So, why drive oldschool?

Posted on July 18, 2012 by justdrivethere

Those who know me, know how much I like to complain about the sheer number of times my car is in the garage. To be honest, it is almost once a month. And the money I’ve spent keeping it clean and tidy is very scary when you add it all up.

What do I drive?

An original (except the massive exhaust – I’m still a young guy-) 1990 Mk2 Volkswagen Golf GTI 8V. Yes, that is the PB model.
It was, and still is my first car and I love it to bits. It was not, however, the sane choice to make. People in my situation and age tend to go for something a bit more modern, more reliable and more comfortable. Seriously, when I look around the university, all I see are Opel Corsas or Renault Clios, all in fairly good condition, most with air-conditioning, and all with Bluetooth.

So why exactly did I buy a 21 year old car, when I knew I was going to use it every single day, and drive fairly ridiculous distances in it?

Simple, I don’t roll with the crowd. (okay that is a cliché, I apologise).

Or maybe I do, more than I’d admit it. You see, in every movie, the cool guy, be he a student, or an international thief drives an old classic car. Tom Cruise in “War of the Worlds” (okay I admit, not the best reference) drives a 1967 Ford Mustang, and then goes on to save the world pretty much. In “Pulp Fiction”, Vincent (John Travolta) drives a 1965 Chevrolet Malibu. Vin Diesel, in “XXX” plays a cool dude with an attitude, and what is his dream car? A 1967 Pontiac GTO. And what about the coolest guy ever? James Bond drives a 1964 Aston Martin DB5.

The fact is, to look cool; you need an old car, but not just any old car. If it is the USA, you need a classic 1960s muscle car. As I live in Europe (and am not rich enough for old European classics yet), I went for a more driveable and recent version of the muscle car, a more European version: A hot-hatchback.

Just as muscle cars were ruined by hot-rodder’s in the 1970s-80s, European hot-hatchbacks were ruined by modders (to stay polite) in the 90s. Now finding an original one is hard, yet if you do find the rare jewel, you are in for some fun, and will look very cool in the process.
Like muscle cars, hot-hatchbacks are practical and can be used to go to work on a Monday to Friday basis. Then on the weekend, you can go racing, or go for a drive and enjoy the wonders of the world. (muscle car owners, as they are in the USA, simply go drag-racing). The basic concept was the same, take an ordinary car and put a big engine in it. As this is Europe, naturally our muscle cars are smaller. And more economical. And front-wheel drive. Getting a hot-hatchback now is a good thing, because they can still be used every day, without having to overhaul the engine every 10 miles.

And the feelings are totally different to a modern car.

Because these types of cars are based on your every day run-around, they look totally unassuming to the untrained eye. Only connoisseurs will recognise that you are not in an ordinary Golf. And that is understatement, which is cool. However, if for some reason you find yourself pursued by brain hungry lions, you can simply press the gas pedal and of you go flying, leaving the dumbstruck amateurs behind, wondering what just happened. And just knowing that does tend to keep a smile on my face.

So that’s why muscle cars are cool. So why drive an old car in general then?

There is something to driving an old car that makes every journey special, especially in my car. Every morning when I turn it on, I am always greeted with this huge bark as the engine wakes up (and half the neighbourhood in the process), then the rev-counter goes up and down, trying to decide where it wants to idle. Will it be 1,500rpm today, or simply 800? (always reminds me of that scene in “Gone in Sixty Seconds” (2000), when Nicholas Cage start’s the Mustang’s engine) Once on the road, you have the choice to be relatively quiet and civilised, or for some added fun, you can press the loud-pedal, and you are greeted with a symphony of sound and vibrations. You genuinely do feel that the car is alive and talking to you. No mufflers here. It is all just pure sound. The experience, itself, neither has any mufflers on it. Driving along the road, the car always lets you know exactly where you are, and how you are doing. You are in control, not the computer doing 80% of things, and letting you do the rest. That’s what a cool guy is by the way, always in control.

