Hard shoulderNEXT WEDNESDAY, November 4th, marks the 50th anniversary of the opening in Britain of the first stretch of the M1 motorway.
The first section ran from the present Junction 5 near Watford in Hertfordshire to the present Junction 18, near Rugby in the West Midlands.
Designed to cope with 13,000 vehicles a day, the new motorway reached that capacity almost straight away and today carries about 10 times that number.
Over the years the M1 was extended and is now 193 miles (about 311 kilometres) long.
Further work saw the motorway stretched from Rugby to Leeds in the 1960s and southern extensions in the 1960s and 1970s took the road as far south as northwest London.
More recently, there has been a series of widening schemes, including the creation of a fourth lane in the busiest section through Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
The M1’s first service station, the Watford Gap in Northamptonshire, also celebrates its 50th anniversary next Wednesday.
New BMW 5-Series due next year
Recently we spotted BMW’s next generation M5 testing at the Nurburgring.
Before it arrives on forecourts in 2011, we are set to have a new 5-Series finally taking to our roads next year.
It’s been several years since the current model was introduced and recently it has witnessed its dominance challenged by the new Mercedes E-Class.
The new car takes its front nose from the recently launched 5 Series GT and will feature the entire gamut of engines currently on offer from the German car brand.
What Car? readers vote Defender tops
IT MAY be cursed by some for its Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) credentials but the Land Rover Defender has won a top vehicle award in Britain.
Readers of What Car?magazine voted the Defender their favourite car.
What Car?group editor Steve Fowler said: "The Land Rover Defender has bags of ability and does exactly what it's designed to do perfectly.
“Together with its no-nonsense approach and strong durability, the Defender is putting a big smile on owners’ faces.”
In contrast, the Ford Focus coupé cabriolet was voted the least-popular car. Readers made the Fiat 500 the top supermini, while the Jaguar XJ was the best executive and luxury car and the Ford Mondeo the top estate car.
The Audi A5 was rated the best coupé, the Skoda Octavia the best small family car and the Mazda MX-5 the best open top.
The top performance car was the Porsche 911, while the Mercedes-Benz C-Class topped the family and compact executive category and the Ford C-Max was the best MPV (multi-purpose vehicle).
The Citroen C3 was the last-placed supermini. The Volkswagen Passat came bottom in the family and compact executive category.