Last week I asked what was the connection between F1
supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the Great Train Robbery? Here’s the
correct answer, from the horses mouth himself.
Bernie said he didn’t know why people would think he
would want to rob a train with only 1 million pounds on it. “That’s
not enough to pay a (formula 1) driver... No, seriously, I’d rather not
be known as a hero because of the Great Train Robbery, to be honest with
you. And if I’m going to be associated with it, I’d like to see my
share of the action. I suppose it was because Roy James, one of the gang,
bought a Brabham before the robbery and before I was anything to do with
Brabham.” So there you are - Bernie didn’t do it - it was still Ronnie
Biggs from Brazil!
And so to this week. Nothing exotic about this week’s
question either. Which Japanese car maker was the first to export to
Europe? Here’s some clues - it was in 1965, they were famous for their
Micro cars and one of their models was the best selling car in Japan. Go
to it!
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first
correct answer to fax 427 596 or email [email protected]
.
The
156 Alfa Romeos have been regaining a good reputation for this marque,
whose offerings have often not been well known for build quality or rust
proofing. In fact, in the eyes of many people, an Alfa Romeo was not the
car you would want in your garage. The latest 156 and 166 models are
changing this. Our Down Under correspondent, John Weinthal has just
finished an extended test and was more than impressed. Here are Words from
Weinthal...
Alfa Romeo’s four cylinder 156 sedan has been
frequently described as the world’s best sports sedan, and its many
awards include probably the most prestigious and credible of all -
European Car of The Year.
Now Alfa has taken the same car and added a delicious
all leather interior, a sizzling 140kW, 24 valve, V6 engine, unique -
Q-Gate in Alfa-speak - auto or normal-gate manual style transmission and
you should have the world’s best PLUS.
Right, this is going to be a rave report - be warned
now. This AU$60,000 four-seater is the most communicative driver’s sedan
I can recall - regardless of price. Few sports cars challenge it;
certainly at nowhere near the price. It is simply the BEST.
What does communicative mean with a car? In this Alfa,
a couple of kays is enough to make any driver grin - to feel he would be
in Michael Schumacher’s shoes, if only the right people were watching!
After setting a near perfect seating position, the
Alfa’s steering, brakes, transmission, accelerator and suspension all
respond brilliantly. They talk back to the driver; that’s talk - not
argue!
I can think of only one competitor for the V6, front
drive Alfa and that’s the brilliant Lexus straight six rear drive Lexus
iS 200. The Lexus has less power and is possibly not quite as appealing an
overall package. It lacks Alfa heritage, but it delivers Lexus quality
which is probably the world’s best. I’d have to drive them back to
back for a definitive choice, but I reckon the Alfa would score for its
rewarding performance, Italian styling flair and terrific communication to
the driver.
But, I would spend an extra AU$800 or so to make my V6
Alfa 156 as near perfect as doesn’t matter. I’d get dealer-fit
cruise-control for around AU$500, and spend another couple of hundred with
an electronics outfit to trash the diabolical standard equipment VDO
radio/CD player. I’d replace it with one with proper knobs, buttons and
a normal aerial. The VDO abortion even took the Alfa dealer 12 minutes to
pre-set; the fiddly complexity of it all makes it near dangerous to
consider changing volume or a station and - at the end of it all - the
reception from a rear screen printed aerial is atrocious. With its
disco-light fascia this is gimmickry gone mad.
This is a highly refined, utterly responsive,
remarkably silken riding, super sporting sedan. Let there be no more
nonsense about front vs rear-drive. Done well either is great, and the
Alfa and Lexus are both well done. Most drivers could not detect which end
is doing the work on either of them.
Standard gear includes front and side airbags, electric
everything, multi-adjustable seats and steering column, climate control
air con, ABS brakes, front and rear centre arm rests, remote boot and
filler cap releases and so on - plus Mr VDO’s diabolical un-sound
system.
The final bonus was that this excitement machine, with
its functional and highly user-friendly auto-manual gearchange, was also
remarkably economical - even driven with verve. More than 550km from a
tank is very rare with my test cars which tend to spend most of their time
in city and freeway running. The Alfa topped it easily. This is a truly
great car at a very modest price.
Another old mate, Nick Deighton, dropped me off a book
he had spotted in a second hand bookshop on his recent trip back to the
UK. Simply called The Great Cars, it was published in 1967, which made the
book 33 years old! Written by Ralph Stein, the book covers such names as
Invicta, Lago-Talbot, Jaguar, Bugatti, Bentley, etc., but what made it
even more interesting was that the author had actually driven or owned the
majority of the models mentioned. For me this made it enthralling - I have
driven a few “classics” from the past like the MG Tigress, XK 120,
Cord 810 - but this guy had driven them all. Thanks, Nick, I’m still
reading it!
There’s
talk of reviving the Bentley name in motor sport, with a spokesman for the
Bentley Company saying they are going to enter Le Mans and similar races
next year. An eight cylinder engine will be used and the project has been
given to full go-ahead by senior management.
Sounds great? I really do not think so. When you
remember that Bentley Motors are long since dead, and just the name is
owned by VW and the engine they are talking about installing is an Audi.
This is not the stuff of legends; this is the crap of advertising
agencies.
Reminds me of the Porsche 924 of many years ago which
was going to be an Audi, but Audi’s didn’t sell too well in the USA so
they badged it as a Porsche. It was a most unloved motor car which the
Porsche people shunned and still do. Despite all the ad agency copy, a
“Bentley” is not returning to competition - a German engineered car
made from the parts bins of the VW conglomerate will be racing under the
Bentley badge next year. Period.
A competition “Bentley” looks like the one in the
picture. Others are fakes. Woolf Barnato and the Bentley Boys are
revolving in their graves!
I honestly believe that “dead” marques should be
allowed to remain dead and buried. Attempts to revive them are futile, as
the spark that made them “great” has long gone along with the original
aims, objectives and engineering brilliances. Fred Duesenberg has long
since died along with his great cars. So has Lanchester, Bugatti, Cord,
Invicta, Talbot-Lago, and, I’m afraid - Bentley. May they all RIP (ad
agencies permitting)!
