overall car. Buying a car with all the “bell and whistles” won’t necessarily keep the value if the car or automaker doesn’t have a good reliability rating and depreciation outlook. It’s best to choose a lower Trim model and pay a little more fore certain features you want without going over you budget on a car that is not that different.

Princess Diana’s 1994 Audi Quattro is going up for Auction

Posted by Adam Yamada-Hanff on May 8, 2013
Posted in: News. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

princess diana

A 1994 Audi Quattro convertible that was owned by the late Princess Diana is going to be going up for auction soon.  The convertible was the family car in which Princess Diana was photographed in a many times driving with her husband, Prince William, and son, Prince Harry, during 1994.  

Princess Diana’s 1994 Audi Quattro is expected to auction for £20,000 – £25,000 British pounds, which is roughly $31,000-$38,000 American dollars.  However, the car could go for a lot more.  COYS, the auction company handling the sale of the Audi, mentioned there has been interest from around the world and particularly the US for the car and COYS hadn’t officially released the news about the auction until yesterday.  People are talking and clearly want this car it seems.  ”This is an extraordinary opportunity to own a piece of Royal History.”  said Chris Routledge, Managing Director of COYS.

The Audi is in immaculate condition and has only 21,000 miles on the odometer.  I a pretty sure those were easy miles and that the car was well maintained.  Of course I doubt whoever buys the car will do much driving in it and most likely will keep it with a nice collection of collectible vehicles.

The auction for Audi is set to take place at Blenheim Palace on June 29th.  The car will be on display for a month at Grange St. Paul’s Hotel (10 Godliman Street, London EC4V 5AJ) in London.  Visitors to the hotel will have the opportunity to leave a sealed bid for the Audi Quattro once owned by Princess Diana.  All sealed bids then will be given to the auctioneer at Blenheim Palace.  COYS and Grange Hotel are planning a competition where the lucky winner will be driven in the car at the Blenheim auction, entertained to lunch and will then attend the auction.  Ah, the joys of bidding on royal vehicles.

1994 audi quattro

5 Things to Change on Your Car

Posted by Adam Yamada-Hanff on May 7, 2013
Posted in: Car Buying. Tagged: , , , , . 1 comment

It’s a great feeling to drive home in a new-used car. There are some aspects of preparing your new (to you) car for life on the road though. Even if you found a perfect car that fits you well, there are 5 things you should try and change as soon as possible.

  1. Factory and OEM clone air filters work, just not as good as they could do. If you spend a few dollars and buy a good quality air filter like a K&N filter (there are a good number of similar-quality brands on the market if you prefer the companies that supply those) then you will subsequently increase mileage, horsepower, and overall performance. Though good air filters are not cheap, it will still be a good investment in the long run (the mileage savings should neutralize the initial cost of the filter and added power is always a welcome improvement to any car enthusiast) Most high end filters are washable, too, so it should be a one-time investment.
  2. If you purchased a used car and you don’t have documentation of when spark plugs were changed last, then change them. Use a quality platinum or iridium plug for a hot, cleaner burning spark. Many people change new car plugs simply because some manufactures still insist on using a lower grade plug to keep their costs down. Much like the air filter, this can add a bit of extra time before a fill-up is needed, as well as giving better performance and horsepower as well.
  3. If the car is not currently under factory warranty research tuner chips for your make and model. The (typically easy to change) computer chips can make a big difference in performance. If this is a totally new area for you do some research on Car Performance Chips – just have a play around with Google and spend a bit of time getting a good overview of the topic, as it’s quite an in-depth one. A bit of research goes a long way though, and an afternoon reading good quality information sources (cross-reference where you find information out from using other sources to give yourself a better chance of weeding out unreliable information) can pay big dividends.
  4. Get rid of the space saver spare tire that the car is most likely equipped with. Get a tire correctly suited to the road conditions you’ll be driving on most often. If you read the limitations on the space saver spare you’ll find they are designed for short distances and low speeds. In any case, you will probably need to replace the tire if you get a flat at highway speeds anyway so there is no money saving involved if you wait until it happens. Finally, think about snow tires or chains-in the event of heavy snow they can make a large difference to the grip the tires can generate.
  5. Get rid of the cheap scissor or bumper jack that came in your car. Whether just for emergency use or for use when doing your own maintenance at home a quality jack like this 2 tonne bottle jack will be easier and safer to use.

Sweet Barn Find, Jaguar E-Type No. 60

Posted by Adam Yamada-Hanff on May 3, 2013
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A rare 1961 Jaguar E-Type ‘Flat Floor’ Roadster which has sadly been sitting in a garage for more than 30 years has just been found in the UK.  Praise the car gods!

jaguar e-type

This Jaguar E-Type was the number #60 to leave the production line and is one of the earliest 3.8-liter right hand drive E-Type roadsters out there.  This particular model has remained un-restored and only has 65,000 miles original miles.  These early E-Types were labelled ‘flat floor’ due to the lack of a dropped floor area that increased the leg room and was added in subsequent cars.  (Probably would have been better to keep a flat floor in my opinion.)

1961 jaguar e-type

The Jaguar E-Type was estimated to auction for £20-30,000 British pounds at Bonhams’ RAF (Royal Air Force) Museum sale on April 29th.  This Jaguar actually fetched £110,000, which is roughly $171,000 US dollars and more than three times the highest pre-sale estimate.

The restoration will be undertaken by Classic Motor Cars of Bridgnorth (CMC).  “Chassis No. 60 will be undergoing a full nut and bolt CMC restoration. We will restore every detail of the car to bring it back to the original specification. Once finished, it will be just as it left the factory.” said Nick Goldthorp, Managing Director of CMC.  He also added that, “The amazing about this E-Type is that every original part is there, although in a very rusty and corroded condition.”

Recently Jaguar unveiled the grandchild sot-to-speak of the E-Type, the Jaguar F-Type.  To celebrate the new sports car Jaguar made a movie short film starring the Jaguar F-Type, Damian Lewis,  Shannyn Sossamon, and Jordi Molla.

CMC is famous for having restored some of the most historic Jaguar E-Type models, which include Lofty England’s Chassis No. 4, the Lindner-Nocker Lightweight and 1VHP, and the first right hand drive Jaguar E-Type off the production line.

1961 jaguar e-type engine

Pretty sweet Barn Find!  While an Jaguar E-Type is pretty cool, do you remember the Lee Hartung Collection?  Wish I could stumble upon something that is sweet as that.