A motorcyclist is facing prosecution after being caught speeding – while sliding along the ground without his motorbike.

This incredible image released by police in Switzerland shows the 38-year-old man careering helplessly towards the side of the road at around 66mph.

Traffic police believe he would have been going a great deal faster when he first saw the camera

The incident happened between the towns of Cibourg and La Chaux-de-fonds, close to Bern and the French border, on October 2.

A police spokesman said: ‘It appears that he suddenly saw the traffic control measure ahead and lost control as he tried to slow down.

Police say the motorcyclist, who was wearing protective leathers, was unhurt apart from minor cuts and bruises, as well as a degree of shock.

He confirmed that the man was still facing a fine and the withdrawal of his driving licence for up to three months.

The officer said some 18 motorists had been caught speeding on the same stretch of mountain road on the same Sunday morning

Woman knocked down and killed by own BMW SUV in Burger King parking lot after getting out and leaving the car in reverse gear

A 39-year-old woman was struck and killed by her own SUV in the parking lot of Burger King corporate headquarters.

Arlene Allen was pulling out of a space in the Miami parking garage on Thursday evening when she hit another stationary vehicle, police said.

The woman got out her BMW SUV to assess the damage, but left her vehicle in reverse gear with the driver’s door open, police spokesman Roy Rutland said.

Fatal mistake: Arlene Allen was run over by her own BMW SUV

The car continued in reverse and struck Allen before hitting two other cars. Police later pronounced the woman dead at the scene.

Report by Algys Autos

Insurance companies face car insurance probe

In recent months the insurance industry has sought to blame fraud, ‘compensation culture’ and the activities of accident management companies for the soaring cost of cover

Insurance companies are facing an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading after a year in which drivers have seen their premiums rise by 40 per cent.

The OFT has issued what it describes as a “call for evidence” a preliminary step which could lead to a full scale inquiry.

It is understood that the watchdog is concerned whether there is genuine competition between the major insurers in the market.

In recent months the insurance industry has sought to blame fraud, “compensation culture” and the activities of accident management companies for the soaring cost of cover.

However the intervention of the OFT has raise the question over whether the companies themselves are partly responsible for the increased cost of insurance at a time when family budgets are coming under increasing pressure.

Theoretically competition between insurance companies should provide protection for motorists against soaring premiums.

But by calling for evidence, the OFT has questioned how effective the market is in reality.

The OFT inquiry will look at price comparison websites, some of which are owned by insurance companies themselves.

It will also examine the impact of additional products sold by insurance companies to motorists such as legal protection.

In addition the OFT has called for evidence on the impact on costs of how claims are dealt with including the use by insurance companies of panels of approved repairers and the provision of replacement cars.

The results of the OFT’s “quick look” into the motor insurance market will be announced in December.

Otto Thoresen, director general of the Association of British Insurers, welcomed the OFT’s move.

“This will give the industry another opportunity to highlight the cost pressures motor insurers are facing, what action is needed to reduce them, and steps the industry is taking to ensure customers get the best deal when buying motor insurance.

“Rising claims costs from personal injury claims and excessive legal costs, insurance fraud and uninsured driving, coupled with lower investment returns in recent years, have unfortunately led to rising motor insurance bills for many customers.

“In fact the motor insurance industry has not been profitable for the last sixteen years.

The OFT initiative was welcomed by Louise Ellman, chairman of the all-party Transport Select Committee at Westminster.

“It shows that this issue is of national importance, where action is needed.

“I hope that their investigation will shed more light on competition within the insurance industry.”

Algys Autos Ltd

Porsche unveils the latest 911
by Richard Hammond, Daily Mirror

IT’S a record for me. I’ve owned my Porsche 911 for five years. Amazing for someone who changes cars more often than he does his underpants. Well, almost.

But now a new 911 will be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month and today we have all the important details. The question is, will it make my car redundant and will I have to chop in my 997-type car for this new 991-type?

First we’ll start at the back, where the action always is in a 911.

Naturally, the engine is a flat-six. Porsche has done a bit of downsizing here because the basic Carrera model is fitted with a 3.4 litre that’s the same size as the motor fitted to the Cayman and Boxster S models, instead of the last car’s 3.6-litre engine.

