Author Archives: AIB

Thousands Of Uninsured Cars Seized

Ferrari Owners of motor vehicles are well aware that, unless declared SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) and kept off the public highway, it is a legal requirement to insure their vehicles. Therefore you may be somewhat surprised to read that Churchill Car Insurance has found that over 27,000 cars have been seized by 23 of the police forces around the UK so far this year because they do not have any insurance on them. In the whole of 2014, there were over 70,000 cars seized.

The worst area is in London where the Metropolitan police force has had to seize almost 10,000 cars. West Yorkshire police force is in second place having seized over 4,000 cars so far in 2015.

You may have thought that it is motorists that own older vehicles that are more likely to not bother to insure their cars. Well, surprisingly, a significant number of cars that were taken off the road by the police due to not being insured were luxury cars. The list includes 10 Bentleys, 3 Lamborghinis, 2 Ferraris, 40 Porsches, and 1,767 BMWs.

So far this year, 1,892 cars that have been seized have been sold at auction generating over £1 million. Interestingly, the most realized for one car in the last three years was £217,933. There have also been 6,736 cars scrapped raising further funds.

The penalty for someone not insuring their car is £300 plus they will get 6 points on their license. In addition, the cost of arranging car insurance will be more expensive for many years to come. Therefore, it does seem rather shortsighted of those people that are not bothering to insure their vehicles.

Here at AIB Insurance, we arrange car insurance on numerous makes and models including some of the luxury makes mentioned above. So, why not get in touch with us on 02380 268 351 and speak to an experienced member of our team to obtain a competitive quote.

Will This Ever Become The World’s Largest Private Jet?

It is the time of year when a lot of families are travelling abroad on holiday to enjoy a week or two on a sun-drenched beach. The most popular mode of transport to take you their is, of course, a flight on a commercial airline such as with the likes of British Airways or easyJet.

This is probably not the case if you are His Royal Highness Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia. He has a number of private jets to choose from. However, back in 2007 he ordered an Airbus A380 that had been used in test flights that would have made him the owner of the largest private jet in the world at that time. Double deck Airbus A380s are normally capable of transporting several hundred passengers many thousands of miles.

The 60-year-old businessman is reportedly worth in the region of £20 billion making him one of the richest people in the world. He also owns such things as a super yacht that is the 58th largest in the world at a length of 282 feet, many top of the range cars and a home in Saudi Arabia that has several hundred rooms. He has not done too badly for someone that reputedly started out in business with a loan of £191,000 and a gift from his father of £19,000.

Apparently, HRH Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal had intended to have the interior of the Airbus A380 designed and fitted out to his own exacting requirements. For instance, some had said that it might have been going to have a gold-rimmed dining table that could seat 14 people who would possibly have enjoyed fine dining. There may have been an opulent lounge decked out in luxurious carpets. He may have relaxed in a Turkish bath finished in marble. There may have been an area set aside on the plane for when he wished to pray equipped with mats that would automatically move to face Mecca. There was even rumoured to be going to be space to accommodate a Rolls-Royce.

However, for some reason, it is reported that HRH some years later re-sold the plane without any of the fittings mentioned above being installed. Interestingly, earlier this year, the plane was reportedly in Toulouse not having been delivered to anyone and with no equipment installed for the use of passengers with Airbus owning the aircraft once again having decided to cancel the original order.

It will be interesting to hear if anyone else purchases this plane and turns it into the largest private jet in the world?

Parahawking – Flying With A Bird Of Prey

Many people that participate in paragliding do so as they enjoy the thrill of taking part in an extreme activity. To be able to free-fly a lightweight paraglider, sometimes at several thousand meters above the ground and cover vast distances in a relatively short period of time, is demanding but exhilarating.

Whilst flying through the air, a paraglider will observe many things going on around them both on land, water and in the sky including observing many birds. There is no doubt that being at one with nature is another appeal of the sport.

