If you’re considering take a trip over the Channel this summer, whether for a booze cruise, week away in the sun, or en route to another European destination, then you’re not alone.

Thousands of Brits take their own vehicle over to France each year, but, as you probably know, driving is a little different once you get onto French soil. Obviously there’s the issue of driving on the right, but there are a number of other differences compared to driving in the UK.

There are also a few particular issues to bear in mind for this summer that you might not have considered.

Euro 2016

If you’re a football fan, then you’ll be counting down the days to the European Championships, which kick off on 10th June and running for a month. However, if you’re not a football fan and happen to be driving through certain areas of France during that time, then you’ll likely find a significant increase in the amount of traffic.

Most of big cities in France are hosting matches, including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, Nice and Bordeaux. You can see the full list of stadiums and fixtures here, so you can plan your journey appropriately.

Migrant Crisis

Last summer, the UK news was dominated by the escalating migrant crisis in Calais, which left thousands of tourists stuck in their cars waiting to cross over the Channel.

Whilst the problem has not been resolved and there are still camps of migrants around Calais, there is now much less disruption. Should things stay as they are then you shouldn’t have too many issues travelling over to France. However, it goes without saying that you should check the news regularly and be mindful of the problem when travelling.

Fuel Shortages

Probably a larger concern than the migrant crisis right now is the fuel shortages that are spreading across France.

Proposed labour reforms by the French Government have seen thousands of workers protest and strike, which has included blockading oil refineries, meaning fuel can’t reach petrol stations.

Some petrol stations have run out of certain types of fuel, whilst purchasing restrictions have been put in place across several areas, meaning you more than likely cannot fill up jerry cans. There could be a nationwide rationing at some point in the future.

Should this put you off driving in France? Not necessarily. You just have to be wary of the areas with the biggest shortages and plan accordingly. The Mon-essence.fr website has a map listing how affected each part of the country is, whilst the Carbeo site has more information on fuel availability.

The best advice is to fill up as much as you can before you travel. If you’re in the north of France and aren’t doing too much travelling then you may not be hampered too much, but if you’re driving to the south of the country you may run into problems, so don’t leave it too late before finding fuel.

You may be tempted to take jerry cans of fuel with you, but the RAC advises against this. Authorities only permit taking 10 litres of fuel into France, which isn’t going to make much difference, whilst some ferry companies don’t allow you to take any fuel in cans on board.

French driving laws

As well as the above, there are a various motoring laws in France that differ from those over here. For example, there are a number of items you are required to have in your vehicle by law, including:

• Reflective jackets for everyone travelling
• Headlight converters – so you don’t dazzle oncoming drivers when driving on the right
• Warning triangle
• Breathalyser

You’ll also need all of your travel documents, as well as GB stickers if you don’t have Euro plates. The legislation for carrying a breathalyser in your vehicle was passed in 2012, and although there is no official punishment for not carrying one, you need to have one just in case.

It’s also illegal to use any equipment that can detect speed cameras. Many sat navs can do this, so if you’re using one of these, you need to disable this feature before you use it. You’re also not allowed to wear any kind of earphones or headsets whilst driving, and be careful parking on single yellow lines as this could see your car being towed away.

There are a number of other French-specific laws, which you can see in this article from Ignitionline, as well as information about speed limits and drink-drive laws.

Ferrari, warmed up for this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed with a very special breakfast delivery for event founder, Lord March.

The Prancing Horse will use this year’s Festival of Speed (June 23-26) to give the new Ferrari 488 Spider its dynamic UK debut, but it was down to the Ferrari California T Handling Speciale to deliver Lord March’s ‘Full Throttle’ breakfast.

Ferrari California T Handling Speciale

Piloted by Mauro Calo, the holder of a Guinness World Record for drifting, the California T Handling Speciale powered, slid and roared its way through the famous Goodwood Estate to collect the components for Lord March’s breakfast.

