Sharing is caring: most surprising car part sharing occasions

On Tuesday I was doing something that only 10% of Twitter users do: scroll through and read the messages posted on the main feed. Since I’m following 216 accounts it is quite a messy feed, ranging from posts from people I actually care about to some stupid, unreasonable reposts, like “you will not believe what Justin Bieber posted on Facebook. To see it, click this link here”. Uh-huh, yeah, I’m not that stupid. There are two things I don’t care about in these situations: Justin Bieber and getting my laptop infected with every single computer virus there ever has been.

But it’s not all that bad. I find out some surprising facts and I found something quite shocking car-wise that I decided to do some research and find out more of this trait in car world. CAR PART SHARING.

The post that caused this interest was about McLaren F1. An engineering marvel. It still is the fastest naturally aspirated car in the world with 390 km/h (240 mph) in the record books and it is sort of a hypercar that you wouldn’t be expecting to see a cocky rapper or a pretending genius, teeth-whitened producer behind the wheel. No. These cars are owned by true professionals like Jay Leno, Eric Clapton, Michael Schumacher, Elon Musk and Rowan Atkinson (who occasionally kept crashing and restoring his F1). The car had a price tag of $1m and, because only 106 were produced, this price won’t be decreasing for sure. So you expect this car to be made out of exotic materials and genuine parts created for the car. But you’d be wrong, because there was a set of parts on the car that you would be least expecting to be shared with some other car. I am talking about the rear lights.

Now an ordinary human being would just say “no big deal”. But then you have to see what other car (or I’d rather say “motor vehicle”) shares them. Surprise, surprise, it’s a DAF bus.

If the car DAF would’ve shared its parts with would’ve been a Ford or a Hyundai, I wouldn’t be surprised, but cost cutting on a million dollar supercar seems unjustified. It’s not like the company was short of cash. With McLaren having four consecutive F1 championship titles before the car was released in 1992 it’s not like they were short of cash. Or maybe they rushed it. That’s the only explenation I could think of – them rushing to finish the car in time before potential buyers turn away. Luckily McLaren aren’t the same anymore, having all their cars and technology designed “in the house” as they say in the car world.

But McLaren ain’t the only ones who fell into the misery of car part sharing. Here are a couple of other cars with some cheap parts and the cars these parts originated from.

ASTON MARTIN DB7 REAR LIGHT MODULES – 1989 MAZDA 323F

I now understand why in 1990s James Bond didn’t drive the Aston. Because as you can see, cost cutting in the company was pretty horrible. The rear lights out of a economy car? It’s the only design element of that car I didn’t really like. Aston wasn’t all that great on the inside either, having a gearstick so close to the stereo that you couldn’t really change your cassette (or CD if you were tech-savy in those days) unless you had your car in a low gear if it was an auto box or if it was in 2nd, 4th or 6th. The switchgear and the console itself was very Fordish (which is no coincidence, as Aston was owned by Ford from 1987 to 2007. Ford also had a small share of Mazda as well, which explains the light sharing). It’s a shame, because it’s an Aston Martin.

ASTON MARTIN VIRAGE FRONT AND REAR LIGHTS – AUDI 200 and VW SCIROCCO

It’s Aston again. But this car basically shows how bad things were before Ford took Aston Martin over. It’s no surprise that you haven’t heard of the Virage, because it was Aston’s call for desperation to stay alive. Just over 1000 cars were produced and they haven’t really found their place in classic car hall of fame. Partly it was because of its gopping looks. This car really looks like it was designed in a hurry by an accountant and a salesman. Then there was the parts sharing. The front lights were from Audi 200 and rear lights – from a VW Scirocco. They could’ve used parts from other manufacturers because these don’t fit at all. It makes the Aston look like a kit car built by some car enthusiasts during weekends. Some really could mistake this with a VW Scirocco coupe which for an Aston would be such a resentment.

MG SV-R – FIAT PUNTO

The last years of MG were a pain to many car enthusiasts. Here is a brand with racing pedigree and charm dying a suffering death. This suffering also was reflected into cars they built. The MG SV-R was a weird project. Firstly because it was a super car from a brand that already earned a reputation for building cars for British pensioners (thanks to Rover). Secondly because though it was supposed to be a super car it was still built like a pensioner’s car. The front lights were inherited from Fiat’s Punto. It’s not a bad decision as it suited the design, making it look like it squints at you with a mean stare.

