These are a few of my favorite things

 Yes friendo, it's that time of year again. Christmas? Of course, but I'm referring to those interminable lists, that everyone and their close relatives publish this time of year. Best whatever you can think from the past year. Should I be any different? Well, maybe a little, so my take on those tedious lists will be to simply show you a few of my favorite things.

Moving right along, this first one is an suv to die for, at least in its looks and at least in my opinion, ever so humble, the Hyundai, oops, Genesis GV70........

New from a company, that a mere ten years ago would have been laughed off the stage, if anyone suggested that they would be a style leader. An suv with a gorgeous look, that avoids looking like any other suv out there. Sure the Lambo Uris is a stunner, but it's at least six times the GV70's price. At around $50k-$60k Cdn, this is a luxury suv for everyday people like you and me (well, at least me).

But as nice as this suv is, it doesn't get the pulse racing like these next few of my favorite things.

Any Ferrari is a head turner, some more than others, but the new Roma brings tears to this car guy's eyes......

Seeing this beaut is the one time, that I wish I was The Drake. Not when thinking of cleaning his 30,000 square foot tasteless palace, but of having a small portion of his enormous wealth, so this Roma could be in my garage.

But why stop there, now that the new Bentley Bacalar is being seen in production form.......

A toy for those mega rich folks, that I occasionally (or infrequently) envy, this majestic ride is a mere two million US dollars. Would Bill Gates notice that pittance missing from his bank account? Be the only one on his block to have one of the handful (handful equals 12) being built.

Long to be a secret agent? If the British government insists on its James Bonds driving Aston Martins, then sign me up. This DB11 tugs at my heart strings every time I see one, which unfortunately is rarely....

Not a bad line anywhere, except maybe the bottom one.

Now let's get real and look at one of my favorite things, that most of us could afford........

The '60's were a great time for car design and this 1965 Chevy Caprice was to me one of the best. An important point........since it is a four door, its value is lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut (courtesy of some country singer somewhere).

And finally........

.......with apologies to my other little grey fur ball, here is my favorite tabby.......

You got it. No list would be complete without an appearance by that most famous feline, The Car Modelling Cat. A diligent modeller and helper par excellence. Sure, she sleeps thru most of our builds, but wakes up for the most important parts. An unbeatable asset.

My sincerest apologies for succumbing to the list syndrome, but even your humble blogger has a weak moment.

As I close shop until the new year, my best wishes for you to have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks for reading and stay safe.

Until next year.........

Start getting excited!

 All car people get excited about the next big thing. The anticipation of something new and if possible, different, turns us inside out with joy. Over stating it somewhat, but in these virus times, maybe not by much.

Once again let's turn to the east or I guess, west, since we are going back to China for more good news. There is a possibility that the company I'm mentioning today will sell their line in Canada. Of course, there is a possibility that the temperature one day in January will hit 20 degrees. Possible, but a long shot.

Enough with the talk, let's take a look at these break through vehicles that might be coming our way.......

Firstly the company is Neuwai, secondly their vehicles are electric. 'Nuff said. The taxi above is Smart car small and is actually a four door version of the two seater below........

Maybe some sales in Europe, but even the Smart car hasn't been a runaway sales success there, so put its chances of being in your local Canadian Neuwai dealership as very low, read "zero".

Moving right along to the volume vehicles, that will make Neuwai's trip to North America worthwhile (tongue firmly in cheek).......

My thoughts? The top model, the H1, looks like the 1920's meets the future, stopping along the way to mate with a Fiat Multipla.......

The white work truck, the T? Lots of these type of things in the far east and Europe, so why not let them have whatever surplus comes out of the Neuwai factory in the Forbidden Kingdom?

So you get the idea, that I don't hold out much hope of Neuwai's stock market price going through the roof in anticipation of an intro to our Canadian market. But there is one ray of hope......

Possibly, maybe, perhaps.........any of these words might describe the chance for Neuwai's UX602 to make a splash when and a big IF it reaches our shores.

But back to the beginning of today's blog. Car people live in anticipation of seeing the next new thing, big or otherwise. So now, when over the Christmas holidays, a friend stops to ask, "What's new?", you'll have an answer (after which they'll probably never ask you again).

As always, you read it here first.

Until next time......

Longing for the good ol' days?

Wake up after dreaming of the good ol' days with visions of old 1990's era Chevy Blazers causing your head to spin? Not surprising and I believe you are not the only one, as I bet there are at least a couple of hundred other folks with the same dilemma.

The stuff of dreams or nightmares? Excellent question. Now take a look at this beauty.......

Brings back memories of the memorable 1990's, doesn't it? So, what's the catch? Is this some sort of photo shopped image? No sir, this is the 2021 and 2022 Mitsouka Buddy. Ok, let's backtrack for a paragraph or two.

Quite a while back, I wrote about the Japanese company, Mitsuoka, who put new body panels on mainstream Japanese cars, in order to make them look like something else. Maybe something desirable, but rather costly. Who could forget these two aspirational cars......

The blue roadster is a make believe 1960's Corvette conjured up from a humble Mazda Miata. The want-a-be high roller mobile features an iconic Bentley grille grafted on to a humble Nissan Altima. Make like you are The Donald without spending the coin or being an insufferable, narcissistic bore.

Apparently there is a strong market in the Land of the Rising Sun for Mitsuoka's creations. The Buddy sold out its production for the next two years in only four(!) days. 

Of course, Mitsuoka is only going to make 200 copies over the next two years, so liars figure and figures lie. You know the deal.

Does the starting point of this unusual transformation look familiar? It should, as it is that perennial best seller, the Toyota Rav4. Already have one, but lust after that 1990's Chevy look and who doesn't? Simply cough up about $20,000 US and you too can cruise down memory lane with your Mitsuoka Buddy. Oh, I forgot, like I already mentioned, they are totally sold out. Sorry!

Any guesses to what Mitsuoka might come up with next? Dream big and pay small. What a deal!

Until next time......