Dogs ‘prefer electric cars to diesel ones’

Gareth Herincx

1 day ago
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Dogs are more relaxed in electric cars than diesel cars, research finds

Dogs are more relaxed in electric cars than diesel cars, new research claims.

Online vehicle marketplace CarGurus partnered with the University of Lincoln on the new study, which looked at the effects on dogs of travelling in a diesel car versus an electric vehicle (EV).

The two-day investigation used 20 dogs, each taken on two 10-minute car journeys – one in an EV and one in a diesel. During the trip, their behaviour was analysed.

Led by Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at University of Lincoln, the study not only found that dogs were less settled in diesel cars compared with EVs, but those dogs appearing to show some signs of car sickness had notably reduced symptoms in an EV.

MG5 EV

The study concluded there was no evidence to suggest EVs have a detrimental effect on dog welfare. This resolves anecdotal concerns that the differences in vibration and/or noise experienced in an EV may cause dogs to be unsettled or have increased car sickness.

While the dogs in the study lay for around a third of the journey’s duration regardless of powertrain, in diesel cars dogs broke their laying position on average 50% more than when in an EV.

Another notable finding from the study was that a small number of dogs appeared to feel markedly less nauseous in an EV compared to a diesel car. This was demonstrated by changes in behaviour and the fact that their heart rates reduced by up to 30% when travelling in an EV.

“Our results clearly show that dogs seem to be more relaxed in EVs, particularly when looking at behavioural traits such as restlessness,” said Professor Mills.

“Additionally, an interesting and somewhat unintended revelation from the study came from the dogs that we identified as having potential symptoms associated with travel sickness.

“During their journeys in the EVs, biometric recordings of these dogs revealed their heart rates slowed markedly more than when they were in diesel cars.

“This was of particular interest to us given an increase in heart rate is commonly associated with motion sickness.

“It’s an intriguing result, which raised additional questions for exploration within this field.”

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Wimbledon stars and their cars

Novak Djokovic – an ambassador for PEUGEOT

With Wimbledon fast approaching, all eyes are on the world’s elite players as they battle for one of the sport’s most lucrative prizes.

Overall, there’s £40.35 million worth of prize money to play for, spread out over four rounds, the semi-finals and the finals.

The 2022 Wimbledon winners will win £2m each and the runners-up get a cool £1.05m, with much more to be earned via sponsorships.

As a result, the most famous tennis players boast some of the world’s best car collections.

Prestige car experts Anglo Scottish Asset Finance know a thing or two about luxury cars, and they’ve taken a look at some of the car collections of some of tennis’s most famous players to find out who’s got the biggest and best car collection.

Novak Djokovic
Estimated value of car collection: £830,000
Six-time Wimbledon winner and holder of 20 Grand Slam Men’s singles, Serbian legend Novak Djokovic is a well-known petrolhead. A brand ambassador for Peugeot, Djokovic is the owner of numerous electric cars, one of which is a limited edition E-208 bestowed on him by Peugeot. He is also the proud owner of a Tesla Model X.

As well as his electric cars, Djokovic’s collection includes a series of sportier motors, including an Audi R8, Aston Martin DB9 (worth over £200,000), and Bentley GT Continental. For everyday use, where a more understated car is required, he also has a Fiat 500.

With Djokovic’s Aston Martin retailing for over £200,000, and his Bentley, Audi R8 and Mercedes S500 all retailing for over £100,000, his collection will be the envy of petrolheads around the world.

Rafael Nadal
Estimated value of car collection: £836,000
With 21 Grand Slam titles and two Wimbledon wins, Nadal holds the most Men’s singles titles in history. Having faced Djokovic 58 times, their rivalry is considered one of the greatest ever – and their car collections rival each other too.

Sponsored by Kia, Nadal was gifted their most exciting sports car – the Kia Stinger GT, boasting 365hp and twin-turbo V6 engine. Nadal clearly feels the need for speed, as the owner of an Aston Martin DBS and Ferrari 458 Italia, the fastest car in his collection, with a top speed of 203mph. He even owns a Mercedes AMG GTS, adorned with an eye-catching tennis ball paint job.

When it comes to cars, Nadal might just edge Djokovic out. With the Aston Martin and Ferrari alone worth almost £500,000, the estimated value of his collection just pips that of his competitor.

Serena Williams
Estimated value of car collection: £637,000
Winner of 23 Grand Slams, Serena Williams is one of the most decorated women’s players of all time, and has the car collection to match! Williams owns an Aston Martin Vanquish, having been previously sponsored by the British car manufacturer, and is also the owner of a Bentley Continental GT.

