Australian man takes car for 6,200 km test drive

An Australian man has been arrested after taking a new car on a test drive that lasted 6,200 kilometres, five days and almost took him from one side of the continent to the other. Police said the 30-year-old man walked into a car dealership in the southern city of Melbourne last Friday and asked to take a 2008 model Honda Accord for a spin. After chatting with a salesman for 20 minutes and convincing him he was a genuine buyer, the man filled out the necessary paperwork then took off in the car before the salesman could get in the passenger seat. He turned up on Wednesday, some 3,700 km away near the Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek, where police picked him up after he drove away from a garage without paying for fuel. The man will appear in Alice Springs Magistrates' Court today.

Car repair financing now offered in Canada

Ottawa, Ontario - Car Repair Financing Company (CARFCO) has announced its grand opening in Canada, providing loans for car repairs for customers throughout Canada, with the exception of Quebec. The service began on February 18, 2008 and is also positioned to begin providing service in a number of U.S. states in 2008. "Car service centres are losing money every day because their clients can't afford to pay for large repairs," said Martin Lander, CEO of CARFCO. "For many people their car is their livelihood, or their only feasible way to get to work. If they can't afford to pay for repairs, they can't get to work. We offer a valuable and much needed solution to these problems." CARFCO is offering a two per cent bonus on the total cost of each vehicle repair loan financed through the company, making the service even more attractive to car repair centres. The service will be particularly valuable to truckers and other commercial drivers, for whom their vehicle is their primary source of revenue; an expensive repair that would normally be a financial setback can be broken into smaller, more affordable monthly payments and repairs can be carried out immediately with less down time. The company approves loans based on the applicant's assets, not on credit history, and approves loans within 24 hours. For more information, visit Carfco.com.

400 classic cars to be sold at Toronto auction

Chatham, Ontario - The RM Classic Car Auction returns to Toronto on April 4 to 6 and will showcase more than 400 classic cars, along with an assortment of nostalgia and automotive memorabilia. This year's event will also showcase some of Canada's earliest contributions to the automotive industry, including a 1920 Ford Model T "Tall Pickup" and a turn-of-the-century McLaughlin buggy, accompanied by a Baynes cutter sleigh. "As a proud Canadian-based company - one that is dedicated to preserving and sharing automotive history - we are excited to offer several early examples of Canadian coachbuilt vehicles at our upcoming Toronto sale," said RM's Dan Spendick. "Built locally here in Ontario, both examples can be considered forerunners of Canada's automotive industry. As such, they are certain to attract the attention of collectors with a penchant for early automotive design and Canadian motoring history."

Manufactured in Brantford, the Model T was built by the Brantford Carriage Company, producers of high-grade carriages, wagons, carts, sleighs and cutters. The company later evolved into Trailmobile, a modern manufacturer of semi-truck trailers. The Ford will cross the auction block at no reserve. The McLaughlin buggy was built by the McLaughlin Carriage Company, which later turned to making automobiles and eventually became General Motors of Canada. Still in its original condition, the buggy comes with its original "McLaughlin Oshawa Carriage" brass plate, while the sleigh bears a brass plate signifying it was built by the Baynes Carriage Hamilton Company in Hamilton, Ontario. Both were stored in Kincardine, Ontario for numerous years prior to being purchased by their current owner in 1999. Other notable vehicles for sale include a 1956 Monarch convertible, 1955 Pontiac Chieftain, 1970 Triumph TR-6 and 2007 Shelby GT350 Hertz convertible, believed to be the only one offered in Canada. The auction will be held at the International Centre in Mississauga and begins with a preview on Friday, April 4 at 12 noon, followed by the auction at 3 p.m. For more information, visit RMAuctions.com.

Online video shows benefits of stability control

Ottawa, Ontario - Transport Canada has released a new video that demonstrates the benefits of electronic stability control (ESC) on dry, snow-covered and wet pavement. The video can be viewed at CanadaCast.ca. The video has six scenarios showing a vehicle travelling at approximately 80 km/h and making a sudden lane change. In each scenario, the driver loses control of the vehicle without ESC and slides 180 degrees; with ESC, the vehicle moves slightly laterally but the driver does not lose control. Preliminary analysis of 2000-2005 Canadian crash data indicates that vehicles equipped with ESC were involved in approximately 30 per cent fewer severe crashes due to loss of control than vehicles unequipped with ESC. Transport Canada said that based solely on 2005 data, there would be at least 255 fewer deaths and 1,440 fewer people seriously injured each year if all passenger vehicles were equipped with ESC. Transport Canada is exploring various alternatives to accelerate the availability of ESC on new passenger vehicles sold in Canada, is encouraging all manufacturers to provide ESC as a standard safety feature, and is developing a proposal which would require ESC on all new light vehicles sold in Canada. The system has already been mandated in the U.S. on all passenger vehicles sold in that country by model-year 2012.