Currently on the way to Daytona for the day to check out the classic/HSR 24 Hours. We’ll be posting a bit on Instagram and perhaps here as well. In the meantime, this weeks driving tune is a good one to kick off a Fall road trip.
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Photo c/o Vintage Motorsport & HSR -
Automobile design has always toed the line between form, function and the importance of making the bean counters happy. In modern times even the most affordable economy cars are incredibly angular and look to have been drawn up by an eight year old boy. It’s hard to say whether or not the excessive styling really serves a true purpose aerodynamically or if they are simply giving the people what they want. Some of it is quite cool, and some is just overly tongue-in-cheek and borderline offensive.
One need look no further than the Audi RS6 Avant. Surprisingly enough, this car is very controversial among enthusiast but perhaps less so among the average car buyer. While the concept is great, in the words of Liam Gallagher; “not for me, mate”.
As time goes on, car design might be one of the few discernible factors within the industry before long. However, the commonality of over styling has Radwood era enthusiasts looking at even the most dull cars from days gone by much differently.
Less is not always more but it is human nature to lust after something that is harder to attain, or is simply no longer available.
Elsewhere, the new Alpine LMDH effort might be my favorite one yet. I recently caught some footage of it testing for it’s debut 2024 season and it strikes me to be as beautiful as the Ferrari and Vanwall while sounding great too. The best sounding modern prototype hands down.
For this week’s driving tune we turn to Torche and their brilliant tune called Kicking. This is just a banger, plain and simple. A good one have on deck for a highway onramp, or on your way to work where then it can act like an extra shot of espresso.
Finally, I was recently criticized for hating everything, especially cars. While that isn’t entirely true that critique was followed up with the question of “which modern cars do you actually like”. I gave it some thought and here’s a short list of what I would consider buying if I had no other choice than to drive something brand new, from 2023.
-Hyundai Kona – easily the best car on the market for the money. Looks like a French Bulldog and presents itself as a useful, WELL STYLED modern crossover.
-Ford EcoSport – less is more. The antiflex is in.
-Ferrari 296 – probably the only modern “supercar” I can get behind. In my mind it carries Dino lineage having ushered a V6 back into the fold. Beautiful little thing too.
VW ID Buzz – while I ache for a slow sub 2 liter petrol version of this to come available, I would still have it any way I can get it. The more base model the better.
-Ford Ranger (any trim)
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Another week in the books. You made it. Salud!
-The big grill BMW’s are growing on me a bit, but only in coupe/cabriolet form.
-Formula 1 is getting more and more campy and annoying. The rock and roll atmosphere is at an all time low. They’d be lucky to have Andretti racing involved. I suppose I miss Bernie?
-The Ferrari 296 GT3 is the prettiest GT3 car ever built.
-The Nissan Juke is a very absurdly designed car and it looks even more strange when viewed at night after a small dose of psilocybin. So I hear anyway…
–Rising Edge had a great feature this week discussing egos in racing. This is something that I feel might become more and more relevant as more and more people experience performance driving for the first time. T.J. speaks about it through his own perspective and his self awareness is admirable. Unfortunately, I do not think that introspective point of view is as common as it needs to be; not in motorsports or the world in general. That can be considered dangerous. Give it a read here
-This week’s bit of Youtube serenity comes from the Motorweek archives and their in period review of an AC Schnitzer E36/318ti. That’s right, only here will you get this much Ti content, and anyone else who claims otherwise is simply plagiarizing.
–Finally, this week’s driving tune fits the season to me. Leaves falling onto the pavement as you carve through the country road, a bit like Steve McQueen in the beginning of “Le Mans”. Perhaps on a coffee run or simply crossing tasks off a list, this song takes me somewhere serene. The intro is perfect. I see it playing through the speakers in my wife’s Tiguan as we drive through the tunnel into the infield at the Daytona 24 Hour. Also, it HAS to be the Norfolk Mix as heard here:
Have a great weekend everyone!
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BMW E36 318ti Impressions
As I understand it, the BMW “Compact” platform preceded the 1 series as a true entry level BMW “economy” car if there could be such a thing. The E36 generation was basically a copy and pasting of an E30 rear and E36 front suspensions chassis wise, powered by a 1.9 litre 4 cylinder engine known as the M44 (very similar to the E30/318is’ M42). Originally sold for under $20k starting in 1995, this was considered a bit of a bargain in its time and I think that is still the case (maybe even more so) today.
I had the pleasure of driving one around Fort Lauderdale recently and it even made our overly trafficked, poorly paved city feel like a British short track. The chassis really is the best of both the E30 and E36 and it comes together well to offer a pure driving experience. It’s a bit Mk1-3 Golf GTI but with all of the added fun of rear wheel drive. As hard as I tried, I do not think I could get into an ounce of trouble aside from my undying urge to get it on its 2 side wheels mid corner. It’s the little engine that could. In a world where the N/A straight 6 BMW’s get most of the love, a free revving M44 is a welcomed alternative. The best part being that you could actually have fun with it below 50 mph all day long.
