We like to try and keep a sunny outlook here on PH - after all, we'd hope you're coming here for a little light relief and escapism. But there's always something cathartic about having a bit of a rant too and here we share the things that, quite frankly, have really wound us up over the last 12 months. It's an eclectic mix too. Need to get something off your chest before the year is out? The floor is yours in the comments thread to follow...
Though I have a significant birthday looming I wasn't one of those with a burning 'buy a 911 before I turn 40' life goal. I'd happily have one at any time, frankly. But with a relocation that could, in more pretentious terms, be described as a 'property deal' I thought I might actually have scored myself enough collateral to buy into the dream. I wasn't being greedy either - my sights were set on a basic, manual, orange indicator 3.4-litre 996 Carrera on the basis history is beginning to look more kindly on the shape, it'd just about work for a chap with a young family and when again will there be a ready supply of coupe,
manual transmission 911 coupes
for 10 grand or less? I'd done my research, looked at a few cars and it seemed within reach. Unfortunately it turns out I'm a bit rubbish at maths. So I don't own a Porsche. Yet. It hasn't turned out all bad though and one of my dream cars is now in my possession and parked outside the new pad. More on this in due course. (
This is all getting rather silly now, to the point where a pursuit of 'ring superiority is tarnishing the reputation of good cars and manufacturers. Honda still hasn't put a
Civic Type R
round that track
and, after all this time waiting for it,
SEAT's Ultimate Leon
feels a bit half-hearted as a track renegade. But the standard car is a very good hot hatch, now apparently known just as the third fastest FWD car around the Nordschleife. Yes, the
Megane Trophy-R
is great, but I think the whole notion of selling cars off the back off arbitrary lap times is daft. Does anybody care? Hopefully the proposed changes to the
Nurburgring
will put a stop to this. (
I never had a problem with the idea of an electric race series; indeed I was quite looking forward to seeing how it could be made exciting. The woeful London ePrix suggested it couldn't be. When the organisers first talked about holding a round in
London
I had visions of electron-fuelled racing on the sort of street circuit Gran Turismo features around West End landmarks. The reality was more like a sprint in a maximum security prison, with a narrow, bumpy track in Battersea Park surrounded by towering concrete walls that left fans struggling to see more than fleeting glimpses. The car's whiny soundtrack also lost its novelty value in well under five minutes and a noticeable number of spectators left before the race ended. At least the drivers look like they're having fun, but Formula E is desperately short of the sort of spectacle and excitement that motorsport is meant to be about. Will
Jaguar's arrival
inspire bigger and better things? We'll have to hope so. (
My biggest disappointment of 2015 in a word? Honda. On the road bike front its range is lacklustre and lacking any kind of inspiration, aside from an
insanely priced MotoGP
rep that few can afford. What's new for 2016? Little aside from the Africa Twin, which it has been bleating on about for over a year and is too off-road focused for many. On the world scene their 'competitive' over the counter MotoGP bike is a slug, their non-factory riders woefully unsupported (check out PH2's
interview with Scott Redding
) and their leading factory racer questionable in his riding ethics. Any shining lights for 2016? The long-awaited new Fireblade has been promised for 2017, but I'm not holding my breath...(
The Mk1 Audi TT is quite a divisive topic in our office. Many hate on it while some swoon over the very mention of it. Unfortunately, I must admit that I am one of the latter. Not being the largest of teams, our Community Manager Ollie has a black on black Mk1 TT Quattro Sport and more recently Ben, our Loyalty Manager, has also purchased one. That leaves me in quite a quandry. Do I go down the TT route and cause a greater rift in the office or go completely off the beaten track with a Wankel? (
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