Elephant appeal

An advertisement for the Peugeot 206 is the one Britons liked the most in recent years. The ad, called "Sculptor", shows a young man in India using the bulk of an elephant to help him to turn an Ambassador car - a made-in-India Morris Oxford - into a lookalike 206, the car he dreams of owning to impress the girls. The ad picked up 37 per cent of the votes in a poll run by BBC Radio 4. The Famous Grouse whisky ad finished second with 32 per cent. The Peugeot ad was shot in India and involved a casting session of 100 elephants.

Male humour

A boatie and car industry larrikin we know reckons today, with many New Zealanders glued to the America's Cup on television, is as good a time as any for this joke. A man comes home from work, sits down in his favourite chair, turns on the TV, and says to his wife, "Quick, bring me a beer before it starts." She looks a little puzzled, but brings him a beer. He finishes it and says, "Quick, bring me another beer. It's gonna start. This time she's a little angry, but brings him a beer. When it's finished, he says, "Quick, another beer before it starts." "That's it!" she yells "You waltz in here, flop down in your chair, don't even say hello and then expect me to run around like your slave. Don't you realise that I cook and clean and wash and iron all day long?" The husband slumps and gives a heavy sigh. "It's started."

Costly moves

From this Monday, most vehicles using central London between 7am and 6.30pm during the week will pay a £5 ($14.70) levy each day. The charge is aimed at easing traffic congestion in the heart of the city. Motorbikes, scooters and vehicles using petrol/electric power or alternative fuels such as LPG or bio-diesel will be exempt. But the British motor industry says a system based on tailpipe emissions, where only the cleanest vehicles qualify, offers a more realistic incentive for greener motoring and reducing traffic.

On the beat

More and more carmakers are putting their products into police uniform, we reported the other day. In Europe, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, MG Rover and Volvo build special police versions of their larger cars. In Australia, police are using special-order Holden Commodores, Ford Falcons and Mitsubishi Diamantes. Sydney police use an Alfa Romeo 156 for crime prevention and a Volvo for community relations. Melbourne police get around in an HSV GTO Coupe and a Saab 9-5 for PR work. They also use BMWs for road safety campaigns. Now police in Wiltshire have just taken delivery of a luxury Lexus GS430 saloon for motorway work.

Ford fires up

Ford will launch the new GT Falcon in Melbourne on Monday, powered by a 290kW version of the "Boss" 260kW 5.4-litre engine used in the XR8. The $61,500 XR8 will start appearing in New Zealand next month; the GT will come later. Is that the end of the Falcon V8 power line-up? Not on your life. Motoring newspaper Automotive News will next Wednesday reveal that Ford Australia plans to re-invent the GTHO 1970s icon, using a special version of the "Boss" engine. It will be considerably more powerful than the 300kW 5.7-litre V8 Clubsport from Holden Special Vehicles.

We are the world

* The acting director of the Maryland Transit Administration took an indefinite leave of absence after the wheels fell off a transit bus for the 17th time in nine months, a Baltimore newspaper reports.