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...

McLaren MP4-12C

After watching McLaren's media event of the Launch of the MP4-12C on Thursday made me think about the whole Supercar production and Supercar's in general.

The event showcased the technology behind the MP4-12C. With McLaren claiming that all the 1000+ parts in the new car being designed and manufactured for the sole purpose of the 12C, it makes me think about Supercar production in general.

From the production of the Composite Carbon Fibre Structure that is integral to the chassis from which the rest of the car is bolted onto, to how safe the car is after 3 consecutive car crashes.

Don't get me wrong, a Supercar that's been tested in car crashes and still been rigid is good news, but what does bother me is how much detail has been put into the car, and can other Supercar manufacturers afford to spend Millions on R&D???

My concern is that it doesn't seem like this will happen too often in the future.

Just like the Bugatti Veyron, a car that cost £5 million to make, and VW selling the car at a £4 million loss, could this be a rarity?

In the current financial state we're in, and with manufacturer's downsizing, or even closing their doors altogether (most recently, the news of Maybach possibly being written off by parent company Chrysler) are we going to see new Supercar's being built from the ground up?

As with many other manufacturer's borrowing parts from other cars, or just changing some of the internals of a car, and reworking some of the parts, it seems that car's are just evolving and having a few brand new parts.

Bugatti's Veyron, some say was built purely as a Technical Exercise, and therefore the costs spiralling to the £5million mark, wasn't using any parts that had been re-engineered, but built from the ground up. Hence the costs.

But will we see more cars like this?

Although McLaren has the technical know-how and resources (and how they can use F1 technology and application to the real-world!) we have seen many bigger manufacturer's drop models, or stop production of their cars altogether.

My theory is that less and less manufacturers that exist purely to be a Supercar Manufacturer will be able to spend this much time, effort and money on creating car's. Therefore we will see more and more "evolutions" of the Supercar. Rather than the Purpose built, one-off Supercar that we have seen in the MP4-12C and Veyron to name only a few.

Only time will tell what manufacturer's will do. Whether they will allow the R&D and designers the freedom they deserve to push the boundaries of what is capable and what they could achieve without the restriction of money and Board-member's dictating...

Turning Supercar's into "Normal" Cars

Today, just after reading a story that the Bugatti 16C Galibier is to eventually become a reality, my post today is about Supercar Makers turning their flagship models into 4 seaters.

Now, everyone knows that a Supercar (or Hypercar) and a "Normal" car are worlds apart, but can you really blend the two together???

Porsche's Panamera isn't something I call a success of this. I dont see how you (as a manufacturer) can turn from what you know best, to venture into the unknown and build a "family car". Now don't get me wrong, I'm the first to say that its an accomplishment if you can diversify from what you know best and make something different. Its done everyday in other industries and technologies.

But, can you blend the two? Supercar and family car? Returning to the 16C Galibier, I dont think you can. a family car with 700+ bhp? In my opinion, any big family car with more than 500bhp is just pointless and almost a "Mine's bigger than yours" conversation. Are you really going to risk your family's life in a supercar/familycar combined?

Now, I know what I've just said isn't always the case. Not everyone would put pedal to the floor with the kid's in the back. But you get my point.

Can anyone justify spending the wrong side of £150,000 for a family car? Ok, not everyone has that kind of spending money, but unless your rich, you aren't going to buy these cars. And would you justify it? I couldn't. There's already a number of cars that fit the criteria of expensive, lavish and fast.

Going back to the original point. Why? Why would you drop a supercar's engine into a car with 4 seats? It has been done. The Bentley's of the world have already done it, but they were good at making Luxury 4-Seaters then stepped into the supercar club.

With the likes of Rolls Royce, Maybach and Bentley already building 2+ tonne, sub-6 Second cars, is there really any point? The reason why I think these Marques are doing it well, is because they started off as coach builders (ok, we're going back a fair few years, but luxury family cars!) Then came the 150+mph top speeds.

To wrap up this post, I think there isn't the need, nor will it work. You can't achieve a supercar-family car blend and do it successfully. In this instance, the leave it to the guys-who-do-it-best approach would suit.

Jap Sports Cars

Thinking about the Geneva Motor Show and all the sports cars that have been revised, updated and rebodied makes me think about the Jap cars that have not. The greats of the 90's have yet to make a return in new forms.