Sausages, eggs and bacon were collected from the estate’s farm shop and cooked at the Motor Circuit cafe, while a copy of the Racing Post was handed over by a jockey at the Racecourse before the whole lot was delivered to Goodwood House – all at breakneck speed.

Creating The Goodwood ‘Full Throttle’ Breakfast

The California T Handling Speciale will be one of several new cars being showcased by Ferrari at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Alongside it in the Michelin Supercar Paddock will be the 488 Spider, which will be seen driven in anger for the first time in the UK.

Other cars in the Supercar Paddock will include the F12tdf, 458 MM Speciale, 488 GT3 and 488 Spider.

As ever, the Scuderia Ferrari will also be present at the event, celebrating its vast motorsport and Formula 1 heritage.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the most famous car and motorcycle events in the world and attracts some 250,000 visitors every year.

The Aston Martin  DB11 has been unveiled at the 86th International Geneva Motor Show. This is the first new car created under the company’s ‘Second Century’ plan, a dynamic sporting GT in the finest Aston Martin tradition!

The DB11 showcases a fresh and distinctive design which includes pioneering aerodynamics and is powered by a new in-house designed 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine. Built upon a new lighter, stronger  and more space efficient bonded aluminium structure, the DB11 is the most powerful, most efficient and most dynamically gifted DB model in Aston Martin’s history, making it the most significant new Aston Martin since the introduction of the DB9 in 2003.

Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Andy Palmer said: “We aspire to make the most beautiful cars in the world. DB11 is the absolute embodiment of what an Aston Martin should be and we have worked tirelessly to ensure that DB11 combines both exceptional design with the latest technology throughout. A brand new bonded aluminium platform, clever aerodynamics, a new characterful twin-turbo V12 and class-leading infotainment systems are just a few aspects which make this the sports car that will proudly spearhead Aston Martin’s second century plan.”

The Aston Martin DB11

This new design from Aston Martin includes the front-hinging clamshell bonnet, distinctive LED headlights and accentuated lines of the iconic Aston Martin grille. If you look at the profile you will see the roof strakes that flow from A-pillar to C-pillar. These clean lines continue at the rear, with a sloping decklid that smoothly blends into boldly sculpted tail-lights to create a new and unmistakable graphic.

Front-end lift is reduced by the gill-like Curlicue which releases high-pressure air from inside the wheel arch via a concealed vent within the redesigned side-strake – reminding us of the TVR Sagaris!. Rear-end lift is reduced by the Aston Martin AeroBlade^TM; a virtual spoiler fed by discreet air intakes located at the base of each C-pillar. Air is ducted through the bodywork, before venting as a jet of air from the aperture in the rear decklid.

As with the DB9 the DB11 also has a V12 under the bonnet, although unlike any Aston Martin before it, this engine is a 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12. Designed in-house this new engine develops 608PS¹ (600BHP¹) and 700Nm¹ of torque, making DB11 the most powerful production DB model ever. It has a top speed of 200 mph and a 0-62 mph time of just 3.9 seconds.

This new twin-turbo V12 engine and the DB11’s chassis, suspension, steering and electronics can all be modified through multiple driver-selectable dynamic modes – GT, Sport and Sport Plus. These settings progressively intensify the response of the engine, 8-speed automatic ZF transmission, the new electric power steering and Torque Vectoring by braking while increasing the firmness of the adaptive damping for a greater sense of agility.

You’ll find the latest technology in the Aston Martin the DB11 developed in conjunction with technical partner, Daimler AG. The cabin provides a environment of the finest quality and hand craftsmanship. Using a full-colour 12” TFT LCD display, the all-new instrument cluster presents primary vehicle information with absolute clarity, while a second, centrally-mounted 8” TFT screen is dedicated to infotainment.

