Monday, July 14, 2008
The Erlkönig
They're known locally as "Erlkönig" cars - after the Goethe poem Der Erlkönig - "Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?" (Who rides so late through night and wind?): pre-production prototype models that the auto makers use to test everything from handling through to fuel consumption. And here in Munich, home to BMW, advance first sighting of new models is pretty commonplace - in the past year I've spotted the new 1 Series cabrio, the X6, and now, the new 7-Series.
We spied the new 7er yesterday near Miesbach - without any disguise, but with the badges taped-over. The new design is less chunky than the controversial current model - and it's goodbye to the much-debated "Bangle Butt" that is featured on both the 6-Series and 7-Series right now.
"It's a Mitsubishi!" proclaimed Andrea. "Oh not it's not," said the boys. "OK, it could be a Mercedes," she countered. "Oh no it couldn't," we responded - "the exhaust pipes would be oval.". And so the discussion continued...
At least we agreed on one thing. The car was black.
We spied the new 7er yesterday near Miesbach - without any disguise, but with the badges taped-over. The new design is less chunky than the controversial current model - and it's goodbye to the much-debated "Bangle Butt" that is featured on both the 6-Series and 7-Series right now.
"It's a Mitsubishi!" proclaimed Andrea. "Oh not it's not," said the boys. "OK, it could be a Mercedes," she countered. "Oh no it couldn't," we responded - "the exhaust pipes would be oval.". And so the discussion continued...
At least we agreed on one thing. The car was black.
Labels: petrolhead
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
BMW X6 in the wild
Living close to Munich means we tend to spot most new BMW models on the road before they've officially launched. A few years back, my first glimpse of a 6 Series was seeing one being driven at actually rather ridiculous speeds on the twisty bits between Lenggries and Silvenstein. I'm a fan of cutting corners to straighten out minor bends, but at an estimated 140kmh when there's oncoming traffic (namely, me)?
Last weekend we were overhauled by an X6 SUV coupe as we joined the A95 autobahn heading south. "Quick daddy, catch it up!" urged the boys. Ah, no chance - it was being driven at around 200kmh, and our Peugeot 807 doesn't do 200 in such a short distance like the 25km or so to the end of the autobahn - it needs a bit more acceleration room. When I first saw it in the mirror, I thought the grille was a bit strange. It's not exactly the kidneys (although, honestly, BMW has changed the shape of these so often it's becoming boring) and I wondered why a Dodge Ram had a BMW roundel (albeit a black one) before I realized.
Tonight, headed out of Munich, I saw it / another one. Again, the BMW badge is blacked out. This is one big car - from my lowly seat I couldn't see the instrument binnacles, just caught a glimpse of the beardy driver. A test driver, I presume ... and once we reached the end of the 80kmh section, I got to see how the twin-turbo V8 gasoline engine pulls. The answer: quite impressive.
This is a pre-prod model that BMW's shipped over from Spartanburg - as they're all made there. What was somewhat interesting (for us petrolheads) was that the turn signals on the Munich-registered X6 were US spec, ie they blinked red not orange. Surely this is a pretty minor mod for the German highway?
Last weekend we were overhauled by an X6 SUV coupe as we joined the A95 autobahn heading south. "Quick daddy, catch it up!" urged the boys. Ah, no chance - it was being driven at around 200kmh, and our Peugeot 807 doesn't do 200 in such a short distance like the 25km or so to the end of the autobahn - it needs a bit more acceleration room. When I first saw it in the mirror, I thought the grille was a bit strange. It's not exactly the kidneys (although, honestly, BMW has changed the shape of these so often it's becoming boring) and I wondered why a Dodge Ram had a BMW roundel (albeit a black one) before I realized.
Tonight, headed out of Munich, I saw it / another one. Again, the BMW badge is blacked out. This is one big car - from my lowly seat I couldn't see the instrument binnacles, just caught a glimpse of the beardy driver. A test driver, I presume ... and once we reached the end of the 80kmh section, I got to see how the twin-turbo V8 gasoline engine pulls. The answer: quite impressive.
This is a pre-prod model that BMW's shipped over from Spartanburg - as they're all made there. What was somewhat interesting (for us petrolheads) was that the turn signals on the Munich-registered X6 were US spec, ie they blinked red not orange. Surely this is a pretty minor mod for the German highway?
