Sept 17: In your face!

You can say one thing about BMW and that is they can design a beautiful car. Two things actually, as you can say that they can also produce a miscarriage of the designers' art. With each new model, those of us who care and like to comment on such things are ready, willing and able to spew forth with our thoughts. Of course, your blogger is always available with an opinion.

Take for instance, their beautiful new 8 Series.......

Stunning!

Now let's wander on over to the Frankfurt Auto Show, opening this past weekend and check out the latest BMW coupe, in this case the C4 Concept (catchy, eh?).......

Yes, a real beauty and an advance look at the next 4 Series coupe. Maybe a bit derivative of the Audi A5 shown below, but let's not split hairs over similar styling. 

All good so far? Are you with me? Ok, now let's take a short walk around to the front of this gorgeous new coupe concept. Are you ready? Here we are..........

Whew! Takes one's breath away, doesn't it? Beauty and the beast in one design. Reminds me of most new Lexus models and that's nothing to brag about.

Some things I understand, like using this type of in your face design feature for a sport ute........

......and of course, BMW does this and on this body style it works, but on the C4 Concept? 

A blast from the past, the 3.0 CSi from long ago........

Another beauty from Bavaria and one that was said to inspire the hideous front of the new concept. Those boys and girls in Munich taking drugs?

The Bimmer identity has been solid behind that twin kidney grille since the beginning........

......and with each new model, it has remained the one constant. Elegant and identifiable. Lately though, those folks in the Black Forest have been fiddling with tradition. So have the designers at Mercedes, but with much greater success in the evolution of their vehicles' front ends. The Mercedes look good without resorting to frightening young children (and a few adults).

Maybe the C4 Concept's beak is an early Halloween prank? Stay tuned, folks, as the unveiling of the 2021 models is only a few months away.

Until next time.......

Sept 10: What the heck is this?

 "What the heck is this?", exclaimed my friend and neighbour FJ.


A short time ago this unique, at least to us, creation started appearing at the real estate office across the street from our condo. Great condition and about the size of a golf cart or a Great Dane, (pick your comparison). Tiny, but looking surprisingly spacious inside for normal folks. Hey, for me, at 6'5', very few vehicles look spacious inside. Since I've been able to read from a young age, I saw that it was a Suzuki Wagon R. Ok, so what is it?

Being your Car Guy extraordinaire (sometimes ego is good), I knew before I saw the name, that this miniscule minivan was a product of Japan. Over the years, I've seen pictures of these strange little vehicles from an assortment of manufacturers. They are called kei cars, which is a shortening of the Japanese word for light automobile. Vans, hatchbacks, sportscars. You name it and you'll find a kei version of it in Japan.

Like these ones over the years from Honda........

Usually with cute or just plain strange names, such as nBox, Dayz, eK X and Pixis. They are also cute like puppies, assuming that there are a few strange looking puppies out there, which of course, there are. How cute/strange you might ask?

Picture one of these sitting beside an suv in traffic, shivering in fear of being run over. Of course, with anything, there are numerous variations, some work, some need work.......

 

 

And of course, what blog on kei vehicles would be complete without the inevitable.......

Popular in Japan to the point of making up about 1/3rd of the vehicles sold. Makes sense when you live on a very crowded island. I believe in the big cities, that you have to prove you have a parking space before being able to buy a vehicle. With a kei car, you could probably take it with you, kinda like a large suitcase.......

Want one to cherish for yourself? Any foreign car now twenty five years old is fair game for importing. Be the only one on your block.

So, back to that cute as a button Suzuki across from my home. It vanished recently and then came back painted black with a big, but oh so tasteful, company logo on it. Everyone going by notices it, so have it at a few local events and everyone will know your name. Cheap advertising with a very useful little conveyance. No downside here.

And don't ever let anyone accuse you of being small minded.

Until next time.......

Sept 4: Haulin' ass!

 Suv be dammed, get behind the wheel of a smokin' hot station wagon and let your inner demon loose. 

Oh, how I wish this was life in the 21st century, but as you all know, the once ubiquitous station wagon, has been replaced by the way too ubiquitous suv, unless you have coin to spare, since that is the only refuge of the station wagon these days. Proof? Check out the only wagons sitting in your local showrooms. Google Volvo, Mercedes and Audi. Even BMW is missing in action, or from lack of it.

Even these brands don't move a ton of wagons, but what intrigues me is some of the engine choices a couple of these wagon purveyors offer. And before you get all excited and tell me that there are lots of wagons or sport backs or whatever in Europe, we are talking about suv friendly North America and specifically Canada.

Mercedes has offered the E Class in a gorgeous wagon and for the nut cases among us, they also offer an AMG version, the E63..........

 

Wagons make up a minuscule % of the market, but Benz sees fit to throw down the gauntlet and make this 600+ hp version available to us John Force or Lewis Hamilton wantabes. The problem? No problem, if you have the money to spent north of $125k on your dream mobile. Once I win the lottery, for which I don't buy tickets, my local Benz dealer will be my first stop. Hyacinth Red with a nut brown interior, please. Special order, of course. Now you know why I love Mercedes.