Williams is the owner of a Mercedes G-wagon, and her garage is also home to some slightly more accessible ‘everyday’ cars, like a 2016 Mini Cooper, and a Lincoln Navigator. Upon becoming the face of Lincoln in 2018, Williams immediately got behind the wheel of a Navigator, which she had owned as her first car years prior – her beloved SUV was back.

Williams’ Aston Martin Vanquish, worth over £300,000, is the figurehead of her collection, which is estimated to be worth well over £600,000.

jaguaripace.

Andy Murray
Estimated value of car collection: £444,000
Having passed his driving test just five months before, Scottish hero Andy Murray ditched his understated VW Polo for a bright red Ferrari 430 – quite the improvement! However, after admitting that he felt like ‘a bit of a prat,’ Murray switched the Ferrari for a classier Aston Martin DB9, made famous by James Bond.

In 2015, Murray won the Munich Open, his first title on clay. A BMW i8 was included as part of his prize, and he also became the owner of a Jaguar I-Pace as a result of a sponsorship deal with Jaguar. Despite his ever-growing car collection, Murray still owns his original VW Polo, stating: ‘I enjoy driving it. It was my first car and I’m attached to it.’

Murray’s understated British charm extends to his car collection – whilst not as lavish as Nadal or Djokovic, his garage oozes class.

Roger Federer
Estimated value of car collection: £638,000
Suave Swiss player Roger Federer has developed a stunning car collection over the years, having held a lucrative contract with Mercedes-Benz since 2008. Federer owns at least six different models.

Federer is famously the owner of a sunburst-yellow Mercedes AMG GTS, as well as an AMG G63, more commonly known as a G-wagon. Boasting a Mercedes for every occasion, Federer has a convertible SL AMG for a sunny afternoon and a 4×4 Mercedes AMG GLE 63 S – there’s plenty of horsepower in his garage. He also owns a Range Rover – a staple of the pro sportsman’s car garage.

Though we’re sure Federer will have paid nothing for his car collection, it’s still the envy of car owners around the world, worth well over £600,000.

Naomi Osaka
Estimated value of car collection: > £250,000
A four-time Grand Slam singles champion, Naomi Osaka secured a sponsorship with Nissan in 2018 after beating Serena Williams in the U.S. Open. As part of their partnership, Nissan released a series of limited edition GT-Rs.

Osaka helped pick the colour combinations for the new GT-Rs, which she described as her ‘dream car.’ Available in Midnight Opal, Brilliant White Pearl and Meteor Flake Black Pearl, the production run of the new GT-Rs was limited to 50, making Osaka the owner of one of the rarest cars on this list. 

Whilst we don’t know much about Osaka’s other motors, you can expect her uber-rare limited edition GT-R to fetch at least £250,000!

From powerful sports cars to G-wagons and luxury 4x4s, tennis’s biggest stars rightly own some of the best cars on the planet – which will maintain their value on account of being owned by a famous tennis player!

Despite having the option of owning any car on the planet, it’s nice to know that there’s still room in Andy Murray’s garage for his old VW Polo.

“Many of the world’s top sportspeople pride themselves on their car collection, and tennis is no different,” said Allan Hetherington, Head of Prestige Car Finance at Anglo Scottish.

“However, with personalised prestige car finance options available, you need not feel priced out of affording your dream car.”

Wimbledon stars and their cars

Novak Djokovic – an ambassador for PEUGEOT

With Wimbledon fast approaching, all eyes are on the world’s elite players as they battle for one of the sport’s most lucrative prizes.

Overall, there’s £40.35 million worth of prize money to play for, spread out over four rounds, the semi-finals and the finals.

The 2022 Wimbledon winners will win £2m each and the runners-up get a cool £1.05m, with much more to be earned via sponsorships.

As a result, the most famous tennis players boast some of the world’s best car collections.

Prestige car experts Anglo Scottish Asset Finance know a thing or two about luxury cars, and they’ve taken a look at some of the car collections of some of tennis’s most famous players to find out who’s got the biggest and best car collection.

Novak Djokovic
Estimated value of car collection: £830,000
Six-time Wimbledon winner and holder of 20 Grand Slam Men’s singles, Serbian legend Novak Djokovic is a well-known petrolhead. A brand ambassador for Peugeot, Djokovic is the owner of numerous electric cars, one of which is a limited edition E-208 bestowed on him by Peugeot. He is also the proud owner of a Tesla Model X.

