The forgotten one

On October 4, 2026October 3, 2026 By ChristofferIn News, The Dream Garage, The Thrill of OwningLeave a comment

I read a headline the other week claiming, in bright colours and with exclamation marks, that Jaguar’s production had fallen 97% year on year. The number is certainly interesting, given as those of us who follow the car news know, that Jaguar officially seized production of all current models last year. It’s thus rather surprising it isn’t 100% yet.

It’s now almost two years since I wrote a post called “Fat cats and tweed jackets”, going into why Jaguar probably needed a rebranding, but that embarking on one centered on EV’s only, when everyone and their mother was trying to pedal back from similar promises, was perhaps not the right way to go, and certainly not the right time for it.

At the time we were promised that the re-launch of Jaguar, now with a small “j” and a spectacular new, luxury EV to go with it, would be in 2026. And at least according to what’s been promised, Jaguar, sorry jaguar, will indeed reveal their super-EV next week. That would be good because for now, all we’ve seen of it is a masked version that a motor journalist (I’ve forgotten which one) was allowed a short drive in on a closed-off circuit.

*Remember these jolly chaps? Neither tweed nor gender as far as the eye can see…*

Jaguar will eventually get their EV out there, but I think we can safely conclude that the brand has seen better days. Therefore, in line with the theme of the last weeks that could be summarized as “absurd value for little money”, today we’ll talk about a Jag that is almost forgotten, but falls precisely in that category. That, my friends, is the S-Type R from a couple of decades ago.

The modern S-Type was produced from 1999-2007 and its name was obviously taken from the original 60’s S-Type, a four-door sedan positioned as an upmarket alternative to the more well-known MK II. The new S-Type was developed under Ford’s ownership of Jaguar and sat in the middle of the line-up, above the X-Type, launched a couple of years later and a car that was a bit too much Ford for the badge, and the XJ luxury sedan.

At 4.86 metres long, 1.8 metres wide and a weight of 1.8 tons, The S-Type offered enough room for four without being the most spacious in the category. It competed with the Merc E-Class and BMW’s 5-series, no doubt going for the individualist who wanted something with a different brand and feel – and a more old school look.

*The Type R is a good-looking car in a classic sense. Not sure about the headlights though.*

Looking at the styling today, I guess you could say it’s aged well, but that’s no doubt also because of the retro-lines in the first place. It’s a bit binary, really. Either you like it, or you just find the whole car too old school. The S-Type is obviously very reminiscent of the original 60’s car, which to the typical Jag buyer who tends to be a bit old school, is probably not a bad thing.

The V8 version of the S-Type was available from the start and the well-known engine was increased from 4 to 4.2 litres after the first to production years. And then, from 2003, it was offered in a supercharged version producing 400 hp, called the S-Type R. It’s of course the one you want to find today, because it has some perks that make it quite a unique proposition.

The Type R is easily distinguished from the regular S-Type as it’s largely de-chromed. Window and grille surrounds are black, as is the re-styled grille itself. R badges are visible on the sides and on the rear, and the R rides on specific, 18-inch wheels. it looks cool and far more purposeful than the standard car.

*A nice and quite cosy interior. the center console is not Jag-worthy.*

As standard, the interior has a metal look rather than the wood panel inserts that other S-types would have, but is otherwise pretty identical. This means it’s fine, relatively cosy, but with quite a few switches and controls coming directly from the Ford line-up. The center console is in this respect perhaps the worst part of the whole car. On the whole though, it’s in line with other cars of similar age.

Purposeful is perhaps not the right word to describe the driving experience. Jaguar knew that the old school driver described above would probably not even consider an AMG E55 or a BMW M5, and even though it was popular to call the S-Type R the other M5 or the AMG killer, that’s not really what Jaguar went for. The philosophy of putting comfort first hadn’t changed, and throwing the Type R (or any other Jag for that matter) around corners in an unworthy way never made the list of requirements.

The Type R is thus not an M5 alternative if you look for supreme cornering ability or track laps. If however you see a big engine as mostly useful for longer motorway trips, then the Type R is your car. The comfort is supreme, the steering is sharp enough, and the acceleration is massive, accompanied by the hissing, supercharger sound. What it doesn’t do is constantly push you, like an E55 or even more, an M5 would. In that sense, a Type R is a rather pleasant, understated experience.

*Two pipes and a badge – those who know, they know!*

If you’re to believe various reports, it’s also a largely problem-free car, which goes for the V8 as well. the 4.2 litre engine is by many considered one of the all-time greats and provided its taken care of, it’s usually not a source of issues. And putting a superchager on it didn’t change that. All in all, it would seem that an S-Type does the job as well or actually better than other cars of similar age.

And then there’s the price, and this is where it gets interesting. You may struggle a bit to find a well-kept Type R with reasonable kilometres, but when you do, expect to pay CHF/EUR/USD 15-20.000′ for it. That’s certainly not much, and it’s about a third of what an M5 of similar age, care and km’s would cost you. An E55 of the same generation will at least cost you twice as much.

The S-Type R will always be the individualist’s choice, and a rather quirky one. But with a problem-free, supercharged V8 upfront and for the money asked, you can’t really go wrong. Especially since the only car where the probability of the previous owner being one of those old school chaps who serve their cars religiously is probably only higher in its sibling, the Jaguar XJ.

That’s perhaps also the S-Type’s problem. Jaguar of course performed the same trick on the XJ, and a well-kept XJ-R of similar age will only cost you a couple of grand more than an S-Type. Depending on your taste, that may or may not be your preferred choice. I know that for me, it would be!

New publishing channels – please read

On September 27, 2026September 27, 2026 By ChristofferIn NewsLeave a comment

Dear Thrill of Driving readers,

Christoffer here, and on this Sunday between two posts, I’d like to draw your attention to new channels the blog is and will be available through.

Firstly (and not completely new), you may know that the blog is now available in audible form on Spotify. Should you prefer listening to reading, for example while driving, please subscribe by clicking here.

Secondly, counting from next week, the written blog will be available on Substack, and if you’re a subscriber to the blog, you will receive a mail notification to that effect. If you don’t use Substack you need not worry immediately, since the blog will continue to run as usual, in parallel, until the end of the year. Long term, the plan is however to move it to Substack, quite simply as it is a larger channel that allows me to access further readers.

As you may know, some subscriptions on Substack come at a cost. Again, there is no need to worry. As a current subscriber, I promise that you will never pay for the Thrill of Driving channel on Substack (exact name to be confirmed), which is of course a good reason to subscribe now, if you haven’t done so yet!

That’s it – enjoy your Sunday and see you next week!

Forever young!

On September 20, 2026September 20, 2026 By ChristofferIn News, Opinion, The Dream GarageLeave a comment

Today we’ll talk about the truly thrilling topic of how to make your next car purchase not the worst deal you’ve ever made, but rather the best one. And I’m not talking about an attractive financing rate or a smaller down payment. Rather, this is about how to buy cars that are better than what you see in the showroom today for 20-30% of the value.

This is not a new theme on the blog but rather one that, as long time readers know, is very close to my heart. I haven’t bought a new car in over 20 years and probably never will again. The two new cars I’ve ever bought were in both cases only because we moved abroad and could thus get them tax-free. Interestingly both were also Saabs, one 9-3 with a roof and one without. I’ve never regretted the first, but the convertible was a great car.

*Those were the days – a true Trollhättan-Saab!*

The reason for bringing this up again is that not a day goes by without me seeing, on the street or online, a great set of wheels, the price of which is more ridiculous than it’s ever seemed before. I’m therefore really keen to make sure you don’t miss out on what is a truly great opportunity.

In the last 10 years I’ve owned five daily drivers: an AMG E63 -14 that I loved, an XC90 -19 that I hated, a Range Rover -13 that was wonderful but a bit too fat, and a BMW 540i Touring -19 that was clinical. And then six months ago, I bought my current daily, a 2014 MB CLS 500 Shooting Brake.

As I’ve written several times and you’ll see from the above, I believe peak car when it comes to daily transport was around 10 years ago. At that point cars were safe, of better quality than in previous decades (and, as was to become clear, also than in future ones!), and developed enough to have all the features that are useful, but none of the far less useful and far more intrusive ones we would get over the coming years.

*Apparently this is what progress looks like.*

There is also a logic in this. 10 years ago is about when car development started becoming more about politics, directives and elecrrification than about satisfying buyer demand, and that’s where the development money went. ICE’s where set to disappear soon anyway.

That doesn’t change the fact that if you tell a normal person, i.e. not a car fanatic, that you’ve sold your relatively modern car and instead bought an older one, they will think you’re strange. Especially so in Switzerland and other countries where service packs are included with the purchase. Those typically last 100.000 kms, which surely means that after that, the car breaks down and gets awfully expensive to repair. Better to be on the safe side and buy a new one!

We in the car community should be thankful for all these less-informed people, or indeed, for all those who much like a modern car journalist judge the quality of a car by the size and speed of its infotainment screen. The more people buy these computers on wheels, the less they will buy the cars from a decade ago, leaving those of us who do with tremendous opportunities!

The last six months in my CLS are a brilliant example. The car is quieter and more comfortable than my 540i was. It has a far better Harman Kardon sound system, because as a car audiophile explained to me, sound systems in the last years have been more about producing light loudspeakers than well-sounding ones.

The list goes on. The interior materials are incomparable, and the exterior paint is far thicker. And that wonderful, bi-turbo V8 putting out 408 hp consumes less than a litre more per 100 km than the less powerful and character-lacking straight six I had in the 540i. And of course, at the price I bought it for, depreciation isn’t even anything you need to consider – should there be any.

For memory, I bought the CLS with full history from one owner with 107.000 kms on the clock, one year full warranty and a complete service book for about 20% if its price as new. Can a 10-year old car break down? Of course, but if you pay ridiculous money to buy it, you’ll have some reserves if it does. So far, it hasn’t.

The risk of stuff breaking down however doesn’t only have to do with age, but also with said build quality, and also complication. A new car is far more complicated than a 10-year old one, with more parts that can break. We saw and still see this with the electronics in many EV’s. A small four-cylinder engine associated to a complicated hybrid system of the type Mercedes had the audacity to try to sell us under the AMG badge will be more likely to break than a V8 turning at 2′ RPM.

*The most power-dense four cylinder in the world – what could possibly go wrong??*

Still, could it be that I’ve just been lucky with my CLS? I guess, but in that case I was awfully lucky with my E63 and Range as well. They were both completely problem-free as opposed to the XC90, that had brakes that didn’t make it down an alpine pass, and a paint that was so thin it would scratch if you looked to hard at it.

Let’s test this on the current market in a way you can do yourself (and I’m quite sure, in many cases already do). Set your favourite car search engine to a period like 2013-2015, km’s to 100.000-120.000 and the price to something in the range of 20-30% of what you would have paid as new. If you haven’t done this already, a whole new world is about to open up.

Taking the above parameters and setting a price range of CHF 25.000 – 40.000 just for illustration, here’s a small selection:

For a stylish coupe, why not get an Audi TTS or a Jaguar F-Type, V6 or the crazy V8? If you need four seats, there’s of course also the Audi RS5 with that wonderful, naturally-aspirated 4.2 litre V8…
If a convertible is your thing, BMW has you covered. A Z4 for two seats, a 6-series for four. And plenty in between.
For a big sedan, I could certainly live with an Audi S8, or for that matter, a Porsche Panamera 4S.
Finally, if you’re after an SUV, I would happily buy a V8 Range Rover again (they’re even cheaper now!) but if you need something smaller, a Macan or a Cayenne is certainly not a bad choice.

*The *loudest* V8 in the business can be yours for 35′ – a steal!*

These are all great cars, and they’re all cars which, if cared for and serviced properly, are just about run in at 100′ kms. And trust me, the price bracket works at all levels. A wonderful (and family friendly!) Ferrari FF will be yours for about 1/3 of its price as new, meaning around 120′-130′ with far less than 100′ kms.

As I showed in my post on the Jaguar XJ from this spring, many slightly older, wonderful sedans will cost you even less. And if a Jag isn’t luxurious enough for you, how about a Bentley Arnage R for around 40-50′? Sure, the 6.75 litre V12 has more thirst than an alcoholic, but 10%-15% of its price as new? Seriously?

A Jag and a Bentley would probably not be daily drivers, and it’s here that the same principles don’t always work. 911’s obey. their own rules, as do some Ferraris and other collectibles. Well, why not get an Aston V8 Vantage instead, it’s far prettier anyway and will cost you very reasonable money.

The daily drivers that hold their value better are found among the Skodas and Volvos normal people love. Who cares? Life is far too short to drive boring cars.

*You’ll see 20 911s (or more) for every Vantage*

Times are indeed dire for European car builders, many of which are on the ropes and at least some of which will not survive. The more forced savings they implement, the less good their future cars will become. But cash-strapped as they are, don’t expect prices to fall as a consequence. And certainly don’t expect to see any kind of non-hybrid engine with more than four cylinders being developed again.

Therefore do your research and buy a daily from the peak car period. I promise you, everytime you walk up to it, you’ll do so witha smile on your face. Keep some money aside for maintenance and wear and tear stuff that can always happen. And of course, if you’re lucky enough to have a larger budget, then there’s even more money to spend on the gem you take out on Sundays!

Volvo’s Italian Jobs!

On September 6, 2026September 6, 2026 By ChristofferIn Classic cars, News, The Dream Garage, The Thrill of OwningLeave a comment

One of my earliest and most vivid childhood meomories dates back to 1977 or 1978, and of course involves a car. Much like me, my father changed his wheels fairly often and had just become the proud owner of a white Volvo 142. As he made clear to everyone around, that “2” was awfully important, since it meant two doors, i.e. a coupe and not a boring four-door sedan. A coupe signalled sportiness and class!

Unfortunately, dad’s new sports coupe was an automatic, and soon after his purchase, when we reached Germany on a drive from from Sweden to southern Europe, the gear box got stuck in second gear. Driving through all of Germany on an unrestricted Autobahn in second gear is not something I would recommend to anyone, but at least, as this text is proof of, it’s an experience you won’t forget. We made it in the end, but the Volvo was soon replaced – by a somewhat sportier BMW 3-series coupe.

At around the same time, Volvo realized that it wasn’t only my father who had a weak spot for coupes, and decided to become a bit more serious about their offering in the segment. Not that they were fully new to it; the P1800, presented in 1961, was then as now one of the most beautiful cars ever built. But the P1800 was more tilted towards sportiniess, at least visually, than what Volvo now had in mind. 1977 was also the year of the brand’s 50th birthday. What better way to celebrate it than with a new coupe?

*Volvo’s flamboyant CEO PG Gyllenhammar in the 262C*

“Volvo” in this instance means its president, Pehr G Gyllenhammar, one of the grand old men of Sweden’s corporate scene and a rather loud and somewhat controversial figure. Gyllenhammar had a personality that was definitely if not larger than life, than at least larger than Sweden, and he had recently spent time in the US admiring the cool Eldorados and other luxury US coupes. In his mind, a similar car would help the Volvo brand move upmarket.

To say that the plan to build a luxury coupe was intuitive and went down well with everyone in the factory on Hisingen, the island close to Gothenburg where Volvo was built, would be exagerated. A coupe was not practical, safe and reasonably priced, all factors Volvo’s image at the time were built on. Esthetics and sexiness was not something the Volvo traditionalists had ever paid attention to or felt comfortable with.

