UK's oldest Flymo inducted into British Lawnmower Museum
"I feel honoured," he said."I was just amazed I didn't expect anything like that."
The Flymo lawnmower, which has blades on an air cushion to make it easier to move, first went on sale in 1965.Earlier this year the company launched a UK wide search to find the oldest surviving Flymo as part of its 60 year anniversary celebrations.Mr Goddard said he could not believe his was the oldest in the UK, especially after the failed attempts to sell it. He said he was pleased the mower would now be on display for everyone to see.Brian Radam, owner of the British Lawnmower Museum on Shakespeare Street in Southport said it would be displayed "among the lawnmowers of the rich and famous".
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Telegraph
3 minutes ago
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Aston Martin Vanquish Volante review: A prime example of why V12 engines should live on
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These days, where we're invited to admire the growth pangs of artificial intelligence in much the same way that medieval yokels might gather in front of a particularly impressive turnip, the Vanquish's V12 is the real thing, achieving what it does with the refinement of craft, design and mechanical brilliance. Sometimes we do count pistons, even if the extra four in the Vanquish effectively cost £46,250 each. Under the skin For non-aficionados of the marque, this car is the drophead version of the Mk3 Vanquish I also reviewed last year as Aston goes on a product initiative. The original Vanquish was first seen as Project Vantage at the 1998 Detroit Auto Show and went on sale in 2001. Designed by Ian Callum, this much-admired (despite its fragile robotised manual gearshift) car set a new tone at Aston and created a legend. That first Vanquish was replaced by the DBS in 2007, but then had a second generation from 2012 to 2018. That disappeared until the third-generation model last year. The bodywork design under Miles Nurnberger, Aston's director of design, drips testosterone, but is highly sensitive to colour. Silver doesn't do it many favours; the grille gawps like a lovestruck teenager and the haunches seem too rounded and too large. With paint such as this midnight-blue (almost black) Chimera hue the thing makes more sense and has greater presence. I can even forgive the orange pinstripe – just. Revamped V12 engine The 5.2-litre V12 has received a major revamp, with a redesigned cylinder block and heads, new cam profiles and connecting rods, revised porting and larger injectors. The Mitsubishi turbos spin 15 per cent faster than in the previous unit and there's water-to-air charge cooling. This features a boost reserve system which stores boost pressure in the inlet tracts, which is deployed when the driver pushes the accelerator hard at low engine revs when the turbos aren't spinning so fast. 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Standard sports-plus seats are comfortable and supportive, but can feel a little pinching round the kidneys, while those of a larger persuasion might want to check the options for a wider perch. There's a feeling of space and room around you (so it should be in a 2.044-metre wide, 4.85-metre-long car), but the door pockets are narrow and tend to spill their content into inaccessible under-seat spaces if you are eager on cornering forces. There's a shelf behind the seats where handbags and briefcases do battle with the folded hood mechanism and a wind deflector. The boot, too, will shrink when the roof is folded, from a not desperately good 219 litres to a pretty terrible 187 litres – the coupé has 248 litres. Weight, before you ask, is 1,880kg dry, which compares with the coupé's 1,774kg dry. Just over 100kg in it, then. Judging by the lack of twist in the chassis, it's all stiffening. 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And the sense of control as you turn the steering, with its easy progression off the straight-ahead position with no lost movement, belies the lack of a rigid roof. Similarly, the standard carbon-ceramic disc brakes are hugely powerful, but with progression and a decent grab upon initial application, meaning you can feel your way into a corner without disturbing the balance too much. On Fish Hill, the steep and sinuous climb out of Broadway, I push the accelerator pedal a bit (quite a bit) more and twist the cylindrical gear selector from GT to Sport to give the gearbox a bit of a hint. The engine shrieks, the rear tyres squirm for grip on dry tarmac, the revcounter is approaching 6,000rpm… Now I understand where the money went. It feels like an old film speeded up for effect, but at the wheel there's a calm as the safety systems and the remarkable differential keep the nose pointed where it was commanded. Using the less watchful modes of Sport Plus or Individual (where you can independently choose the settings for drivetrain, steering weight and damper response), you can goad this car into lurid cornering antics. But would you take a third of million's worth to a racing circuit simply to shred a set or two of 21in Pirellis? What this car does best is a sort of muscular covering of ground, thanks to a well-judged ride and effortless cornering, along with just enough luggage space. With a brimming sense of occasion, the Cotswolds suddenly seems far too small to contain its continental ambitions. Utah, perhaps? Or lunch in Budapest? The Telegraph verdict Strangely, at a time when we're all supposed to be buying EVs, the number of V12 engines on the market is as great as ever. Lamborghini, Ferrari and Aston Martin all have V12 super GTs and even if sales volumes are low, they are still selling. 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Daily Mail
3 minutes ago
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BBC News
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HGV fire closes two M25 motorway lanes near Basildon
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