Stolen Ferrari Found

Dear Start My Car Family,

It has been a crazy week. Last time we spoke, I told you about the crazy offer that we were running – where every day for 5 days, we would be selling dashcams at R5 to 50 customers.
Well, you loved it.
It took about 7 minutes on average per day for the 50 to be sold. Of course, our dispatch team weren’t so crazy about the idea but they did their best to cope. We really appreciate their hard work. We also appreciate you being a little patient with us as we worked under pressure.
Equally mad, is an article from the BBC about a stolen Ferrari. I have included it below. It’s a story that makes no sense, but is fun to read in any event.

Have a great weekend and drive safely,
Regards,
Baruch.

The suspect had expressed interest in buying a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO, police in the German city of Düsseldorf say.He turned up by taxi to the dealership and two hours later, on a test drive, it was time to swap drivers. But when the seller stepped out of the car, the would-be buyer quickly hit the accelerator and vanished. The car was later found in a garage.

Police say the "historic vehicle" with 43,000km (27,000 miles) on the clock should be valued at more than €2m. A listing for the car on the dealer's website says it once belonged to former Northern Ireland Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine – who raced for Ferrari between 1996 and 1999. Similar vehicles are frequently listed with prices around £1.5–2m, or above $3m in the US. They are often sold through specialist auctions at the likes of Sotheby's.

Luckily for investigators, the distinctive car - in bright Italian "Rosso Corsa" red - attracted so much attention that it was quickly found on Tuesday evening after police appealed for witnesses. It was discovered hidden in a garage in the town of Grevenbroich, not far from Düsseldorf city centre.

The suspect, however, remains at large. - BBC

C’mon! Gimme a Sign!

Create a new revenue stream with vehicle signwriting services

Chances are, many of your customers own small businesses and thus, have an ongoing need to advertise their services. As their trusted mechanic, your workshop can add to its range of services by transforming cars and vans into mobile billboards. With relatively low capital investment in signage machinery, software and materials, coupled with an artistic staff member, your business can expand its client base and generate healthy profits from a new auxiliary service.

 Here’s an 8-point action plan to get you started:

• Learn something about vinyl signwriting - design, cutting and application tips at blog.signwarehouse.com

• Get the best design software – Most vinyl cutters come with proprietary design software. If they don’t, CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator and AutoCAD work well with most vinyl cutting machines.

• Buy the vinyl cutter – Start at olx.co.za and www.gumtree.co.za and search for ‘vinyl cutter’. There are hundreds of options ranging in price but a good starter machine goes for around R9 000.

• Source good vinyl – You can browse sites like olx and gumtree, or you can go straight to the dealer. Try sytech.co.za and www.falsonsa.com

• Train for expertise – Signwriting is a specialised skill combining a number of disciplines, including graphic design, ‘printing’ and vinyl application. Visit sff.co.za for info on training courses and business opportunities within the SolarFilmFoundation partner network.

• Identify your market – Your customers with their own businesses are a good start. Offer them a ‘customised mobile marketing solution’ which could also include magnetised backing for the vinyl signage – visit maizey.co.za for magnetic media and much more. Secondary markets could include business and taxi fleets in your area.

• Offer static sings too – Exposed to the elements, static outdoor signs deteriorate quite rapidly, so scour your neighbourhood for degraded signage and offer the owner a special deal on a new sign.

• Create fun decals – Compliment your business signage with a range of original ‘lifestyle’ stickers for auto enthusiasts.

Bottom line – a skilled, creative and reliable sign writer will find a profitable niche wherever business is conducted. Despite the inexorable shift to online business models, the need for old-school ‘analogue’ advertising is as big as ever. With focus and a modest capital outlay, you can get your slice of the ‘outdoor media’ pie!