And because it is an old car, you are always on the edge of you seat, trying to anticipate what will go wrong. It is still, after all, an old car and every part will not last forever. Each journey is not but a mere trip, but a genuine adventure! Moreover this keeps you awake all the time, you never feel tired in an old car. You are either filled with adrenaline, or fear, depending on the situation.

Driving an old car shows people that you care. You did not buy it simply because you had too. You chose this car carefully. And you have to care to keep it, and you, on the road. Honestly, I get more sympathetic smiles and comments in my Golf, than in my mother’s Hyundai i10.

Put it this way: You do not drive oldschool because you have to go from A to B. You drive oldschool because you want to go from A to B.

And that is why I drive oldschool.

 

Posted in Philosophy of driving | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dream vs Reality? (Mercedes C63 AMG)

Posted on July 18, 2012 by justdrivethere

“Driving a race car is just like sex; all men think they’re good at it”. Not my words, but Jay Leno’s.

Interesting point of view I thought, but I’m sure taking a fast car around a racetrack should be pretty easy for me, as I have studied the stuff for the past 22 years, and I have the passion and dedication to do it right.
The first deception was when I drove that Gallardo LP560. Turns out braking BEFORE the corner, and following a good racing line is pretty hard. But then again, this was very serious stuff, I thought, with a bit of hooning around; I could easily manage it, and be a boss at stuff like drifting.

Drifting in theory is pretty easy after all: Take a powerful rear-wheel drive car, take it in a corner, hit the throttle hard, feel it slide, opposite lock, then control the slide with the throttle. Easy, non?
I always imagined so, and pictured my first drift to be some majestic swerve around a corner, at a 60 degree angle, one hand on the wheel, the other on the window ledge.

How wrong I was.

The setting: Mercedes Benz World in Brooklands UK
The car: a 2011 Mercedes C63 AMG (V8, 450bhp, the perfect car in other words)

It all started when I visited MB World at Brooklands, basically a massive dealership, with lots of historic and current cars on display. Oh, and a “technical race circuit” in the backyard. Visitors can, for a fee, take some of the latest AMG metal for a spin on the racetrack, with a mentor-type person, to see just how awesome these cars are. The whole concept is to showcase how technology advanced the cars are with all their cool sensors and stuff.

Anyway, I got to drive one of my dream cars (again), and this time I was not disappointed in the car. I was however, disappointed in myself in a way.
The car itself was great, and all I imagined it to be: Comfortable, sound like a dying dragon, and super slidy when asked for some fun. I mean, 450bhp in a saloon? It is goooooood!

True, some people may be a bit blasé about it (I know I was), thinking, well an RS6 does have and extra 100bhp, it is all a bit 2008 this stuff.

Trust me, 450bhp is enough. Especially in a car that is relatively small, and can really be used everyday. Power is so underestimated these days! I mean, a couple of decades ago, the crème de la crème of supercars, the Ferrari F40, had 471bhp. Now you can get the same power in a small saloon car! (in a way, just like today’s smartphones have the power of computers from 10 years ago, but that’s another story). However, as they say, more is never enough….

So the experience then. After getting a feel for the car on the small circuit, I got to do a 0-60-0mph test. “Just put you foot down” the mentor said. And I did. Maybe it was the car, but I’m pretty sure the words that came out of my mouth were “Mein Gott”. The pure acceleration is pretty brutal, due to those ridiculous torque figures. And then the braking! Modern cars have come quite a way!
Once that was done, we did some spins on a wet portion, coupled with a demonstration of how the car controls the spin, keeping us alive. Impressive stuff I have to say. After that came the fun bits.