Gyllenhammar, who was CEO of Volvo during 20 years until 1990 and chairman until 1993, was however not someone who took no for an answer. The result was the Volvo 262C by Bertone, launched in 1977. And if the difference between my dad’s Volvo 142 and the corresponding sedan had only been two doors, the changes to the 262C over a regular 242 (the successor to the 142) were at least somewhat more important. Most strikingly, they involved a much lower roofline.

*There was only one colour and the black vinyl option in the first two production years.*

The 262’s roof pillars were cut by 6cm and the c-pillar design was changed. This gave the car a strange profile, somewhere between a custom car if you’re generous, and something that had been driven under a too low bridge if you’re less so. Practically, the lowered roof meant less passenger headroom and smaller windows, in an interior where Volvo had thrown in all the bells and whistles it had at the time.

Of course bells and whistles in the 70’s wasn’t the same as today, but it included a plush leather interior and comfort features like cruise control, air condition and electric windows. None of these were standard on other Volvos, and the 262C was by far the most luxurious Volvo ever built.

It was also the most expensive, by a margin. Priced in the US at 16′ USD at launch, it cost more than a BMW 528i (not a coupe but, well, a BMW) or a Cadillac Eldorado. Volvo tried to motivate the price by making a big story of the collaboration with the Italian design house Bertone. However, Bertone didn’t lead the design of the car, they were merely advisors to it.

Instead, the 262C was designed by Volvo’s own Jan Wilsgaard, the man behind practically all Volvos from the Amazon to the 850. Bertone did however assemble the 262C in their Turin factory. In the official name 262C by Bertone, “by” thus refers to Bertone as assemblers, not designers.

*Apart from the leather and wood, the 262C was vstill ery much a Volvo 2-series….*

Once you got over the design, it didn’t take long to see that the 262 had quite a few issues that you may not have expected at that price point. The car was still very much a Volvo that didn’t offer any more driving pleasure or power than the standard car it was based on.

Apart from the leather and wood trim, the interior was the same, including the black, plastic dash. The rather uninspired and loud 2.7 litre V6 PRV engine, developed by Volvo together with Renault and Peugeot, only delivered a paltry 140 hp and the 3-speed auto box it was combined with was not the sportiest. For what it offered, the 262C was too expensive, and over four years of production, only 6.600 cars were built with around 5.000 of those going to the US.

The number of cars produced make the 262C sound like a failure, but that’s not how Volvo and especially CEO Gyllenhammar saw it. For him, the 262C had never been intended to sell on volume. As mentioned initially, Gyllenhammar wantd an eye-catcher, a halo car through which Volvo’s image would be lifted. If the odd celebrity or successful Wall Street guy could be spotted driving a 262C, people would look differently at Volvo. At least in theory.

*The 780 looked better, was more modern, and even more US-inspired!*

A few years later, in the early 80’s, Volvo launched the 7-series which would prove far more effective at moving the brand upmarket than the 262C had ever been. The 7-series had also taken a lot of inspiration from the US, and again, Volvo and Gyllenhammar were set on performing the same coupe trick. This time, however, they went about it in a far better way.

As a starting point, the 7-series was far superior to the preceding 2-series. Also, and even more importantly, the new coupe that would be called the 780 Bertone was its own design with not a single body panel in common with the regular 7-series sedan. This time, Volvo also had the good sense of leaving the design work to Bertone, not just (but also) the assembly.

The result was a car that wasn’t intended to compete with the sportiness of a BMW 6-series, but rather present itself as an individualistic, luxury coupe choice. The 780 has a pretty, if somewhat anonymous design, with a deeper front and softer edges than the 7-series. It’s unmistakably a Volvo, just like Gyllenhammar wanted it. The interior was also far more luxurious, putting it far above a regular 7-series and miles ahead of its predecessor, the 262C.

*A vast improvement over the 262C, and still a great place to spend time today!*

If Volvo had stayed true to their naming convention (the three numbers meaning series-cylinders-doors), I guess the new coupe would have had a V8 up front and no doors. In reality Volvo never had any plans for a V8 and why they broke the naming convention isn’t fully clear, but at least the V6 engine was improved to remove some of its roughness and improve its power output. The ignition, injection, crankshaft and cylinder heads were all new, the volume was increased to 2.8 litres, and power to 156-170 hp depending on model year.

Still, those numbers weren’t very impressive, especially when you consider the weight of the V6 engine. That made the new four-cylinder, turbocharged engines Volvo were developing in the 80’s the better choice, especially the 2.3 turbo, a much lighter, modern four-pot with a higher power output of 177-192 hp. The four-cylinder not only made the 780 faster, but generally a more light-footed and better car.

The interior was also vastly better than it had been in the 262C. There was even more leather, now combined with wood, and far more comfort options. These notably included electric chairs, a sunroof, and last but not least, a cassette radio with a manual equalizer!

After the 780, Volvo’s collaboration with Bertone ended. The next Volvo coupe would be the far less interesting C70 in the late 90’s, then in collaboration with Tim Walkinshaw Racing, but that’s a different story. Whereas the 262C was more a production than a joint venture collaboration, the 780 was a true Italian job, and I would say one Bertone can be proud of.

*Who said a coupe couldn’t be pratical? The suit is not included.*

Around 8.500 780’s were built between 1985-1990 and most of them were again sold to the US. Looking at the market today, that’s no doubt where you’re most likely to find either a 780 or a 262C, should you be the individualist, or for that matter, the Wall Street trader CEO Gyllenhammar had in mind.

If you’re in Europe, you will however still find some in Germany and Sweden. Of the 200 262C’s that were sold in total in its home market Sweden, 22 are still in traffic today. For the 780, the number is a bit more than a 100 cars. In both cases, many of these will however have been re-imported from the US.

Objectively, the choice between Volvo’s Italian jobs is an easy one – the 780 is no doubt the better car, especially with the 2.3 litre engine. Looking at it today though, I can’t help but think that the 262C is the cooler of the two Italians, and also the one that has the highest likelihood to be remembered by history. For better or worse, it really looks like nothing else, and especially, like no other Volvo ever did, and it still has a Bertone logo on the side…

F1 pit stop: Driver skill wins over mega joules!

On August 23, 2026August 23, 2026 By ChristofferIn F1, NewsLeave a comment

It’s time to check in on the F1 circus, three months after I did so in May and with 11 races left of the 2026 season after today’s Zandvoort GP. Before we go there though, we need to quickly touch on the following incredible piece of news from earlier this week, because there’s a new name topping the list called “more money than is good for you”.

The new leader, pictured below, is the 87-year old American billionaire Herbie Wertheim, who paid no less than 40 million USD for the first Ferrari Luce produced at the Monterey car auction on 14 August. Apparently Wertheim is a big philanthropist, but you have to wonder how that philanthropy is defined. I could think of a very long list of good causes that would have enjoyed a 40 million contribution, but the ugly duck from Maranello is not one of them.

With that out of the way, let’s get back to F1, where the trend that was distinguishable back in May has since been confirmed. The current F1 season has certainly become far more competitive than I thought would be the case initially, seeing how Mercedes dominated the first part of it. Until and including the Monaco GP early June, the sixth race of the season, Mercedes won all of them. However only the first in Australia was won by George Russell, with Kimi Antonelli taking the following five.

After Monaco, the picture has changed quite a bit. The five races from Barcelona to Hungary, the last race before the summer break, had five different winners, with Hamilton, Leclerc and Norris winning a race each, next to Antonelli and Russell. And if you’re a Brit, the race in Barcelona certainly stands out. Hamilton won it ahead of Russell and Norris, making it the first all-British podium since 1968!

In the second third of the season, Ferrari and especially Lewis Hamilton really came alive. The win in Barcelona was Lewis’s first in no less than 35 races, and he’s complemented it with lots of other podiums, currently placing him second in the championship, 59 points behind Antonelli and even with Russell.

*Almost two years since his last win made Lewis this happy!*

The two of them remain the only true competitors to Kimi Antonelli this year. The Mercedes domination from earlier in the season may be gone, but Antonelli continues to impress and certainly does so more than George Russell. So far Antonelli seems very resistant to pressure, which doesn’t mean he doesn’t show a bit of Italian temper here and there. It’s truly difficult to believe that such an accomplished driver is only 19 years old.

Next to Ferrari, Red Bull has also improved considerably. The car saw a major update before Austria in June, and since then, Max Verstappen has been on the podium, albeit not as the winner, in three of five races. The team is certainly on an upwards trajectory, although they haven’t won a race so far this year. As we head into the last part of the season, the same may be true for McLaren, judging by the last three races, although it’s a bit too early to say.

Behind the top teams, Red Bull’s junior team Racing Bulls have certainly surprised positively, with both Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad regularly scoring points. The team is more or less on par with Alpine. That Audi has done so well in their first year with both Gabriele Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg finishing in the top 10 more than once is certainly somewhat unexpected. Unexpected, however in the negative sense, goes for Aston Martin’s complete lack of results as well, in spite of a Honda engine, a very rich budget, and a certain Adrian Newey as head designer.

In the week before the Dutch GP, any speculation of Max Verstappen either leaving F1 or moving to Mercedes was also laid to rest, as he extended his contract with the teaml until 2030. Red Bull should take that as a good sign, as that nod of approval from Max (and his father Jos) reasonably confirms that the team is heading in the right direction. Mercedes have also confirmed Russell and Antonelli as drivers for next year, as has Williams with Sainz and Albon.

With 11 races left after today’s Zandvoort GP that Lando Norries won ahead of the two Mercedes and the two Ferraris, where does that leave us? The most realistic scenario is certainly that Mercedes wins the Constructors’ (that’s a quasi-certainty), and that Antonelli takes the title.

Antonelli’s lead over Hamilton is a big one at 59 points, especially as there doesn’t seem to be any major differences between the cars. Also, Antonelli in spite of his young age seems to be able to handle the pressure far better than Oscar Piastri did in the second half of last year, when he was in a similar position.

Then again, if Hamilton wins a couple of races over the coming weeks and Antonelli runs into mechanical or other issues, we could be in for an exciting end of the season. And with the cars now being more or less even, the showdown for the Driver’s title may even come down to driver skill rather than mega joule deployment. That would be a first for F1 2026, and perhaps a sign that everything is not lost, even in modern F1!

The wedge that didn’t cut it

On August 9, 2026August 9, 2026 By ChristofferIn Classic cars, News, The Dream GarageLeave a comment

Prefer listening, for example while driving, to reading? Check out your favourite blog on Spotify!

The curse of a petrolhead, one we probably share if you’re a reader of this blog, is that we’ve seen most of the cars on our roads many times before, and few things on four wheels really make our heads turn. Luckily though there are exceptions, and today we’ll look into possibly the biggest exception of them all – the Aston Martin Lagonda.

Even as a true car fanatic, there’s a fair chance you’ve never seen one in real life, especially since only 645 were ever built. I’ve had the chance to do so a couple of times, and it’s made my jaw drop like little else. And the best part is that when you hear the story behind the Lagonda, you realize it’s a small wonder that a single one ever made it on to the road.

Today, we’ll thus look at the truly fascinating story of the Lagonda, a native American word no one’s really certain of the meaning of, but which has followed Aston Martin through the years. I think this is also a first on the blog, in the sense of it being the first time that I write about a car that was included on Time Magazine’s list of the 50 worst cars of all time!

*A design like no other Aston, or for that matter, anything else on the road.*

As many of the slightly bizarre and rather entertaining car stories out there, this one starts in the mid-70’s in the UK. Of course, this wasn’t a very happy time for the British car industry. The oil crisis had hurt car manufacturers badly, and the European ones had also been hit by new US emission rules. British Leyland was saved in the last minute by being nationalized on the brink of bankruptcy, but Jensen cars and Aston Martin found no other solution than to hand in the towel.

Luckily, Aston Martin was to be saved. It was bought out of legal proceedings by three private investors led by Peter Sprague, an American notably involved with National Semiconductor, an early Silicon Valley business that will become important for the story. The trio also included Alan Curtis, who would subsequently take the role as Aston’s CEO.

The new owners had grand plans for Aston but not much resources. These however included the good chassis from the Aston Martin V8, and, well, the V8 engine. Both had been used in a first iteration of a four-door Lagonda in 1973 which must count as one of the biggest failures in modern car history, since only seven cars were ever built.

*One of 7 Series 1 Lagondas – was the more conventional design the reason it failed?*

As if this had never happened, the surprising decision Sprague & Co took was that in order to get Aston onto safer financial ground, they needed a big, luxurious four-door sedan. It just had to be much more spectacular, especially in its design, than its predecessor. And since money was running low, they needed to develop it quickly.

The design trend in the mid-70’s was the wedge, or folded paper shape. Examples at the time included the Triumph TR7 and the Lotus Esprit. In a complete break with the brand’s history, Aston’s new owners were convinced that a wedge-like design would sway buyers of the new Lagonda, and mandated designer Peter Towns to develop what became one of the craziest car drawings of all time.

At 5.2 metres, the new Lagonda was about as long as two Mini’s, but much lower. And at over two tons in spite of the all aluminium body, it also weighed as much as four. If you imagine the wedge design cutting through the air, you’re wrong however. With a drag coefficient of 0.44, the Lagonda was very far from impressive in this regard. Pop-up headlights were of course mandatory for cool cars of the time. The ability to fill one tank through filler caps on both sides of the car was if not cool, then at least rather quirky.

To compensate for both the weight and the wind resistance, the 5.3 liter V8 would have needed more power than in the Series 1 Lagonda, but that wasn’t on the table in the short time available. The engine developed around 280 hp and literally had to be squeezed in and pushed as far back as possible under the impossibly low hood to fit at all. The new Lagonda was thus slower than its predecessor, but that was far from being the car’s main issue.

*The rear is no less strange. One of two huge tank lids that owners had to use often!*

The new owners at Aston had set themselves the objective of presenting the new Lagonda at the British Car Show in 1976. At the time that decision was taken, that was nine months out. In other words, they had given themselves and the Aston crew less than a year to develop a completely new, hand-built car, supposed to set new luxury car standards. If you think that sounds a bit short, you’re right. Especially when you learn that the team consisted of 11(!) engineers.

It’s not clear how 11 pair of hands split between developing panels for the new, hand-made body on one hand, and the new, plush and fully electronic LED interior on the other. The interior was Peter Sprague’s idea, driven by his involvement with National Semiconductor. In his vision, the new Lagonda would have digital instruments and new touch sensors, replacing old gauges and switches. This was in line with the times, and the computer era which was just around the corner.

As the 1976 British car show opened in Earl’s Court in London, the Lagonda was unveiled to the world. Or at least, the body was. The car Aston showed at the show had neither an engine, nor a transmission, as there hadn’t been enough time to fit them. That didn’t prevent the car from getting all the attention at the show though. The new Aston was subsequently on the first page of every car magazine and 76 orders were taken during the show. Quite remarkable for a car no one had driven and which was sold at a price of close to GBP 200′ in today’s money!

*A Citroën-like steering wheel and more touch controls than… a modern car!*

With orders in, it was now all about getting the Lagonda out to buyers. Various issues however pushed the first deliveries forward. The main issue was the fancy LED instrumentation, as the technique behind it was quite simply not ready. Mid-70’s silicon chips worked much better in a lab environment than in the heat and cold a car is exposed to, and their reliability was just awful.

