Small cars are awesome

Since moving to a land dominated by huge cars and V8 engines I thought I'd pull together a quick note on my top 5 small, but quick, cars ever made to prove that bigger isn't always better...

Renault 5 Turbo - Group B madness!

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Fiat 500 Abarth - Probably one of the coolest cars ever made...

Mini Cooper - The original and one of the best

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Renault Clio Williams - first car to use gold wheels as standard and not look daft

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Peugeot 106 Rallye - small, light, nimble and scary fast

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Filed under  //  Abarth   Fiat 500   Mini   Peugeot   Renault  
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Why luxury cars can’t keep up with technology - http://t.co/QAQAVdit

Read an interesting article on why luxury cars can’t keep up with technology on PSFK recently. Whilst I saw the the authors point and I did think they were slightly misguided in their thinking. Sadly it’s not just luxury cars that are suffering from this problem – the average car on the street is woefully behind the rest of technology.  With the rise of digital radio why are most cars still fitted with an AM/FM radio? It’s hardly brand new technology! Head’s up display – It’s been around for at least 5 years, BMW use it – why not other manufacturers? And why did the Holden Barina I hired the other day (a car aimed at young people) have no iPod connectivity as standard?

There is an answer to this and that is that most cars take around 2 years from conception to showroom and sadly in that timeframe technology moves on at a frightening pace.  With the ever growing need to save costs in as many places as possible, existing technology that can be taken from one model range to another with little investment is likely to continue. The areas where companies tend to focus development (creating greener engines, handling, and design etc) will always take precedence.

If I had the option of a good looking car that drove well and was fairly green (a technological feat in itself) or an ugly car that drove like shit and destroyed the environment but was packed with modern technology I know which one I’d take.  The two will eventually merge but 90% of cars will always be behind the technology curve so in a nutshell - get used to it.

 

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Dita Von Teese is awesome

I like it when people "live" their personal brand - in this case 1940s burlesque dancer...

 

Filed under  //  Dita Von Teese   Ford   Packard  
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Motorclassica 2011 - a great classic car event

This weekend was Motorclassica - the Australian International Concours d'Elegance and Classic Motor Show.

It's a great show with some fantastic cars on display including some super rare stuff that is hardly seen outside the states or Europe.

Here are some of my personal favourites...

(download)

Filed under  //  Ferrari   Ford   Hispano Suiza   Melbourne   Mercedes Benz   Morgan   Motorclassica   Motorshow   Porsche  
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Frankfurt Motorshow 2011 - Winners and losers...

It's a bit late but here are my winner and losers for Frankfurt this year.  There are many more that deserve to be in this list but these are just my highlights...

What do you think?  Missed any in particular?

 

Winners

Seat – Probably my favourite car of the show.  Looks super smart, premium and expensive.  I’d buy one.  BMW and Mercedes Benz should take note…

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Alfa Romeo – It looked good in Red.  It looks even better in Silver.  I want this car.  I want it bad.

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Jaguar – where have you been for the past 10 years.  THIS is amazing! Makes an Aston Martin look like the ugly sister…

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Rimac – Sounds like a dodgy hair removal brand but interesting concept from a new manufacturer…

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Audi – Good effort, could be more exciting for a concept car but if this goes into production I think it’s an interesting looking car.

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Audi – This is concept car, interesting, and thought provoking

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Land Rover – congratulations.  You didn’t fuck up a classic.  Well done.

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Losers

Volvo - WTF.  This is horrible.  I see what you're trying to do and I love you for it but it looks awful.  The front doesn't match the back, it doesn’t nod to the past or anything like that – it just looks shit.  Sorry.

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Lancia – Like a pretty drunk girl at a party – better to leave early whilst people still think you’re hot than leave when you’re drunk with vomit in your hair…

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Maserati – Why do you hurt me when all I do is show you love? Please leave cars for footballers to Bentley and carry on making beautiful, rubbish saloons.  Thanks.

