I’m a big fan of the GTR. I really like the idea at it was built by a hardcore bunch of engineers who had their sights on building a car that would take on the world. I like that it uses the full force of computing algorithms to help its propulsion. I love that the dials are made by the bloke who did the best-selling Gran Turismo video game series. I love that it is one expression of the ultimate Japanese super-car. It is a car that is more than the sum of its parts and maintains the legendary heritage that those three letters bestow upon it.

What I don’t like is some of their owners.

Most owners have bought a GTR for all the reasons mentioned above. Usually enthusiasts who are proud to own such a car.

There is another type of owner though. These people I will refer to as d*ckheads. They are angry and petty and in their mind they bought the GTR to say f*ck you.

You see the GTR is quite cheap, about a third of the price of the equivalent Porsche or Ferrari. Yet in nearly all cases, it out performs them. So it’s a case for the d*ckhead to owner to feel “f*ck you wankers who bought Ferrari or porches” “f*ck you Mr M3 bmw”. A case of “I know best, you fucking idiots spent too much money (wich I don’t have) yaaaaarrrrggghhhhhh”.

This makes me sad.

The GTR makes up the rich tapestry of the automotive landscape. Most supercars are representations of the countries they come from. The GTR, rich with tech and brutal efficiency is a good representation of Japan. Just as the Ferrari 458 with its red curves, and illustrious v8 noise is an apt representation of Italy.

You can feel the national personalities coming through.

This is one of the many reasons why the GTR is so important and so enjoyable. It’s differences should be shared with others as they make up the automotive culture at large.

This is what is so disappointing about the “GTR” chip on the shoulder. Or any automotive chip on the shoulder for that matter.

I personally can’t count the times I’ve gone up to owners of interesting cars and had a quick super friendly conversation about their machinery.

This is how it should be.

Cars are fun. Nobody needs the cars we have, everybody could probably survive with a beige Prius.

There are the worlds greatest folly and anybody who tries to use this folly for d*ck purposes should be banished to said Prius.

M Division are the world greatest automotive sub brand. They originally started with a simple plan. To build small discreetly styled sedans with super car slaying performance. All cars would be have high revving naturally aspirated engines and drive the rear wheels through a manual gearbox.

This plan had led them to glorious success over the years. The M cars being the epitome of BMW’s slogan “the ultimate driving machine”.

All M cars were glorious. M3′s M5’s and M6’s all supercar slayers in discrete business attire. Seeing an M badge was akin to seeing a SAS tattoo. I meant so much with so little.

Now though I’m not so sure.

Now though I think BMW has gone slightly soft. Their slogan which once proudly stated “the ultimate driving machine” a core belief that radiated through all their models and epitomized in their M cars. It is now changed to “sheer driving pleasure”.

I cant help but feel that this is a cry of middle age. Like a retired olympian.

“Who cares about ultimates, I just want to have fun.”

This new relaxed effort can be seen in the M-range. Their ranks are now infiltrated by the x6 + x5m SUVs.

SUV’s do not belong in M-divison.

This has been reiterated by the use of “m-sport” packaging. Icing normal BMWs with M logos and wheels is a travesty. Do you think any soldier would happily wear SAS or Navy Seal badges if they hadn’t earnt them?

No of course not.

But this badge stretching has now opened the door for the “M Performance” line.

A range of normal bmw’s with handling, power and cosmetic upgrades from M-divison. Designed to let the cars sit above the normal range with “m-sport” packs, but below the true M-division cars.

You see how complicated it is. How does that fit in with the M ethos?

It will be now possible to get a 4wd deisel 5 series wit “M-sport” and “M-performance” upgrades. Yet it is not a true M5.

So does the owner of that car have a M car? I would say not, but I’m sure the general public might think they do.

Maybe I’m looking at this wrong, maybe such cars are exactly what the public wants. Only enthusiasts like me will think of it as a travesty.

I don’t know, I remember the excitement I used to feel when I saw an M badge. Knowing that it was ultimate. Knowing that the best of the best engineers in the skunkworks of BMW engineered this car to be awesome. That the head of M-divison would not sign off on it untill he knew it was perfect. These were cars that would embarrass Ferrari and Porsches yet look like any old exec saloon.

This was the magic of M division.

Now I’m sorry to say that the badge just illustrates the fall of the brand.

M stood for ultimate.

What’s ultimate about a pick and mix options pack for a mid level execu-wagon.

Or put it another way.

When explaining you BMW to a pretty girl do you want to say “my car is a M3 , the best BMW makes”.