Well, how about adding another element to the pastime and paraglide accompanied by a bird of prey? That is exactly what a Parahawking experience offers and more! A Parahawking experience involves flying in a tandem paraglider following a specially trained vulture as it guides you to the best thermals.

The Parahawking Project was set up in Pokhara, Nepal as a result of a falconer from the UK called Scott Mason enjoying a tandem flight in a paraglider in that location with Adam Hill, also from Britain, back in 2001. During the flight Scott saw a number of birds of prey and came up with the unique idea of training these wonderful creatures to fly alongside paragliders. Both gentlemen even helped produce a documentary film about the new activity called “Parahawking” that won a number of awards.

As Parahawking is only available in Nepal you will no doubt need to combine it with a week or two’s holiday. It enables you to not only enjoy paragliding but get up close to one of two Egyptian vultures known as Bob and Kevin as one of them glides alongside you and then lands on your hand to pick up bits of meat that you have brought it as a reward for it helping you find the thermals.

What a wonderful way of being able to interact with a bird of prey. More information can be found at www.parahawking.com.

Brands Hatch Lotus Festival

Airsports Insurance Bureau are delighted to confirm our attendance at this year’s Lotus Festival at Brands Hatch.

The Lotus Festival is a celebration of Britain’s most charismatic sports car marque and its illustrious heritage spanning over 60 years. From coveted cars to Formula 1 glories, Norfolk’s famous brand will be on display through the week end.

We welcome those attending to come along to our stall and say hello. Whether you’re an owner or an enthusiast, there’s sure to be something amongst the trade stands at the festival.

Demonstrations and parades of classic and modern Lotus will take centre place over the weekend with a number of classic Lotus Grand Prix cars roaring round the classic Brands Hatch circuit. Demonstrations of famous racers, rally and road cars will be complemented by superb action from Lotus races series with a packed support bill from 9am to 6.30pm.

2015 will see the 9th Lotus Festival, and the 6th at Brands Hatch; It will take place on Sat 15th and Sun 16th August and is organised by The Lotus Forums.

For more information visit http://www.lotus-festival.com/

Chris Evans To Auction Classic Cars Worth £Millions

Many of you will be aware that Chris Evans is a BBC Radio 2 DJ and has recently been appointed to host the Top Gear TV program taking over from Jeremy Clarkson. Well, what you may not have known is that, for quite some time, Mr Evans has been an enthusiastic collector of classic cars.

Over the years, he has amassed a huge collection of vintage vehicles but has now decided to part-company with some of them. In fact, Bonhams are to auction 13 of them at their Goodwood Revival sale that is to take place on the 12th September when he could raise in the region of £11 million. In addition, he is to sell 140 items of automobilia with the proceeds from the later going to the BBC Children in Need Appeal.

Six of the classic cars are Ferraris, three Jaguars, a Mercedes Benz 280SL Pagoda, a Fiat 127 Abarth, a Daimler police car and a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang vehicle.

The car that is expected to fetch the most is a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy that is to go into the auction with an estimated figure of £2.6 million to £2.9 million. This classic pale green vehicle is powered by a V12 3.3 litre engine with 305 bhp that is capable of getting from 0 to 60 mph in 6 seconds and has a top speed of 160 mph.

He is selling a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider with an estimated price of between £2.3 million to £2.6 million. Apparently he only purchased the car in 2014 for £2.27 million – a world record price. It has a V12 4.4 litre engine with 400 bhp that will get you from 0 to 60 mph in a mere 5.4 seconds as it powers to a top speed of 175 mph.

The 1936 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Replica is estimated to fetch between £250,000 to £350,000. It has a V6 3 litre engine. It is one of five replicas made but is the only one that is drivable.

There is a 1964 Daimler Dart Police Car SP250 that could fetch £50,000 to £60,000 that Mr Evans only bought in 2014. It comes with a police bell that will ring as well as a police radio.

So, if you are interested in buying a classic car that has previously been looked after by Chris Evans why not get along to the Bonhams Goodwood Revival sale. It could well prove to be a popular auction.

