Roadster! Issue #01 - December 2022 (Trial Online Edition)

The Green Cross Code is a road safety awareness initiative by the National Road Safety Campaign (now the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, or RoSPA) which began in 1970.

The Green Cross Code Man was a superhero character created as a teaching aid. In television advertisements the Green Cross Code Man was played by David Prowse, who famously went on to play the villain Darth Vader in Star Wars!

ROADSTER!

Welcome!

Welcometo ROADSTER! Magazine!

Hi. I’m Sam. I designed this magazine as I wanted to read an interesting magazine for kidswhichisallaboutcarsanddriving!

As kids we spend a lot of time in cars usuallyinthebackseats!Thismagazineputs kidsinthedrivingseat!

I’ve made a magazine about driving that I would want to read, with stories about cars I like; things to play; things to learn; and thingstosee.

My Dad (assistant editor) has helped me, but I made all the final choices… this is MY magazine!

In this first issue we begin with a feature on one of my favourite cars - the Aston Martin DB5. Not any old DB5 - I was lucky enough to be invited behind the scenes and takearideintheAstonMartinDB5Junior!

I also report from my day at the British MotorShow;weintroduceLukeBrowning amazing young racing driver!) and we take a road trip down one of Britain’s busiest holiday roads (the M5). We’ve also got jokes, puzzles,factfilesandlot’smore!

Ihopeyouenjoythismagazineasmuchas Ihaveenjoyedputtingittogether!

roadster.magazine@gmail.com

“I hope you enjoy this magazine

latest cars. Roadster! had great fun exploring cars such as the new Land Rover Defender 90 and the amazing Hyundai Ionic 5 electriccar.Kidsreallydidgettositinthedrivingseatandget a feel for how it must feel to drive these brand new machines. TheEVZonefeaturedacollectionofallthelatestElectriccars toexplore.

As well all the latest car models the show had plenty of other things to keep kids entertained. On the Live Stage celebrities from T.V.'s Car S.O.S. hosted stories and videos fromtheshow.

OutsideintheLiveArena,T.V'swheelerdealerMike Brewer hosted fast paced displays of car thrills and entertainment, and the Paul Swift stunt team wowed the crowds with an amazing stunt show. The Caterham’s Pro-Drifting Team put on some serious sideways action - with skilled drivers giving the more adventurouscarslidingtaxirides!

Checking out the pretty awesome Hyundai Ioniq 5

Elsewhere the Premier GT Supercar Paddock collected together super-rare and super-expensive supercars.TheSportingBears,agroupofclassicand supercar owners with big hearts raised over £45k for charity by offering passenger rides in their amazing supercars, classics & modified cars. An Owners club zone and Owners enclosure featured an amazing collection of classic, unusual and rare cars on show together. The AA also had a great display of historic recoveryvehicles.

An amazing Family Zone offered kids rides, giant Scalextrics, under 17 driving, model building, painting, celebrities and supercars. There was also Mario Kart, racing simulators and a a Mini Land Rover driving course forkidstoenjoy.

There was so much to do and see. Roadster! had a greattime!

“I’d give the show 10 out of 10 because it was really GOOOOOOOOODDDDDD!!!!!!”

“My favourite things about the show were the fix a tyre challenge, exploring lots of cars, playing Mario kart 8 and getting to play on a huge Scalextric set!”

Excitingstuntshows…

Sam trying out his skills on the Mini Land Rover course…

If this was a real magazine, being funded and paid for we’d love to give a free gift away with the physical copy of the magazine.

Our ambition is to create a great line of exclusive Roadster! roadsign badges that Roadster’s can collect - a different one with each issue of the magazine, together with special edition badges given away at events, as thank you’s to magazine contributors or through club memberships.

Each sign would be accompanied by a profile in the magazine, helping explain about its meaning from the Highway Code and its everyday use. The idea is that the gift would be collectible and educational, acting as a vehicle to help readers learn about the Highway Code and basic road sense.

What does it mean?

Red triangular signs are warning signs. The sign is a warning for drivers to look out for school children either using or crossing the road ahead of them.

It is commonly used on the approach to schools.

A variation of the sign is also used by school crossing patrols. These versions are round and surrounded by a red circle - meaning the sign is giving an order.

The ROADSTER! guide to being a Formula 1 racing car driver!

Karting (from age 6 upwards!)

Karting is a most exhilarating activity and the perfect way for kids to get started in motorsport! (The fastest Karts can reach speedsof100mph!)

Karts starting at Bambino size for 6 – 8 year olds, then Cadets for 8 – 12, Mini from 11 to 14, Juniors from 13 – 16 and seniors from theyearofthe16thbirthdayonwards.

Junior Saloon Car Championship (age

14-17)

The Junior Saloon Car Championship provides motorsport for young adults between 14 and 17 years with exciting close racing at alowcost.

