Murray T25

Where to start? Right think of how the McLaren F1 Roadcar of 1994 set the benchmark for supercars for about a decade. Now think of that same effect only instead of a supercar we have a city car. Yes the same genius, Gordan Murray, is back and has spun his brain around a remarkably packaged car with so many honest features it makes you wince thinking how long it will take other manufacturers to do the same. Okay; so the basics: We've got a car so narrow that 2 of them can fit in a motorway lane hence doubling motorway capacity; 3 of them can fit in a parallel parking spot; it seats 3 adults; has a turning circle of 6 metres; a 74mpg figure and 720 litres of luggage room. Oh and it's very safe, costs little to make due to the pioneering i-stream process & has replaceable body parts to keep accident costs at a minimum. Great! Now for the bad part (and I hate to say this when there's so much going for this machine!). Those looks will be the life or death of this car. For example the Smart ForTwo went down the same innovative route and was admirably practical but, well; it looks pretty bizarre and it has a limited market. Then there's the door. Yes just the one. It's incredibly practical, that's a given, but it's hard to imagine emerging from a Murray T25 without feeling, shall we say, conspicuous. Alas this Murray T25 is so much more than a Smart, Toyota IQ or Honda Insight that it's achievements on paper could well be enough for it to break through our established attitudes to cars. Watch this space.

Red Bull Gave Him Wings

Another race, another Webber crash and another flurry of defences for the man. Let's be honest, co-incidences like this don't happen. I was taken aback when I heard Messrs Coulthard & Brundle say Kovalainin's Lotus should've given way to the faster car. It's a race! When Lotus joined the grid this time last year everybody (and I mean everybody!) was waxing lyrical about the prospect of a classic name being reunited on the grid with Ferrari et al. Yet when Lotus are racing (note the word "race" there because Kovalainin had position) they are criticised for not moving to one side to let a faster car perform it's victory parade. Lets look at what happened with this particular incident. Webber is making up for lost time having pitted unexpectedly. He advances upon the Lotus. The Lotus holds it's line. The Lotus moves toward the outside for the braking area in order to, you've guessed it, brake. And then all hell breaks loose. Why? According to Webber; "I was going a lot faster than Heikki and then a long, long way before the braking point he braked, about 80 metres before". Fair enough perhaps Heikki braked earlier than usual. However; this was an unusual lap because they were racing one another for the corner! Webber should know that. For comparison look at how Button dispatched the Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi in Brazil last year for the title. Button patiently stalked the talented rookie and then performed a serene manoeuvre worthy of a World Champion (literally) to take command. Note the lack of arrogance, impatience & aggression so often associated with Webber. As for how such instances should be viewed in future, I agree with Lotus chief Mike Gascoyne: “He was defending his line and racing for position, and that’s what we will always do in that situation”.

A Nose for Marketing

Each time the Le Mans race is held there's a lot of interest in the latest tech being wheeled out. Faster, better, stronger etc. For me it's the nose shape that tends to perk my interest though because in some cases it's very obvious that the car branding folks have had too much of a say in the design of the nose. After all they've paid a fortune to showcase their brand at the race. It comes down to practical aerodynamic design vs the need to tell the world what kind of car it is from a distance. For example look at Cadillac's entry from 2002, the Northstar LMP 900. It looks like hideous! It reflects the downfall of the U.S. car industry during that period with it's shameless tack in using a decal for a grill. Then there are the more honest examples. Look at the development of the dominant Audi over the last decade. The R8 from 2000 looks bland and indistinguishable, most likely to accommodate the best aerodynamic package possible. In 2006 it was replaced with the R10 TDI and then again in 2010 with the R15 TDI.; each time the visual tweaks do little to accommodate Audi's large gaping grill from it's road cars. Which brings me to the Peugeot 908. First off it's proven to be bloody fast around Le Mans (albeit unreliably so). However; it's nose does bear a strong resemblance to its road cars. That little blob peeping out between the headlights could fit into the mould for it's latest RC-Z. Perhaps I'm paranoid! After all aerodynamics shapes a nose one way and it could well be a coincidence that Peugeot's road cars simply look the same. But at a development cost of millions of Euro? Pas du tout.

Wedding Congratulations to Helena & Niall

I need an angle on my brother's wedding that incorporates cars... Bing! Presenting one of only 3 of the very latest Audi A8's currently in Ireland used as a wedding car (thanks Geoff). With over €26,000 worth of leather alone this German behemoth provided ample luxury for those lucky enough to hitch a ride. Price? Don't expect much change from €160,000.

The Porsche Panapromotion

Yes this is a heavily modified Porsche Panamera. Yes it's got four doors and is heavier than a 911. And yes Porsche are planning to race it. Is it just me or is this a marketing trick too far? The race engineers at Porsche must be rolling their eyes at having to wrench a plausible race car from a fat luxury saloon. Every race fan knows a Porsche 911 would wipe the floor with this calamity and yet in business (sigh!) it makes sense. In fact Aston Martin are one step ahead having successfully raced it's Rapide saloon. You see car manufacturers are very keen that you & I summon some psychological link between motoring prowess and it's brand. Hence even if you're behind the wheel of some abhorrent v-sign magnet with 6 seats and a bull bar you will still feel like Lewish 'Amiltun. You may think I'm going overboard here. Okay; this Panamera racer will be damn fast and will race around the world's most famous tracks but c'mon. It's got four doors and will only ever be driven by short men parading around the financial district.

