BMW M5 drifter: master or madman?

IRONICALLY, it was just after I'd renewed my membership of the Institute of Advanced Motorists that I came across this controversial clip.

Straight from the mean streets of Tblisi, this video of a BMW E34 M5 - the automotive star of Ronin and a supersaloon renowned for being one of the finest four-door entries in the company's back catalogue - has already attracted more than 14,000 hits since it was uploaded to YouTube a week or so ago. There is, if you're a petrolhead, something quite inspiring about seeing this autobahn annihilator drifting delicately from corner to corner.

It is, you've got to admit, a very skilled bit of driving, but here's the rub. All of it was filmed on public roads in and around the Georgian capital, and the roads weren't closed. Our anonymous BMW pilot was hanging the M5's tail out while other motorists were wondering what to do about it.

For that reason, it's already kicking up a bit of a stink in the motoring world, with a lot of petrolheads already pointing out that one wrong move and Mr M5 could have killed or injured another innocent road user.

So is the M5 driver talented, lucky, reckless or just plain mad? Or a bit of all those qualities? I'd love to know what you think. Without wanting to inadvertantly promote dangerous driving, have a look for yourself and see what you reckon...

Video: Morgan factory

SUPPOSE you were in the lucky position to have Morgan's mad Threewheeler on order.

That's the position a friend of Life On Cars is in, and on a trip to see how his Threewheeler was taking shape he recorded this video of life at the company's Malvern factory.

It gives a fascinating insight not only into how the Threewheeler - one of the best cars I've driven all year - takes shape, but also into how its more conventional four-wheeled siblings are crafted and at why Morgan is still quite unlike any other car maker in the country. Having also toured the old TVR factory in Blackpool before it closed and the Lotus plant in Norfolk earlier this year, it almost tempts me to take a trip down to Worcestershire and see it for myself.

If you're a fan of the Threewheeler but can't afford the £30,000 pricetag then you'll probably like this one...

Video: Confessions of a motoring journalist

AS mentioned earlier in the week, I made a video to show the nice people at the Institute of Advanced Motorists but things didn't exactly go to plan.

This, had the computer not said no, is what they would've seen - a sort of narrated slideshow, giving a glimpse into the world of roadtesting cars and the motors I both hate and rate. Instead, I thought I'd share it with the wider world, so the finished film doesn't go unseen.

Enjoy...

Video: Ormskirk MotorFest 2012

AS the raindrops bounced their way across the table and into my coffee I'd already come to a sad conclusion; this year's Ormskirk MotorFest would be a washout. It was only then the Lamborghini Countach started up.

I only saw it once last Sunday buit it was one of my highlights of a show packed with scores of cars and bikes; a brooding, black Italian supercar with silly scissor doors and a big, defiantly noisy V12 engine which ricocheted off the buildings in the otherwise quiet market town.

As it happened my bribe to the Met Office paid off; just as the show opened a few hours after my coffee, at about eleven, the sun broke through the clouds and with it came hundreds of spectators. Then it became thousands. Ormskirk, even compared to last year's inaugural event, was absolutely heaving with people who like nothing more than looking longingly at a Ferrari or three.

There was bit of automotive exotica to suit every taste - for instance, I was particularly taken by Gary Hewitt's Metro 6R4 and by an immaculate Aston DB4 - but for me the highlight was taking my own museum exhibit, the Life On Cars MGB GT, onto the streets of Ormskirk for one of the six parades taking place that afternoon. I might have been sandwiched in between a bright red Morgan and a BMW M6 - all 560bhp of it - but I reckon the MG, with its offbeat burble and polished chromework, did Ormskirk proud.

Even though I've done hundreds of laps of Ormskirk's one-way system it's a bit of a surreal experience threading a forty year old sports car through windy streets packed with spectators, especially if you've got a BMW M car doing powerslides in your rear view mirror. It might have demanded a lot of concentration but I absolutely loved it and, judging by the comments I got afterwards, so did you.

This year's MotorFest wasn't an awkward sequal to the original - it was an awesome, unforgettable event which gave everyone the chance to see F1 racers and Group B rally cars letting rip on their doorstep. Naturally, the region's petrolheads are already eagerly awaiting next year's event.

Better start saving up for my Met Office bribe, then...

  

P.S: Apologies to the bikers who pointed out yesterday's pictures were a little lacking on the motorcycle. Plenty of bike footage in the video though...

Video: Hyundai Velostar

IT'S not often I'll upload the videos manufacturers make to plug their own models, but I thought I'd make an exception for this swoopy coupe.

Hyundai's got a bit of track record for injecting a touch of style into its sportier two door models, and the Velostar - which is technically a three door thanks to some clever engineering - carries it on for the firm in fine form.

So sit back, grab some popcorn and enjoy some lovely footage of what I reckon could be one of next year's big hits...

Video: Ormskirk Motorfest preview

THIS ISN'T the sound of the Ormskirk Motorfest. That, as you'd expect, is going to be lots of deep-throated V8s, the scream of a succession of superbikes and the screeching of tyres.

What this is is the sound of West Lancashire town crier Don Evans, who is equally loud. He is therefore the perfect person to make a traditional announcement in the middle of a busy town centre, without the aid of a microphone and with some escaped lunatic who kept asking if I worked for The Ormskirk Advertiser throughout the recording (sorry about that).

The magazine, which has lots more information, will be on Life On Cars tomorrow. Until then, enjoy a proud Lancastrian speaking rather loudly!

Video: Suzuki Swift Sport

David Simister puts Suzuki's Swift Sport through its paces in the Yorkshire Dales, home to some of the most demanding roads in Britain:

To read the original road test click here.

Video: Life On Cars visits the SMMT Test Day

Champion motoring correspondent David Simister gives his verdict on some of 2011's most important new cars at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire:

Full road tests of all the cars in this video will appear in the Fire Up The... section in the next few weeks.

Video Report - Woodvale Rally 2010

WORRY not if you missed last weekend’s Woodvale Rally, because as promised here’s a special video report straight from the event!

Although it’s being primarily hosted on The Champion website and has been finished off with some shiny special effects from the paper’s Production Department, the footage and reporting has been done by Yours Truly, making it the first Life On Cars movie (of sorts).

So that’s a newspaper column, a blog, a spot on a radio show, a specially created car magazine and now video footage.

Whatever next?