Results 1 to 15 of 32

Thread: Best car ever...

Threaded View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    11,037

    Best car ever...

    I've recently read "May on Motors", a book by James May (of Top Gear fame). The book is basically a compilation of his articles in newspapers/magazines usually ranting/making observations about mostly car-related stuff.

    I want you to read this article through and tell me what you think at the end of it. It's worth reading through, it's quite witty and will get you thinking.

    Welcome, readers, to the 100th column I've written for Telegraph Motoring. Obviously I've put up some balloons in my office and there will be a collectors limited edition bound in Morocco leather, but in the meantime I thought I should use this momentous occasion to address a very serious topic.

    So - what's the best car I've ever driven? As "that other bloke off Top Gear" I'm sometimes approached in pubs and assailed with this very question - usually after a short preamble during which I'm asked where Jezza is (as id I live with him and shouldn't be allowed out on my own) or if I realise that I look a bit like that other bloke off Top Gear. And this 'best car' enquiry has always left me stumped up to now.

    It would be easy to nominate, say, the Bentley Continental R, one of my favourite cars of all time. But I'm not sure I could universally recommend one. Parking it is an issue, and because it's an aristocrat is has a bit of a drink problem.

    I've even driven a Ferrari Enzo, and was suprirsed how much I liked it. But is it really the best? Not if you're on a budget, wearing a short skirt or wanting to buy some timber from B&Q. Then it's pretty much the worst.

    And so it goes on. Best luxury car or best supercar is easy, but what is the unqualified best car I've ever driven? What is the best I've laid hands on in over a decade of trying out cars, all things considered? I spent several hours thinking about this and making lists, and I've finally come up with an answer.

    What's more, I've tried the theory out on a group of merchant bankers I was talking to last week. These were intelligent people, with a fearsome grasp of economic theory and global politics. As merchant bankers they all drove Ferraris and Astons and the like. In short, we're not talking here of the sort of car enthusiasts who just shout 'Subaru' regardless of the question.

    I suggested to them that the best car I've ever driven, all things considered, was the Citroen AX GT of 1991. Nobody argued, despite being eminently qualified for the job, so I may be onto something.

    I admit the AX GT (not, you will note, the later AX GTi, in which Citroen overdid things a bit) is not terribly promising. Constructed from old biscuit tins, powered by a rudimentary 1.4-litre engine and not exactly eye-catching, it would probably kill you in a crash. It was built in France, so was presumably the work of communists.

    Then again, if you assume every attribute by which we judge cars is important, it comes out rather well. In 1991 it was cheap at under £9,000 (cars were, you may remember, more expensive then). It reached 60 mph from rest in 9.0 seconds, which was quick enough to amusing, and could attaint 107mph, which is fast enough to land you in danger. Yet on a long run it could easily return over 40 mpg. Wasn't actually ugly either.

    The more I analyse this, the more sense it makes. The AX was short and had small overhangs, so it was wieldy and easy to park. Yet because no one was too worried about what happened if you drove into a lamp-post, it was also space efficient and could carry four in reasonable comfort. Entry and egress were easy for the infirm and there was even some space for bags.

    It was very light too, and long before other makers started banging on about weight-saving. Lightness made it fun to drive; it was perky and the responses were immediate, like they are in a really small sports car. Yet this quality was lost on po-faced actuarial types, so it was cheap to ensure.

    Because it was light, the suspension didn't need to be firm in order to keep the body motion in check. So despite the firm handling the ride was pretty good. Low weight and low inertia also meant the tyres could be small, which led to that surfeit of 'power' over grip that makes an old Mini so entertaining. Small tyres were also cheaper to replace.

    And so it goes on. Pick any other car, and the AX GT will be better than it at something, while remaining plenty good enough at everything else. If Top Trumps could be redesigned to deal with qualitatives as well as the purely quantitative attributes of cars, the AX GT would be the card that meant you would win. Since my meeting with the bankers I've tried this theory on a number of colleagues and friends, and no one has yet defeated me in a straight fight.

    Try me.
    So come on fellas, what do you say? Can you think of anything better now this article is a few years old?
    Last edited by Vaigra; 01-11-2009 at 06:52 AM.
    Audi humbles Porsche. A new dawn starts today.

    Being nice since 2007.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Mercedes-Benz C111 Research Car 1969-1979
    By Matt in forum Matt's Hi-Res Hide-Out
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: 08-22-2021, 06:02 AM
  2. how to be a ricer
    By C4Power in forum Car comparison
    Replies: 36
    Last Post: 02-03-2009, 05:02 PM
  3. Custom Ferrari
    By Cyco in forum Classic cars
    Replies: 28
    Last Post: 02-07-2007, 02:04 AM
  4. BMW Z4 Coupé Concept Car 2005
    By Colin17 in forum Matt's Hi-Res Hide-Out
    Replies: 37
    Last Post: 02-09-2006, 03:54 AM
  5. the offical Karrmann rice alert log thread.
    By Karrmann in forum Miscellaneous
    Replies: 263
    Last Post: 07-16-2005, 04:45 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •