Skid resistance

The Japanese authorities are investigating a crash that involved a large number of expensive sportscars last year. Six people were injured in thecrash although luckily there were no fatalities. The incident resulted in damage costing some US$4 million and involved 10 high performance cars, as well as one rather more conventional vehicle. Footage of the incident shot afterwards showed the damaged Ferraris lying along the highway, with broken body panels strewn across the roadway.

Some friends in the US decided to turn a toy Barbie Mustang car into something rather more entertaining. The men fitted a Honda motorcycle engine and new driveline components, including go-kart tyres. This allowed a top speed of 115km/h, which it could reach in just six seconds, making it rather lively and spirited and also difficult to control. The vehicle is definitely not likely to be made road legal any time soon and nor is a model with a similar performance ever likely to be available from the original

Learning record A young driver in Germany managed to be banned from driving a mere 49 minutes after passing his test. Perhaps in jubilation at having passed the test, and no longer having to rely on his friends or ‘dad’s taxi' for transport, the 18 year-old driver inadvisedly pressed pedal to metal. Officers in the town of Hemer, near Dortmund, used a laser unit to determine the vehicle’s speed, seeing that it was travelling at 95km/h in a 50km/h zone. Perhaps he was trying to show his driving skills to hi