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Filed under  //  Alfa Romeo   Audi   Jaguar   Lancia   Landrover   Maserati   Rimac   Seat   Volvo  
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The 2020 Audi A1

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Fantastic concept car from Audi.  

I've always thought Audi were forward thinking with their city cars ever since the launch of the A2 - a car at least 10 years ahead of its time (made of Aluminium, super light, super economical, very clever packaging).  Whilst the A1 is taking cities by storm (both here in Melbourne and back home in London) Audi aren't resting on the laurels and have cracked out this urban concept.  Would be interesting to see if it ever makes it into the real world - I hope so....

More info from Audi below:

 

The Audi urban concept has a sleek body. The wheels are free-standing, their surrounding protective plates feature blinking strips of LED lights. The highly concentrated look of the technical study, with its forward-urging lines, is dynamic and emotional – it lends Audi's design language a completely new impetus.

 On board there is room for two people, their position slightly staggered and at a sporty, low level. All controls and materials are subject to the dictates of ultra-lightweight construction in order to ensure they convey a completely unique, sensory allure. The driver can adjust the steering wheel and pedals to his own body measurements. Entry to the car is via the tailgate. The roof is designed to be maneuverable and slides to the rear to open.

 The technology in the Audi urban concept reflects the full capabilities of the brand, especially when it comes to ultra-lightweight construction. The cockpit consists of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, which integrates the undercarriage of both seats. The Audi urban concept rolls on wheels with a 21-inch diameter.

 Two e-tron electric motors provide the propulsion – providing the ultra-light Audi urban concept with the ability to accelerate powerfully. A lithium-ion battery supplies the energy – ideal for extended city tours.

Filed under  //  Audi   concept car  
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Awesome new Landrover Defender. How not to ruin a classic.

This is how to re-invent a classic.

Replacing the Defender -  a 60+ year old design classic -  was always going to be very very hard.  As long as they keep it light, basic and (obviously) very good off road I think it could be an awesome car...

Here is what Auto Express have reported:

Trademark Defender styling cues such as the door mirrors and floating roof are set to go hand-in-hand with off-road extras such as a winch, sump guards and heavy-duty tow hooks. Headlights inspired by the Range Rover Evoque add a dash of upmarket style, as do the raised bonnet line and aggressive alloys.

In profile, the block-like shape is combined with sharp creases in the body. Angular glass all-round creates a rugged, wedge-like shape.

Under the skin, the DC100 is expected to feature an updated version of the heavy-duty platform from the Discovery 4. It also offers an enhanced Terrain Response System, as well as an advanced traction control set-up. Power is likely to come from a range of new four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, all developed in-house at Land Rover.

Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/271927/new_land_rover_defender_revealed.html#ixzz1WYgMvdjG

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Filed under  //  Prototype   Defender   Landrover  
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Pebble Beach 2011 - possibly the greatest car show in the world...

I love the Pebble Beach classic motor show - not only is it a chance to look at some of the rarest and most interesting cars ever made but a chance for some of the big boys (I'm talking about you BMW) to 'wheel' out some of their new prototypes...

Take a look at some of my highlights and favourites

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In case you're wondering that's about HALF A BILLION dollars worth of Ferrari.  Yes that's right.  HALF A BILLION.

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Most expensive car ever sold at auction.... no 1 of 22 Ferrari 250 TR prototypes....

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New BMW concept car

There are hundreds of amazing cars there and it's just not fair to list a small handfull. Check out Autoblog here for more amazing cars....

http://www.autoblog.com/tag/pebble+beach/

Filed under  //  Autoblog   BMW   Exclusice   Ferrari   classic   pebble beach  
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Steve McQueen's 1970 Porsche 911S goes for $1.25 million at RM

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Steve McQueen is one of my heroes therefore this has to be one of the coolest cars ever to go on sale.  Shame it's a tiny bit out my price bracket...

 

If you want the details here you go: The 911, seen in the opening scenes of the racing epic, LeMans, was McQueen's personal car throughout the filming and has racked up a total of 112,000 miles over the last 41 years.

Filed under  //  Porsche   Steve McQueen  
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