This love affair might soon be tested, as Audi has finally decided to send us their wild child, fire breathing  RS6 Avant.......

 

Sure, it's no Benz and will only have 591 hp, but who's to notice? Great looking and more than enough power to smoke your way, the whole way, to your golf club. And I'm guessing that you might have the only one there. There is only one E63 wagon at our club, so no need to have two of those.

So is there hope, however faint, for the wagon lovers among us? Maybe some other brave company will throw us a bone? Don't count on it. Dodge tried with the Magnum in the top pic and regardless of the power plant, this custom looking wagon couldn't get traction even with all-wheel drive. Credit them for also giving us the big power SRT version (shown), but it was a very rare beast and mild by comparison with these two German godzillas.

So for those free thinkers among you, who aren't influenced by the hoards of suv lovers blocking the dealers' showroom doors, these are great choices for you and your family. Way at the back of the showroom, almost hidden by the signs touting the latest suv, is your smart thinking alternative. Either bring a healthy bank account or a winning lottery ticket. Be the envy of almost no one, except yours truly.

And remember, we tee off at 3:30.

Until next time.........

August 20: A new convertible? Apart from the top, what am I missing?

What is a nice compact suv like this doing in today's blog about convertibles? As an aside, this neat looking trucklette is one that we aren't supposed to ever get on these shores. Time will tell, of course, but the way we are soaking up suvs, like a sponge does water, I wouldn't count on the big "No!", currently coming from this company's head office as the final say. Oh, in case you were wondering, this is the new VW T-Roq. I'd buy one for the name alone. Which brings me to the point of today's ramblings.

Ever look at an suv and picture it topless, the wind blowing thru your hair as you carefreely carve your way along a beautiful coastal highway? No, I didn't think so, but a few people do, so VW last week announced that they were doing the cabrio bit with their lovely new T-Roq. Behold this wonderous machine.......

Neat looking in a topless brick kind of way, but not nearly as cool as the suv from which it has sprung. Who wants a topless suv in the first place? Yeah, I know, there is supposedly a market for everything. Remember the Murano drop top? You don't do you? Let me refresh your memory banks.......

This hideous creation sold in double digit numbers to our neighbours to the south. Occasionally I'll see one around Toronto. It should have a big question mark on it. Saner heads at Nissan Canada didn't see a market for this sporty(?) suv up here and wisely took a bathroom break, when the commitment sheet was being passed around.

But great ideas never die. Right? If it failed for Nissan, why not give it a try with our suv? This must have been the talk at Land Rover, when they decided to chop off the upper part of their Evoque.......

.......and yes, what says, fun in the sun more than an suv riding topless thru an overcast, snowy landscape? I dream of moments like this. I've come to the conclusion, that there is too much money spread around folks with questionable taste. If this wasn't the case, then why would I be seeing a few of these Evoque cabs cruising around my city? And to top it off, a satellite radio is a $460 option on this $70k Land Rover. Oh my, I'm getting a headache.

Where is this all going? What suv will be the next one to head out into the sun minus that cozy roof? Can we expect something like this.........

So far Hyundai is only using this Sante Fe for promotional purposes, but I still have nightmares about seeing one at the local dealer. Maybe the Pope will want one in white.

The good news? I read the local paper every morning trying find some. Tough job. Then I come to work, which I love 'cause I'm all about cars, then I see what VW has wrought and I get the shivers and not from the A/C. Oh well, I should thank VW, since without this new unveiling, I'd wouldn't know what to write about today.

Until next time, which will be September 4th, as I'm off on a road trip holiday to the beautiful Gaspe'. Great place for a topless suv.

August 13: Never enough power?

When is enough not really enough?

Dodge has whipped up an excellent big motored cop car, that should be able to chase down all but the wildest rides.........

Not fast enough? Well then, a quick call ahead brings out a few buddies, who can catch that super fast scofflaw before he crosses the state line. The Charger's big thumping Hemi or the amazing EcoBoost V6 in Ford's Police Interceptor would usually be able to handle most speed demons loose on the roads.

Apparently not all police agencies feel that is the case.

Remember in the not too distance past, when the police had to use some pretty sporty rides to catch the fast guys? Cars like a Camaro or this Mustang 5.0 litre........

But that was before the big, new traditional police sedans started carrying a rockin' mill under their hoods. Good enough? Like I said, apparently not. Look at what the Florida State Police just unveiled and added to their fleet.......

A bigger stick to hunt down all those Vettes, Lambos and Porsches, that haunt the highways way down south. Someone pulls a gun? You pull a bigger one, like the scene from Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. Problem solved. 

There must be a lot of problems south of the border (as if we didn't know), since we are seeing more of this bigger gun syndrome, when it comes to their cop cars. Examples, please.......

Texas State Police

Richland County, South Carolina

New Jersey State Police

Broward County, Florida

Yikes! Don't these guys call ahead like our own provincial police do? Not a chance and with luck they'll generate a good chase sequence for A&E's Live PD. Time to strap on that six shooter, a bullet proof vest and saddle up your hot steed, this looks like it's going to be fun.

