Now I know you are expecting the on-the-spot reports from the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique and the Boite de Merde Ralley Mackay. Unfortunately, we have had to carry those over to next week because there are some car companies we need to put in the naughty corner.
Let's talk timing chains and BMW. Last month three Hughes Limousines 7 Series BMWs were off the road with timing-chain issues. The three cars were repaired by BMW dealers. Within a week one engine had blown up. A month later another had blown up. The service people told the third driver they had learned something by then. Replacing the oil pump meant the third engine didn't blow up. That's good: replacing the engines cost $34,000 each. BMW agreed to pay half.
BMW timing chains are a long-running saga. In 2013, the BBC's Watchdog program investigated total engine failures in BMW 1 Series, 3 Series and 5 Series vehicles built between 2007 and 2009. Those engines died because the timing chains failed. If the timing chain fails it spells expensive disaster. BMW failed to acknowledge liability.
In 2014 in the US BMW did a Clayton's recall involving just about every BMW with the N63 engine, the twin-turbocharged, 4.4-litre V8 with 300kW used in every 5, 6, 7, X5 and X6 model with a name ending with "50i" and made between 2008 and 2013.
Legendary Winton PR person Jo Pocklington bought a new Isuzu ute. As with a model ute, it came standard with the speedo that reads around 108km/h when travelling at 100km/h.