If a car is hit by lightning its occupants are generally safe. The Faraday effect (discovered by Michael Faraday in 1845) causes the electricity to dissipate around the car’s metal frame.
In 2008, Jaguar launches the XF, the model credited for transforming the brand’s image and attracting new fans. Bringing us right up to date in March 2015, Jaguar launches the all-new XF.
In 1948, Maurice Wilkes, technical director for Rover Cars, starts designing a British agricultural vehicle based on American army 4x4s. The Land Rover came equipped with distinctive bodies that were lightweight and rustproof, and designed to be field-serviced, giving the vehicles a reputation for longevity in tough conditions.
Chips are never down for this AA man: Mechanic wins innovation award after fixing a Land Rover… with a POTATO
A breakdown mechanic fixed a 50-year-old Land Rover with a potato.
AA patrolman Mario Papademetriou made the ingenious repair after being called out to a farm in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.
Initially, he tried to fix the broken condenser on the 1960s vintage Land Rover using tin foil and silicone repair tape, but this failed.
Mr Papademetriou, 59, from Chingford, Essex, said: ‘As the vehicle was on a farm, there were a lot of vegetables around, so I thought I’d try wiring up a potato with a couple of screws to act as a condenser.
‘Amazingly, it started instantly, so I followed the owner to the garage and he said the vehicle had never driven so well!’
The owner made the 12-mile journey to the garage where the ignition system was properly repaired.
Mr Papademetriou’s ingenuity saw him win the AA’s annual competition for most innovative roadside repair.
AA technical director, Donald MacSporran, said: ‘AA patrols work on pretty much any vehicle on the road and pride themselves on their ability to fix them.
‘While they regularly go the extra mile with some very inventive repairs, we continue to invest in their training and equipment to maintain our leading fix rate.
‘Although vegetables are best left on the dinner plate, Mario’s use of a potato was definitely a chip above the others – an excellent example of thinking outside the box.’
Vince Cable believes trials in Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry, backed by £19m worth of government funding, could lead to £900bn industry
The prototype driverless cars to be tested in the heart of four British cities are unveiled on Wednesday, with the government claiming the nation is uniquely placed to lead the development of the technology.
Forty years after the launch of the 308 GTB, the first mid-engined Ferrari built for the road rather than for racing, Ferrari has unveiled the latest model in the line, the 488 GTB.
A replacement for the 458 Italia, it swaps that car’s 4,499cc naturally aspirated V8 engine for a 3,902cc turbocharged V8.