PAGANI ZONDA AIR CONDITIONING CONTROLS – MG ZS

Now this one I found by pure chance and I started doubting Pagani. Up until the moment I found out about this I believed (sort of) what Horacio Pagani was saying, that he sprays a fresh grass air freshener around his office so he can concentrate better, that he was spending hours walking around the finished car and watching every single detail of it before redesigning it, that all the parts for his cars were made by Pagani. RUBBISH! So did MG just steal a batch of air conditioning units from you and dropped them into their cars? What’s more, they just kept washing petrolhead’s brains that all cars are “crafted to the absolute perfection” and hey used this claim to justify their £500k price tag. Why couldn’t you just rise the price for another £50k and insert proper electronic switch gear, not one that costs £60 (I did research. The MG air conditioning control unit costs £60). If your cars were an automotive perfection, why did you cut costs so early?

LAMBORGHINI DIABLO FACELIFTED MODEL’S HEADLIGHTS – NISSAN 300ZX

It’s nothing huge, but I really preferred the pop-up headlights on the Diablo. That’s all because of the legislation that is supposed to “keep people alive by removing this fatal headlight design”. Thanks.

NOBLE M600 ENGINE – VOLVO S80 V8

This last one though might not be a visual part, but it sure is quite an interesting one. The hard-core supercar maker Noble used the conservative Volvo’s mad V8 engine, added a couple of turbos and created a monster. It’s really a shame we will never see a V8 engine in a Volvo again because they’re now staying with 4-cylinder engines, but it’s weird that a Volvo engine powers a 200+mph supercar. What’s more, remove all the silencers on Volvo’s exhaust and you will have the best car to confuse people with, because when they’ll hear this roar and then see an S80 coming from that way they will think that they’ve lost their minds. These cars are called “sleeper’s cars”, because until you beat the guy next to you at the take off from traffic lights, he will never know that you have something sinister at your disposal.

Motorexpo 2014

It’s showtime: London Motorexpo 2014

 

I have been away for a while, but now I’m back. And on Monday I visited a car show that I have actually something to talk about. It was Motorexpo 2014 in Canary Warf, in London. And these were my favorites from the show. Photos provided by me with a great helping hand of my sister.

 

Porsche Boxster

 

This is the very recent version of Porsche’s “hairdresser’s car” which now has become more muscular and more likeable to many. The first thing that I noticed as soon as I got into the car was most certainly QUALITY. It was everywhere – from the feel and smell of the brand new leather (I love smell of new leather in new cars) to those thousands of buttons on the center console. Even paddle shifters felt like they’ve been screwed together so tough that even a tractor couldn’t pull them off. A very low car too, though. However, as I said, this is “hairdresser’s car”, i.e. you wouldn’t like to see two men in it with the roof down. It would be a bit awkward. In an Aston Martin or an Audi A4 sure, fine, it’s cool, but in this it sort of doesn’t look right. But if you forget about the guy sitting next to you, focus yourself on the absolutely sublime driving position (feet in level with the ground and pointing dead straight) and you’ll be the happiest man in the world. For a woman, you will feel happy no matter who sits next to you.

 

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S

 

Speaking of Astons, finally saw one today. Because I am so “poor” (i.e. I didn’t wear a Rolex and my eye pupils didn’t form into dollar signs) the dealer standing next to it started to shout as soon as I was crouching to get in. Oh well, maybe some other time. But one thing I can point out to Aston – your interiors have to updated fast. They’re a bit dated. Don’t believe me? Read some car journals. However, as I read, they are in works of a brand new chassis. #happytimes

McLaren 650S

 

