- 23 hours ago
Malta's hand-painted buses, each one unique, once ferried locals and tourists alike. Now few remain, lovingly restored by specialist coach builders. We also ride with police on speed patrol and test the VinFast VF 6.
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00:00How fast is it going?
00:06Made a speeding control with a video and you were much too fast.
00:23What made Maltese buses cultural icons?
00:27I cannot explain because it's something that I have been experiencing since I was a little boy.
00:33A once ubiquitous symbol of ingenuity and engineering now nearly vanished.
00:38You will not go anywhere in the world and you will see a Maltese bus.
00:42Restored with love by people with a passion for them.
00:46This is the story of Maltese.
00:53Hi, my name is Etienne Falzon. I am 50 years old. This is my bus. It's 1950 Bedford. Our nickname
01:01is Bayadera.
01:03Bayadera is one of the few surviving examples of Malta's unofficial ambassador, the Maltese bus.
01:08Back in the day, these buses were the very lifeblood of the country's transportation, ferrying locals and tourists alike long
01:16before cars became the de facto mode of transportation.
01:21From 1814 to 1964, Malta was a British colony.
01:25In the early 1900s, a few buses were imported into Malta primarily from England.
01:30But it was only after World War II that these gems of Maltese transportation were born.
01:37With limited manufacturing capacity, local innovation led to the invention of the Maltese bus.
01:43Each bus started out as a lorry or decommissioned military vehicle imported from England.
01:49Maltese coachbuilders converted them into full-fledged buses, building each by hand.
01:55Buses were privately owned, often by drivers themselves, and no two looked alike.
02:00With cabs of various makes and coaches built to the owner's specifications, each bus had its own unique personality.
02:08And till the early 70s, buses were also painted to reflect the route they plied.
02:13The ordinary people, they didn't used to recognize numbers, so they painted the bus.
02:21Each color of the village it was.
02:26Balladera has been in Etienne's family for generations.
02:29He began driving the bus at 19.
02:32With drivers themselves usually owning the Maltese buses, they took special pride in their upkeep.
02:37A bus that looked nice could mean more passengers.
02:41And the driver-owner system meant buses weren't mass-produced.
02:45Instead, they were personalities on wheels.
02:48I like the noise of the engine.
02:50The noise.
02:51The noise of the engine is something that I cannot explain,
02:56because it's something that I have experienced since I was a little boy.
03:01With each bus dedicated to a specific route, drivers like Etienne tended to know their passengers quite well.
03:09People used to use us going for work, going for shopping in Vallata, and things like that.
03:17So, you used to get friends with people coming with passengers.
03:23So, you miss them.
03:25Eventually, calls for progress and modernization signaled the death of Malta's quirky buses.
03:30In 2011, mass-produced King Long buses from China took over.
03:35Traditional bus owners were encouraged to give up their vehicles.
03:39By then, all painted a standard yellow in exchange for money.
03:43And pieces of Malta's transport history simply rotted away.
03:48While Etienne didn't give up Balladera, the bus rusted for several years until he finally decided to restore it.
03:56And it all happened at Skarnief Garage, one of Malta's last few remaining coachbuilders and restorers.
04:03Hi, France. Hi, Mauro. Hi, Matteo. Okay?
04:08Hi.
04:10Mauro and Francis Attard have a passion for preserving old Maltese buses, painstakingly rescuing them from the brink of extinction.
04:19Francis has been in the business for over 30 years.
04:25When I started with Skarnief, I built the first truck in the 1990s.
04:30I did the shape myself, I built everything myself by hand, and I started the first coach.
04:38While building and repairing low-floor buses is their bread and butter,
04:42it's restoration projects that truly require patience and ingenuity.
04:46Rebuilding a single bus can take around 18 months.
04:52There's nothing that we can buy completely ready and just install it.
04:56So everything is going to be done manually and created.
05:04Even sourcing taillights involves resourcefulness.
05:08So they used to be of a car, and then they were fitted in a bus.
05:13So it's not just something, I have a Thames, and these are the lights of the Thames.
05:16That's where they do them uniquely.
05:19Every curve and panel is shaped by hand, echoing an era when bus building involved as much carpentry as engineering.
05:26The aim is always the same.
05:28Now the philosophy and how we are restoring them is to get the original body into shape and available to
05:37us.
05:37To the people.
05:40Seeing them gone, scrapped, with no use at all, it's something that hits you a big time, you know.
05:46With the buses once such a beloved part of Malta's cityscape, the calls for them to be resurrected have grown
05:52louder.
