Charlie Johnson’s Real World Dream Barn
Another Real World Dream Barn and I’m delighted to say that it’s the turn of none other than Charlie Johnson of Retro & Classic Cars fame. If you’re into old cars, I suggest you take a look at his site, but not before you’ve checked out the ten cars that will be fighting for space in his barn. It’s a rather eclectic mix. Nice one, Charlie.
It’s taken me a long time to gather these thoughts. And thoughts, even when published, may leave a certain amount of uncertainly in one’s mind once they’re live on PetrolBlog. The Real World Dream Barn involves a lot of thought, or so it would seem to me. Followers of my twitter feed will know that I have a habit of going through a number of cars throughout a day. Why? Well, once I’m distracted by something else that appeals, the first car mentioned is shoved to the back. Read more 
Nissan Micra: Have you driven one?
It was Craig that came up with the idea for the Real World Reviews, so it’s good to see some more words from him arriving in the PetrolBlog inbox. Here he presents a rather solid defence of the Nissan Micra. Good stuff, Craig.
Have you driven one?
This should, in my opinion, be the first question levelled at a critic of a car’s performance in order to work out if what follows has any substance. Anyone is entitled to comment on the aesthetics and those who’ve sat inside and twiddled all the knobs are justified in critiquing the ergonomics; however, those who would calmly place their pint on the table and state ‘of course, the 458 is a far better drive than the LP670-4′ had better have some miles under their belt in each. Read more
Real World Review: Fiat Panda 100HP
The Fiat 100HP is a car I’ve coveted for some time. I’ve even come close to buying one. Twice. Reading Antony Ingram’s review has done little to dampen my enthusiasm for this brilliant little pocket rocket. Antony’s is in the right colour too. If you’re thinking of buying one, buy his. Go ahead, do it. Do it.
I bought the 100HP somewhat on a whim.
By that I don’t mean that I had a big pile of cash lying about and dropped it all on a Fiat – more that I wasn’t really expecting to see it when I went car shopping back in late 2010, to replace my old Mazda MX5, that had met its maker thanks to the attentions of Mr Sneaky Thieving Bastard. Read more
Darren’s Audi 80 1.8S: an update
Darren has been back in touch with PetrolBlog with a quick update on his wonderful Audi 80. It has been totally plain sailing recently…
No sooner had I mentioned in the original review that the car had generally been reliable, when Mr Sod made an unwelcome appearance, complete with legislation. Read more
Rob’s Vauxhall Insignia: Long term update
Resident PetrolBlogger, Rob Griggs-Taylor is back with an update on his Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 EcoFlex Elite. For the earlier review, have a look here, or to follow Rob on twitter, click here.
In 1973 BMW launched the 2002 Turbo onto an unsuspecting market. It was their first turbocharged car, producing around 170BHP which gave it the ability to accelerate from 0-60mph in a whisker under seven seconds. It became a legend, partly because of the bright reversed ’2002 Turbo’ badging on the front spoiler, the fact that only 1,672 were produced in a two-year production run and because the turbo lag was epic. The power delivery was reputedly all or nothing, leading to some exciting rear-first exits to corners. Read more
Ralph Hosier’s Rover 75
Evo magazine’s tame engineer is back on PetrolBlog with some words on his Rover 75. For more of Ralph, follow him on twitter at @RalphHosier or check out his brilliant TechnoBlog.
What do you think of when you see a Rover 75? Flat cap, maybe? Or perhaps you see slow progress on roads near old people’s homes? Rover spent millions developing that image, unintentionally of course, but is it deserved?
Like many car enthusiasts I had dismissed the slightly bulbous retro styled granny wagon as being too dull and unreliable, but after a fellow writer waxed lyrical about the 75′s virtues I started looking into it in a bit more detail and found that there was a lot more going for it than I had realised. Read more
Ton’s view on the 2011 MINI Clubman
Ton Dumans, PetrolBlog’s Dutch correspondent, is back with some thoughts on his MINI Clubman. Over to you, Ton.
As luck would have it, I found myself sooner than expected in the position to replace my Honda Civic Hybrid as a daily driver. After having driven a sensible, cheap car for nearly three years, I wanted something a little less dull. A bit more me, rather than another dime-a-dozen chickenbox. Where do you start with this in mind? Honestly, I had no clue. Until a year ago, I had never considered a MINI. It simply had not occurred to me. This was until I had the opportunity to drive a colleague’s MINI Cooper that was being used on loan from a BMW dealer when his 116i was in repair. I was pleasantly surprised by a car that, until then, I had only seen as a nice shopping trolley. The car felt like a go-kart, and perhaps even more importantly, it put a smile on my face. Read more
Black Magic VW: Gary’s Volkswagen Santana
When was the last time you saw a Volkswagen Santana? According to How Many Left? there are just seven left on Britain’s roads, making the 4-door saloon quite a rare sight. It was actually no more than a B2 Passat sedan, making the Santana some kind of retro Shatchback hero.
Amazingly, some 194,000 Santanas were produced between 1981 and 1985, before the Santana name was dropped in favour of the Passat saloon. Three years later, in 1988, the B2 Passat was replaced by the B3 and the Santana was banished, in the UK at least, to automotive history. In China the name may live on, but in the UK, you’re more likely to hear Santana on the Ken Bruce show than see one on parked on your local high street. Read more
Richard’s VW Polo GTI: Good Times Imminent?
Another guest blogger on PetrolBlog? This is becoming quite a habit. A good habit of course and at least it stops me flooding the interweb with yet more waffle. This time I’m delighted to welcome Mr Richard Gooding of the rather excellent PoloDriver.com. A Volkswagen fan of many years, Rich Gooding has just taken the first step on the GTI ownership ladder, buying a 2001 Polo GTI. Why did he choose the hot shot Polo and what does an early example of VW’s smaller iconic-badged hatchback offer? Read more
Real World Review: Vauxhall Vivaro 2900 LWB panel van
Antony Ingram arrives on PetrolBlog and posts a Real World Review with a difference. This one’s on a van! You can follow White Van Man Antony on twitter at @antonyingram.
