Tag: Cars

The Peak Car Discussion

Drive Time

Harry and Jeremy talk about cars in one of the most entertaining videos ever made — and I’m in total agreement with practically everything they say.  (Feel free to watch it before continuing with this post, because it will make things a lot clearer.)

Where I’m intrigued is when the discussion turns to the concept of “peak car”, which I’ve alluded to on several occasions:  that time when new cars came with sufficient horsepower and a sufficient amount of technology which makes driving enjoyable for the average driver.

The two of them reach a sort of agreement on 2015 as the year when cars reached the apogee of performance/technology.

I have a slightly different take.

I think that “peak car” depends on the brand / model.  Here are a few examples to illustrate the point.

Sports cars

1998-2005 Acura/Honda NSX

The car that redefined “sports car” from “that fantastic-looking thing that’s wonderful to drive… when it starts and doesn’t break down all the time”  to “that fantastic-looking thing that’s wonderful to drive — period“.  All the performance anyone could possibly need, used a manual gearbox, and the only technology missing is satnav. [#retrofit, if needed/wanted]
Here’s the thing:  I know that the newer model NSX probably handles a little better than the first incarnation thereof, and is more efficient in terms of fuel consumption, etc. etc.  My question is:  in the hands of an average driver (e.g. myself), would one even notice the difference?  And more to the point:  even allowing for inflation, are all those improvements worth the extra cost of the new car?

1996-20002 Ferrari 550 Maranello

After the 550, Ferraris became too big, too powerful and too full of unnecessary geegaw technology.  And the 550 was the last Ferrari to offer a stick shift.
The newer Ferraris are undoubtedly more powerful, faster, better-handling etc. than the 550.
But here’s the thing about this:  ignoring appearances, we would all know that the 550 is a far better car than, say, a 1960s-era 275 — faster, much better handling, and all that.  But are the newer 2020-era Ferrari models (e.g. the F12) that much better than the 550 as the 550 was to the 275?
I don’t think so;  and the added complexity of actually getting the newer cars to run does not improve the driving experience (See Clarkson and Metcalfe’s take).

Saloon cars

1994 Jaguar XJ40

The last XJ model produced before Ford turned Jaguar into Fords, the 1994 model was Jag’s highest-quality saloon car, which is why they still command a premium on the resto market.  The 1994 model featured a V-12 engine, and its Daimler counterpart was wonderfully named the “Double Six”.  I would humbly suggest that the XJ40 was Peak Jaguar.  Sumptuous ride and as much power as anyone would need in a family car, it was Jag’s answer to Mercedes and BMW.  And speaking of Mercedes…

1980 Mercedes 450 SE (W116)

I would also suggest that the 4.5-liter V8-powered 450 SE was Peak Mercedes (among their luxury saloons, that is).  The hydro-pneumatic suspension made an already-comfortable ride an exquisite one (matched only by the similarly-suspensioned Citroën), and the engine provided all the power that this heavy best needed to get up there.  And given that the W116 also featured rack-and-pinion steering (a new feature for Mercedes, amazingly), the 450 SE was streets better than its Mercedes predecessors and the equal of any of its competitors.  Sure, the modern S-series Mercs are excellent vehicles — but at a price that is more than two-thirds higher than the 450, and whose capabilities are nowhere near 1.66x better.  (And we shall not speak of the 450SEL “6.9” with its 6.8-liter engine which demolished any other saloon car of the time and could outperform most sports cars withal.  But they made fewer than 8,000 of them.  And yes, I’d take one today, in a millisecond.  The 6.9 would definitely compare quite favorably to the modern S500 series.)

Harking back to the Clarkson/Metcalfe video for a moment:  Clarkson reckons that the original BMW M2 is far better — in terms of driving experience — than the newer M2 model, because the newer ones have just too much electronic crap which take away from the fun of it.

Most tellingly, neither Jeremy nor Harry are interested in buying a new model car of any brand or make (like me).  Now I know that they’re a pair of old farts (also like me), but there’s no discounting their love of performance cars and their profound knowledge thereof (unlike me).

All three of us — and I suspect, a great many others — would quite happily take one of the “peak” cars over the latest model from that stable, especially at the prices of yesteryear.

So… which do you think represents “peak car” among your favorite car manufacturers?

Security

Drive Time, Old Fartism

I have often — and it must be said, not unreasonably — been accused of being an old stick-in-the-mud who too often prefers the old days and old ways to much of modern life.  Here’s an example.

Back when I first lived in the Chicago suburbs (circa 1987-92), I drove an ancient 1970s Subaru GL like this one (only in nowhere near as good condition):

I don’t remember exactly how many miles it had been driven before I got it, but I suspect it was around the upper-120,000 mark.  This car had the advantages of a) being fully paid-off and b) having astonishingly-frugal gas consumption.

Reliability was likewise excellent, in no small part due to its regular maintenance at the hands of Dave, the cheerful owner of Eurocar Services in Des Plaines.  It was Dave who would call me to explain yet again how this or that part was starting to fail, always mentioning how long I could continue to drive it before it actually did, how much it would cost to fix it, and his recommendation as to when I would have absolutely no choice but to do so.  (He also taught me how to “cheat” my way past the strict Illinois emissions test, because there was no way it would have passed without said cheating.)

In this way, I managed to drive the “Scoobydoo” (his affectionate name for it) for about four more years before finally having to get rid of the thing;  because when your clothes start to smell of exhaust smoke when you get out of your car, it’s usually a sign from God or whoever that The Time Has Come.

