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Graham Whyte has been an automotive journalist for more than...
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| Moses is never about when you need him. |
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We’ve been off air for a while. There was dry rot or something in the blogging software, so we had to sit on our hands, and keep our thoughts to ourselves.
But we’re back now, or at least I am, and I thought I would rekindle the embers of our virtual relationship by telling you about the floods.
Notwithstanding the fact that I live on top of the North Downs, the road into our village is frequently flooded to a considerable depth. There is a dip between some fields that slope towards the road, and after heavy rain, it’s like living on the shores of the Ganges. And so it was last week. Several feet of water, floating logs, and water buffalo.
It doesn’t bother me; I drive a Range Rover, so three feet of water is but a mere puddle. But I get just as stranded, just as cut off from the outside world as if I were in a G-Whiz, and all because of the muppets who drive right up to the water before they notice it’s there. Then instead of simply turning round, they get out of their cars and huddle in perplexed groups like the tribe of Israel contemplating the Red Sea. Usually there’s one in wellies who will wade in up to his ankles and proclaim the water wet. Meanwhile, the road is utterly blocked, supplies are cut off, and the Red Cross is mustered.
It happens at least once a month, yet to most of our doddering village motorists it always comes as a surprise, and they are no better equipped to deal with it now than they were when De Dion first met Bouton.
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Charis Whitcombe writes the She Drives section of NEW CAR...
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I was recently told that some carmakers are programming ECUs to detect when the car is being put through a government-imposed ‘emissions drive cycle’. The ECU then defaults to a low-emissions setting for the duration of the test. How sneaky can you get?
Perhaps we should we sue: it’s the only way to make money these days. Did you see the story about the woman who sued Sainsbury’s over the strapline on her pack of pork chops: ‘Sainsbury’s pork… your local butcher’ on the basis that it was inciting her to commit a carnal act? She won.
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Whether you’re into cars that are new, used or classic,...
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I’m confused; some would say perpetually. Network Rail has said that it’s considering a major expansion of the rail network, because the current infrastructure can’t cope. Five major new lines might criss-cross the UK to add much-needed capacity to the network. So far so good.
However, Richard Dyer, transport campaigner at Friends of the Earth, is on record as saying: “Expanding Britain’s railways by building new high speed lines is potentially very exciting - and could play an important role in weaning Britain off fossil fuels and developing a low carbon economy”.
Am I missing something here? Are these new railways going to feature trains that run on rainwater or what? I can’t see that elecricity is a viable option, and even if it was, you can bet it wouldn’t be generated from solar panels or wind – which means it would come from coal-fired power stations as the environmentalists won’t let us have nuclear either.
So in what way are these trains going to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels? The last time I looked, most of the choo-choos lining our network were diesel-powered. Still, as long as the diesel isn’t going into private cars, it just has to be more environmentally friendly, doesn’t it? Public transport is always good, even when it’s running round empty.
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Editor-in-Chief, Massimo Pini trained as an automotive designer before setting...
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| Original Ka was exactly that; new one will allow owners to retain anonymity |
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Creating an automotive design icon is quite a challenge. If it were an easy thing to do, I’m sure every car maker would have one. But of course it isn’t and therefore they haven’t. All the more surprising then that a major manufacturer like Ford should stick a dagger through the heart of its little Ford Ka - which stood every chance of achieving (some would argue it already had) cult iconic status.
Let’s look at the evidence. What are the basic ingredients that make up an automotive icon? First and foremost: individual and distinctive design. The original Ka had this in spades. Its charming, cheeky-chappie styling was like nothing else around. Ford designers themselves must have been pretty chuffed with themselves as they even used the Ka’s shape to define the K-A logo.
Next add a generous helping of character. Aside from the Ka’s cute and stylish looks, it was a hoot to drive. It arrived at a time when Ford’s engineers had really hit a sweet spot in tuning their chassis. Witness the Fiesta, Puma and the 1st generation Focus which followed soon after.
The toughest part of the equation is longevity. A true icon has got to stand the test of time and outlast all of its rivals. The Ka lasted 12 years without a major facelift, and in recent times, this is exceptional. OK, I know there was the StreetKa version and then the SportKa but, to me, these merely served to prove the validity of the original concept.
Ford had two choices on how to proceed. Either acknowledge that the Ka was something special and apply subtle changes (Kinetic dialect?) to update the design while still retaining the essence of the original (see Audi TT) or deny the baby Ford’s status, stick rigidly to the Kinetic design language and end up with the bizarre compressed Fiesta cum Corsa that is the all-new Ka. I think the former option could have resulted in a car that could almost match the appeal of the Fiat 500 that shares its platform.
Still, Ford is not alone in treading this disappointing path. Any takers for a charmless Twingo?
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