Motor

Vintage Cars Association celebrates Members Day

Sara Pathirana

Businessmen, car owners and car lovers were present to showcase and admire a collection of Vintage Cars, at the Vintage Car Association, along with Colombo City Hotel (CCH), who conducted its quarterly Member’s Day Run and Fellowship, at the hotel’s front yard. A mini parade of the owners with their cars ran from the SSC Grounds, along the Parliament Grounds and made way to the CCH for the event’s luncheon.

“This event takes place on a quarterly basis where its total of about 150 members with more than 200 cars, would get a chance to showcase and respect the vintage value and share a common passion and fascination for these objects of admiration,” Gamini Matthew, Managing Director, Colombo City Hotels (Pvt) Ltd., said.

“These cars are our national assets. In other countries, museums would be set up for cars of such caliber and they would attentively work on preserving the cars for future generations. Sadly, such a consideration is not being provided for these cars,” Lalith Munasinghe, Secretary, Vintage Cars Association, said.

From the time cars were introduced to Sri Lanka, the country has been on a continuous journey of importing cars and vintage brands for the public. Now, there’s a few of these available around and most of them have been resurrected. “This is a painful process where maintenance of these cars is concerned. Certain parts have to be obtained and most of these aren’t even found in Sri Lanka anymore,” Munasinghe added.

Vintage cars are produced with very fundamental and basic engineering and retaining them is essential for the future generation where these vehicles could be utilized for entertainment and educational purposes. “The government has also recognized the endeavor we are associated in and they have even granted concessions for annual registration of license fees, where a nominal charge is made out, especially for vintage type cars and this indeed needs to be appreciated,” Munasinghe acknowledged.

The Vintage Cars Association displays a wide array of cars belonging to the club members and most of these originate from countries such as the USA, Great Britain and European countries. This has become a huge tourist attraction as well where foreigners can also get the chance to observe that Sri Lanka shares the same consideration for Vintage Cars.

“Our members are very dedicated and have contributed a lot of money, time, effort and passion in to maintaining their vintages. We are proud that we have been around for the past 25 years,” Neil Fernando, President, Vintage Cars Association, said.

Fernando also added that they were working on bringing forth a proposal for the government’s consideration, and that was to plan an option for the Association to run the Vintage Cars at the event of the opening of the Katunayake-Colombo Highway, which is expected to be ready before the end of 2013.

Vauxhall Opens Showroom in Sri Lanka

Colombo’s first Vauxhall dealership since the 1960s, under the Vauxhall Auto Mart Pvt Ltd, was declared open earlier this week. Representatives from Vauxhall UK, Mark Lambird and Oliver Hodges, local car dealers and the Board of Vauxhall Auto Mart were among the dignitaries present. The new showroom is located at Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 07.

Speaking at the event, Mark Lambird of Vauxhall UK said, “We’re very excited to be back in Colombo after over fifty years. Vauxhall Auto Mart would be bringing three of our latest cars – the Mokka, Corsa and Agila. Vauxhall has been a pioneer in bringing together ground breaking technology, safety and design to produce outstanding cars and I’m sure the Sri Lankan market will find their motor solutions with us.”

Especially built for city driving and parking the five-seater Agila is both compact and affordable and is equipped with clever storage solutions. The Mokka offers customers a whole new experience in SUVs – a refined and elegant vehicle that is suitable for any environment or terrain. The Corsa combines luxury, design and versatility and is a car that works for everybody.

“We’re extremely honoured to be bringing this renowned brand back to the local market,” said Pinsiri Fernando, Managing Director of Vauxhall Auto Mart Pvt Ltd. “I’m confident that the three models we’re launching will work really well for our local customers since they epitomize the values of one of the world’s oldest and most recognized motor brands.”

Vauxhall started making cars in 1903. The company’s vision and philosophy has remained throughout 100 years of change and into a forward thinking era. Since manufacturing its first car- the 6HP in 1903, the company’s portfolio has grown to include a range of cars and vans.

Mazda SkyACTIV Wins ‘Green Technology Award’

Mazda bagged yet another first with the latest being just this week at the Washington Auto Show. Mazda’s SkyACTIV technology snagged the Green Car Journal’s “Green Car Technology Award.”

This is the first time the award has been given, and Mazda topped a tough group of competitors, which included Ford auto stop-start, the Tesla powertrain, and the Fisker EVer powertrain, among others.

The award recognizes a proprietary technology that combines high fuel efficiency and low environmental impact.

Green car technology systems are becoming more common as automakers work to meet the coming 54.5 mpg fleet-wide efficiency mark that is set for 2025. While some manufacturers opt to produce electric or hybrid vehicles, all sorts of so-called “mild hybrid” cars are popping up in U.S. showrooms.

Everything from start-stop technology to regenerative braking is making a huge mark on the auto industry as it slowly transforms into a more fuel-efficient entity.

Mazda is incorporating its new SkyACTIV technology system into all its new cars.

The new Mazda 6, 2014 model is the second vehicle to be designed from the ground up using Mazda’s SkyActiv technology philosophy.

This approach employs careful engineering to reduce weight while upping rigidity, which reaps benefits in fuel economy, performance, handling and safety.

Land Rover celebrates 65 years

Land Rover marked 65years of technology and innovation with a celebratory event in the UK at Packington Estate near its Solihull homeland.

A ‘HUE’ birthday cake was flown in by special delivery in a Lynx helicopter by a member of the ‘Black Cats’ Royal Navy display team, renowned for thrilling audiences with their dynamic air displays.

In Sri Lanka, Land Rover celebrations were on a much lower key, however Managing Director SML Frontier Automotive, Sheran Fernando said that Land Rovers were as much part of the Sri Lankan landscape as they are in the UK .

“The first Land Rovers made their way to Sri Lanka in the early 1950s and were used by the military. I myself took over the agency in 2003, subsequent to which I have now entered into a relationship with the Access Group.

This iconic vehicle is now synonymous with luxury living as much as it is with the spirit of adventure and innovation and is now very much a part of the local automobile landscape”.

Fernando went on to say that the desire to create a vehicle that will tackle any terrain has been at the forefront of the Land Rover brand since the foundations were first sketched in the sand by Maurice Wilks.

“This principle has subsequently made Land Rover famous around the world since production began in 1948. ‘HUE 166’ was the very first Series I Land Rover, affectionately known by many as ‘Huey’, and was prominently displayed at the event”.

The occasion also set the scene for the debut of a Special Edition Defender - the LXV (65 in roman numerals).

The Defender evolved from the original Land Rover in 1990 and this iconic family of utility vehicles, These vehicles showcased key milestones in Land Rover’s 65-year history and also some 4x4 world firsts such as anti-lock brakes, adjustable air suspension, Electronic Traction Control, Hill Descent Control, Terrain Response® and Stop/Start technologies.

John Edwards, Land Rover’s Global Brand Director said, “Land Rover is celebrating 65 years of proud heritage. It is in fact a dual celebration, as March saw Land Rover deliver the strongest ever monthly and quarterly sales performance in its history”.

Fernando went on to say that since 1948, every component in a Land Rover has been designed and engineered with intent and Land Rover continues to this day, to build the world’s most capable all-purpose vehicles.

“A blend of refinement, performance and unmatched all-terrain capability make Land Rover vehicles distinctive and unique, ready to tackle the world’s most challenging and inhospitable terrain.”