BMW's Latest Art Car

Fact: There can never be too many Art Cars from BMW. This is their 17th effort and personally I think it looks barnstormingly awesome! Following a rich vein of artistic heritage from the likes of Andy Warhol & Frank Stella this latest incarnation is a spatter of speed designed by Jeff Koons. Fortunately this piece of art will be exhibited at over 300kph around Le Mans this June. This need for speed explains Koons' use of vinyl instead of paint as it's lighter. And don't worry about any scratches, all the spare parts are in place to match up with the design. If only Chris Bangle thought along these lines...

Audi's new A-Class

They say history repeats itself. Audi launch their "smallest" A1 range of cars and promptly repeat Mercedes' well documented mistake of rolling one during a demo. Q flushed red faces and much camera groping to hide the evidence.

Red Faces at Red Bull

Hmm so what's your take on the Red Bull cock-up? Two cars into one corner will fit. On this occasion they didn't. Why? Well my first reaction was that Webber was in the wrong. I mean he gave Vettel just the amount of space required to fit an F1 car between his car and the grass but at the same time they would both have had to slow down a lot more than normal for them both to turn the corner using the same line PLUS they’re teammates. If Vettel had kept his line he would’ve almost stalled whilst hugging the hairpin so slowly. Nine times out of ten both cars in a passing manoeuvre will swing to the outside of the corner at the last minute so they can both get the turning circle required to stay on track. Is that Webber’s problem though? No. Now I don’t usually have anything good to say about Webber’s overtaking skills but having looked at it more I do admire how Webber interpreted the move and stuck resolutely to his line. In terms of sticking to F1’s customs Webber operated like a pro: He didn’t force Vettel onto the grass. He gave him (just) enough space. He didn’t deviate from his defensive position once he established it. Now Webber has a poor rep thus far for overtaking and defending so the only conclusion that I can come to on this incident is that Webber accidentally pulled off one of the coldest & most calculating defensive moves of the season. Typically he is overly aggressive in this regard. He got a drive through penalty for barging Barrichello at the start of last year’s German GP and took out Hamilton in this year’s Australian GP. Ultimately, though, Webber won’t be sanctioned. Perhaps that says it all? In any case what Webber gained most last weekend is worth more than just 15 points over his teammate. The Austrian Red Bull owners and their Austrian protégé have just realised that their stage show can be scuppered by an Australian more than willing to grab the limelight.

The Times The Are 'A Changin'

In line with my general feeling of economic impotence there is a slow and stealthy concern seeping into my mind that my hope, nay right of passage, towards owning some fantastic piece of motoring chutzpah may not happen after all. You see I always had this idea that if I kept on the straight and narrow that one day if I got some letters after my name it would equate to being handed the keys to one of the many cars I have fictionally purchased. You’ve all been there at one point. It all starts off when you see an article in a magazine about some bizarre left-field car purchase and “buying tips”. For example; a 1970’s Fiat 500, lovely. Then you start to Google “Fiat 500” during some spare time on the net and before you know it a list of potential dealerships & colours options have been sourced and you have one finger on the phone “trigger” ready to make an enquiry. Then reality would shatter your daydream and remind you of your rather pale looking bank account. Patience was required and patience is what I gave. Now that patience has gone. As salaries & savings suddenly nose dive so too does that right of passage. I can see it rolling down the stock market graph with the hand brake off just as I reach out for the door handle.

The dichotomy of posh cabriolets

Right so you've just shelled out thousands on a slick German convertible but when the roof is up nobody seems to notice? If you buy a convertible you're paying a premium and you want the whole world to know, right? Well this is just the problem BMW is facing with its hardtop convertibles. Despite the obvious advantages of metal instead of fabric BMW is being pressured into having it's roofs made the old fashioned way. Don't believe me? Look at the Rolls Royce and Bentley cabriolets, there's a reason they choose cloth over metal. You see convertibles are generally for posers who like to show off their wealth and if Joe Soap is fooled into thinking you have the "regular" coupe model then you've wasted your cash. So here's the dichotomy: The technology is there for a viable hard top folding convertible but manufacturers are being pushed towards using inferior fabric roofs. This a triumph of pride over sense. And not in an Italian passion way. It's in a daft egotist "look at me, I'm rich" way. If the same sense of status could be achieved with a giant arrow sticker on the door pointing to the driver with the word "wealthy" printed on it then a folding hard top would have its place in the world of premium marques. Unfortunately the wealthy prats of this world have spoken and car makers must listen.

So What is This MotorSpeak Blog About?

Right folks as a fan of autos since, oh maybe, too long I thought it was about time I got tapping to all you other fans too.

The hope is that you guys might find something that quirk your interest as you mull over the everyday goings on in your life. Like are Jaguars really that good? Can we truly enjoy driving anymore in today's traffic? Does it seem weird that a gear lever is considered an ancahronism?

Whatever it may be I'd like to have a poke at it. Maybe just to sheer off boredom. Maybe to make a stand. But mainly because I enjoy motoring and godammit I want more!