Rear Hugger Fender Mudguards Abs Fairing Suzuki Gsxr1000 2005-2006 Blue on 2040-parts.com

Mini is 50: a Mini celebration by CAR writers and readers

By Tim Pollard Motoring Issues 13 October 2009 12:45 Mini is 50 this year and we've published a 33-page Mini special in the new November issue of CAR Magazine – packed with memories, drives and analysis of and with the cars and people that made Mini great.  Here we've asked some of CAR's top writers to remember their personal highlights from the past five decades. Gavin Green explains why he recently drove across Australia in a modern Mini, while Anthony ffrench-Constant recalls why crashing a classic Mini caused him to start a lifelong nicotine habit. Click on the links below for our new Mini stories – and don't forget we want YOUR Mini memories too.

Hay fever drugs warning for drivers

THE HAY FEVER SEASON could bring danger to drivers from drugs, according to a survey. As many as 44% of motorists who use hay fever medication admitted to sometimes not, or never, checking the instructions to see if their driving ability is affected, the poll by road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line found. And 17% of the 1,000 drivers questioned said they either ignored warnings not to drive while on medication or did not check the labels at all.

Ferrari California Handling Speciale (2012) first pictures

This is Ferrari’s revised California, which will be unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March 2012. It’s got more power, weighs less, and can be optioned with a chassis-sharpening Handling Speciale package, all features scooped by CAR last year. The California caused quite a stir when it was launched, ushering in a whole host of firsts for Ferrari: it was the company’s first convertible with a folding metal roof; the first with a double-clutch gearbox, the first front-engined V8 Ferrari, and the first with direct-injection engine technology.