Controlled via an intuitive rotary control, with an optional touchpad offering character recognition, multi-touch and gesture support, the new satellite navigation and audio system have never been more effective, sounded better or been easier to operate. A newly implemented auto-park assist feature and 360-degree birds-eye view camera helps provide safe maneuvering at slow speeds and is also operated via the car’s infotainment system.

The DB11 has wider door apertures, significantly increased passenger space, especially head and legroom in the rear, fully integrated rear ISOFIX mounting points for a pair of child seats plus a luggage compartment large enough to accommodate two large holdalls plus carry-on baggage.

Dr Andy Palmer said: ““This is not only the most important car that Aston Martin has launched in recent history, but also in its 103-year existence. The DB11 rightfully places Aston Martin once again as a leading brand in the luxury automotive market”.

Recommended Retail Price from £154,900 in the UK including a 5-year servicing plan, €204,900 in Germany  and $211,995 in USA. First deliveries of the DB11 car are scheduled to begin during the fourth quarter of 2016.

Porsche is significantly upgrading the Macan. To coincide with the world premiere of the Macan GTS at the Tokyo Motor Show 2015, the new model year of the compact SUV is also receiving enhanced infotainment and comfort features. The new Porsche Communication Management (PCM) now comes in the SUV as well. Just a short while ago, the system celebrated its debut in the 911. Highlights are real-time route navigation, simplified operation and an integrated Wi-Fi hotspot.

Porsche is also offering new full-LED headlights as an option for all models of the sporty SUV. Greater comfort and functionality are augmented by a bonus in sportiness. A re-engineered steering controller provides a more direct handling experience and improved contact with the road. Extended exterior and interior packages are available as options exclusively for the Macan Turbo. Now customers can introduce even more individual styling to their vehicle.

The new PCM generation: easier operation and improved connectivity

The centrepiece of the infotainment system that comes as standard in all Macan models is the new, high-resolution seven-inch touchscreen. The redesigned user interface employs intuitive operation, similar to that of a smartphone. If the proximity sensor detects a command input, all relevant menu contents are displayed. Menu items then are selected by means of multi-touch gestures. Various Bluetooth, USB and SD interfaces allow integration of smartphones and storage media with the PCM.

New Macan Upgrades

A new feature in the infotainment range of the compact SUV series is that customers can choose from three different options, as needed, in order to connect the Macan with the outside world in the way they want. To this end, the Connect module contains an integrated smartphone compartment in the central armrest for battery-saving recharging and optimised signal reception. Also new is the option of connecting an iPhone with the PCM in order to use AppleCar Play®, including Siri® voice control. The already familiar Porsche Car Connect is also included with the Connect module. Another available option is the Navigation module. The new navigation system impresses with its high-resolution map display, which, depending on the region, is also available in 3D for the first time. In addition, voice control can be used as a convenient method of launching the navigation. To enable even more extensive connectivity features, Porsche has developed the Connect Plus module. Online traffic information in real time and the display of Google services then supplement the driving dynamics of the Macan in order to reach its intended destination ahead of the competition. Use of the PCM as a Wi-Fi hotspot and even more extensive integration of smartphones thus leave nothing to be desired in terms of connectivity.

LED headlights in a dynamic design

For the first time, the Macan includes full-LED headlights in connection with the optional Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus (PDLS Plus). The new headlights assist the driver with their beam colour similar to daylight and improved range while simultaneously using less energy.

Daytime running lights shine in the four-point design typical of Porsche. Moreover, the dynamic light design is underlined by the interplay between the dark inserts of the headlights and the four silver-anodised LEDs. Strikingly contoured chrome trim surrounds give the black main projector an especially three-dimensional structure. Instead of the bi-xenon headlights’ round projection lens and auxiliary lamps, the LED versions have a centrally arranged projection module for dipped and main beam. Additional lighting modules provide further functional features such as cornering or intersection lights. PDLS Plus encompasses the familiar lighting functions of dynamic cornering and country road light as well as a separate mode for motorway sections and adverse weather conditions. The camera-based dynamic main beam function eases the burden for the driver thanks to automatic adjustment of the lighting range during night driving. Based on the navigation data from the PCM, the intersection light activates an additional lamp unit to deliver the best possible illumination of the area into which the vehicle is turning.

For that special sporty appearance: the Macan Turbo packages

Inspired by the GTS models, Porsche is for the first time offering additional exterior and interior packages for the Macan Turbo. A variety of design elements on the body give the powerful SUV an especially sporty touch. 21-inch wheels in 911 Turbo design gleam in their exclusive bi-colour design. Dynamically styled Sport Design door mirrors and wheel hub covers with coloured Porsche crest add further accents. Contrasting elements in high-gloss black decorate the air inlets and side blades, as well as the trim strips on the side windows and the rear underbody panel. Blending harmoniously with the colour scheme of the Sport Design lower rear apron, the sports exhaust system features black tailpipes.

Smoked rear lights round off the individual appearance of the top model. In keeping with the tradition of GTS models, Alcantara trim and contrasting stitching indulge sporty drivers with an especially high level of aesthetic and haptic quality. Alcantara is a familiar material from motor racing that covers the centre panels of the seats as well as the armrests of the centre console and door panelling. Decorative stitching in Rhodium Silver or Garnet Red on the instrument panel, seats and door panels provide for additional highlights. Turbo lettering on the headrests in contrasting colours and illuminated carbon door sill plates announce the performance potential of the 400 hp premium SUV even while it is stationary.

Both packages can be ordered independently of each other but both unite sporty design with exclusivity. Moreover, new exterior paint colours are available for all Macan versions. Decorative stitching in contrasting colours and centre panels of the seats in an alternative colour leave even more scope for individualisation. In addition, the optional Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel supplies extra comfort during the winter period thanks to steering wheel heating and provides excellent grip for a sporty driving style. The new Macan models will be available from Porsche dealers as from early 2016.

More than three quarters of parents (78%) claim that having kids forced them to buy a new car. And nearly four in ten (37%) say that children go on to influence decisions to buy their next car.

These were the key finding of research carried out for Auto Trader, the UK’s largest digital automotive marketplace, in August, pooling the views of 1,000 parents and children aged between 5 and 11. The aims were to look at what parents and children looked for in their perfect family car – and to what extent children influenced their parents’ buying decision.

Kids influence car buying decisions

Findings pointed to a number of differences in the success of pester power. More than half of Londoners, for example (55%), said they were likely to be influenced by their children, compared with just 24% in the North East. When it comes to the sexes, the research suggests dads should probably be the target of lobbying. 39% of dads said they were open to influence compared with 33% of mums.

“A substantial amount of research has been done looking at how the decision of the car buyer can be influenced and at what stage in the buying journey,” commented Nathan Coe of Auto Trader, “but few have really considered the role that children play, or the influence of pester power. If one of the kids doesn’t like the shape or colour of your next car, or it doesn’t come with plug-in for an i-Pad, then you’d better be prepared for some serious pestering!”

Overall, colour is the most likely area for successful persuasion by children (26% influenced their parents’ choice of colour). Children are most likely to push for red (28%), followed by blue (21%), black (14%) and pink (13%). Perhaps unsurprisingly boys tend to favour red cars (28% v 23%) and girls preferred pink (26% v 1%). However, only 2% said they’d prefer a white car, despite white being the most popular new car colour, according to SMMT new car sales data.

When buying a car, which of these factors might your children influence?

Children also influenced their parents in terms of the comfort (13%), size (12%), design (12%) and entertainment systems (9%) fitted to their new car. Safety however – top of the list of priorities for parents (27%) – was one area where parents tend to go it alone.

After safety, parents were most concerned with the size and space of the new car they were buying so they could get extra boot space or more seats (25%), how comfortable it would be (23%) and how reliable (19%) – entertainment systems were only considered important by 2% of parents.

What is the most important feature in a family car?

For children however, their top ten wish list in a family car included glamour features like turbo buttons, ejector seats and flame filled exhausts, perhaps unsurprisingly alongside entertainment systems.

Coe continues: “Car retailers are becoming more aware of the need to cater for children on the forecourt, both in terms of providing entertainment for them whilst their parents are looking at cars, and actively pointing out features that they would be interested in, like in-car entertainment systems. As the technical specifications on new cars continues to advance, kids will only become more interested in the car they are transported about in.”

The top ten features for your dream car (children aged 5-11):

1. TV Screens
2. DVD Players
3. Internet connection
4. Video games
5. Snack dispenser
6. Toy storage cupboard
7. Turbo button
8. Steering wheel in back seat
9. Ejector seat
10. Flame emitting exhausts

Is mum or dad a better driver? Overall, more children in the survey pointed to their dads (54%). However when it comes to dropping off at the school gates, mums rule the playground: 55% voted for them compared to 42% who said they’d prefer their Dad to drop them off.  More than two thirds (79%) of parents would claim they are better drivers compared to their partner.

When asked to consider their favourite superhero car, children went mad for the Batmobile. It topped the chart for all ages from 5 through to 11, other than for kids aged six year – they chose Lightning McQueen from the Cars’ films.

It was a 1-2-3 for the Porsche 919 Hybrid race cars as they dominated the 2015 Le mans qualifying  last night. The next three positions were taken by the Audi LMP cars with Toyota taking 7th and 8th.

For the Porsche Team it will be an exciting weekend. On Saturday at 3pm the Team will start the 83rd Le Mans 24-Hours from one, two and three on the grid. This is the 17th pole position for Porsche in Le Mans, and prior to this the most recent one dates back to 1997. Furthermore it is the ninth time since 1968 that three Porsche race cars have locked out the front of the grid for the Le Mans 24-Hours with a one-two-three. This happened last in 1988.

Switzerland’s Neel Jani did his fastest lap time during the first qualifying session on Wednesday night and, despite dry conditions in both qualifying sessions on Thursday, it remained unbeaten. With his lap of 3:16.887 minutes, he has set a new qualifying record for the current track length of 13.629 kilometres by beating Peugeot’s pole position time from 2008 (3:18.513 min). Timo Bernhard (GER) was second fastest on Wednesday and his time of 3:17.767 minutes was also good enough to beat the old record. In the third Porsche LMP1 Nick Tandy (GBR) improved his lap time in Q2 on Thursday to 3:18.862 minutes and claimed P3.

The Porsche 919 Hybrid

The three Porsche 919 Hybrid race cars are the most innovative in the 56 car field and carry future technology for Porsche’s road going sports cars. The revolutionary technical regulations’ focus on efficiency for class 1 Le Mans prototypes (LMP1) attracted Porsche in 2014 to return to top level motorsport. The combination of a two-litre, V4 turbo charged and petrol fuelled engine with two energy recovery systems (brake energy and exhaust energy) produces a power system of around 1000 HP.

Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member Research and Development Porsche AG: “Claiming first, second and third is obviously a perfect qualifying result. Nevertheless, today we have worked a lot for the race and were quite good on longer runs on used tyres. I have told everybody not to look at the competition but to focus on maximising our package. The technicians, engineers and drivers – the entire team worked directly in the same direction and did a fabulous job. The result is a real pleasure and makes me proud of the team. I’m very much looking forward to the race.”

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: “Finishing first, second and third in qualifying at what is only our second attempt in Le Mans is outstanding. A big thank you to the team at the track and back at the factory in Weissach. We are still a very young team and every bit of success is important. This result helps us to start the race full of confidence. It will be a hard race with tough competition, but we are looking forward to it.”

Alexander Hitzinger, Technical Director LMP1: “I’m over the moon and want to express my compliments to the development team of this race car. The qualifying result is a reward for three years of very, very hard work. Now we have to prove that we have built not only a fast car, but also a reliable one. Also we would be wrong to think the difference in the lap times could be as big in the race as in qualifying. We cannot underestimate the competition.”

Porsche 919 Hybrid (17), Porsche Team: Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: “This great qualifying result is an important first part in our success. But looking forward to the race it is even more important that today we had a productive day of preparation. We have had consistently dry track conditions and went through our tyre programme as planned. We also had race components on the cars. The team and the drivers have done a top job.”

Jani shares the black number 18 Porsche 919 Hybrid with Romain Dumas (FR) and Marc Lieb (GER). Bernhard partners Brendon Hartley (NZ) and Mark Webber (AUS) in the red number 17 car. Tandy’s team mates in the white number 19 prototype are Earl Bamber (NZ) and Formula One driver Nico Hülkenberg (GER’).

Starting drivers on Saturday will be Timo Bernhard, Neel Jani and Nico Hülkenberg.

Don’t forget the drivers parade tonight through Le Mans!

For live communication on Twitter go to @PorscheRaces.

The new member of the Porsche GT family is the Cayman GT4.

This is the first time Porsche has introduced a GT sports car based on the Cayman  – which has components of the 911 GT3.

So how fast is the GT4?

A lap time of 7 minutes and 40 seconds on the North Loop of the Nürburgring positions the Cayman GT4 as the new benchmark at the top of its market segment. It also makes a clear statement that Porsche will continue to promote radical two-door sports cars in the future – sports cars that are developed at the Motorsport department in Weissach.

Autocar take a visit to find out more about this great new Cayman.

Ferrari have revealed what their customers can create through Maranello’s Tailor Made bespoke personalisation programme with the unveiling of this F12 Berlinetta.

The F12 Berlinetta Tour De France 64 was shown at the 2015 Dream Cars Show in Brussels, where the Ferrari stand featured both the new California T and the four-seater, four-wheel drive FF. This F12displayed by Ferrari and Francorchamps Motors, pays homage to the Ecurie Francorchamps team, specifically the 250 GTO in which Lucien Bianchi and Georges Berger won the 1964 Tour de France.

The F12berlinetta based on the 1964 Tour-de-France 250 GTO

The V12 GT has an Argento Auteil body with a triple-layer cross-stripe on its bonnet that is a modern take on the original Modena yellow used by the Ecurie Francorchamps. The interior has black with tobacco Soul leather seat upholstery for a vintage look. Technical materials also make an appearance, most notably for the mats and boot trim which have used SuperFabric, a tough, super-grippy “bulletproof” material. It  features a 3D design developed exclusively for Ferrari. The F12berlinetta’s roof lining and side panels are in Mycro Prestige, a soft, light, water-repellent and breathable fabric.

F12berlinetta Interior

The floor is triangular-pattern check plate metal as per the classic cars of the past. The interior finish is bodywork-colour aluminium with yellow detailing on the bridge and door handles.

Extensive testing with the second generation of the Porsche 919 Hybrid Le Mans prototype will begin 18 January at the Abu Dhabi Yas Marina Circuit.

Porsche 919 Hybrid

As scheduled, this marks the start of the 2015 motorsport season for the Porsche Team. The new Porsche 919 Hybrid already had its initial roll-out at the Weissach test track, near Stuttgart, Germany, on 15 December, 2014. As a next step, there will be several performance and endurance tests before the World Endurance Championship (WEC) season opener on April 12 at Silverstone, Northamptonshire.

Porsche 919 Hybrid

The new Porsche 919 Hybrid is a comprehensive evolution of last season’s successful car, which marked the return of Porsche to the top class of the WEC in 2014. It features the same innovative drivetrain concept consisting of a 2-litre V4 turbocharged petrol engine, supplemented by an electric motor powering the front wheels, and two energy recovery systems.