Great Cars

Just what makes a great car great? I guess that's mainly in the eye of the beholder when it comes to looks, or even features.

Some people love big American muscle cars like supercharged Cameros or T-birds, while others like hot hatches like VW Golf GTi's or Astra GTX's while others like out and out speed merchants like Subaru Impreza's.

Still others prefer a bit of class and that's the category where I mainly fall into. My most cherished car that I ever owned was a Jaguar XJ40 Sovereign. It may not have been the fastest car around, although it was pretty damn quick, but it was the whole driving experience that did it for me.

With that Jag, I sat in leather armchair luxury, could drive down a bumpy road and not feel the bumps, such was the incredible suspension - designed for a super-smooth ride. The engine was big and produced effortless power to accelerate away from the lights much faster than the car's size would have you believe and to reach a nice cruising speed of around 80 mph quickly. The cruise control kept you exactly at the speed you wanted and the drive was not in the least tiring, even on long journeys.

Did I love that Jaguar? You bet!

I like unusual cars as well. Not simply cars built for the hell of being different, because there are some pug-ugly ones around too. Here's an example:

The Scimitar GTE was a fibreglass bodied car fitted with a Ford 3 litre V6 engine and came in automatic or manual transmission. That car was speed on wheels, thanks to its low centre of gravity, lightweight, streamlined body and powerful engine, which combined to make a very fast car indeed. In its day, from the early 1970s up to the early 1980s, there weren't many production cars on the roads that were quicker in terms of acceleration and top end as the Scimitar GTE. Close rivals in the day were the Porsche 911s, Jensen Interceptor (7 litre) and the Ford Capri (3 litre and 2.8i)

In the UK, the majority of cars are small bodied and small engined for two main reasons - the network of narrow roads and limited parking due to the sheer number of cars on the roads in proportion to the land area and the crippling price of fuel.

Those same restrictions tend to dog most European countries, so you'll find large engined, high fuel consumption cars are in the minority.

But they are there!

The explosion in Four Wheel Drive vehicle ownership in the 1990's meant the school run was a battlefield with armies of mums driving Chelsea Tractors as they were nicknamed ferrying their lazy kids to and from school.

Huh, when I was a kid, I used to either walk or get the bus! No mollycoddling for me!

But now we have huge four wheel drives with ads on the TV for ever more of the things. They're ok if you live in a rural setting, but most of the people who buy these uneccessary monsters live in cities. It beggars belief why they want such crazy cars - but that's motorists for you. They forget that the price of petrol and diesel is going forever upwards and its ain't ever gettin' cheaper!

As its St Patrick's Day and I'm only one eighth Irish (my Grandmother is half Irish) I thought I'd add a note about a car that has absolutely nothing to do with Ireland, or the Irish.

I'm talking about the very American Chevy, and it'll give me a chance to throw in a sneaky plug to a great article on Chevrolet Safety on this web site that I happen to know of that has a nice assortment of Chevrolet based information for the enthusiast of that brand of motor car.

I personally like the big "yank tank" style of the older 1950's models with their huge flared rear tail "wings" and endless chrome that made those old busses a real pleasure to look at!

Of course its not just the looks that make those old American cars highly desirable. The raw power from those huge V8 engines coupled with the soft, wallowing ride due to the spongy suspension make them a real pleasure to drive around in.