If you remember (if, of course, you bother reading my blog every time I post something) I said that I see no point of the 650S. That it is a slightly higher priced, P1-nosed 12C. Then I had a chat with the chap who represented McLaren there. He too said “look, touch, close the door, but don’t sit there”, but then I asked him “isn’t this just a fancier 650S?” He explained that it is in the looks (from the back, of course), but in detail it’s a different car. Sure, it has a 3.8 litre twin-turbo V8 (same as every other McLaren (apart from F1) there was, is and, for now, ever will be), but it’s been tuned up to 612 bhp (650 PS, hence the 650 in the model name). Also, the P1 nose gives it way more downforce. He said that the 12C had too little downforce on the nose that at some speeds there could be a possible understeer. Not like Lamborghini Miura, of course, but still not good enough in McLaren’s perfectionist eyes. Also they added larger side skirts, a bigger side scoops for more engine cooling and almost all of 12C extras now come as standard. And if you calculate all differences, he said, the 650S is actually cheaper by about £2000 than the 12C. And now I’m guessing you’re bored to levels of boredom as big as listening to a lecture about evolution. But don’t be put off by this. It just shows that even a chap at a car show is as geeky and passionate for the brand as Ron Dennis. Ronnie himself was a perfectionist and, after he came back, seems like things have shaken up a bit. And that’s a good thing.

 

Lotus Evora S

 

Apart from this eye-watering color, I love the Evora. This is the S-model, i.e. a supercharged 3.5 litre  Supercharged (hence the S designation) Toyota engine in the middle and some bits and bobs added to it as standard. As Lotus has been known for decades as the ultimate handling machine, this one felt like it is just that – low, perfect seating position, arms completely horizontal when extended to the wheel, perfect adjustment on the seat to get in the position and a crisp gearbox. I have no idea where Clarkson came up with rubbish shifts when he reviewed the Evora S. There were two drawbacks. The first wan was there is literally no space in the rear for the passengers. Despite having two seats you would have to be: a) a midget if you’re driving or b) a baby if you’re sitting at the back. And the quality of the door opening handle was a bit wobbly.

 

Lotus Exige LF1

 

Back in 2011 I got in a Lotus Elise for the first time. But then getting out of it was truly embarrassing for me and quite entertaining for my mate who stood there while I was on my knees, trying to get out of that thing. The same story here – I have mastered the method of getting in (first you sit in it, then slide your feet under the steering wheel). As for getting out, well, as you can see in the picture above, I have still a long way to go. Anyhow, it is a stripped-down version of Elise, so in the interior there is no drama. Just mechanical windows, no carpets, just an aluminium floor, a steering wheel, a gear knob and some pedals. That’s it. And do you actually need anything else for a track-ready sportscar? To beat all those “sluggish” Mercs and Audis, I don’t think you do.

Why is it particularly an LF1? Because this edition is made to celebrate Lotus’s involvement in F1 throughout the years. It features 2 in 1 color scheme tributes – the bright red is to commemorate those “Gold Leaf” F1 cars of late 60s and that famous, unforgettable “John Player Special” black-and-gold scheme. Only 81 of them will be built. So I have had a bit of a luck. 

Jaguar XJR

 

I remember the year I fell in love with Jaguar. That was 1998, when I got my first computer game ever – Need for Speed III. It had two Jags – XJR-15 sportscar and an XK8. Despite XJR-15 being faster, sleeker and in a higher class than the XK8, I loved the GT coupe because it had this Jaguarishness about it. It just felt right. It looked good, it has the best brand name in the business (imagine saying to your girlfriend/wife: “Shall we take the Jag tonight, my dear?” Makes you as cool as Roger Moore. Actually cooler, because that guy had a thing with opening eyes wide when he said things like this) and…it just was my favorite car. Fast-forward to 2011, I saw the last special edition Jaguar XK- XKR-S – and an XJ. I was so surprised by how cooler Jags are than I though.

 

XJ has one of best interiors in business. It is at the top alongside Audi which for decades has made its drivers feel more at home than your local pudding. Jag’s swooping trim line going all across the dash; if it is chosen to be wood, it would make you feel like a king. I love it. Then the position in which you sit; it makes you feel cool even if you are a nerd. The TFT-display, pillow-soft seats, supercharged V8 engine…the list goes on and on and on.