Labels: petrolhead
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Running report on the BMW 320
Having had the BMW 320d almost a month now, in which I've racked up the first 1500km, it's time for a running report.
In general, so far, so good, although there are a few niggles. I've been paying attention to the running-in instructions - no more than 3500rpm for the first 2000km, and don't go over 150km/h. No problems. 150km/h in sixth gear is only about 2400rpm anyway and I've been taking it steady.
My commute mixes largely-unrestricted autobahn with congested urban and lots of traffic lights (German lights take longer to phase shift than in the UK or the US, so the red seemingly stays on forever) - and this combi is hardly ideal for maximizing fuel economy. So far the average is 7 litres per 100km, or 40mpg, which isn't THAT BAD, but it's not great either for a standard saloon car.
Behind the wheel, I'm loving the heated seats and all the switchgear is where I expect, except the buttons to raise/lower the front windows are a couple of cm too far forward - so I keep opening the driver's side rear window by mistake. At first, after my old 5 Series, I felt that the driving position was too close to the windscreen but I've dropped the seat and tilted the wheel and it's fine. My more basic spec model doesn't have the iDrive so there's a convenient drop tray for my mobile.
There's an AV input neatly stowed inside the centre armrest, next to one of the four 9v electrical sockets inside the car. Unfortunately, the armrest lid won't shut when this socket is in use, which is a small design flaw. The stereo system is absolutely fine, and plays MP3 CDs as well as anything plugged into the AUX input, while radio reception is better than the old car: the Munich stations fade out about 10km further down the autobahn.
The engine's a bit lumpy at start-up when temperatures are below zero. At first I wondered if this was because the factory hadn't used diesel with a freezing inhibitor but after two tankfuls it must be something else. Although there's hardly been any snow, when we did have some, the lack of plastic trims on the steel winter wheels led to ice build-up in the rims and consequently an enormous amount of judder through the steering until I stopped and chipped out the ice. It's a bit cheap of BMW not to throw in the covers.
The steering is very direct - you just think and twitch your way around corners, and as for the much complained-of tramlining - yes there's a bit and I'm not a fan of the run-flat tyres as they add to the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) on top of the M&S profile rubber. The handling is super-sharp and this car enjoys being pushed around corners. It's also testament to BMW's focus on handling that the car really doesn't crash into potholes: the structure is super-solid.
Wind noise from the sunroof is a bit obtrusive at autobahn speeds but almost obliterated when the sunscreen is closed. Wind noise from open windows is louder.
As my old car was a low-spec '99 model, I'm adjusting to some fairly standard features for the first time - such as cruise control. I'd always said I'd prefer not to use this on the autobahn but it's been in daily use. One gripe is that there's no instrument cluster illumination to show when cruise control is engaged. The 320 also has automatic lights, which work a treat in the Munich middle ring-road tunnels and automatic wipers with variable speed, which work well unless the screen is excessively dirty, when the wipers stay on full speed. The automatic climate control returns to the option to vary temperatures between driver and front-seat passenger, and works well, but the fan is too noisy.
All-in-all, I'm impressed. No doubt the fuel economy will start to drop as I open up on the autobahns, conditions permitting. I'm also almost even looking forward to that long drive up to Hanover for CeBIT this year.
In general, so far, so good, although there are a few niggles. I've been paying attention to the running-in instructions - no more than 3500rpm for the first 2000km, and don't go over 150km/h. No problems. 150km/h in sixth gear is only about 2400rpm anyway and I've been taking it steady.
My commute mixes largely-unrestricted autobahn with congested urban and lots of traffic lights (German lights take longer to phase shift than in the UK or the US, so the red seemingly stays on forever) - and this combi is hardly ideal for maximizing fuel economy. So far the average is 7 litres per 100km, or 40mpg, which isn't THAT BAD, but it's not great either for a standard saloon car.
Behind the wheel, I'm loving the heated seats and all the switchgear is where I expect, except the buttons to raise/lower the front windows are a couple of cm too far forward - so I keep opening the driver's side rear window by mistake. At first, after my old 5 Series, I felt that the driving position was too close to the windscreen but I've dropped the seat and tilted the wheel and it's fine. My more basic spec model doesn't have the iDrive so there's a convenient drop tray for my mobile.
