Hard year’s drive 2007 Part 3

Continuing the account of the cars I drove in 2007. This time it is out with the old and in with the (slightly) new(er).



When I drove the MG Midget I struggled initially to get to grips with a manual transmission. Those skills have lately been refreshed as my old Citroën BX19TRS auto was replaced by a Citroën BX14TE St Tropez. The new car has proved to be full of surprising contradictions. The BX14 doesn't have the central locking, powered windows, electric sun roof or even power-assisted steering of the old car but the seat fabric and dashboard plastics seem much better quality. It looks a lot smarter inside and more modern. With the smaller engine I expected it to be much slower but more economical; subjectively it does not feel slower and my economy checks suggest that the BX14 is only 2mpg more economical than the BX19 - I expected more. Despite an unexpected and nearly catastrophic failure of a hydraulic pipe early in my ownership the new car is proving to be just as endearing as the old one.

To be continued ...

Hard year’s drive 2007 Part 2

It was going to be an epic post to review all the cars I drove in 2007. For a blog format this didn't seem appropriate so I decised to break it down into several installments. Last time I looked at a couple of Vauxhalls. This time it is an unlikely pairing of Skoda and MG.



The Skoda Roomster 1.4 was actually the first new car of the year. I wanted to like it; I admired the unconventional styling (particularly in the vivid blue paint of the test car) and the refreshingly colourful interior. Neither of those things could really be enjoyed while I was driving. What sparked my frustration was the way the door pillars blocked the view – a common problem with new cars. After that I noticed that there was more noise that I expected - at speed the engine felt as though it was revving its head off. On uneven roads the Roomster bobbed around as though the suspension couldn't cope. It should be said, however, that neither the ride nor the noise levels were any worse than in the Corsa.

The Skoda’s problem was that it was too tall, a criticism that couldn’t be levelled at the most entertaining car of the year; a 1972 MG Midget. Something so simple and even downright crude in places surely has no right to be such fun but it was refreshing to be able to look under a bonnet and be able to identify all the components within. It was great to have something so straightforward that I could fix it (or help to fix it) in someone’s back garden with about 3 tools. On the road it was sheer delight, for one accustomed to automatics getting used to the short-travel clutch was difficult. But the clutch pedal was an object lesson for all to copy – why does a clutch need more than an inch or two of movement? The gear lever was a delightful, mechanical, flick-switch affair; the engine was coarse but very charming; the brakes needed a big push (no servo?). The steering was pure delight, light and direct. Driving the Midget required skill and understanding but there was no substitute for the pleasure gained from getting it right.


To be continued ...

Hard year’s drive 2007 Part 1.

The old is good not just because it's past,
nor is the new supreme because we live with it,


The words of Paul Hindemith echoed in my mind when I began considering the cars and van that I drove in 2007. Those cars that were new models were at best disappointing and at worst inferior to an equivalent car from ten years ago. It was the older models – not just old cars but new cars that have been in production for years – that proved far more satisfying.



I was appalled by the Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 twinport, which I hired early in the year. It was slow, noisy, bouncy and erratic in its steering. As a car for pottering round town the Corsa might just be acceptable but it was hopelessly out of its depth on the open road and far to noisy on the motorway. The most frustrating thing was the way it positively defied my attempts to drive it well – only feeling right when driven thoughtlessly or even badly. Where did Vauxhall go wrong? A 1994 Astra Swing, borrowed while my car was being repaired, was a much better car. The dampers felt worn out and the interior was a bit grimy but I came away impressed. Comfort, driving position, visibility, performance and economy were all better than in the Corsa. I even found myself admiring certain details, particularly the way the doors sealed and the side windows that were practically flush with the frames.


To be continued...

Well, it was fun while it lasted

About the only thing that made every Tuesday for the last 4 years remotely worthwhile was The Independent’s motoring section. There was always something interesting to read, whether it was motor show coverage, celebrating unusual classics (who else would do a feature on the SEAT 600?) or the weekly cycling column. Sadly the motoring section is no more, which is a bit of a blow for me as I was hoping to write a few more pieces for it. All I can hope is that while this door has closed (for now) another will open.

Interesting goings on at Mazda

Today at the NAIAS (North American International Auto Show), in Detroit, Mazda pulled the covers off a new rotary-engined design study and an updated version of the Mazda RX8. The Furai concept car is intended to celebrate 40-years of Mazda’s rotary-engined sports cars (going back to the 1967 Cosmo) and Mazda’s motor sport heritage.



The Furai is not intended to race, although it has the chassis of a Courage racing car, nor will it go into production – even as a limited run supercar. What it does do is provide a suitable canvas on which Mazda’s designers created interesting shapes and unusual proportions. Some of the visual themes in the Furai will end up – toned down for production – on Mazdas people can buy. Technologically it makes a nod towards future possibilities; it has a 3-rotor Wankel rotary engine which is tuned to run on E100 bio-ethanol.



The updated RX8 has redesigned bumpers, including new headlamps and LED tail lamps. The dashboard is revised. Under the skin the body has been braced to improve rigidity, the rear suspension geometry has been altered to improve handling. The gearing has been lowered to improve acceleration. It seems like quite a modest series of updates for a model that is (I think) nearly 5-years old.

That’s annoying: missed the chance to see Xtrak

Transmission experts Xtrak are showing its wares at the Autosport International Engineering Show. As well as conventional racing transmissions Xtrak will be showing the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) based around the Torotrak variator. What a wonderful opportunity it would have been to study the system and maybe ask some intelligent questions and possibly even report back here with my findings.



The problem is that the engineering show is on 10th and 11th January (according to Xtrak’s press release) and my work commitments mean I won’t be able to go along. If you would like to go; the engineering show runs from 10-11 January at the NEC, where the company will be exhibiting in Hall 19 on stand number E1038.

Blast from the Past 2 – Tatra

Not to be confused with the Indian company in the news as a potential new owner for Jaguar, Tatra is a Czech manufacturer of lorries and cars (although I thought it had gone out of business). Certain features have become synonymous with the Tatra name - particularly air-cooled engines (as far as I know Tatra make the only air-cooled V8 in the world); chassis based round a central tubular “spine”; and independent suspension by swinging half axles. Surely there was no way that such quirks could survive in our conformist world.



Apparently they can; Tatra are supplying the British firm, Bowler with a prototype T5 class transporter for the famous Paris-Dakar rally-raid. The transporter will act as a support vehicle for the Bowler team and will enable Tatra to investigate the market for factory-built international rally-raid and rally assistance FIA category T4 and T5 vehicles. The press release makes a point of mentioning the truck’s fully independent swing-axle suspension (surely the only vehicle on sale anywhere with swing axles), rigid central tube frame and air-cooled 442bhp V8 diesel.