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| Aviva - or rather, a Vauxhall Viva |
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Norwich Union has changed its name. The TV commercial announcing the decision includes a host of celebrities who no longer go by their birth names: Ringo Starr, Alice Cooper and Bruce Willis (among others) tell us that a change of name can be ‘a chance to show the world who you’ve always wanted to be’.
Here’s a picture of who Norwich Union always wanted to be.
Happy New Year.
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| Sarah Bennett-Baggs and James Martin with his Maserati A6GCS and a GranTurismo for good measure |
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I found myself taking a huge dislike to James Martin last night as I watched his exploits on the BBC programme The Real Italian Job: James Martin’s Mille Miglia. I’d previously seen him as the quite likeable host of Saturday Kitchen, but I thought he came across as a bit of a w&nker as he prepared to embark upon the classic Italian rally in a beautiful 1948 Maserati A6GCS which he bought for around £650,000 of his own money (apparently more than he’d spent on his house). Another £300,000 or so went into an engine rebuild before the car was ready for the off and then, having picked out a wardrobe featuring three pairs of driving shoes, he and his attractive blonde co-driver, Sarah Bennett-Baggs, set off from Brescia as his model girlfriend, cum official photographer, looked on.
So of course, I almost wet myself when the old Maser’s engine gave up before he’d even made it to the first stop at Ferrara, but then it dawned on me that perhaps James Martin wasn’t a t*sser at all. He was actually just a guy having a go at ‘living the dream’. I believe he’s pretty much a self-made man, so he’s earned the money that he spent on the classic Maserati - and then some. He can return home to his fantasy garage to lick his wounds (after he’s beaten the cr&p out of the guy who carried out the engine rebuild) and console himself in the arms of his gorgeous girlfriend and behind the wheel of his more modern and more reliable Maserati GranTurismo.
So as the programme drew to a close, I had to admit that I must have been overcome by the green-eyed monster. Well done James, for giving it a go. I’d love to have a crack at the Mille Miglia myself someday, but if I never get the opportunity, I’ll happily ride along with you vicariously, if you’ll give it another try.
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Creating an automotive design icon is quite a challenge. If it were an easy thing to do, I’m sure every car maker would have one. But of course it isn’t and therefore they haven’t. All the more surprising then that a major manufacturer like Ford should stick a dagger through the heart of its little Ford Ka - which stood every chance of achieving (some would argue it already had) cult iconic status.
Let’s look at the evidence. What are the basic ingredients that make up an automotive icon? First and foremost: individual and distinctive design. The original Ka had this in spades. Its charming, cheeky-chappie styling was like nothing else around. Ford designers themselves must have been pretty chuffed with themselves as they even used the Ka’s shape to define the K-A logo.
Next add a generous helping of character. Aside from the Ka’s cute and stylish looks, it was a hoot to drive. It arrived at a time when Ford’s engineers had really hit a sweet spot in tuning their chassis. Witness the Fiesta, Puma and the 1st generation Focus which followed soon after.
The toughest part of the equation is longevity. A true icon has got to stand the test of time and outlast all of its rivals. The Ka lasted 12 years without a major facelift, and in recent times, this is exceptional. OK, I know there was the StreetKa version and then the SportKa but, to me, these merely served to prove the validity of the original concept.
Ford had two choices on how to proceed. Either acknowledge that the Ka was something special and apply subtle changes (Kinetic dialect?) to update the design while still retaining the essence of the original (see Audi TT) or deny the baby Ford’s status, stick rigidly to the Kinetic design language and end up with the bizarre compressed Fiesta cum Corsa that is the all-new Ka. I think the former option could have resulted in a car that could almost match the appeal of the Fiat 500 that shares its platform.
Still, Ford is not alone in treading this disappointing path. Any takers for a charmless Twingo?
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I tend to stick with familiar names when it comes to car rental as I, like many people, expect to receive a certain standard of service by doing so. In late August, I holidayed in Northern Italy with my wife and 2 year-old daughter, booking a Focus-sized car for the two-week stay, with Hertz.
Hertz sent me an email customer satisfaction survey upon my return. See below my feedback, to which I have received no response:
Firstly, the selection of cars was very limited. I was initially offered a smaller car than that I’d booked but I refused it. Eventually I was offered a slightly larger car than I wanted. It had a big dent in the back but I accepted it as there seemed little alternative. The car had no user handbook in the glovebox which made it impossible to locate the bonnet release to top up the washer fluid which was empty. The office was closed when I returned the vehicle so I was unable to discuss this with the Hertz staff.
The worst thing though, was the dismal selection of child seats on offer. They were all grubby and dirty and most were actually damaged. I tried 3 before I found one that was barely acceptable. The Hertz representative, although very polite and friendly, explained that he didn’t know how to install the seat as he never had any children of his own!!! I was astonished by the comment. It seems to suggest that Hertz’s attitude to the safety of its customers is lax, to say the least. Very disappointing indeed. Am considering asking for compensation for the additional cost of the child seat since the service was so poor.
I’d really like to hear from anyone else who’s had similar problems where it comes to the rental of child seats.
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Pressure is mounting on our PM to make another U-turn, but this time (more appropriately) on the issue of the motorist’s hefty tax burden. Fuel costs are spiralling and since the large majority of the price we pay at the pump is duty, it would seem appropriate that the Government lends the motorist a helping hand. Its new road tax plans are going to hit drivers of older cars very hard where it hurts - in the pocket.
The problem is, a second U-turn would seem to add up to a Prime Minister going ’round in circles. Once that happens, it’s surely time for someone to show him the correct exit.
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| Mazda6 handbrake access is awkward - but fair |
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OK, so we’ve gotten used to car makers designing primarily for left-hand drive (LHD) markets and then making revisions to accommodate the conversion for right-hand drive (RHD) markets. We don’t like it, but it makes commercial sense so we can understand the logic.
However, I must admit I’m getting fed up with having to make do with some design features which seem to have been carried over from the LHD version without a single consideration or modification for RHD versions.
Apart from MINI’s ‘Club door’ which encourages you to spill your kids into the traffic rather than onto the pavement, I recently found myself reaching across two occupied cupholders to grasp the handbrake on the new Mazda6 - not good.
I’ve since discovered that in the case of the Mazda6, this detail has been mirrored from the LHD versions - which makes it even more baffling.
In any case MINI is by no means the only culprit so let me know if you’d like to name and shame a few more.
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| Chic and cheerful - the bargain Citroen C2 |
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I am often asked for car buying advice by friends and users of the site.
Today, the conversation turned to a first car for a ‘designer-type’ with a budget of around £2,500. The car needs to be cheap to run and insure, yet not appear so utterly naff as to make the owner an object of ridicule in the company of his friends.
In terms of what’s cool and reasonably sensible, he could do a lot worse than one of his colleagues who’s recently become the proud owner of a Ford Puma. The fact that his friend has just bought one now makes the Puma out of the question so I instead suggested the evergreen Ford Ka, which soldiers on pretty much unchanged until its replacement arrives within the next 12 months or so. An excellent car with a unique style; its ubiquity hasn’t diminished its coolness.
Another car which has just about dropped into the £2.5K price-bracket is the Fiat Panda. Charismatic and practical, this car is a little belter.
Sticking with the practical hatch brigade, but searching for that little extra je ne sais quoi, I would take a long hard look at the Citroen C2. Panache and parsimony go hand in hand with this petite French number.
There’s a nice metallic blue one right now on Auto Trader for £2550. I reckon the private seller would drop a hundred quid or two for a cash buyer.
If you’ve got any tips or suggestions on stylish motoring on a budget, drop me a line.
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| New Lancia Delta is UK-bound at last |
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It was way back in 2002 when we began our campaign to get Lancia back into the UK after what was already a lengthy absence of some 8 or 9 years.
Our campaign took the form of a website quite simply titled Bring Back Lancia, and it celebrated the illustrious history of the great Italian marque that had brought us a series of automotive masterpieces over the years such as the Lambda, the Stratos and, of course, the Delta Integrale.
The website was a labour of love for our design team and included some excellent and engaging content including a Lancia Trumps game featuring historical models and a fun Quiz which sorts out the true cognoscenti from the boys.
Graham Whyte wrote a history of the marque while I put my energy into researching the brand’s then current line-up and key concept cars to try to tap into where its future lay.
A return to right-hand drive markets seemed a logical decision, given that Lancia bosses were forecasting massive increases in volumes over the next 5-10 years, but many poo-pooed our suggestion as folly.
In May 2004, Richard Gadeselli, Chairman and CEO of Fiat UK, very politely told me by email “I can confirm that there are no plans whatsoever to manufacture Lancia vehicles in right hand drive format.”
Was he towing the corporate line? Probably. But no matter - what’s important is that Lancia is coming back to the UK with their new Delta and hopefully it will be good enough to convince buyers so that the marque can lay solid foundations for a prosperous future.
Take a look at the BBL website if you have 5 minutes. It’s a bit of a time capsule as it’s never been updated but a few positive comments could push it up the agenda…
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| Aside from the peanut shaped headlights - Aygo by BYD |
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One of the less glamorous stands at the recent Geneva Show belonged to the Chinese manufacturer, BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams.
It would appear that BYD is convinced that car buyers are dreaming of Toyota Aygos since the small silver ‘F1′ city car tucked away at the back of its stand bore quite a striking resemblance to the Japanese original.
What do you think?
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Whispers of a naming crisis at Volkswagen are doing the rounds. Apparently all the decent range names have gone so they’ve asked Des O’Connor and Carol Vorderman of Channel 4’s Countdown to help them come up with new ones based on anagrams of existing VW cars.
Hence the Routan (from Touran) which has just been launched at the Chicago Show.
Watch out for the forthcoming VW Flog and Loop. I think it’s an outrage….or is that a Touareg?
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