As an illustration of the desperation Aston was in, on the eve of the first car being delivered in the spring of 1978, 14 people worked through the night to make the car work. By morning, they had to surrender. The car wasn’t drivable and the deliery had to be cancelled. And as if this wasn’t bad enough, inflation also meant the price of the undelivered car kept rising.

By 1979 Aston started getting the cars out to buyers at a pace of around one car per week. Slow deliveries however meant money was still tight, and the car Peter Sprague had ordered for himself provides a good illustration. Sprague had taken possession of his car on a Tuesday but hadn’t picked it up by Thursday, so Aston sold it to another buyer to be able to pay the workers their salaries.

Electronics were no doubt the Lagonda’s main issue, but far from the only one. We’ve already talked about the problems of fitting the big V8 under the low hood. The low shape also meant boot space in a car of over 5 metres was very limited, as was room in the back seat. You also had to be quite agile to get in there, given how small the rear doors were. And in an era characterized by oil crises and inflation, an average fuel consumption of around 30 litres per 100 km wasn’t great, even for a luxury car.

*Only the slightly cramped backseat passengers were to enjoy the sun…*

Discussing the interior of the Lagonda in detail would be a post on its own. Let’s just say it included a great number of buttons and touch sensors that were hard to understand and made little sense. There was a hood opener, but no way to open the boot form within the car. The hood opener was also located confusingly close to the tank lid. There was a sunroof, but only over the back seat. There were six switches for moving the seats, but none of them were marked as to their function. And so on…

By the mid-80’s the Lagonda wasn’t considered that futuristic anymore, and Aston was struggling to keep the car modern. The updated Series 3 in 1985 (the original Lagonda built only 7 times counts as Series 1) brought fuel injection and thereby slightly more power with better fuel economy. It also made away with the manual choke, which until then had provided an interesting contrast in the otherwise LED-powered interior. By now it was however very clear that time was running away from the Lagonda.

In a final twist of our story, the troublesome LED dashboard was replaced in the Series 3, but not with normal instruments. Aston instead opted for a so called CRT display from a fighter plane, also including an early voice control, telling you for example if your boot lid was open. Whether it also told you if you’re hood was is unclear. Impossible as it may seem, the CRT system proved even less reliable than the previous LED system.

The final Series 4 Lagonda was launched in 1987. The pop-up headlights, no longer modern, had been replaced by fixed ones, and Aston had also tried to soften the angles of what was once a spectacularly futuristic design. Finally, they had also given the car a more conventional interior, although the gauge cluster was still digital. By now, it was however clear that the Lagonda belonged to another age, outrun by cars like the S-class and the 7-series which were better in all areas.

*No LED, no CRT – the interior in the Series 4 was almost conventional.*

It was also in 1987 that Aston Martin was bought by Ford, and the new owners quickly came to the conclusion that Aston’s future wasn’t in building four-door wedges, but rather two-door sports cars. That’s where the resources were put, a development which a few years later led to the launch of the DB7.

The last Lagonda rolled off the production band in 1990, bringing the total production number over a bit more than a decade to 645 cars. Many of these went to the Middle East where the design seems to have been especially appreciated. The first series (officially Series 2) made up around 500 of the 645 and is thus the most likely that you see today. With so few cars produced and with all the issues the cars had, that in itself is however not very likely at all.

Unless you’re financially suicidal or more into car quirks than Doug DeMuro, it’s difficult to find a single reason why you should get a Lagonda today. It’s a car that is best left to what it is, namely an example of another age when a dozen engineers with very limited resources built one of the craziest cars ever produced in record time. I can’t help thinking how wonderful it would be to see someone doing something similar today – preferably without that LED dash though!

Bizzarini’s Back!

On July 26, 2026August 9, 2026 By ChristofferIn Classic cars, NewsLeave a comment

It was early 2021 as I walked down the street in a Covid-empty city of Zurich, when I stumbled upon a car that I couldn’t identify. As you would hopefully expect from someone writing a car blog, that doesn’t happen too often. It turned out that I was standing in front of a Bizzarrini, an exotic Italian supercar from the 60’s, developed by Giotto Bizzarrini, one of the greatest car engineers the world has seen. That led to the post on his remarkable career from early 2021 which serves as a good background to today’s update.

As a sign that all is not lost on the car front and that sensible things are still happening, notably in Italy where the recent Ferrari Luce could lead you to believe otherwise, Bizzarrini is back. At the Goodwood festival of speed in the UK a few weeks ago, the brand showed their new car, based on the original Bizzarrini 5300 from the 60’s, and also talked about plans for the future.

It should be noted that there’s already been one try at reviving the Bizzarrini brand. That was in the late 90’s and early 00’s, but in spite of good intentions, there wasn’t enough backing to make it into production. There were several tries at different car models and the most interesting was no doubt the Bizzarrini Kjara, based on an original Bizzarrini concept. It combined an internal combustion engine with electric drive, years before hybrids became fashionable. It remained a one-off concept, but serves as a good reminder of the genius of the man who only passed away three years ago, 96 years old.

*The Kjara was arguably more innovative than beautiful…*

The current attempt at a Bizzarrini revival started in 2020 and seems rather well funded, also benefiting from a clear strategy. It evolves around the resurrection of the track car 5300 GT Corsa and the road legal 5300 Aperta Lusso that we’ll focus on here. Both these are produced in (very) limited series but will in 2027 be complemented by the Giotto, a modern supercar promising to set new standards in performance and usability.

The 5300 Aperta is based on a targa version of the Bizzarrini from the 60’s that never made it beyond paper sketches. In fact it was originally intended for the Iso Grifo, another small Italian brand form the 60’s. The revived design is close to the original Bizzarrini with minor adaptations and then the glass bulb of the targa top, giving the design even more elegance than the original. With a body entirely in carbon fibre, the new 5300 is low and wide, with a hungry front and a rear with four, undisguised real pipes. It looks fantastic.

*You’d be forgiven for thinking you’re looking at a 60’s car!*

The new 5300 respects Bizzarrini’s engineering thinking, notably in terms of weight distribution. As in the original car, the engine sits as far back as possible under the long hood, behind the front axle, and it’s tilted depending on whether the car is right- or left-hand drive such as to always give the car a perfect weight distribution. The engine itself is still a small-block V8 but has been fully modernized, with the wonderful Weber carburetors replaced by fuel injection – however in a design that still looks as the original. It’s said to produce in excess of 400 hp.

The idea has been to preserve the analogue feel of the car but still have it meet modern standards. In that spirit, brake performance has been improved by working around a concept with larger discs rather than fitting a hydro-assisted system. The five-speed Tremec box is also said to convey a mechanical feel, and the suspension is traditional springs. And so on.

*Luxury is not a big infotainment screen!*

10 Apertas have been built, all individually made to the lucky owners’ specification, with interiors featuring solid wood on the dash and textiles from the Italian textile designer Ermenegildo Zegna. The V8 is said to give the car a top speed of 280 km/h, which given the fact that you’re sitting no more than 30 cm above the road is no doubt enough.

If the revival project holds and timelins are kept, the 5300 will then be complemented by the Giotto, a V12-powered supercar planned for 2027. Designed by Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro, the father-and-son team where Giorgetto was also involved in the original Bizzarrini design in the 60’s, the car is said to feature a 6,626cc Cosworth V12. This is a tribute to Bizzarrini’s design of the original Lamborghini V12, as described in my post from 2021, but also to Giotto Bizzarrini’s birth date: June 6, 1926.

*Never has an injection system looked so much like carburetors!*

Bizzarrini is today owned by Rezam Al Roumi, a Kuwaiti businessman who’s previously been engaged with Aston Martin, notably as chairman, so clearly with some solid car credentials. His intention is to return Bizzarrini to its rightful place in the luxury car segment. It would be great if he succeeds, but with all respect for the Giotto, it would be even greater if he decides that a run of only 10 examples of one of the most beautiful cars ever is clearly not enough!

Wolfsburg worries

On July 12, 2026July 21, 2026 By ChristofferIn Electrical vehicles, ev's, News, Opinion1 Comment

It’s summer in the northern hemisphere and this year in Europe, one of the warmest in a long time, courtesy of a particularly strong El Nino effect. If you’re into sports, and as if you needed more heat, the World Cup is currently entering its final stretch, as is Wimbledon. After that though, we’ll come to the more critical stages of the Tour de France. Who said summer was relaxing, at least if you’re into sports?

Many people wish for somewhat colder weather, and the management floor at VW headquarters in Wolfsburg certainly wouldn’t mind a bit less heat as well. I have no doubt that floor is nicely air conditioned, in contrast to large parts of Germany where for some bizarre reason, buying an AC for your home is considered a crime comparable to far darker days in German history. In the case of VW in 2026 though, all the AC’s in the world won’t help its current situation.

Back in October I wrote a piece here on the blog called “Is Porsche going bust?”. I concluded it wasn’t, and one of the reasons I gave was that Porsche is majority-owned by VW, in turn partly owned by the German sate of Lower Saxony. And as we all know, state officials shun bankruptcies and resulting job losses as much as Lance Armstrong shunned doping checks.

As it turns out, the question I asked in my headline in October was recently asked to the members of VW’s nine-person board: was there a risk VW could go bust? Six of them answered it positively. That’s not very recomforting.

*VW management board. About as happy as they look.*

Since then, the bad news have only gotten worse. A few weeks ago, VW confirmed they will reduce their headcount by 50.000 until 2030. This week, the number was increased to 100.000, equivalent to 15% of the company’s global workforce, and the closing of four VW/Audi factories was also announced. One of these is Emden, VW’s most recent factory and designed as the flagship site for its EV range.

It’s important to understand the context all this is happening in. Currently not much is going well in Germany. Growth is inexistent with GDP having shrunk by 0.5% in -24 and only grown by 0.2% in -25. This makes Germany, Europe’s largest economy, its 2nd slowest growing after Finland. Bankruptcy filings are at a multi-year high.

Since 2019 the country has shed over 300.000 industry jobs, corresponding to 6-7% of the industrial workforce. Much of this is the result of Germany’s senseless energy policy, giving the country the world’s highest energy prices, bar Ireland and some island in the West Indies. Companies far outside the automobile sector are increasingly moving operations to the US or Asia.

*VW flagship EV plant in Emden. Now up for closure.*

When things were still going well in Germany some 10-15 years ago and energy was cheap and plentiful (albeit Russian), Germany made roughly half its GDP from exports. And boy did they export, especially cars and especially to China. Of course, the Chinese being Chinese, copied as much as they could. And then one day, they had learnt how to build cars. In the meantime German energy had become expensive. It was still cheap in China though. And then, the US as the other critical export market imposed tariffs.

So much for the background, and that’s bad enough. However, the crisis is also of VW’s own making. Beyond an EV line-up that has gone from frankly disastrous to just a tad worse than anybody else’s, VW in the last 20 years has gone from a middle class car brand that combined practical family cars with some sporty highlights, to a middle class car brand that doesn’t build a single model worth remembering.

VW basically invented modern car mobility with the Beetle and when the Golf GTI was launched in the mid-70’s, it started off the whole hot hatch segment. The GTI is still around, but the last generations have been so uninspired and deprived of any emotion that I know several people who just never bothered upgrading to the new model. And who can forget the old VR6 and G60 models?

The Passat was always a rather boring family car, but then someone in Wolfsburg came up with the idea to put a W8 in the top model. And of course we all remember the Touareg SUV and its crazy six-litre, W12 engine, also fitted into the Phaeton, VW’s expensive attempt to build a luxury limousine. Sure, VW was mostly a family car brand, but just under the surface, there was a bit of craziness as well. For most of it we can thank VW’s then-president, Ferdinand Piëch, portrayed on the blog in 2023.

*The W12 engine – when nothing was impossible*

Today the VW group includes several other brands that could take on the role of bringing a bit of fun to the group’s line-up. It’s just that few of them do, and these don’t bring the margins anymore that they used to. The “Core” group that next to VW includes Skoda and Seat sells the largest number of cars (around 5m last year out of a total of 9m for the whole group) but at only 3%, has the lowest profit margin in the group. When things were going well, Porsche only made up 4% of cars sold in the VW group, but stood for almost 1/3 of the profit with solid, high-teens profit numbers. Today that number has fallen sharply to barely 5%.

In the “Progressive” group of brands with Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini, margins used to be higher as well, although not as high as Porsche, but just as with the Zuffenhausen brand, profitability is in free fall. That may also have something to do with a not very exciting line-up below half a million EUR.

If VW lays off 100,000 people and axes four assembly plants, that would be the largest restructuring in automotive history. It even beats GM’s restructuring during its 2009 bankruptcy, costing 74,000 jobs. VW’s savings plan also includes further actions, closures and divestitures, but it’s difficult getting the hang of it all at this stage. What is clear though, is that none of this will go down easy. German unions have already taken action to delay both layoffs and closures and VW’s state ownership will only complicate things further.

Writing this from the south of France where we’re not far away from a large Renault dealership, it’s interesting to see how much better the Renault group has navigated the difficult market in the last years. VW and Renault aren’t perfectly comparable, as Renault is only a quarter the size of VW and was never a high margin business. Also, there are no flashy brands under Renault ownership, except perhaps for Alpine, but that was never a volume business. That’s however also why the comparison is interesting.

*Renault’s latest EV addition. Reminds you of something? Exactly! And it costs less than 20′ EUR.*

Renault sells on volume, and taking over Romanian Dacia in 1999 was business-wise a genius move. Dacia is today not only Europe’s cheapest, but also its best selling car brand. Renault’s own cars are also based on high volumes, and with the EV line-up of the retro-inspired and cool electric Twingo, R4 and R5, they’ve understood how to build EV’s that make sense and that people actually want to buy. Last month, they passed the cap of one million EV’s sold.

Strong volumes and a country with a sensible energy policy and thereby lower energy prices have also enabled Renault to improve on profitability, so that its margins are today higher than those of the VW group. To me, that’s the most worrying aspect of all. If a group with small hatches and Europe’s cheapest brand at its core manages to make more money than a group including Audi and Porsche, then something is indeed very wrong.

It will take years for Germany to change course, and it will cost many more jobs than those at VW until we get there. With regards to one of the world’s largest automakers, the question is how long it will take them to turn the ship around, and how realistic it is that they do. If you believe their board, not very, which probably means one of the first actions should be to replace them with a more optimistic – and realistic – bunch.

If VW manages to stay alive, it will be because they re-focus on Europe. That’s the region Renault sells 70% of its cars in. China is over and to a large extent, so is the US. Not just for VW, but for many brands across many sectors. In that sense, globalization is over for now.

Jensen cars – the peak of British quirkiness!

On June 28, 2026June 28, 2026 By ChristofferIn Classic cars, News, The Dream Garage, The Thrill of Owning1 Comment

When the UK is in the news these days, it’s rarely positive. If it’s not about the economy it’s Brexit, which is still debated even though it’s by now 10 years since the vote took place, and otherwise most probably because the latest in the seemingly endless line of prime minsters has failed and handed in his resignation. It seems good ol’ Britannia isn’t ruling that well anymore.