Here at AIB Insurance, we have insured many desirable classic cars so feel free to get in touch with an experienced member of our team on 02380 268 351 for a quotation.

£463 Million Will Buy You A Texas Ranch Bigger Than London

The most expensive property currently on the market anywhere in the world can be found in Texas and it will set you back $725 million (£463 million) unless you can negotiate a price reduction. So what do you get for your money?

Well, the WT Waggoner Estate ranch that is located a few miles south of Vernon in Texas covers an area of 510,527 acres that is around 798 square miles. That is a bigger area than Greater London that covers 611 square miles. Within the USA, it is the biggest ranch surrounded by just one fence.

If you bought the estate, you would be the proud owner of 30,000 acres of land that has been cultivated, hundreds of thousands more acres that have been left untouched, 500 quarter horses, almost 7,000 cattle, 20 cowboy camps, the ranch of course and over 1,000 oil wells that are spread over 56,000 acres as the owners were fortunate to strike oil back in 1902. There are numerous lakes with the largest covering an area of about 16,000 acres. There are 120 employees to help you run the estate.

The Waggoner ranch was bought back in 1849 by Dan Waggoner and has remained in the family ever since. However, the whole estate has been placed on the market due to a disagreement within the family as to how to dispose of it.

Apparently, in the region of six hundred people have shown an interest in purchasing the estate but this has been fine-tuned to around a dozen potential buyers. If you are interested, it sounds like you may need to act fairly quickly.

Whilst, here at AIB Insurance, we have yet to be asked to insure an estate of that size, we have arranged home insurance on a number of exclusive, high-value properties here in the UK. So, if you would like a competitive quotation, why not get in touch with us on 02380 268 351 and speak with one of our experienced members of staff.

Introducing Shannon Fisk

Airsports Insurance Bureau has strengthened its Eastleigh offices further with the addition of young businesswoman Shannon Fisk.

Shannon has experience in customer service and retail sales and joins our busy administration team where she will learn every aspect of an expanding, predominantly personal lines insurance broker, including motor, travel and home insurance.

A delighted Shannon commented:” I am really pleased that I have been successful and given the opportunity to further develop my career at AIB and look forward to helping out my friends and family when their car and home insurance is due for renewal!”

At AIB we pride ourselves on the quality of our staff and the professional relationships we are able to build with all parties. We encourage our team to reach their full potential and give them the tools and resources for a rewarding career in a satisfying but demanding environment.

Shannon lives locally in Southampton and loves spending quality time with her chocolate Labrador ‘Katie’. She enjoys cruising about on her motorcycle and going out and socializing as much as possible.

Thousands Of Classic Cars In Forest

Not many people will have heard of a town called White, Georgia, USA. It is located about 75 km North West of Atlanta and back in 2010 had a population of 670 residents. However, the town’s popularity could soon grow following the revelation that in 32 acres of a nearby forest are several thousand run-down classic vehicles including cars, buses, trucks and camper vans. A gentleman by the name of Walter Dean Lewis runs this scenic, atmospheric car junkyard museum known as Old Car City.

Going back to 1931, Mr Lewis’s parents set up a general store in the locality that also sold parts for vehicles. By 1970, the collection of cars and trucks had risen to around 40. The number of vehicles progressively increased over the years as Mr Lewis saved them from being crushed to what is now estimated to be a collection of over 4,000 that look rather worse for wear.

However, Mr Lewis came upon the idea about six years ago that rather than sell car parts he could create a museum in the forest and charge people to come and look around the vehicles. He charges $15 but if anyone wishes to take photographs which most seem to want to do he charges $25.

Visitors can end up walking about six miles along the trails in the forest to view and photograph the cars so it is possibly one of the biggest museums in the world.

There is an extensive array of makes and models of vehicles to see that were built between 1918 to 1972. A lot of the vehicles have remained in the same spot in the forest for 30 years or more. In fact, some have trees growing through their bodywork with some cars being lifted into the air.

