References to the god-awful ballad of the same name by Vanessa Williams extend only to a reluctant tip of the hat for what is, without doubt, the worst rhyming couplet ever deployed in popular music. Snow in June/sun round the moon? Get out of my head!
Moving swiftly on ... we'll take this over a power ballad
Let's move swiftly on and instead look at a phenomenon that's fostered some column inches on PH in recent months; that of the press fleet retirement special. And how these cars have got under the skins of us here at PistonHeads and their custodians on the corresponding press fleets. We love these cars too. As everyone else in the hack community squabbles over getting the first go in the newest latest we've profited from taking a more retrospective and sentimental stance. Nearly as sentimental as that ruddy song.
First there was 911 GB, the Riviera Blue second-gen 997 GT3 that was on Porsche's press fleet through from 2009 until just earlier this year. We made sure we had the last go with it, sending it out in hopefully fitting style before it migrated into the dealer network and ended up as the PH classifieds over Christmas. Given recent events with its successor the lucky purchaser has even more reason to feel pleased with themselves, likewise anyone else with a 997 GT3 in the garage.
End of an M era; PH and BMW in mourning
Ask any hack in the UK motoring media of the last few years and it's likely the same Riviera Blue 911 will appear on an iPhone in seconds flat. That car won a lot of hearts. It was the first 911 young Matt ever drove FFS! Doesn't know he was born sometimes that lad...
Likewise the E92 M3 we had from BMW recently for similar farewell. Our man at BMW sounded wistful when he made the booking for us, though thankfully (and unlike his colleagues at Porsche) he seemed confident he'd be able to keep hold of it for posterity. YE13 JXY - we'll be back. Once someone's put some fresh tyres on.
Then there's 'my' C63 Edition 507 long-termer. I. Love. This. Car. And it seems the PR team at Mercedes shares my affection, making it even more incredible they've let me have it for an extended loan. Not that I'm complaining. They were visiting PH towers the other day and a good few minutes of the chat over coffees was spent wistfully sharing anecdotes about KY63 ZRK. Comms boss Rob has even switched back from a bells and whistles SL63 for a final blast with a C63 company car before its turbocharged replacement arrives and is loving every minute. Anyone wanting an in-person eulogy to the car need only catch my arm at this weekend's Sunday Service, where the car will be on display in Mercedes-Benz World's AMG lounge before I (in all likelihood) make a total prat of myself on the skid circle out front. Feel free to point and laugh.
We're getting a proper farewell tour with this one
Anyway. The last Mezger engined GT3. The final normally aspirated M-car. And the swansong for the properly mental over-engined AMG C-Class. Sure, their successors will all be quantifiably 'better' (once propensity to catch fire is sorted in one case) and we're hugely excited about them. But these are three cars we are going to sorely miss and it seems the chaps that hold the keys to them agree.
More on this theme next week too as I travel to Affalterbach to drive the Final Edition SLS. Well, someone had to.
Oh, and I'm no Patrick Moore but Vanessa had it wrong about the sun going round the moon too.