• News

Buses, bobsleds and Nissan LEAF: Mikaniki’s guide to the Champions League final

Tomorrow, Sunday 23 August, two of Europe’s best teams will go head to head for Champions League glory in a final to remember. In the red corner, playing in their first ever Champions League final, is the big-spending, star-studded Paris St Germain. And in the blue corner, vying for their sixth Champions League title, is the relentless Bayern Munich. Bring. It. On. Sadly, there won’t be any fans in attendance. Thanks to COVID-19, most of us will be tuning into the game from the safety of our homes, watching along as Clive Tyldesley and Peter Drury take us through the play-by-play action on the main stage. Nissan brings electrified excitement to UEFA Champions League Final If you had the foresight to get yourself a 100 per cent electric Nissan LEAF, this just may be your lucky day. Nissan’s setting up a drive-in cinematic viewing for a select 50 LEAF owners and their guests! You’ll be parked at a secret location that’ll be revealed to you in private, sitting in team formation and facing a giant screen, where the Parisian pipers will go head to head with Bayern’s beasts. That means you’ll either take your place in Thomas Tuchel’s 4 -…

4 years ago
  • News

We’re excited about the new BMW M4 coupe’s six-speed manual

I don't know about you, but every time a brand announces a car with manual transmission, I get a little cargasm. And for good reason. These days, we're populated with stories of EVs and self driving cars. Granted these will improve road safety and reduce carbon emissions, but a little part of me is going to miss changing gears and feeling the engine's visceral, mechanical response. Can EVs deploy manual transmission? That remains to be seen. Some Formula E cars, like Renault, do have a 2 speed gear box, and technically it should work about the same as on an internal combustion car. Gear it up But throw driverless cars into the mix, and you can forget about ten to two steering, let alone any kind of gear box. There's only one knob you'll be fiddling with in those rides. All about the six-speed manual Anyway, while they're still coming through, its worth savouring every manual release. Some time ago, we relished the new Hyundai Elantra N line, which will feature a six-speed manual transmission, and today we'll raise our knobs to the new BMW RWD M4 coupe, which will also have a six-speeder. This was a much needed announcement…

4 years ago
  • Car tech
  • Fun corner

5 revolutionary features of IoT/5G network

Grab a popcorn because we’re discussing 5G network conspiracy theories, how to skyrocket your YouTube career, and why Alexa is the best girl.  ____________________________________________________________________________ The advent of 5G network has served as a catalyst for interesting stories around the globe. Extremist political parties linked 5G to the spread of coronavirus, with activists setting fire to communication towers in Belgium, Netherlands, and Quebec. YouTube and Twitter swarm with fears about radiation exposure and its effects on the immune system. The next iPhone boasts 5G, which spreads anxiety across fans. Whenever anybody mentions 5G, the air’s thick with tension. In light of the pandemic, we believe that the merits of the 5G network deserve more credence. There’s more to the sky than gray clouds after all (ahem, rainbows, ahem). In case you’re not up to speed, 5G network enables the Internet of Things (IoT). The concept builds upon the premise of embedding 5G chips (mini WiFi routers) into objects, such as a toaster, refrigerator, traffic lights, and yes, a car. Today we explore 5 revolutionary features of IoT that should lift your spirits. Smart traffic speed control Say greeeeen! Here’s a provoking question. How do you measure luck? Gambling peeps play a…

4 years ago
  • Tips & Tricks

GEM has 5 great tips for you to stay safe on the road

Road safety is a serious issue. Nearly 4,000 people die every day because of road accidents, and this is raising some alarm bells around the world. If we don’t do something about it, we’re definitely staring down the barrels of a driverless car future, although who’s to say they’ll be any safer? That’s why GEM Motoring Assist, a road safety and breakdown organisation, have issued some simple tips for you to make sure you’re not flooring your way to a tragic end. And it’s not just collisions and casualties they’re looking to reduce, but also the extra pollution that comes with higher speeds. Gear heads look away. You can be fined up to 3000 AED if you’ve exceeded a speed limit by 80 km/h or more. That’s 3000 big ones you could have put towards performance mods or fuel, so yeah, be smart, people. Small changes, big difference According to research, if you drive slower, there’ll be fewer crashes, and if there are crashes, they may be less severe. Makes sense right? Just to put this into perspective, if people generally drive 2 km/h slower on average, you can expect collisions to reduce by 5 per cent. That’s a lot…

4 years ago
  • News

You can now get a McLaren Senna for JUST £375!

No, that's not £375K. It's literally £375. For a McLaren Senna. As in 500 bucks. No catch, no tricks. Seriously. Okay, maybe one catch. Legroom. If you’re not too fussed about that, then pay attention. Just off the bat, this one doesn’t come with a 4.0L V8 engine. I mean, it would, but they’d have some trouble fitting it in. I’ll tell you what, though, it does sound like one, AND it’s got push to start. So if it sounds like one, and feels like one, then why’s it cost so little? Honey, I shrunk my Lando Okay, we’ll stop pulling your leg here. We’re not expecting you to skid down the highway in this battery-powered kiddie EV. Unless you’re Lando Norris, of course. But it’ll certainly give your toddler a good handle on sports cars, and prove a suitable manifestation aide for the near or distant future.  You know how they say imagine yourself behind the wheel of your favourite car...yeah, your kid can save her imagination for another day, and literally put tush to leather cush and skidaddle all the way to a bright and wealthy future. A new toy from McLaren The Senna EV joins the McLaren…