This week’s bit of Youtube serenity comes from user Andy Kitson who captured a June of 1991 tire test at Silverstone. Unfortunately, the video is not “shareable” so you will have to click on the preceding link to play it.
This is another top tier period correct video in my opinion. Not just for the content but for how the sound and footage is so wonderfully preserved and/or restored. I could go on forever about it all, but in this case it’s best just to see for yourself.
Finally, this week’s driving tune presents itself as more of a perceived dream sequence. “See Saw” by Jamie XX puts me in an early 2000’s Top Gear episode, where footage of Jeremy Clarkson on a rainy road trip drips into a wonderful montage of the machinery he is driving whilst he narrates along. I find myself entranced by the vibe. A good driving tune is one that can make any car you are driving and wherever you might be driving it seem cool. This one checks those boxes for me.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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The Aston Martin LMDH/Hypercar program launch is what we’ve all been waiting for and what really matters will be underneath the bonnet. They will be running the naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 derived from the Valkyrie “road” car, which will undoubtedly rev to at least 10k+ RPM’s. That’s a sentence out of a 1989 Road and Track write up. While all of the new Hyper/LMDH cars sure as hell look the part, most of the sounds have been understandably docile. AMR is making the dream come true. Have a listen:
The car market is frustrating. Websites like Bring a Trailer have caused all modern petrolheads to abuse their dopamine systems and we’re living in a time of constant flex and criticism. My advice for those who want to stay excited and enthused about cars is to limit that shit as much as you can. Consider endless auction and never ending day dreams to be somewhat toxic. I recently have been a lot more careful about over consuming cheap automotive thrills via blue lit screens and have become much more appreciative of so much more. These things are designed to hook us in and always leave us wanting more and I think if we can control the dosage we can protect our precious reward systems and boyish enthusiasm. This could obviously apply to many aspects of modern life, and the love for cars is no different. After all, the mystery and the chase is the best part!
The following here might take the cake as the best in period Group B video on the internet. The reporter smoking while she conducts interviews. Marku Alen speaking fluent Italian and having all of the control arms on his car especially labeled with his last name. So much more all in great high quality restored footage. 10/10, must watch:
Finally, our weekly musing column would not be complete without a driving song recommendation. I’ve got a lot to give here but for today I have to kick it off with one that never seems to get old. I will also share the lyrics below because I think that’s an extremely underrated portion of Steve Marriott’s brilliance. Fire this one up as you accelerate onto the on ramp, with an afternoon full of good times ahead. This song brings me to a place where I am a 70’s racing driver on holiday, driving to the coast with my old lady’s arm ’round me as I drive and my dog taking in the summer breeze in the backseat.
The Stones inspired harmonies are brilliant. Enjoy and remember, “The best way to success is a proud, fierce woman and a jar of whiskey”
Well Shakey Jack is 103
Still strong as Hickory
Swigs of mountain dew was his release
I know his only fear was country vulgar cold and clear
Throughout the day he’d booze and keep the peace
He knows the best way to success
Is a proud fierce woman and a jar of whiskey
Someway however you can
It’s all right by me
Well I’d stake my claim but my mule got lame
How lucky can a poor boy be
Don’t you know that some bum
Stole my pig pet
Don’t ask me how he gets in this fix
But I’d sure like to play some licksy game
‘Cause I earn my pay and park it all on me
There’s my brown dog barking
There’s my landlord humming
Soh! Yerr! Someway whatever you name
Its all right by me
Well I’d cut my corn
But my blade got torn
How lucky can a poor boy be
Soh! Yer! Someway whatever you name
It’s all right by me
Well I’d cut my corn
How lucky can a poor boy beHave a great weekend everyone!
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People’s opinions on what a car “sounds” like are subjective and impartial all at once. We as petrolheads and racing fans seem to agree on many aspects of this, though there are some areas that are very controversial and highly debated. For example, I am of the camp who actually enjoys the way modern F1 cars sound, not because they sound “good” per se, but because they sound interesting. I think that (as an example) is a sound that will eventually age itself into sounding “good” for a number of reasons. It’s human nature to not appreciate something as it sits before you only to look back on it with fondness later on.
@Belgian Motorsport on Youtube I often wonder what people thought of the first Honda V12 RA271 engine, built for their first F1 car back in 1964. It’s glorious, but it sounded quite different from a lot of other engines of that time, and could be thought of as raucous and offensive just as easily. Much like music; while your old man probably loved the sounds of Jimi Hendrix and Cream, his elders likely thought of it as putrid, unadulterated noise. Fast forward 50 years later and who was “right”?
@Lemans15 on Youtube Elsewhere there are certain engine sounds that are as universally appreciated, more like the Beach Boys Pet Sounds or The Beatles Rubber Soul. The thumping, heart warming sound of a beefy naturally aspirated V8 for example or a screaming F1 V10. These sounds are so universally loved that they are still artificially piped into car adverts and promotional racing videos of cars FAR removed from anything even remotely resembling those cars of days gone by.