There's an AV input neatly stowed inside the centre armrest, next to one of the four 9v electrical sockets inside the car. Unfortunately, the armrest lid won't shut when this socket is in use, which is a small design flaw. The stereo system is absolutely fine, and plays MP3 CDs as well as anything plugged into the AUX input, while radio reception is better than the old car: the Munich stations fade out about 10km further down the autobahn.
The engine's a bit lumpy at start-up when temperatures are below zero. At first I wondered if this was because the factory hadn't used diesel with a freezing inhibitor but after two tankfuls it must be something else. Although there's hardly been any snow, when we did have some, the lack of plastic trims on the steel winter wheels led to ice build-up in the rims and consequently an enormous amount of judder through the steering until I stopped and chipped out the ice. It's a bit cheap of BMW not to throw in the covers.
The steering is very direct - you just think and twitch your way around corners, and as for the much complained-of tramlining - yes there's a bit and I'm not a fan of the run-flat tyres as they add to the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) on top of the M&S profile rubber. The handling is super-sharp and this car enjoys being pushed around corners. It's also testament to BMW's focus on handling that the car really doesn't crash into potholes: the structure is super-solid.
Wind noise from the sunroof is a bit obtrusive at autobahn speeds but almost obliterated when the sunscreen is closed. Wind noise from open windows is louder.
As my old car was a low-spec '99 model, I'm adjusting to some fairly standard features for the first time - such as cruise control. I'd always said I'd prefer not to use this on the autobahn but it's been in daily use. One gripe is that there's no instrument cluster illumination to show when cruise control is engaged. The 320 also has automatic lights, which work a treat in the Munich middle ring-road tunnels and automatic wipers with variable speed, which work well unless the screen is excessively dirty, when the wipers stay on full speed. The automatic climate control returns to the option to vary temperatures between driver and front-seat passenger, and works well, but the fan is too noisy.
All-in-all, I'm impressed. No doubt the fuel economy will start to drop as I open up on the autobahns, conditions permitting. I'm also almost even looking forward to that long drive up to Hanover for CeBIT this year.
Labels: petrolhead
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
One step forward ...
... and one back. Isn't life always like that?
This is not really a gripe. The world won't stop turning and I'm lucky enough to have this thing to complain about. So, now that's clear, let me explain.
My BMW has a super-cool audio AUX input socket which means it's possible to connect an iPod or other audio device for playback through the car's stereo. That's progress. In the BM, the AUX input is neatly tucked inside the center console armrest, and conveniently located next to the 12v charger socket.
That means power and audio device in the same place, nicely out of sight and out of the way. Great.
I've moaned before about the rubbish battery life in my 4G HP-branded iPod, and since I got an 8GB Nano last year, the 4G has been collecting dust, waiting for its next deployment. Because its Achilles Heel is the battery, especially at sub-zero overnight temperatures, I invested in a ?14 car charger - cheaper and more convenient than an iPod battery replacement kit.
Nearly there, I thought. Until I plugged in the charger - and found that the armrest lid no longer closes with the charger in position.
Bad design all round, chaps.
This is not really a gripe. The world won't stop turning and I'm lucky enough to have this thing to complain about. So, now that's clear, let me explain.
My BMW has a super-cool audio AUX input socket which means it's possible to connect an iPod or other audio device for playback through the car's stereo. That's progress. In the BM, the AUX input is neatly tucked inside the center console armrest, and conveniently located next to the 12v charger socket.
That means power and audio device in the same place, nicely out of sight and out of the way. Great.
I've moaned before about the rubbish battery life in my 4G HP-branded iPod, and since I got an 8GB Nano last year, the 4G has been collecting dust, waiting for its next deployment. Because its Achilles Heel is the battery, especially at sub-zero overnight temperatures, I invested in a ?14 car charger - cheaper and more convenient than an iPod battery replacement kit.
Nearly there, I thought. Until I plugged in the charger - and found that the armrest lid no longer closes with the charger in position.
Bad design all round, chaps.
Labels: iPod, petrolhead, rant
Friday, December 21, 2007
Car-azy bureaucra-zy
As we start the Christmas holidays, I'm sorely in need of a break, with my energies sapped by good old German bureaucracy, or should I say bureaucrazy?
