OFFBEAT
Tyres have a new enemy, and its name is CatClaw. Designed to hinder terrorist attacks and the even more heinous crime of parking on footpaths, CatClaw is a small device that, when installed in large number along kerbs and footpaths, can cause rapid tyre deflation.
Kawaii!! Next summer, Japanese consumers will – should they wish – be able to buy Hello Kitty tyres for their cars. This too cute for words opportunity comes thanks to a collaboration between Sanrio and Nexen Tire Japan. The tyres will feature the Hello Kitty logo and name on the sidewall – in pink. A tyre featuring Cinnamoroll, a long-eared white flying puppy whose tail resembles a cinnamon roll, will also be available and will presumably by met by an eager market.
Visions of pink elephants are said to trouble the inebriated, however the elephant that visitors to the historic French city of Nantes may encounter is very tangible and not at all pink. The Elephant of Nantes, as we’ve chosen to call it, is the creation of street theatre veterans François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice, and it gains a mention here as, despite appearing to stride along on fully jointed legs, the giant pachyderm is propelled by – you guessed it – tyres.
Who needs paint when you’ve got Falken tyres? From behind the wheel of a 421-hp Ford Mustang, Falken test driver Michael Stenten has elevated drifting to an art form of an entirely different kind. The result of his efforts enjoyed their public debut earlier this month.
Life imitates art? In 2010, Tyrepress.com reported the Cannes Film Festival screening of Rubber, a French dark comedy horror about Robert, a tyre that acquires a taste for killing. Fast forward seven years, and we’ve come across fresh footage – but this time the tyre terror is for real.
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates airline, has launched Emirates SkyWheels – a specialised transportation product for high value automobiles. Through its latest offering Emirates SkyCargo will provide customers a complete transportation solution for vehicles such as classic, luxury and sports cars, across its network.
Customers who would like to have their cars transported can choose between Emirates SkyWheels Premium and Emirates SkyWheels Advanced. Yes that’s right, even you car can choose which class to fly in.
Dorothy Caldwell, who lives in Flagstaff, New Zealand, and is the Guinness World Record holder as the world’s oldest active rally navigator, is to take to the roads again in the New Zealand Haka Classic Rally, a 5,354 kilometre classic car competition on the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The rally starts in Auckland on October 30th and heads to Wanaka before coming back to Auckland again, ending on 25th November. 98-year old Dorothy will be navigating for her son, Alastair Caldwell in his 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III. The same team and car took part in the TransAm rally from New York to Alaska four years ago and Dorothy won the “Spirit of the Rally” award and her team came 5th overall.
Mitas high-horsepower tyres helped a Claas Axos 320 tractor weighing four tons to “walk on water”. Thanks to careful calculation and Archimedes’ principle, the tractor successfully navigated the port and then returned to dry land without the captain getting his feet wet. Mitas, part of Trelleborg Group, and its partners carried out the unusual stunt in the Netherlands. One of the world’s largest agricultural tyres, Mitas1250/50R32 SFT, was fitted on the rear axle and Mitas 750/55R30 SFT on the front axle of the floating Claas tractor.
Several news sources have shared news of Daimler’s filing of a patent to optimise tyre temperature, and thus grip, through the use of a high pressure water system. The patent was reportedly filed with the Intellectual Property Office in the UK and pertains to a system that is triggered by temperature sensors in a tyre.
Football fan Nathan Whitfield has had his dream of converting his Robin Reliant into a giant football boot turned into a reality, thanks to a three-figure sponsorship deal from Ladbrokes. Whitfield, 26, self-styled ‘Bootman’ unveiled his ‘Bootmobile’ in central London with a message to the England squad that he thinks they’re a shoo-in for success in France.
Numerous tyre makers have or are in the process of setting up factories within regions where they aim to sell their products. Decentralising their manufacturing footprint reduces the time and cost involved in delivering tyres to retailers and end users. A new breakthrough from a British company promises to advance this approach a step further.
East Kilbride’s semi-professional footballer, Sean Winter, who also works within the independent aftermarket as a parts representative for Autoparts UK, faces one of the toughest decisions of his life: play Celtic in the Scottish Cup or fly to Australia on his dream, family holiday.
Nottingham Magistrates’ Court has passed no sentence on the imaginary twin brother of Paul Henry, a phantom figure named as the protagonist in a fly-tipping case. His very real sibling was not so fortunate, however – Paul Henry was convicted of dumping tyres by the roadside in Mapperley back in February 2015, and has been ordered to pay prosecution and clean-up costs, plus a victim surcharge, a sum totalling £770.
Happy New Year, and welcome to 2016. Those of you who’ve resolved to get in shape or lose a few pounds in the coming 12 months may want to head over to kwik-fit.com/fitkwik, as the fast fitter has developed a programme guaranteed to be free from Lycra, kale juice and carrot sticks.
What happens when a vehicle manufacturer replaces alloy and rubber with ice? Wonder no longer – a team of UK ice sculpture specialists was commissioned by Lexus to answer this question by fitting a Lexus NX with a unique set of wheels and tyres made from frozen water.