As well as his electric cars, Djokovic’s collection includes a series of sportier motors, including an Audi R8, Aston Martin DB9 (worth over £200,000), and Bentley GT Continental. For everyday use, where a more understated car is required, he also has a Fiat 500.

With Djokovic’s Aston Martin retailing for over £200,000, and his Bentley, Audi R8 and Mercedes S500 all retailing for over £100,000, his collection will be the envy of petrolheads around the world.

Rafael Nadal
Estimated value of car collection: £836,000
With 21 Grand Slam titles and two Wimbledon wins, Nadal holds the most Men’s singles titles in history. Having faced Djokovic 58 times, their rivalry is considered one of the greatest ever – and their car collections rival each other too.

Sponsored by Kia, Nadal was gifted their most exciting sports car – the Kia Stinger GT, boasting 365hp and twin-turbo V6 engine. Nadal clearly feels the need for speed, as the owner of an Aston Martin DBS and Ferrari 458 Italia, the fastest car in his collection, with a top speed of 203mph. He even owns a Mercedes AMG GTS, adorned with an eye-catching tennis ball paint job.

When it comes to cars, Nadal might just edge Djokovic out. With the Aston Martin and Ferrari alone worth almost £500,000, the estimated value of his collection just pips that of his competitor.

Serena Williams
Estimated value of car collection: £637,000
Winner of 23 Grand Slams, Serena Williams is one of the most decorated women’s players of all time, and has the car collection to match! Williams owns an Aston Martin Vanquish, having been previously sponsored by the British car manufacturer, and is also the owner of a Bentley Continental GT.

Williams is the owner of a Mercedes G-wagon, and her garage is also home to some slightly more accessible ‘everyday’ cars, like a 2016 Mini Cooper, and a Lincoln Navigator. Upon becoming the face of Lincoln in 2018, Williams immediately got behind the wheel of a Navigator, which she had owned as her first car years prior – her beloved SUV was back.

Williams’ Aston Martin Vanquish, worth over £300,000, is the figurehead of her collection, which is estimated to be worth well over £600,000.

jaguaripace.

Andy Murray
Estimated value of car collection: £444,000
Having passed his driving test just five months before, Scottish hero Andy Murray ditched his understated VW Polo for a bright red Ferrari 430 – quite the improvement! However, after admitting that he felt like ‘a bit of a prat,’ Murray switched the Ferrari for a classier Aston Martin DB9, made famous by James Bond.

In 2015, Murray won the Munich Open, his first title on clay. A BMW i8 was included as part of his prize, and he also became the owner of a Jaguar I-Pace as a result of a sponsorship deal with Jaguar. Despite his ever-growing car collection, Murray still owns his original VW Polo, stating: ‘I enjoy driving it. It was my first car and I’m attached to it.’

Murray’s understated British charm extends to his car collection – whilst not as lavish as Nadal or Djokovic, his garage oozes class.

Roger Federer
Estimated value of car collection: £638,000
Suave Swiss player Roger Federer has developed a stunning car collection over the years, having held a lucrative contract with Mercedes-Benz since 2008. Federer owns at least six different models.

Federer is famously the owner of a sunburst-yellow Mercedes AMG GTS, as well as an AMG G63, more commonly known as a G-wagon. Boasting a Mercedes for every occasion, Federer has a convertible SL AMG for a sunny afternoon and a 4×4 Mercedes AMG GLE 63 S – there’s plenty of horsepower in his garage. He also owns a Range Rover – a staple of the pro sportsman’s car garage.

Though we’re sure Federer will have paid nothing for his car collection, it’s still the envy of car owners around the world, worth well over £600,000.

Naomi Osaka
Estimated value of car collection: > £250,000
A four-time Grand Slam singles champion, Naomi Osaka secured a sponsorship with Nissan in 2018 after beating Serena Williams in the U.S. Open. As part of their partnership, Nissan released a series of limited edition GT-Rs.

Osaka helped pick the colour combinations for the new GT-Rs, which she described as her ‘dream car.’ Available in Midnight Opal, Brilliant White Pearl and Meteor Flake Black Pearl, the production run of the new GT-Rs was limited to 50, making Osaka the owner of one of the rarest cars on this list. 

Whilst we don’t know much about Osaka’s other motors, you can expect her uber-rare limited edition GT-R to fetch at least £250,000!

