Ginetta on a roll

I’ve been writing an article on Ginetta, the famous British race car brand. It’s launching a new model at the Autosport International Show at the NEC in January. The G40 will replace the G20 coupé (above) in the Ginetta Junior Championship, but the big news is it’s been homologated for the road. Ginetta boss Lawrence Tomlinson claims that makes it the UK’s only race car you can drive to the circuit in, compete, and then – assuming no Armco interaction – use to head home. Ginetta was a firm I knew very little about but the more I learned the more I was impressed. From being insolvent not long ago it’s now profitable, based in a state-of-the-art engineering facility in Leeds, selling cars into three one-make series, competing in the European GT4 Championship and taking on the big boys like Peugeot and Audi in the Le Mans Series and at the famous 24 Hour Race. Not surprisingly, Tomlinson was shortlisted for an Outstanding Contribution to Motorsport honour earlier this year. He only lost out to some F1 chap called Brawn who also had quite a good 2009.

Bloodhound: on the scent of greatness

I don’t know if you’ve heard of Bloodhound yet, but trust me, you’re going to. The car (above) is Britain’s next World Land Speed Record challenger and is being developed by Richard Noble. He was the driver of the 633mph Thrust 2 in 1983, and the brains behind the current title holder, Thrust SSC, which went supersonic at 763mph in 1997. If Bloodhound succeeds in its aims, it will not just break the record but shatter it. The goal is 1,000mph and at the wheel in 2011, on a dry South African lake bed, will be current record holder Andy Green. At the media launch this week, Noble said that Bloodhound – on a computer programme at least – is capable of hitting its target speed. That’s four football pitches in a second. You’ve got to admire the team’s ambition. I’m pretty cynical about stuff generally but even I came away enthusiastic. So much so that I’ve spent £10 on having my name as one of the 330,000 that will be printed on the tail fin. You can do the same. Visit www.bloodhoundssc.com for details.

Nissan's second generation Z car

Been having a play in the Nissan 370Z (above), which I hadn’t had the chance to drive before now. It’s got a slightly shorter wheelbase than the axed 350Z and uses more lightweight materials. I reckon it looks better too; the striking design and its overall proportions just work more effectively. The car is powered by a front-mounted 3.7-litre V6 that pumps out 331bhp. Press the start/stop button and it burbles into life, and power delivery is impressive all the way to the 7,500rpm redline. If you’re looking for practicality, this is not the car for you. The boot is shallow, the door bins are tiny and there’s only room for a couple of soft bags behind the two seats. But if you want something that’s rare enough on UK roads to still be a real head-turner, the 370Z is perfect. And there will be a roadster version along in the spring.

The world's first electric unicycle

Final mention of my trip to Japan, I promise. The U3-X (above) sounds more like a missile than anything else, but it’s actually very clever ‘personal mobility’ technology. It’s the world’s first electric unicycle and is the brainchild of the Honda engineers who don’t do cars and bikes. You sit on it, lift your feet up and lean in the direction you want to go at up to 4mph. Is this a Sinclair C5 for a new generation? We’ll never know as it’s not for sale, but Honda’s boffins say the multi-direction wheel set-up underneath could ultimately have automotive applications, such as improving a car’s manoeuvrability when parking. And what about a motorbike that never falls over? Don’t laugh, one Honda engineer told me the firm is investigating the possibility. Check out me and the U3-X in action, below.

Japanese two-seater for the UK?

I was in Japan primarily to attend press day of the Tokyo Motor Show. But the mood there was grim, mainly because everyone bar the local car makers – Honda, Toyota, etc – had pulled out for cost-cutting reasons. Scores of hacks milling about with nothing much to write about was good news for a tiny Japanese firm called Suzusho, which was giving a world debut to its latest two-seater, the Supasse (above). Tipping the scales at just 850kg, it weighs less than a Lotus Exige S and is powered by the 2.3-litre turbo unit from the Mazda 3 MPS. The name is an abbreviation of super-passer, as in ‘excellent overtaker’ and it’s priced at nine million Yen (£60,000). The Supasse is launched in Japan next year and while the boss talked the talk about bringing it to the UK, I wouldn’t hold your breath. Judging by the questionable build quality of his show car, he’ll be busy keeping Japanese customers happy for a while.

Civic Type R by Mugen on the way

So, finally, here it is. The blog. That's me top left. And 9/11 seems like a good date to start writing about cars and the car industry. Hope you enjoy it.

Sometimes it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that being a motoring journalist is a great job. I’ve just come back from Japan where, as a guest of Honda, I spent a day at the legendary Motegi race circuit in the hills north of Tokyo. I was meeting the British-based engineering team behind the Mugen-tuned Civic Type R (above). Boosted from 200 to 240bhp, it’s going on sale the spring. There will only be 20 made and it’s close to £40k to buy, but this is a premium road-legal motorsport upgrade, not a crass styling kit to shift aftermarket parts. The car is a little gem and there’s no way all 20 won’t sell. Such is the power of the Type R badge in Japan, one or two are even expected to find their way to enthusiasts there. Check out www.typermugen.co.uk for more details.