Against that backdrop, it’s difficult to imagine that things were different just a few decades ago. Sure, Britain has always struggled on one or several fronts, but in the 60’s and 70’s, together with Italy, the UK was also the leading sports car manufacturer in the world. Today, many cars from this period have become modern classics. These range from a modest Triumph Spitfire for a few thousands, to exclusive Aston Martins with a six-zero price tag.

What most of these classics have in common though, except Aston Martin and one-two others, is that their brands are no longer around. The late 70’s and 80’s were a period of demise for the British car industry and through that, a number of highly original and quirky brands were lost. That’s of course how a market economy should work, but just like with Swedish Saab a few decades later, losing these brands also meant losing a bit of the originality the car industry was characterized by not too long ago.

One of the more original brands from this period is no doubt West Bromwich-based Jensen Motors, builders of the Jensen Interceptor that I was lucky enough to see a beautiful example of some time ago. Even by UK measures, Jensen was a very quirky brand, thereby also illustrating at least some of the reasons the British car industry went under.

*You want to be quirky in the right way – the C-V8 was not…*

Jensen started as a coach builder back in the 50’s, notably for the British car maker Austin Healey, which a few years later would lead to a deepened collaboration. Next to that however, the founding brothers Jensen decided to produce their own sports cars in small series. First in line was a car with neither a very selling name (C-V8), nor a particularly beautiful design – some would go as far as calling it outright ugly. Jensen’s designer Eric Neale certainly didn’t think so, but given the client is always right, the C-V8 was pretty much a complete failure.

It was thus after a not very successful start that the Interceptor came about as a second try. It would become Jensen’s most well-known car and was presented to the world in 1966. This time the design had been commissioned to the Italians at Carrozzeria Touring (another company that would go bust a few years later) and although certainly more convincing than the C-V8, the Interceptor was still slightly unusual.

The front looked like many sports car from the time, but the rear became known as the “fish bowl” in the UK. If you think it reminds you of the 70’s AMC Pacer you’re not wrong, however the Pacer was designed after the Interceptor. If opinions were split on the Interceptor’s exterior, everyone agreed that the interior was beautiful. The high-quality materials used led the Interceptor to be compared to high-end brands such as Aston Martin, Bristol and even Rolls-Royce.

*A very British, and very classy interior!*

Many of you will also have heard about a roadster called the Jensen-Healey. That was a car intended for the US market in the early 70’s, and which came about through Austin Healey approaching Jensen to produce it in a sort of joint venture. Jensen needed a volume car to generate income for the production of the expensive Interceptor, but the Jensen-Healey became a failure, notably because of the engine that had been sourced from Lotus, and was never much of a success.

Let’s do a quick pitstop here for a small side story that is very illustrative of not only Jensen, but the British car industry of the time. Jensen in parallel to the Interceptor built another model referred to as the FF, very much a historic car since it was the first non-SUV passenger car with four-wheel drive. Given however that snow is quite rare in the UK, as much in the 60’s as today, you would assume that a four-wheel drive car built close to Birmingham was destined for export markets.

However, no one at Jensen headquarters apparently thought of the fact that most of the world outside of the UK by now had the steering wheel on the left side. The FF only came as right-hand drive, and it’s export success was rather limited as a consequence…

Back to the Interceptor, which during the 10-year production came in three series with only subtle design differences between them. The MK III was by far the most produced and it was sold in three body shapes: the most common “glass bowl” saloon, the much rarer and arguably better-looking convertible, and the ultra-rare coupé with a plexiglass rear.

Interceptor grey — *The front and side view work really well if you ask me. The rear is more questionable.*

All Interceptors had Chrysler’s big block V8 coupled to a 3-speed automatic transmissions, but whereas the first two shared the same 6.3 litre, 325 hp V8 as the predecessor C-V8, the MK III had an even bigger, 7.2 litre / 285 hp engine. The reduced power had to do with new US emission rules that heavily limited the power of large engines, and as a consequence, the gigantic engine was thus less powerful heavier, and even thirstier than its predecessor. Quoted figures are in the range of 25-30 litres per 100 km (8-10 MPG)…

The convertible Interceptor was presented in 1974 and is another example of Jensen’s risk-willingness, or if you will, complete ignorance of the world beyond the UK. At this time most other brands were halting the development of new convertibles altogether, as it was widely expected that US safety authorities would enact a complete ban on open cars without roll-over bar.

Jensen was thus more or less the only brand brave or foolish enough to launch a new convertible in this period. They were ultimately right given a ban was never enacted, but they were kind of wrong anyway, since the whole company went bust only two years later, in 1976. By then they had produced about 500 convertibles, out of a total of some 6400 Interceptors.

*If it weren’t for the rear, there’s a clear resemblance to notably the Aston Martin V8.*

Although the big block Chrysler engines were quite bullet proof, the fact that they had carburettors. and lots of them, didn’t make them easy to run or service. The carburettors had to be adjusted frequently for optimal performance, sometimes as often as every 1000-2000 km. Cooling was another issue Interceptors were known to struggle with, and like any good representative of the 70’s, they were also very prone to corrosion.

The carburettor issue can certainly be solved by converting the engines to injection and upgrading the cooling system, an idea that some won’t like at all given the car is then no longer original. It will no doubt make the car more drivable and less prone to issues, so it could be a good solution for those preferring to spend time on the road rather than in the garage.

Cooling and carburettors aside, the Interceptor is known as quite a wonderful GT car, offering loads of 70’s luxury and charm for far less money than a comparable Aston or Rolls (who as we all know also tend to have an issue or two…). There aren’t many in the market which makes pricing uncertain, but good saloons tend to start somewhere around EUR 50′ with convertibles fetching at least a slight premium.

If this wonderful example of British ingenuity combined with a dinosaur-engine of a type will certainly never see again is your thing, then please make sure that if you’re not mechanically talented, you know someone who is, and that you also have a friend with an oil well. From there, go for a car as perfect as possible, since finding replacement parts for an Interceptor in 2026 may prove to be more difficult than finding a UK prime minster that lasts.

The Perfect Pair?

On June 14, 2026June 14, 2026 By ChristofferIn Electrical vehicles, ev's, Features, News1 Comment

Urbanization, i.e. the trend of an increasing number of people moving to cities, has been a leading trend globally in the last 100 years and continues to be so, especially in developing countries. A century ago, only 20-30% of the then global population of 2 billion lived in cities. Today, that number is 45% of today’s population, meaning almost 4 billion people. And more people in cities also mean more, large so called megacities, where there is little room for big cars.

The above reasoning was top of mind of German production engineer Norbert Reithofer when he was appointed CEO of BMW in 2006. It soon became clear that the megacity vision was more important to Reithofer than the success BMW was having in the mid-00’s, and as newly appointed CEO, he decided that irrespective of how well things were going, it was time to prepare BMW for the future. If that reminds you of John Elkann’s comments at the launch of the Ferrari Luce, you’re absolutely right.

Reithofer’s vision was for BMW to go from a car manufacturer to a transportation provider, owning city garages, collective transportation means and private cars, all in the new megacity world. And of course, in such a congested environment, the megacity vehicle had to be sustainable and follow his “3i” principle – intelligent, innovative, and international. Engineer thinking by excellence!

*Rear-hinged doors great for access but not for much else*

Reithofer’s vision was translated in the BMW i3, launched in 2014 and produced until 2022. The i3 was an early electric car, however with only a 22 KwH battery pack and about 80 km of range. To counter the additional battery weight, BMW produced the whole passenger cell from carbon fibre, leading to a total car weight of around 1300 kgs. Good, but still not sensational.

What was rather more sensational was the i3’s design, that remained practically unchanged throughout the production and still looks as modern today. It has a distinct look of a chic city car which continues in the interior, where materials such as hemp were very innovative for the time. The i3 also had gimmicky clam shell doors on both sides (rear doors being rear-hinged to improve access à la Rolls Royce) and wheels that were thinner than the rear wheel of a serious motorcycle.

What also was if not sensational, then at least intelligent and innovative i.e. responding to two of Reithofer’s 3 i’s, was BMW’s range-extending system. The i3 wasn’t a plug-in hybrid in the traditional sense but still had a small, 600cc scooter engine with 34 hp that only kicked in when the battery was depleted. The idea was for it to be a help of last resort, should the battery be empty before you got home. That’s really all it was good for, since 34 hp and 1300 kgs don’t really work on a motorway.

*For 2014 and contrary to the i8 below, this was a very innovative interior!*

Unfortunately, the i3 also had quite a long list of negatives. The carbon fibre construction may have been futuristic, but it contributed more in price than in weight reduction. The clam-shell back doors didn’t have windows you could open and they couldn’t be opened without opening the front door first. The tires may have been good for reducing friction, but they were unfortunately quite useless for driving, and most motoring journalists described the i3 as a pretty terrible driving experience. All this wasn’t helped by the price of USD 42.000 at launch, much higher than any comparable car.

In parallel to the i3 and, one may suspect, to make the whole concept launch a bit sexier than a small EV with bike wheels could, BMW had also shown a concept car called the i8 together with the i3. The idea had never been for it to go into production, but its rather sensational design received such acclaim that BMW changed their minds.

The size and supercar looks of the i8 were definitely less adapted for megacities than the i3, but it was still a hybrid construction. The petrol engine had only three cylinders and a volume of 1.6 litres for a power output of 228 hp, and was combined to an electric engine with 129 hp, giving the i8 about 15 miles of pure electric range.

*They really should have put a V8 under the bonnet…*

If this isn’t the powertrain you imagine when you look at the car, you’d be forgiven. If you’ve heard an i8 drive by, you will probably think all of the above is wrong. That’s however because the engineers at BMW were early not only in megacity thinking, but also in false sound effects. You see, one of the I8’s two exhausts isn’t connected to the engine, but rather to a kind of sound amplifier.

What comes out of it is thus not engine sound, at least not from the i8, but rather an artificial, recorded sound. Your passengers and bystanders will thus be convinced your fancy car has a big engine, and not a meager three cylinder. A lesson in human psychology that is perhaps worth remembering when politicians and others in-the-know scratch their heads as to why on earth people don’t love EV’s.

The i8 looks as spectacular today as it did 10 years ago. Much like the i3, the design has aged extremely well, if at all. The clam shell doors of the i3 were replaced by far more spectacular butterfly ones on the i8, and the coupe was also available as roadster in the last three production years, from 2018 to 2020. The inside was far less eye-catching though, with a relatively standard BMW cabin of the time. That still meant a high-quality interior with hemp making way for leather in most places.

*Could have been many BMW models’ interior, which doesn’t mean it’s bad*

The drive is perhaps also more conventional than the outside promises. The i8 doesn’t have the thin wheels of the i3, but still much thinner ones than a comparable sports car would have. The engine and power output are ok, not more, especially given the weight of around 1500 kgs. The i8 is hereby more of a GT than a real sports car, and one you buy for the looks more than the drive.

What the i8 had in common with the i3 was however that it was expensive – even more so than the i3. At a starting price of USD 135.000 at launch, it cost as much as a 911 GT3 did at the time, whilst weighing around 100 kgs more than the latter in spite of the carbon body. It never became much of a success given that, as for the money, most people expected a bit more volume and power under the hood.

Today you’ll pick up an early i8 for around CHF/EUR 50.000 (USD 60′), with later cars and roadsters fetching up to almost twice that. Prices are stable and seem to start climbing. The small engine and hybrid system means you’ll enjoy low taxes in most countries, but potential maintenance costs of an aging hybrid system shouldn’t be ignored. That said, you’ll get a lot of show for the money!

*Nothing wrong with the roadster, but I prefer the coupe*

As we know today, Reithofer’s megacity vision failed, especially since he forgot that most megacities are in the developing world, where buyers with the money to spend for what the i3 cost were, especially at the time, few and far between. Also, both the i3 and the i8 are too compromised to make them any kind of ideal pairing, and the answer to the question in the title is a rather resounding no.

That said, Reithofer was on to something, namely that air pollution will become a theme as cities grow, and in a city environment, a small EV without local emissions is preferable to large SUV’s. And contrary to the huge EV SUV’s that dominate our streets today, a small city EV doesn’t need a huge battery. Smart kind of picked up on that, as Renault is now doing with the ultra-trendy electric R5. There have been a few others, and there will probably be more. In 2014 though, Reithofer’s vision meant that BMW was first to the party!

Mamma Mia…

On May 31, 2026June 28, 2026 By ChristofferIn Electrical vehicles, ev's, News, Opinion4 Comments

The Italian language, by many considered the most beautiful in the world, uses an interesting grammatical construct called absolute superlative. You’ll recognize it as the “-issimo” ending in for example “bellissimo”(beautiful), emphasizing the meaning of a word. The absolute superlative can be used to a variety of expressions, including “brutto”, the Italian word for ugly. And for Italian-speaking petrolheads, “bruttissimo” is certainly a word that has been top of mind this week.

You guessed it – like everyone else, I’m talking about Ferrari’s new creation, the electric Luce. I truly wish I had a differing opinion to all the other pundits out there, but I’m afraid that would be lying. No one expected this. No one in their wildest dreams could imagine this is what Ferrari’s first EV would look like. Are we witnessing the world’s most legendary car brand making its biggest mistake ever?

*Let me introduce – the Ferrari Bruttissim…. sorry, Luce.*

Let’s start with the basics. The Luce (meaning “light”) is Ferrari’s first EV, presented at the beginning of this week. And as even a blind can see, it has neither been designed by Pininfarina, nor by Ferrari’s own Centro Stile. Rather, the chief designer is Jony Ive from Lovefrom, ex-design head at Apple. The same Apple that a few years ago talked about launching an Apple car. Something to bear in mind.

It’s difficult to describe the looks of the Luce, because it’s not a design that would ever be approved by an established car design company. The front looks like an ugly fish and the back like an F360 that someone tried to drive through an alley that was too narrow. However, I would claim that it’s the view from the side that is particularly disturbing, as it highlights how utterly wrong the proportions are. The car is quite big with giant wheels (23″ at the front, 24″ at the back), but the whole packagte completely lacks harmony. Bruttissimo is the word!

*Nothing, and I mean nothing, works seen from the side. Even the wheels are ugly.*

The interior is arguably better in a mix of retro and modern, but above all, with exquisite materials, mostly metal and leather. The two screens are of excellent visual quality and the center one can be tilted left to right. The gauge cluster consists of both physical parts and screens, with for example the physical speed dial backlit by a second screen behind the first. It looks like a rather cool mix of new and old, underlined by the three-spoke, retro-looking steering wheel. The only problem is that it doesn’t fit the outside – at all.

Apart from the sheer ugliness, there’s also a long list of odd things. The biggest is no doubt the wipers which when they’re not in use, stand on the side of the front screen. This is because the Luce doesn’t have a hood and a windscreen that goes far below where a hood would be fixed. This leaves no other place for the wipers, which by the way can’t clean the full screen, so the lower part will always be dirty. This also means that you will see the wipers, and probably hear the wind noise coming from them, every time you drive.

*Why didn’t anyone think of that wiper positioning before?*

The cooling system with various air streams running through the air channels you find all over the car is extremely complicated and not something a traditional car design would even think of. The door openers are flaps at the top of the doors with a hole behind them, where for example snow will accumulate in winter. But I guess there’s no snow in Silicon Valley.

