The Sunday Drive #2 – Sandstorm
The Sunday Drive #2 – Sandstorm
Biweekly subjective automotive check-up.
It's Blue Monday tomorrow
— the most depressing day of the year. I have been wondering for a long time why the blue colour symbolizes a sad and melancholic mood. A quick internet investigation led me, among others, to “Blue Devil” and the “Blue Laws” derived from it (alcohol thread – to explore on your own). Another path leads through the seas and oceans of the Middle Ages. A blue flag on a ship's flagpole said that it was sad because an officer on the crew died. The British Navy in 1748 chose navy blue as the colour of its uniforms as a symbol of the stability and depth of the ocean waters. Navy Blue became a permanent part of culture and also found its way into the automotive culture that emerged in the 20th century. The palette of every modern manufacturer includes navy blue, ocean and night colours. There is an interesting story behind the national racing colours.
Around 1900, the Gordon Bennett Cup was initiated in France and participating national teams were awarded colours to paint their bodies. This is where, after a few changes and refinements, British Racing Green, Rosso Corsa and French Racing Blue come from. Today, two French sports car icons proudly wear blue: Bugatti (French Racing Blue) and Alpine (Bleu de France).
Manufacturers in other countries also created iconic shades of blue. In 1993, Audi presented the RS2 model in RS Blue, which returned many years later as Nogaro Blue in the RS6 (edition limited to 150 pieces). Another intriguing incident transpired in the showroom of the Bristol brand, which is widely recognized for its relaxed approach towards selecting the colour of the purchased automobile. Their policy encouraged the customer to choose any colour and promised perfect reproduction on the car's body. One day, someone, who in this story is referred to as a drifter, walked into the showroom and insisted on matching the car colour to his favourite saucepan hidden in a plastic bag. Despite the specific aura, the tramp was listened to and assured that the colour of the gravy saucer could be reproduced. The elusive customer told them as he was leaving that someone would reach out to the salon later to complete the purchase. That's what happened, and after some time, an employee of an eccentric Australian millionaire appeared with a suitcase of money. The colour covered the car body and was included in the manufacturer's palette under the Saucepan Blue name. So much for the gloomiest day of the year…
Under the blue Saudi sky
Monday will be very Blue for some Polish drivers taking part in the Dakar Rally. The news about the disqualification of two Energyland Rally Team cars has just been published. Eryk Goczal and Oriol Mena as well as Michał Gowała and Szymon Gospodarczyk were disqualified for using clutches made of illegal materials. The conclusion drawn from the statement released by the team is that one of their rivals may have notified judges to eliminate them. The team did not point to Judas, but if this was really the case, it is nothing new in the history of motorsport. Those in second place often ran crying to the organizers, complaining about numerous irregularities in the leader's car. Look no further, just remind Yourself the WRT team words after the finish of the LeMans 24h race won by Inter Europol Competition.
The rally itself is still ongoing, and we're rooting for our fellow drivers, co-drivers, and one mechanic. We had the greatest hopes for Krzysztof Hołowczyc's start, but after a collision with car number 314 (Kris Meeke/Wouter Rosegaar), they fell to a far-off position. The latest news is that he is in 146th place in the general classification. The second Polish female driver in Dakar's history – Magdalena Zając, is placed in the 137th position (car number 274). This is her second start, and she has well-experienced Jacek Czachor as a pilot. We keep our fingers crossed for them and the other Polish participants to complete the rally!
Dakar wannabe…
Desert rallies, Dakar in particular, are some of the most challenging races you can take part in on a two-wheeled vehicle. Physical fatigue, mental exhaustion, and day-to-day equipment repairing effort. Sport for real hard-bitten guys (and gals). Car manufacturers are eager to take advantage of the aura evaporating over Dakar by rolling out, let's be honest, more lifestyle than rally-style versions of their vehicles. It is usually a commemoration of a triumph in a race, and these are usually off-road, baja-like cars – SUVs (Mitsubishi Pajero) or pick-ups (Toyota Hilux). In the fall of 2022, a less obvious reinterpretation of the rally car was shown, this time based on a sports model – the 911 Dakar.
That off-roader is based on the 911 Carrera 4 GTS and is said to be a very competent desert car. However, it is doubtful that we will ever get to see it at the start of the legendary rally, because this toy, limited to 2,500 copies, will be a decoration of private collections. It is even less likely that we will see the car presented on January 3: Audi Q8 e-tron edition Dakar. These desert four rings are based on the Q8 advanced 55 e-tron quattro, but with a 31 mm raised chassis and General Grabber AT3 tires. And the plug.
