Have Car, Will Drive

It has been quite a while since I last posted anything here. To be precise (I do like to be), it has been exactly 284 days since my last post.  Since then many things have kept me from posting, and with every week that passes it has only become harder to give any attention to HaveCar WillDrive. But this week I have come down with such a terrible bout of car lust that I couldn't help but share it here. Yes, I am lusting badly for an Audi A1 Sportback. You may be asking yourself "what could be so exciting about a tarted-up overpriced Volkswagen Polo?" At first glance you may have a point, but let me explain.

I've long had a soft spot for the Jaguar XJ. In particular, I'm quite drawn to the elegance of the X300/X308 models, sold here from the mid 1990s through to the early 2000s. In fact, not long before I purchased my Focus I was seriously tempted by a 1997 XJ6 that was for sale by a local Jaguar specialist for a shade under $16,000. At the time however, a fear of ongoing maintenance costs and a reluctant preferance for optimum practicality won out over my desire for a piece of not-so-distant British luxury automotive history.

As it happens, I have quite a soft spot for hot hatches. This might suprise you, as my usual purist aproach to performance would require the engine's power to be driven through the rear wheels, and this is a class of vehicles dominated by front-drivers (as well as some all-wheel-drive cars too). However, having spent a considerable amount of time enjoying driving front-wheel-drive cars, including on some quite challenging roads, the idea of simply focussing such a vehicle for better performance is quite appealing. Of the front-drive hot hatches available in Australia today the RenaultSport Magane was aleady a top pick, so this week's announcement that we will soon receive 50 examples of the Renault Megane R.S. 250 Monaco Grand Prix Limited Edition was more than welcome.

Exam study can at times cause bursts of insanity. In my case, this seems to be manifesting itself as a strange compulsive desire to acquire a Volvo. And not just any Volvo, and not even the sporty, driver-focussed kind of Volvo that you might almost expect me to lust after. No, instead I am pining for a V70 wagon, preferably built early in the new millenium.

I'm not usually a fan of convertibles. Beyond their good looks they are the epitome of style over function. However, I think in the case of the Audi R8 GT Spyder I may have to make an exception. I have always admired the R8 coupe's styling, and I was recently reminded of its beauty when I saw one in the flesh driving in the Melbourne CBD a couple of weeks ago, and then re-reminded when a silver R8 made a brief appearance on a movie I was watching on TV last night (which shall remain nameless on the grounds that it may incriminate, or worse, embarrass me).

I have previously mentioned my affection for both BMW's 1-Series, and Porsche's Cayman. The 1-Series M and Cayman R are the most focused examples of each respective vehicle, and the UK's Autocar has just posted a brief video comparison of the two machines. Given that my hypothetical ideal garage contains both a 1-Series coupe (admittedly a 135i) and a Cayman (S or R would do just fine), I couldn't resist re-posting this video here. I won't give too much away, but it comes as no surprise that as these cars are far from identical, each has its certain strengths and weaknesses. Click through the jump to watch the 4-minute video.

In my ideal garage, sitting alongside my daily-driven BMW 135i would be a Porsche Cayman S. Offering the purity of a mid-engined rear drive two seater sports car, the Cayman S has an appeal that to me that its front-enginged competitors simply cannot offer. Although to me part of attraction of the Cayman S is a degree of less-is-more philosophy, the recent announcement of the release of the Cayman S Black Edition sporting more power and more features than the standard S still caught my attention.