I should point out that while Dave owned a computer diagnostic machine for the newer cars which could accommodate it, he was just as happy to work on ancient cars like mine that didn’t.

The above memory was triggered by this little story:

More than a million Range Rover and Jaguar drivers could face huge delays in getting their motors repaired after a devastating cyber-attack crippled Jaguar Land Rover.

The British car manufacturer has become the latest big-named firm to have been hit by hackers.

Bosses at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) were forced to scramble on Sunday, hastily shutting down global computer systems to protect sensitive information.

Efforts are still ongoing to reboot the company’s stricken systems, with the fallout effectively paralysing dealerships and garages, which can no longer order new parts from JLR.

Mechanics across the Indian-owned firm’s franchised dealership network rely on JLR’s diagnostic tech to identify faults and electronic catalogues to order replacement parts.

However, with these systems still crippled, it means owners of vehicles like the Range Rover, Discover and Defender models, as well as Jaguar sports cars, that need to be repaired are now stuck in limbo. 

JLR has insisted it is working to resolve the issue but warned its retail and production activities have been ‘severely disrupted’. 

It is unclear how long it will take the car builder to restore its IT network.

This would never have happened to my friend Dave, because of course he used to order parts by phone from a local supplier, or (as happened more than once) actually driving over himself to a supplier or junkyard to get what he needed.

Was it as efficient as the process is today?  Of course not.  Was it as vulnerable to outside interference as today’s techno-dependent process?  Also not.

Here’s my take.  If it were possible, I’d drive a 1974 Subaru GL (assume new or low-mileage secondhand) today long before I’d drive a JLR product of any variant — not the least because if your driving needs are relatively modest (as are mine), you can get by very well indeed without all that modernistic, expensive and vulnerable bollocks.

As long as there was a Dave around to maintain it.  And I know that Dave is a vanishing breed;  but I also know that he’s not extinct, and never will be — because there will always be some guys who take pleasure in tinkering with mechanical stuff, and gawd love them for it.

Okay, there are a couple of Jaguar (not “JLR”) cars I’d be equally happy to drive, but they would require a winning lottery ticket.

…and nary a computer chip to be found anywhere in them.  For these cars, there will always be a Dave.

Appropriate Conveyance

Beauty, Drive Time

…and if you’re looking for a decent way to get to shoot birds with that Holland shotgun at Lord Herbert Hardly-Breething’s estate, what better way to get there than in this magnificent creature:

 

7.4 liters of rumbling reliability, after one hundred years of service… and yeah, I know there are no seatbelts.  It was a better time, when cars looked wonderful and men died like men.

So Much For That Stereotype

Drive Time, Technology

My buddy (whom I’ll call “Brian” because, well, that’s his name) was once married to a gorgeous but rather empty-headed girl named Irene (also her real name).  Over the course of his twenty-odd year marriage, he would unfailingly buy her a new Honda Accord every two years or so.  When I asked Brian why always an Accord, his answer was quite succinct:

“Because not even Irene can fuck up a Honda.”

Well, that may have been true back then, but apparently it’s not so true anymore:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into more than 1.4 million Honda and Acura vehicles over defective connecting rod bearings that can cause complete engine failure. The probe targets 3.5-liter V6 engines in popular models including the Honda Pilot, Odyssey, and Ridgeline, along with several Acura vehicles.

The investigation underscores growing safety concerns about widespread engine problems that could leave drivers stranded or create hazardous situations on busy roadways.

Federal regulators opened the probe on August 20. They are focusing on the J35 V6 engine used across multiple Honda and Acura model lines. The investigation covers 2016–2020 Acura MDX vehicles, 2018–2020 Acura TLX models, 2018–2020 Honda Odyssey minivans, 2016–2020 Honda Pilot SUVs, and 2017–2019 Honda Ridgeline pickup trucks.

NHTSA has received at least 414 complaints involving engine failure tied to the defective connecting rod bearings.

Oops.

Strange that this problem should surface in their V6 engines;  I always thought they’d be bulletproof compared to the smaller 2-liter 4-bangers, but there ya go.

Readers thinking of buy a new-model Honda with said engine:  caveat emptor.

Impressive

Drive Time

So some guy decides to take a drive in his old car.

The drive happens to be from Rhode Island to California, the guy is famed car collector Fritz Burkhard, and his old car is a 1937 Bugatti Atalanta:

…worth about $30 million.

I like his attitude:

“If people just park their cars to show them and keep them in the garage they miss 70-80 percent of the fun. 

“They don’t know what that is. These are machines to be driven. They are pieces of art, but you don’t tack them on the wall.”

There is no mention of how his insurance agent felt about it.

Of Course, It Would Be

Corporate Fuckery, Drive Time

…Volkswagen, who are taking that extra step towards eventual self-immolation:

Auto Express reports that German automaker Volkswagen has introduced a subscription-based model for unlocking the full potential of its ID.3 electric car, a new model available in the UK. While the ID.3 Pro and Pro S models are listed on the configurator as producing 201 horsepower, buyers must pay a monthly subscription fee of £16.50 ($22.29) to access the car’s maximum output of 228 horsepower.

Considering that sales of the ID.3 outside Yurp can probably be measured in single figures per month, nobody Over Here should care about this.  (And if this lawsuit succeeds, well…)

But in this case of bastardy, it’s very definitely the principle of the thing that matters.

Fuck them, and the batteries that power their accountants’ laptops.

Gotta say that it’s this kind of chiseling that makes me want one of these oh so badly:

Anything without a chip or batteries will do, come to think of it.  Even a replica with a (non-electric carburetor-fed) VW Beetle engine.