Diversions – Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times

Gran Turismo movie review: There’s heart in this gamer-to-racer film

Will.dron@sunday-times.co.uk — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 12:57:00 +0000

Film adaptations of video games are notoriously difficult to bring to the screen but even the makers of the dreadful Bob Hoskins-fronted Super Mario Bros. of 1993 had protagonists that can talk; if your leads comprise road and racing cars, as is the case with the Gran Turismo series for the Sony PlayStation, the prospect isn’t altogether attractive.

Fortunately, Gran Turismo is not a film about a video game at all, it’s one that uses Polyphony Digital’s creation as a MacGuffin to explore themes including courage, love, loss, following your dreams and triumph in the face of adversity.

It does so by focusing instead on GT Academy, a competition devised by a Nissan marketing man that aimed to find gamers who could be trained up in real racing cars to take on the world’s best drivers in the world’s most famous races.

And gamers (plural) it was, because although the movie suggests GT Academy was an incredible one-off — and that was the original plan — it in fact became such a success that the scheme ran for eight years, from 2008 to 2016, with regional competitions around the world. In total, 22 winners were selected to join Nissan’s global racing programme.

The film largely ignores all that and focuses on one year, and one man: Briton’s Jann Mardenborough, who (and this isn’t really a spoiler, as the competition forms just the first half of the film) won the European GT Academy in 2011. You have to feel for Spaniard Lucas Ordóñez, who was the star of the inaugural competition.

But Mardenborough’s story is undoubtedly compelling. The son of an English professional footballer (although in the lower leagues), Jann dreamt not of a career on the pitch but one behind the wheel, and got a shot at achieving it thanks to Nissan’s gamer-to-racer programme.

The film tells us that the kids who took part are “outsiders”; racing game enthusiasts who would never have had the opportunity or vast resources required to race for real without this virtual leg-up; young men and women who are seen as oddballs by society and, in the case of Mardenborough at least, their parents.

In the film, the man who spots this untapped potential is Danny Moore, played by Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings), though in real life the marketing brain behind GT Academy was Darren Cox, who rose to become Nissan’s Global Head of Motorsport as a result of GT Academy’s success.

Cox is no longer with Nissan but the show notes reveal he was a producer on the film (alongside Mardenborough), and so while the character of Moore could easily have been turned into a money-driven corporate villain with no regard for the youngsters involved in his scheme, he is portrayed as a driven but ultimately caring figure. The bad guys become Mardenborough’s on-tracks rivals, as does fear: of failure; of crashing; of hurting others along the road to wish fulfillment.

Moore’s motivation, of course, is to try to bring global attention to Nissan’s road cars through a unique motorsport programme, though the character also astutely observes that, “Most car buyers don’t dream of the open road; this game is an untapped audience.” In other words, get through to the young gamers and they could be Nissan buyers of the future.

The documentary-style opening notes that “the following is based on a true story” and shows the games being developed, which grounds the film in reality from the off. We then meet Mardenborough, played by Archie Madekwe (Midsommar), in his bedroom where he’s unpacking a new steering wheel for his Playstation gaming rig.

Almost immediately we’re introduced to a running theme of the film – a tension between Jann and his father, played by Djimon Hounsou (Amistad; Gladiator), who can’t understand why his son spends all his time in front of a screen rather than out kicking a ball around, and has a hard time supporting him with this obsession.

In real life, Mardenborough was supported by both his parents in his gaming and was also pretty good at football, but that’s not the impression the movie conveys. It’s a dichotomy with which the real Jann is clearly at peace, as he was heavily involved in the film from even before the script was written, and acted as a stunt driver as well as producer, meaning he was on set virtually every day.

Other divergences from reality reveal themselves during the Gran Turismo movie. Race fans will recognise that certain locations aren’t accurate, including shots supposedly of Silverstone clearly not being Silverstone (at least in the early cut shown to Driving.co.uk). And when Mardenborough comes up against racing rivals they’re caricatures, manufactured for the movie and as hyperreal as the Gran Turismo video games themselves.

The primary antagonists for the second part of the movie are the Capa Racing Team and in particular its entitled and aggressive star driver, Nicholas Capa, played by Josha Stradowski (The Wheel of Time).

But Mardenborough finds himself up against almost everyone, including his own team, who take a surprisingly long time to accept that a gamer is somehow piloting one of their cars for real. “No-one wants you there,” it is explained to him, and after one disastrous on-track outing a mechanic shouts through the window, “Much easier with a joystick, isn’t it?”

Helping the embattled Mardenborough navigate this hostile and unfamiliar world is David Harbour (Stranger Things) as Jack Salter, a washed-up ex-racer (is there any other kind in the movie world?) and team boss who was Moore’s last choice as lead trainer in the GT Academy programme, and becomes Mardenborough’s mentor out in the real world.

It’s a prickly relationship at first, with the GT Academy process acting like a military bootcamp — the egos have to be broken down before they can be reshaped as efficient driving machines. But it evolves as the two characters learn to respect and trust one another. In fact, Salter begins to fill the gap left by the young driver’s less-than-supportive father.

And it’s the two father-son relationships that are the heart of Gran Turismo — Mardenborough with Salter as two fish out of water, fighting for credibility against a tide of opposition in the racing world, and with his dad, who must come to terms with the fact that Jann wants to pursue a path that he finds alien.

And though all the actors put in solid performances, including former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell Horner, who it turns out has a likeably naturalistic style, it’s Djimon Hounsou who is the standout — one of his scenes in particular will have fathers around the world pretending something got stuck in their eye.

And perhaps the bravest and most surprising inclusion is an accident at the Nürburgring in which a spectator is killed. This happened in real life, and it shows the mettle of the man that Mardenborough wanted to include it in the movie — it must have been a difficult moment to relive during filming, and tricky to see played out on the big screen. In an interview after the screening Mardenborough told me it had to be included as it is part of his life — part of his story.

Jann Mardenborough: Leaving my fatal Nurburgring crash out of Gran Turismo movie would have been disservice to audience

Director Neill Blomkamp (District 9; Chappie) shows particular skill in bringing such a sensitive matter to the screen, with a highly-charged reaction from Madekwe and a smartly-played scene from Harbour in which Salter tries to convince him to get back in the racing seat.

Verdict: Gran Turismo movie review

The realism of the racing elements will jar for true petrolheads but Gran Turismo clips most of the apexes. It’s very obviously a marketing movie at times, with big money behind it from Nissan and Sony, but there is real heart within the true story and the stellar cast (Halliwell Horner included) help suspend disbelief.