Or do you want to say

“my car is a 3-series that has a parts from another division in BMW designed to make it look like their best cars, but really I’m only pretending to make my car look good in order to impress you and my mates as I cannot afford the best of BMW…. Please don’t leave.. It’s from their M Performance line, that’s like the best right?! Right?!?! It’s a sensible economic designed car that fills a gap in the market…. Hello?”.

The best thing about this video is clearly the period laptop. It does make you think how old the internal combustion engine is. I wonder if the cars have evolved at the same rate as personal tech.

Aerodynamics don’t count because they’ve invisible.

George.

Your a WDC F1 driver!

You literally have the coolest job in the world.

There is no need for these shenanigans. Ok yes, it does suck that your ex gf happens to be half naked on MTV. But to do this? hmmm I’m not sure.

Actually, I will stop this rant now.

Lewis, if you go out there and become the racing driver everyone loves to see. I will forget about these photos.

I’ll think, “do you what? if i had the chance to do a GQ shoot, I would”. I would also probably believe the Yank clothing stylist…

But just this once Lewis, you are on thin ice.

(no , not like Ice Cube, Ice T or Vanilla Ice.)

George.

Images stolen from :

• www.gq.com

All passenger cars have their proportions dictated by government policy. For instance, the front of all cars have to be shaped in such a way that conforms with pedestrian safety laws.

“pedestrians shall be maimed, but not killed, in a head on collision”

“any drunken fool who stumbles onto the road shall be caught and lovingly caressed by the bonnet of an automobile”

To differentiate cars from each over designer’s have to rely on surface detailing. The Mondeo is a good example of this. It has taken a grill from its estranged older brother: Aston Martin.

I suspect that there will be a great many Rapide owners who are unhappy that their four door super-car now looks like a police runaround. The plagiarism continues, on the white model shown , the rear tail lights, actually the rear quarter bears a distinct likeness to the new Lamborghini Aventador.

It’s shameful to see the Ford Mondeo stoop to such lows, because the British half of Ford were very good at design.

Perhaps a brand more expected of plagiarism is Hyundai. Their Veloster, a 3 door , asymmetrical coupe, designed to take on the VW Sirocco has the most aspirational design steal. The front wings look like the front of the Aston Martin One-77. A limited production Aston that is soooooo amazing and exclusive, they’ve had trouble selling all 77 of them.

Though the design of that car (rubbish) is a subject for another post.

Ultimately , I’m not sure if this super-car xeroxing is such a bad thing. Not for sales anyway.

But personally, I just can’t help but feel cheapened by it. All cars should be designed brilliantly. Or at the very least aim to have an identity and personality all to themselves.

The amount of design work that goes into a super-car is just as time-consuming and as important as a family sedan. In the cases mentioned above (Mondeo,Veloster) they are probably more important.

Super-cars can stand on their own, in their own stratosphere. Normal cars have a much harder time standing out.

I think of the cars that I’ve owned, and the cars that I admire and not once would I think that they needed to look like a different car (the front wings of my 2001 forester excepted, they looked awesomely like the wings of the Audi ur-Quattro rally car).

This trend will not end , but I do urge the reader to be aware of these fads and know: Regardless of how much you like the car, nobody cares that it’s one headlight looks like the one-off somebody else’s supercar.

George

This blog is to help my mates understand the automotive industry and the sport of Formula 1.

Formula 1 has quite a high barrier of entry, with confusing acronyms and complicated teams. It’s not as easy to say, “I’ll go for the red team” (weeeelll…. the tifosi might disagree).

***** you see , right there, that comment in brackets. F1 fans would find it mildly amusing as they know the “tifosi” refers to the legion of fans who blindly support Ferrari. Ferrari of course being the “red team”. These are the sort of things I hope to clarify.*****

What I aim to do is help shed light on the different characters of the sport. To create a cheat sheet for new fans. So they can understand , not just the new technology, or who the important players are, but how they interact and effect the overall F1 story.

Also , I would like to help people understand the cars they can buy. I get so annoyed when I see someone driving the wrong car. I just think, if they had asked me I could have pointed them into all sorts of better options.

Sir William Lyons, founder of Jaguar, once said, “The car is the closest thing we will ever create to something that is alive.”

I wish to help explain why this is the case.

I designed the site to be really big and easy to use, so hopefully it will be accessible for all ages. I’m sure there will be many redesigns of the years. But clarity and readability will always be the case.

Feel free to follow gcar on facebook and twitter.

Just so you know when the latest blog post is out, and for the occasional small update.

That’s about it, I hope you all enjoy.

Remember to comment :)

George

PS. Yes the “g” in “gcar” stands for George.