You wouldn’t normally put up with a car that had a lazy, agricultural diesel engine, a sky high driving position and very little in the way of what most of us would consider “handling”. Yet give that car a huge load area, chunky controls and a sprinkling of bloody-mindedness and curiously you suddenly have a vehicle that even the most ardent of sports car fans still loves to drive.
I am of course talking about a van. Vans are great. They may not handle but there’s a brutal honesty about them that you can’t help but love. And with examples like the 58-reg Vauxhall Vivaro I’ve been driving for the last few days, you don’t even feel short changed by the standards of modern cars. Read more
Rob writes: The luxury sports car
Rob’s back on PetrolBlog. It would have been earlier, had I not missed the email Rob kindly sent to me on Friday evening. Sorry Rob.
So without further ado, here’s Rob with some words on the luxury sports car. Follow him on twitter at @robgt2 or on his personal blog at www.griggs-taylor.co.uk. Read more
Real World Reviews: Fiat Panda 1.2 Dynamic AirCon
PetrolBlog is delighted to welcome a new guest blogger to our dusty little corner of the interweb. Tom Richards is a PR exec in the automotive industry and, like the rest of us, is a keen petrolhead. For his first blog he has penned a Real World Review of his Fiat Panda 1.2. You can expect more from Tom in the future, but in the meantime check out his twitter feed @teorichards. Read more
Real World Reviews: Audi 80 1.8S
Darren has been a good friend of mine for as long as I can remember and I’ve been on at him for some time to pen a review of his wonderful old Audi 80. I’m pleased to say he has finally caved in and written the following article for PetrolBlog. It really is a peach of a car and a credit to Darren and his father. If he ever contemplates the ridiculous and puts it up for sale, I’ll be at the front of the queue.
Read more
Real World Reviews: Peugeot 205 GTi
PetrolBlog has followed the progress of FailCar’s Peugeot 205 GTi with great interest. But now, two months in, he’s penned a review. Very good it is too.
I have been driving the Peugeot 205 GTi now as a daily driver for the past two months, (over 2,000 miles), so I figured it was time for a Real Word Review on what it’s like to live with every day. Read more
Real World Reviews: MG Metro Turbo
This Real World Review heads back to the 80s and takes a trip down memory lane in an MG Metro Turbo. Telling the story this time is Chris Claydon of Shine My Ride fame. You can follow him on twitter at @shinemyrideuk. It is fair to say that Chris’s story starts well enough but then heads downhill rather rapidly. This doesn’t make particularly good reading for me as I view the little MG Metro with some degree of affection. Firstly, my sister had one when I was younger and through my distinctly rose tinted glasses, it was perfect in every way. Also, I’ve been checking them out on eBay recently and it seems like they’re becoming quite collectable. So hopefully I’ll receive a glowing Real World Review some time soon. In the meantime, it is over to Chris… Read more
Real World Reviews: Honda S2000
Another Real World Review, this time from fellow blogger Rob Smith. Rob considers himself to be a ‘normal petrolhead’ and you can read his opinions and reviews over at Performance Car Blog. When he’s not blogging, Rob is probably driving his rather lovely Honda S2000, a car I’ve always held in high esteem. My interest in the S2000 resurfaced recently when I discovered that early examples can now be picked up for about £4k. With legendary Honda reliability, 50/50 weight distribution and rear wheel drive, surely this makes it a contender for performance car bargain of the decade? Whatever, here’s Rob giving us the lowdown on his own car. Over to you Rob. Read more
Real World Reviews: Jaguar XJ-S V12
I’m delighted to say that the latest Real World Review has been penned by none other than ‘Sir’ Ralph Hosier. Some say that Ralph’s heart is shaped like a V12 engine and that he has engine oil pumping through his veins. All we know is that he’s evo magazine’s resident tuning and engineering expert and that he also appears in Practical Performance Car, Practical Classics and Classics Monthly. Read more
Real World Reviews: Renault Vel Satis
In the latest Real World Review, Oliver Hammond gives a rather brilliant account of his Renault Vel Satis, a car he’s owned for three years. A true ‘Marmite’ car, I have to say that I fall into the ‘love’ category for simple fact that Renault dared to be different. Along with the Avantime, the Vel Satis represents a radical and bold statement and I for one applaud them for it. Just a shame that the rest of the public weren’t so welcoming. Whenever I see one on the road, I’m amazed at how large these things are. The photos give no clue to the huge proportions of the Vel Satis. I saw one recently on the A303 alongside Stonehenge and I could have sworn it cast a shadow over the stones! Read more
Real World Reviews: Daihatsu Charade GTti
In the third episode of PetrolBlog’s Real World Reviews, Simon Ford (@sf4d74) remembers his old Daihatsu Charade GTti. The little GTti is respected as an 80s cult car, verging on classic status. It had a power-to-weight ratio of 122 bhp, helped by being incredibly lightweight at just 808kg. It also had a tiny 1.0 3-cylinder engine producing a rather unique soundtrack. I’ll let Simon tell his story, but would suggest following Simon on twitter for great automotive chat and plenty of car photos!
Real World Reviews: MK2 Vauxhall Astra
Craig was the inspiration that led to getting these Real World Reviews off the ground, so it seems fitting that here he is giving an account of his old 1980s Vauxhall.
You can follow Craig on twitter at @KuangEleven or read Torquesteer, his rather excellent blog. Sadly Craig doesn’t have any photos of his car, so you’ll have to make do with library shots! Read more