And although certain liberties are taken with the truth, it’s all in the aid of delivering a thrill ride (which of course it should be), and there’s a surprisingly emotional, accomplished movie in there. Gran Turismo may not be a masterpiece but it’s a worthy addition to the motorsport movie genre.

12A, 134min
In cinemas from August 9, 2023

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If you enjoyed this review of Gran Turismo, check out our Gran Turismo 7 video game review
Don’t miss our 10 best car chases in movie history
And here’s our Le Mans ’66 (Ford v Ferrari) film review

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The 31 most ridiculous car names ever

Jinnathasan — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 11:38:00 +0000

Car names can mean different things in different countries. Take the example of the Toyota MR2: in France it was hurriedly rebadged as the “MR” — pronounced “em-air” — because the local sales guys pointed out that not many people would want to drive an “em-air-deux” (as close to “merde” as makes no difference).

Japan is infamous for its curious car names; Mitsubishi once came up with the altogether more palatable “Minica Lettuce” for one of its models, but while that’s unquestionably inoffensive to UK ears, as a car name it’s a little limp.

The same brand also called one of its cars the Starion, which many Westerners (including Jeremy Clarkson) believed would have been “Stallion” had there not been some confusion between the letters L and R. Sadly, this appears to be incorrect — original press materials indicate that “Starion” is a contraction of “Star of Arion”, with Arion being a horse from Greek mythology. Still, it’s not the coolest of names and having to correct every person down the pub must have got tiresome for owners.

Silly car names aren’t exclusive to Far Eastern car makers, though. As we shall see, Ford, Austin, Vauxhall and more have all been guilty.

1. Nissan Friend-Me

At the 2013 Frankfurt motor show, Nissan added a new entry to the big book of bizarre car names: the Friend-Me. With its social network-inspired interior and specification, the concept vehicle previewed Nissan’s vision of the future. It looked OK but the name reeked of desperation in the age of generation Facebook. Nissan’s insistence that it be stylised Friend-ME, made it sound whinier still.

2. Mazda Bongo Friendee

Once you realise that the vehicle bearing this name is, at least in the UK, a campervan, its ludicrous name begins to make sense. Bongo drums around the campfire, making new friends… that kind of thing.

3. Daihatsu Naked

The name of a car, or the dress code for its driver? The Naked was a strangely appealing little kei car with jeep-like styling and, despite its tiny 658cc engine, four-wheel drive as an option.

4. Mitsubishi Carisma

It’s difficult to imagine a car with less charisma, no matter how much Mitsubishi wants us to think otherwise.

5. Hyundai Trajet

For some people, this MPV’s name came close to describing their ownership experience.

6 Gaylord Gladiator

A car, and possibly a follow up to the 2000 Ridley Scott movie. Designed by Brooks Stephens, the man credited with inventing planned obsolescence in products (remember when lightbulbs only lasted a couple of months? That was by design), the Gaylord Gladiator was his greatest achievement, looking utterly obsolete from the moment they took the covers off. As we know from the movie Meet the Fokkers, there’s nothing funny about the name Gaylord, of course.

7. Dodge Dart Swinger

This was a hip car to own when it was introduced at the end of the ’60s. Come the ’70s and it gave party guests the wrong impression. The keys were usually to be found in a bowl by the door…

8. Vauxhall Adam

Named after the founder of German car maker Opel, Vauxhall’s sister brand in Europe, the Adam was marked out for its many customisation options making it “as individual as you are”. Sadly, with a name like that, regardless of your chosen colour combinations people always considered its owners a bit beige. The Vauxhall Adam was withdrawn from sale at the end of 2019.

9. Studebaker Dictator

Not the best choice during the 1930s and ’40s. By 1937, the name had become a little, shall we say, tarnished, and Studebaker abruptly changed it to Commander.

10. AMC Gremlin

Don’t get it wet, and definitely don’t feed it after midnight.

11. Great Wall Wingle

It sounds like a toilet break while trekking in China, but we’re assured it’s the name of a pick-up.

12. Mazda Titan Dump

See above, but in Japan.

13. Ford Probe

Nothing pleasant is associated with the word “probe”.

14. Mitsubishi Minica Lettuce

Sadly this variant of the Minica wasn’t followed up by the Mitsubishi Tomato and Mitsubishi Sesame Seed Bun. And it could have been worse…

15. Mitsubishi Minica Winky

Find something funny, Jenkins? Do share it with the entire class.

16. Isuzu Mysterious Utility Wizard

JK Rowling left Isuzu soon after.

17. Mitsubishi Toppo Guppy

Named after the best fish in the tank, perhaps. Mitsubishi is really on a roll.

18. Toyota Deliboy

New York, Paris, Tokyo. “This time next year, Rodney-san,” etc.

19. Tarpan Honker

Silly goose. A Polish military off-roader designed with just a ruler.

20. Chevrolet Celebrity

We’ll put this one on the Z-list.

21. Proton Putra

Any self-respecting child would instantly nickname it the Putrid.

22. Subaru Brat

Doesn’t start when required, slams the door shut behind you.

23. Austin Princess

“Princess” doesn’t exactly denote thrusting executive saloon.

Fun fact: Although the model name goes back to 1957, BL’s wedge of 1975 (pictured) was only known as the Austin Princess in New Zealand. In all other markets it was marketed as the Morris, Austin or Wolseley 18-22 series from launch in March 1975, but in September that same year Leyland created a one-car sub-brand called Princess and the car was subsequently sold under that badge instead. By fun fact we mean, of course, utterly tiresome, anally-retentive fact.

24. Mazda LaPuta

Laputa was the flying island in Gulliver’s Travels. Unfortunately it is also a Spanish term for a lady of the night.

25. SsangYong Rodius

One look at the styling and the name Rodius very quickly becomes “odious”.

26. Morris Isis

^{By Redsimon at English Wikipedia. – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., CC BY 2.5}

Named after the Thames as it flows through Oxford, the original home of Morris Motors. A perfectly lovely, non-terroristy name for a car, up until around 2014.

27. Triumph Mayflower

Designed to appeal to the American market, the Triumph Mayflower’s styling and name certainly did connote a lumbering old ship.

28. Isuzu Bighorn

No, you’re immature. And predicting that would be the case, Isuzu gave it other names in markets outside Japan. We know it as the Trooper.