The big track, with tight corners, big straights and cones all over the place was in front of me. I had this stupidly over powerful car in my hands. So I went for it. I was having so much fun, and the mentor seemed impressed. But then he told me to try these racing lines and to try and brake before a corner. Suddenly it was not so much fun. It may seem pretty dumb, but braking before a corner is hard. You have to judge what speed you can take the corner before actually taking it. You have to make sure the corner is wide enough for the car in case it gets a bit sideways. You have to make sure you let go of the brake, and apply the correct dosage of throttle to make an ace corner. And you have to make sure you can actually turn in enough without over-doing it. All in all, it was hard, and not so much fun (okay, maybe exiting the corner, putting my foot down, and hearing that roar from the exhaust was amazing). I now understood why racing drivers always frown when they are driving. The concentration level required to drive really fast is immense! All in all, I was faster, but I was having less fun. Whilst doing this though I realised something, or rather did not realise it. When on the track, I had forgotten that I was in a big, comfortable and heavy saloon car. The steering was so precise, the agility and speed were so complete, and the braking… Again, hands down to Mercedes, this is a very good car. Making a muscle car feel comfortable on a tight twisty track is a great accomplishment!

Then, to finish off, came the drifting part. The track had an especially built oval, that had a continuous flow of water over it, to make sure it was always wet, and thus very slippery. I went on the oval, and followed my mentor’s word. Blip the throttle, feel the slide, opposite lock, and control with the throttle. Perfect.

Except in practice…

I did all he said, and yet, 5 seconds later, there I was, facing the other way with a look of confusion on my face. “You put too much power” my mentor said. Fair enough, I thought, and tried again. 20 seconds later, I was in the same position. “Not enough power this time”. And again, “not enough steering” etc etc…
I did manage about 30 seconds of drifting, and it was pure joy, but somehow I could not continue it for longer.

Tried as I might, I did not manage to do a perfect drift, even though I had mentally rehearsed for 22 years. Something was wrong. Just when I thought I had cracked it, the session had to come to an end. Oh well, maybe next time.
Thinking about it, maybe it was not me. Maybe it was the car. Perhaps it was just simply too powerful to do a perfect drift. Perhaps it was not properly balanced. It is after all more of a muscle car than a racing car. But then I remembered the track bit.

Then again, that would be too easy to blame the car, so once I actually get a proper job, I feel a nice little BMW E30 325i and a new track would suit perfectly to my lifelong dream of becoming a drift master (or at least be marginally good enough at it).

For once that I have actually driven a car that I love, and still love it as much (if not more) afterwards, that can mean two things. Either I have matured, or Mercedes Benz AMG cars are just awesome. And I still love the Harold and Kumar series, so………

Posted in Car reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Driving a Lamborghini Gallardo Like a Boss??

Posted on July 18, 2012 by justdrivethere

Meeting your heroes is always a bad idea. Because your expectations are so high, you almost always end up disappointed. You dream of the day you meet Harrison Ford for example, imagining meeting Indiana Jones, and end up seeing this 60+ year old guy, who is just a normal guy. This leaves you with a feeling of regret, as you pictured seeing you hero, but you actually saw a man.

The same can be applied to cars. Since I was young, I was always a big fan of Lamborghinis. The Murcielago was the car of my dreams. Then the Gallardo came out and I worshipped it. Seriously, for almost 2 years, my mobile ringtone was the sound of that wonderful V10 revving. With each new version I kept defending it, arguing that it was still a Lamborghini, and a magical one at that. I just would not hear the claim that this was in fact, a heavily disguised Audi.

And then that magical day came.

For my birthday, my parents got me one of those track day experiences, in – you guessed it- a Lamborghini Gallardo. And not just any old Gallardo at that, but the LP560-4, one of the best versions!

I was so excited, and almost feared the experience. Was I worthy enough to drive it? Would I make a fool of myself and stall? Was I going to spin it and end up in a hundred grand worth fireball of aluminium und carbon fibre? How I was scared.

Then I woke up one morning, and it started to rain. I still went there.

I saw the car I was going to drive being taken around the track by other lucky people such as myself.

It was a white one.

Some were good, revving the thing like it was a game of who could reach the highest without blowing the thing up. Others, like myself presumably, were cautious, never going over 2,000rpm. My heart was in my throat. I mean, I drive an everyday car of 112bhp, and here I was, about to drive a 560bhp car capable of over 180mph. Crazy stuff I tell you.

