This section covers all the Ws: who, where, why, what, when, and, erm, how. 
A daily record of the plans made and the decisions taken. 
Click on the articles below for the latest news.

With the graphics test fitted and cut to shape, we were in a position to take the 'glamour' shots of the car. A colleague at work had a contact at Aintree Racecourse who agreed we could get some pictures at the home of the most famous horse race in the world. The plan was to go out on the winners' line with the stands in the background and take some pictures, but we saw a grassy hill near the parade ring and decided to do some test shots under the trees first. It turns out,

Today was a big day in our trip preparation as we took the plunge and fitted the magnetic stickers to the car. This involved a lot more measuring, template-making, and cutting than I was expecting. Still, I'm giddy to report that the results are brilliant! The smaller, individual stickers didn't need any work; they are just thrown on the bonnet, boot and sides, so they didn't need any fettling, just a bit of positioning, standing back to see how they looked and then minor t

After its service, we popped out for a blast in the Abarth, which ended up with us having a most agreeable lunch in the Saracen's Head pub up in Halsall - think good pub grub, glorious weather, a beer garden on the side of the canal where we watched the boats inch by - we can highly recommend it. On the way back home, we decided to stop at the Racecourse Retail Park in Aintree to pick up a few bits, which gave me a chance to go to Halfords to get new wiper blades and look at

We are inching closer to being done. The car has just had £860 worth of work, including a fresh MOT, a full service, and new pads and discs all round. Just need to get the air con regassed, and we are there. While at the garage, I also got them to swap the lovely silver alloys for the moody black ones, which better fit the colour scheme. I also had confirmation that we can take the car to Aintree Racecourse for some photos! Our Communications Manager has a contact who has

After the excitement of receiving our magnet pack yesterday, today was filled with 'going to the dentist' levels of dread as the car was going into the garage for its shakedown. Carl did this recently, and it cost him £1,100! To be fair, that did include a service and MOT. I also asked them for a price to change the brake callipers from the standard ones to the red Competitionoze ones I bought when I was drunk. I asked if they could check that they were working and would a

After weeks of firing messages back and forth, pinging over vector files, tweaking designs, and generally harassing the guys over at Colour Create, I received the email I was waiting for: the magnets were printed, cut, and ready to be collected! I hotfooted over to their workshop and was greeted by Kevin with a deceptively small roll of something. Inside were tucked some smaller items that I couldn't make out until he started laying them out on the table. There, in front of

I couldn't put it off any longer; the car is booked into the garage for its shake-down. I explained to the mechanic over the phone that we were driving to the South of France in it. He interrupted me to say, "In a Fiat 500?" with a surprised tone. "Yes," I said. "Right," he replied in the same surprised tone... I explained that the car is running well. The only real issue it has is a squeaky clutch, which, according to the internet, 'often results from a dry, worn throw-out b

Oooh, an update that has got me all excited! There is news on our design from the guys over at Colour Create, we could have lift off in just a few days. Let me go back to the beginning. I've been emailing Kevin at the company roughly once a week to request updates and make design changes. I don't want to pester them, but I need to nudge them to keep us on track, for my own sanity more than anything else. In my last email, I requested a raft of changes, plus additional sticker

I completed the most boring upgrade to the car today by replacing the cover on my key with a new one. I know, I know, but content is content, as all those insufferable influencers would say. In my defence, the old case was cracked and had been manhandled by god knows who with their unknown hygiene regime - Kim and Aggie would have a field day, I would suggest. I also wanted to change the buttons themselves as they were well-fingered and were shinier than Duncan Goodhew's he

The organisers of the rally finally came through with a vector graphic of the official rally log, which means I can get on with the final requests for the livery. Speaking to Lisa, we agreed that another '27' on the back would look good next to the Martini stripes. We can put the Bust Rallies logo on the other side too, so it looks nice and symmetrical. We will do exactly the same on the front too. I've also asked the guys if they can make us two smaller stickers with QR cod