From the Iconic RX-7, Supra, 200SX, to name a few, the noughties have brought nothing but disappointment. Ok, I maybe contradicting myself by saying that Nissan's GTR and the Lexus LFA are 2 models that have brought the Jap Manufacturers to light (the GTR being a Proper competitor to the Porsche's and M3's of today)(and the Lexus trying to be a supercar.)

But to be honest there isn't much else.

A few months ago I saw a rendering of a new 200SX on a website and it was totally wasted (for those of you who know me, I'm a real fan of the old 200SX's having owned one!) and the conversation that followed between myself and my brother-in-law wasn't exactly positive and one that said we would be looking forward to Nissan creating such a poor attempt at a 21st Century model.

Now many people may say that Nissans 350z and 370z, Mitsubishi's Lancer EVO and Subaru's Impreza are good cars. This I am not dismissing. What I do say is that we dont look towards the Land of the Rising Sun' for cars that you can take and spend a bit of money on and make them your own. The point I'm making is that there is no real modification scene for the Jap Manufacturers. Gone are the days where you would see a highly modified JAP sports car rumble past you with an exhaust note that made you know that it isn't what it sounded like when it left the production line.

So I ask, what is there for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) tuners that destroyed the rulebook with their out-of-this-world, highly modified, borderline street and track legal cars?

In my opinion, there isn't. And won't be until resurrection of the likes of the Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7 and Nissan's 200SX. Bring them back with the same (if not bigger) impact they left when they hit the roads during the 90's.

Do it manufacturers, make some great cars for the public, not cars tagged at prices that could buy you a house! Make some iconic, day-to-day cars that most can enjoy.

Geneva Motor Show

Well as everyone is checking out all the cars at the Geneva Motor Show on all the car sites out there, Im thinking that it's about time that we see some new cars from the Marques across the world!

With every car maker showcasing new cars, new versions, and face-lifted models, whats great to see is that the design factories that are well known for their out-of-the-world models (likes of RUF, Mansory, and Abt to name but a few!) are out in force showing their visions of current models in a different guise.

Now, although they could be the concepts that are mules (all show of their designs but you cant turn the key and go!) some of them, such as the Mansory Rolls Royce Ghost are available to buy. Now, the Ghost' they have tuned (and in my opinion ruined!) is their twist on what they call the ultimate luxury. I mean maybe this is to someones taste, others, a joke. But you cant knock what they do. Not to say that all the cars from concept houses are great, but they are the ones that push the envelope. Take a look at the Bugatti Veyron. The epitome of car, but these design houses dont see the epitome, they see it as a starting point. So this leads me to a simple question:

Should these design houses do this or should they just start from the ground up? Like the rest of the manufacturers have done, or just be the "consultants" being asked for their "opinion" or ideas as to what they thing can, or should be done to make the cars better, or just build the "AMG badged" version of the car as an addition to the lineup???

My answer is simple. Do it. Like modifiers everywhere, they take a car and tune it, change the aerodynamics of the car to make it faster, louder and more bespoke.

Respect is due to these Companies. They're doing a great job.

Porsche Design

About a week ago, I was looking at the design of Porsche and realised that the overall shape of a Porsche hasn't changed in nearly 30 years!

After discussing with a close friend how some people think that the Porsche design is ugly to some (him included!) I thought that there is a potential to change the design of Porsche and make it something new...

Then today while checking the usual car sites, I saw a pic of the new 918 Spyder (Pictured) and how Porsche has done what I was thinking! Re-vamped the overall look! You could say that they've started from the ground up! And not even "evolved" the design from the current styles we've all been accustomed too from the German Manufacturer!

I think it is a great design and that if Porsche is using some kind of new design-ethos then they should roll with it!

Lets just see if this becomes another concept that stays on the drawing boards or whether the heads at Porsche give it the nod and it goes into production, or if they will just settle for the standard designs we're used too...

Car Depreciation???

Its funny, when people think about used cars, the general thoughts are, that the cars out there are going be cheaper.

Due to the economic decline in purchasing new cars, (ok, some, more expensive cars are still causing waiting cues and one company offering you a queue-jump for around £25,000!) Many of us dont consider a brand new car due to the price drop as soon as you sign on the line. We always think that a new car will be used. After reading an article on the web, I've just found a list of used cars that are worth more now!

Now this is a bit of a shock. What's not a shock though, is the value of the cars! These are not your everyday car, and not really ones we all could afford. But its still nice to know that cars still have some sort of value after the owner has driven it out of the showroom!