29. Honda Fitta

Known to UK buyers as the Honda Jazz, in other worldwide markets the small hatch was sold as the Honda Fit. Initially, Honda had intended to call the Jazz the “Fitta” before realising that in Swedish slang that word refers to lady parts. It’s also quite similar to other rude words in Spanish and Italian, so maybe changing the name was for the best.

30. Nissan Moco

Moco, in Spanish, refers to a dried snot. Best avoided in green.

31. Smart #1

You might thing this car’s name is pronounced “Smart Number One”, or simply “Smart One”. But no, some German marketing executives really want us to say “Smart Hashtag One”. More evidence that the definition of cool isn’t universal.

If you enjoyed this list of silly car names you might want to check out the ugliest cars ever made (according to us)
And don’t miss the most outrageous Clarkson review: reed warbler… sorry, Vauxhall Vectra (2002)
And if you have a moment, take a look at this real-life Grand Theft Auto parody that is as hilarious as it is impressive

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Watch: The best car ads of Super Bowl LVII

Will.dron@sunday-times.co.uk — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 14:24:53 +0000

The annual extravaganza of advertising and American Football that is the Super Bowl was unusually light on car adverts this year, with just four manufacturers opting to air an advert during one of the commercial breaks.

Carmakers have historically been among the biggest advertisers during the Super Bowl. With their lavish budgets and celebrity appearances, the TV adverts are often as much of a talking point as the football itself.

But with costs for one of the coveted ad slots now approaching some $7m (£5.8m), experts believes manufacturers are choosing instead to either invest in electric vehicle development or conserve cash for a projected economic downturn.

Last year saw the automotive industry make up the largest percentage of Super Bowl ads, with companies such as Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Polestar, Nissan, BMW and Audi all taking the opportunity to advertise directly to a captive audience of around 100m viewers.

Although in 2023 we also got some cracking car ads, this year only three car manufacturers — General Motors, Kia and Stellantis — were represented during the Super Bowl LVII ad breaks.

“This has less to do with the Super Bowl itself and more to do with individual issues within the automotive industry,” Eric Haggstrom, director of business intelligence for Advertiser Perceptions, told CNBC.

“The auto industry has been battered by supply chain issues, inflation eating into consumer budgets, and rising interest rates that have made car payments dramatically more expensive.”

Haggstrom said carmakers are asking themselves: “What is the value of advertising today? How does that affect my top line. How does that affect my go-to-market.”

He added: “We’ve seen a general trend in accountability in consumer advertising.”

As well as the manufacturer ads and a trailer for the next Fast and the Furious film, there was another unusual one too taking direct aim at Tesla and its controversial “Full Self-Driving” system.

Kia ‘Binky Dad’

In Kia’s ad for its Telluride (not sold in Europe) a family is about to check-in to a hotel when the mother in the group realises that they’ve forgotten their baby’s “binky” — that’s a dummy/ soother/ pacifier/ whatever else you call them — forcing Dad to jump in the family SUV and return home.

Set to Bill Conti’s theme from Rocky, the minute-long ad sees “Binky Dad” careering across snowy landscapes, building sites, football pitches and Los Angeles storm drains to retrieve the dummy, only to return to the hotel to find that, of course, he’s picked up the wrong one.

Ram ‘Premature Electrification’

Stellantis is the huge automotive conglomerate which includes brands such as Fiat, Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroën, Jeep and, in the United States, Dodge, Chrysler and Ram, the latter a big-selling pickup brand.

A cheeky spoof of American pharmaceutical ads, Ram’s ad for its first electric vehicle, the 1500 REV (due in 2024) features a series of “unsatisfied” couples worried about “premature electrification”. It’s one of the most amusing ads of the bunch, but arguably GM managed to outdo Ram with its effort (below).

Jeep ‘Electric Boogie’

Stellantis’ second Super Bowl advert was for the Jeep brand, focusing on the electrified 4xe versions of its Wrangler and Cherokee models.

The ad features a bunch of dancing animals, happy-looking people enjoying the off-road performance of their Jeeps and a soundtrack by the veteran Jamaican-American rapper, Shaggy. Off road and off the wall.

General Motors ‘Why not an EV?’

General Motors’ big-budget advert starring Will Ferrell was a collaboration with the streaming service Neflix, following the latter company’s announcement that it would feature more electric vehicles in its shows.

The ad features a number of GM’s electric vehicles from its Chevrolet, Cadillac and Hummer brands shoehorned into mocked-up scenes from popular Netflix programmes such as Squid Game, Stranger Things and Bridgerton.

“If you’re going to get swarmed by an army of the dead,” asks Ferrell, a Super Bowl ad veteran, “why not get swarmed in an EV?”

Quite.

The Dawn Project’s anti-Tesla ad

“Tesla Full-Self Driving will run down a child in a school crosswalk,” says the provocative attack ad by The Dawn Project, a group dedicated to getting Tesla’s erroneously-named Full Self-Driving cruise control system banned.

The 30-second ad wasn’t aired nationally but rather in a few select locations such as Washington DC and some state capitals (to target US law-makers), and is the brainchild of a group founded by billionaire Dan O’Dowd, CEO of Green Hill Software, a company developing its own automated driving systems. Impartial, it isn’t.

The ad calls on the US National Highway Transportation Safety Agency (NHTSA) to immediately ban Tesla’s Full-Self Driving system from use on public roads, claiming that it will kill children, swerve into oncoming traffic and ignore stop signs, showing the company’s cars smashing into several child-sized mannequins.

The Dawn Project has been a long-time critic of Tesla, with the car-maker having issued a cease-and-desist letter following videos last year, again showing Tesla cars in Full-Self Driving mode hitting child-like dummies.

Tesla is currently under investigation by regulators in the US due to claims that its driver assistance systems played a part in causing a series of crashes and that exaggerated marketing hype around those systems may have led drivers to overestimate their cars’ autonomous capabilities.

When The Dawn Project posted the advert on Twitter, the social media platform ⁠— which is now owned by Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk ⁠— sought to add balance with several points of “added context” and links to articles that counter the accusations.

These include that O’Dowd owns a company that is developing competing self driving software, that other tests show The Dawn Project’s FSD claims have been debunked and that the system has resulted in more than 55 million miles of driving without reported injuries.

Fast X trailer

The new trailer for Fast X was shown during the Super Bowl, too. If you like modified cars, creaky scripts, ridiculous action set-pieces and ageing actors with CGI-dewrinkled faces, you’ll probably like it.

