I'm Back! And I'm Sharing My Thoughts on Turning 30!!!!

First of let me say hi. I know it's been nearly 18 months since I last posted, but I just thought I'd get back into it. Anyways this post is not a melodramatic, "oh shit I'm 30" kinda thing on age, just a bit of a way I've had to realise that we all sometimes need a wake up call and have to admit (yeah more of a confession) that I need to get on with life and this brings me back to my blog. Since I've always written about cars, that's what I'm talking about when I think about my age. Last year, me and the Mrs bought a Mazda RX8. Now it's no supercar, but as a 2+2 coupe, with a great (but complex) engine, it puts a smile on my face everything it beeps to remind me I've hit the redline (yes it beeps when your about to max out the gear)! This car wasn't bought as an impulse and nor was it bought to show off. Actually it was the Mrs who found it (after I showed her how much of a bargain these cars are!) unfortunately I don't drive it everyday, as current fuel prices dictate our wallets and we're unable to enjoy driving nice cars far distances, I drive the boring car to work these days. Anyways that's besides the point, I only mentioned that as the back ground to what I'm talking about. The fact is as sad as it sounds, I'm currently at a cross roads when having to purchase a new car. The underlying question is do I get a sensible car and "act my age" now that I'm 30 or do I get a car based on irrational reasons and be a 30 year old acting like a single 20 year old without responsibilities? The answer is quite simple after thinking about it and writing the post; Get both. The sensible car and the weekend, unpractical fun car. Meanwhile the wife also drives a fun car, along with a few tweaks alongside the way...

Should car makers share the same platforms if they are sister companies???

After just reading that Porsche may share the Audi R8 platform to challenge the Ferrari 458 one thing sprung to mind.

Wrong.

Just because it's easier to borrow parts and share platforms for different models, isn't right in my opinion.

Credit where it's due, both Audi and Porsche are great manufactures in their own right. They've risen through the ranks to be great car makers on their own. So why can't they continue on their own? To me (and I accept Ferrari are one of the best supercar makers, but I'm not a fan) it’s cheating to be better!
Porsche within their own rights make physics-defying cars (I mean, the engines behind the rear axle, seriously, it takes some phenomenal engineering to make that work, and work as good as they have!) Just as Audi have one of the best 4wd system’s known to man. It’s all down to each company concentrating on their areas more than focusing on others.

So why are they doing this? Are they being lazy? Having the option of digging in Audi's parts bin to use what they can? I mean it's not like the Audi Group haven't done this before. Take a look at Lamborghini's 4wd system and its all Audi.

After taking a second to think about it and stepping back to look at things, is this strategic? Is this the group's way of being the world-dominant car manufacturer they want to be? Clearly it is; they want to be number 1 and they'll do it, (strategically, the analysts and people at the top will make it happen!) But does this strategic move show how good of a manufacturer they are? Pushing one manufacturer to be the fore-front in a selected range is absurd. I mean, why push one and not the other? Both Audi and Porsche should be equal as both are capable (ok, Porsche has been doing it longer, but you can’t say Audi hasn’t shown they can do it) of producing a world leading car in the supercar battle (one that usually starts and stays around the shores of Italy.) just like you can’t say that Koenigsegg haven’t produced a car that can do just as well. It’s all relative. There isn’t one company that is the best supercar maker in the world. And that’s because of the people that drive them. One will say x manufacturer is better due to reasons x y and z, whilst someone else will say the same about another. It’s all down to the individual. It’s exactly the same reasons why I would say I’d rather have a Nissan GTR, whilst the wife would say the R8 is the best in the world. It’s all down to preference.

Pushing one company to do things over another is ridiculous.

Sharing platforms or parts is just a cheats way of building cars. Manufacturers should stay seperate and continue to produce their own cars. They started out on their own, so why not continue? is it a strategic move, or is it cutting corners?

To me, its a bit of both.

For a company to strategize how they will "rule the world" isn't right. For me to be the best car manufacturer, it has to stem all the way down to the people at the bottom. The people who go to work proud to be part of a company, the love of it. Part being the key word. But not just a person who Clocks in, does a shift and goes home. This shows in the cars they make.


But this begs to ask another question, is there any of the major manufacturers left who still have a soul and don't care about Global Dominance???

This question, I'll come back to...

The Custom Scene

Last year I commented on how people don't really seem to personalise their cars these days and how it's not about individuality anymore, but more of a brag that "My car does this", and "my car does that" but after checking out SEMA this year I realised it's now a bit of both.

People still customise cars for individual tastes, but I think that nowadays there’s a part of people that makes them want to brag. A kind of “go on, I dare you to look under the hood”

To me it’s a little strange how someone just doesn’t care about a car they are building, but they just go at it to be the best, which is fine, but where’s the “I did it cos I felt like doing it” kind of attitude?

Why are people so quick to want to boast and scream at the top of their lungs about how good their car is? I mean, if you go back to the original days of customising, it was done for the love of one’s car; the pride they took in it and not caring what the next guy did.

Now I’m not saying this is true throughout the tuner world, because there really is the guys out there, that do things for themselves, (if you look at the Japanese car culture with the VIP’s, Bosozoku movements, cars who some might call ugly, but to the owners, its their life and soul represented truly by their cars) no matter what people might think.

These are the guys that I admire. Not for what they have done, but what they truly stand by. Their cars. Now I may not like a modified car I come across, but I won’t knock it either. Its fair play if you build something that YOU love and enjoy on a regular basis.

