1957 Chevy Steering Wheel on 2040-parts.com

Crackdown on bogus claims helps insurance costs fall by 12%

CAR INSURANCE premiums have plunged at a record rate of 12% year-on-year amid a tougher clampdown to combat bogus motor accident claims which add to the costs of everyone's policies. The typical quote for annual comprehensive car insurance cover was £568 in October, marking a 4.5% drop on July and a 12.4% fall on a year ago, according to the latest AA Insurance premium index, which takes the average of the five cheapest quotes on the market. This is the biggest annual slide that the AA has on its records, which go back to 1994, and marks a sharp turnaround for motorists following a period of strong increases, with premiums rising by more than 40% just two years ago.

Revving up for winter

It happens every year, that inevitable moment Mother Nature decides to unleash her snowy wrath on the greater part of the United States. Winter has arrived and suddenly your rear-wheel drive, high-performance cars aren't providing you with the performance or confidence you need to combat those Antarctic-esque conditions. For those fortunate enough to live in year-round T-shirt permitting weather, we invite you to keep reading, because it's a fact that all 50 states receive some measure of winter weather in a typical year.

KTM X-Bow – want a drive?

KTM X-Bow 'Drive Orange' track days at Brands Hatch and Silverstone KTM is an Austrian Motor Cycle manufacturer which has woken up to the possibilities of making a four-wheeled creation, and has been busy building and refining the X-Bow in collaboration with Dallara and Audi. Featuring a 237bhp, 2.0 litre Audi  TFSi unit – and coming in at a bit under £50,000 for the street version – its low weight (790kg) gives it supercar acceleration of around 3.7 second 0-60mph. There is even talk of a 380bhp version, which will put it up there with the Ariel Atom V8 we reported on recently.