RobiNZ Vox

Brawn's brilliant Melbourne debut, Honda's dream or nightmare? (from TypePad)

Had to link to this one over on my TypePad Blog

QotD: If I could live anywhere in the world...

If you could live anywhere in the world (fictional or real), where would it be?

It's not perfect, but I like returning here...

 

Tourism Auckland Promotional Video

 

Auckland City from Rangitoto

Formula 1 turns upside down, while Honda weep? (from TypePad)

Imagine if you'd told the Honda Board last year that the first Grand Prix of 2009 would see:

• McLaren languishing at the tail end of the field: P14,15
• Ferrari struggling to qualify in the top ten: P7,9
• Honda locking out the front row: taking Pole and Second

Would they still have pulled out of Formula 1?

That's what happened today leaving Brawn GP and Virgin, thanks to a last minute deal from a very happy Richard Branson, to benefit of the hundreds of millions Honda invested since taking over BAR.

It's quite possible they'll win the race tomorrow, maybe even the rest of the fly-away races leaving McLaren, Ferrari and the rest scrambling to catch up. Imagine Brawn GP get to mid-year with cars at the sharp end of the championship and a real possibility of challenging for the title?

Honda funded all that, then walked away at precisely the wrong time. A money saving decision that might turn out to be one of the most expensive mistakes in Formula 1 history.

PS: One thing Brawn do need to work on is a better website. The current one is littered with PDF files leading to a miserable browsing experience. Given the turmoil of the last few months, and the fact that they've made a winning car, maybe it's only temporary

QotD: Make Up Your Own Holiday Day

Yesterday was National "Make Up Your Own Holiday" Day. If you could create any holiday, what would it be?

More than one, a Formula 1 Holiday on the Monday following each race day

 

Michael Schumacher

If you have a few million spare...

And who doesn't? You can configure your own Bugatti, make mine red with an anthracite interior.

Bugatti_config

Via Autoblog

Remember the Trekka, a Kiwi made car?

I took this behind what was formerly the Butchers Shop, Naseby, Central Otago. It's just one of a remarkable collection of cars and other stuff;

The History of the Trekka
It was the ultimate response to the highly regulated import policies pursued by New Zealand Governments since the early 1950's, which made new cars scarce and expensive.

 

Trekka, the Kiwi made car

Vox Hunt: Green for St. Patrick's Day

It's St. Patrick's Day, so you know what that means... Show us something green.

It's not Irish, but it is green (both eco and colour), and on a bog :)

Green Roof Toilet Muriwai

Fiat CEO in a fighting mood (from TypePad)

Isn't this refreshing, Fiat fight back! It's not going to be easy but with leadership like Sergio Marchionne is providing Fiat has a chance. General Motors executive could learn something from the little Italian they ran away from...

Fiat CEO will 'fight like hell' to make profits - Automotive News
Marchionne criticizes defeatist bosses

Phil Llewellin on "The Road to Muckle Flugga"? (from TypePad)

The Road to Muckle Flugga is collection of articles about “Great drives on Five Continents” by the late Phil Llewellin. He was a wonderful writer, who happened to write about motoring, for CAR Magazine (U.K.) among others.

His articles were captivating as they conveyed his impressions of the country & characters he met as much as the vehicle he happened to be travelling in. This collection spans several decades so some of the, now irrelevant, technical/marketing detail has been removed. This lets the stories, people and places, which Phil conveys beautifully, shine even brighter.

I read it on the plane home from Orlando, back in  February , and it’s ideal travel companion. Each story is self contained, snack sized but very tasty, so you can dip in & out without the effort of remembering a plot. During a 30 hour flight/transit that’s a good thing!

Having just left there one article about his travels in Florida, collecting exotic cars with a truck driver who transports them across the United States, had me laughing;

 “...we cruised into Florida, a state with all the scenic grandeur of a snooker table. Either swamp, forest or holiday resort, it makes you think the flat earth society could be right.”

After serving him deep fried alligator and chips at Vero Beach the waitress, who’d never eaten it, asked what it was like;

“Very similar to crocodile,” I said keeping a perfectly straight face, “but with a faint hint of aardvark” 

Most are funny, some are sad, some just bizarre (high jinks in the Sahara & crossing war torn Afghanistan), but all are interesting. His travels include USA, Canada, Africa, British Isles, Middle East, Caribbean, South America, Asia and Europe but sadly not Australia or New Zealand (Did he ever get here?). In one chapter he travels to China with:

“…a convivial colleague, a young motoring reporter from Yorkshire who was looking forward to being screen-tested for a BBC TV’s Top Gear motoring show when he got home…”

Phil showed the young Jeremy Clarkson how to combine expert drinking and writing;

Quotes from the Foreword  –  by Jeremy Clarkson
“There is only one cure for a hangover, he [Phil] said. “We need to get drunk again”. This was Phil’s solution to pretty well everything.
The astonishing thing is though I came back from China not really knowing where I’d been or what had happened there, whereas he came back and wrote a piece that was crammed full of detail and fact. You see this in everything he does”

“I love his ability to find something interesting in almost everything and, when he can’t, to spice up the banal with his own take on things. I also love the fact that he’s a font of knowledge, especially on military history and the Welsh. Most of all though, I love the way he’s just so damn funny. As a result so is this book”

I think the finest piece is, the appropriately named, “Their Finest Hour”. I clipped this out of CAR when first published in 1990 as I loved it then.