05:53Today, more old buses are being restored and put back into service as tour buses, giving people a taste of
06:00what once was.
06:03For Francis, coach building is his profession.
06:06For his son Mauro, it's a hobby driven by passion that he hopes to pass on to the next generation.
06:12And for owner drivers like Etienne, preserving a piece of Malta's heritage is key.
06:17I am still happy that I saved this bus, you know, and we are still using it.
06:26After all, as Francis says…
06:34Maltese buses, more than just wood, steel and paint on wheels.
06:39A symbol of a country's ingenuity and an enduring legacy of a time when the results of craftsmanship and creativity
06:46carried not just passengers, but the hopes and dreams of the Maltese people.
06:57How fast is he going?
07:04I'm happy.
07:05What's the problem?
07:07Problem?
07:08I bet you think that the German Autobahn doesn't have a speed limit.
07:12Well, you'd better think again, because these officers are out today to catch speeders and derelict drivers.
07:19Today I'm on patrol with a state police unit responsible for monitoring a 400-kilometer measured stretch of the Autobahn
07:27near Nuremberg in northern Bavaria.
07:30These officers monitor parts of the highway where there are speed limits to ensure safety.
07:36Germany produced some of the fastest cars in the world.
07:40So what you're doing now, trying to control the speed, isn't it like trying to tame a beast?
07:48Sometimes it's hard for the police to really make people understand that in Germany we see speeding as very dangerous.
07:59In my experience, it's the normal cars that tend to drive significantly faster than the speed limit.
08:09Around 30% of Germany's Autobahn network actually does have a speed limit, and it's not optional.
08:17You were clocked going 1.52 in a 1.20 zone.
08:20We made a speed control with a video, and you were much too fast.
08:28Too fast. Did you see the flash?
08:32You can go. I don't need the passport.
08:34But things aren't always straightforward, since there are many languages spoken in the EU.
08:39Very quickly, but first to the right, and after that like this. And there you go. Good luck.
08:48Speeding fines for cars on the Autobahn start at 20 euros for exceeding the limit by up to 10 kilometers
08:54per hour.
08:55You can lose your license if the speed limits are exceeded by more than 40 kilometers per hour.
09:01Fines for trucks are higher.
09:06The police officers don't just enforce speed limits. They're first responders as well.
09:13I just talked to the driver of this car. He's from Romania. It wasn't his car. It was his friends,
09:19and he's very upset about what happens.
09:21He doesn't know what happened. He just was driving, and the engine caught on fire.
09:26The officers use this undercover car when monitoring speed.
09:30It's equipped with an advanced in-car surveillance system known as ProVita, or proofed video data.
09:37Recording starts once the speeder maintains their speed, at which point the officers begin documenting evidence.
09:43The next stretch is 120. That could get interesting.
09:48How long do you have to drive behind them in order to get them?
09:52You have to follow them for at least 300 meters.
09:55Now it's 100.
09:58The stretch we have to measure is at least 300 meters.
10:02The car we were following slowed down to the speed limit before the 300 meters were up.
10:11On the part of the Autobahn with no speed limit, the recommendation is 130 kilometers an hour, which is about
10:1881 miles per hour.
10:20But there are stretches of this Autobahn where there are clearly speed limits, and some of these cars simply don't
10:26want to recognize that.
10:32What are the other punishable offenses on the Autobahn?
10:36A phone to the ear, not wearing a seatbelt, not maintaining the required distance, passing vehicles on the right, all
10:44that is prohibited.
10:45Those are the most common.
10:49Other methods for catching speeders include an enforcement trailer.
10:54This is a mobile, high-tech laser device designed to autonomously enforce speed limits.
11:00These wonderful machines are called Blitzer here in Germany, and basically what they are are cameras.
11:06So, how many Blitzer are there in Germany?
11:09Countless. The huge number of speed cameras means you have to expect them everywhere.
11:14This device can cover up to four lanes.
11:17Here you can see which objects and vehicles it detects and which lanes they're in.
11:24They're all slowing down, because they see us.
11:31As we all know, the debate about speed limits in Germany has been an ongoing discussion. How do you both
11:40feel about that?
11:42It's clear that dangerous situations on the Autobahn mainly arise from excessive speed.
11:48We could prevent many serious accidents in Germany, including those with injuries and fatalities, if we had an Autobahn speed
11:56limit.
12:00Enforcement teams also work in groups to monitor and control speed, as well as issue fines on the spot.