Then came my turn……

I got in, and first sign or relief, it was en E-gear, so no risk of stalling. I got the usual briefing, and then we set of. Sort of.

You see, when you press the gas pedal in a car of this power, you don’t smash your foot down if you have any common sense. You try and feel the power. If you’re scared, like I was, well, you push millimetre by millimetre, until you start moving, freeze because you realise what you are doing, then continue.

We left the pits and went on the track. First impression, this is a big car! Very wide. The track almost felt too small for it. Second impression, hang on, where is the noise? At normal speeds there is no drama, no noise, no tremors. Am I in the Lambo, or did I get in the wrong car?

We did a lap fairly slowly, to get a feel for the car. Then I start building up speed. And mash my foot on the gas pedal.

OMG

It is fast, and yes there is a lot of sound. It is clichéd, but it is musical. It does feel like you have the London Symphony Orchestra playing Flight of the Valkyries in the back. You are pushed back each time your foot goes forward. And when you brake?

You are thrust forward like a NYPD badge in a second rate cop movie. Add to that some very precise steering and it is a genuine pleasure to drive.

And yet….

In the back of my head I kept feeling a bit disappointed. You see, everyday I drive a Mk2 Golf GTI that is now 21 years old. Every morning when I turn the key, I am greeted with a bark here, tremors all over the place, and sometimes huge roars of discontent. All six senses are alive and enjoying it. In the Lamborghini, it all felt too clean and clinical. It was almost comfortable (it was a track though) and quiet if you stayed under 3,000rpm (given the fact this was a track experience thing, it was rare that we were encouraged to go over 4,000rpm, understandable but a pity). Yes, there is noise, yes there is speed and precision. But it felt hard to feel the excitement and thoroughly enjoy the experience of driving it. Yes I was smiling all the time and it does rate as one of my best experiences, but I kept feeling disillusioned. This could also be due to the fact I was driving a hundred grand car and like hell I did not want to spin it (thank you 4WD I must say), so I did not really push it. Though I have to say, even though I felt that way, there was a huge flow of adrenaline through my body.

No doubt, if I had less restraints, and a longer, wider track, I would have loved the car to bits, but on that day, on that track, I loved the experience, and thinking about it only really like the car.

I hate to say, but I now do understand some of the criticisms on the car. I still like it though, less as a dream car, but more as an everyday sort of car. Which I guess is what it was designed for. For real sensations of fear and adrenaline, the car to drive must be the Murcielago.

Unless it’s another case of not meeting your heroes.

Posted in Car reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

So today I drove an electric car.

Posted on July 18, 2012 by justdrivethere

The last time I had gone to Paris in September, I had only heard rumours about it. Apparently they were testing a small number around the capital and only a select few got to drive them.

Then in December I returned to the city, and after a bit of online searching found out that they were being rolled out at a rate of 250 a month. I quickly jumped on the website and subscribed. Seemed pretty cheap as well, 10€ for a day flat fee (with the possibility of having a monthly rate of around 30€), with an additional charge of 7€ per half hour.

What am I talking about?

The electric car of course!

And this is no ordinary electric car. Whereas the Tesla Roadster boasts being the fastest electric car around, the Bolloré BlueCar can boast to be the most widely available electric car around as it is being used in the Parisian Autolib’ system.

In the same way as the now famous Velib’, where one can rent out a bike at designated stations, in theory here, once subscribed (the process involves taking photocopies of your ID card and driving license, yes, you do need a license to drive the car), you can just walk up to a station and pick your car up.

The system being at its beginning, the experience is not as perfect as we are told.

First of all you have to find a car!

I started my search at around 3.15pm, after a meeting. I went down Rue du Louvres, as I knew there was a station around there. There was, but with the exception of some renegade Parisian drivers parking their cars in the spots, the places were empty. I then proceeded to walk to Chatelet, as I remembered there was a station around that area.

Turns out Chatelet is quite a big place, and after an hour of turning in circles I came to the conclusion that the station was just a myth.

