Polar Star.
Alec Issigonis would be proud of this sporty Mini Superleggera and I would be really glad to get a chance to drive one before they are sold out!
But I would wear a helmet with a tough glass screen to protect my face, should there some a sudden stop and my head would contact with the upper edge of the windscreen! A motorbike helmet with a strong visor would be just what the doctor ordered.
But with that negative note over and forgotten, I think the car is a worthy newcomer in the Mini-line-up.
The first car that came to my mind when I saw the photo of the Superleggera, is the Austin-Healey Sprint. The difference between these two cars is some 40 years of new technology and design. I am especially impressed of the cockpit design, but not having had a chance to feel the materials and sit in the drivers seat, I cannot say how good it is in reality.
Never change a winning game!
When the Ford Mustang first came out 50 years ago it was an immediate success. A tough-looking car, with enough performance to go with the looks. It also was quickly discovered to the movies, i.e. the first Bond-film Goldfinger.
Lee Iacocca is the man who took the Mustang trough from the first sketches to a tough American dream-car.
But most of all it became the dream of almost every young man, both in the USA and Europe. It became the definite leader amongst the car in which you could pick up girls.
BMW finds its roots!
I was absolutely delighted when I looked at photographs of the new BMW I8! First time in many years they have come up with a car that is like a sunrise for old fans of the make. Right now I am looking trough my bank accounts to see if there is even a slight chance to buy one!
If the photos don't try deceiving me, the car seems to have everything tight for a phenomenal sales success! Apart from being really sporty, it seems to be economical as well (in consumption!). Now I'm looking forward to get a test-drive as soon as possible!
PHOTO GALLERY
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Every time we hear about the disappearance of a great name in the car industry it hurts. Of course there is the loss of employment, but for us – so called automobile enthusiasts – it is also a loss of an old friend.
When I read about Bertone going to bankruptcy it hurt, and when I began to go trough all the beautiful cars they had designed and built and of which I have driven almost all, it was like loosing a good friend.
I cannot imagine what will happen to the name Bertone. One just has to hope that Nuccio will find a way to keep the brand-name alive, and not sell it to some Indian or Korean company.
Have you sat next to the proud owner of a brand new premium-class big sedan or sporty coupé? Or a cross-over or an off-roader? The owner might mention, that when he bought the car, he was told that it came with 4000-5000 € worth of extras as a promotional gift. Then he undoubtedly goes on to demonstrate everything he has got “for free”. Most of the new toys or gimmicks are activated with switches and buttons and levers situated in the mid-console, where just ten years ago one would find only a gear-lever, the handbrake and often the levers to open the side windows.
As I walk in different cities I tend to look at cars both moving and parked ones. It is a habit from my first years working with cars, visiting motor-shows and reading motoring magazines.
Lately a funny trend has begun to come up: among the so-called big sedans there is a new trend in the side-view of the cars. Without any distinction between makes, the car’s side profile makes me think that one single designer seems to have influenced the whole industry!
I am talking about the down-sloping roofline at the rear and the almost identical lines of side-windows on many of the cars indicating one single designer and one single source for the windows.
No, I don’t mean there is anything wrong with that view. It is just that you have to walk around the car to identify the make and model. From the side they all look alike.