It should have been a pretty simple thing for my firm to lease a company car - we're a GmbH and therefore have EUR25k deposited against potential bankruptcy. But oh no, that was not enough for the leasing company - they wanted a bank guarantee for around the value of a year's leasing. And that's taken the bureaucrats and form-fillers four weeks already.
Everything else is done - and nothing else will do of course. It's going to be interesting to see if
the leasing company tries to backdate the start of the leasing as I'm not going to pay until I get the car: I'm not causing the delays. No doubt this one will run and run.
In the end I went for a new BMW 320 diesel - the right-priced solution that should not lead to too much damage in terms of tax. It was tempting to pick up something two years old and more exotic, but tax on the original list price and running costs were the two factors that decided it.
It should have been a pretty simple thing for my firm to lease a company car - we're a GmbH and therefore have EUR25k deposited against potential bankruptcy. But oh no, that was not enough for the leasing company - they wanted a bank guarantee for around the value of a year's leasing. And that's taken the bureaucrats and form-fillers four weeks already.
Everything else is done - and nothing else will do of course. It's going to be interesting to see if
the leasing company tries to backdate the start of the leasing as I'm not going to pay until I get the car: I'm not causing the delays. No doubt this one will run and run.
In the end I went for a new BMW 320 diesel - the right-priced solution that should not lead to too much damage in terms of tax. It was tempting to pick up something two years old and more exotic, but tax on the original list price and running costs were the two factors that decided it.
Labels: petrolhead, rant
Monday, November 26, 2007
Back in the train gang
The BMW?s health has taken a turn for the worse, and the timing isn?t good: winter has arrived, and the train strikes in Germany are threatening to cause further chaos. But the train is the sensible option, as the Beemer seems to have had some kind of computer brain aneurism, and I know that whatever the cure, it?s going to be expensive.
We?re not quite sure what?s wrong yet but we know what the symptoms are ? the ABS/ASR light comes on and the ABS and traction control systems shut down. That?s normal if there?s a dodgy ABS sensor but this time we?ve been through that, and the car ECU seems to be blaming a different sensor every time. No sign of any cables having been chewed by our pine marten, either. What?s really worrying though is that the automatic gearbox is playing up now as well ? sticking in third gear and refusing to provide its usual silky-smooth shift.
We?ve been through the calculations and it?s just about break-even for me to get a company car (for the company, it?s a far more positive story because of the costs that can be offset and the sales tax reclaim). So the choice is now either to rejig my package so that a car is included, or to allocate a decent amount of money to buy a two- or three-year-old replacement for the Beemer.
In the six years since I bought it, car prices have crept up. I?d need about 50 percent more cash now to buy a newer 5 series of the same age/mileage that mine was in when we first met. It?s clear that the EUR10k to 20k bracket is the mid-market battle ground where prices are most keen. Cars tend to hang around for ages above 10k before plummeting to ground like a rock. My Beemer is getting into the ?pocket change? territory now ? even in perfect working order it has a trade value of under EUR5k.
To update the car shopping list:
Company car ? probably a Ford Mondeo diesel. Yeah, I know it?s a boring family hatchback but that?s what we need.
Private car ? sensible option is to look for a tidy used BMW 320d ? late old shape with lots of kit or a Spartan new shape. Alfa resale prices aren?t to be trusted ? they hold up ok for three years or so, then plummet, and even the run-out 164s are on the precipice now. I?ve dropped the idea of a Disco, a 740d or an SLK ? and the Astra was the bogey car.
Labels: auto, petrolhead, rant
Monday, September 10, 2007
Sometimes it's hard to be green
Backdated post from Sept 4th: It?s hard to be green ? our Peugeot is a good example of that. It?s such a lemon it should be yellow, and it?s definitely not green.
Mistake. The technology was still in its infancy and, frankly, wasn?t ready for prime time. We?ve had no end of problems with the system ? with the dreaded ?exhaust anomaly? message usually flashing up when we?re on, or trying to go on holiday.
Here?s a brief recap of the most memorable times when:
- June 2005: on the way to Italy. We eventually went in a rental car paid for by Peugeot (a VW this time)
- April 2007: on the way back from Heidelberg.