But when is enough, not really enough?

Are we going to see an escalation of these hot cop car rides until there is absolutely nothing that can out gun them? Think Europe, where it's not unusual to see a Porsche hunting down those speed merchants. Or Italy, where there are a few Lambos draped in police garb. Or even New South Wales in Australia, as they have a few wild cop cars. What might we seen hitting the asphalt on this side of the Atlantic?

Longview, Texas police

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit video game

Part fiction, part reality. What's next? In the hunt for the ultimate speed machine that nothing could out run, is it possible that this promo race car is a prognosticator of the future?

Light this baby up and no Ferrari, ZR1 or Bugatti would stand a chance. Downside? Isn't there always? In this case, that huge motor's life expectancy is less than two minutes. But hey, the chase is going to be over by then anyway. This looks like the biggest gun to me. But where does this all end?

Never enough power? I guess not, but what about some sanity and simply call ahead, like we do in the frozen north? Food for thought.

Until next time......

August 7: I was there

Imagine a big time racing series. It attracts the best drivers. The best teams. Also the best sponsors. The bigger the series, the harder it is to win at that level. When you get your trophy, you know you've beaten the best. So when something like this happens this past weekend, it is rather incredible.........

This feat took thirty two years. Thirty two years! That alone is amazing. How many other racers or anyone else has been at the top of their game for that long?

I was there at the beginning of his run for the history books. Back in 1987 at the NHRA Grandnational event just outside of Montreal. The Sunday finals had been rained out, so I went back Monday morning with my wife, my brother and his wife. All three were not drag racing fans, but the finals were free, since it was only going to take about an hour or less to wrap up this event. Barbara had never seen or more importantly heard a fuel funny car, so when Force pulled to the staging area and started up, she jumped, covered her ears and swore never to come to another drag race. Minutes later, John Force finally won a big event after many runner ups........

John Force. Perennial loser, but a great promoter. Check out all those big time sponsors on this "loser's" car. He may not have won before, but everyone knew that he was there. Now all these years later, he notches that milestone win total..........

John Force is seventy years old. Think about that. These cars, with their 11,000 HP (also think about that for a second), are all about reaction time. A millisecond makes all the difference, when you are covering the track in 3.97 seconds with a top end velocity of 320 mph. I'm that age and by the time I think about pulling away from a traffic light, three seconds are already up. I bet he can grab flies in mid-air.

At the beginning Force was a down on his luck truck driver putting any spare cash into his low buck funny car trying to make a name for himself. Having a name like Force helped.........

That was in an era, when you would work on your car in your garage. Times change, but Force still has the work done in his garage. It's just a little bigger.........

......and he has two, one in California and one in Indianapolis. He also has a couple of funny car teams and a couple of top fuel dragster teams. Big changes for this one time lowly truck driver, now a multimillionaire.

Has it been easy? When you've raced for that long, you have the hard times along with the good times. For instance, twelve years ago the crash below broke his wrist, ankle and several fingers. Told he was never going to race again. Seems he proved them wrong.

 Seventy years old and not finished yet. Reads like the American dream. From this very low buck, old funny car.......

 .......to these modern facilities (times two)............

Next time someone says you're too old. Think of John Force, as you ease your walker up to the starting line.

Until next time.......

August 2: Who would think it?

Know what this is? I might be jumping the gun, but I think this might be the logo for the first Chinese car to reach our shores. Then again, maybe not. What I know for sure is that this is the actual logo for the Lynk & Co brand of cars that will soon to headed to Europe. This is an off shoot of the big manufacturer Geely, who among other things has rescued Volvo from going the way of that other Scandinavian brand, Saab.  Anyone who underestimated how well they would resuscitate Volvo, lost their bet, as that brand now features a stellar line of high quality vehicles.

Lynk & Co (sounds like a trendy clothing shop at a high end Toronto mall) currently has three vehicles in their quiver. Take a guess......a sedan, the 03......

 

..........and surprise, surprise an suv, the 02........

......and yet another surprise, the 03.........

 

 

 The question that is blowing in the wind is obvious, what might come after these "0's"? Good question and if your said 04 and 05 suvs of some sort, I believe you might be in the ballpark, or at least at the front gate. Maybe even a "coupe" suv (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em)........

Now, let's go back to that Volvo connection. Like many manufacturers (Kia, Hyundai, VW), one can make several car lines off of a successful (or not) platform. Geely is no exception. Here is the vehicle that the 01 is based on...........

See the family resemblance to this XC60? Not really, as they have done a very nice redesign cover up.

Ok China, we are waiting. Where are your cars and trucks? Only a few years ago, we would be laughing at what they might send over, but being no dummies, they have held off until they can sell vehicles up to date in design and technology. That day has arrived, along with the US president's tariffs. Might be awhile before this formidable juggernaut shows up here, but they will. Count on it.

And Lynk & Co, with their Volvo offshoots just might lead the charge.

Until next time.........