12:07Drive carefully. Nothing should happen today.
12:10So, as you can see, we're being joined by a bigger team.
12:13We're setting up speed traps on the Autobahn to catch even more speeders.
12:17And for that, we change cars.
12:20Only ProVita cars can enforce speed limits.
12:24Since this police car lacks monitoring equipment, we join a team using hidden cameras to target cars registered outside of
12:32Germany.
12:33First, they position a hidden camera on a curvy road with a 100 km per hour limit.
12:38Then it's a waiting game until the camera catches a speeder.
12:42I've ridden along with the police before.
12:50I don't think I want to do it again.
12:53But I spoke too soon.
12:56Officers Pfeiffer and Ortl received radio information from the enforcement team about a speeder.
13:01So we're off again at full throttle.
13:12They intercept the speeding vehicle and guide it to a collection post to issue the fine.
13:22The limit is 100. We clocked you at 120.
13:26You'll have to pay a fine of 88 euros and 50 cents.
13:30Now? Now.
13:32Yo.
13:36Well, that certainly was enough excitement to last me the rest of the year.
13:41What did I learn today?
13:43Speeding in Germany will burn a hole in your wallet.
13:45So it's best to stay in the slow lane.
13:56When I talk to people and mention the name WinFast, most of the time I will hear,
14:01never heard of that.
14:03And that's no wonder the carmaker is mainly known in its home market, Vietnam.
14:07But like any good Asian manufacturer, they decided that's not enough.
14:10We also want to go to Europe and this is one of their models.
14:15The VF6.
14:16We'll take a look at it right now.
14:18Welcome to REV.
14:20The VF6 is a compact, fully electric SUV in the B segment.
14:28The VF6 is available with two different drivetrains, 130 kilowatts, 177 horsepower or 150 kilowatts, 204 horsepower.
14:45The car is also available with two different trim lines, but don't think you can get every trim line with
14:51every engine.
14:52Because the entry level trim line is always coupled with the small engine and the bigger one is always coupled
14:59with the upper trim level.
15:07The smaller version accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers an hour in a little more than 10 seconds and has
15:14a top speed of 150 kilometers an hour, which is not exactly good.
15:18The bigger version, however, accelerates in just under 9 seconds from 0 to 100 kilometers an hour and the top
15:25speed is 175 kilometers an hour,
15:28which is absolutely okay in all other markets than Germany.
15:32Because in Germany on the left lane with the 175 kilometers an hour, you will be a traffic disturbance.
15:44What's identical, though, is the battery.
15:48It's always the same, just a little under 60 kilowatt hours.
15:52For the small version, that means a range of around 410 kilometers.
15:57And for the big one, due to the additional power of the engine, that means around 379 kilometers.
16:12The general driving impression in the VF6 is absolutely okay.
16:17Depending on the road conditions, you will, of course, feel especially the short bumps and the potholes.
16:23But that is not a thing to complain about, as it's also usual with other cars in that segment.
16:34When it comes to the noisiness of the interior, the VF6 is absolutely decent.
16:40Even if you go at speeds above 120, 130 kilometers an hour, it does not get that loud, especially considering
16:49the segment it's located in.
16:51So it is definitely suited for longer distance trips, of course, if you then recharge it.
17:04Of course, like any car nowadays, as you can hear, the VF6 has a lot of driver assistance systems and
17:12those tend to be a little too fast with their beeping and warning.
17:19So you will mostly have no choice then to deactivate those, which you, by the way, have to do in
17:27the touch screen.
17:28So it's not very practical.
17:31A button to do that, like many other manufacturers have, would have been a good solution.
17:36Unfortunately, the VF6 does not have that.
17:40VinFast has recently closed all its showrooms in Germany and now sells its cars through local distributors.
17:52The interior of the VF6 is absolutely OK.
17:57It looks very decent.
17:58I've seen worse in other cars from also European manufacturers.
18:03The build quality seems to be very nice.
18:05Of course, we have the plus version.
18:07So this is vegan leather, which also looks very nice.
18:11The base version will have more of a cloth finish to the seats and also to the doors, I guess.
18:18The steering wheel, however, is always covered in vegan leather.
18:29A 12.9-inch infotainment system is also standard.
18:34It looks very good.
18:36But depending on what you use, sometimes it takes just one second to operate what you really wanted to do.
18:44But once you've used that function, the next time you use it, it will be quicker.
18:54Down here you have the buttons to put the car in drive, neutral, reverse or park.
18:59They look quite nice.