 

Jaguar F-type

 

Oh yes, I always save the best for last. I couldn’t contain my excitement while writing this article until I got to write about my most favorite car of today – the F-type. I have seen it millions of times in pictures, but when I saw it up close I was blown away. It is just too beautiful to remain unnoticed. They had them in various shapes and sizes – both convertible and coupe – but, as some might know, my favorite F-type has to be the V6 S coupe. First of all it has the more powerful supercharged V6 of the lot. Secondly it makes the same roar as the E-type Straight-6 XK engine. I love it way more than the roar to the V8. Don’t get me wrong, I love the V8, but if I had an F-type, it would be just a V6. Thirdly, in my mind the coupe F-type is the most beautiful car in the whole world today. I’m not a fan of roadsters myself. I love solid roof driving. I wouldn’t mind to drive with a roof down, but only on a GT coupe. But as you saw some weeks ago, Jaguar killed the XK and the replacement, the XR (as rumors suggest it’s going to be called) is coming no earlier than 2017 (according to CAR magazine, at least. I hope they’re right). Also the coupe has more luggage space than the roadster. In the car show one of convertibles had a golf bag in the boot. Now that looked like a mini golf bag. In the coupe, though, if I would have a girlfriend, we could have some space to take some luggage with us for the week. Not huge, but this is a sports car, not a grand tourer.

I did get a chance to sit inside as well. Seats, despite being as thin as Lewis Hamilton’s patience, were surprisingly comfortable. And the quality of it all was as good (or maybe better) than that in Porsche. That is quite a high praise. But then again Jag has come a long way. From Ford-days when they still had some quality and reliability issues and that hideous-looking S-type, to the lineup of today. It is just getting better and better. And I cannot wait what the XE will bring this autumn.

 

Today I lived in a dream. A dream I didn’t want to leave. Thank you, Motorexpo, for giving this wonderful opportunity to see these beauties. It’s been 3 years but the passion is still there. 

About Geneva motor show and eulogy to Jaguar XK

The good, the bad and the ugly: the most notable cars of Geneva Motor show

The Geneva Motor Show has over the years been one of the biggest and (for carmakers) the most important car show in the world. The show has seen introductions of world greats such as Jaguar E-Type, Aston Martin DB-7, Jaguar XF, Cadillac CTS, DeLorean DMC-12 and many more. This year hasn’t been an exception for introductions of many great automobiles…and some that I have no idea why car manufacturers wasted their money on making them. Here are some of the good ones:

AUDI TT MK III

Not the most radical of redesigns from the outside. Probably this has happened because of Volkswagen Group’s acquisition of Porsche and, as you know, Porsche designers have been known for their “innovative” design by keeping the car looking almost exactly the same through the generations. It’s possible that Audi designers went to see them for advice. Anyway, the most important change is from the inside. I found it hard to believe that Audi could improve more on their wonderful interior…yet they have. No mid-mounted touch screen nonsense. Instead they have placed the screen in front of the driver, behind the wheel. Smart move.

Engines have been mildly tweaked…however I heard that Audi is going to re-introduce their fantastic 5-cylinder engine that once used to be placed in the fabulous Audi Quattro (ur-Quattro, to be precise). AUDI, PLEASE DO THAT!!!

LAMBORGHINI HURACAN

In my view not the best new design I’ve ever seen to come from Bologna. But every next time I see it, it seems to look…better. However I really doubt it is going to be better looking than Gallardo. Good news: it keeps its 5.2 V10 (how “sorry” I feel now for Greenpeace) which now has been beefed up to 602 BHP! 

Let’s hope that we will not hear in the news in further years of about one of these being on fire unlike its predecessors have been. Both Gallardo and Lambo’s V12 monsters who always have had something flammable in their construction, something that Italian masters have forgotten to insert. Oops.

KOENIGSEGG ONE:1

5 litre twin-turbo V8, Shark-tale wing…those things are not important. What is important, though, is the message behind it’s name – it has 1340 horsepower to move it’s 1340 kg body around. Which means it is the first super car to reach the before impossible target – 1000 horsepower per ton. Many people (including Monsieur Jeremy Clarkson) think that POWEEEER is everything. Well…an ordinary cruise ship has massive diesels that produce 100 000 hp each…but how fast it goes? just over 21 knots.