GB4

A low-cost alternative to Formula 4 launched in September 2021. The Tatuus F4-T014 car is currently used by all competitors, andoperatedbyteamsorthecompetitorsthemselves.

Formula 4 (from age 15 upwards)

The first step for aspiring young drivers making the transition from karting into single seaters - F4 is the premier UK single-seater series for those who want to progress their motor racing career ambitions. The new Tatuus F4-T-421 car is used in F4(seebackcover!)

GB3

The GB3 Championship is a single seater motorsport series in the United Kingdom. Aimed at young racing drivers moving up from FIA Formula 4 championships or Karting, the series uses the Tatuus MSV-022 car - a car which is much more powerful car than Formula4carswithenhancedperformanceandsafetyfeatures.

Tooyoungbutfancyago?

TheJuniorSaloonCarChampionship (JSCC)offers"YoungOnes"events whichfocusontrainingchildrento becomeracecardrivers.

Childrenagedbetween9and13are givenPROFESSIONALinstructionon howtodrivearoadcarbeforebeing giventheopportunitytodrivea speciallyadaptedJSCCracecar aroundaREALracecircuit!

Championshipdriversareonhandto helpandtodrivetheyoungster's aroundthecircuitathighspeed!

Anditdoesn'tmatterifyou'venever drivenacarbeforeeither!Childrendo notneedexperiencetotakepart!

Formula 3

The official third rung of the Road to F1 ladder. F3 is an entry point for young and ambitious drivers to take part in junior motor racing!

Formula 3 cars have a top speed of 300 km/h up to +/- 2.6 G of accelerationandcando0–100km/hin3.1seconds!

Formula 2

More intense than F3 and the only junior Formula in the world whichcangetclosetotheperformancelevelsofFormula1,theF2 championshipistheultimatetraininggroundforFormula1.Racing on F1 weekends, F2 provides drivers with the opportunity to showcasetheirtalentsinfrontofF1teams,competingonsomeof themostchallengingandrenownedcircuitsintheworld.

Formula 2 cars have a maximum speed of 335 km/h, upto +/3.9 G of acceleration, and can accelerate from 0 - 100 km/h in just 2.90seconds!

Formula 1

The biggest, most prestigious, and fastest version of Formula racing. Cars are big, fast and powerful, and the drivers are highly skilled.

F1 has 20 drivers per race from 10 separate racing teams. The F1racecariscapableofracespeedsintherangeof370km/h,only take2.6secondstoachieve100km/h!

Ian Fleming, the creator of fictional superspy James Bond 007, wrote his novel “Goldfinger” in 1957.

The novel sees 007 drive a gadget laden Aston MartinDBIII.Thecarsuitedthecoverheneededforhis mission - “a well-to-do, rather adventurous young man with a taste for the good, the fast things of life. “ (Ian Fleming,Goldfinger).

By the time the film of the book was being made in 1964, the producers wanted to update the car. They chose the new “DB5” to the latest model. The film loadedthecarwithspygadgetsincludingabulletproof shield, smoke screen, revolving number plates, an oil dispenser,wheeldestroyingspikesandejectorseat!

The film was a runaway success and James Bond’s DB5 became the most famous car in the world. Original DB5’sarehighlysoughtafter.

The Aston Martin “DB5 Goldfinger Continuation” is a limited collection of just 25 cars, designed to be just like the original… but they come at a price… over £2.75 million!

DB5 JUNIOR:

Small Scale Classic!

The Aston Martin DB5 is one of the most famous cars in the world. Very rare and very expensive, the car is highly desirable but is out of reach for all but the richest people. Fortunately, a company in Bicester in the UK is working with Aston Martin to produce a very special electric interpretation of this iconic car.

TheLittleCarCompanywasestablishedin2019withtheaimof making beautiful cars that can be shared and enjoyed across different generations. It’s “junior” cars are smaller scale interpretations of famous full scale classics, produced in partnershipwiththemostelitecarmanufacturersintheworld.

Its team of engineers building its cars have years of experience of building cars for McLaren, Williams, Jaguar Land Rover, Ariel, Radical, Aston Martin, Ginetta and Lotus, making themexpertsengineers!

Roadster! was extremely privileged to receive a special invitation to visit the factory, take a look behind the scenes and get behind the wheel of The Little Car Company’s new Aston MartinDB5Junior!

personal with the DB5 Junior

Roadster’s experience of The Little Car Company began before we had even arrived at the factory. The Little Car Company has an amazing website with details all of the cars it makes. The website includes a car configurator which can be used to experiment with a range of different car colours and seat options. Roadster! had great fun playing around with the configurator to build its perfect car… an Aston Martin in Goodwood Green with Oxford Tan seating!