19:01What I miss, however, is buttons to adjust the temperature because that is not found in this car.
19:08Instead, you will have to do that with the touch screen.
19:11I'm not a friend of that.
19:18Down here you have two cup holders, a little net where you can put small things and two USB sockets.
19:24But those are located under the armrest.
19:28And talking about the armrest, I mean, sometimes you just have things that do not work as intended.
19:38You also have this little holder here where you can put your smartphone.
19:43And as you can see, it is open so there is no problem even if your smartphone is bigger, you
19:50will be able to put it in there.
19:57The space in the back is okay.
20:00As you can tell, there is not very much legroom left.
20:02The headroom, however, is very good even with the panoramic glass roof.
20:07That, by the way, is only standard in the higher version.
20:10For the regular version, you won't have that.
20:14There is no possibility to close this roof.
20:20By standard, it's quite dark, so that's not a problem.
20:27As you can also tell, my legs are up quite high and not resting on the seat.
20:32That is, of course, not a problem that only WinFast has.
20:36It's clear an electric car does have the battery in the floor and that's why it is rather high.
20:43And that's the result.
20:44However, I have to tell you, sitting back here is okay.
20:49The seats are a little hard, so I would imagine for very long-distance trips, you will feel that in
20:56your lower back.
20:58I'm talking about the very lower back.
21:04The infotainment system is Android-based.
21:07Right now it's Android 9, but in the near future there will be an update to Android 11 and maybe
21:13then this will also make the whole system work a little smoother.
21:18Of course, you can also connect your smartphone wirelessly via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay because those come as standard
21:26in every version of the car.
21:34The recuperation can also be adjusted, but only via the touch screen, which is a little sad.
21:42For example, buttons at the steering wheel to do that would have been good.
21:46And it does not feature one-pedal drive, so you will have to apply the brakes.
21:56When it comes to charging, the VF6 is not exactly better or worse than most of the other cars in
22:02that segment.
22:03It will take around half an hour to recharge the battery from 10 to 80%.
22:15The thing that is not really good is the rear visibility due to the way the car is built and
22:22the very wide C-pillars, the rear window is very small.
22:30So if you look in the rearview mirror, you won't see very much of the roads or of the obstacles
22:35that might be there while parking.
22:39But VINFAST is, of course, aware of that fact and that's why there are cameras that will show you a
22:45view of your car while maneuvering.
22:49And that way you can easily park despite of the small window.
22:59Just as quite a lot of other Asian manufacturers tend to do it, VINFAST offers seven years or 160,000
23:07kilometers of warranty on their car.
23:09And this is even increased to eight years for the battery.
23:13So if you get such a car, then you will have peace of mind for quite a long time.
23:24The entry-level price for the VF6 is just under 35,000 euros in Germany, which is very good considering
23:32all the things you have in that car.
23:34Of course, you won't have a panoramic glass roof and other things just as 19-inch alloy wheels.
23:42The only thing I would really miss with the entry-level version is the additional power and the head-up
23:48display because that one is also only standard with the bigger version.
23:53The bigger version, by the way, has an entry-level price of just under 39,000 euros and then will
23:58come almost fully equipped.
24:00Which, by the way, also includes heated and ventilated front seats.
24:05And those are very nice both in winter and in summer.
24:13VINFAST is a relatively new brand.
24:16It was founded in 2017 and it was only five years later that they decided to come to Europe,
24:23which shows how well it worked in their home market, Vietnam.
24:28And considering what a good package the VF6 is,
24:31I think it has good chances of finding friends in Germany and also in Europe.
24:45Summing up my VF6 experience, I have to say the car is absolutely decent,
24:51it drives well enough, it has a good range and the standard equipment is good as well.
24:56The quality is also quite nice, however it has minor flaws,
25:01but considering the entry-level price that's absolutely okay.
25:03The only thing you have to take into account if you plan to buy such a car
25:07is the uncertainty of the future of the brand in Europe.
25:11Because they recently closed all their showrooms,
25:14but on the other hand they just made a deal with a workshop chain that is quite big in Germany,
25:20so you will find one very near your location.
25:23So, one does not really know how will it be in the future.
25:29Overall, the Vinfast VF6 is a high-quality compact SUV with solid standard equipment and comfortable ride.
25:37It does have some minor drawbacks.
25:41Occasionally slow infotainment, limited rear visibility and no physical AC buttons,
25:46but its price makes these flaws easy to overlook.
25:52And more automotive tales, next time on Rev.
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