Whatever happened to…the Citroën GS
When I remember the cars my Dad drove when I was growing up, the cars that immediately spring to mind are the P6 Rover V8, the Lancia 2000, the Triumph Herald and the various Saab 900s. This is strange when considering we had one particular car for a lot longer than any of the aforementioned. Undoubtedly, it also took me on more trips to the seaside or Welsh mountains than any other. As a result of this, I probably associate Simon Bates and ‘Our tune’ with this car, listening as we did at the time, to Radio 1. Read more 
Avanzato: The biggest name in small cars
The Avanzato. Or to give it the full name treatment, the Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato TR-XX R4. A huge name for a car of miniscule proportions. Read more
Yesterday’s Specials…Fiat Panda Italia ’90
Ah, the memories of the the 1990 World Cup. The sound of Luciano Pavarotti, the sight of Gazza’s tears and the gallant but inevitable failure of England to get past West Germany on penalties. In truth though, this was England’s best post-1966 performance, a genuine team effort and a real case of a missed opportunity. Or penalty. Or two. Read more
Whatever happened to…the Mazda Montrose
Over the course of time, car manufacturers have named many a car in honour of an illustrious or glamorous location. Ferrari Maranello, Ferrari Daytona, Porsche Cayenne, Opel Monza, Hyundai Santa Fe and Lancia Monte Carlo are just a few that spring to mind. In all cases, the manufacturer hopes to leave the owner in no doubt over the credentials of the car in question. Daytona, for example, takes you to the speedway, on a hot summer’s night, the sound of V8s and the smell of burning rubber. Stirring stuff you’ll agree. Then there’s Monte Carlo, which takes you to the French coast, twisty mountain-side tarmac roads, glitz, glamour and decadence. You get the point. Read more
A bumper load of driving fun?
A track day. A twisting B-road. Scalextric. Karting. Gran Turismo on the PlayStation. A motorsport event. When asking where a petrolhead gets their kicks away from restrictions and red tape, there’s a fair chance that one of these will feature in the response. Quite right too.
But there’s another opportunity to enjoy a good drive without fear of a flashing camera, a strategically parked white van, a beige Toyota Yaris Verso or a oncoming tractor in the middle of the road. It comes in the form of a car with little more than an oversized steering wheel and single pedal. I speak of the bumper car, or dodgem, as the nanny state would rather it is referred to as. Well if it is OK with you Mr Whitehall or Monsieur EU, I’ll call them bumper cars. Merci. Read more
Yesterday’s Specials…Opel Speedster Scorpions
Oh how the rest of Europe laughed when Vauxhall launched the VX220 in the UK with the disastrously appalling advertising campaign. Oh how the Germans mocked us when Griff Rhys-Jones appeared wearing nothing more than a white vest, a pair of Y-fronts and a ginger beard to announce Vauxhall’s sports car. According to the ad agency, the campaign was called ‘Dream Car‘, with Rhys-Jones attempting to discredit the sexiness of the car. Well, I can safely say that the ad campaign worked – it had the desired effect of discrediting the VX220 from the outset. Despite amazing reviews, a host of accolades and ultimately being a damn fine sports car, the VX220 was a sales disaster. While the Lotus Elise had an F1 heritage, a strong brand and a back catalogue to dream of, the VX220 had to make do with a Y-fronted comedian…in a ginger beard. Oh dear. Read more
Achtung! Renault 11 Electronic
Remember the Renault 11? The topless car in ‘A View to a Kill’ and the French firm’s family car for pretty much the whole of the 80s. Read more
Whatever happened to…The Talbot Matra Rancho
It may not seem like it now, but the Talbot Matro Rancho was one of the most pioneering cars of the 20th Century. No seriously, it was.
If at first glance the Rancho looks rather like a Simca 1100 on stilts with a glass box bolted to the rear end, that’s because it effectively is. Originally badged as a Simca, the company took the 1100 pick-up, lengthened the chassis and produced a body made from polyester and glass fibre. OK, so even then, it was no looker and it had all the aerodynamics of Rik Waller wearing a chicken house, but it has a certain level of charm. Read more
Citroen CX shows its Grace
Grace Jones. Famous, as far as Petrolblog goes, for three things.