At 2.300 kgs, the 5-meter long Luce isn’t light (no pun intended) by any means, not even in EV terms, partly due to its very large, 122 KwH battery pack. It has a power output of a bit more than 1000 hp and runs on an 800V platform with up to 350 KW DC charging, thus promising fast charging times – which you’ll make frequent use of if you’re anywhere close to using the full power. The range is stated at 530 kms (with roughly half the max power), so in reality, you’ll get 300-400 kms if you drive normally.

What’s most remarkable about those numbers is perhaps how unremarkable they are. Sure, not many EV’s have a top speed of 310 km/h, but for the rest, a Tesla Plaid delivered more power already a few years ago, as does a Lucid Air. Both are quicker to 100 km/h than the Luce. EV’s from Porsche and some other brands are also on 800V platforms, and the new BMW iX3 manages 400 kW DC charging. Also, it has a realistic range of about 200 kms more.

*A rather cool interior, however with no connection whatsoever to the outside.*

The numbers are especially unremarkable when you learn that the price of Luce will start at around CHF 500′ / EUR 550′ / USD 600′ before options. In words, six hundred thousand US dollars. That’s more or less the same money as a Purosangue, with a naturally aspirated V12 and a design that on its own doesn’t convince everyone, but compared to the Luce, looks like the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen.

I don’t think everyone in Maranello have lost their mind and I have no doubt they find the Luce as ugly as everyone else in the petrolhead community. How could it be any different with a team that has a tradition of designing the prettiest cars in the world? Something else is going on here, on several levels.

Firstly, the Luce isn’t meant for us petrolheads. It’s meant for the tech bro community who apparently have a different taste to the rest of the world population. It’s quite simply an Apple car with some Ferrari logos on it, and a corresponding price. Ferrari even says so officially, talking about 80% of buyers being new to the brand. Personally I’m not sure that percentage sign should be there though – 80 buyers sounds more likely.

*Never was the Prancing Horse placed on an uglier rear*

John Elkann has been at the helm of Ferrari as executive chair and head of the Agnelli family for eight years now. The Agnellis are as close to royalty in Italy as you can get, and through their holding company Exor, control large parts of Italian industry. Or rather, have controlled. Because Elkann has been busy in the last years disposing of many of these companies, including the sale of Fiat to Stellantis. Even before the Luce, he was criticized for ruining the Ferrari brand.

Elkann is also a long-term friend of designer Jony Ive, and as said, Ive was involved in the planned Apple car a few years ago. Elkann has commented publicly that he wants to reposition Ferrari such as to “lead what comes next”. If the Luce symbolizes this, it’s a bleak future indeed. It would perhaps be wise of Elkann to check where Ferrari makes its money.

*Elkann is probably right to ask for divine help with the Luce.*

The immediate reaction to the presentation of the Luce was an 8% drop in Ferrari’s share price, although it’s recovered a bit since. As you read this, Italy is still in uproar however. Pietro Ferrari, Enzo’s only living son, told critics to “try it, drive it, and you might change your minds”. But that’s just it. Of course you’ve always had to drive a Ferrari to fully appreciate it. But you never had to drive one to start appreciating it. Ask the car crazy kids taking photos of supercars on street corners about that. No one will queue up to take pictures of the Luce.

Ex-Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo did a good job of summarizing the whole debacle. Next to looking completely disgusted, he asked how anyone could put the Ferrari logo on this thing. And then, as he walked away, turned around and added “at least this is a car the Chinese won’t copy”. For all our sake, let’s hope he’s right.

F1 pitstop: Tik Tok Racing!

On May 17, 2026August 22, 2026 By ChristofferIn F1, NewsLeave a comment

The Monaco historical Grand Prix takes place every year at the end of April, a few weeks before the F1 GP which depending on the calendar, falls sometime between late May and early June. The stands and the circuit have already been set up so everything looks the same for the historical GP, except for the paddocks which have been moved to the outer side of the harbor.

Access to the paddocks is included in the entry ticket on the historical GP weekend, meaning you can circulate freely among F1 cars from many decades back to the mid-80’s for a very modest sum indeed. On the Friday practice day, entry including the paddocks is free. On Saturday which is qualifying day, it costs you 50 EUR. And on the final race day Sunday, you’ll have to pay 100 EUR. Or in other words, roughly what two champagne glasses would cost you during the F1 weekend a few weeks later.

*Of course a whole bottle of the good stuff would cost you more…*

From this year onwards, this makes Monaco’s historical GP, and other similar events in other places, not only the cheapest, but by far the most enjoyable way to experience F1 racing as we’ve come to know it through our lives and have learned to love it. Because what goes on this year on the official F1 circuit has precious little to do with traditional racing.

F1 in the Tik Tok era is very different indeed, and it seems to me that everyone is trying to put on a brave face about it. I would love to do so as well but I can’t, which of course makes me feel like the grumpy old man I am. But when races are decided not mainly by driver talent or skill, but rather by the recuperation setup of your car’s battery power, I’m happy to admit that they’ve lost me.

We all knew this season would be different, and I described the main differences in my post before the season started. No one was really sure how it would translate around a circuit, but big promises were made. Notably, we were told that the new rules and hybrid engine combination would lead to far more takeovers and excitement.

*Especially the start in the first races of the season has been intense – less so thereafter.*

The pundits were right on that one – at least initially. The first two races of the season in Australia and China saw a lot of takeovers especially in the first half of the races, making the Swiss F1 commentator (who’s even older and usually grumpier than me) ecstatic, telling the audience how great this new format is.

What he failed to appreciate was that the takeovers had precious little do to with driver skill, at least in the classical sense, and a lot with vast power differences, coming about since drivers were still unsure how to best handle the battery recuperation. A type of excitement the FIA had certainly not intended occurred during the qualifying of these initial races as well, as the speed difference between two cars, one of which has a full battery and the other a depleted one, is massive. Also, that power can be a bit hard to control, as shown by a number of sudden spins around the tracks by drivers who usually have no problem at all handling their cars.

This being F1 however, teams and drivers learnt fast, and the team that from the start had shown to have the best package was of course Mercedes. Somewhat surprisingly, Kimi Antonelli showed himself more apt at handling the new car than George Russell. Young Kimi went on to win his first race in China and has since gone on to win a further two, now clearly leading the Drivers’ ranking ahead of his teammate.

*19-year old Kimi, the fastest driver in F1, even has a road driving license now*!

If Mercedes thus dominated the first three races, Ferrari looked surprisingly good in second place and it was truly great seeing Lewis Hamilton find some good speed for the first time at Ferrari. Surprisingly, McLaren were pretty far off the pace, and Red Bull even more so. Not even Max Verstappen could make anything sensible out of the Red Bull car and as we went into the unplanned, month long break as the Iran war broke out, it looked pretty certain that Mercedes would continue to dominate the season.

The war meant that the races in Bahrain in Saudi Arabia were cancelled, but also led to the FIA reviewing the regulations following the initial races. They did so partly out of some valid security concerns, but no doubt also following more or less legitimate complaints form the teams. And then there was of course Max Verstappen who kept talking about leaving F1 if things didn’t improve.

*Max is not amused – and that’s a problem for F1*

The technical changes that came out of that give a good illustration of what this year is about. This is how Honda described them on their website; “The maximum permitted recharge per lap has been reduced from 8MJ to 7MJ. This is intended to increase full-throttle running during hot laps, with the maximum duration of energy harvesting under “super clip” conditions expected to be shortened by approximately 2–4 seconds per lap.”

Right. You’ll be forgiven for not grasping that intuitively, but at the same time, it tells you all you need to know. F1 has gone from being about driving to counting MJ’s – which by the way means mega-joules. There were some additional changes to the power package as well, but I’ll spare you the description of those.

Judging by Miami, the first race after the changes, the FIA seem to have succeeded in evening out the differences between the teams, which in their view is certainly a good thing. Kimi Antonelli still won in Miami, but he did so ahead of the two McLarens and Max Verstappen, so I guess everyone’s happy, or at least happier, now. Unfortunately however, it seems the excitement went out the window with said changes as well. Miami was one of the most boring races in the last years, with practically no racing at all after the initial laps. I guess we can only hope things improve over the coming weekends.

*Lewis on the other hand is far happier – turns out Tik Tok racing works for him!*

A qualified guess at this stage is probably still that Mercedes will take the championship, but it’s still unclear if in the end, it would then be Antonelli or Russell – remember how Oscar Piastri dipped pretty significantly last year. Together with McLaren, Ferrari will most proabably be among the top 3, unless Red Bull find a bit more speed, which they could well be on the way to. Should that happen, perhaps even Verstappen will enjoy the new rules?

I feel as old and grumpy as ever writing this, but I also realize my generation isn’t the prime target for F1 anymore. Since becoming owners of the F1 circus in 2017, Liberty Media have done a stellar job of making F1 a worldwide success, notably in the US and also attracting the younger generation.

And for them it’s a whole different thing, since they have no clue who Michele Alboreto, Niki Lauda or Gilles Villeneuve are, nor do they care. They know even less how a screaming V12 sounds through the Loews’ tunnel in Monaco, and probably think it should be called the Fairmont tunnel these days. For those of us who do remember, the historical GP’s of this world are definitely a better option!

The true cost of connected cars

On May 3, 2026May 3, 2026 By ChristofferIn NewsLeave a comment

New cars are expensive. Always have been, most probably always will be. They also drop quickly in value, which is something you’ve no doubt read a lot about on this blog, especially lately when I’ve done my best to convince you of the merits of buying some truly great cars from 10-15 years ago rather than a new one. This comes from my conviction that they present an unbeatable monetary value, combined with a build quality and materials you simply don’t find anymore.

As I’ve come to realize though, in today’s world, those older cars offer something else. You could call it independence, or perhaps freedom. Because contrary to modern cars, those slightly older ones are not connected to the digital world. Why that is important is something we’ll look closer at today. But before going there, let’s look at the monetary side of buying a new car today.

Let’s assume you’ve decided to buy a new BMW 5-series, petrol, hybrid or electric. What you’ll quickly discover is that in spite of investing a large amount of cash (and let me just remind you that the same amount would buy you a Merc CLS, a Maserati Quattroporte AND a Jaguar XJ8 and still leave you with change), things that used to be standard for the price class aren’t anymore. Unless you pay extra you’ll be expected to adjust your seats manually, and those seats won’t be heated. The plastic surfaces are included though, and at least the windows are still electric. And of course you’ll get the big, wide infotainment screen stretching over a meaningful part of the dash.

*Which screen functions you can use will depend a lot on which options you tick*

Naturally you will want that screen to have its full functionality, but that’s not something BMW (or any other brand for that matter) have included in the base price, other than a basic set of function. For the rest there will be a separate price to pay, and a pretty hefty one, parts of which will also be in subscription format, such as your live navigation. There’s nothing wrong with that but of course, subscriptions are a brilliant way of making us humans forget the full price of things.

Now, let’s assume we’re a few years down the line, and that new or recent car has come out of warranty. One day as you push the starter button, the big screen doesn’t turn on. You’ll try to restart and in most cases, it will eventually light up, but in some cases it won’t. As anything electronic, a screen can break (unusual) or run into software issues (mostly the case) making it non-functional. A rather amusing example of a breaking screen is the 80-year old father of a friend of mine who bought a new car and got so frustrated with the infotainment screen after a few weeks that he smashed his fist through it.

What he and others have then discovered is that fixing the screen is mandatory in a new car, since it won’t be drivable without it. Doing so will be a challenge however, since most garages are precisely that and not computer shops. Fixing will thus in most cases mean replacing, which for one of those large, big modern screens usually comes in somewhere between CHF/EUR 4.000-8.000. Let’s just say that it’s something to be aware of.

*…and even if the full screen doesn’t break, dying pixels becomes pretty enfuriating as well*

Having said that, as noted initially, buying a new car has never been cheap and we’re still only talking about money. Also, most infotainment screens will hopefully not break anytime soon. It’s time therefore to move over to another, non-monetary cost a new car’s connectivity. And that’s precisely the fact that it is connected. The whole time.

Your modern, connected car accumulates data on everything youdo while you use it and relays that on to the manufacturer. The car will keep track of how fast you drive, how you accelerate, how you brake, and how often you drift sideways. Equally (and much like your phone), it will know what you’re talking to you passenger about, what music you like, and what podcasts you listen to.

That information will flow back to the BMW, VW or GM headquarters, who will then be happy to share it with some of their business partners. Don’t think they’re allowed to? Read the fine print. In some countries, your driving behavior as recorded by the car already influences your insurance premium. Drive smoothly and never above 70 km/h and you’ll pay less for the same car than if you emergency brake on every journey. You’ll never know for sure though, as no one will be capable, or at least willing, to explain the detail of your insurance bill.

*A bureaucrat’s dream – everything’s connected, everything can be controlled*

A further dimension of the connectivity comes if your car is a BYD, Geely or Xiaomi, i.e. Chinese. Of course that also goes for Chinese manufacturers’ European sub-brands like Volvo or Polestar. In that case, the recorded information flows back to the company headquarters in China, where all companies are required by law to share information with the authorities on demand. And whereas the Politburo may not be interested by your braking pattern, they may well be so by where you go regularly, if for example you’re a military officer, or what kind of podcasts you listen to.

I listened to Xiaomi’s Chief Financial Officer on a podcast not too long ago. Xiaomi is of course the company that didn’t exist at the turn of the century and then built mobile phones until five years ago, when they decided to become a car company. Today they’ve become one of China’s largest EV manufacturers, and their 1500 hp top model, the SU07, set an EV record at the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife of 7 minutes 4 seconds last year, three seconds quicker than a Porsche Taycan Turbo GT.

When asked what he thought about European EV’s, the CFO said he thinks Europeans focus to much on the electric drivetrain and too little on the connectivity. “That’s really our focus in China”. I’m sure it is. It’s just that in other parts of the world, we’re a little less used to being surveyed by Big Brother as we go about our daily lives and our driving than the Chinese are.

*20 years go, this is what an interior, albeit a luxury one, looked like*

That said, don’t think for one second there aren’t politicians in Brussels and other places who would just love to use the possibilities your car’s connectivity offers them to meddle in your life in a very Chinese way. Because if your car is connected, information can flow both ways. So if one day some bureaucrat decides that people really shouldn’t drive faster than 80 km/h, well, it’s not a big step to just limit your connected car’s top speed at a distance. Don’t feel like taking a break every two hours? What if your car forces you to?

A Swedish researcher at the country’s Defence Research Agency recently said he wouldn’t buy a Chinese car for precisly the reasons mentioned above, and that he thinks it’s important that Europe stops being naive about these kinds of matters. I can only agree, but we should also not be naive and think we’re protected from all of this as long as we drive older cars. Jacking up both insurance premia and fuel prices is perhaps the most obvious way for authorities to influence the future, but I’m sure they’ll find others. For that, politicians seem to be very reliable.

For now though, they haven’t, and we’re still able to enjoy our unconnected cars as freely and unrecorded as we want to. That’s good and if you ask me, something to cherish and realize that it may not last forever. I don’t see myself buying a new car ever again (over the 23 cars I’ve owned, I’ve actually only done it twice, long before the digital era), but if you’re about to, you should be aware of what you get yourself into.

The gentlemen’s club on wheels!

On April 19, 2026April 19, 2026 By ChristofferIn Classic cars, News, The Dream Garage, The Thrill of Owning3 Comments

I saw it on every morning walk with the dogs, down in the harbor close to our place in southern France. It was by no means in pristine condition, rather well used and a bit beyond what you could refer to as patina with a straight face. Quite a bit actually. However, the genuine elegance of the sweeping bodywork still came through and somehow, seeing it parked in the harbor close to the sailing boats felt right – the shape is one that I’ve always associated with an old, beautiful, wooden sailing boat.

The Jaguar XJ is one of the real long-termers in the car world. For most of us it’s been around for all our grown up life, and it definitely still counts as more of a mark of class and traditional luxury than most other cars. Seeing an XJ in good condition, as many of them still are, is typically not something you would associate with a car which today costs less than a Dacia (for US readers, the cheapest brand in Europe) even in the most basic version! Because if there’s something the XJ isn’t, it’s definitely basic!

*Dented and tired, but still with an unmistakable elegance!*

Let’s start from the beginning though and take a closer look at one of the legends of the modern car industry. The original Jaguar XJ in the form of the XJ6 was revealed to the world almost 60 years ago, in 1968. It would retain at least parts of its original DNA all the way through to 1994, when a new version, clearly reminiscent of its first iteration, was presented. The original car had a 2.8 litre, six-cylinder engine coupled to a 3-speed auto box. Jaguar had initially had far greater ambitions with plans both for a V12 and a V8 to go under the new car’s bonnet, but none of these engines were ready for the launch.

Even with a six-cylinder though, the XJ was a bit of a revelation. The elegance of the body combined with the sublime interior of wood and leather was something else, and very different to what other brands from Stuttgart and Munich offered. The XJ was also seen as the better drive, with notably lower road noise and more comfortable suspension than its competitors. The motoring press gave a nod of approval, which helped Jaguar to a good start for the new model.

Three years later, in 1971, the V12 was then ready to go into the Series 2 of the XJ, and completely transformed the car. With more than 100hp of extra power and much higher torque, it was the perfect engine for long trips across the growing road network in the UK and Europe. If the six cylinder had been more focused on economy, the V12 was certainly not, but it was an overall better fit for the car.

*You can’t see the V12, but you can almost feel it…*

The XJ continued to develop and improve through the 70’s and 80’s, with notably carburettors replaced by fuel injection, improving fuel economy (whilst still not making it anything to write home about…) and more power, climbing all the way to 300 hp. The next major update would follow in 1986, when the very 80’s looking, new XJ called XJ40 was launched.

The new car was easily identified on the outside, the new body being more square-formed, i.e. less boat-like than earlier cars. A clear sacrilege but also signs of the times were the shaded rear lights and the partly digital dash. However, the XJ40 was of far better build quality than its predecessors. Panels were lighter, the chassis was improved, all of it contributing to a more comfortable and even more silent car. The new, six-cylinder engine was also more economical.

Jaguar had been an independent company since 1984, having previously been owned by British Leyland. The Ford Motor Company in the late 80’s was looking to get into the luxury segment, which lead them to buy Jaguar for USD 2.5bn in 1989. It would come to form the basis of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group, which from 2000 also included Land Rover that Ford bought from BMW for another 2.7bn.

*Whichever XJ you choose, the club-like interior is always there. A good place to be!*

With Ford as new owner, pretty much everyone was convinced that would be the end of it. Jaguar would just become a sub-brand of Ford, indistinguishable from other Ford products, and with all the Britishness lost. Well, as it turned out, everyone was wrong, which is very refreshing to see given many other failed takeovers by US car groups (Saab anyone?).

Ford instead invested heavily in Jaguar and the next iteration of the XJ, the X300 from 1994, was thus a Ford product. It was also a car that went back to the origins in terms of the design. Over the coming 12 years, further updates internally named X308, X350 and X358 would follow, as would new engines, notably a new, 4-litre V8 in the X308 in 1997, and subsequently the 4.2 litre V8, both naturally-aspirated and supercharged, and well known from the Jaguar-Land Rover product range.

*The X308 is one of the most elegant daily drivers you can imagine!*

The last two iterations of the XJ with a connection to the original shape were the all aluminium X350 and X358 in the 00’s. In many aspects though, the looks was the only thing they had in common with their predecessors. Ian Callum had become Jaguar’s chief designer a few years earlier and would very much put his mark on the succeeding, new XJ from 2010 and onwards. He wasn’t able to do so with the already far progressed X350 though, so although he wasn’t happy with the XJ’s retro look, it wasn’t until the X358 that he could add some design elements that spoke more to him than to me. I find the X358 a bit too boxy and clumsy compared to its more elegant predecessors. It should also be noted that the two last iteration introduced a LWB version, giving rear passengers more legroom.

The first XJR, i.e. supercharged version, appeared already in the X300 in 1994 and after that became the sporty version of the range. In its first iteration, the compressor-loaded six-cylinder engine had around 325 hp, helping the car to 100 km/h in around 6 seconds, and on to a (restricted) top speed of 250 km/h. Later the XJR would be based on the 4.2 litre, 8-cylinder engine, with a power output close to 400 hp. There would also be further engine options, including a diesel from 2005 onwards, with which Jeremy Clarkson in a competition based on driving as uneconomically as possible, still managed to get a real world range of 1450 kms on one tank!

The whole new, Callum-designed car which replaced the XJ in 2009 means that our overview of the original XJ history stops here. Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata in 2008 for USD 2.3bn, less than half they paid for both brands around a decade earlier. That’s a heavy loss, which is also what anyone buying an XJ new has encountered. And that’s precisely what makes these cars so interesting today!

*The Callum-inspired X358 has in my eyes lost some of that elegance.*

I usually don’t dwell too much on car design since taste is an individual matter. When it comes to the XJ though, you can’t help by admiring the inherent beauty in everything from the original design, at least until the X308. The all-aluminium X350 and X358 are probably the best cars in the range, but as said, I feel they’ve lost a bit of that original elegance, especially the X358. And no, the 80’s XJ40 wasn’t great either. The others are though, in a way that’s very far from an S-class from Stuttgart or even what Rolls Royce and Bentley built at the time. The XJ has a natural, understated British elegance meaning that you’re never underdressed in one, irrespective of the occasion.

That elegance today costs you less than a Nissan Micra. Not only that, XJ’s have often had one owner only, who typically has been closer to retirement than to getting his driving license and has cared for the car properly. Many of them even come with far less than 100′ kms, even cars which are more than 20 years old. Today around 20.000 in CHF/EUR/USD is at the top of what you pay for really good cars, irrespective of version, including XJR’s. Earlier cars, today considered veterans, can be had for far less.

And it gets even better, because if an older XJ will require a bit of mechanical knowledge (or a corresponding budget set aside), most of the more modern ones are very reliable cars. Except for the regular checks you should do on all cars, be mindful of rust as well, including on the aluminium X350 and 358’s, as of the air suspension on those, and ensure that it works properly. Also, the roof lining has a tendency to start falling in and if so will need replacement. Engine-wise, all petrols are pretty bullet proof but the diesel mentioned above that Clarkson drove is a bit less so, especially if you do a lot of short distances. Be careful with the history of XJR’s though, as they may have been driven differently, and by younger owners.

*The X308 interior is arguably also as modern as you would like it to be.*

Given the solidity of both car and engine, higher mileages need not the first concern when looking for an XJ. As said, many haven’t been driven that much, and for those it might actually be more important to check that they haven’t been tucked away in a garage for a few years with resulting damage. Try them, and feel for yourself how the XJ tucks you in. It may be over 5 metres long but it never feels like it when driving it. Overall it’s a good, well-balanced and comfortable cruiser, for which even one of the more basic V6 engines will do the job perfectly.

An early XJ is a given in any oldtimer garage – why not the three-door coupe XJ, referred to as XJ-C, from the mid-70’s? As a daily driver, I’d opt for an X308. Modern enough and yet with all the elegance preserved. Why not in the shape of a four-litre, supercharged V8 with a very healthy 363 hp? If you’re concerned about quality, the later X350 is a more solid car which retains more of its elegance than the later X358.

Oh do we live in interesting times! You can buy a top XJ for 20′ and park it in front of the casino in Monaco without blushing. My CLS which becomes better by the day didn’t cost much more, and a few weeks ago we looked at the fabulous Maserati Quattroporte, which is in similar territory. You could actually by all three and still have money left over compared to buying a 2.5 ton EV which looks like it’s been designed by a four-year old with a ruler!

To quote Hagerty: “never stop driving”, but also, never stop doing so in style!

The five-door GT car!

On March 29, 2026April 18, 2026 By ChristofferIn News, The Dream Garage, The Thrill of Owning2 Comments

A few weeks ago as I was having lunch with some long-term friends, someone came up with the idea of counting the number of cars we’ve owned in our lives. Before I was through with the first 10 years the others were done, all ending up with a total of 4 to 10. When I was finished, considerably later, having texted my wife in between to check if there wasn’t one car I forgot between the Audi and the Alfa, my total was 22. Then again, I’m the only one in the group writing a car blog.,.

Since then 22 have become 23, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating if I tell you that number 23 has been more of a revelation than most of the previous 22. Except for a couple of emergency cars bought for short term needs through the years, it’s also the first time I buy a significantly older car than the previous one – and definitely the first time I buy a GT coupe with four, or rather five doors!

*One of those emergency cars, a white Volvo 960 and rear-wheel drive, was far more entertaining than you’d think!*

As those who’ve followed the blog for a while know, I had my eyes set on a great GT to take me and Ms. D down to our place in southern France in style, now that a family station wagon is no longer needed. Many of the candidates have been featured on this blog, and the fact that they’re from the 2010’s rather than the 2020’s if of course no coincidence. To me, that corresponds pretty much to the peak car period for daily drivers. Modern enough to have everything you need, but not computers on wheels.

Anyway, Ms. D in her infinite wisdom reminded me that we have two dogs (cairn terriers for those with an interest) who travel in two dog carriers which are fixated in the back seat. In her view, getting them in and out is far easier with four doors than two. And as for luggage, was I really sure that whatever GT I had in mind had enough luggage space?

I knew where this would end. Of course she’d let me buy whatever car I wanted, it’s just that she wouldn’t drive it afterwards. Which makes it a bit of an awkward situation, especially if you’re away from home. So yes, female – and canine – extortion at its best. The problem of course is that she wasn’t wrong. My son came by and asked why I had sold the BMW, which he thought was an excellent car. Aren’t GT’s really for old people? he said.

*Guilty of hindering the purchase of a GT – Murphy & Douglas*

This was getting ridiculous. Am I the only man in the world who needs to drive around in a station wagon for everyone to be happy? Was there anything out there that would satisfy both me and my fellow passengers?

Getting a sedan wouldn’t really be any sportier than a station wagon. Replacing the BMW with an SUV didn’t make much sense either. And then, it hit me. There was, a few years ago, a car that was everything at the same time. Coupe, sedan and station wagon. And as I remembered it, because it was a while since I had seen one, it really looked the piece. Enter the fabulous Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake!

It was in 2004 that Mercedes showed the first CLS to the world, a car that looked like one of those style studies that usually don’t make it to production. It was positioned between the E- and S-class as the car for people who could afford not to buy the most practical four doors out there. In 2011 it was replaced by a heavily updated and better Mk 2, and the sedan was now complemented by the so called Shooting Brake, a stylish wagon built between 2012-2018 but only making up 20% of the total CLS production, and never sold in the US. To me, it’s always been one of the best looking cars out there.

*The original CLS was very futuristic when it was introduced in 2004.*

If Ms. D was going to get her two extra doors I was getting a V8, which anyway is the engine of choice for a grand tourer. That left two versions of the CLS to consider, the CLS 500 and the CLS 63 AMG. But having owned an E63 AMG, I remember it well as a car which, as great as it is, is a bit too sporty for the intended use. The 500 with its wonderful, bi-turbo, 4.7 litre V8 putting out around 410 hp and well known from other Mercs, seemed like the clear sweet spot in the range.

As said, not many Shooting Brakes were built. In the 5-litre version, production dind’t exceed 3-4.000 cars globally over the whole production cycle, meaning that finding one wouldn’t be easy. These things are rare, which is of course also part of the attraction. And then I saw it. A 2014 500 CLS Shooting Brake with 100′ km on the clock, almost fully optioned, and said to be in pristine condition, at a good garage close to Zurich.

That same car is now parked in my garage, or rather on my parking spot in southern France as I write this. As it turned out, it was in fantastic condition, from one previous owner who had serviced and taken care of it as if his life depended on it. The exterior Mercedes silver was combined with the exclusive, extended leather package in black with white stitching and the Dinamica suede-like roof lining, all in a condition close to new. I couldn’t help tinking back on the L322 Range Rover I drove a few weeks ago. Quality-wise, there was light years between the cars.

*My new GT – with a few more doors. Quite simply a wonderful machine!*

With a car which by now is 12 years old, how much have I had to sacrifice, compared to my BMW or another later car? Not much. I’ve never been one for big touch screens and 67 interior light colors, and evidently, that’s where most of the development budget has gone in the last years. Still, a head-up display would have been great, and I’ve always liked the ability to open the rear window of the trunk lid separately that BMW offers – or used to offer I should say, as they’ve scrapped it on the new 5-series.

The list of positives is far longer. Firstly that wonderful V8 engine, which is surprisingly vocal when you turn the key, but then falls back to a very pleasant, background grumble. If you want more, putting the car in sport will give you that, along with a more direct steering. Whichever way, it has all the power and torque you’ll ever need, and the sports suspension which can be regulated separately complements it perfectly on twisty roads. On highways, the softer, standard setting of the air suspension is great. That softer setting is precisely what you wouldn’t get in the CLS 63 AMG.

What’s most surprising is perhaps how tight the CLS drives. Although they’re similar in size, wife, son and I all agree it feels smaller and nimbler to drive than the BMW. The turn-in is very balanced with very little body roll. As I remember my W212 E63, it felt considerably heavier than the CLS does. Of course, it still eats motorways effortlessly, with very little outside noise, and with an overall consumption of 10.5 litres per 100 km so far, exactly the average I had on my Beamer. In other words, a 12-year old, 4.7 litre V8 doesn’t drink more than the more modern, 3-litre straight six of the BMW.

*As it feels, the quoted 408 hp could well be a bit more!*

Overall, the driving experience is a very pleasant return to how it used to be before the synthetic era. The engine sound is real, not artificial. The reverse camera, complemented by Mercedes’ excllent light diode system is all the help you need when parking, and doesn’t produce a concert of warning sounds. If I cross a line without blinking, the car doesn’t punish me. This is a car where you’re still in charge. I almost forgot Mercedes’s active seats as they used to be, bolstering the support as a function of G forces. Mercedes haven’t offered those in years now.

Coming back to the quality aspect, it’s crazy to think this is what Mercedes used to be like until about 10 years ago. What the hell happened? There’s more metal in the sill of one door than in the whole interior of a new car. The quality of the leather that covers most surfaces, the metal switches and knobs, even the Harman Kardon sound system – it’s all on a wholly different quality level to cars these days, and it’s not a level we’ll ever see again.

