Credit to Stuart for this category in the PH Awards, the one that covers those moments where you read a story, saw a Tweet or heard a rumour and thought, well, ‘really?’ Or, to put it another way, the WTF award. This could be for positive reasons. There’s at least one to celebrate among our shortlist. More often though it’s for shock, horror or a mixture of both. Here’s the shortlist, vote at the link below…
Volvo Polestar S60
Dusting off those lazy stereotypes we know Volvos are all slow, boring and about as exciting as a Bank Holiday in Ikea. Only they’re not really, occasional moments of turbocharged madness livening things up on occasion over the years. No more so than 2012 and the jaw-dropping arrival of a bright blue, 500hp-plus S60 with a bespoke manual gearbox conversion from disarmingly calm and polite tuners Polestar. OK, half a million is a lot for a Volvo, even with over 500hp. But they’ll sell you one with 330hp and the same blue paint. Which is almost as bonkers a way to spend money. (Dan)
Aston Martin
Not its finest year, truth be told. Yes, it manages amazing things with a budget that wouldn’t pay for a Boxster’s centre console, but sympathy isn’t listed as a strong reason for people to write a near £200K cheque. And that’s what the new Vanquish costs. Aston has all manner of micro-stats that will tell you how most of it is new, but the VH platform remains, the siamesed-Duratecs are there too and you only get the old six-speed ZF auto. And then there’s the styling, a look that hasn’t really changed for 10 years. Aston needs new ideas and a reinvigorated look (remember what happened to Porsche in the early 90s?) and the latest round of 'investment’ probably won’t cover it. Me? I’d take an original Vanquish S – still the most beautiful modern Aston. Or maybe just a V12 Vantage – a stunning car that offers 99 per cent of a new Vanquish’s performance. (Chris Harris)
M135i Pricing
I think it was a press release, or maybe I read it on PH, but I assumed this new 1 Series BMW spoke of was a 125i – it had to be at that money, surely? New car prices are so baffling now – the new Golf Mk7 2.0 TDi will cost £21,305 – that any hope of a German performance bargain disappeared around the time investing in Spanish property ceased being a good idea. Honestly, I just didn’t expect this from BMW – partly because I can remember in 1981 watching my father engage a BMW salesman about the lack of radio in his new car, and partly because the company seems to have singularly failed to understand the needs of the enthusiast for several years now. And then suddenly it gives us a car that will cruise at 40mpg, hit 100mph in under 11 seconds and costs £10K less than expected. Trebles all-round people, enjoy it while it lasts. (Chris Harris)
Cars as eco warriors
Given the way some corners of the car industry carry on you’d have thought slinging an electric motor in place of the old infernal combustion engine is enough to grant you a sainthood, never mind where it actually gets its power from. We’ve long been cynical about such piety of course but it’s become insidious enough that even out and out performance cars are claiming to save the planet. No, AMG, cylinder cut-off does not make a 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 into a tree-hugger. Just as driving a £1m hybrid supercar isn’t the same as leaving the car at home and jumping on your bike. So let’s be realistic, eh? Cars aren’t eco friendly. And let’s stop pretending they are. (Dan)
Jaguar XFR-S rear wing
Part of the appeal of a Jaguar performance saloon has, historically, been its reserved appearance. Big, supercharged Jags have always had something of Q-car about them; refined, rakish looks, but never too overtly sporting. Which was why the initial press images of the Jaguar XFR-S, complete with a rear wing that appeared to have been half-inched from a mid-90s Subaru, took us all by surprise. Thankfully, Jaguar made clear that the R-S will also be made available with a smaller alternative, and a collective sigh of relief was breathed. Nevertheless, this was one of the biggest ‘what the jolly flip’ moments of the year. (Alex)
PH awards 2012 categories: