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FrontSeatPhil

@frontseatphil.bsky.social
206 followers 139 following 221 posts

Full-time automotive journalist for newspapers, magazines & web. Also publishes Professional Van and Professional Pickup, Average Janes, Average Joes and CALIBRE. #824307

PostsRepliesMedia
FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
If anybody wants to come here, but £500 in my hand, have tea and biscuits, and then trailer it away, you'll have a treasure chest of spare parts to keep many a Saab on the road. Or, you know, just pay the £760 a year tax bill and have a Saab. If not, it's getting scrapped :-(
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Electric vans can work really well for some businesses, but they're not always without their issues...
An electric van charging at a motorway services charger, hanging well out of the allocated space as it's far too long.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The Stellantis press conference at IAA showcased its production capabilities, with Luton being a particular highlig... wait, whaaaat?
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The government's (both the previous and current incumbents) dreadful treatment of car tax for older cars is forcing perfectly good cars off the road, including my own Saab. Now seemingly worthless, does anybody want a Saab 93 Convertible in 1.8t Vector spec, with cream leather?
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Canada, can you please organise renaming Lake Superior to Lake Obama?
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Form an orderly queue...
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Midwinter. I just never quite got it. Perhaps I just need to go back to it, but it's been a few years.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
*Laughs in Prius*
J-turning a Toyota PriusToyota Prius speedo reading 120mphToyota Prius warning on dash saying "Hybrid System Overheat".Toyota Prius some way off the ground after a crest
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Anybody out there with a Citroen Ami Cargo, or even a Cargo Pack for an Ami? #journorequest
Citroen Ami
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Tesla registered 12,173 cars in the UK in June, ahead of the quarterly earnings call. In July, it managed 512. No comment.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Fiat sold 49 (I think) Abarth 124 Spiders. That's it, in total. How can 36 of them be on AutoTrader at the same time? What's going on? Still, £10k...
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
I'm watching The Menu on Disney+. I'm roughly 15 minutes in, and so far it's like sooo many car launches 😂
The Menu movie poster
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I love conspiracy theories. There's really great stuff out there that's fascinating to read or watch. It's endlessly entertaining. I have a particular fondness for the flat earth theory. I've watched proof by people timing aeroplanes landing, opening a swing gate, and shining lasers along canals.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Just had a driver collect a vehicle. He was annoyed that I didn't have the charging cable. I don't know where the charging cable is, and I've never seen it. He was adamant that I had to return the charging cable, and that he'll have to tick the box saying I've lost it. It's a diesel van...
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
New high score :-) www.maptap.gg June 23 100🎯 97🔥 98🎯 97🔥 100🎯 Final score: 984
maptap.gg
🎯MapTap Daily Geography Game
Play MapTap - the daily geography game! Find 5 world locations on a 3D globe with historical stories. Free browser-based daily game for geography lovers.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
If there's one thing that's going to ensure I don't subscribe to @bloomberg.com, it's making the site completely unusable.
A screenshot of Bloomberg.com showing 75% coverage with adverts, and a single headline with no other detail.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Is there an equivalent of Cardle that's a little more European-focused? My knowledge of mediocre mid-2000s American market models is a little thin.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
I guess this is a pretty rare spot. How many were sold in the UK?
Gordon Murray T.50Gordon Murray T.50
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Are we at the worst point of AI, where it's confident and believable but wrong, with millions of people emotionally invested and believing whatever it says without question? As an aside, here's a menu item. That Melated Cheerd Cheese looks very meaty.
An AI-generated menu item showing a burger and its contents, including 'Beef Pattly' and 'Melated Cheerd Cheese', all on a 'White Ceremic Plate'.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Post something from your camera roll that comes up when you search yellow car.
A yellow Audi Q2 is parked slightly illegally in front of the Sizewell nuclear power station.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Google has replaced the Assistant with Gemini in Android Auto and made everything SO MUCH WORSE. It's utterly infuriating and makes driving more difficult.
static.klipy.com
Annoyed Woman's Daily Horrors
ALT: Annoyed Woman's Daily Horrors
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
A Rolls-Royce Cullinan with a very distinctive reg has rocked up. Obviously, I checked the history. It's just over 3 years old and had 2,355 miles at its first MOT. That's about 65 miles a month. And they've chosen to use some of this month's allocation to got to Wendy's at Brampton Hut services.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Not many years ago, we were staying for a few nights at the Washington Hilton, where there's been a recent kerfuffle involving Trump. We were there when a very serious military dinner event was happening. Top brass, highest level military, seemingly, and hundreds of guests. 1/?
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Who's got £760 for me?
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Hard hitting stuff from the BBC here...
BBC Morning Live headline saying 'Rise in speeding fines linked to more drivers breaking the limit'.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
I don't want to, but I really need to move the Saab 93 Convertible on. It's not been used in a year(!) so is just going to waste away. High VED has killed its value, but don't make me scrap it or break it - it's all in good order and a lovely car! Totally unedited photo, taken on Thursday.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
I am now this old.
1976 Lotus Esprit1976 Ford Fiesta1976 Porsche 924
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Hopefully there'll be an update soon. Excited for the new F1 season...
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
I've created a new logo (I'll politely call it a concept) in Pixlr (stop laughing), but as I have little artistic talent and I'm colour blind, I need somebody to take my work and create something viable. Is anybody able to help me out, using the two-out-of-three rule? Fast ❎ Cheap ✅ Good ✅
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
It's not just cars and vans, you know. Sometimes I do proper* consumer journalism about other things. averagejoes.co.uk/food-drink/f... * There was nothing proper about this!
averagejoes.co.uk
Festive lattes on trial: We ordered the Christmas coffee so you don’t have to - Average Joes
We taste test 2025’s Christmas coffee from Costa, Starbucks, Greggs, Pret, Nero and Tim Hortons to see which actually match the marketing.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
It's not just cars and vans, you know. Sometimes I do proper* consumer journalism about other things. averagejoes.co.uk/food-drink/f... * There was nothing proper about this!
averagejoes.co.uk
Festive lattes on trial: We ordered the Christmas coffee so you don’t have to - Average Joes
We taste test 2025’s Christmas coffee from Costa, Starbucks, Greggs, Pret, Nero and Tim Hortons to see which actually match the marketing.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Car brochures and spec sheets that aren't available to download as a PDF are high on my list worst things in the world. Looking at one today that's awful to use, and not accessible in any way. Truly dreadful. I'm looking at you, Vauxhall.
media.tenor.com
a man with a beard is wearing a red shirt that says ' ted talks ' on it .
ALT: a man with a beard is wearing a red shirt that says ' ted talks ' on it .
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
I've been invited to share my views on a podcast. I might pass on it, though, as I did when L'Oréal invited* me to talk about how a strong haircare regimen is the perfect expression of sustainable beauty. * They didn't. Just to be clear.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
No photo, as I was too busy staring, but G-BEDF, or Sally B, the only remaining airworthy B-17 Flying Fortress in Europe, has just flown directly over my house on its way from RAF Syerston. I guess it's heading to Duxford... Cool.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
As a freelancer, it pains me to threaten legal proceedings against a client for unpaid bills. To do it twice in three months to the same client is oddly satisfying. Unsurprisingly, I won't be working for them again. (Also, I *absolutely will* follow through on the threat!)
media.tenor.com
a woman in a wheelchair has a bandage on her head and says wait i don t get any money
ALT: a woman in a wheelchair has a bandage on her head and says wait i don t get any money
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Opened an old box of toy cars for the boys to pay with, and found this mint Volvo 760. Love the model and colour, but it's the number plate that makes it!
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Sat in Starbucks, listening in on a group conversation about EVs. Every talking point raised so far — terrible for the environment, only lasts five years, fire hazards, no chargers, etc. — is both angering and amusing me. Time to put some earbuds in. Also, my fab... what?
Starbucks coffee cup with 'Your fab!' written on it.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
We. Are. Influencing.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Hey there, car people (but probably not journos!) I've got a literal box full of automotive note pads. Lots in the box: no idea on brands, some small, some larger, some cheap, some really high-end. Does anybody want them? Free to collect from Huntingdon.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Logo design. I know nothing, but feel that the logos for Professional Pickup and Professional Van are... not great. I need hand-holding through changing what we've got to better represent what we're doing. The saying goes I can have 2 out of 3: cheap, fast, good. Anybody help with cheap and good?!
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
A slightly random post, sure, but I wonder if anybody wants a pair of BenQ GW2270 21.5" 1080p monitors? It's a cheap way into a dual monitor setup, and what I've used for years. They'll also attach to a 100x100 VESA mount. Available to collect in Huntingdon. No idea of the value. £50 for the pair?
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Fashion is fleeting, style is timeless. Italians know style when they see it.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Sipping an Aperol Spritz in an Italian hotel, celebrating a huge month at Professional Van and Professional Pickup... 269,990 unique users! Thanks (a quarter of) a million to everyone who's clicked, read, or shared. I love you all. 🛻❤️🚚
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
I'm in a hotel in Italy. I fancy a snack. How much would you expect this pack of crisps and a Coke to cost from the minibar?
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
It's the Hire Car "Or similar..." game! I've arrived in Milan and picked up a hire car. I booked a Jeep Avenger EV, or similar, from Europcar. What have I got?
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Anyway, bonkers cars. Tyler went to drive the weirdest British luxury car for CALIBRE... calibremag.com/driven-by-vi...
calibremag.com
Driven by vision: The Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2 revisited - CALIBRE
We revisit the outrageous Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2 from 1982 — the luxury saloon that split opinions and oozed 80s excess.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Last week, there was a UN resolution (A/79/L.75) highlighting the need for UN/Council of Europe cooperation in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Nine countries voted against it. Belarus Eritrea Mali Nicaragua Niger North Korea Russia Sudan USA They're not even hiding it now.
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Apparently em dashes are now a telltale sign of AI-generated content. I’ve always used them, taught others how to, and even know the Chromebook keyboard shortcut. Do I dumb down my writing to prove I’m human, or take it as a compliment that AI mimics good style? (AI-generated image for irony.)
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
We've been working on a big work trip to the US. We were supposed to spend a month there. Flights. Hotels. Thousands in spending. Not anymore. It's cancelled. After what happened today, I refuse to put my money into a country that sides with aggression and turns its back on its allies. 1/2
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FrontSeatPhil @frontseatphil.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Judged to perfection. My wife was less impressed by my confidence in making it home.
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