The good oil: Texan loses control of Bugatti Veyron

The NZ Transport Agency warns in a radio ad of night-time disruption to traffic over the hilly State Highway 1 section between Kaiwaka and Waipu - the "Brinda-wins". What nonsense is this? Sounds like a Lotto syndicate. The Brynderwyn Hills have always been called the "Bryn-derwyns". Bryn means "hill" in Welsh. Derwyn crops up in Welsh in a reference to "trees" and in early English as a "friend (hiding place) of deer". Many of the early settlers around the Bryn-derwyns and nearby Maungaturoto came from the English midlands.

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The load-carrying Ford Falcon station wagon is coming to the end of its days, after almost 50 years of production across the Ditch. Ford Australia president Marin Burela says a decision on the future of the vehicle will be made soon. Ford has built the Falcon wagon alongside the sedan in Australia since September 1960. It now produces only 400 to 500 Falcon wagons a month, mostly for fleet buyers. The end of the wagon in Australia means the end of the wagon in New Zealand.

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An Aussie mate who writes business stuff and dines out on conspiracy theories emails again, this time about the outcome of the All Blacks v Italy game: "Now we have the Kiwi head of international rugby referees (Paddy O'Brien) saying sorry to the All Blacks for the perceived shortcomings of an Australian ref at scrum time. Your blokes were done over and you're whingeing. The same Italian strongman did over the South African front row, but they didn't whinge. What's next, another bout of food poisoning? You're under 2011 pressure and the psychological cracks are beginning to appear."

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Among the options in the first Land Rover Discovery was a shoulder bag, which could be attached to the centre console. The bags were trimmed to match the vehicle's seats and now command quite a high premium. Another feature of the Discovery was its deep windows, a design penned by acclaimed British stylist Sir Terrence Conran to create a light and airy interior. We mention this only because the Discovery turned 20 this week.

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Former Discovery owner BMW will move away from its policy of producing only rear-wheel-drive vehicles, says British weekly Auto Express. The carmaker is reported to be developing a new front-drive mini car dubbed the 0-Series for sale from 2012. Auto Express says the vehicle will fill a gap between the entry-level 1-Series and the British-built but BMW-owned Mini. The car would continue a growing trend among European companies towards compact city cars with prestige badges and small three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. A plug-in electric version is also on the drawing board. BMW confirmed last year that it was working on a range of city cars under the working title of "Project I". The "I" moniker pays homage to the Isetta, the "bubble" car that BMW made under licence in the 1950s.

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A Texan who lost control of his million-dollar Bugatti Veyron and ended up mudguard-deep in a salt marsh blames a low-flying pelican and a dropped cellphone for the accident. The man told police in Galveston that the accident happened in an instant: the bird distracted him, he dropped his cellphone, reached to pick it up and veered off the road. The incident has drawn a great deal of attention. "He said he was getting so many calls that he finally stopped answering his phone," tow-truck driver Gilbert Harrison told the Houston Chronicle.

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Police in Southern California know what the armed bank robber looks like: He's calm, well dressed, aged about 70, and is likely to suffer from breathing difficulties - because the mask he wears is hooked up to an oxygen tank strapped to his waist. But the cops still haven't been able to catch him, even after four heists. They suspect he has an accomplice in a getaway car. "We don't believe he can get far on foot," said a police spokesman.

alastair.sloane@nzherald.co.nz