The Good Oil: Mini's mini Citysurfer

NZ Herald

28 Nov, 2014 10:00 PM6 mins to read

The Mini CitySurfter. Photos / Supplied

Finding parking in a busy city is always a pain. Finding parking conveniently close to where you need to be is even worse.

But now Mini has come up with a clever concept that will be a welcome blessing to those of us with no patience who just can't face walking too far - the Citysurfer Concept.

The Citysurfer is a very cool little folding electric scooter that easily fits in the boot of a Mini. It has a range of around 20km, a top speed of 25km/h and features a mobile phone holder with its own charging socket.

The Citysurfer's lithium-ion battery is integrated into its frame and the electric motor automatically disconnects itself when the battery is flat to allow you to continue under foot power if necessary.

Regenerative braking provides some charge on the move, while the Citysurfer can also be charged while in the car using a 12-volt cable, or a standard household plug at home.

It also actually looks quite cool (mainly thanks to those brilliant Mini-style wheels and cute little disc brakes ... ) and The Good Oil has to admit that we would rather like one. Mainly because it is easier than walking.

We are the world

• There has been a flood of foreign cars pouring into Iraq's Kurdish northern territories since Saddam Hussein's downfall in 2003, but apparently the locals have a few problems pronouncing the names. Their solution? Most foreign cars are known by local nicknames - the Chrysler 300C is known as "Obama" while the Toyota Land Cruiser is known as the "Wanawsha" after a Kurdish actress and model considered to be classy. The only problem is that the Toyota used to be called the "Monica", after Monica Lewinsky. No one is entirely sure why ...

• An inebriated New Jersey man recently caused considerable damage to a park after he stole a bulldozer and tried to drive it home because "he was cold". Christopher Russell was arrested after he levelled a number of signs, three park benches, two steel bollards, a tree, a drinking fountain, several fences, tore up grass, damaged a bridge parapet and eventually hit a parked car.

Definitive insanity

While most insane people get locked up or treated, quite a few seem to make their way into the car industry, find each other and start up small design houses or tuning outfits.

One such collection of lunatics, Lazzarini Design, came up with the idea of jamming a Ferrari V8 in the back of a Fiat 500 (no investors came forward for that one).

Now those loonies have encountered the more well-known nutters at Hennessey Performance (creators of the insane Venom GT) to dream up the Alfa Romeo 4C Definitiva - basically an Alfa 4C with, well, a Ferrari V8 jammed into the back of it. See a theme developing here?

Designed by Lazzarini and tuned by Hennessey, the 4C Definitiva will scamper to 60 miles an hour (97km/h) in a terrifying 2.5 seconds. Which, for those of you not paying attention, is roughly the same as the LaFerrari hypercar.

Well, in theory, that is, because the two companies haven't actually built one yet.
However, Lazzarini is looking for customers willing to hand over $410,000 to finally fulfil its strange urge to jam Ferrari V8s into the back of things.

All guns blazing

Jaguar Land Rover has taken the first shot in what will almost certainly be the next segment war it will take part in - the super-luxury SUV war that will no doubt be set into full swing by Bentley's forthcoming entry into the segment.

And when we say "taken the first shot" we almost mean that literally, as JLR's Special Vehicle Operations department has teamed up with royal gunsmith Holland & Holland to create the most expensive Range Rover to roll out of the factory.

The special edition Rangie is based on the long wheelbase Autobiography Black model.
The interior has been fitted with "Executive Class" fully reclining seats, a redesigned centre console complete with electrically deployable walnut tables, super-soft tan and brown leather, and French walnut trim carved from a single slab of wood to ensure the veneer is perfectly matched.

Holland & Holland craftsmen have even given the SUV's door handles the same detailed scroll engraving as the bespoke shotguns that it makes for the royal family.

But for that extra special touch, just in case you feel like killing something while you are riding around in the back of your ultra-luxurious SUV, Holland & Holland have also fitted a bespoke gun box in the boot.

Made from aluminium, trimmed with leather and lined with Alcantara, the gun box is fitted with a sliding cargo floor made of aluminium and carbon fibre and finished in the same leather and wood as the cabin. The Holland & Holland Special Edition will cost a fairly majestic £180,000 ($357,000), but you will, however, have to supply your own guns.

It will be interesting to see how Bentley tops that - duelling swords in the rear door pockets, perhaps?

Toyota goes overboard

While there is a lot to be said for the ubiquitous promotional movie tie-in car at a motor show idea, Toyota may have gone a little, ah ... off the deep end for its latest.

Conceived to promote the new SpongeBob SquarePants movie, SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, the Sienna people mover Toyota revealed at the Los Angeles show is not so much a family-friendly child-pleaser, but more a drug-fuelled nightmare.

The psychedelic Sienna has received the full SpongeBob treatment, complete with a psychotically-grinning SpongeBob face and livery with matching blue and yellow wheels.

Inside, the horror continues with a cartoon nautical theme complete with a massive ship's wheel. To round out the surreal terror of it all, the thing on the roof apparently actually blows bubbles. And potentially haunts you in your dreams if you are 5 years old ...