Maxxd.com – Modified and Performance Car News

  • DECLARING MODS ON YOUR CAR INSURANCE COULD SAVE YOU MONEY

    New analysis from insurance broker Adrian Flux suggests that declaring mods on your car insurance can actually save you over £1250…

    We’ve heard it before. Drivers not wanting to declare mods on their car insurance through fear it’ll sky rocket their annual premium. Not only is that breaking the law – if your car has been modified, you must declare the changes to your insurer or your cover is likely to be invalidated – it may also affect how much money you could actually save.

    Analysis from insurance broker Adrian Flux shows that declaring mods can actually lower the cost of your cover by more than a whopping 60%. And for a heavily-modified car on comprehensive cover, that saving can even be greater than £1,250.

    How can declaring mods on my car insurance lower my premium?

    Gavin Hill, standard and niche floor underwriting manager at Adrian Flux, said: “It’s become a bit of a myth in different car communities that modifying your car will hit you in the pocket twice.

    “While it can cost a lot of money to make these alterations, when declared they can actually make a massive reduction to your insurance premium. That’s because we know someone who has modified their car will take even greater care than usual in driving and looking after their vehicle – as well as the financial investment in modifying their car, these drivers have also invested their time.

    “Claims statistics from insurers back up the fact that these genuine enthusiasts are less likely to make a claim as a result. A lot of mods don’t affect performance but almost all will affect your insurance if you don’t declare them and then make a claim. It really doesn’t pay to hide your mods.”

    Declaring mods on your car insurance

    The study, which can be read in full here, found that with the right criteria, a 24-year-old Seat Leon Cupra owner could see their annual insurance plummet from £1,960 to £699 by confirming they have made the following modifications: suspension, exhaust, induction kit, tinted windows, remap, uprated brakes, intercooler, manifold, alloy wheels, interior changes and vinyl wrap.

    Something as simple as declaring a dump valve could even save £50 for a plumber aged 43 when insuring a Vauxhall Astra.

    Out of more than 20,000 car modifications declared in a month, the most common are alloy wheels, exhaust system changes and uprated, lowered or stiffened suspension springs.

    Source

  • Red Bull’s Sergio Perez drives to victory at 2021 Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    The 2021 Formula One World Championship saw another thrilling race with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday at the Baku City Circuit.

    Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen looked set to win but it was his teammate, Sergio Perez, who ended up crossing the finish line first, followed by Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel in second and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly in third.

    Verstappen had led for much of the race but a tire failure at one of the fastest sectors of the track pitched him into the wall with three laps to run, ending his day and setting the stage for a two-lap shootout between Perez and Mercedes-Benz AMG’s Lewis Hamilton. But first there was a safety car period to clear up the debris from Verstappen’s mishap.

    Following the safety car restart, bad luck then struck Hamilton. The defending world champion accidentally switched on a brake balance setting normally used during the safety car period, causing his car’s brakes to lock at Turn 1. He was able to rejoin the race but could only manage 15th place at the finish.

    Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez at the 2021 Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez at the 2021 Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    The race started with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on pole and Hamilton by his side on the front row, and Verstappen directly behind them. Leclerc made a good start but was passed by Hamilton on the second lap and Verstappen on the seventh. Verstappen was then able to move into the lead on lap 13 after Hamilton was slowed during a pit stop. He then managed to build up his lead but lost some of the gap due to a crash by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll on lap 31, which also appeared to be a caused by a tire failure.

    Further down the field, there was a brilliant fight between Leclerc, Gasly and Vettel, with Vettel having moved up from his 11th starting place on the grid, thanks in part to the race stops. Both Gasly and Vettel were able to get ahead of Leclerc who had to settle for fourth at the end of the race. Rounding out the top five was McLaren’s Lando Norris.

