Before the 147 an Alfa Romeo was considered by many to be a risky and slightly eccentric purchase, particularly on the used-car market once the vehicle’s warranty had expired. The cars may have looked good but they were notoriously unreliable and not very durable.

But in the space of a single model’s lifetime the Alfa Romeo family has undergone a transformation; the marque now offers not only beautiful, but also well engineered saloons, coupés, convertibles and hatchbacks that are as good as any of their mainstream competitors.

Voted European Car of the Year in 2001, the 147 underwent some significant revision in its 2005 update. The task of making an already pretty car even more attractive is never easy to pull off, but the Alfa Romeo designers managed to do just that.

At the front are triple-cluster lights and a new style of bumper, while around the back there’s an attractive chrome strip along the lip of the reprofiled tailgate. A new bumper and larger boot-lid badge complete the exterior changes.

Slip inside the cabin and you’ll no doubt find that the latest 147 is equally impressive. The fit and finish of the dashboard and switchgear were improved as part of the 2005 revisions, such that now the 147’s interior even feels as if it’s a grade above that of most European competitors, and certainly significantly ahead of many Far Eastern competitors.

The 147 is nothing if not a drivers’ car. On the road its taut chassis inspires confidence, while the standard-fit Vehicle Dynamic Control system – Alfa’s home-grown answer to ESP (electronic stability program) – keeps you going in the direction you’d always intended.

Some models of the facelifted Alfa provide the option of a Comfort pack, which produces a softer ride thanks to revised suspension-damper settings.

The standard manual gearbox is a delight to use, but the optional automatic, which was only available on the 2 litre petrol version, failed to sell in large numbers and so was phased out towards the end of 2005.

The revamped 147 also featured a lineup of more powerful diesel engines. The 115bhp 1.9 litre unit was upgraded to 120bhp and joined by a potent 150bhp version.

All that power and a useful 225 lb ft of torque at just 2000rpm ensure that the diesel pulls strongly. The 0-60mph sprint takes just 8.8sec, quick enough to scare many petrol-powered hot hatches, but it’s the car’s refinement when it’s cruising in sixth gear that really makes this model the Alfa 147 to buy.

Power from the petrol-engine models remained unchanged, but it is worth noting that the 1.6 litre unit in the 147 Twin Spark produces just 105bhp, while the 1.6 of the Tourismo and Lusso produce 120bhp.

Equipment levels are pretty generous, with all cars featuring climate control, an alarm system and six airbags. All but entry-level TS models also have alloy wheels.

The optional leather upholstery proved popular among buyers thanks to a reasonable price of less than £1,000, so it’s worth looking around to find a used example fitted with it, as it adds greatly to the feel and desirability of the car.

The optional – and rather expensive – factory-ordered sat nav system is rarely found on used cars, so owners tend to have to make do with a portable unit instead.

In 2009 the 147 is destined to be succeeded by the new 149. But what owners of a used 147 will already know is that theirs is the car that saw the transformation of Alfa Romeo from a maker of desirable but unreliable cars that were all too often a liability, into a producer of truly world-class ones.

Servicing Due every 12 months or 12,000 miles. Check for dealer stamps and copies of original repair invoices

Upholstery Leather seats a desirable option on all models

Alloy wheels An Alfa on steel wheels just looks wrong; fortunately all but the base model gets alloys as standard

Colours The 147 is one of the few modern cars that looks great in bright red and other solid finishes

Audio Standard system works well, while optional Bose system is superb

Onboard computer Operated from the stalk, it provides information about average speed, fuel economy and tank range

Bonnet Prone to stone chips; check for damage to lower lip of front bumper and cracked foglamp lenses

Safety Six airbags as standard but the 147 only achieved three stars in the Euro NCAP test for adult occupant safety

Tyres Check inside edge of front tyres for wear, a sign the steering is misaligned

Boot Boot is smaller than in some rivals

Puddle lights Underdoor illumination and headlamp delay system are useful when parking at night

Vital statistics

Model Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTD Lusso

Engine 1910cc, four cylinders

Power 150bhp

Transmission Six-speed manual

Fuel 47.9mpg (combined)

Acceleration 0-60mph: 8.8sec

Top speed 129mph

CO2 emissions 157g/km

Road tax band D (£140 for 12 months)

Cost new today £19,050

The one to buy A 2006 06 Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTD Lusso five-door with 20,000 miles. Pay £11,750 at an Alfa dealer or £11,000 privately

