KEY POINTS:
The celebrated British artist who illustrated books and album covers for the Beatles and Rolling Stones, and created the original Hard Rock Cafe, has stepped back in time to recreate an iconic magazine cover of 1965. Back then, Alan Aldridge painted a picture of a classic Mini covered with images and patterns reflecting male and female themes. It was a overnight sensation, symbolising the swinging 60s. This time he's done the same thing - but with a new Mini. The car is on show at the design museum in London, part of a display of Aldridge's work entitled The Man With Kaleidoscope Eyes. The car will also be used in Mini's 50th birthday party next year.
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The 28 per cent fall in the New Zealand dollar against the yen in the past year has led Honda to raise car prices by around 5 per cent. Says Honda NZ managing director Graeme Seymour: "We will continue to work hard to keep our prices as sharp as possible, but it is inevitable that car prices in New Zealand will move up for all brands."
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Traffic police in Britain have been told to use humour to break the ice with offending motorists. Says Inspector Mick Dunn at the Metropolitan Police: "Drivers are already on edge when they've been pulled over, so an opening gambit helps start a dialogue." Drivers caught in a bus lane can expect to be asked: "How much is it for a single to Piccadilly Circus?" Speeding and erratic drivers who answer "Yes" to the question: "Is this your vehicle?" can expect to hear: "That surprises me considering that you're driving like you stole it."
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Parked across the road from London's Royal Academy of Arts this week was a Hummer H3, with wooden wagon wheels. British artist Matthew Harrison says his "sculpture" (above) is about the "afterlife." Perhaps he means the Hummer is dead already.
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General Motors wants to know what women drivers consider absolutely essential about a car. More then 1000 respondents, or 45 per cent, voted for a good stereo system. Around 25 per cent said air-conditioning was a must-have; 30 per cent said sat-nav.
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Obit notice of James William "Jim" Adams in Wyoming's Casper Star Tribune on September 9: "Jim, who had tired of reading obituaries noting other's [sic] courageous battles with this or that disease, wanted it known that he had lost his battle ... primarily as a result of not following doctor's orders. He was sadly deprived of his final wish, which was to be run over by a beer truck on the way to the liquor store to buy booze for a date."
alastair.sloane@nzherald.co.nz