- September 2007: in the Abruzzo region of Italy
What else? Here?s some reasons NOT to buy an 807:
- The windscreen area is too big for the demister to cope with
- The electronics are, frankly, rubbish. Press the horn and it takes a second before the signal works its way through the computer and the horn actually sounds. Same applies to flashing the lights. And these are functions where a second is a long time?
At least this time we?ve got rid of the phantom squeaking ? around a year ago this was so bad that we had to replace all the brake disks, at least this was what the garage did in trying to finally solve the perennial problem. In the last 12 months that problem has at least been held at bay ? there?s still some squeaks when cornering.
It all adds up to a real litany of shame, which is a real pity because the car, on paper, is so good ? it?s a driver?s car regarding the handling, it feels smaller than it is, the 2.2-liter diesel is just about pokey enough, and the rear sliding doors are really practical.
Labels: dieselhead, petrolhead, rant
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Diesel: the first 21st century fuel?
As I reluctantly ponder on a replacement for my 250,000km diesel BMW 525, today's issue of the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport does a petrol vs diesel test on six otherwise or near-identical models, including something I can't remember from Kia, the VW Polo, the Ford S-Max, BMW 525, Mercedes E class and Audi Q7.
Apart from the Kia, the diesels easily come out on top for price/performance. For the BM, from 5000km per year, for the Audi and Benz, from 0km. For the Kia, from 30k per year - which sounds like torture in a Kia, period.
What's most fascinating for me (here's the old motoring journalist coming through) is the in-gear acceleration times. AM&S has quoted from 80km to 120km/h. I'd have liked to also see 120-170km/h, since these are (German) real-world speeds, and a bracket in which my automatic BM simply flies (once the engine is warm) without kickdown. These are *the* numbers to look at. I'll have to grab the mag at this point, hold on:
Ok, I have to hurry as Jarim is busy learning by heart the new issue (he's the subscriber, not me):
VW Polo 1.4 16V petrol Vs 1.4 TDi / 80-120 in seconds in 4th/5th gears: 11.9/18.0 (petrol); 9.2/12.7 (diesel)
BMW 525 petrol/diesel: 11.4/11.2; 7.0/9.5
Ford S-Max 2-liter petrol/diesel: 13.4/18.7; 7.6/10.6
They didn't test the elasticity of the Mercedes or Audi since both were automatics, but the running costs over 30k per year were EUR1710/EUR1465 for the Mercedes and EUR1329/1144 for the Q7.
Casting my mind back to 1990, and the excited call from a Citroen press officer - they'd nudged the magic mark of 10 percent of UK sales being diesels. Peugeot-Citroen was an early leader in new diesel technology although it seems that VW caught up in the mid-90s, then BMW and Mercedes overtook.
As I'm considering a new car, petrol models haven't really come into the equation. I just love the torque, and since the performance figures are about equal to the petrol models, plus the better economy, plus the in-gear acceleration, diesel is the early leader in the 21st century fuel stakes. Today, alternative fuel technologies are where diesel was in around 1985 - bought by the hardcore, pre-early adopter. Let's hope that by by 2025, hydrogen technologies are putting diesel performance figures to shame in standard production cars.
It just makes me wonder: with no environmental "issues" around hydrogen-powered cars, will speed limits for "environmental reasons" be sustainable any longer?
Apart from the Kia, the diesels easily come out on top for price/performance. For the BM, from 5000km per year, for the Audi and Benz, from 0km. For the Kia, from 30k per year - which sounds like torture in a Kia, period.
What's most fascinating for me (here's the old motoring journalist coming through) is the in-gear acceleration times. AM&S has quoted from 80km to 120km/h. I'd have liked to also see 120-170km/h, since these are (German) real-world speeds, and a bracket in which my automatic BM simply flies (once the engine is warm) without kickdown. These are *the* numbers to look at. I'll have to grab the mag at this point, hold on:
Ok, I have to hurry as Jarim is busy learning by heart the new issue (he's the subscriber, not me):
They didn't test the elasticity of the Mercedes or Audi since both were automatics, but the running costs over 30k per year were EUR1710/EUR1465 for the Mercedes and EUR1329/1144 for the Q7.
