Ferrari vs Dodge

[Andy Zarse]

As for Car magazine's "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", I remember it being amusingly written, but so biased (everything that came out of Modena  was praised, come what may) as to be a mere tongue-in-cheek postscript. I think their sum-up of the Aston Martin Vantage was, "as flash as a rat, with a gold tooth". Go figure....     

That's a quote from the mid-eighties mate, an absolute GBU classic quip. I've got some back issues of CAR in the loft so I could check, but my money says it belongs to either the Nissan/Datsun 300Z (a truly ghastly car compared to it's wonderful prediecessors) or more likely, and I'm guessing here, to an American car? I'm pretty certain it wasn't accredited to an Aston, even though they were quite cutting about the limitations of Newport Pagnall's finest.

GBU had some great comments over the years, they said of the MGBGT (circa 1979) - Oh death, where is thy sting? - and the Triumph Dolomite - The grave beckons.

CAR mag to my mind has the best considered opinions out there and a wonderful heritage to which the modern mag aspires. Writers of the calibre of George Bishop and Steve Cropley fired my latent enthusiasm for cars as a kid. The brain-on-legs LJK Setright taught me about clever engineering and lateral thinking in this context, which quite frankly is probably why I so dislike "brawn over brain" cars. I agree Matt, years ago I was always a bit baffled by their love of unreliable Modenese products, but have found that on most other cars I've ever driven, from Alfa thru Volvo, their reviews have usually been pretty much bang on the money regardless of where the vehicle is built. Their destruction of the Rover 800 at launch will linger a long time in the memory, as will calling the 92 Golf GTI a lemon. They're "off" Subarus Imprezas at the moment, considering them a bit stuck in the nineties (they've got a point!) So when they tell me the SRT10's a (very fast) load of old tat, I for one am inclined to believe them.

We'll never agree on this, so do you thinkwe should probably leave the matter here mate? Been fun though.

[Andy Zarse]

Anyone else think this thread could go to penalties?

OK Dave, screw this, I'm getting myself sent off.

Zinedine Zarsedan nuts Mattharperazzi

[Matt Harper]

I'd kind of run out of things to say on the subject too.
Car magazine was a little strong on the money, when I was younger, so I resorted to reading it in the dentists waiting room. I liked GBU section - they just didn't change it frequently enough. "Death, where is thy sting?" was a personal favorite of mine also. LJK Setright was a complete mystery to me - waffling on about Aeriel Square Fours and Desmodromic valve systems in a car mag, and what was it with that f*cking moustache? He seemed wedged quite far up his own expansion chamber for my liking.
I think Mark Hales wrote for Car for a while - he seemed to know what he was on about. His piece on the 959 changed my thinking entirely about what a true 'supercar' should be. 
Co-incidentally, a black SRT-10 just drove past my office window. The guy behind the wheel looked about a hundred years old and the tart next to him looked like a dead-heat in a Zeppelin race. Perhaps that sums things up nicely 

[Dave H]

Come on you two - don't wuss out on us all now.

Zarse - Matt said your mom's a terrorist - nutt  him!!!

[Matt Harper]

Erm, that makes your mom a terrorist too Dave - why don't you have a go, if you think yer 'ard enough.
Give Zarse a break - he clearly knows when he's been bested and I don't think it right to kick a man when he's down. I have to admit to being mildly surprised by his total and utter capitulation - but then again, he clearly had a tough weekend at the races and perhaps needs a little time to regroup, so to speak.
His revelation concerning his dotage to the pretentious pseudo-engineer LJK Setright does explain quite a lot of his nonsensical drivel, it must be said.

[Megabuck]

Erm, that makes your mom a terrorist too Dave - why don't you have a go, if you think yer 'ard enough.
Give Zarse a break - he clearly knows when he's been bested and I don't think it right to kick a man when he's down. I have to admit to being mildly surprised by his total and utter capitulation - but then again, he clearly had a tough weekend at the races and perhaps needs a little time to regroup, so to speak.
His revelation concerning his dotage to the pretentious pseudo-engineer LJK Setright does explain quite a lot of his nonsensical drivel, it must be said.

Matt,

Good to see you live by that adage about being 'Magnanimous in victory"...   

Regards,
 Martin

[Andy Zarse]

Declaration of Unilateral Surrender:

Dear Matt,

I hope you are well. I hereby officially concede that a TVR, being a badly-built, plastic panelled, over-priced, noisy, cramped, unreliable, brainless, front engined/RWD penis extension of a car with no ABS, no ride quality and having far more power than the chassis can adequately handle is in no way similar to a Dodge Viper, which by comparision is a paragon of all that is virtuous, modern, efficient and good value for money (apart from them white dials off that Chinese moped).

Naturally I grovel in humiliation.

Signed,

A Zarse

[Matt Harper]

Matt,

Good to see you live by that adage about being 'Magnanimous in victory"...   

Regards,
 Martin

Hello Martin, magnanimous? I try to be - I was goaded by my younger brother - and figured I might just score a knee-jerk rise out of Andrew and square things away - as per the beginning of this thread, when I took his bait without inspecting it first.
True to form, he clearly has more class - pax.

[Dave H]

And so, as this thread draws to a close, and our two exhausted warriors make the weary trudge back to their camps, I'd like to take a moment to thank the little people behind the scenes who, together, make such an event possible.

BobU: for his foresight and guidance in laying the groundwork
Steve Brown: for his early stirring of the pot
Ian: for his valiant attempt to change the subject after the first salvos
Jay: for his sensitivity when there seemed to be an underdog
H: well, for being H
Hgb: for sprinkling just the right amount of gasoline on the smoldering embers
Fax: for his unadulterated love of James Hunt
Chris: for sensing the general community turning on Zarse and jumping on that
Werner: for trying to be fair
Ricardo: for sensing the kill
Powermite for starting the hammering of the nails into the lid
Robspot: for giving those nails an extra thump
Rhino: for valiant efforts in technology support in an effort to prolong the agony
Megabuck: for observing one of the quaint characteristics of a Yorkshireman


RIP Thread

[Steve Pyro]

.... and Harper Junior, for stirring the pot big time 

[ricardo-T]

There has to be a few glowing embers left of this thread that can be wafted back to life. Matt - put another log on and get those bellows pumping!

[Matt Harper]

Hi Rich - no, I think we've hammered it about flat. Anyway, Andy has more serious matters to attend to right now. I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of opportunities for more vigorous debate between Old Baldy and me in the fullness of time.

[Matt Harper]

And so, as this thread draws to a close, and our two exhausted warriors make the weary trudge back to their camps, I'd like to take a moment to thank the little people behind the scenes who, together, make such an event possible.

BobU: for his foresight and guidance in laying the groundwork
Steve Brown: for his early stirring of the pot
Ian: for his valiant attempt to change the subject after the first salvos
Jay: for his sensitivity when there seemed to be an underdog
H: well, for being H
Hgb: for sprinkling just the right amount of gasoline on the smoldering embers
Fax: for his unadulterated love of James Hunt
Chris: for sensing the general community turning on Zarse and jumping on that
Werner: for trying to be fair
Ricardo: for sensing the kill
Powermite for starting the hammering of the nails into the lid
Robspot: for giving those nails an extra thump
Rhino: for valiant efforts in technology support in an effort to prolong the agony
Megabuck: for observing one of the quaint characteristics of a Yorkshireman


RIP Thread

Funny f*cker

[hgb]

Agreed, this thread is out of air, as we say in Germany (this means it's done for good). It was great fun to read. Great performance by all involved, especially the two protagonists. I salute you.