Still, maybe I needed to research the location a bit more. I then had an excellent coffee at McDonalds (McCafé, seriously try it, better than Starbucks), and courtesy of some wireless internet, found out the exact spot of where the station was. (yes, I should have done that in the first place, but where is the excitement in that, and I would have never had that superb Tartelette au chocolat et noisettes).

After a little walk (and finding another empty station along the way), I saw that igloo-like house with, and that is rare, two BlueCars! Things looked promising.

I proceeded to subscribe, with the help of a technician who was there to assist people. Once the process was done (it takes about 10 minutes), I was assigned car number 2.

Oh how happy I was!

I unlocked the car with the card I was given, unplugged it (did I say these car run on electricity?), and got inside. The radio was on, so was the GPS. The car invited me to turn the key, which I did. I then tried to program the GPS to take me to my destination. The screen remained inactive, still showing me a map of a place 2 miles away. I tried harder, looked for any hidden buttons (maybe it was not a touch screen?), but nothing. I pressed the Help button in the car, supposed to put me in contact with a customer service desk; still nothing. I then got out, and talked to the technician. She had a look and turns out, like a computer, the car had frozen. No Ctrl Alt Del here unfortunately. The car was then categorised as broken and I was told there was another car a mile away. The other car at the station? No, it was not charged up, could not be used……

I then decided to give up and went to meet up with my friends. After having had many laughs and catching up, I checked my phone, and by some miracle, there was a car a few meters away. I ran out towards the location, and there it was. The previous user had even left the lights on, maybe to guide me towards the car, or more likely he had forgotten to switch them of!

I unlocked it, unplugged it and clambered in. This time it worked, and the on-board screen took me through the steps on how to use the car. Yes, there is no shifting, yes it is silent, bla bla bla.

I turned the key (some 3 hours after I began my search), and …..yes nothing happened, its an electric car, silly.

The car then.

Built by the Bolloré group (who incidentally have no experience at all in making cars), and designed by Pininfarina, the BlueCar is being championed as the future of transport. It is meant for urban conditions and multiple users. Therefore, the materials are all very rugged, and there is no paint. Some people complained the car was basic, that it had no ABS or air conditioning. This car is meant for short distances and is built to a very tight budget! Honestly, you will not go over 50 miles per hour in it, and to be frank, the interior felt better put together and more comfortable than a Renault Twingo. It is no Bentley, but it is not what you could call Spartan either. Everything you would need is there, nothing more. That would describe the car, just what you need, no frivolities. In a busy city, who has time for entertainment and gadgets anyway?

Over my short drive, the car felt perfect for the city. It feels tough as you are pretty high up, yet nimble enough to overtake that damned scooter. The acceleration is instant, press the pedal and it just whooshes forward with momentum, until you hit 30 mph when the car gets less enthusiastic about accelerating. I say whoosh because that is the sound the car makes. No it is not completely silent when you drive; it makes the same sound as a golf cart. But to be honest, my mum’s Hyundai i10 is very silent as well, so no loss or gain there.

The biggest surprise is when you let go of the throttle pedal. In a normal car, the engine brake is fairly unnoticeable, but here you feel it, and it does slow the car down, making the brake pedal a rare requirement.

All in all, it is a car.

Having tried the car, it has changed my perception on electric cars a bit. For a city use, the BlueCar is perfect. It is comfortable enough, robust enough and adequately fast. Using it is as easy as peeling an orange and to be honest, at that moment in that place, I did prefer driving that car to say, a Mercedes C63 AMG. It does require some time to charge, so it is advisable to travel only short distances. I would not for example, attempt to drive to Versailles in it. However, out of the city, the battery powered electric car does seem a bit at a loss. Until hydrogen technology is refined, petrol powered cars will still dominate that area. The main problem is not just range, but also recharging. Eight hours is a very long time! Swappable batteries, such as what Renault plan, seem like a logistical nightmare and I will not even start on the environmental impact of using batteries on a use-change-use-change basis.