One, her starring role in the 1985 James Bond film, a View to a Kill. Remember this one? Eiffel Tower, chopped roof Renault 11, Patrick Macnee in a sunken Rolls, a rather large airship, Golden Gate bridge and an exploding mine. Yep, that’s the one. Grace comes to a rather explosive end and in doing so, saves the world. Read more
Peugeot: Will the lion roar again?
There are fantasy petrolhead garages and there are dream petrolhead garages. There is a difference.
A fantasy petrolhead garage will be an air conditioned barn, with superb lighting, wipe clean floor and enough room to house any number of exotic motors. Maybe a Pagani Zonda. A Ferrari F40. A Bugatti Veyron. A McLaren F1. A Lamborghini Miura. The list would go on. There’d be no cut off. No budget. Nobody getting in the way.
A dream petrolhead garage on the other hand would contain a number of more accessible, usable cars. The kind of cars that if you saw one going the other way, would give you a warm feeling inside and a small nod of approval. Think Corrado, Integrale, M3 and MK2 Golf GTi and you’d be on the right lines. Read more
Car washing can be so funny
When I was a college student, I had a weekend job at my local supermarket. I’d spend many an hour on a checkout, scanning groceries and taking customers’ money. Invariably, this would involve the customer handing over a note of some kind and more often than not, this would either be a £10 or £20 note.
We were encouraged to hold the said note up to the light to check the authenticity because at the time, there were an awful lot of forgeries in the system. On some occasions, the transaction would pass with little more than a polite exchange of pleasantries before moving on to the next queuing customer. Read more
Whatever happened to…the Hyundai Pony
This week’s chosen car is the first generation Hyundai Pony. Like the Citroen Visa featured two weeks ago, you’re much more likely to see the commercial variant of the Pony than the car. Hence why it is a perfect candidate for the feature. The usual quick trawl of Auto Trader, Pistonheads and eBay has once again revealed that there isn’t one solitary first gen Pony for sale in the UK. This just about makes it rarer than a buyer for the Aston Martin Cygnet. Read more
I just want to fill my car…and go.
Do you remember a time when the phrase “filling up with fuel” meant just that? A rose-tinted vision of a time when a cheery forecourt attendant would welcome you to the garage and tempt you with his or her tantalising selection of either 4-star or diesel. You’d watch as the dial spun round to £10.00 and your tank was full. A quick dash into the shop to pay, tempted by nothing more than perhaps a Marathon bar, a plastic Smurf, a Magic Tree or a fuel filter…for a Hillman Hunter. Read more
Car ad land – Petrolblog’s top 10 car ads
The majority of car advertisements portray a world of perfect motoring. In car ad land, there are no speed cameras, no potholes, no queues, no middle lane hoggers with their fog light permanently on. You won’t find a white F-reg Ford Orion leaving behind a trail of blue smoke. There is no Vauxhall Agila sticking religiously to a speed of 28mph as it navigates along one of your favourite B-roads. Indeed, all the roads in car ad land are gloriously empty, snaking invitingly onto the horizon, with perfect tarmac and maximum visibility. The people are beautiful and the skies are always blue. Read more
How does the Skeleton gold medalist drive to work?
It is one of the classic automotive advertisements. The legendary ad man, Bill Bernbach, literally changed advertising over night with his famous line; “Have you ever wondered how the man who drives the snowplough drives to the snowplough?” The answer was the Volkswagen Beetle. A couple of headlights and a hut were all that featured in the ad. Low on content, maximum on impact. Read more
Whatever happened to…The Chrysler Alpine
Go on, admit it. You’d totally forgotten about the Chrysler Alpine hadn’t you? When was the last time you saw one? I’d hazard a guess that the last time I saw one was approximately 3:26pm on October 12th 1984. And it was a strange metallic orange colour. Or actually, it could have been rust, which was about to become a major problem for the Alpine (see later in the article). Read more
Ford Probe: Snapper to crusher in 16 years
First things first. This isn’t the second installment in my ‘Whatever happened to‘ series of mildly interesting articles. Nope, they appear on Tuesdays, so you’re 24 hours early.
Instead, this post seeks to celebrate and laud the Ford Probe. It is 16 years since the Probe protruded onto the market, bringing with it the hopes that Ford could finally deliver a car to replace the Capri. To be honest, carrying the hopes of a nation looking to follow in the footsteps of the car we’d always promised ourselves was bound to weigh heavy on the coupe. Read more
