February 10, 2012
Car Buying Guide
With our plans afoot (albeit fictitious), about resurrecting and running SAAB, the Geneva Motor Show in March would be a perfect platform to announce our future plans. In the meantime..... The Paragon Automotive board have already been reading through documents that detail the buy-out offer for SAAB. Our first plan is to pay the 100 million … [Read more...]
‘When Paragon met.... SAAB’ The last twelve months for some car manufacturers could have easily deserved entry into one of our old “Death Watch series”. However after we had to pull the last one for “legal reasons”, I’ve come up with another idea; how many of us have always hankered after owning and running our very own car … [Read more...]
Right, the house extension is over. No more skips in the driveway, shifting my car out of the way so the builders can access the house. No more dust, wet paint odour and getting up at the crack of dawn to let brickies, plasterers, plumbers and roofers into the house only to find that they all knock off at four. I've missed the car industry, but not … [Read more...]
Porsche have again raised the bar and will give the current 911 the ultimate send-off. If you've ever been fortunate enough to drive a Porsche, you'll know just how focused they are. With this the last 911 GT3 RS, Porsche have somehow turned it up to an extraordinary level. It really is a step on again. Project boss, Andreas Preuninger, has … [Read more...]
This all new Lamborghini Aventador has been claimed by Lambo CEO, Stephan Winklemann, as a jump of two generations in development. If that's true, this could be the most significant car since the Countach. To make life even more difficult, owners Volkswagen demanded that this flagship model had to be a "world beating" super sports car. Not only did … [Read more...]
"Every year Ferrari will be launching a new car" - says Luca Di Montezemolo at the recent Maranello factory unveiling of the new FF. It seems the brief this time around is 'functionality'. It's clearly dictated the FF's profile and although it will undoubtedly divide opinion, I really like it. It's also a very big Ferrari; from the large, … [Read more...]
Happy 2011. Yep, we're back with another series of Bargain of the Week. OK, so I've had January off, but this particular edition is a personal one and something many parents dread. Our soon to be seventeen year old is getting her very first car and my other half is already snapping with worry. This is also the year where I'm (celebrating?) eighteen … [Read more...]
December has always been the month of culmination; a years' worth of work all down to the wire. The Car of the Year tag is over used and, although the end of the year isn't far away, I've decided on our very own – Best BOTW. I had no idea that two years down the line I'd still be writing MTI's BOTW but it's proven to be a good read and I've … [Read more...]
I've always liked Jeremy Clarkson. I like his take on life and I'm surprised he's never been on the TV series Grumpy Old Men. My other-half says I'm getting grumpier and compares me to Karl Pilkington the star of Sky's, 'An Idiot Abroad'. Grumpy is good. At least in our male grumpiness we speak the truth, something which Jeremy does very well, … [Read more...]
TVR. Just three letters arouse the motoring senses of us petrol heads. Front-engined, British sports car with a rumbling V8. No need for fancy electronics like traction control and ABS. Just you, one tactful right foot and good judgement. The only reason it features on our forecourt is because it still remains as one of the very few, good-old … [Read more...]
Once in a while something special comes along. Not all of you might agree, but certain BMW E30's are regarded as classics. Take the M3. Even twenty years on, they demand good money and are still hailed as great “drivers' cars”. I've been lucky enough to own some fabulous cars over the years and even now I still mention my old E30 325i with … [Read more...]
On December 3rd, our BOTW series will be two years old. Having gone back and looked at what we've featured over the last two years I've noticed that prices seem to be creeping up and it looks like we're moving away from our USP; Bargains. Saying that though, prices do reflect the type of car we're writing about. So for this week I'm going back to … [Read more...]
Every 10 years or so vital automotive innovations pave the way for the next 50 years. Right now a new, dynamic approach to car manufacturing is about to re-write the rules. It's called 'iStream' and it comes from the man who, with Ron Dennis came up with what some call the greatest supercar of all time; The McLaren F1. In fact iStream along with … [Read more...]
I know you can't really refer to classic cars as 'bargains' but having spent several weeks looking at the classifieds; there really are lots of ways to get yourself a classic car even if you're on a strict budget. And the choice, as they say, is frightening. Who hasn't bought a copy of Classic Car or Octane magazine and flicked through the … [Read more...]
How much has changed at Seat in the last 60 years? Not a great deal it appears since its humble beginnings. A tie-up between the Spanish government and Fiat saw Spain’s first car manufacturer take off. By re-badging the Fiat 600 and later the Panda, Seat struck a chord with cheap and affordable motoring and by 1967 Fiat increased its shareholding … [Read more...]
Having just spent several weeks on holiday in Malaysia, I was fascinated to read an article on the current state of car sale figures in the country. Other than the government pitching Malaysia as the world’s number one holiday destination for 2011, my first stop-over in Kuala Lumpur showed that Malaysia really is on the rise, and I'm not just … [Read more...]
I've been writing Bargain of The Week for a while now and for the very first time it's my turn to spend the cash on a new car. Although road tax, fuel and general running costs are still rising, I'm in the market for a new car and as much as it doesn't make sense, I can't bring myself to sell my daily-drive. A new business venture beckons and I … [Read more...]
We've been on a small BOTW sabbatical recently but now the summer is pretty much here, we thought we'd kick it off with something a little bit special. We've already had one Ferrari grace our virtual forecourt in the shape of a Mondial but now we’ve chosen another, purely because it is one of the most desirable, and now almost affordable … [Read more...]
Regular contributor “Serman” begins a series of articles on his time in the trade and the changes (or lack of) that he has witnessed during his time.... I've been in the motor trade nearly twenty years now and having decided quite early on to see out a career in the industry, I have to admit that things haven't really moved on a great deal. … [Read more...]
With the thought of shelling out over £900 showroom tax for the highest polluting new cars, anyone in the market for an off-roader could be on the verge of a very expensive trip to the showroom. MTI's virtual sales hotline has had an influx of 4X4 inquiries over the last few months and whilst there is plenty out there to choose from, time and time … [Read more...]
Q-cars: Underrated on the outside, serious performers on the inside. There's been plenty over the years, some adored and others just getting a quick editorial line in a car magazine. This week's BOTW is one of the latter. Mazda has' been making great sports cars over the last twenty years yet when they released the MazdaSpeed moniker in the US back … [Read more...]
Three years ago TVR closed its doors for the last time and in June 2008, Trevor Wilkinson, the company’s founder passed away, firmly bringing closure to the British marque after 64 years. Up until 2004, when Peter Wheeler had successfully carried the torch, TVR was looking good. When Wheeler sold out, Russian millionaire, Nicolay Smolenski, at … [Read more...]
A guy was talking to me the other day and asked my advice, which can be dangerous, about what car to buy next. He was looking for something easy to drive, compact, cheap to insure and had a little 'fizz'. I could have reeled off a right old list of nonsense but instead of naming the usual suspects I took his email address and went off to have a … [Read more...]
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