The answer is, what legendary Colin Chapman of Lotus always mastered, is INCREASE POWER and REDUCE WEIGHT. The claimed top speed of this beauty is 440 km/h (273 mph) which is 5 mph faster than that ugly, disgusting, Škoda-eyed, cockish Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. I cannot wait for the day when this Swedish rocket will make the Germans get into the corner to weep that they have been beaten…again.

Now there were three cars in Geneva motor show that made me ask “…why?” Here they are

1) McLaren 650S

Typical General Motors engineering – get bits of different cars you’ve made, put them together and call it a “Brand new from ground up” car. That’s exactly what McLaren did with this 650S. They got the nose of the marvelous P1, the rear and the engine from MP4-12C and voilá, called it a “brand new McLaren.” Sorry, NO! 

The top speed is 207 mph (EXACTLY the same as 12C), yet it’s classified as a “Class higher” automobile. What, has McLaren’s marketing department has nothing to do or something?

2) BMW 4-series Gran Coupe

What is it? Really? Is it a larger 3-series saloon or a shorter 5-series? Why was it created? Who is going to buy it? BMW, do I have to ask these questions for you? This has been the most pointless creation in the history of your brand, and I mean it. First you created the 4-series as, in the previous generation, the 3-series coupe was totally different from the actual saloon. Fair enough. BUT STAY WITH THE BLOODY COUPE. Don’t waste money. Remember the failed BMW 5-series GT. Same idea. You tried to introduce a “brand new BMW”. What happened? Nobody bought it. Learn from your mistakes at last.

3) Mini Clubman Concept

Two fundamental flaws with this car: 1) it’s so big that the brand “Mini” seems to be out of place for this vehicle; and 2) This is not a clubman anymore. A clubman, as you remember, is a car with a split-door boot and an extra door on one side of the car. Now, it is simply a “Mini Countryman” which is another enormous “Mini”. The question is…the new Mini Cooper has gotten larger, so has the Clubman…what’s gonna happen with the new “Countryman” gonna be like, if BMW will be as visionless as they have been so far with the Mini brand and will allow it to go into production? Enough already!!

Eulogy: JAGUAR XK

It’s been 18 years since the world got known with the model designation “XK”. Yes, back in 1996 the first Jaguar XK (XK8) was introduced to replace the aging, barge-like, not-so-agile Jaguar XJ-S. With a new car came a new Era, as, because of Ford’s influence, the new model featured a first in Jaguar’s history – a V8 engine, that is still used today in all of Jaguar models. Car magazines praised this great, new machine for its looks, it’s comfortable yet still sporty ride. There was one problem that somehow remained through the years in Jaguar XK’s – to sit at the back you had to saw off your legs and cut off your head. Therefore they were used for luggage. So XK was created to be a practical Grand Tourer.

The years went and the XK matured. Then in 2006 came the more beautiful, more sporty and elegant 2nd Generation XK. It came at a tough time for Jaguar when they were experiencing losses and falling reputation for their reliability of the S-type and the crazy concept of the X-type (which, many argue, was the main reason why Jaguar stagnated in the 00ties). So the skeptics started to see this as Jaguar’s “Last hurrah”…but in 2008 Tata bought the company…and the prancing Cat is still with us today.

So why is being cancelled? Well, as businesses work, usually the main reason is poor sales…and it s the case with the XK. It has been the worst selling Jaguar for past 3 years, unfortunately. And recently, after the introduction of the F-type roadster and coupe that are based on the same platform as the XK, only shorter, the XK somehow loses it’s significance. Sad, really sad. Jaguar XK has been in my top 10 of favorite cars (towards the top, along with DeLorean DMC-12, Jaguar E-type, F-type and Jensen Interceptor) and its design has been called “the best” by many over the years. Ian Callum, thank you, sir! Thank you for creating a masterpiece that has my favorite car design feature that I call the “shoulder”, i.e. the bulk above the rear wheels (as seen below. This Jag was standing outside my University).

So I bow my head and say “farewell, XK”. Of course, it will still remain in the used car market, but it’s sad to know that after this summer, no new beauties will be rolling off the production line at Castle Bromwich.