I received an email from Kevin at Colour Create saying he had made the changes we requested and asked us to review them. They are brilliant! Not a word of a lie, it is exactly as I imagined it when I was lying in bed, worrying about changing the design from the original with the stripes hugging the windows, to the replacement with the stripes along the door. It is simple enough not to look over-the-top, but colourful and detailed enough to show that some real thought and cr

Hot on the heels of looking to waste more money I don't really have on stuff I don't really need, I've been looking at white watches to complement our uniform for the trip. By the way, 'kettle' is Cockney rhyming slang for a watch (obviously: 'kettle and hob,' which is shortened to just 'kettle,' originates from 'fob' - a pocket watch - with 'kettle and hob' rhyming with 'fob'). Every day is a school day, boys and girls. I've got a thing for Casio G-Shock watches as they ar

Negotiations with Colour Create have been ongoing. Kevin, their Production Manager, has been sending me updates on the design we are looking for. His latest message was requesting confirmation of the car's measurements, so Lisa and I went with a tape measure and a scrap of paper. He estimated the dimensions based on the car schematic I sent him, and to be fair, his estimates were almost exactly right. The bonnet graphic needed to be a little longer, the boot one a little s

I've been trying to find a tracksuit top to take along on the trip that fits our team colours, but doesn't cost the Earth. I thought about buying an Italian-brand top and adding a couple of suitable patches to create something unique and in keeping with our 'brand'. I found a boss, Sergio Tacchini, retro tracksuit top on one of the ever-growing number of 'Football Casual Culture' clothing websites. It was navy blue with white details - perfect for our theme. Showed Lisa, a

Can you believe this is the 200th blog post on our pokey little corner of the internet? If that isn't a good enough reason to write a post taking stock of where we are, our achievements and what is still to do, I don't know what is. So where are we? We have registered three cars for the event and have five of the six drivers sorted. Carl is still looking for his co-driver, but Lisa and I are completely invested in driving Team: Dirty Martin around Europe, as are Richie an

So the Facebook algorithm has been doing its job, as it started showing sunglasses ads after I clicked on one link. Now I'm being bombarded with adverts for eyewear endorsed by everyone from Oasis' Noel Gallagher to F1 driver Oscar Piastri. The Gallagher offerings are designed by FINLAY, an independent British eyewear brand founded in 2012. They handcraft their own frames and grind their own lenses, and have stores in Notting Hill and Soho, so you get the picture of the qua

Our Abarth, like all modern cars, doesn't have a drip rail - that little strip of raised metal designed to stop rain cascading over the roof and down into the window. So, like everyone out there at some time, I've ended up with an elbow full of cold water. I sometimes like to open my window a little to let some air circulate, but if there has been even the lightest drizzle, my right arm gets dripped on as the water on the roof gently cascades down the roof. I can't crack th

According to reports, the UK is the second-largest market for aftermarket vehicle upgrades in Europe. The industry was valued at around £7.8 billion in 2025, and is forecast to reach £9.5 billion by 2030. The manufacturing sector is worth around £12 billion, with approximately 1,600 businesses operating in it. The Top 10 most popular modifications in the UK are: 1. Alloy Wheels 2. Number Plate Personalisation 3. Exhaust Upgrades 4. LED Lighting 5. Suspension & Lowering K

So goodbye to 227 and hello to 60... or rather, 17. Confused? Let me explain. As I detailed in this post , getting the original design (number 227) made and fitted would, as they say in the trade, be a faff. It needs to bend three ways on the bonnet and fit around the wing mirrors. Can be done, but wouldn't be easy or may need compromising the design. I found an alternative design (number 60) that isn't as striking as the original but is more on-brand and clearer. The

After the trip to see the lovely guys at Colour Create, my mind has been whirring. I need to rethink the design as the current scheme is too difficult to apply to the magnetic strip and then onto the car. Not going to lie, this is a massive blow. But there is no use wallowing; it's time to find a solution to the problem, which means going back to the drawing board. <sigh> One thing Barry and Kevin at Colour Create said was that big, rectangular graphics are easy to produce