Values

Mileage 10,000 20,000 40,000 2005 05

Trade £9,225 £8,775 £7,900

Retail £11,095 £10,650 £9,775

2006 06 Trade £10,250 £9,725 £8,800

Retail £12,250 £11,750 £10,795

2007 07 Trade £11,200 £10,650 £9,600

Retail £13,150 £12,595 £11,595

Or for similar money

2005 55 Volkswagen Golf 1.9 Sport TDI 5dr

2006 55 Citroën C4 2.0 HDi Exclusive 5dr

2006 55 Honda Civic 2.2i-CDTi SE 5dr

2006 06 Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi Titanium 5dr

Consumers are familiar with the price of electronic products falling, whether it is digital cameras, wide-screen televisions or DVD players, and even passenger cars have reduced in price in real terms over the past decade. But January's launch in India of the Tata Nano car, priced at just 100 000 rupees (around €1720), has come as a shock to many people.

Everyone appreciates that labour costs are lower in India than in Europe, but material costs are similar. How can a car cost less than we are used to paying for good quality motor scooters here in Europe?

When the Nano was unveiled the senior managers from Tata made it clear that this is a ‘proper’ four-door family car, not a motorised quadricycle or four-wheeled moped. Given that the two-seater Smart Fortwo costs around €9000, it is worth taking a closer look at the Nano to see how it has been designed so as to achieve such a low showroom price.

First, however, Tata acknowledges that there is really no profit margin on the base model; profits will come from customers specifying the deluxe models with air conditioning, electric windows, colour-coded bumpers and other options. And this highlights one way in which the Nano costs have been held down – the standard model is very basic by modern standards. Nonetheless, care has been taken to ensure that the car has adequate performance, meets current emissions standards (Euro IV), is fuel-efficient (20km/litre) and is safe thanks to crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts and other features.

Indeed, the Nano will inevitably be considerably safer than the popular mode of family transport in India today, consisting of a motorbike or scooter with the father driving, his child standing in front, and the mother seated behind, holding a baby. Furthermore, the Nano is better suited to all-weather journeys and is a genuinely affordable alternative for many people.

The flagship model - the CLS 63 AMG with its 514 hp AMG 6.2-litre V8 engine - now comes with 19-inch AMG light-alloy wheels plus a new AMG sports exhaust system.

At the front, the modified radiator grille now has two lamellas instead of the previous four.

When viewed from the rear, the new-generation CLS makes its mark with a new rear apron, new tail lights, as well as modified tailpipes.

A new deactivation function for the low-beam headlamps when the ignition is switched off helps to optimise energy management.

Interior features include speed-sensitive volume control, a keypad for entering telephone numbers and radio frequencies, an MP3-compatible CD and DVD player, as well as a Bluetooth interface which can establish a wireless connection between a mobile phone and the vehicle's hands-free system.

Less than half of the 360,000 motorists caught by speed cameras paid the £60 fine while the remaining 205,000 drivers either refused to pay or hid from the law.

The figures, from the London Safety Camera Partnership, compare poorly to other areas such as Kent and Bedfordshire which boast a 100 per cent prosecution rate.

Road experts and politicians today blamed the figure on poor government records and an increase in the number of false number plates being used - making motorists harder to trace. They also blamed the justice system for failing to set aside court time for speeding drivers, allowing thousands of offenders to get off by simply refusing to pay.

Jenny Jones, of the London Assembly Green Party, condemned the failure to prosecute speeders as "an insult to all the Londoners who are killed or injured through speeding, as well as to all those drivers who stay within the speed limit".

She said: "Bus lane offenders in London are almost twice as likely to pay up as people who have been caught speeding." Paul Watters, the AA's head of roads and transport policy, said the situation was unfair on honest, traceable, drivers.

He said: "It seems that once again, motorists who are legally and honestly registered are subsidising drivers who purposely seek to evade the law." He claimed the problem had been aggravated by road charging in the capital which had prompted a rise in people using false number plates.

Ms Jones believes the solution to the problem is to "outsource" the administration of London's speeding fines to neighbouring regions. An internal Metropolitan Police Authority report has highlighted the need for more staff in the "back office" to process them.

The LSCP - a consortium of Transport for London, the court service and police, which is responsible for administrating the fines - agrees more staff are needed but Ms Jones says it is not clear when this will happen.

A LSCP spokesperson said: "The London Safety Camera Partnership is working to increase the number of people who pay fines for speeding offences.

A lack of court time has further hindered our efforts to increase the number of prosecutions for offences.