After watching the 2023 Super Bowl car adverts, you might like to check out The five best car adverts of Super Bowl 2021
Jeep pulls Super Bowl ad after Springsteen drink driving charge
Five of the best car TV adverts ever shown in the UK

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Five of the best car TV adverts ever shown in the UK

Will.dron@sunday-times.co.uk — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 11:46:08 +0000

When was the last time you watched a car advert on TV and gigged with delight, sat on the edge of your seat with nerves or dropped your jaw in awe?

Many advertisements have managed to do that in the past, and in their honour we’ve created a roundup of some of the best TV car ads ever shown in the UK.

Of course, the list could continue … share your own favourites in the comments.

Montego 1.6L tackles a car park

Drop Austin from the name and give it a peppy engine that puts the Ford Sierra and Vauxhall Cavalier to shame, and the Montego becomes cool. That was the idea, anyway, and to get the message across a number of in-your-face print and TV adverts were created to get the message across.

Whether viewers remembered the car’s features, such as the five-speed gearbox and “slide-and-tilt suroof”, or simply the imagery of stuntman Russ Swift driving it on two wheels and sliding it into a parking space, is another matter. But it is certainly memorable — particularly the final gag.

Honda “Cog”

Honda was on a roll with car adverts in the early 2000s, thanks to UK creative agency Wieden+Kennedy; a number of celebrated TV spots positioned the brand as the leader in technology and innovation, while making it desirable, too.

The “Cog” ad promoted the idea of Honda quality as much as the car in question — the Accord Tourer — with the tagline, “Isn’t it nice when things just work?” To show that, the car’s components were turned into a vehicular Rube Goldberg machine, and the result is mesmerising.

It’s so impressive that many people thought it was faked, but other than filming in two parts with an edit to link them together (due to space in the studio), it was all shot “in camera” with no CGI. That includes the wheels, which were made to travel uphill thanks to counterweights. All you need is a massive creative and engineering team, four months and 600 takes. Simple.

Land Rover drives up a dam

If you’re selling the idea that your car can go anywhere, obviously you want to wow potential buyers by showing it going where no other vehicle would dare. Up the side of a dam is one of the most daring and visually arresting locations ever conceived, and certainly conveys the idea that, “Nothing — but nothing — gets in the way of a Land Rover.”

It was such a great stunt that Richard Hammond attempted to do the same thing with one of the last “old” Defenders on Top Gear, though as he discovered it’s not quite a simple as firing a hook over the top and starting the winch — there were many protocols that had to be followed to make it work … and vaguely safe.

And once Hammond got to the top, he had to be lowered back down again due to the way the cable was hooked up. The original advert didn’t let such logistical issues get in the way of a good narrative.

Triumph TR-6: Don’t test it this way

Humour, excitement, a quintessentially English voiceover … this effort for the TR-6 has all the elements of a great British car advert. The stunts may seem a little tame by today’s standards but they will have been pretty eye-opening for its day.

It also manages to get across quite a few of the car’s standout features, including the disk brakes and independent front suspension. In fact, we’re now hankering after a TR-6 ourselves.

Going through changes with the VW Golf

Directed by legendary British photographer David Bailey, this advert for the VW Golf shows a woman walking out of a house — and clearly a relationship. She discards her ring and fur coat but decides to hold on to the key to the VW Golf.

It was heralded as the old-school advertising industry getting onboard with feminism, though of course the aim will have been to try to sell more Golfs to women. Either way, it’s a remarkably poignant and effective ad spot.

After this list of five of the best TV car adverts shown in the UK, you might want to check out the five best car adverts from the Super Bowl in 2021
Patent to beam adverts into cars ‘worrying’, according to safety expert
Audi apologises for ‘insensitive’ RS4 advert

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Jeremy Clarkson asked girlfriend to crash Honda Civic hybrid into tree after she did so with a Jazz

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:58:48 +0000

The actress Lisa Hogan, partner of Jeremy Clarkson and co-star of the hit Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm, has escaped injury after crashing a Honda Jazz test car into a tree.

Clarkson had borrowed the Jazz from Honda UK but before he’d got into the car, “someone who shall remain nameless (save to say she’s called Lisa Hogan),” reported Clarkson in his review of the Civic eHEV for The Sunday Times Magazine, used it to drive to the farm’s on-site shop only to forget “to stop turning the steering wheel after the corner was over.”

Although the tree that Hogan hit wasn’t a big one the crash still caused considerable damage to the supermini, stoving in the roof and necessitating its removal on the back of a low-loader lorry.

Clarkson had borrowed the Jazz to test the latest version of the car that had converted his late mother, Shirley, to Honda ownership, and to report back on one of the latest offerings from the company which he believes, despite decades of soaring success, has seemingly begun to fade from the British consciousness.

Because of the crash, however, Clarkson didn’t manage to get very much time behind the wheel before the Jazz was carted away to be replaced by Honda’s new hybrid Civic.

His first impressions of the Civic weren’t positive, he said, describing it as “possibly the dreariest-looking car I’ve ever seen.”

His apprehension was further heightened by the sight of the “e:HEV” badge on the rear denoting the Civic’s hybrid powertrain.

Although Clarkson has lavished praise on a couple of hybrids of late (namely the Ferrari 296 GTB and McLaren Artura), he has in the past been extremely critical of “electrified” cars.

“Naturally I asked the nameless person if she’d like to drive this into a tree as well, to put it out of my misery, but she declined.”

While he may not have been enamoured by the looks or the fact of it being a hybrid, when it came to everything else he was rather impressed.

Driving the new 11th-generation Civic, Clarkson was “tickled by not being tickled at all,” such was smoothness and refinement of its ride.

“I know the roads round my house and I know that many of them are quite bumpy. But in the Civic I couldn’t feel any of the irregularities at all. It was like being in a hovercraft, only with steering and nice seats and controls that make sense,” he said.

Even the Honda’s hybrid system came in for praise. It primarily functions as a series hybrid, using a 2-litre petrol engine as a generator to send energy to the battery and motors but it can, when required, send power directly from the engine to the wheels.

Despite the Civic’s clever economy-minded engineering, Clarkson found it to be a willing and rewarding unit for the driver.

“If you want to go really quickly you can put it in sport mode and then, as you get to the red line, there’s an artificial but hilarious motorcycle soundtrack that will make you want to stretch it to the limit in the next gear as well.”

This is despite the fact that the Civic utilises a form of continuously variable transmission (CVT) with which gear changes are largely seamless, though according to Jeremy, it felt less like a CVT and more like a conventional automatic gearbox.