Mr Lewis has had visitors from all over the world including Russia, Sweden and Australia. There is no doubt that the sight of thousands of dilapidated classic cars in a forest with branches growing through some of them must look rather surreal.

So, if you are planning a trip to that part of the USA, have an interest in American classic cars then why not pay Old Car City a visit and don’t forget to take your camera!

Ex Top Gear Presenter Auctions Porsche 911 Carrera

If you have any interest in cars, you will be aware that James May, as well as Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, are no longer involved in the presentation of the popular TV series Top Gear. In fact, the trio are just about to front a number of live motor shows in Perth and Sidney in Australia starting on 19th July 2015 in Perth Arena.

Whilst on Top Gear, James May (52) was given the nickname “Captain Slow” as he was felt to be a careful driver. Having said that, he did drive a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport at 259.11 mph back in 2010 during an episode of Top Gear. He has owned numerous cars and motorbikes over the years including a Rolls Royce Phantom, Bentley T2, Ferrari F430, Alfa Romeo 164 and a Porsche 911 Carrera.

Interestingly, the 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe with a 3.2 litre engine owned by James has just been sold by Bonhams at The Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale, Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia auction on 26th June 2015. Its target price had been estimated at £28,000 to £34,000 but it actually sold for £51,750 with that figure including the premium.

James bought the classic sports car that was in excellent condition back in 2007 having borrowed it to record the sound of the engine for a TV documentary entitled
“Speed, Greed and the M25”. The car has also appeared in other TV shows. It has only done 55,000 miles and for the last 4 years has been used by his father.

This particular Porsche Carrera is a nippy, great looking sports car that is not easy to find in such condition. With a 231 bhp engine, it can get from 0 to 60 mph in a mere 5.3 seconds, break through 100 mph in 13.6 seconds on its way to an exhilarating top speed of 152 mph. Perhaps not the ideal car for the leisurely motorist!

Included with the vehicle were things like a service booklet, Haynes workshop manual, service history, old MOTs, tax discs and V5’s as well as the most recent Vehicle Registration Certificate in James’ name.

Perhaps the fact that he owned the car had some bearing on the fact that it sold for considerably more than its target price. Anyway, its new owner will hopefully cherish and take good care of it as James had obviously done.

Triumph To Attempt To Break Motorbike Land Speed Record

Triumph Motorcycles, whose bikes have held numerous land speed records over the years, is to attempt to break the record that currently stands at 376.363 mph set by Rocky Robinson in 2010. One of Triumph’s specially designed bikes will compete in the Division C (streamlined motorcycle) category at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the USA between the 24th to 27th August 2015.

The motorbike in question is the 2015 Triumph Rocket Streamliner. It is constructed using carbon Kevlar monocoque. It is certainly a sizeable vehicle being 25.5 ft in length. It is powered by a couple of Triumph Rocket 111 turbocharged engines that use methanol fuel and are capable of collectively producing 1,000 bhp at 9,000 rpm.

They have enrolled the services of Guy Martin (33) to ride the bike who is an experienced racer of motorbikes having competed in events such as the Isle of Man TT and North West 200 races. He has also built up a reputation as a TV presenter having featured in a number of documentaries.

Triumph Motorcycles has been in existence in the UK since 1902 when it manufactured its first motorbike with a 2.2hp engine. By 1927, it was employing 3,000 staff and producing 30,000 motorcycles each year. It provided thousands of bikes to the military in both World Wars. Marlon Brando road one of its motorbikes in the film The Wild One in 1954 – a Thunderbird 6T with a 650cc engine.

It was some 45 years ago that the land speed record was last retained by the UK. In fact, Triumph held the “World’s Fastest Motorcycle” record between 1955 to 1970, apart from a period of 33 days. A number of bikes held the record with the Gyronaut X1 reaching 245.667 mph.

The last testing of this high-powered motorbike is to take place in the middle of this month. Let us hope that all goes well for those involved in this record breaking attempt over a measured mile and that the land speed record is brought back to the UK by Triumph Motorcycles and Guy Martin.