Enjoy!

In reverse order:

15. Maybach 57 (2003 onwards) – up £5,900 or 6.5 per cent
14. Maybach 62 (2003 onwards) – up £7,100 or 6.5 per cent
13. Lamborghini Murcielago coupe (2002-2006) – up £6,500 or 9 per cent
12. Aston Martin Vanquish (2001-2007) – up £6,800 or 10 per cent
11. Lamborghini Murcielago roadster (2005-2006) – up £8,400 or 10.5 per cent
10. Ferrari 612 coupe (2004 onwards) – up £7,500 or 13 per cent
9. Aston Martin DB9 convertible (2004 onwards) – up £5,800 or 13.5 per cent
8. Mercedes SL AMG convertible (2002-2008) – up £8,200 or 20 per cent
7. Porsche 911 Carrera 4 coupe (2005-2008) – up £5,700 or 21 per cent
6. Porsche 911 Carrera 4 cabriolet (2005-2008) – up £5,950 or 22 per cent
5. BMW M6 Coupe (2005 onwards) – up £6,350 or 25 per cent
4. Maserati Quattroporte (2004-2009) – up £6,400 or 26 per cent
3. BMW X5 (2004-2006) – up £5,700 or 40 per cent
2. Porsche Cayenne (2003-2006) – up £13,200 or 50 per cent
1. Toyota Land Cruiser (1998-2006) – up £9,000 or 57 per cent

Concept Cars

Its funny, around this time of the year, just as the Worldwide Motor Shows start to kick in, we start seeing more of the "Future Designs" and "Concept Cars" that could possibly, maybe one day hit the streets..

This may sound obvious, a company showcasing what its "vision" of the future maybe...

I dont think this is ever the case, in reality, as a concept car costs so much in production, its only a dream car... One that will never hit the streets, and destined for Museum-only viewing, or to be sat on someone's hard-drive as a Photoshop reject.

Take the latest concept that, if rumours are true, has been rejected by the Board' and will never see the road- the Toyota FT-86. Sketches and Pre-lim drawings have been about since the end of last year, and now (maybe due to the bad rep and dent Toyota have taken due to the millions of recalls!) it maybe just another to fall to the wayside.

My Issue is simple. Why design, and take so many hrs rendering and working on something that will never happen. Its a mere tease, only to be let down due to inflation, the cost to build it and the 6-million other excuses.

Why not take a concept the whole way by starting with a realistic idea? I mean, if I were to design a car, I'd take real-world problems and restrictions and work them into the idea. That way the only reason it wouldnt be built is simple. The Idea Stinks.

Ok, we've seen some crazy concepts that were just a dent on paper when someone was bored, or ideas that have made it into films (Audi- I,Robot, Ford- James Bond) which I dont see as a bad idea, just ways of Marques making extra money and getting more publicity.

But come on guys, do something that will look the same when (or if!) it were to be an addition to the line-up!

X6 DuneConcept

Its been a while since anyone has heard from me about the X6 DuneConcept.

Well, here's a little update.
I've been working on it (On and Off admittedly!) for the past few months with a very close friend. We've throw ideas back and forth and after an initial drawing, we've been looking at how to make it look better, what would be ideal in the real world, (real factors when looking at a concept that could potentially be made real!)

And after more rough sketching and "this doesnt look right" and "yeah, thats what it needs!" We're slowly getting to a stage where we can look at making it into a 3D rendering, or a real concept piece...

I'll update as and when the progress is made, untill then, the only pic that will be seen is the Text Pic I've added to this update!!!

Bugatti Veyron

Ever wondered if you'd made it big (or won the lottery!) and thought about how much it would cost to run a Veyron???

Here's some costs I stumbled on while checking out some car news:

Service: £13k
Tyre Change: £23,500 (Bugatti recommend you change them every 2,500 miles!!!)
Wheel Replacement (inc. Tyres): £50,000 (Bugatti also recommend changing them at 10,000 miles!)

Now, if you ask me, unless the car runs on some-£100/ltr oil, and the filters are made from some high tech, new wave composite materials, £13k for a service is a little too much.. I'm sure it cant be that hard to change the oil and filters yourself??? Can it?!?

ONLY JOKING! I'd only let a supercar grease monkey roll the car up into a very expensive and high tech garage!!!