As with the fashion industry, one’s style of clothing might not be for another, but if the person wearing the clothing feels at their best, then that’s all that matters. It’s exactly the same in the tuner world. You “wear” your car, in a way of it makes you feel good driving, spending hours meticulously working on it, cleaning it, to a vision you call perfection.

So is there still a tuner world that only does things for themselves and doesn’t care about what the world will say?

Yes. And thank god there is.

I'm Back!

After a long time, I am back blogging!

I almost forgot about about tihs blog until last week whilst I was looking over the antics of car makers at SEMA.

I'll also be updating the Dune Concept I started last year, now although much hasnt changed since last year, I have found a guy who can help push the design further and will hopefully be a finished concept design within the next few months!

So I'll be back posting regularly and hope you enjoy the read!

Stepping Out Of The Norm

Recently I was chatting to a friend who was looking at changing his car and it got me thinking about how we always go for the safe option when it comes to buying a new car.

It seems that we have this "Safe Mode" built into us that makes us have to go for a car that either everyone else has, or marques that we're accustomed to.

With the various models out there, we all seem to go one way or another;
We have:
• The German Crowd (BMW's/ VW's/ Mercedes Benz's)
• The British Crowd (Vauxhall's/ Ford's)
• The Japanese Crowd (Nissan's/ Toyota's/ Mazda's)

I almost fell into this trap when considering changing the wife's car. I thought maybe it's best we should change the car for something like an Audi, BMW or something of the sort.

Then I thought again. It's not like we're planning to have kids for a while, or needing a big family car for everyone, so why should we go for the safe option?
So I started looking at other options available and then came to the conclusion that why not get something different? I mean there's only 2 of us and who cares if our car isn't big enough to take anyone else on journey's?
I already own a VW Passat which the parents use and when necessary I use it for either going to family events, going out with friends and family.

That got me thinking. Why do we do it? Is it because we don't like taking risks? Stepping out of the norm? Or is it simply that we don't know much about other cars?

Personally when buying a car I look at ALL the available options out there to suit my needs, but why doesn't everyone else?

I think in the Asian community owning a BMW, Merc, VW or Audi is a status symbol. Owning such a car means your doing well. But doesn't owning a Jap or foreign marque (to the ones mentioned) mean that either? Doesn't it say that your being an individual? I think so.
Never owning a BMW, Merc or Audi and never really wanting to for the simple fact of "following the crowd" due to simply always driving into a car park at a function and seeing the usual cars lined up, all the same, all in the same body-style and range.

Now I'm not saying these cars are rubbish at all. I've had the opportunity to drive all these cars, and they are truely fun to drive, excellent inside and all-round good cars. That's the reason why people buy these cars. But there are so many other, different cars out there!

So why do we continually buy these cars? Is it because we're lazy? Going for the safe, easy option? Or is it ignorance? Is it that people don't know about the other cars, or are scared? Scared to be different? Scared of the unknown?

Personally, I've always been one to go against the grain. Never owned a "Normal" car, and going for something different, I've always liked other cars. With my knowledge in the Motor Industry, when it came to cars, I've always looked in the other direction. So why do so many people in the Motor Industry still go for the safe option?
I just think its the easy option. I mean there isn't too much to check on your VW/Audi/Merc/BMW's, as opposed to the more unique, different cars out there.


I hope this entry makes people think and change their opinion on the cars out there.

Go on, be different, I Dare You!!!

Personalization

Since getting into the modification scene around 10 years ago, it was about big money, big power and personalization.

In recent years I've seen less and less personalization and more about bragging rights.

Being someone who spent the wrong side of £20,000 on my car, for me it was all about what I wanted and what I liked. I never cared for what anyone else said about my car because I frankly didn't care. Friends and family and the people that played their part in my car all had an opinion. "You should do it this way", "this would look better" were comments I heard regularly. But the thing I did was what I would see when stepping back and thinking how to do every single aspect of the car. Don't get me wrong, when doing something I had no understanding about (the electrics for example,) I did listen, but I always made the final decision.

This brings me to my point.

Does anyone build a car for themselves these days or is it all about the bragging rights and what everyone else will think???

I hope it isn't the latter. I understand wanting to have the best, fastest, the notoriety in the car world. I do. It could be just an ego thing.

The reason for this is that to me, personalizing YOUR car should be all about that. YOU. At the end of the day you're the one who has to open the garage, sit inside turn the key and go. It should be about your personality. People should see that car and see you in it.

That's exactly how I did it.

So what happens to the current car builders, and the future car modifiers?

Are they doing it for themselves, for popularity & bragging rights, or worse, not at all due to the recession?

Lets just hope it's not the last one, and more the first one...

The Corporate Nose

In recent years, the uniqueness of cars can to some extent be dull. In the way the cars from marques look similar with only a few differences. Evolutions of the car being made to fit different body styles (hot-hatch, coupe, family car etc.)

Audi, the most famous of the marques, used their "Corporate" Grille and fitted it to every car they make. From the A3 to the R8, the grille is almost the same.

Now I ask, is this what is going to happen and are other marques going to follow suit???

I hope not. Looking around I see that this isn't the case and am glad.

For one simple reason. Designers have imagination. The freedom to build different cars to fit different models. It's the way to do it.

I may sound like a bit of a hypocrite right now, but I do see Audi's point to it. Why they wanted the look on every model. Because they wanted a recognisable almost iconic design.

Although I agree with Audi, I also disagree with keeping the same look on every car.

Have the freedom to design good, different cars. Similar looks can be good, but there is a way of making them look different at the same time...