To mark the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain Phil went on a personal pilgrimage to major landmarks connected with “The greatest aerial campaign in history”. He drove a Red Bentley Mulsanne Turbo which is reviewed along with the history of the places he visits, the events, people and machines. This is far from a dry historical tale as he recounts the experiences of the air-crew, families and children involved.

It’s a pity is only some of the photos from the article, which featured both modern & historical photo’s and lovely watercolour illustrations, made it to the book. That aside it’s a must read in a book of great reads.

If anything the book format is the only weakness. It’s a pity this wasn’t a magazine format book reproducing the articles, with the photos and layout, as first published. Still, that doesn’t affect the quality of the writing and I highly recommend it.

Phil Llewellin: The Road to Muckle Flugga: Great Drives in Five Continents @ Amazon.com

Guardian Unlimited | Obituaries | Phil Llewellin
“Phil Llewellin, who has died of a heart attack, aged 64, was one of the best motoring writers, if not the best, of the past four decades…”

PS: If you are wondering, Muckle Flugga is a real place at the end of a real road!

Note: First posted on my TypePad blog in 2006 

The Road to Muckle Flugga is collection of articles about “Great drives on Five Continents” by the late Phil Llewellin. He was a wonderful writer, who happened to write about motoring, for CAR Magazine (U.K.) among others.

His articles were captivating as they conveyed his impressions of the country & characters he met as much as the vehicle he happened to be travelling in. This collection spans several decades so some of the, now irrelevant, technical/marketing detail has been removed. This lets the stories, people and places, which Phil conveys beautifully, shine even brighter.

I read it on the plane home from Orlando, back in  February , and it’s ideal travel companion. Each story is self contained, snack sized but very tasty, so you can dip in & out without the effort of remembering a plot. During a 30 hour flight/transit that’s a good thing!

Having just left there one article about his travels in Florida, collecting exotic cars with a truck driver who transports them across the United States, had me laughing;

 “...we cruised into Florida, a state with all the scenic grandeur of a snooker table. Either swamp, forest or holiday resort, it makes you think the flat earth society could be right.”

After serving him deep fried alligator and chips at Vero Beach the waitress, who’d never eaten it, asked what it was like;

“Very similar to crocodile,” I said keeping a perfectly straight face, “but with a faint hint of aardvark” 

Most are funny, some are sad, some just bizarre (high jinks in the Sahara & crossing war torn Afghanistan), but all are interesting. His travels include USA, Canada, Africa, British Isles, Middle East, Caribbean, South America, Asia and Europe but sadly not Australia or New Zealand (Did he ever get here?). In one chapter he travels to China with:

“…a convivial colleague, a young motoring reporter from Yorkshire who was looking forward to being screen-tested for a BBC TV’s Top Gear motoring show when he got home…”

Phil showed the young Jeremy Clarkson how to combine expert drinking and writing;

Quotes from the Foreword  –  by Jeremy Clarkson
“There is only one cure for a hangover, he [Phil] said. “We need to get drunk again”. This was Phil’s solution to pretty well everything.
The astonishing thing is though I came back from China not really knowing where I’d been or what had happened there, whereas he came back and wrote a piece that was crammed full of detail and fact. You see this in everything he does”

“I love his ability to find something interesting in almost everything and, when he can’t, to spice up the banal with his own take on things. I also love the fact that he’s a font of knowledge, especially on military history and the Welsh. Most of all though, I love the way he’s just so damn funny. As a result so is this book”

I think the finest piece is, the appropriately named, “Their Finest Hour”. I clipped this out of CAR when first published in 1990 as I loved it then.

To mark the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain Phil went on a personal pilgrimage to major landmarks connected with “The greatest aerial campaign in history”. He drove a Red Bentley Mulsanne Turbo which is reviewed along with the history of the places he visits, the events, people and machines. This is far from a dry historical tale as he recounts the experiences of the air-crew, families and children involved.

It’s a pity is only some of the photos from the article, which featured both modern & historical photo’s and lovely watercolour illustrations, made it to the book. That aside it’s a must read in a book of great reads.

If anything the book format is the only weakness. It’s a pity this wasn’t a magazine format book reproducing the articles, with the photos and layout, as first published. Still, that doesn’t affect the quality of the writing and I highly recommend it.

Phil Llewellin: The Road to Muckle Flugga: Great Drives in Five Continents @ Amazon.com

Guardian Unlimited | Obituaries | Phil Llewellin
“Phil Llewellin, who has died of a heart attack, aged 64, was one of the best motoring writers, if not the best, of the past four decades…”

PS: If you are wondering, Muckle Flugga is a real place at the end of a real road!

Andrew Simms European - Auckland's new home for Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Citroën (from TypePad)

Some good news arrived today in the form of a letter from Andrew Simms European. From April 1st, no fool, they are filling the void left by the withdrawal of CCS by adding Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Citroën to the brands represented at their Newmarket premises. The showroom, parts and service facility will be on the corner of Broadway & St. Marks Rd, Newmarket, along with another North Shore Service facility.

Andrew Simms operate six Mitsubishi dealerships around New Zealand. However in the letter Andrew shared his background, which included working for Fiat & Citroën agents before Mitsubishi, and revealed he owns an Alfa Spider and 147 GTA race car.

This is great news for these brands, which are niche rather than the major players they are in Europe, and I wish Simms every success. I'll grab some photos of the new set-up sometime after the opening.