Category: Uncategorized

The German Patient’s Geneva Sicknote

What are we to make of the news that Opel will not be exhibiting at the Geneva Salon in March?  The announcement came on 16 January, just over six weeks before the show opens to the world’s media.

Source: opel.ch

The official justification from new owners Groupe PSA is that “If there is no new product, then the brands won’t be there”. The under-performing PSA premium brand DS will also not be represented at Palexpo; that’s a distraction I’ll not pursue further.

The corporate excuse is unconvincing. The Grandland X has only recently gone on sale, likewise the Insignia GSi, drearily named but interestingly specified.

Even in the belt-tightening Tavares era, it wouldn’t be beyond PSA’s means to Continue reading “The German Patient’s Geneva Sicknote”

Micropost: Was It The Chrysanthemum?

Here we have another gloomy night photo. It’s a Hyundai i20**

2017 Hyundai i20

Despite being the Thompson and Thompson of the car world, the Kia/Hyundai pair do pretty well, don’t they? In this photo you can observe the essence of the graphic concept. The car remains quite recognisable even if only the body-in-white is visible. Do designers ever work in partial darkness?  Under those conditions one could accentuate the features so they were extra clear. Note, it’s a three-door. Not a five. Continue reading “Micropost: Was It The Chrysanthemum?”

Missing The Ball At Polo

The newest generation of one of VW’s non-Golf evergreens stands for the greater malaise of the German car industry – and acute deficits chez Wolfsburg

VW Polo VI, photo (c) automobil-produktion.de

To the untrained eye, this newest generation of Polo looks pretty much the same as its predecessor. Alas, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Whereas the Polo V was a small stylistic gem, boasting subtle craftsmanship of the highest order, from its expert surfacing to the delicacy of its detailing, this new car’s styling achieves the feat of managing to Continue reading “Missing The Ball At Polo”

To Boldly Go…

As JLR moves further into the white space of seemingly infinite possibility, we ask a few awkward questions.

You could put a car in there. Some white space, yesterday. Image: Freedom of Creation

This week, Autocar exclusively reported the prospect that JLR is advanced on developing a more road-biased, Range-Rover-derived vehicle, said by the journal to be dubbed Road-Rover. According to journalist, Hilton Holloway, the forthcoming model, set to debut in about three years time, will be the first of a range of cars aimed at the top end of the luxury market. But one aspect missing from Autocar’s piece is Continue reading “To Boldly Go…”

Connect the dots #3: The Answer

Confession time: I said there was no chain involved in this teaser, but there is one. And a couple of shafts.  And one absolutely enormous toothed belt.

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The answer is that the engines of all four cars were also used in motorcycles.  It’s a rarer peculiarity than might be expected, particularly as I applied a self-denying ordinance which excluded tricycles, sidecar haulers (even the Borgward-Goliath-Kröger), and one-offs.  All four two-wheelers here were on public sale as complete, series-produced entities. Continue reading “Connect the dots #3: The Answer”

Fröhliche Weihnachten – Feliz navidad -Joyeux noël – Buon Natal

A substantial proportion of DTW readers celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December.

Source
Source

We hope that however you celebrate your day it is peaceful and pleasant. If you have had enough jollity, we have another item coming up later in the day.

 

Connect the Dots : 2

After I tried my hand at formulating a little quiz, I had a go at another one. 

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This time the link is a little simpler. The three cars are the 1981 De Lorean DMC12, the 1981 Triumph Acclaim and the 1981 Bitter SC. The year of launch is not the required answer. Continue reading “Connect the Dots : 2”

Shifting Metal

Selling The Dream or Flogging The Nightmare.

Audi S6 For Sale
Many of us have to do ‘selling’ of some sort as part of our lives. It’s a branch of social negotiation. You have something you want someone else to do, and you need to present a case to them as to why they should do it. So, if you’ve ever had to persuade your kids to go to bed, you know how difficult it is to sell things. Continue reading “Shifting Metal”

Theme: Values – Quentin Willson’s 1992 Used-Car Tips

What are they worth now? Read on to find out.

1992 Buying Cars magazine cover

Quentin Willson, writing in Buying Cars (March 1992) offered his “dealer’s choice” of the best 50 cars. It would be a work of enormous tedium to examine the fate of his entire listing. I’ll focus on his first choice in each group. Which car turned out to hold its value most? Continue reading “Theme: Values – Quentin Willson’s 1992 Used-Car Tips”

What A Month It Has Been!!

…as they like to say in the world of automotive print journalism.

Nissan Autech Zagato
Nissan Autech Zagato: wikipedia.org

We covered a lot of ground in our theme of the month, Japan, and the response from our clique of readers has been heartening. Most of what I read this month from our readers and contributors was new to me, as was the material I waded through when researching my own items.

Dealing with the Japan theme first, Sean Patrick and others handled the origins of Japan’s post-war development. The general theme is that Japan watched closely what Europe did but its selection of references showed its special set of values and interests. We dealt with notable examples of Japanese concept car design, production design. and the state of the product ranges. Under the production cars, the kei car phenomenon came under scrutiny from several angles such as this and this along with a few apparently randomly chosen examples of neglected classics and unloved daily drivers. Continue reading “What A Month It Has Been!!”

Gorfe’s Granadas: 1985 Mk 2 Ford Granada 2.0 L

Even Ford’s middle-spec Granadas came with a lot of appeal included as part of the reasonable purchase price, writes Myles Gorfe (chief assistant classics sub-editor).

1985 Ford Granada - just brilliant: source
1985 Ford Granada – just brilliant: source

Take this stunning Mk2 2.0 L model, for example (for sale here). There’s nothing wrong with this and a lot that’s totally 100% right. As standard you get the Granada’s effortless mile-munching ability, sharp looks, acres of room front and back, a huge boot and among the best interior fabrics the industry had on offer. It looks like it could stop bullets but is a soft as Kate Moss’s left cheek. Most buyers went for more upmarket trim than the original owner of this sky-blue stunner. However, some wanted to spend a bit less and did not go away unhappy with their purchase. While most manufacturers skimped on niceties like rear centre armrests and the quality of the cloth, Ford went the extra mile and a half to keep their loyal customers happy. And it shows. This is pure class. Continue reading “Gorfe’s Granadas: 1985 Mk 2 Ford Granada 2.0 L”

That Was June

A short round-up of some of the main items of interest that were brought to your attention in the four weeks just past with reference to news, comments and opinions.

1984 Alfa Romeo 90: carbaze.com
1984 Alfa Romeo 90: carbaze.com

We adopted Evolution as theme of the month and some interesting things emerged such as a thoughtful contemplation of evolution versus revolution. We also explored Murat Gunak’s interest in certain shapes. On the news front Alfa Romeo showed us a few pictures of a red sport saloon they may one day make. Luc Donckerwolke has left Bentley and there were discussions of Citroen design and marketing too. DTW has been driving real cars. A Nissan Cube joined the fleet along with a Mazda 3 and we had some mass-market rental fodder  out on the road too.
Continue reading “That Was June”