Casting my mind back to 1990, and the excited call from a Citroen press officer - they'd nudged the magic mark of 10 percent of UK sales being diesels. Peugeot-Citroen was an early leader in new diesel technology although it seems that VW caught up in the mid-90s, then BMW and Mercedes overtook.
As I'm considering a new car, petrol models haven't really come into the equation. I just love the torque, and since the performance figures are about equal to the petrol models, plus the better economy, plus the in-gear acceleration, diesel is the early leader in the 21st century fuel stakes. Today, alternative fuel technologies are where diesel was in around 1985 - bought by the hardcore, pre-early adopter. Let's hope that by by 2025, hydrogen technologies are putting diesel performance figures to shame in standard production cars.
It just makes me wonder: with no environmental "issues" around hydrogen-powered cars, will speed limits for "environmental reasons" be sustainable any longer?
Labels: dieselhead, petrolhead
Monday, July 30, 2007
Topless again
Spent the weekend in the UK, driving from Bristol to Plymouth on Saturday, then back up to London on Sunday, dumping the car at Heathrow and heading into town on the train, which cost less than the overnight parking for said car.
Since it was only a few hundred miles with a camera-enforced 70mph I went for the bog-standard Ford Focus; on arrival at the Avis desk at Bristol Airport, was delighted to receive an upgrade, to a Peugeot 307cc. This is an interesting car: a coupe/convertible. Despite the overcast skies, I had to drive it with the lid down, of course ... apart from the 3-mile stretch on the A38 near Exeter where it rained so hard that I had to stop and raise the roof.
Compared with the 280SL, there's very little wind intrusion, thanks to the very steeply raked windscreen. Performance wasn't too bad - mine was a turbo-diesel which managed to accelerate well past the 70mph legal limit while still in fourth gear, so having a six speed 'box was overkill.
Over the weekend visiting relatives we managed four-up although there wasn't much legroom in the back - there wasn't even a seatbelt for a third person in the middle of the back seat.
Before the Heathrow drop-off I filled the tank, which consumed less than 40 liters (a relief since diesel in the UK is now a penny off GBP1 a liter, which is $8 a gallon. That's excellent for 400-or-so miles. I don't think it would qualify for the Alpentour 2008, though.
Since it was only a few hundred miles with a camera-enforced 70mph I went for the bog-standard Ford Focus; on arrival at the Avis desk at Bristol Airport, was delighted to receive an upgrade, to a Peugeot 307cc. This is an interesting car: a coupe/convertible. Despite the overcast skies, I had to drive it with the lid down, of course ... apart from the 3-mile stretch on the A38 near Exeter where it rained so hard that I had to stop and raise the roof.
Compared with the 280SL, there's very little wind intrusion, thanks to the very steeply raked windscreen. Performance wasn't too bad - mine was a turbo-diesel which managed to accelerate well past the 70mph legal limit while still in fourth gear, so having a six speed 'box was overkill.
Over the weekend visiting relatives we managed four-up although there wasn't much legroom in the back - there wasn't even a seatbelt for a third person in the middle of the back seat.
Before the Heathrow drop-off I filled the tank, which consumed less than 40 liters (a relief since diesel in the UK is now a penny off GBP1 a liter, which is $8 a gallon. That's excellent for 400-or-so miles. I don't think it would qualify for the Alpentour 2008, though.
Labels: Alpentour, petrolhead
Friday, July 13, 2007
A 500E (still) in the wild
Until tonight, my last ride in a Mercedes-Benz 500E was waaaay back when I was too young to appreciate it. It was when I was a news reporter on the UK's Autocar magazine (oh, the irony), and one came in on test in late 1990, when they first hit the streets. The finer details escape me but it was a very short-term test, a couple of days or so ...
Apart from the car being black, expensive as hell, and virtually hand-built by a famous German car company that wasn't actually called M-B, I thought of the 500E as the bastard big brother of our long-term 300E-24. I'd hardly gotten over the "hey, I'm 23 years old and driving this MERC!!!!!!" (me) about the -24, aka "Hnnnh, see you've borrowed your daddy's car you little ***t!" (everyone else) when this honking 5-litre monster arrives on the block.
I didn't appreciate it then ... the LHD thing was so inconsiderate.