But it’s not the same engine as those two have – it’s more powerful, with 345bhp at 6,400rpm.

The Carrera S keeps its 3.8-litre engine but it now has 394bhp (up by 14bhp).

The Carrera’s motor is 6mpg more economical than the old 3.6 litre and can manage 34mpg with emissions of 194g/km, which is a record for any 911.

Moving slightly further forward we come to the gearbox. A seven-speed manual is the standard. This is the first time such a ‘box has been fitted to a road car. A seven-speed PDK semi-auto ‘box is also an option and both transmissions will work with a stop/start system.

Porsche hasn’t released full performance stats, but says 0-62mph will take 4.4sec in the Carrera and 4.1sec in the Carrera S, assuming that both cars are fitted with PDK gearboxes and the optional Sports Chrono Package.

Because the body is more slippery than before, it’s likely that top speeds will be higher – possibly above 190mph for the S.

Ah, to the body. The first thing to know is that the 911 has grown.

Length has increased by 56mm and width by 65mm, making it 4,491mm long and 1,873mm wide. That’s a shame as one of the great advantages the 911 had over supercars like the Ferrari 458 and Lamborghini Gallardo was that it was narrow and therefore easy to drive on tight country roads.

And now the money. The 911 will start at £71,449 for the Carrera and £81,242 for the Carrera S – considerably more expensive than the outgoing models.

Next up, Porsche will launch Cabriolet and four-wheel drive versions and, in 2013, a 523bhp Turbo.

One Sharp Black Lambo

From the darkest depths of the design mind of the one called Slavche Tanevski comes THIS! The Lamborghini *Ankonian. It’s black. It’s sharp. It’s just fabulous. It’s named after a bull famous for its black hair, which follows the Feruccio Lamborghini (creator of the auto brand) tradition of naming cars after bulls. This bad boy is a proposal for the first Lamborghini hybrid scheduled for 2016. Flashy!

And I don’t mean flashy in any kind of bad way. This car is of a cab-backwards style, which is new for the modern Lamborghini. It’s got a narrow body and complex aesthetics mixed with a combination of soft and angular surfaces.

It’s not quite “green,” but it’s does have that sort of environmental friendliness in mind with it’s downsisedness. And hows it look so hot roddy and light? That fabulous tail on the back, the classic headlight graphics, and those very thin OLEDs embedded between the surfaces. Eccentricities on top of mystery. Two big exhausts as eyes and diffuser as a mouth.

+ Does this car look familiar to anyone?

*NOTE from Chris Burns: originally I’d had this car marked “Madura”, when in fact it is called the Ankonian. It is totally my mistake, as the designer, Tanevski, has created two similar yet totally amazing in their own ways cars both branded with Lamborghini. The REAL Madura you will be able to see soon or RIGHT NOW depending on when you read this. Just click on Slavche Tanevski’s name to view all of his magical creations! For now though, feel free to take another look at the text, as it’s been given a re-vamp.

Designer: Slavche Tanevski

http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/01/29/one-sharp-black-lambo/

Jaguar Land Rover sold more than 62,000 vehicles in the first quarter, as operating profits rose by 17 per cent to £408m, the luxury car company’s Indian owner, Tata Motors, said yesterday.

The subsidiary’s 4.9 per cent boost to unit sales saw revenues rise by 20 per cent to £2.7bn, the company said. But the figures were only part ofdisappointing results from parent company Tata Motors, which posted below-expectation profits flat at Rs19.99bn (£272m) despite revenues up by 24 per cent to Rs336bn.

Algys Autos import Landrover from Japan that have seemingly been in a time-warp as condition and mileage have stood still. See examples of Landrover Discovery here.

Algys autos can report that ASDA have started a price war after starting to reduce the prices at the pumps from yesterday. Other supermarkets are likely to follow the trend.

Good news at last for motorists!

Council workers in UK left their bosses red-faced with a road sign spelling error!
It couldn’t have been any clearer

Algys Autos have several of the new edition Toyota Granvia on the water and will soon arrive in the UK . Check out the website and email for details.