Again with the Older Cars…Sheesh

This page got more hits in one day (yesterday) than I think I expected to ever get. I guess I will give myself a pat on the back…ok on to business. As I was saying yesterday, before I was so rudely interrupted by real work, I really prefer older car models to newer ones. Again, I’m not entirely sure why that is, but it seems to be something that humans do. My father likes the cars and music that he grew up with (though he would trade it all in for an Audi R8 – and who wouldn’t) and I seem to heading in the same direction. Is it always going to be like this? I don’t know, but I have a few more cars now that I think were better than the current versions on sale today.

The first is the Audi RS4. What a cool car. I used to think that this was the perfect car; that this was the only car anyone would ever need; and I still mostly stand by that. The car came in Avant form only – which, for those not up on that term, means wagon. This meant that you could haul around pretty much anything you wanted, and then some. Going shopping? Take the whole store with you. Packing in the kids? Why not the whole neighborhood? It really was cool that you could be driving around in this estate car and not have anyone know what was really lurking under the hood. Especially if it was debadged (another topic for another day). The only way to really know that the person next to you didn’t have an RS4 was to test their mettle. Of course the larger front spoiler with its rakish vents on the side and whale sized mouth and bigger wheels could set you off, but those can be found as body enhancers now for B5 Audi’s. No, the only true way was to see what they were made of. And the RS4 was made of a lot. It had a twin-turbo 2.7 liter engine that, when fully spooled, made 380bhp and went from naught to sixty in under 5 seconds. Now that is how to quickly get to the store. The pictures below were taken at the Nurburgring and really show how much of a sleeper this car was, and still is in Europe. It really does look like a regular A4 Avant. But again, there is that feeling that this car could do anything. It obviously has the power to make it a sports-type car, it has AWD to make it go and stop in inclement weather and winter, and it can haul everything and more. What else do you need? Let’s see…I could drive a big SUV and suck all the gas out of the world and tip over when I turn a corner and not have any fun… or I could get an RS4, drive it to the track, beat the snot out of it while having a great time, then cruise at 130mph on the Autobahn, pick up some milk from the grocery store and arrive at my mountaintop home. Hmmm. Yeah I think I’ll go with the RS4.

Now if I wanted to have even more fun, and have a car whose looks divide opinion, but whose drive was once called “the best handling car in the world” by Jeremy Clarkson. Yes, that was a whole ten years ago now (my GOD ten years!!!!????) and technology has undoubtedly moved on, but this is the type of thing that I love. This car is much better than the current Coupe that BMW makes because it is so divisive. Most people like the looks of the new Z4, whereas most people wouldn’t understand why you bought a BMW that looks like a bread van…until they ride in it. With 321 horses powering it, it wasn’t the fastest thing on four wheels, but then it doesn’t need to be. It will be looked at as a future classic (mark my words) and for that alone it deserves to be praised. I once read an article where Jenson Button drove the car and said it was the best handling road car he had ever driven (and it is probably better than his current spec Honda F1 debacle). The way it glides and slides and roars and squeals is enough to make me feel all funny inside. It really does put me in a tizzy, this car. It’s all aggressive and bulgy and rear-wheel drivey and that makes this one of the best cars that many people will have never heard of, or seen, and yet I really believe it deserves a place in the pantheon of great automobiles. This car is another one that truly belongs in my ever expanding garage. I’m sure that I will never have enough skill to ever drive this car on the limit, but if I did…whoo boy I bet it would be a laugh riot, every time.

Are Older Models Better? YES!!!

You know, I was sitting here today thinking what to write about, and I have to say that the only thing I want to talk about right now is older cars. Not like 50’s models or anything like that, but cars that are out there, not being made anymore, that have been replaced by newer models. I guess what I mean by doing this is to say that I really want to drive some of them, even though there are newer, and presumably (although not always the case) better cars out there. Let me show you what I mean.

The Ferrari F40. There, I typed it. It really is a wonder to behold even by just looking at the name of the car on the screen. I know that it was made in 1987 and I know that there are better cars out there, but I really want to drive this one. I lust after it. It makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up if I think about it. I saw one, once, in 2005 at the now infamous Indianapolis Grand Prix. (Google it if you don’t know). It was sitting, in all its red glory, outside a hotel at night and it had a Competizione wing on it and massively uncomfortable, yet practical, racing buckets. It was, in a word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I never said it would be a short word. Anyway, this car was amazing, and for obvious reasons – twin turbo V-8 and three exhaust pipes – sounded like the automotive equivalent of god speaking. I watched, in awe, as it was started up. It then proceeded to drive away. In its wake followed the other Ferrari – a 308 – that I heard the guy got as a gift for buying the F40! What a deal. But the main point is this; I really want to experience this car. It is not a matter of “I need to experience the fastest or the best,” because that is not what this car is (although some would argue for it). No. I want to drive it because it has character. It is essentially a carbon fiber bathtub that has the steering wheel and pedals slightly more to the center of the car than they should be. It has a ginormous rear wing, a plastic rear window/engine cover and some of the worst turbo lag ever. But it doesn’t matter. It is a legend and better looking and better sounding than almost every modern Ferrari. I adore it.