"The recent fall in the conversion rate of penalties is due to the introduction of speed awareness courses, which enable offenders to take a course rather than be prosecuted."

Since March last year the number of magistrates court "spaces" has been increased by 33 per cent.

The Mayor has also confirmed that the idea of outsourcing fine processing is also being considered.

He wrote: "This will enable the police to target their resources on the policing element and track down more of those drivers who systematically choose to ignore the ticket."

Despite the Met's inability to fine more speeding drivers, the number of speed cameras is set to rise to an alltime high in London, an internal MPA report reveals. It rose from 268 in 2000 to 548 last year. This year another 50 are expected to be put up at the roadside although it is nowhere near the number demanded by road safety experts.

But popping a spare onto an 89-metre telescope, whose 64 steel tyres weigh a tonne each and can take a few months to fit, is a wheel-y hard task.

So when one of the tyres that allow the 57-year-old Lovell Telescope at Lower Withington landmark Jodrell Bank to revolve cracked, engineers at the observatory knew they couldn’t call out the AA.

Scientists from Manchester University avoided the local garage and had a whole new wheel, weighing one tonne – a normal car tyre weighs in at 11kg – specially manufactured by Newburgh Engineering in Rotherham.

The tyre took three weeks to arrive and the telescope was jacked up for a few months, which is a little longer than a motorist’s usual hour at the roadside, but thankfully the 3,200-tonne observatory was still operational for star gazing during that time.

Jodrell Bank engineer Chris Scott, who was in charge of overseeing the astronomical pit stop, said: "The telescope has 64 wheels, each weighing over one tonne, so I’m glad to say this is not a job we have to do every week."

In the observatory’s 50-year history only one wheel has had to be changed before, which will send most car drivers green with envy, and that was only one year ago.

Dr Richard Davis, the Jodrell Bank astronomer responsible for looking after developments of the Lovell Telescope, said: "It’s wonderful to see the telescope back in operation after its enforced lay-off these last few weeks.

"Although it’s 50 years old, it is actually more capable than ever and plays a significant role in world astronomy as the third-largest steerable telescope and the heart of the UK’s national radio astronomy facility."

For over 50 years the giant Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank, a Grade I listed building, has been a familiar feature of the Cheshire landscape and an internationally renowned landmark in the world of astronomy.

It is named after Sir Bernard Lovell, 94, who originally conceived the idea for the telescope and oversaw its construction.

Its first act was to track the rocket that carried Sputnik I into space on October 4, 1957.

The Home Office said it is developing an oral swab test to be used by police officers on drivers suspected of being under the influence of drugs. Currently police subject suspect motorists to a series of manual tests including walking a straight line.

The Home Office said the new device was "expected to be able to detect all drugs, including illicit drugs, prescription and over-the-counter medicines".

It is developing prototypes amid research showing that nearly one in 10 teenagers have driven while under the influence of illegal drugs. The road safety charity Brake, which commissioned the research, called on the government to tackle a culture of "extreme risk-taking" among young drivers.

A Home Office spokeswoman said the drug testing device could be in use as early as next year. The design under consideration involves a small amount of oral fluid being place on to a slide, which is then exposed to a beam of light for a few seconds. If illegal drugs are detected, the motorist is taken to a police station for a blood test.

A recent survey by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction showed that drug-affected drivers were more likely to be middle-aged or elderly women who used prescription tranquillisers than young men.

The AA is so impressed with the Renault Trafic, a further order for 200 vehicles has also been placed for early 2008, bringing the AA’s Renault fleet to 750 strong.

With 15 million members relying on the AA to assist them should their vehicle breakdown, the AA also needs vehicles it can depend on and the Renault Trafic has been selected for its reliability, quality, interior space, driver comfort and practicality.

Sarah Dopson, Vehicle Supply Manager, the AA, said; "The Renault Trafic not only meets our business needs but is also extremely popular with our patrol force. It has excellent load space and our vehicle recovery system fits perfectly into the rear section of the van. The excellent whole life costs were also a key factor in our decision to choose Renault and its Trafic vans for our busy fleet".

Renault UK Managing Director, Roland Bouchara, was on hand to personally deliver the first of the 150 Trafic vans.

Rémi Le Fevre, Director, Services & Quality, Renault UK, joined Roland Bouchara on the handover of the first Trafic van to David Wallace, Road, B2B Director, the AA and John Potter, Commercial Director, SAGA Group Ltd.

They are now calling for mediation.

The offer, which included a 4 percent pay rise, follows national strike action by more than 130 roadside technicians in December.