Some 15-plus years later, back in an immaculate 500E that still feels tight despite the years, I'm starting to realize what I missed when I was pimping that test car along the Chelsea Embankment all those years ago. In short: I should have been headed out of London - headed for the Welsh mountains.
Apart from the car being black, expensive as hell, and virtually hand-built by a famous German car company that wasn't actually called M-B, I thought of the 500E as the bastard big brother of our long-term 300E-24. I'd hardly gotten over the "hey, I'm 23 years old and driving this MERC!!!!!!" (me) about the -24, aka "Hnnnh, see you've borrowed your daddy's car you little ***t!" (everyone else) when this honking 5-litre monster arrives on the block.
I didn't appreciate it then ... the LHD thing was so inconsiderate.
Some 15-plus years later, back in an immaculate 500E that still feels tight despite the years, I'm starting to realize what I missed when I was pimping that test car along the Chelsea Embankment all those years ago. In short: I should have been headed out of London - headed for the Welsh mountains.
Labels: oldtimer, petrolhead
Sunday, July 08, 2007
The joys of early Sunday mornings
For me there is, of course, only one five o'clock in the day, at least under normal circumstances. Today's an exception as I'm at the airport (already), having set a new record for the door-to-door trip to the airport of 40 minutes. Wasn't even racing. There just wasn't any traffic. Oh, the joy of early Sunday mornings...
Labels: petrolhead
Monday, July 02, 2007
20-year-old Trabi sells for two grand shocker
The Trabi Convertible auction has ended - with hajo030176 being the highest of the 38 bidders and picking up the car for a snip at EUR 2138. That's waay more than I was prepared to stump for a 17-year-old Trabant. It was, I must say, one of the best examples of a Trabi Ostermann convertible: one of the very last Trabis which appeared to be in immaculate condition. Maybe a little bit too good for the Alpentour 2008.
Labels: Alpentour, auto, odd, oldtimer, petrolhead
Friday, June 29, 2007
Trabi parked at EUR800
Two days to go on the Trabi auction and it's parked at EUR800. Much as I'm tempted to lay down a four-figure bid to secure the car (it's my 40th birthday today, so nyah), the domestic debate over what is going in our garage goes on. So no more bids, yet, from me...
Labels: Alpentour, auto, odd, oldtimer, petrolhead
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Shifting gear in an auto SL
One thing that's really noticeable about driving a 20-plus-year-old car is how automatic gearshifts have advanced. The 280SL boasted a four-speed automatic, pretty advanced for '84, but by modern standards, not so responsive.
Step on the gas when the straight six is spinning at less than 3500 rpm in any gear and you get what we named "Flounder" mode. For a more brisk pace the only answer is to manually shift down, as the 'box wouldn't kick down from S to the higher of the two L gears.
So we named these gears:Oberflounder
Mittelflounder
Niederflounder
After that, the standard comment on a lack of grunt-on-demand was: "Oh, you must be in Mittel...." etc.
Step on the gas when the straight six is spinning at less than 3500 rpm in any gear and you get what we named "Flounder" mode. For a more brisk pace the only answer is to manually shift down, as the 'box wouldn't kick down from S to the higher of the two L gears.
So we named these gears:
After that, the standard comment on a lack of grunt-on-demand was: "Oh, you must be in Mittel...." etc.
Labels: Alpentour, auto, oldtimer, petrolhead
Falling behind the Trabi
It looks like someone else is more determined to have the Trabi than me and fair enough, my needs are for next summer. Broaching the subject at home last night wasn't exactly greeted with a rapturous response...
Labels: Alpentour, auto, oldtimer, petrolhead
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Outbid already!
The Trabi auction is getting interesting - with five full days to go, my early high offer has been beaten. I'm way within my maximum price comfort zone and have the best part of a year to buy a Trabi 'vert, but will keep you posted on the auction.
Labels: Alpentour, auto, oldtimer, petrolhead
Hooked on oldtimers
The Alpentour really has gotten under my skin. Found myself bidding this morning on an eBay auction for a pristine-looking 1989 Trabi convertible - with a TüV through 2009 it should be good for some topless motoring this summer AND the Alpentour next year.
I'm only sharing the link on a need-to-know basis - the fewer bidders, the better! If you want it, email me.