Speaking of the off-road sports cars, it's difficult to omit probably the most irrational premiere that took place last year: the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato. The manufacturer assures that despite the off-radical additives, the car also handles great on tarmac. A contender for the award for the craziest idea of 2023.
Ford had a bit of a different approach with his Bronco DR. Sorry, we can't talk about “style” in this scenario because the DR (Desert Racer) is a real deal built by Ford in partnership with the Multimatic (in the past helped build the last generation of Ford GT). The design is so advanced (according to the manufacturer) that straight out of the box it might go to the starting grid of the Baja 1000 race and fly through the wilderness of the United States and Mexico. It is worth watching the Jethro Bovington's review, where he gets acquainted with a car, and under the supervision of an instructor, learns how to drive a Baja-driving style.
Press
The January issue of British EVO Magazine (number 317) is dedicated to the eCOTY award. Nine sports cars entered the contest, including the mentioned Huracán Sterrato. James Taylor was responsible for the narration of the text, the summary was written by the magazine's editor-in-chief, Stuart Gallager, and Aston Parrott along with Andy Morgan were responsible for the photographs. Eighty pages of a superbly illustrated, in-depth and very interesting test.
A similar idea to eCOTY is Top Gear's Speed Week – an annual contest for the best performance car held on a racetrack and surrounding roads selected by the editors. The 2023 edition has been published in the issue number 377. 16 cars took part in the scrap, the chosen arena was the zero-emission Gotlandring track. The texts of the tests were divided between the editors of the magazine (unlike eCOTY), and the photos were taken by two photographers: John Wycherley and Olgun Kordal. That second lad is, in my humble opinion, one of the best automotive photographers on the market. Kordal performs great outdoors and even better in the studio, with arranged light.
In the January edition of Top Gear magazine (issue 379), Kordal took great photos of the Hyundai Ionic 5 N. The shoot of the car, in the Performance Blue colour (of course), took place in Seoul – under the thousands of neon lights. The photos and text are a part of the plebiscite summarizing 2023. The awards were handed out in the automotive industry Oscars convention. There are different categories, including the best sports car, the best design and personality (a bit like an Oscar for lifetime achievement). Just like at the Academy Awards, you may be surprised to hear very exotic categories, such as “the only car you will ever need.” If there is such a category, what are the others for?
Podcast melodrama
In The Sunday Drive #1 I wrote about the Tesla Cybertruck premiere. I also showed three videos shot by the journalists who had early access to the car. One of them was a chap called Jason Camisa. And the video was shot for the Hagerty YouTube channel. In my opinion, the materials produced for Hagerty, both in the US and UK, are exceptionally well delivered. However, not everyone may like Camisa's personality. I have to dose the materials he presents because I'm not a fan of such foolishness. And these are not actions Clarckson, Hammond and May style. These are simply arranged falls, stumbles and stupid jokes. Putting that aside, I like the content, and even more the visual aspect. Matt Farrah, a Road & Track magazine journalist and The Smoking Tire founder, had a different opinion about the Cybertruck film. He pointed out several inaccuracies in his podcast. I didn't hear any personal insults in this criticism, but Camisa apparently did, and a great drama broke out between the two blokes, who claim to adore each other. In TST podcast no. 885, the gentlemen try to explain what automotive journalism is and what creating opinions on the industry is. Apart from Matt's remorse towards Jason, it is worth listening to what both of them have to say.
Event
Automotive Icons is an exhibition whose is willing to present one hundred vehicles (cars, motorcycles, and tractors) worth one hundred million zlotys (approx 250000€). I didn't count the exhibits, but 1/5 of the budget was completed by two cars (Ferrari F40 and Hennesy Venom F5). A very interesting exhibition, with numerous legends on four wheels, but the rented space at the National Stadium is too small and there is no possibility to address every vehicle in person. Lancia Stratos, Aston Martin Lagonda, Honda NSX, De Tomasto Panthera - my picks among many great designs. The brightest star of them all and the central spot of the motorsport room is the Oreca car of the Inter Europol Competition team, locked in a “golden cage” with all the racing toil and French mosquitoes crushed on the bodywork. There's a lot to cover!
BMW M2 review
I would like to remind new readers about last week's test of the BMW M2 Competition. You can read the text HERE
Retro
The January issue of Classic Auto also writes about the Dakar Rally. There is an article about Polish starts with Jelcz, there is also the Dakar history of Porsche. And therefore, I am posting a nostalgic photo of one of those cars:
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Have a good one!