Our tour of the factory started by taking a look at the DB5 Junior production line. Working with Aston Martin, the DB5 Junior has been developed using a full 3D scan of an original 1963 DB5. Everything has been shrunk to 66% of the original size. Roadster got to see the computer station where the cars are designed, and got to see the DB5 Junior from the ground up, including the “bathtub” chassis used for the framework of the car.

The car uses a removable battery for power and an electric motor to drive its rear wheels. It has 10 inch wire wheels with four-wheel disc brakes. As an official Aston Martin, the car features iconic paintwork, authentic Aston Martin badges and an individually numbered chassis.

There are three models available:the entry level DB5 junior, with 5kw peak power and a 30km range; the DB5 “Vantage” Junior , featuring carbon fibre bodywork, 10kw of peak power and an additional battery pack increasing the range to 60km; and finally the “No Time To Die” James Bond version, more on that shortly!

Sam from Roadster! gets to try the DB5 Junior!

Behind the wheel of the DB5 JUNIOR!

After our tour of the factory Roadster! was given the chance to get behind the wheel of one of these beautiful cars… our favourite Goodwood Green with Oxford Tan seating!

The car is absolutely stunning, with all of the style, elegance and sophistication of the original AstonMartinDB5.It’sbodyworkfeaturesmeticulous paintwork, gleaming chrome, and amazing wire wheels.

Inside the car features comfortable leather seatingwithareversiblebolstercushionforsmaller passengers, and a lovely polished mahogany wood and aluminum quick release steering wheel. The original DB5 dashboard has been recreated at a smaller scale, with Smith's precision gauges just liketheoriginal.

The pedals are laid out like a conventional car, with the accelerator on the right, and the brake on the left, with the steering column between the two. The rally-style, hydraulic “fly-off” handbrake takes some getting used to - Aston Martin insisted on its inclusiontobetruetotheoriginalDB5.

“A fun tribute”

Marek Reichman - Chief Creative Officer at Aston Martin Lagonda

“Thoughts in a DB 5 (Junior)”

Roadster! was overcome at the thought of driving a £50k car so drove very cautiously around theBicesterHeritagesite.

Although the car’s meticulous Smith’s instruments worked impeccably, Roadster! barely looked at them in favour of watching The Little Car Company’s Ferrari it was following. At times the Ferrari seemed to put its foot down but Roadster! was told it never went above 20 miles an hour! The car accelerates like a go-kart, and the reduced heightandscalemake20mphfeelveryfastindeed!

The car is plenty big enough for an adult and a junior to sit together - a proper family “Bonding” experience! Driving it is certainly a lot of fun!

The Dashboard of the DB5 Junior faithfully recreates the original…

Q&A with The Little Car Company!

Q: Why are your cars so small?

A: It’s partly about being given permission by the car companies to make official tribute cars, but it’s mainly because we want our cars to be enjoyed by car fans young and old!

Q: Who are your cars for?

A:Anyone who wants them! We make our cars for adult car collectors and some see them as art works. Some customers want a small version to go with their full size car, and of course these cars can also be driven by children from the age of 14, so these cars are for sons and daughters.The cars are not road legal so people need to have access to private roads or race tracks in order to drive them around.

Q: How did you get together withAston Martin?

A: WellThe Little Car Company began when Bugatti asked us to make theType 35. For our next car we wanted to choose something that really stood out.As one of the most famous cars in the world we thought the DB5 was perfect and fun so we approachedAston Martin, showing them our Bugatti.Aston Martin had already built a junior car for the Royal Family so didn’t need much convincing!

Q: How did you choose the range of colours for the DB5 Junior? There are so many!

A: We wanted to work with theAston Martin DB5 car colours that were originally available, as many customers want junior cars to park alongside their full sized cars.Aston Martin helped us get the range of available colours just right!

Q:Are your cars toys?

A:That’s a really good question Roadster! What do you think? We don’t think they are toys at all! Roadster! agrees. Everything about this company is exquisite with meticulous attention to detail. These cars are works of art and are really very special indeed… They aren’t toys!

Roadster! Would like to extend its deepest thanks to Kimberley and all atThe Little Car Company for allowing us to visit the factory and find out all about its cars.

Sam from Roadster! gets the low down from The Little Car Company…

Just as Aston Martin have lovingly recreated the famous “Goldfinger” DB5, The Little Car Company have revealed their “No Time To Die” version of the DB5 Junior!

When The Little Car Company learned that James Bond’s iconic DB5 was going to feature in the latest 007 adventure it just had to make its own version! They told Aston Martin of their plans, who liked the idea and in turn told Eon Productions, producers of the James Bond films. Everyone agreed and the “No TimeToDie”editionwasborn!

The car is based on the company’s Vantage Junior and comes in the iconic “Silver Birch” paint, just like James Bond’s. And the special spy gadgets include changing number plates, smoke screen and machine gunsbehindtheheadlights!

Draw the DB5!

Drawinthefrontbumperatthisstage,asitwillhelpyou toworkoutwherethegrillandheadlightswillgo.

Next, sketch in the basic outline of the DB5, including the shape of the bodywork,the wheel arches, the shape of the front windscreen and the shape of the side

Start to add the key details. At this stage you can draw in the shape of the bonnet,lights and all important AstonMartinfrontgrille.

You are now ready to add in detail such as doors, vents, wheel hubs and windscreen details like our drawing above…Don’tbeafraidtobecreative!

In this tutorial you will learn how to draw the basic shape and features of the classic Aston Martin DB 5! ROADSTER!

DIDYOUKNOW?

Thepointatwhichtheclutch

GEARBOXES

A gearbox is used to help a vehicle achieve speed and direction, but how? ROADSTER! looks at a manual gearbox to find out!

If a vehicle didn’t have a gearbox then its road wheels would simply connect to the engine through a combination of different wheels, axles and shafts. When a driver presses the accelerator pedal it makes the engine works harder and the car speeds up, but without gears the engine would work too hard and would quickly overheat and wear out.

A vehicle’s gears help to prevent this. The gears are a collection of different sized wheels which fit and work together (called gear ratios) to reduce the speed of the engine but maintain the speed of the road wheels. A combination of different gears helps the road wheels of the vehicle turn faster increasing its speed.

HOW?

A driver selects different gears through the combined use of a gear lever in the cockpit of the vehicle, and a clutch foot pedal operated by the driver.

The clutch is a plate that grabs (or “clutches”) the engine (specifically a component called the flywheel) and connects it to the selected gear in the gearbox. When a driver pushes the clutch pedal the clutch disconnects the engine from the gearbox.

This allows the driver to choose different gears using the gear lever. The gear lever connects to a gear selector fork which connects to the selected gear.

The driver then lifts their foot away from the clutch pedal gradually, to connect the selected gear with the engine).

Pressing the accelerator pedal makes the engine flywheel rotate faster making the vehicle pick up speed.

ROADSTER! How it works series #1 ROADSTER!

ARE WE THERE YET?

The ROADSTER! Backseat

Gloucester Services

Openedin2014,theseservices are among the best in the country - selling artisan, locallysourcedfood.It’s“green roof” is designed to blend into thelandscapeandattractbees andbutterflies!

Don’t look down!

Between Junction 19 (Gordano) and Junction 20 (Clivedon) are these amazing bridges carrying the motorway across the GordanoValley,anaturereserve of reclaimed land drained by ditchesknownasrhynes.

The River Severn

FromWorcesterthroughto Bristol the motorway runs paralleltotheRiverSevern, thelongestriverinBritain

The Avonmouth Bridge

Built high to allow tall ships to pass beneath, the bridge spans 1,400 metres and has steepgradientseitherside,a struggle for slow heavy lorries!

Higher or Lower?

Also between Junctions 19 & 20 the motorway carriageways are carved intoalimestoneridgewhich runsalongthesouthsideof the valley. The motorway splits,withthe southbound highest.

2020 Dacia

Duster this year. It is about three years old. They say they choseadieselenginetotowthe

WehadaDusterbeforebutI likethisonebetter.Ithascomfy seats, SatNav, a music player, multiview cameras and a start/stopbuttonignition.

I think it looks quite nice, especially the orange colour. Thefrontlights arereallycool. Inside there is lots of space inthebackanditisquieterthan the old one. There are also cupholders,pocketsintheback ofthefrontseatsanddoorbins which we never had before. There is a socket near the parcel shelf and my dad has plugged in a charger for two devices. I don’t like the keyless entry aswealwayshavetowaitformy Dadbeforewecangetin!

Introducing Luke Browning to ROADSTER!

Luke Browning is a 20 year old British Racing driver. Browning made his motor racing debut when he was just 14 years old, entering into the Junior Saloon Car Championship (for young adults aged between14and17).

HeenteredintoFormula4(F4)in2018,andin2020 he won the F4 British Championship. This season,

As Roadster! was going to print, Luke had just been announced as the 2022 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award winner. The award, which aims to find and boost rising British single-seat racing drivers, is a highly-sought after prize in British motorsport, as it recognises the very best young British talent. Previous winners have included famous names such as Jenson Button and current Formula 1 drivers GeorgeRussellandLandoNorris.

As part of his prize, Luke gets to test in an Aston MartinFormula1car...

Roadster! wishes you the very best of luck Luke!

Roadster! Magazine

18.12.2022 This issue of Roadster! was a father & son project. What did you think? Did you like it? Shall we do another? We have loads of ideas, and things we wanted to include in this project, and we welcome your ideas too! If you are in the motor industry and have an idea for a feature kids would be interested in, do contact us: roadster.magazine@gmail.com