Also worthy of note was the Civic’s spaciousness and build quality, both of which Jeremy found exemplary, saying that the Honda was “built to a higher standard than almost anything else in the world, including the machines they use to do eye operations.”

“With prices starting at less than £30,000,” he said, “it’s cheap as well.”

“This Civic e:HEV — such an ugly name — is almost certainly the best option there is for people who need a car. Rather than want one,” he concluded.

“It’s as though Honda has realised that in the sensible times that lie ahead, people will need a sensible car.”

“I’m going to stick my neck out now and say that if you are looking for the last word in comfort, and you can’t afford an S-class Mercedes-Benz or a Rolls-Royce Phantom, this is your best bet. It’s uncanny. And quite brilliant.”

Read Clarkson’s review of the Honda Civic e:HEV in full at thetimes.co.uk.

After reading about Lisa Hogan crashing a Honda Jazz, you might also enjoy Clarkson’s video showing a ‘crashed’ tractor at his Diddly Squat farm
Jeremy Clarkson found driving in Cornwall so slow he had time to count the hand stitches in his Bentley Continental GT Mulliner
And don’t miss what Clarkson had to say about the Land Rover Defender Hard Top

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Nine of the best cars from scary movies

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 16:38:45 +0000

Halloween is the time to sit down in a darkened room and be scared out of your wits by a fiendish film or two.

And if you get your kicks from things with four wheels, we’ve rated nine of the best cars from scary movies — some legendary, some less well-known, but all on one side or other of pure evil.

**1. Christine (Christine, 1983)**

Make/ model: 1958 Plymouth Fury

Perhaps the most famous scary car of all, John Carpenter’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel about a possessed 1958 Plymouth is now a cult classic.

The story focuses on Arnie, an awkward teenager who buys Christine and soon changes personality. The car, too, seems to have a mind of its own, exacting revenge on a gang of bullies who beat up Arnie, while also showing a jealous streak when Arnie gets a girlfriend.

As well as having murderous intentions, Christine is able to miraculously regenerate, even after being engulfed in flames, while a soundtrack of fifties rock ‘n’ roll plays with every kill.

Did you know? John Carpenter’s movie adaptation of Christine was released only eight months after the Stephen King novel.
How to watch it: Freevee (free with ads via Amazon Prime Video); Virgin Media

2. Ecto-1 (Ghostbusters franchise, 1984-2021)

Make/ model: 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance

One of the most famous movie cars of all time, Ecto-1 is the repurposed Cadillac ambulance that the Ghostbusters used to attend paranormal events across New York City. With its roof rack full of scientific instruments and a distinctive wailing siren, Ecto-1 certainly let New Yorkers know when the Ghostbusters had arrived.

As well as carrying Venkman, Stantz, Spengler and Zeddemore on board, a converted stretcher kitted out with the team’s proton packs rolled out of Ecto-1’s back door, while ecto-containment devices allowed spirits to be transported safely back to Ghostbusters HQ, a converted fire station.

Did you know? The 2016 Ghostbusters all-female reboot used a 1984 Cadillac Funeral Coach instead of the 1959 ambulance, but the Miller-Meteor returned for 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife (though a different chassis was used, as the original Ecto-1 is now a museum piece).
How to watch: Ghostbusters currently included with Amazon Prime Video; Virgin Media

**3. The truck (Duel, 1971)**

Make/ model: 1955 Peterbilt 281

Steven Spielberg’s directorial debut offers two-for-one on movie wheels. Originally made for television, Duel was given an international cinema release in 1972 and has since gone on to become a cult classic.

The story follows salesman David Mann, who enters into a psychological battle with a never-seen truck driver at the wheel of a filthy Peterbilt tanker that tries to terrorise Mann’s Plymouth off the road.

The two play a game of cat and mouse through the Mojave Desert, with Mann attempting to get away from the terror truck, only to be thwarted at every attempt.

Did you know? Spielberg chose an old Peterbilt because of the truck’s ‘menacing face’.
How to watch it: Included with Virgin Media

4. The Delta (Evil Dead franchise, 1981-onwards)

Make/ model: 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88

While the Evil Dead franchise is synonymous with its hero Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell), there’s good reason for including the Oldsmobile that he drives only briefly in the first movie. That’s because it belongs to the movie’s director, Sam Raimi, who has since managed to include the car in every film that he has directed, including his Spider-Man movies starring Tobey Maguire (2002-2007).

It appeared in all the Evil Dead movies, including with a Mad Max-style makeover for 1992’s Army Of Darkness, as well as the underappreciated Ash vs. Evil Dead reboot series for Netflix (2015-2018).

Prepare for a gore-fest.

Did you know? The Delta was originally owned by Sam Raimi’s mother. Bruce Campbell — who attended high school with Raimi — said he rode in it when Mrs Raimi dropped him off to see A Clockwork Orange in the early 1970s, so he’s known the car for nearly 50 years.
How to watch: Evil Dead 2 (a bigger-budget remake of Evil Dead) is available to rent or buy on a number of streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video and YouTube. Stream Ash vs. The Evil Dead on Netflix.

**5. The Car (The Car, 1977)**

Make/ model: 1971 Lincoln Continental MkIII

While some horror cars play a supporting role, as with Christine this one is the main protagonist. A seemingly driverless car goes on a rampage in a small Midwest town, killing anyone that crosses its path.

The car itself was heavily modified by famous Los Angeles customiser George Barris, the man behind the original Batmobile. For The Car, Barris took the huge Continental MkIII, chopped the roof, added oversized bodywork and blacked out the windows for a more sinister look.

Did you know? The film starred James Brolin, father of Josh Brolin who played Thanos in the Marvel Avengers movie series, among many other notable roles.
How to watch it: Buy on Sky Store

**6. Charger stunt car (Death Proof, 2007)**

Make/ model: 1969 Dodge Charger

Quentin Tarantino’s sixth movie is based on the director’s fascination with stuntmen and their custom-built ‘death proof’ cars, which he learnt about via Sean Penn on a night out.

The protagonist (played by Kurt Russell) is a stuntman who preys on young women, and reveals too late to one victim that the ‘death-proof’ part of his cars only applies to the driver.

The menacing black Charger is the focus of the second half of the movie — Russell’s “Stuntman Mike” drives a souped-up Chevy Nova in the first part — where it is used to antagonise a group of young women in a white Dodge Challenger. Mike picked off more than he can chew this time, though.

Did you know? The white Challenger is Tarantino’s homage to another cult car movie, 1971’s Vanishing Point.
How to watch it: Currently included with Virgin Media

7. DEV 1L (101 Dalmatians live action franchise, 1996-2021)

Make/ model: 1980 Panther DeVille with Chevy V8

One of Disney’s biggest baddies must be the Dalmatian coat-coveting Cruella De Vil. The 2021 story Cruella follows her path to the dark side, and along with it comes the return of her favourite set of wheels, a Panther Deville with DEV 1L number plate.

This isn’t the first time the obscure British car maker has been at the heart of Cruella’s story — the 1996 version of 101 Dalmatians, as well as 2000’s 102 Dalmatians also feature the same custom DeVille.

Did you know? Only 60 Panther DeVilles were built in a production run from 1974-1985. The movie car’s Jaguar engine was replaced by a small-block V8 and the body was hand painted by Alexander Mitchell.
How to watch it: Cruella (and the other Dalmatians movies) available via Disney+

**8. Turbo Interceptor (The Wraith, 1986)**

Make/ model: 1981 Dodge M4S Concept

If you’re after OTT killer-car thrills, then The Wraith is the ultimate 1980s expression. The story revolves around a vengeful supercar intent on killing a gang of criminals that race rivals for their cars. After every successful slay, the car miraculously repairs itself, just like Christine.

The car in the film was called the Turbo Interceptor, and was based on a real concept car created by Dodge. It featured a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, while six copies were made for use in the film.

Did you know? Far from its menacing role in the movie, the original M4S was designed to be a safety car for the US IndyCar racing series.
How to watch it: Freevee (free with ads via Amazon Prime Video); Rakuten TV (free with ads)

**9. The Hearse (The Hearse, 1980)**

Make/ model: 1952 Packard Funeral Coach

If you inherited a house from an aunt and then found out that she had tried to form a pact with Satan, you’d probably run a mile. But in this early-’80s horror, the protagonist stays put, even after being visited by a black Packard hearse that vanishes into thin air after parking on the drive.

But the car and house aren’t the only unsettling things about this rural community.

Did you know? Cars such as this Packard and the Ghostbusters ambulance were converted by specialist coachbuilders in limited numbers.
How to watch it: Plex (free with ads)

N.b. We may receive a small commission fee if you click on a link to an external website and purchase a product as a result, but these links are designed to make your life easier and it does not affect our editorial independence. In most of the cases above we are unlikely to receive a commission.

After reading about the best cars from scary movies, you might be interested to read about No Time To Die: The cars of the James Bond film
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The post Nine of the best cars from scary movies appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

Driver reverses into Japan’s oldest toilet

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 15:09:33 +0000

A 15th-century lavatory in Japan has been badly damaged after a motorist accidentally reversed his car into the building at an ancient Buddhist temple in Kyoto.

The incident occurred on Monday morning (October 17) when the driver, who works for the Kyoto Heritage Preservation Association, unwittingly crashed his 20-year-old car through the door of the 600-year-old building at the sacred Tofukuji temple, ripping off the doors and damaging an internal wall.

The driver, 30, has not been named and is understood to have been unhurt, calling the police immediately in the aftermath the incident.

The communal toilet building, once used by up to 100 monks at a time, was unoccupied at the time of the crash, not having been used for its intended purpose since around the middle of the 19^th century.

Nicknamed the “hyakusecchin”, which means 100-person toilet, unlike modern lavatories or the futuristic hi-tech loos for which Japan is known today, the toilets themselves consist of holes cut into blocks of stone. The building isn’t normally open to the public, though the toilets can be viewed by visitors through gaps in the exterior.

As well as providing comfort for the monks, the lavatory was once financially important for the temple.

“In the Muromachi period [1336 to 1573], excretion was used for compost manure that was indispensable to Kyoto vegetables delivered to kitchens of samurai warriors, court nobles and ordinary people in Kyoto. The compost manure was said to be a large source of income for the Zen temple,” explains a plaque at the site.

Luckily for the driver, conservators say that the damage to the building can be repaired.

Toshio Ishikawa, director of the temple’s research institute, said he was “stunned” by the extent of the damage, but relieved that no one had been injured.

“We’d like to restore it before the autumn foliage season but it will probably take until the new year [to repair].”

Also notable about the incident in Kyoto was the hapless motorist’s car, a WiLL Vi.

Cars from the short-lived WiLL brand aren’t often seen in the UK and the company was a joint-venture between Toyota, Panasonic, Asahi Breweries and other big Japanese firms aimed at selling a vast range of products including cars to a younger demographic.

Among the firm’s offerings was the oddball WiLL Vi, a small retro-styled car based on Toyota Yaris underpinnings and built between 2000 and 2001, at which point it was dropped due to slow sales.

Credit: Tennen-Gas via Wikimedia Commons

The Vi followed in the footsteps of other well-received neo-retro cars such as Nissan’s “Pike” quartet, the Figaro, Pao, Be-1 and S-Cargo, and owed much to classic models such as the 1960s Mazda Carol, Ford Anglia and Citroën Ami.

Despite its quirky looks and the option of a folding canvas roof, the Vi wasn’t an enormous success for WiLL or its maker, Toyota, and the model was replaced by the less unusually-styled WiLL VS, though another model, the strange-looking and similarly-sized WiLL Cypha, was perhaps a more direct successor.

Neither WiLL’s cars nor its other products, which included electronics, beer, sweets, air-fresheners, stationery and tourist experiences, were enough to sustain the brand, and by 2004 it was no more.

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The post Driver reverses into Japan’s oldest toilet appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

Jeremy Clarkson ordered to shut Diddly Squat restaurant and café after he ‘ignored’ council warnings

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 12:50:07 +0000

Jeremy Clarkson has been ordered to shut down the café and restaurant on his farm in Oxfordshire after cheerfully regaling Sunday Times readers with news of finding a “delightful little loophole” that allowed them to open.

Clarkson, the presenter of The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime Video, and a columnist for the Sunday Times Magazine, was told by West Oxfordshire district council in August that he must cease the operation of both the café and restaurant on his farm outside Chadlington near Chipping Norton and remove all paraphernalia associated with both within six weeks of notice being served (August 12).

The council described the use of the farm as “unlawful” and the shop and restaurant’s nature, scale and siting as “unsustainable and incompatible with its countryside location within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”.