Furthermore, what constitutes a “noise” that isn’t manufactured or fake? We have seen many examples of an engine which can sound incredibly different based on its exhaust tuning/setup, yet many enthusiasts get offended by “fake” exhaust noise piped into a cabin in an attempt to enhance the driving experience. Isn’t a titanium, carefully measured $10k exhaust system pulling the same parlor trick? I for one do not mind being fooled, even if it is a high quality .wav file being shoved into my ears, so long as it doesn’t sound cheap. Eric Clapton’s guitar solo on Sunshine of your Love is equally appreciated by me whether on vinyl or playing out of a tired old mobile phone speaker. Jayne Mansfield is just as beautiful on google images as she was 35mm black and white.
@blue9ty on Youtube I appreciate the effort to please my ears and honor that well above settling for organic electrical whining and/or the never ending quest for automotive silence. If that’s your thing, then fantastic, and it should be available to you. But I do hope we can all be open minded enough to not completely deprive ourselves of unique and different sounds, as to me that is a huge part of a car’s personality and one of the main reasons my love for them never grows old.
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The 124 Sports Coupe represents a “car” in its purest form. It is a car which in the words of Liam Gallagher “does what exactly it says on the tin”.
It’s the Michael Arteta of cars, so perfect and proportionate it that it almost doesn’t look real. It seems so familiar yet unique at the same time. You prolly have seen a handful in the background of beautiful films, which is where it lives in my brain. Or perhaps parked beside a race track or hill climb stage, with stunning men and women in stellar shades onlooking; girls in bikini tops patiently waiting for the day’s detour to end so they can get back to the coast.
It’s a car for the everyman of a forgotten time and place, where driving and car ownership was not assumed, rather a valued privilege.
Inside there is nothing not-Italian about it; Veglia gauges and Magneti Marelli components fill your field of view. This car has a truly memorable essence. It’s no wonder the bulldog rally winning 131 was akin to this underrated machine, and no wonder the cabriolet/spider version was so popular. Unfortunately, many of these have been given back to earth citing natural causes but for the ones that have lasted, a hat tip is in order.
I had mine less than a year, but there was never a dull moment. Though rusty and badly painted white, everything worked. I took it on road trips and once drove it through a tropical storm to visit relatives and all it did was bond me closer to it. Some can still be had at a relative bargain and if you can place yourself in the right frame of mind for it, there might not be a more suitable all around classic coupe, if for nothing else than the way it can make you feel.
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The BMW/E91 touring strikes me with its refinement and an essence of high class. It reminds me of a car that my highly refined high school girlfriends’ dad would own. He’d keep it clean and bone stock and honor every service needed. He’d play all kinds of music in it from Miles Davis to Brahms to Humble Pie to Motorhead. It would smell of Dunhill Icon and sometimes, he might leave his ski bags on the roof into Monday afternoon or even Tuesday morning. The modern BMW gongs greet you when you push the ignition and the iconic, traditional fonts on the dash cluster glow in amber reminding you that you are home, and even if you aren’t, then you are in the machine that will lovingly take you there.
The drive is pleasant, the engine smooth as can be. The 4-wheel drive system is capable and part of the car’s humble appeal. For the man who maybe had one too many cars, this is the detox which will still get you high on life and petrol, a car you can truly be proud to own.
It’s beautiful without drawing you in by seduction but rather, it is understated and played down. It is a car for any situation. A parts hauler for the industrialist. A glowing camper for the outdoorsman. A respected car at any meeting of enthusiasts, be it a breakfast club or world renowned motor race. You fancy driving it early in the morning with the fog lights cutting a hole through the smokey dawn; a hot coffee steaming in its convenient cup holder; aromatic and full of life. Whether you’re off to the gym or getting a head start on a beautiful weekend in nature, this car suits the moods just the same.
There will be others but this one will not be replaced. You have learned from your transgressions and know when to hold onto something such as this.
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No form of racing is easy. Not ovals, not GT’s, not electric karts. Every form of motorsport should be respected for the unique and rare set of skills and reflexes it takes to perform and the sizable bollocks it takes just to get out there and trust a machine and other similar minded competitors NOT to kill you. That being said, I must truly attest my deep feelings of yearning to state that I cannot understand why Rally is by the far the LEAST popular form of motorsports in existence, when it should absolutely be the opposite.
Rally culture runs deep. Those who know, know. It’s more than just man and machine tackling public roads, forests, snow and terrain. It’s a lifestyle much like skateboarding or surfing is. It connects motorsports and Mother Nature in a beautiful way. It’s more an art than a sport, while its competitive elements and atmosphere are as intense as any sport, if not more so.
It’s also the most relatable. We as people rally every day. Some are drivers, others co-drivers. We all have at least one stage within our daily travels.
Rally cars are ACTUALLY linked to road cars. Common road cars. Affordable road cars.
Rally is relevant. Perhaps the MOST relevant form of motorsports with a unique and interesting history of people who got lost for fun.
Watching a rally is not easy. It takes effort. Whether live or via stream, it’s hard to follow but it’s accidentally beautiful when one tries.
Enough of me rambling on, find out for yourself. Watch the montages. Watch a Friday’s worth of stages from Finland or Greece. Watch the behind the scenes coverage from the service parks. If you have an ounce of petrolhead within you, you will surely be mesmerized.
The Motor Law 