Results tagged “monaro” from Birmingham Mail - Technobabble

A DRIVER who took his sports car into a West Midlands garage was shocked when he found out mechanics had taken it on a 125 mph joy ride - and has posted a video of it on Youtube.

The man took his £30,000 Vauxhall Monaro to a garage behind the Hallmark Motor Sales car dealership on Portway, just off the A435 near Redditch where it was due to have a radiator leak fixed.

When he returned to pick up the car he discovered footage on his in-car "black-box style" recorder which showed the mechanics taking the car on a high-speed burn along a nearby road.

The recorder had activated automatically when it sensed the car being put under unusual g-forces, caused by the reckless speed of the drivers.

The car's owner said: "It was supposed to be in my local friendly garage having a radiator leak fixed. In fact the boys in the garage were out having fun."

When he confronted the mechanics was told that they hadn't realised how fast they were going, before apologising."

He said the police are now involved in the incident.

The car - which was once described by television's Jeremy Clarkson as "truly wonderful" - is reportedly capable of speeds of up to 180 mph.

The footage was captured on a Roadhawk recording device. The camera starts recording whenever it senses anything unusual so that footage can be used in court to settle disputes in case of an accident.

It is thought to be available in shops for as little as £300.

Video captured during the joy ride shows the mechanic taking the car on to the A435 and accelerating up to 125mph before turning on to country roads where he continues to flout the speed limits.