4 years ago
  • News

This is the car we’d give Greta Thunberg on her 18th birthday next Jan

Exactly two years ago, a ninth-grade student decided to play truant. Not for the same reason many other kids do. You see, for 15-year-old Greta Thunberg, there was more at stake than getting an A grade and getting picked last for the Lacrosse team. Perched outside the Riksdag in Sweden, holding up a sign that demanded government compliance in reducing carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, Greta was adamant. And nobody could predict what was to follow. A fifteen-day sea voyage aboard an eco-friendly racing yacht, a nobel prize nomination, an appearance in a children’s book, and defiant death-stare aimed at POTUS are but a few highlights in this young lady’s illustrious career. And she’s only 17. Two years to the day she first set out to influence policy-makers to embrace pro-environment agendas, Greta has struck again. In a scalding article, she lashed out at world leaders for their inaction, claiming we have wasted time by “failing to take action against the crisis.” We’ll save the political debate for a rainy day. In January next year, Greta turns 18, which means she’ll be eligible for a driver’s license. And we here have got the perfect car for her…

4 years ago
  • Cars
  • News

Celebrate 55 years of GT40 MK II greatness with this new Ford GT!

It’s the 60s and Henry Ford II is in trouble. The company is underperforming, and he just can't seem to fill his famous father’s very large shoes. And then somebody floats the idea. Why not create a race car that can challenge Ferrari at Le Mans? Some would call it an incredulous marketing stunt. Others would say it paved the way for arguably one of the greatest race mobiles to compete at the prestigious event. After 24 hours of gruelling intensity at the '66 Le Mans, three GT40 MK IIs cross the finishing line in unison, restoring Ford's glory. Onwards and upwards for Chassis P/1046 After a landslide victory for the GT40, with an unsavory twist for Ken Miles, Chassis P/1046 hung up its fender and slipped into early retirement. But ain't nobody gonna allow the beloved racecar to gather dust like some cheap twisted metal chump. This is a racing hall of famer, and after passing through multiple owners, Rob Kauffman took up the challenge of fully restoring the old mare in 2014. After more than 4000 long hours of sweat, blood and tears, the GT40 MK II was reborn in her race-ready state, with a new set of…

4 years ago
  • News

Michigan State: Living life in the driver-less lane

There’s been a lot of buzz around self-driving cars in the Mikaniki camp, and for good reason. Day by day, we’re inching towards a future of pure cartonomy, and even though we’re still trying to perfect level 2 of 5, there’s no denying that autonomous cars are high up in the urban planning agenda. You see, part of the issue at the moment is that for cars to effectively drive themselves, there need to be certain preconditions in place to avoid the sort of mishaps we’ve already witnessed since the whole fad started. Yes, we’re calling it a fad, because seriously why would anyone want to get in the driver's seat of a car and not be able to drive it? The big endeavour One of these preconditions is geography. You see, a self-driving car wouldn’t be able to navigate the vast desert landscapes of Tatooine. Not yet at least. They’re mostly confined to driving in purely urban conditions, like say Highway 41 from Miami to Naples. Then again, not many people can brave the streets of Mumbai, right? Do you dare? So rather than trying to build the car around the terrain, areas like Michigan are looking into building…

4 years ago
  • Classic cars and their owners

Hillman Avenger: Pete Millington’s Avenger Assembled!

Earlier in the week, a landlord found an abandoned VW Transporter T2 and transformed her into an emblematic show van. That got us thinking: how many other enthusiasts out there are secretly building a classic car army for when we have to take on AIs and their overlord, Elon Musk, in the future? Quite a few, as it turns out. In partnership with Car Facts Disc, Mikaniki are thrilled to present a brand new series, exploring the extraordinary adventures between man and machine, and how, with a little time, talent and TLC, you can bring a beat-down hot rod back from the brink and wind back the years to the glory days. For this first episode, we’re taking you all the way up into the North of Wales, home of the Pontycsyllte Aqueduct, where an ambitious ‘carsmith’ plies his trade, specialising in bodyshell restoration and motorsport preparation, with an impressive portfolio including a Mikaniki favourite, the VW Golf MK1 GTI. This is Will Malkin of Malkin Motorsport, and this is the story of how he restored Pete Millington’s Hillman Avenger, turning a pile of dog-eared twisted metal into pure motoring goodness, taking home 2018’s accolade for best prepared car. What…

4 years ago
  • Car tech
  • Fun corner

Should you trust Elon Musk’s 2021 driverless car claim?

Somewhere in the distant future... Our vision of a cyberpunk future hasn’t undergone significant changes since ‘Blade Runner’ debuted in 1982. The iconic book kickstarted a cult that, like a vine entwining around a tree base, permeates layers of the society decades afterwards.  ‘The Fifth Element’, ‘I Am Robot’, ‘Ready Player One’, ‘Deus Ex’, ‘Elysium’ – pick your favorite cyberpunk series, and paint the imagery in your mind. Chances are, your depiction and ours share a lot of common elements. An expanse of densely packed skyscrapers and corporate logos lighting the night skyline. A haze of neon lights from a cluster of signs overhead. ‘Swoosh’ and ‘Whirr’ of cars. Through the glass, no steering wheels. No human drivers. Only AI. As of this moment, we’re a far cry from fully driverless cars. What we do have works only on major highways, requires constant vigilance from the driver, and probably doesn’t exist outside of countries like the US, Germany, or China. Yet inch by inch, we move forward. Recently, Elon Musk sent social media into a frenzy by claiming that Tesla will achieve the basic form of fully driverless car by 2021. Whether your knee-jerk reaction is to discredit Elon or…

4 years ago