*Proper dials, metal pedals, superb quality – as Mercs (and others!) used to be!*

The CLS cost about CHF 143.000 as new in 2014, and I bought it for less than 20% of that. I would have opted for the matt rather than the shining wood inserts, but I haven no problem living with it, and it doesn’t change anything in this feeling like the deal of the century. My car came fresh from service, with new winter and good summer tires and one year full warranty. At that price residual values don’t really matter, but still, I think CLS’s could well gain in value going forward, given how rare they are, especially the Shooting Brake.

It’s certainly a stretch to call my five-door beauty a GT car, although I would claim it ticks a lot of those GT boxes but also adds a lot of practicality without sacrificing the form. Above all, it’s a rare thing which combines character with quality from the a bygone era, all to the growl of a great V8. As good as it was, that character and feeling of exclusivity was what the BMW lacked. I plan to update the infotainment to include Apple Car Play but that’s pretty much it. I love it and plan to keep it for a long time. Then again, I realize that my 23 car track record doesn’t lend me much credibility saying that. For now though, it’s great to be back in the Mercedes world – as it used to be!

Driving the L322 – is the hype deserved?

On March 15, 2026March 15, 2026 By ChristofferIn News, Test drives, The Dream Garage, The Thrill of Owning3 Comments

It’s hailed as the best ever by people who are the heroes and grand old men of the car world, and quite a few others who are not. Jeremy Clarkson and Harry Metcalfe qualify in the former category, Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z and of course, the late Queen Elizabeth in the latter. They all own or have owned at least one, and they generally refer to them as the best car ever.

I’m talking about the L322 Range Rover, a car that is currently riding higher in terms of buyer interest than most other automobiles of any kind. Prices for the few that are left in reasonable condition and mileage range from high to ridiculously high. Is it all warranted? Is the L322 actually better than its successor, the L405, as its supporters claim, and given how close top examples of the L322 are to the L405 price-wise? Alternatively, could it be that this is just an unwarranted hype?

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to drive an L322 for the first time. I did so on the back of an increasing number of voices and Youtube clips hailing the Range as a gem not to be missed. What many of these mentioned as an advantage over its successor, the L405, is the slightly smaller size, which especially in width makes a big difference in European parking garages. With this in mind and for all the hours I’ve spent watching Clarkson and Harry Metcalfe, it was high time to try out the machine they consider as the best ever for myself.

*The greatness of the L322 is one thing which Clarkson and the Queen agree on!*

Before going into that actual experience, let’s start by looking a bit closer at the L322 and its 10-year history, ranging from 2002 to 2012. It succeeded the P38 as the third generation of the Range Rover and was developed under BMW’s ownership of Land Rover, with a budget said to have been three times that of the P38. It clearly signalled BMW’s intention to make the new Range Rover a 7-series with terrain capabilities, but before the project reached production, Land Rover was sold on to Ford, and it was thus under Ford ownership that the L322 was launched in 2002.

Given the car was fully developed by BMW, Ford launched the new Range Rover with two BMW engines. A 3-litre, 6-cylinder diesel with a somewhat paltry 177 hp, given the car’s considerable weight of 2.7 tons. The 4.4 litre, V8 petrol was clearly the better, albeit thirstier choice. Both these were replaced during the new Range’s first facelift in 2005 in favour of two engine options derived from Jaguar. The 3.6 litre, V8 diesel was now 100 hp more powerful, and the eight-cylinder, 4.2 litre petrol is generally considered one of the best and most reliable engines out there.

Further facelifts followed through the years, updating the L322 in small steps both technically and interior-wise. The last happened in 2010 and was the most significant, as the two engines were again replaced by a larger, 313 hp 4.4 litre diesel V8, and a 5-litre supercharged petrol V8 with 510 hp. An 8-speed ZF auto box replaced the earlier 6-speed box, and both the engines and gearbox were later carried over to the L322’s successor, the L405, in 2012.

*An inteior (here post 2010 facelift) which is fine, but looks better at distance.*

The car I looked at was a 2010 (post facelift) 4.4 litre V8 diesel with as little as 99.000 km on the clock. To put the mileage into context, at the time of my test drive, this was one of only five (!) cars for sale from the whole range across the main markets in Europe with less than 100.000 km’s on the clock. It’s far easier to find cars that have done 150’, 200’, even up to 300’ km’s. L322’s are thus used rather heavily by their owners, which as long as they’re well maintained, is a good sign. However, even if you push the limit to 150′ km’s, we’re still talking no more than 20-30 cars all over Europe.

Furthermore, to describe what the current market is like, the seller of this car had already been contacted by 5-6 people from all over Europe when I called him only a few hours after he had listed the car. One buyer from Holland was particularly insistent and was ready to buy the car unseen. Of course I had told the seller I was interested and would decide quickly if I liked it, and luckily for me, he preferred a buyer from across the Zurich lake rather than from 800 km away. We thus decided to meet up the next day.

The grey L322 certainly looked far less fancy live than it had in the pictures of the ad, squeezed as it was against a garage wall. First impressions are important as we all know, and the seller could certainly have done a better job here. That said, there was nothing wrong with the car on the outside, and although the inside in beige-brown was perhaps not the most obvious color combination, it was fine. The cabin felt even more airy than in my L405, a function of you sitting even higher with even bigger windows, and everything seemed to be working as it should, which is never a given with a Land Rover.

*Unfortunately, “my” L322 looked less good in reality than on the pic’s.*

The diesel V8 spun to life and did a very fine job during the test drive we went out on together. It’s clearly a perfect power unit for the car, having no trouble at all with the 2.7 ton weight, notably thanks to all the torque you could wish for. It’s also considered reliable as long as you don’t do all your miles in the city or on short distances, and service it regularly. The whole driving experience was actually surprisingly similar to an L405 in a good sense, with the only exception being an even more indirect steering, meaning a hole lot of wheel turning at roundabouts. Otherwise the drive was completely unproblematic and, with the power at hand, actually quite entertaining. Clearly, this was a car you could do long miles in.

With the driving box thus ticked, I started checking things out in the car, in other words, in the interior L322 enthusiasts will tell you is so great because it’s full of large switches and controls that you can operate with your gloves on. I’m not sure why you would need to do that given to my knowledge, all L322’s have a good heating system, but indeed, switches are big and easy to find. When you do so, you discover they’re made of surprisingly cheap plastic, and when you start looking around, you notice that other parts of the cabin aren’t as nice as they look on distance either, but rather on the cheap side.

The seats were great though, and I agree with many people who say they’re better than on the L405. The sound from the Harman Kardon loudspeakers was fine, but the infotainment system is of course completely outdated, and according to the seller, lacked a reliable bluetooth connection to your phone. That’s of course easy to fix but slowly but surely, small details added up to a car which in spite of all its character, didn’t speak to me. It just felt old.

*Most L322’s, even late ones, will not be flawless in terms of rust. Many other cars of similar age are…*

We made it back and before handing back the keys, I checked how rusty the exhaust and rear suspension were, because they’re typically not flawless. It wasn’t dramatic, but superficial corrosion could be seen in various places. It didn’t help the general impression, and unfortunately the service history didn’t do so either, not at all being as complete as the seller had told me. The rear brake discs didn’t have far left, and the seller didn’t know when they’d been changed last. As I’ve said so often, you should always scrutinize a car’s service history carefully, and if there’s one brand that’s especially important for, it’s any kind of Land Rover

I never really had a serious interest in the car but if there had perhaps been a small thought in that direction lingering in the back of my mind, it was gone. This car wasn’t for me, and I don’t think another representative of the L322 would have been so either. I say this having driven many cars from the 2010-2015 period, including an L405, which as you know I consider as one of the peak car periods, but none of them has really felt old as the L322 did. Looking at it somewhat objectively, there’s really no doubt that the succeeding L405 is a better car in practically all areas, except perhaps for the working horse usage the Clarksons of this world use the L322 for, most probably with their gloves on.

If the L322 speaks more to you than it did to me, be aware that you’re part of a growing crowd of prospective buyers looking for very few good cars still out there. More than ever, general condition, mileage and service history should be in focus. In terms of engines, you can find endless discussions on forums as to which one is best, but for most types of usage, the 4.4 litre TDV8 will be pretty much perfect and do the job at 10-11 litres per 100 km, For petrols, the 4.2 litre is generally considered more reliable than the 5-litre V8, but be aware that engine didn’t make it over the last facelift, meaning you’ll have to do with a 6-gear box and a less modern car.

*The only 5-litre in good condition for sale in Switzerland. At 150′ km, CHF 38′ is a steep ask…*

The market reflects this pretty well, with cars from after the last facelift being the most difficult to find and the most sought after. Be prepared to pay EUR 30-40.000 for really good cars, whereas EUR 20.000 will get you a well looked after 4.2 litre from before the last facelift. The 5-litre petrol is very rare, at least in Europe, and prices asked can go even higher. If you find one of those, you’ll want to check potential timing chain issues, something the engine is known for in the L322.

In conclusion, I politely disagree with Clarkson, Metcalfe and the queen, as I don’t think the L322 is the best car in the world. It certainly is far more suitable on Clarkson’s farm and other terrain-related usage, which is, after all, what it was intended for. As said, you can certainly do big miles in it, but if that’s the intended usage, I can make a long list of cars in that price segment I would consider better at it.

With that said, the L322 market is ultra hot and the car I looked at sold the following day for the ask of CHF 30.000. If you take your time and find the right car, you should be able to limit your downside and even enjoy a bit of upside, as prices will most probably continue to rise in the coming years.

The 2026 F1 (r)evolution!

On March 1, 2026March 2, 2026 By ChristofferIn F1, News1 Comment

When I publish this, we’re one week out from the first Grand Prix of the F1 season 2026 down in Melbourne. And on 27 February, Netflix very timely released the latest season of “Drive to Survive”, giving everyone (or at least most of us) enough time to go through the intricacies from last season before the 2026 engines start revving down under. Melbourne usually attracts around half a million spectators during the F1 weekend, making it one of, if not the best attended F1 event during the year.

I will unfortunately not be one of that half million people, but the question is really what the lucky ones will get to see this year. Because the 2026 season promises to be very different indeed. To most, the question seems to be not whether it will be better or worse, but rather how much worse it will be. The changes to the cars are so big that experience could count for less than in many years, potentially leading to completely new podiums. Time will tell but for now, let’s dive in for a closer look at what it’s all about.

Before looking closer at the new cars, 2026 will see a new team with two old drivers (in all senses of the word), a rebranded team (Kick Sauber becoming Audi) but just one rookie, in stark contrast to the six we had last season. His name is Arvid Lindblad which sounds very Swedish to the Swedes among us. Sadly for us, Arvid is a British driver with a Swedish father and an Indian mother, who’s come up through the Red Bull Academy to take the second seat at Red Bull’s junior team Racing Bulls, next to Liam Lawson.

*Arvid may discover that being a rookie in 2026 is better than in many years!*

This comes about as Isack Hadjar in his second F1 season moves to Red Bull, replacing Yuki Tsunoda and becoming Max Verstappen’s seventh team mate during his tenure at the team. The move is logical in the sense that Hadjar drove really well in his first season and managed to be in the points in 10 races, making one podium in the Dutch GP as third. As for Tsunoda, he stays with the team but in the role of test driver. No, that’s not a promotion, it’s the price to pay for being the 6th driver who didn’t succeed as nr. 2 at Red Bull. Let’s hope nr. 7 does better.

The only other driver move in 2026 is Sergio “Checo” Perez and Valtteri Bottas returning to F1 to drive for the new team on the grid this year – Cadillac. The team is the first to join the F1 circus since Haas did so 10 years ago, and they will also be the last unless another team pulls out. Team principal Graeme Lowdon has built the Cadillac team from the ground up, choosing no less than 500 people out of 143.000 applicants! That says something about how big F1 has become on the other side of the Atlantic.

The Cadillac cars will for now be powered by Ferrari engines. GM is however working on their proper engine, currently expected to be introduced in 2029. That means that next to the two drivers, Cadillac at least has a reputable engine up its sleeve. That’s it however for the good news, since most pundits agree that it will take at least a few years for the team to establish itself in F1. Any points scored in the coming season would thus be a rather big surprise.

*At least no team beats Cadillac in driver experience!*

Moving on to the cars, there is a long list of differences compared to the last years that risk turning the season pretty much on its head. The first thing, visible to the eye, is that the cars are smaller. Their minimum weight has been reduced by 30 kgs, as has their maximum width and length. It’s also easy to spot that tires are thinner both in the front and back. What you won’t see as easily is an important reduction in down force of around 30% compared to the 2025 car. If you’re driving at 300 km/h, that makes a pretty big difference!

All of the above is supposed to make the cars nimbler, reversing the trend towards more bulky cars seen in the last years. Because along with the reduced down force comes an even more important reduction in drag, all contributing. to the cars “dancing through corners” in official F1 language. I guess we’ll see about that, but a condition for any kind of dance will be the power unit, and it’s here that changes are the biggest.

The new cars aim for a 50/50 split between combustion and electric engines, meaning the former sees a reduction of power to 400 kW (about 536 hp), the latter a boost of nearly 300% to 350 kW (about 470 hp). Another big change is the elimination of DRS, with cars instead having a Z-mode for cornering with increased downforce, and a low-drag X-mode configuration for increased straight line speed. This is referred to as active aerodynamics, and the X-mode also has a manual override function, allowing the driver to use more power for overtaking when a car is at or closer than one second ahead.

*The new power train, here in an Alpine, is nothing for the handyman in the back yard…*

If you think that sounds complicated and perhaps slightly over the top, you’re not alone. Of course teams would most probably have complained whatever changes had been introduced, but given the changes more or less alter what F1 has been about so far, the critique from both teams and drivers is understandable. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that the changes improve what we all tune in to see every two weeks: great racing.

Some of the biggest concerns raised include the complexity of the power train and hereby reliability issues. Another point is the start procedure, where drivers will have a very small window to correctly rev the engine, creating enough turbo pressure whilst also taking into account the somewhat delayed electric power. The two active aerodynamic modes will mean more sliding on straights whilst fast corners can be taken more easily, fundamentally changing the required driving style. Finally, it’s unclear whether overtaking will be possible at all.

To understand this last point, drivers will need to manage their electrical power carefully as batteries will otherwise deplete half way down the straight, meaning no extra power available for overtaking. They can do this in different ways: by lifting, coasting, or taking corners in lower gears, meaning lower speeds. Quite obviously, none of this comes naturally to an F1 driver, and the skills that traditionally separated the good from the great, such as not lifting when going through Raidillon in Spa, will be far less in demand.

*Raidillon used to separate the wheat from the chaff. Not anymore…*

Quite obviously, drivers aren’t thrilled about all this. Max Verstappen has made some comments in the direction of the fun of driving being gone, and him not seeing the point of going on if that’s the case. Charles Leclerc sees potential big issues with overtaking, and many others seem more confused than anything else. Unfortunately, the level of confusion wasn’t really reduced during pre-season testing, rather the opposite.

Teams have had two three-day testing sessions in Barcelona and Bahrain pre-season. All teams except for Williams, who weren’t ready for Barcelona, participated in both. Aston Martin had massive issues during both sessions and only managed to complete 1/3 of the laps of test-leading Mercedes. Their main issue was, unsurprisingly, reliability. Among the top teams, all of them completed more than 1000 laps. However, time differences between them and the mid field are far larger than they used to be, up to several seconds per lap. It will be very interesting to see how that turns out racing-wise.