There is another car out there now that really has the press going nutzo for it; the GT-R. Those three seemingly innocuous letters, when put together in the right order, make people (including me) swoon. And maybe it’s because the car was never offered here before this newest model. Maybe it’s because I could only ever drive one in a video game. And maybe it’s because the car has a long and storied past. But although I want to have one, there is another, older car that I want first (although I will never, ever, ever in a million years, have one, or possibly even see one in person). The car I am referring to is the holy grail of almost all Subaru owners; the 22b. It is a model unto itself in many ways. It is of the same basic shape as other classic Imprezas and yet it epitomizes everything that should have been with the new one. It was fast, it was limited, and it was nasty looking. It was built under the strict rule that it was to be the ultimate, and it didn’t disappoint. It had an enlarged heart – 2.2 liters of destructive fury – and was good for estimates over 320hp (although the Japanese were limited to 280 by law). It was bulging at the seams thanks to a wide body kit and had an adjustable rear wing depending on whether you wanted to swing down to the shops or blast around the Nurburgring. (Ooh another possible blog entry). This was one of those special editions (and with only 400 ever produced, very special indeed) that was only available overseas and came here only on press junkets. It is almost untouchable for a Subaru Impreza enthusiast such as myself and I so desperately want one. Would I commit unspeakable acts to have one? That has yet to be determined.

And what about the new RS4 or the new Z4 M Coupe? I would argue that both cars were better (both in looks and functionality) in their previous incarnations. How about this dear reader? I will write about these tomorrow or the next day because I seriously have to get back to my real job today. But what do you think? Yea or Nay on the older model being better. Drop me a line and express your opinions.

The Wetter the Better

With just four laps left in the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix, Mika Hakkinen made one of the greatest passes in Grand Prix history on Michael Schumacher. Schumi was out front as they made the turn around La Source. Down through Eau Rouge and on to Raidillon they sped. They both flew down the Kemmel Straight toward Les Combes at incredible speed with Hakkinen inching ever closer in Michael’s slipstream. At 200 mph Michael then dived for the inside to block Hakkinen, who almost rear-ended him in the process.

Michael was the master at this; it was his art form. He would weave purposely at the start of the race and cut people off so he could stay in the lead. He would even cut across competitor’s lines during the race (like Hakkinen) to try and keep others from stealing his points. That’s why he was so dominant – besides having the best equipment for most of his career – he made it difficult to pass him.

The rest of that lap saw Schumacher’s lead increase as he tore through the rest of the curving sinuous Belgian countryside. He was set up for the rain that had come with the start of the race, and that meant a high-downforce setting. Hakkinen went for a dry setting and more top speed. It would pay off.

The fourth lap from the end started much the same with Schumi ahead of Hakkinen through Eau Rouge and up onto the Kemmel Straight. Then came Zonta. The BAR-Honda driver never knew that he was about to be the meat in the passing sandwich Schumi and Hakk were about to create. Michael had no choice but to decide which side to pass on first, and went left. Mika chose the right and both put Zonta a lap down at the same time. But Les Combes being a right-hander, Mika had the better line and was now on the inside of Schumi. There was nothing left for it and Mika passed Schumi to take the lead and eventually go on and win the race.

And this brings me to my point. The only exciting passing that happens these days is when it rains. In the dry everyone simply races from the place they started to that place they will finish and if they do need to pass, no one tries anything daring, because “blocking” will result in a penalty. But why should it? Why make it easy for the person who is trying to get your points be able to pass without making it difficult for them?

In last week’s German Grand Prix, it was as if everyone just let Lewis Hamilton by. Especially Felipe Massa. It couldn’t have been easier for Lewis if no one was in front of him. I sat watching as he ate all the time in the world from Massa’s lead. I knew it was coming and there was nothing Massa could do, but he could have tried harder than he did. With the amount of effort Massa put into defending his LEAD, I could have made that pass! There is no doubt that Lewis is a remarkable driver, he has proven that time and again, but there is no reason that anyone in the lead of a race with a few laps left should let someone pass them that easily.

I say that every race should be run in the rain. Sure, Massa will be out of a job rather quickly, but it will separate the men from the boys. Rain makes Grand Prix drivers try things that they would never think to do in the dry. It makes them daring again. It makes them drivers. That race at Spa is a great testament to this because it started out wet and ended dry. It makes people try different strategies. Schumacher stayed with his wet set-up and lost. Hakkinen used a dry set-up and won. Tire strategies change too. Everyone watches for that one back marker who inevitably will try dry tires when everyone else is on intermediates or full wets. Will they fly off the track into a barrier (as everyone secretly hopes) or will they succeed and start setting fast laps? No one knows and that is what makes wet racing great: great for spectators, great for TV, great for drivers and great for passing.

There are other instances of this too. Hungary in ’06 was a wet/dry race, and more recently, Fuji last year, and Monaco and the British Grand Prix (the last three won by Hamilton) were almost deluges at one point. And these are much more memorable than most dry races. Rain brings out the best and makes Grand Prix racing the spectacle that it should be. If they could, I would wish for the FIA to schedule every Grand Prix for a weekend when it would rain. It would make racing so much more enjoyable.

For more wet races, look on youtube.com. Also, please watch the Hakkinen pass on Schumacher, because that will probably never happen again…not with everyone letting people go by at will.