The council said the farm must also stop selling products other than those made on the farm, those made within a 16-mile radius of it, or others that the council has allowed.

“Council officers have worked with the owner and planning agents of the business, over many months, to investigate breaches in planning control, advising on how the business can be operated in a lawful way and trying to reach a solution,” the council said in a statement.

“The business continues to operate outside the planning permissions granted and advice has been ignored. The activity has also had a significant impact on the local community.”

Clarkson, however, has launched an appeal against the council’s order to close the restaurant with agents representing him and the farm describing the council’s decision as “excessive” and claiming that planning laws had not, in fact, been breached.

In its appeal against the enforcement notice dated September 9, the John Phillips Planning Consultancy argued that existing planning permission gives them the right to use the farm as a restaurant, and there has been no “material change” to the land.

It also said that the farm’s sale of food and use of tables and chairs was lawful and that it would take longer than the six weeks given by the council to remove all tables, chairs, catering vans, mobile toilets and “landscaping materials” from the site.

The Planning Inspectorate, a government agency, has agreed to hear Clarkson’s appeal, with a date still to be set for the hearing.

Ongoing saga at Diddly Squat

In September 2021, Clarkson announced his intention to open a restaurant in a converted lambing shed on his farm, saying that British beef farmers were being unfairly squeezed out of the market by the government’s post-Brexit trade deal with Australia which, he believed, had flooded the market, precluding British farmers from competing.

The only solution, he said, was for beef farmers to sell their produce directly to restaurants and his announcement was greeted warmly by many local farmers if not so much by other residents in the area.

After addressing a meeting on the topic at the village hall in Chadlington in September, Clarkson said that the idea for a restaurant and a 70-space car park had gone down “like a shower of sick” with villagers.

Farmers and local food producers not happy with ‘absurd’ rejection of Jeremy Clarkson’s restaurant plans

The popularity of the hit Amazon Prime show Clarkson’s Farm has brought thousands of tourists to the area, mostly coming to visit Diddly Squat’s farm shop and hoping to catch a glimpse of Clarkson himself.

Local residents have complained about the huge increase in traffic in the formerly quiet rural area created by the influx of visitors, with, among other things, damage to nearby grass verges as a result of roadside parking.

“There are clearly more Clarkson fans around the place,” Nigel Ridpath, one local told The Guardian. “You can tell by the sort of vehicles they’re driving, Subarus with gold wheels, there’s absolutely more of that.”

Both Clarkson and other nearby farmers expressed disappointment in January this year when West Oxfordshire district council refused planning permission for the restaurant on the grounds that it would be out of character in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Undeterred, however, in July Clarkson announced that the farm had discovered a “delightful little loophole” meaning that the team at Diddly Squat was able to push ahead with the restaurant opening, albeit with a few caveats making for an altogether idiosyncratic dining experience.

“Before making your booking, you should know that it’s small, outdoors and very rustic,” read the blurb for the restaurant on the OpenTable booking app.

“Ordering a beer or going to the lavatory isn’t as easy as in your local pub and we don’t cater to the faddy.”

Guests are taken to the restaurant from elsewhere on the farm in a trailer towed by a tractor. Apart from one tiny section, dining is entirely outdoors, with the toilets (in this case, four portaloos) located some 250m from the dining area.

“There is no menu as such — we simply serve what’s available that day. But worry not, your table will be given a selection of snacks and starters followed by a roast and a pudding. Our bread, made with Hawkstone lager, is absolutely brilliant.”

Apart from the dessert, customers have a choice of beef and little else, and a three-course meal at Diddly Squat costs £49 per head, with guests having to agree to be filmed as part of the Clarkson’s Farm TV series.

The restaurant has garnered mostly highly positive reviews.

When The Times’ Countryside Correspondent, Will Humphries, visited, he described the food as “predictably fantastic”, with “Clarkson’s shorthorn cattle being used in myriad mouth-watering ways.” Almost all the ingredients come from either the farm itself or nearby growers.

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Jeremy Clarkson’s farm restaurant ‘loophole’ under investigation by West Oxfordshire council

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 15:44:41 +0000

Jeremy Clarkson’s restaurant on his farm in Oxfordshire is being investigated by the local council following his claims that he availed of a “cunning little loophole” that allowed him to open an eatery despite the council’s opposition.

The Sunday Times columnist Clarkson, who also presents Amazon Prime shows Clarkson’s Farm and The Grand Tour, opened Diddly Squat Restaurant outside Chadlington, near Chipping Norton, in July. Planning permission had initially been rejected by the council on the grounds that officials believed it would spoil the protected rural landscape.

Although the restaurant has thus far received rave reviews (except in The Daily Mail, which routinely disparages Clarkson), it appears that the writer-restaurateur may still have some regulatory hurdles to jump, with West Oxfordshire District Council announcing it was launching an investigation.

“The council was made aware of the restaurant opening at Diddly Squat Farm,” a spokesman said.

“As part of our standard operating procedure, we have been looking into the operation to ensure it is compliant with local and national planning law and policies, as well as licensing and food hygiene regulations.”

The spokesman declined to add anything further, telling The Times: “We cannot comment on any ongoing investigations.”

In January, Clarkson and other local farmers expressed disappointment at West Oxfordshire District Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for a restaurant.

“There’s a huge drive to allow farms to diversify, to attract more money and break down the gap between farm and plate,” said one local bakery owner. “Jeremy is employing people, bringing in money. He’s not everyone’s cup of tea but what the council is doing seems absurd.”

Other locals, however, objected to Clarkson’s expansion plans and the increased popularity and traffic levels that the hit Amazon show, Clarkson’s Farm, has brought to the formerly quiet rural area.

“There are clearly more Clarkson fans around the place,” Nigel Ridpath, a local resident told The Guardian. “You can tell by the sort of vehicles they’re driving, Subarus with gold wheels, there’s absolutely more of that.”

The farm’s name, Diddly Squat, is derived from his realisation it was financially barren, with what one expert described to him as “the shittiest land he’d ever seen”.

In its first year as a working farm under Clarkson’s aegis, it made just £140. However, the farm shop end of the business proved relatively lucrative, and the plans for the restaurant were designed to help boost earnings.

Clarkson’s discovery of a “delightful little loophole” last month meant that the team on Diddly Squat Farm were able to push ahead with a restaurant opening, though with a few caveats.

“Before making your booking, you should know that it’s small, outdoors and very rustic,” the blurb for the restaurant on the OpenTable app through which all guests must book a table reads.