At this stage, I’d like to keep an open mind and hope all of this turns out better than it sounds on paper and we all expect. In a way, it will be interesting to see if the experienced drivers or the younger guys manage to adapt quickest to the new driving style. Hopefully we’ll get some real racing with races being decided by great driving and not power depletion. And hopefully, drivers will all find it fun enough to be worth their while. If not, the “new” F1 risks becoming one of the more painful sacrifices on the altar of world’s electrification!

The best four doors ever!

On February 15, 2026February 15, 2026 By ChristofferIn News, The Dream Garage, The Thrill of Owning2 Comments

Enzo Ferrari is a name that probably rings a bell even if you don’t have the slightest interest in cars. The father of the most legendary sports car brand of all needs no further introduction, as my portrait of him on this blog back in 2023 hopefully showed. Less well-known, and arguably less legendary, is Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s president until 2014 who was a central figure in the development of many modern Ferraris. Again, I did a portrait of Luca almost exactly a year ago, which will notably tell you that he started with the company back in 1973, moving up the ranks to become its president in 1991.

di Montezemolo is instrumental to this post, because it was him and no one else that in the late 90’s was appalled to see that Italian politicians and other VIP’s had to resort to being driven around in German limousines, as Italy at the time did not produce anything that fitted the bill. The Lancia Thema 8.32 may have had a Ferrari engine, but it was old by then and never on par with an S-class. Ferrari was only building two-seaters, and Maserati, which at the time belonged to Ferrari, had a Quattroporte, meaning a four-door, four-seater sedan, but the 90’s version, which was the fourth iteration of the Quattroporte, was far too small for a limousine.

*The fourth series had its charm, but not the same looks – and it was far smaller.*

This had to change, and so di Montezemolo’s Ferrari group started developing the stately limousine that became the Quattroporte series V, one of the most elegant cars that’s ever been built and the first Ferrari four-door. Yes, you read that right. The fifth series Quattroporte may have carried Maserati’s neptune trident logo, which you can also admire on a fountain in the middle of the brand’s home town Bologna, but for all intents and purposes, it was a Ferrari, including the wonderful engine and the far less wonderful single-clutch automated manual transmission, here called DuoSelect.

Pininfarina was in charge of the design of the new Quattroporte, giving it a look that is the very definition of timeless elegance. It does without any wings or spoilers, something Pininfarina has never been a fan of, preferring sweeping lines that require no special effects or drama to come into their own right. A quick comparison with the Chris Bangle-designed 7-series from the same period illustrates the point quite well. The Quattroporte brilliantly conveys its class through small details like the trident logo on the c-pillar and of course, the three side skirts behind the front wheels, Another way to look at it is that the fifth series Quattroporte looks as good whatever the color, perhaps the best testament to a truly great design.

*…including in white, usually not a very attractive colour!*

What the outside promises, the inside doubles up on. Leather of the finest Italian quality is complemented by wood inserts along with alcantara notably for the roof lining. The look is distinctive and elegant, with a comfort to go with it. In spite of the car being over five meters long (5.09 metres to be exact), room in the back isn’t opulent, but sufficient for four to travel in great style.

And yet, all of this is secondary to what you find under the hood, home of essentially the same Ferrari V8 as in the F430 or 458. Initially at 4.2 litres, the V8 in the Quattroporte delivers a healthy 400 hp with a sound you won’t hear in a new car ever again, modern regulations have made sure of that. At idle the Quattroporte growls impressively, and as the revs rise, so does its tone. It’s quite simply a wonderful engine that I promise will give you goose bumps every time, even if you were to drive the car as a daily. Maserati have also placed the engine as low and as far into the car as possible, meaning it sits behind the front axle.

The DuoSelect gearbox risks giving you goose bumps as well, however for a completely different reason. The single-clutch, automated manual is fine on long distances or for real sporty driving, as it kicks in the gears like a true racing car, and being a transaxle construction, it also gave the big limousine an almost perfect weight distribution of 47-53. Unfortunately though, the gearbox is far less great in slow-moving traffic or any kind of hill start or parking. On one hand for the jerkiness of the gear change, but also since its construction means that any such driving formally eats the clutch, and letting the car hang in first gear during a hill start will make you aware of this through a distinct smell of burned clutch.

*A lovely interior, with the DuoSelect box distinguishable by the small reverse handle*

The fifth series of the Quattroporte premiered in 2003 with the above mentioned engine and the DuoSelect gearbox as only option. It generally received a good reception from the motoring press with praise going mostly to the engine and the ride, with the standard-fitted Skyhook adaptive damping, Unsurprisingly, the gearbox was far less appreciated. In 2005 two specific versions called Executive GT and Sport GT were added to the line-up, the former with more luxury, the latter, you guessed it, with more sportiness, notably an X-shaped sports exhaust that gave the Sport GT the best tone of them all, a metallic growl worthy of a true race car.

In 2007 Maserati then bowed to the pressure from its customers and replaced the DuoSelect box with a six-speed automatic from German ZF. Or rather Fiat did, because by then, Maserati had passed from the house of Ferrari to the house of Fiat. The change of gearbox however meant major changes to the whole car, as the box was now moved forward to sit right behind the engine. Roughly 25% of all parts in the car had to be changed as a consequence, and the weight distribution became slightly less favorable at now 49-51. Given how much better the new gearbox was, most buyers found this very easy to stomach.

What is generally considered the best pick of the Quattroporte range is the Sport GTS from 2008 onwards, the sportiest version of them all. Chrome parts were here blackened and the suspension was changed to conventional Bilstein dampers rather than the Skyhawk setup, generally considered better. Wheels were bigger at 20 inch, the grille was turned inward, all giving it a more aggressive look. In the same year, the engine volume was increased to 4.7 litre and 430 hp in the Quattroporte S and Sport GTS versions. The Series V was discontinued in 2012, and unfortunately replaced by two far less charismatic cars – the Ghibli at around five metres and the new Quattroporte at almost 5.3 metres, comparable to an extended S-class.

*The Sport GTS looks more purposeful – especially fron the front.*

Of course, a five-meter, two ton limousine isn’t in its element in the city. It’s built for the large Autostrade or sweeping country roads of Italy and elsewhere, and it’s here the car really comes into its element. The steering which can feel a bit dead at lower speeds is now communicative, the ride is subtle, and the car is a better drive than any automobile of this size should be allowed to be. It’s difficult to fault it, and in this environment, it’s really irrespective of version. Perhaps even more surprisingly, Quattroporte’s have a generally very good reputation quality-wise, often scoring better than S-classes of a similar age. If, and this is one of the biggest if’s you’ll ever read, if and only if they’ve been properly maintained.

No luxury limousine is cheap to run. Big engines and considerable weight means maintenance costs for, next to the engine, things like dampers or air suspension, brakes and tires will be high. In a certain way, the often low price of the car is only the entry ticket to a hopefully happy ownership. If you can’t budget the necessary maintenance costs, then it’s generally better to stay away. Which of course also means a need to ensure that the previous owner or owners (the fewer the better!) have done so as well.

The above has never been more true than for the Quattroporte. Some of these are very cheap, meaning around EUR 10.000. The general rule is to steer away from those, or any car which doesn’t have a complete owner and servicing history. Let me illustrate why. Remember the DuoSelect gearbox? If badly driven, the clutch could need replacement already after 20.000-30.000 kms, and will most certainly have to be changed at twice that, even if you treat it with silk gloves. That replacement is about EUR 5.000. A pair of break pads is around EUR 600, which is interesting since the pads are identical to those on a Mercedes ML, where they cost EUR 50. A pair of disc brakes will be EUR 1.000-1.500. And so on.

The implication of this is of course that if a perfect car with perfect history costs 5.000 more than a less perfect one, that will be the best 5.000 you’ve ever invested. The good news is however that if annual servicing intervals have been maintained at a serious garage, then the engine is pretty bullet proof, and slightly higher mileage needn’t therefore be a deal killer. That goes for the gearbox as well – the six-speed automatic that is, which is the only one you should get. As for the rest, at least statistically, a Quattroporte won’t be worse than any other luxury limousine, but it will always be more beautiful and incite more emotions!

The day I have more time and space, meaning that five-place garage I’ll never find as long as we live in Switzerland, then a Quattroporte is probably the first car I’ll park there. To my mind, it’s quite simply the best modern Maserati. I’ll follow my own advice above, going for an automatic but not caring too much about the version, or even whether it’s a 4.2 or 4.7 litre, both are great. I’ll park it so that I can admire it every day, in whichever color it is, and I will most probably used it as a daily, to enjoy the best engine sound in the world over, and over, and over again!

The value of a handbag

On February 1, 2026February 5, 2026 By ChristofferIn News, OpinionLeave a comment

Handbags is an area I’m not very knowledgeable about. In our by now 28-year marriage, it’s been covered by my better half, in the last years with some support from our daughter, now in her mid-twenties. It’s by listening to the two of them that I’ve picked up that there’s handbags, and then there is Hermès. A Hermès bag is not something you walk into a shop and buy, even if you have the (considerable) cash necessary. Rather, it’s a bit like Ferrari in the car world. You can’t just buy some of them as you need to be part of the chosen ones to do so.

In a post back in October, I asked the question if Porsche was going bust, following Q3 results that showed a quarter on quarter loss compared to 2024 of 96%, I concluded that for a variety of reasons you can read more on in that post, that’s not the case, but also, that Porsche in spite of many qualities, does not have the brand value of a Ferrari – or a Hermès handbag.

If Porsche doesn’t, then the same can no doubt be said about the brand which invented the automobile, Mercedes-Benz. And unfortunately, a vulnerable brand is not the only thing the two have in common. Today therefore, we’ll turn our eyes to Sindelfingen near Stuttgart, Mercedes-Benz’s home since more than 100 years, because the odds are that it won’t be for the coming 100.

*Perhaps the most classic S-class generation of them all – the W116.*

Bar Ferrari’s home town of Maranello, more legendary cars have come out of the Sindelfingen plant than any other car plant. If however you were to choose one model to embody the brand, it would most probably be the S-class, the car which not too long ago made up over 40% of sales in the luxury limo segment.

In 2022, Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius laid out the brand’s new strategy, calling it “economics of desire”. What he meant was basically that Mercedes should become a Hermès on wheels. He did so on the back of massive price hikes since 2019, made possible through demand outpacing supply after the Covid years, and Mercedes recording a EUR 20bn profit in 2022 with close to a 15% profit margin. As the strategy was laid out, it seemed the Sindelfingen brand and its CEO could do nothing wrong.

Actually the trend reversal had already started, although no one had really paid attention. In late 2021, Mercedes had sold its truck business. Boring certainly and not sexy at all, but a very reliable profit generator. Trucks were no more, only the smaller delivery vans were kept. And around the same time, the new electric S-class, the EQS, was launched.

Since it was shown to the public the first time in 2021, the EQS had received at best a lukewarm reception. Sure, it was an engineering masterstroke to design a car with a 0.20 wind resistance coefficient, and Mercedes were convinced it would sell on efficiency, in spite of its hefty price tag.

But efficiency is never what drove sales of the S-class, or any other luxury limo for that matter. Prestige is, something the EQS lacked. The soap-like, rather ugly outside was complemented by a high-tech interior rich in cheap plastic, all in all a package which was far from what S-class buyers were used to. The EQS lost on average 48% of its value in the important US market in the first year and not much less in Europe. Today, it’s not even hard to pick one up for less than a third of its original price.

Then, again under the banner of efficiency, Mercedes introduced the new, four-cylinder hybrid C63 AMG. The fall from grace that the AMG brand has seen is a story of its own, from being a builder of exclusive, mostly V8-powered cars, as described in my post from 2021, to being reduced to a sticker put on the sportiest version of every product line. The 2-litre, four-cylinder hybrid C63 received dismal reviews and will go down in history as a schoolbook example of not knowing your client and their preferences.

*While the outside looked good, it wasn’t pretty under the hood*

As if that wasn’t enough, the Chinese market that has been Mercedes’s cash cow in the last years, started to change. Domestic brands brought new cars to market much quicker than their European counterparts, and especially younger, local buyers started seeing the Stuttgart brand like something their parents drove. Since 2023, Mercedes has lost 1/3 of its new car sales in its most important market. from around 750.000 to about 500.000 cars annually.

As the new year starts, Mercedes is no doubt happy to leave 2025 behind. Its profit dropped over 30% in 2025 compared to the year before, and corrective measures were urgently needed. With Källenius and the management team under severe pressure, they seem to at least have recognized the issues and have started to correct the gravest errors. No less than 40.000 workers have been offered to leave, and costs should be reduced by at least EUR 5bn until 2030. However, in the important US market, Mercedes is like every other European car maker subject to 15% tariffs on all cars built outside of the US, which for Merc includes notably the S-class.

As for the cars, restoring quality and reducing cheap plastics is high on the agenda. Combustion engines are making a comeback, and there’s even talk of future AMG’s running V8’s again. Is it too little too late? The future will tell and odds are certainly not rosy, not least as unlike Porsche, which is backed by the mighty Piëch family, or BMW, supported by the no less powerful Quandts, Mercedes doesn’t have that kind of backer or anchor investor. Over 70% of its shareholding is widely spread, and two of its larger, institutional shareholders are, of course, Chinese.

Mercedes will not go bust in 2026, there is still money in the bank. Hopefully, things can improve quickly, and confidence in the brand can be restored. It feels a bit strange as a simple blogger to state what should be obvious to the management team, but since it doesn’t seem to be, here we go: listen to your clients, that will not only save you a lot of time and effort, but perhaps even your brand.

Before we end, this was also the week when Elon Musk announced the first part of transforming Tesla from an automaker to a robotics company. The Model S and X will be discontinued in the coming weeks, on the back of the company’s first quarterly and annual revenue decline ever. That turn of events is something I predicted in my post on Tesla from the spring of last year, saying at the time we didn’t know what the future direction of the company would be, after cars. Well, now we know.

When the company that changed the auto world by introducing electric cars for the masses essentially leaves the industry, it’s a testament to things having changed for good. When it comes to EV’s, the future will be Chinese. When it comes to combustion cars, we can only hope that there is a future, in Sindelfingen or elsewhere, and that we get to keep them as long as you can use a Hermès Kelly bag!

Introducing the ToD podcast!

On January 25, 2026January 25, 2026 By ChristofferIn NewsLeave a comment

Dear readers,

It’s been my distinct pleasure to write this blog for more than 10 years, and rest assured that I will continue to do so going forward. In an age of various types of media, I also remain a fan of the written word. However, being myself an active podcast listener, I’ve come to appreciate the format which presents many advantages, notably that it can be enjoyed in various places – for example, while driving!

It’s therefore my pleasure to introduce the Thrill of Driving Podcast, that you will find on Spotify (explicit link below). The podcast consists of a spoken version of the blog posts, and new posts will be featured on the podcast around a week after being published here. As time allows, I will also record old posts and add these to the podcast, so content-wise, it will hopefully grow quickly!

Going forward, I therefore leave it up to you whether to continue reading the posts, or rather listening to them. And if you really can’t get enough of them, you’re obviously most welcome to do both! The first post on the podcast is the one from last week, on the wonderful Alfa GTV. Enjoy!

Spotify podcast link: https://open.spotify.com/show/46ekmy018NiBwMKQkbPyhg?si=a7176a0395444a05