With regards to the Autolib’ system I have my doubts. For the system to work, the technology has to be 95% perfect. From my experience it is only 35% reliable. For example, when I had finished with my drive, I plugged the car in as instructed, but the rental period did not end. I had to call the customer service to tell them where the car was. To this day, the car is still registered as in use on my account! The system needs to be popular and must be used by a lot of people also. But then if the cars are so popular, they will rarely be at a charging station, so hardly charged, meaning finding a working one will be impossible. After that, the cars will suffer from all the various drivers and urban usage. And leaving people in a car they do not own, to do what they want to do… Have you seen the state of public trains? Now imagine a public transport that is used in a private manner. All that stuff you did in that car, the guy before you did that, and the guy before him. It can get gross.

So to sum up then: The Electric car, Kevin approved. The Autolib’ system: meh… (after all, it did cost me 17€ for 7 miles, and took me 2 cars and 3 hours)

Posted in Car reviews | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

So the Big Three are no more

Posted on January 18, 2012 by justdrivethere

So the Big Three are no more.

Many of you are thinking, ah but that’s normal. They were too narrow-minded, and only made what the american public wanted -big SUVs-, and with eco-narrow-mindedness upon us, people don’t want their cars any more, and are buying small Japanese and European hatchbacks. Simple no?

No.

The problem dates back to the end of the Second World War (yup, 65 years ago). The United States of America came out the overall winner, and american pride was at its all-time high. Studies suggested that what 80% of Americans wanted after the war was a new automobile. GM, Ford and Chrysler made the most of it offering as many different vehicles as they could, and sales went sky-high. Again, simple, no?

No.

They “made” different vehicles, but in reality you had one car, that was rebadged in a minimum of three brands, and hey presto, build one car, sell three! Whether you bought an Oldsmobile or a Buick, you were getting the same car. Risky you might say. You are right. However, during that period, the Big Three discovered something about the American People.

The common American did not give a crap about the actual product. If you marketed the product to a certain lifestyle, that they aspired too, they would buy it, regardless to whether it was actually any good. Sell it cheaply and you have the check already in your pocket. You were young and going about in the world, you bought a Mustang. You considered yourself upper-class, you went for a Cadillac. When Muscle cars came about, things got worse.

During Preston Tucker’s trial, it is claimed one of GM’s representatives said “What is the use of innovation? It costs money!”. Sums it up pretty well to me. Fordism was the norm. Build as much as you can and sell it as cheaply as you can. Who cares about taste, or quality, or even individuality.

If the product is selling, why change it?

Then the oil crisis hit them, and they started building small cars, based on the European ones. Think they would have learnt their lesson by now?

No.

In the 80s, things went in overdrive. Take a look at a GM catalogue from that period. It’s as if they had 4 cars, and just changed the badges to make it look like they had 80. Again, with clever advertising, these cars sold all over the US. Protectionism did not help either.

Then we come to the fatal blow: The economic “crisis”. Americans did not want big cars anymore. They turned to Japanese and European hatchbacks, and went “Hang on, these cars are actually GOOD! What do you know, cars CAN go around corners”. They weren’t interested in how many cupholders the car had anymore, but what choice of engine they could have. Ironically, it was the foreigners who offered them the real choice, not the choice of “should I have the Buick or the Saturn”. Now you could choose your brand, and what engine you wanted, what body style you wanted; a car catered to your taste.

Ford managed to survive because they had their European division, and so started selling their European cars to the Americans. GM tried the same with Opel. Chrysler, well, their screwed.

You see, Europeans aren’t interested in the quantity, but in the quality. As the world gets more evolved, so do the Americans.

Think I’m wrong? Look at McDonalds. By 2002, their policy of “mass-selling and to hell with taste” led them to huge losses. They had to rethink their strategy. Tailor their offer to the demand. No more everything for everyone. Had they not focused more on quality they would have ended like Chrysler, a Fiat whore.

Posted in Auto Industry | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments