Ask yourself this; “when is a Porsche not a Porsche?” It might seem like a curious question, but the German marque has produced several models over the years that have raised this debate – perhaps none more so than the 914. Why, you may ask. Continue reading “Appraising Stuttgart’s little gems”
Discovering an icon
In 1975, as a 12- year old boy who was crazy about cars, two separate events occurred that stamped the name of Lamborghini indelibly on my consciousness. One was hearing for the first time one of their glorious V-12 engines (in this case in an Espada which I would later own, but that’s another story) drive past the family home, and secondly having my first viewing of the movie “The Italian Job”. The opening scene, with the orange Lamborghini Miura driving through the Alps, signified how far from normal life for most people (myself included) this car was. Continue reading “Discovering an icon”
“A Symphony of moving parts”.
“The exhaust note rising to a crescendo”. “Taking on a deeper, more purposeful note in the upper rev ranges”. This is the staple vocabulary of the motoring journalist driving the latest supercar in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s and beyond, spellbound by the recent assault on his senses for the benefit of his readers. The amount of references made by writers to drives propelled by great engines (whether notably loud or quiet) is endless, as are the appreciations of those lucky enough to experience them first-hand. The same could be said of the comparisons for the music lovers amongst us between a fine engine and an orchestra. So how deep does this parallel go? Very, if the number of musicians who have chosen (funds permitting) to indulge their passion in classic cars is to be believed. Continue reading ““A Symphony of moving parts”.”
Lamborghini – crossing the Rubicon
Ferruccio Lamborghini, and what he started, have sometimes come in for criticism over the years, either through simple jealousy (how dare he threaten the establishment), or because his cars were seen as too self-indulgent. The cars his purpose- built factory at Sant’ Agata gave the world were not perfect, far from it, but I do believe what he and his brilliant young team (Paulo Stanzani, Gian Paolo Dallara and Bob Wallace) achieved can easily be underestimated. Continue reading “Lamborghini – crossing the Rubicon”
From Flat 5 to Flat 12
The music and motors of Miles Davis
To put it simply, Miles Davis is one of the greatest musicians that has ever lived. This is by no means a rash and unsupported statement; it’s an indisputable truth. Continue reading “From Flat 5 to Flat 12”