McConomy, Palmer, Thomsett, Thorpe, Jay, Griffin, Hicks, Acaster, Hancock, Herlihy, Bruce and Clark, perhaps not in that order, are among Jaguar Land Rover people sharing Discovery’s Scottish Car of the Year (SCOTY) title. Sixth from left is Stephen Park of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW) that made the award. It was a good celebration at Dalmahoy, Edinburgh with everybody “cutting a rug” as trendies said fifty years ago, into the wee sma’ oors.
Read MoreElectric revolution
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria engaged a young national serviceman, Ferdinand Porsche, as his driver. Jacob Lohner was coachbuilder to the monarchy in Vienna-Florisdorf and wanted to make battery-electric cars. So, in 1896 he hired assistant manager of the Vereinigte Elektrizitäts-AG to design one. It was the same Ferdinand Porsche, and his master stroke was to make the wheels electric motors.
Read MoreCrossroads for Vauxhall
Britain’s oldest make of car faces crisis. Its Ellesmere Port factory is moving to single shift working and you don’t feel Peugeot-Citroën (PSA) has its heart in it. GM Europe sustained 16 consecutive years of losses before the French takeover and while PSA is unlikely to abandon Vauxhall short term it could unravel in the long. Peugeot is well established in the UK. Vauxhall could atrophy without a French tear being shed.
Read MoreForce majeure: Cold night in a D-type
Jim Clark’s first race with the Jaguar TKF9 was on an airfield circuit at Full Sutton in Yorkshire earning him an early place in the record books. He was the first sports car driver to lap a British circuit at over 100mph. The contrast with bumpy Charterhall was profound. Full Sutton had a long 3.2 mile lap and was in perfect condition. The American Air Force had just spent a quarter of a million pounds - a lot of money in 1958 - resurfacing it.
Read MoreMasters of Monza
Lewis Hamilton’s virtuoso performance at the Italian Grand Prix was like Jim Clark’s fifty years ago. Clark didn’t win but gave a masterly demonstration. The field was close, not quite hundredths of a second apart like now, with 5sec between the front row of the grid and the back.
Read MoreElectric Cars Musk
Gull-wing doors I don’t find very uplifting. There was some engineering point to them in the Mercedes-Benz 300SL of 1952. Its space frame was stiffened by wide sills that would have obliged Kling and Klenk to climb in through a window. When they are unnecessary I am wary.
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