Still The World's Least Influential Motoring Site
Outside of the Driven To Write bubble, a number of new cars were launched over the past few weeks. Time to do a bit of catching up.
The Audi Q3 Sportback is Ingolstadt’s take on the BMW X4. It features all the overwrought details that can be expected from a Marc Lichte-era Audi, including the token overly accentuated ‘shoulders’ above the wheels. Continue reading “The Beat Goes On”
We are experiencing some technical issues.
Unicorns do exist. I ran into one yesterday. Unusually, it bore a dragon upon its nose.
Car manufacture is difficult, expensive and potentially ruinous, so if you’re going to embark upon it as a career, it’s probably best to carry out the exercise within proximity to others engaged in similar activity, for the purposes of logistics, not to mention access to the requisite know-how. But not everybody cleaves to the safety of numbers.
It’s tempting for the writer to stoop to cliché when one speaks of the harp-shaped hills and valleys of Wales, but moreso is the habitual expressions of surprise, tinged with latent snobbery uttered by auto journalists at the mere notion of a Welsh car manufacturer. The very idea. But why not there, as anywhere else?
Probably the only carmaker to Continue reading “Welsh Invader”
Has Genesis shown us a fresh face in emission-free motoring?
Since the advent of the automobile, cars and cities have co-existed in uneasy truce, but as concerns over deteriorating air quality gain traction across the developed world, it seems increasingly likely that our towns are simply not big enough for both. So the mid-term future for the combustion-engined private car, in an urban context at least, is looking bleak.
However, like most behavioural shifts, this is unlikely to occur overnight, but already, as previously reported both here and elsewhere, city legislatures are taking matters upon themselves by limiting or banning outright, vehicles which fail to Continue reading “Fresh Mint”
Our man in Geneva reports from Battista’s official reveal.
Pininfarina S.p.A has adopted many alternative identities over its 89-year lifespan. Not simply the World’s most famous and acclaimed Italian coachbuilder and design consultancy, but also contract manufacturer – building cars for the likes of Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia and Peugeot amongst others, and now it would seem, a carmaker in their own right.
Following on from the elegantly retro-styled limited-edition Sergio, the Mahindra-owned former carrozzeria are back in the OEM game, debuting ‘the fastest road-legal car ever to Continue reading “Geneva 2019 Reflections – A Little ‘Farina”
Driven to Write loses an uneven struggle to frame a rather unremarkable automotive year.
Be it economically, politically, or indeed the arts, 1988 proved to be a year of transition. And while the UK music charts were increasingly dominated by the burgeoning counter-culture of dance music, some older orders remained stubbornly implacable.
Following his first solo album release in 1981, actor and former Genesis percussionist and lead singer, Phil Collins had become one of the World’s biggest grossing recording artists, amassing in the region of 150 million album sales. A large proportion of these came on the back of tracks like his chart-topping (across six countries) 1988 release – a cover of the 1965 Mindbenders’ single, Groovy Kind of Love, taken from the soundtrack of Buster, a sepia-toned UK made biopic of ‘Great Train Robber’, Buster Edwards, in which he also starred. Continue reading “Anniversary Waltz 1988 – A Groovy Kind of Love”
Since the day’s other article was a little on the short side, I felt like I’d treat to you to one of my sightings on a recent visit to Sweden.
The same year Honda dazzled us with the NSX and Lotus revealed the Carlton, BMW dazzled us with this mediocrity. I had forgotten that 1990 was such a special year. Continue reading “In Capricorn’s Orbit”
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.
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”
Here we have another gloomy night photo. It’s a 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?”
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
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”
As JLR moves further into the white space of seemingly infinite possibility, we ask a few awkward questions.
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…”
This micropost is about the biggest door handles I have ever seen.
This is a personal import, as far as I know, a 2002 Ford Explorer. It is noted for its use of independent suspension and transmission failure at 100,000 miles. Continue reading “Even the door handles are big”
What did the first front wheel drive Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Peugeot, and Renault have in common?
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.
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”
A substantial proportion of DTW readers celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December.
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.
After I tried my hand at formulating a little quiz, I had a go at another one.
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”
The readers spotted quickly what our Big Ask involved and other mystery cars remained mysteries only for a short time.
How about this one?
Selling The Dream or Flogging The Nightmare.
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”
What are they worth now? Read on to find out.
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”
Who can say what this car might be? The image is courtesy of Mick and forms a tiny detail of our exciting Photoseries For Sunday, coming very, very soon.
…as they like to say in the world of automotive print journalism.
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!!”
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).
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”
…is nearing its conclusion. Check in tomorrow to see how I unanimously decided.
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.
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”