Labels: Alpentour, auto, oldtimer, petrolhead
Monday, June 25, 2007
The Cockroach
Picture the scene: a line-up of lovingly-restored classic cars, like early 70s Mercedes-Benz SLs, roadster and convertible E-type Jaguars, a Porsche 356, a Alfa Spyder, and ... a Dutton.
A what? You may well ask. It's a kit car that was popular in the UK in the 70s and 80s, usually cobbled together from old Ford Escorts including the classic crossflow Ford Kent engine, and not forgetting the tail-lights from a Reliant Robin. It's loosely related to the Caterham 7, which itself was based on the old Lotus 7.
Quite a pedigree.
However, not quite so easy to simply stand on the loud pedal and see the Dutton recede in your mirrors, except on the autobahn or auto stradale, and that's not the point of a classic car tour of the Alps.
Point-to-point on mountain passes, a well-driven Dutton is very quick indeed - and the driver on our tour was in that class.
As the proud owner put it, the Dutton is a "mountain runner". Or a cockroach - they're both bug-eyed, ugly, and extremely hard to kill: the Dutton is made from fiberglass. It's also fast, just like a 'roach, and in the case of the Dutton we had on the Alpentour, it even had the mottled orange/brown color. Here's a picture of an American cockroach - unfortunately we didn't take any of the actual Dutton but I'm also linking to a similar one...
A what? You may well ask. It's a kit car that was popular in the UK in the 70s and 80s, usually cobbled together from old Ford Escorts including the classic crossflow Ford Kent engine, and not forgetting the tail-lights from a Reliant Robin. It's loosely related to the Caterham 7, which itself was based on the old Lotus 7.
Quite a pedigree.
However, not quite so easy to simply stand on the loud pedal and see the Dutton recede in your mirrors, except on the autobahn or auto stradale, and that's not the point of a classic car tour of the Alps.
Point-to-point on mountain passes, a well-driven Dutton is very quick indeed - and the driver on our tour was in that class.
As the proud owner put it, the Dutton is a "mountain runner". Or a cockroach - they're both bug-eyed, ugly, and extremely hard to kill: the Dutton is made from fiberglass. It's also fast, just like a 'roach, and in the case of the Dutton we had on the Alpentour, it even had the mottled orange/brown color. Here's a picture of an American cockroach - unfortunately we didn't take any of the actual Dutton but I'm also linking to a similar one...
Labels: Alpentour, auto, oldtimer, petrolhead
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Next year's entry?
Next year will be the 10th annual Alpentour, and Gerry's fifth: he and I have been starting to think about a suitable car to enter into the 2008 event. It has to be a convertible and of course a head-turner - we ain't got the money to buy into the Ferrari league. Ideas? Email me.
Meanwhile as we ripped up the A95 autobahn on the way home, our mirrors were suddenly full (and I mean full) of silver Lamborghini: not any old Lambo but a Gallardo. He came out of nowhere - and was just as quickly gone. By the time we'd found the camera and turned it on, the Lambo was already vanishing. Not surprising for a car with a v-max of 300-plus kmh, on a pretty open autobahn.
Labels: Alpentour, auto, Lambo, oldtimer, petrolhead
An expensive weekend
A weekend participating in the Freising Oldtimerfreunde Alpentour 2007 rally with my colleague Gerry has reawakened my interest in cars and is probably going to prove expensive. After two days of cranking up and down Italian mountain passes in a 1984 Mercedes 280SL my interest has been piqued and I'm hooked (again) by wind-in-the-hair motoring. We weren't bothered by the little bit of rain, again it was Italian rain.
More to come soon - meanwhile here's one of the 100-plus snaps: on the Austrian/Italian border on the 2509-meter Timmelsjoch pass.
Labels: Alpentour, auto, oldtimer, petrolhead
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Stuff I don't get, part 96
Why do people feel inclined to stick Ferrari badges on their boring mass-production cars? They seem to appear most on high-specced Ford Galaxy models, and Audi A4 Avants, normally in black. Is this a secret sign, akin to the delicious rumor that pampas grass in the front garden = we are swingers. Ferrari badge = people who have visited every one of a chain supermarket's stores?
Labels: auto, odd, petrolhead, rant
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