I saw an old Austin Seven on the road the other day and it made me smile. When I see someone who is brave/foolhardy/enthusiastic enough to venture onto our crowded roads in an old, pre-war car I find myself wondering if driving an old car is still as much fun as it used to be.…
A long time ago, in the seventies, I remember that I’d become fascinated by classic Lancia’s after reading ecstatic reports about them in the car magazines of the day. So I set out to try one for myself. In truth, I couldn’t have managed without having a car-mad father who would fix things that would go wrong, because I was never handy with the spanners.…
This morning I awoke to read an astonishing number of heartfelt tributes to the great driver, not least those on Facebook where I found even more insights and tributes from his admirers from all over the globe.
Many of the stories I had heard or read before and, though familiar, they reminded me why I had always been an avid fan because even in re-telling they never fail to astonish.
Last week, I took 3 very slow trains to Minto to pick up a 2010 Citroen DS3 Sport purchased in Victoria and transported by truck to Sydney. Bought sight unseen for $7000, I picked it up in the pouring rain and drove home hoping it might be the solution to the car problem that has become apparent since moving to the Upper Blue Mountains from Sydney two years ago.…
There’s no question many of us are likely to buy our first electric car, if not now, possibly within the next ten years or so. And, as a pioneering EV vehicle producer, Tesla is probably the most prominent electric car brand in the world currently, just about every other car maker across the globe is playing catch up.…
The recent release of the motion picture about the now legendary battle for sports car racing supremacy in the mid-sixties is very welcome because it’s a multi-layered tale about an epic time in motorsport.
I should say straight away that I enjoyed the film and so did my long-suffering wife, despite my elbow nudges and eye-rolls at the scenes I found laughingly inaccurate.…
In common with most car nuts, I’m always dreaming about the cars I’ve never owned or driven. Amongst my long list of automotive heartbreakers, I’d have to say Abarth ranks high on my personal list of cars I’ve missed out on. My recent report on MotorClassica 2019, where I fell in love with an unfinished Abarth Simca 1300 coupe, reminded me that I’ve had a life-long motoring affair with the marque without actually owning one.…
This Abarth Simca 1300 wasn’t quite finished, as you can see. Even so, I can picture it fully restored quite clearly in my mind’s eye. One of the few cars I could see replacing my ’93 Carrera 2, even if it isn’t anything like as useable.
At the beginning of the 20th century, cars were required to have very large radiators to help prevent them from overheating. Then manufacturers began to cover these radiators with what became known as radiator grilles, usually displaying a badge unique to the marque.
This was what we now call branding – a way to distinguish one car from another.…
I/we have a real dilemma that’s been lurking for quite a while now. The Mustang GT has been the daily driver for the last three years now and, while I love it, my wife says she doesn’t want to drive it.