“Ordering a beer or going to the lavatory isn’t as easy as in your local pub and we don’t cater to the faddy.

“We’ve done our best to keep you warm and dry, but this is England. On the upside, the view is enormous and almost everything you eat was grown or reared on our farm, so it’s fresh with minimal food miles.

Still, even with its idiosyncrasies, the restaurant has satisfied Clarkson and most of its clientelle.

“It’s a weight off my shoulders and it appeals to my anti-establishment bent,” the presenter said.

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Jeremy Clarkson opens Diddly Squat restaurant thanks to ‘cunning little loophole’, but there are several catches

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 19:10:13 +0000

Jeremy Clarkson has opened a 40-seat restaurant on his Diddly Squat farm in rural Oxfordshire, despite initial plans to do so being refused by the local council.

The Clarkson’s Farm presenter and regular columnist for The Sunday Times said that although he had been refused planning permission for a restaurant next to his farm shop outside the village of Chadlington, near Chipping Norton, on the grounds that councillors believed it would spoil the protected rural landscape, a “cunning little loophole” meant that the plans were able to go ahead.

“It’s a weight off my shoulders and it appeals to my anti-establishment bent,” Clarkson said. “You can write to your council and inform them that you are changing a barn’s use, it’s called permitted development . . . We happen to have a barn which met every single one of the criteria.”

The impromptu and improvised nature of Diddly Squat Restaurant’s establishment means that it has more than its fair share of idiosyncrasies compared to other bistros.

For one, guests arriving at the venue must climb into a trailer that is then towed by a tractor to the barn elsewhere on the farm. Apart from a tiny VIP section located in a shepherd’s hut, the tables are entirely outdoors, while those wishing to go to the toilet must hop back on board the tractor to be taken to one of the four portaloos located some 250m from the restaurant (quad bikes are available for those in a rush).

Diddly Squat’s kitchen is currently run by Pip Lacey, a winner of the BBC’s Great British Menu TV show, and although there’s no menu as such, the restaurant’s offering is particularly heavy on beef. When The Times’ Countryside Correspondent, Will Humphries visited, he described the food as “predictably fantastic”, with “Clarkson’s shorthorn cattle being used in myriad mouth-watering ways.” Almost all the ingredients come from either the farm itself or nearby growers.

“I have never tasted food like this, it’s 15 out of 10”

“I am told 1,000 people can eat from one cow and we have had one hanging for 29 days,” said Clarkson. “Some people are going to get oxtail, some tongue and some will get fillet steak.”

Humphries outlined the kind of food guests can expect:

“A sharing platter before the starters were served consisted of sticky beef croquettes with aioli and pickled chilli, baby beef pasties with raspberry and salsa verde and grilled courgettes with bone marrow.

“They were followed by sharing starters of beef tartare and smoked brisket with egg ceviche.

“The main was a roasted topside of beef with vegetables, followed by a dessert of Diddly Squat strawberries and honey with local ice cream.”

A three-course meal at Diddly Squat costs £49 per head, though as the restaurant has no alcohol licence, unless diners opt for the £69 VIP experience they must do without wine and instead have the option of buying bottles of Hawkstone lager (made from Diddly Squat-grown barley) or cider from the on-site shop before the tractor ride to the restaurant.

Customers are advised not to open the bottles until they get to their tables to reduce the chance of spillage during the bumpy journey.

Those opting for the VIP experience receive a complimentary bottle of English sparkling wine.

Because of the restaurant’s limited capacity, guests hoping to dine at Diddly Squat can’t just show up, instead being urged to book ahead through the Open Table app. The app’s description of the restaurant is written in a typically Clarksonian style providing an overview of the experience.

“Before making your booking, you should know that it’s small, outdoors and very rustic,” the blurb reads. “Ordering a beer or going to the lavatory isn’t as easy as in your local pub and we don’t cater to the faddy.

So far, the Diddly Squat experience has been well-received. Speaking to The Times, Tatiana Melnic, a Ukrainian property developer from London, her husband Dmytro and two of their children, saw a post on Instagram, booked a table and were not disappointed.

“With the situation [in Ukraine] this just takes you out of that completely. It’s amazing, you are just in the middle of a field. I have never tasted food like this, it’s 15 out of 10,” Melnic said.

“The setting is exceptional, we have never been anywhere like this in the UK,” said another guest, Rebecca Schofield from London. “It’s very peaceful, I like the calm,” she said, adding that the steak tartare was a particular highlight.

“We don’t cater to the faddy”

In January, Clarkson and other local farmers expressed disappointment at West Oxfordshire District Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for a restaurant.

Other locals, however, have objected to Clarkson’s expansion plans and the increased popularity and traffic levels that the hit Amazon show, Clarkson’s Farm, has brought to the formerly-quiet rural area with guests hoping to catch a glimpse of the presenter and to buy locally-made produce from the Diddly Squat farm shop.

The farm’s name, Diddly Squat, is derived from the fact that in its first year under Clarkson’s aegis, it made just £140 — practically nothing, though the farm shop end of the business, Clarkson admits has been doing quite well.

At present, the restaurant is operating under a temporary food licence, meaning that if the restaurant were made permanent it would need to conform to more stringent regulations, with the open-sided barn kitchen needing to be contained. The al fresco nature of the restaurant also prompted questions about what will happen when the English weather turns colder and wetter in the coming months.

“We will cross that [bridge] when it comes,” said Kaleb Cooper, a local contractor and one of the co-stars of Clarkson’s Farm. “I will come up with a solution, I am sure of it.”

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The post Jeremy Clarkson opens Diddly Squat restaurant thanks to ‘cunning little loophole’, but there are several catches appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

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Nine of the best cars from scary movies

1. Christine (Christine, 1983)

2. Ecto-1 (Ghostbusters franchise, 1984-2021)

3. The truck (Duel, 1971)

4. The Delta (Evil Dead franchise, 1981-onwards)

5. The Car (The Car, 1977)

6. Charger stunt car (Death Proof, 2007)

7. DEV 1L (101 Dalmatians live action franchise, 1996-2021)

8. Turbo Interceptor (The Wraith, 1986)

9. The Hearse (The Hearse, 1980)

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**1. Christine (Christine, 1983)**

**3. The truck (Duel, 1971)**

**5. The Car (The Car, 1977)**

**6. Charger stunt car (Death Proof, 2007)**

**8. Turbo Interceptor (The Wraith, 1986)**

**9. The Hearse (The Hearse, 1980)**