From powerful sports cars to G-wagons and luxury 4x4s, tennis’s biggest stars rightly own some of the best cars on the planet – which will maintain their value on account of being owned by a famous tennis player!

Despite having the option of owning any car on the planet, it’s nice to know that there’s still room in Andy Murray’s garage for his old VW Polo.

“Many of the world’s top sportspeople pride themselves on their car collection, and tennis is no different,” said Allan Hetherington, Head of Prestige Car Finance at Anglo Scottish.

“However, with personalised prestige car finance options available, you need not feel priced out of affording your dream car.”

SHORT TRACK RACING: HOMAGE TO A FORGOTTEN SERIES!

SHORT TRACK RACING: HOMAGE TO A FORGOTTEN SERIES!

Hard to believe it’s been nearly 20 years since the Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) ran exciting, wheel to wheel stock car races on short tracks around Indiana. This series was distinct from and should not be confused with today’s southeastern CARS series that descended from the old Hooters ProCup series, blogs Stephen Cox.

SHORT TRACK RACING: HOMAGE TO A FORGOTTEN SERIES!The original CARS series was Indiana-based, founded by former ARCA driver Morris Coffman. The concept was built around a spec stock car chassis powered by 305 cubic inch Chevrolet small block engines with two-barrel carburetors that produced about 335 horsepower. The hard compound tires were grooved to limit grip. A completed ready to race car was available for about $20,000, while kits could be purchased for half that price and assembled by the race teams.

The result was a fun, affordable mid-level touring series that frequented premier Midwestern short tracks including Indianapolis Raceway Park (now Lucas Oil Raceway), Winchester Speedway and Ileana Speedway. The crowds were good. The racecars were fun to drive. They had enough power to slide through the turns but not so much grip that engine prices soared into the stratosphere. For a while – a very short while – CARS provided an excellent platform to learn the craft of stock car racing.

SHORT TRACK RACING: HOMAGE TO A FORGOTTEN SERIES!I competed in the series from early 1999 until August 2000. My record was marginal, winning two of the series’ smaller events, sitting on the pole at Winchester and finishing sixth in the season points championship. But the competition sharpened my driving skills and introduced me to some great people who remain friends nearly two decades later.

On September 19, 1999, a bright and cool Sunday afternoon, we put on a pretty good show for Winchester Speedway’s race fans. The top five cars broke away from the field and ran nose-to-tail and sometimes side-by-side on Winchester’s extreme, 32-degree banking for most of the 20-lap feature. My father and spotter, Nelson, coached me up to fourth place late in the event. The whirlwind speeds of Winchester’s high groove took your breath away, especially when running in a two or three-wide pack of five cars, all-vying for a win before a huge crowd at a historic track. I finished fourth in one of the best short track races of the year.

Series front-runners included many outstanding drivers who had already proven themselves winners at other levels of racing. Mark Fesmire could do no wrong in the 1999 season and left us all in the dust on his way to the first CARS championship title. Indiana short track legend Eddie Van Meter won in front of 25,000 fans at Indianapolis in May 2000. Jeff Cannon was so fast he couldn’t keep tires under his car. Bob Dumke, Tim Green, Wes Bullock, Tim Wallen and other fine drivers competed in my era with many more joining after I departed for the Hooters Pro Cup Series in late 2000.

SHORT TRACK RACING: HOMAGE TO A FORGOTTEN SERIES!Jerome Branscum, who won the 2003 CARS championship title and later purchased the series, said, “It was a series that we could get into for ten grand and get a nice looking car and we could go racing. I was 44 years old and had never driven a racecar before. It was a real thrill for me. It was the excitement of getting to go racing every week, and on a budget.”

Going through multiple ownership changes, the series was active as late as 2012 although it struggled to draw entries. It eventually faded away, forgotten by all but a handful of former competitors. The Championship Auto Racing Series existed in the era immediately preceding the Internet, so not a trace of its history can be found online. It existed in the earliest era of digital photography, so traditional 35mm photos are scarce and the few available digital pictures are of poor quality. As far as I can tell all records of its races and indeed, the very existence of the series, have been lost.

“I would like it to be remembered like it was in the early years,” Branscum recalled, “when you could go racing and it wouldn’t cost you a fortune. You could meet friendly people, race hard and have fun.”

Stephen Cox: Driver, FIA EGT Championship & Super Cup Stock Car Series, CEO, Sopwith Motorsports Television Productions Co-host, Mecum Auctions on NBCSN.

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