OPH.ie

Took a spin to Optimum Performance & Handling (OPH.ie) in Orion Business Park, Ballycoolin, Dublin 15, earlier this week, to check out the scene at Dublin's only Lotus and Porsche specialist.

OPH.ie is the brainchild of Dubliner & Lotus Elise Trophy race driver, Connaire Finn, who works closely with his staff to ensure a professional, friendly & personal service.

Clients can relax in a plush, motor-themed, waiting suite where they can enjoy refreshments, while browsing the very latest motoring magazines.

OPH.ie houses a top motor-shop bay, which can house ample cars, with the following services on offer :

Servicing and repairs to : Lotus, Porsche and BMW

Car paint detailing
Track car tuning - including set-up & valeting
Lotus engine conversion
Pre-purchase inspections
Handling optimisation
Expert advice on motorsport participation in Ireland

Over night parts availability ensures a swift service and on show at the facility, to whet your appetite, are both a Porsche 911 GT3 and a fully race prepared Lotus Elise S1.

Connaire as Chairman of Lotus Club Ireland and member of Porsche Club Ireland hopes to grow the business by having an OPH presence at up-coming club events.

Well worth a visit and you might even get a spin in the GT3 !

More details @ http://www.oph.ie/

Imported used cars keep coming

SIMI data states that 46,783 new cars were registered in the state from January to June 2009, down 62% on the same period last year. However, what is more staggering is the amount of imported used cars registered for the same period, 32,041.

For imported used cars to represent over 40% of all cars registered in the state, since the start of the year, shows that the current car market and the VRT system is not viable. Evidence of this fiasco is BMW's decision to offer nearly new UK registered cars here in Ireland through their BMW Sterling Collection programme.

Is there anything that can stop the flow of Irish consumers over the English channel ?

Jay Leno to appear on Top Gear

US TV host and absolute car nut Jay Leno has confirmed on his website, www.jaylenosgarahe.com, that he is to appear on BBC's Top Gear, next season. The show's lead presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, is no stranger to Jay, who occasionally writes a column in The Sunday Times, providing the reader with an alternative view into the motoring world, through the eyes of a yank. Looking forward to the show airing and I'm taking bets if he will wear all denim.

Tax my car? Sure, why would i bother ?

Read an interesting article in Irish Times Motoring supplement this week, about untaxed cars in Ireland. It seems that 10% of the cars sold in Ireland since January of this year have not yet been taxed for road use. Is this a symptom of the recession ? Or is it a message to the Government that road tax for cars is too expensive and not justified considering the state of our regional roads and the fact that a taxi only pays 78 euro a year in road tax ? Or perhaps it's the fact that drivers do not fear the 65 euro on the spot fine if stopped by Gardai. Maybe Minister Dempsey should add the offence to the penalty points menu!

Anyway, taxed or not have a safe Bank Holiday weekend if you're out and about.

cannonball.ie

Interesting charity event taking place over the weekend of September 11, 2009 in aid of Barretstown. Cannonball.ie is a car run from Dublin to Killarney via Kinsail and back to Dublin via Killaloe. Derek Mooney of RTE has jumped on board and is supporting the event. This is the first of its kind in Ireland and promises to offer participants a very exciting weekend with a dose of octane laced adrenaline to us petrolheads !

I hope to travel along myself and will post on the event here.......

More details & sign up @ cannonball.ie