Month: July 2015

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The Morgan Cars PR guy is more enthusiastic than a fox in a hen house

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So, a bit of background first. I’ve written about cars for 30 years and never, ever driven a Morgan. What an admission. The problem was that the Morgan press office used to consist of a chap in a tweed jacket, eating a bacon sandwich and only answering the phone if the golf course was busy.

It was impossible to get a test car. Bristol used to be the same. If the PR jonny there thought you didn’t wear brogues and a tie, well, you’re not welcome in the club. Go and drive something bling, like a Bentley.

And so it was that yesterday I turned up at the factory in Malvern, where they have been building cars from wood and metal since 1908. The ‘factory’ is actually a rather ramshackle collection of single storey sheds that looks like a school. One that should have been demolished long before the Germans even had a chance to blitz them.

They now have a proper PR guy too and he’s more enthusiastic than a fox in a hen house. Brilliant. We did a factory tour together. I met a man who has been with the company since 1961 – that’s before the Beatles had their first hit.

I fell in love with the place.

About three hours later he handed me the keys to a spanking new Morgan Plus 8. I pressed the start button and frightened some children taking selfies in front of the bonnet. Within ten miles I realised what I’d been missing all these years. The ones spent in a draft free, climate-controlled cabin, fully anaethetised from the driving experience.

I don’t actually give a stuff where the Morgan is made but I like the fact it is truly British, owned by a British family who know the names of all their employees and use Gingham tablecloths in the canteen.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about the car. Sorry if you’ve just bought a 911 but you just went for the sensible choice and perhaps forgot what driving a sports car is all about…

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I’ve lusted after the Porsche 911 Targa for too long. I want more excitement for my £90k

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They say never meet your heroes – so what was I doing testing the Porsche 911 Targa then? The car I’ve lusted after since the 993 was presented to us journalists in Austria 20 years ago hasn’t quite lived up to expectation.

The folding hard top, silver hoop bar and chunky rear end really look the business. However, the Targa’s clinical driving experience has left me unmoved. I want more excitement for £90k.

911 Targa’s have niche appeal, slotting into the range between the coupe and cabriolet. I love the styling, the whole concept but why wasn’t I looking back longingly when I handed over the keys in Malvern today?

In contrast, I drove a Morgan Plus 8 test back to the Cotswolds afterwards. It’s raw, outrageously loud, a bit sweaty – and bloody amazing! I relished every second of that winding A road.

I’m at an age when comfort, economy and heated seats should be my priority. Maybe I’m a bit weird but I know which of these two open top cars I would like to own the most….

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The birds and bees of owning a Porsche 911 Targa

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This is getting silly. First I think there’s a bee lodged in the front mechanism of my folding-roof 991 Targa. Now I’m baffled by what sounds sounds like a bird stuck in the back.

It’s so intrusive with the top stowed that yesterday I had to pull over and check there wasn’t a feathered thing wedged in an air intake.  So now I have a bee with the roof in place – and a bird when it’s lowered. Brilliant Porsche!

I’ve spent the last two months trying to find a grey 997 Targa to buy and none of the secondhand cars I’ve driven rattle. So what has happened with this £90k new version – do I just have what was commonly known as a ‘Monday morning car’ as my test vehicle?

I’d expect rattles from an Aston Martin – it’s British and you just have to live with it. But a Porsche 911? Well, seems mighty odd to me. We have a Morgan Plus 8 coming later this week. I wonder if it will get the shakes so bad?

 

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More beautiful than a Porsche 911 convertible? The Targa flips its lid

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The buzzing Targa continues to frustrate but I’m managing to block out the sound. It helps if the weather is sunny because I can drop the lid and listen to the wind instead.

Although the folding section of the roof is made of black fabric (a la most convertibles) it could just as easily be make out of metal. Tat’s because it doesn’t crumble up, but disappears in one piece underneath the opened rear glass screen.

Yes, it’s rather hard to describe in words but it words beautifully. It’s not quick but sometimes the best things are worth waiting for.

Once removed, the latest Targa model looks simply beautiful. I thought the shape was too similar to a standard 911 coupe but you would be amazed how many people comment positively on the styling.

The Targa offers so much more than the convertible 911. It may cost more (and be equally as rattly!) but what a head-turner…

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The Porsche 911 Targa requires a firm fist to resolve the squeaky roof problem

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I keep getting bitten by horseflies. These are bluebottles with attitude and  give a nasty nip. I hate the little buggers but I’ve been rather hoping that there is one in the Porsche Targa this week.

The Targa has always had a reputation for squeaky roof – you simply can’t cut the top off a car and expect everything to fit perfect. Apparently, that even applies to a £90k Porsche.

Just like the 1990s 993 Targa I lust after, this new model is just the same. Except I have been able to find a solution. All I need to do it shove my fist into the underside of the fabric roof section as I drive along and hey presto – problem solved.

Long term, this isn’t an option but as rattles and squeaks in cars are my pet hate, I seem to be driving around with a fist in the air quite a lot at the moment. Maybe I need to lust after the more rigid 911 coupe instead…

 

 

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Shake, roll bar and the slightest rattle. The Porsche 911 Targa falls just short of perfection

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I’ve always wanted a Targa – ever since the 993 model launch almost 20 years ago in Austria.

The sliding glass roof on that car was brilliant but it was plagued with issues. The complicated, electric mechanism that opened the panel had issues, which often caused rattles and leaks.

I recently went to view a 1996 Targa that had been lovingly cared for at huge expense. The roof alone had been overhauled by a Porsche main dealer twice to the tune of £8,000. Yep, it still rattled.

And the latest 991 Targa still rattles too! Despite a completely different roof mechanism that has been styled on the original 60s Targa, I was amazed to hear something squeaking in the roof.

Maybe you just have to accept that kind of stuff in an open top car? Me, well, if I as paying £90k for a Targa, I’d be straight on the phone to customer services at Porsche…

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Remember the original 1960s Porsche Targa? The latest one’s just as cute

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Don’t fancy the idea of a full, folding roof convertible but like the wind in your thinning hair? Porsche has the answer in the shapely form of the 911 Targa.

You can only buy it in the wide-bodied, four-wheel drive 911 bodyshell but the 2015 model looks more like the original, 1965 original Targa than any version inbetween.

And whether the Targa is popular or not with Porsche purists, it’s the car I’ve always wanted to own. When I went on the launch of the 993 version in the mid-90s, the feel-good factor in the Alps of Austria was sensational.

The problem with this latest version really comes down to the price. Most people either want a coupe or convertible 911. Are there enough buyers for a Targa?

Well, I hope so because 24 hours in, I’m loving it. It starts with that retro styling and just keeps me smiling mile after mile. More tomorrow, when I can get out of the driver’s seat long enough to write…

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Saying goodbye to a Spanish summer love was never this hard…

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I didn’t imagine saying goodbye to a SEAT would be quite this hard – especially when the next test motor is the new Porsche 911 Targa.

Oddly the Porker feels a much heavier steer, although as you might expect for three times the money, rather more refined than the crazy Spanish car.

I think there’s room for both of them in my life. The dog fits better in the Cupra and other drivers are far more willing to let you out at a junction than in the 911. Weird.

I cant recommend SEAT’s hot estate strongly enough. Just ditch the Orange Line Pack and everything else is just about perfect for £31k.

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SEAT’s Cupra ST is a Spanish flyer – better than a Golf R estate?

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You may be interested in the new VW Golf R estate. It costs around £33,500 and is seriously quick. Think 0-60mph in 5.1 seconds.

Our Cupra ST is hot Golf’s sister and although not quite as fast, let me tell you it has more than enough grunt to leave you breathless.

It’s also prettier in my book. VW rarely make changes to the Golf – a friend of mine recently opted for a BMW 1 Series because they thought the Gold simply didn’t look interesting enough.

But the Spanish flyer is far prettier and moves along a strip of tarmac at a startling rate.

Just one day left with the SEAT. I’m going to miss it…

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The Cupra ST can make your school run a whole lot more interesting

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£30,000 is a lot of money. It’s not going to change your life but it could make the school run a lot more interesting – if you bought a new Cupra ST.

Your local SEAT dealer will tell you it has tons of space for the family and plenty of practicality. It does to a certain point but it’s nowhere near as roomy as Focus estate, or something elongated from Vauxhall.

It trounces both for the fun factor though and, of course, it’s decidedly more interesting and less ubiquitous.

Not having a family, I look on the ST as a stretched hot hatchback. I’ve forgotten that you are meant to put things in the boot and drive it sensibly to the supermarket.

It’s a crazy car. Quick, entertaining and, of course, a whole lot of fun…