    Following the weekend’s action, Verstappen remains in the lead spot in the 2021 Drivers’ Championship with 105 points, versus Hamilton in second with 101 points and Perez having moved up into third with 69 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull leads with 174 points versus the 148 of Mercedes and 94 of Ferrari. The next race on the calendar is the French Grand Prix in a fortnight.

    In other F1 news, it was confirmed on Sunday that veteran McLaren shareholder Mansour Ojjeh had died earlier in the day from health issues while at his home in Geneva, Switzerland. He controlled 14.32% of McLaren Group via his TAG Group, which first became a shareholder of McLaren in 1984.

    Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez at the 2021 Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez at the 2021 Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    Below are the full results from the 2021 Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix:

    1) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
    2) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin +1.385 seconds
    3) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri +2.762 seconds
    4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +3.828 seconds
    5) Lando Norris, McLaren +4.754 seconds
    6) Fernando Alonso, Alpine +6.382 seconds
    7) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +6.624 seconds
    8) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +7.709 seconds
    9) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren +8.874 seconds
    10) Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo +9.576 seconds
    11) Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo +10.254 seconds
    12) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-Benz AMG +11.264 seconds
    13) Mick Schumacher, Haas +14.241 seconds
    14) Nikita Mazepin, Haas +14.315 seconds
    15) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +17.668 seconds
    16) Nicholas Latifi, Williams +42.379 seconds
    17) George Russell, Williams DNF
    18) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing DNF
    NC) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin DNF
    NC) Esteban Ocon, Alpine DNF

    Source

  • Czinger 21C, Touring Arese RH95, Rimac Nevera: This Week’s Top Photos

    America’s Czinger this week revealed the production version of its 21C hybrid hypercar, and it’s promised with numbers that trump the new crop of electric hypercars like the Rimac Nevera. Take for example the quarter-mile time which is a blistering 8.1 seconds.

    Rimac Nevera

    Rimac Nevera

    Rimac also revealed the Nevera to the world this week, the production version of the company’s follow-up to the Concept_One electric supercar. Previously referred to under its C_Two code name, the Nevera comes with 1,914 hp and the ability to rocket from 0-60 mph in 1.85 seconds.

    Bugatti La Voiture Noire

    Bugatti La Voiture Noire

    Another hypercar in the headlines this week comes from Bugatti. We’re talking about Bugatti’s La Voiture Noire based on the Chiron platform. The stunning hypercar is a true one-off, with its owner having paid 11 million euros (approximately $13.2 million) for the privilege of taking it home.

    Touring Superleggera Arese RH95

    Touring Superleggera Arese RH95

    Italy’s Touring Superleggera celebrates its 95th anniversary in 2021 and has marked the occasion with the reveal of its first mid-engine car project. The mid-engine car is based on the bones of a modern Ferrari and will be limited to 18 units.

    2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLB35

    2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLB35

    One of the vehicles we tested this week was the 2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLB35. This compact crossover has 302 hp, third-row seats, and loads of tech, and it’s quite reasonably priced at about $50,000.

    2021 Aston Martin DBX

    2021 Aston Martin DBX

    Another vehicle we tested was Aston Martin’s new DBX. Yes, it’s a bit strange that an automaker famous for sports cars is now selling a crossover, but the vehicle offers all the performance and style you expect of an Aston Martin and throws in some practicality, too.

    2022 Toyota 4Runner TRD Sport

    2022 Toyota 4Runner TRD Sport

    The 2022 Toyota 4Runner TRD Sport was revealed this week as a new model with on-road driving in mind. The Cross-Linked Relative Absorber System (X-REAS) suspension was cribbed from the 4Runner Limited’s parts bin to give the latest TRD-badged SUV adaptive dampers that help control pitch and yaw.

    2022 Ford Fusion Active spy shots - Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

    2022 Ford Fusion Active spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

    And finally, a mid-size crossover to replace the Ford Fusion sedan was spotted this week. The latest prototypes are the most revealing yet, and they confirm the new crossover will be styled very close to the Chinese-market Evos unveiled in April.

    Source