Ford Mustang GTD and Capri, Gerry McGovern
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Car
Ford Capri
The Ford Capri is a sporty car that was made by Ford. It was popular in Europe and is known for its stylish design and fun driving experience.
Car
Ford Capri Evs
The Ford Capri EV is a new electric car that looks like the old Ford Capri. It combines the classic style with modern electric technology, making it a cool option for eco-friendly drivers.
Term
MOT
MOT is a yearly check in the UK to make sure cars are safe to drive and not polluting too much. If a car fails this test, it can't be driven legally until it's fixed.
Car
Fiat Multipla
The Fiat Multipla is a small family car that has a unique look and can fit a lot of people and their stuff. It was made by Fiat and is recognized for its unusual shape.
Term
airbag
An airbag is a safety feature in cars that pops out quickly if there's an accident, helping to protect people inside from getting hurt. They are usually found in the front and sides of the car.
Term
sensor
A sensor in a car is a little device that helps the car understand what's going on, like if something is too hot or if a door is open. It sends this information to the car's computer to help it work properly.
Company
Recaro
Recaro makes special car seats that are more comfortable and supportive than regular seats. They're often used in sports cars and racing cars.
Car
Peugeot 405
The Peugeot 405 GLX TD is a type of car that was made by Peugeot. It was known for being comfortable and was often used as a family car or taxi.
Car
Ford Mondeo
The Ford Mondeo TDCI is a type of car made by Ford that runs on diesel fuel. It's known for being roomy and good on gas.
Term
ECU
The ECU is like the brain of the car, controlling important functions and making sure everything works properly, including safety features like airbags.
Car
BMW 330 CI
The BMW 330 CI is a car model from BMW that was made between 2003 and 2006. It's known for being sporty and fun to drive, which is why many people like it.
Car
BMW 330
The BMW 3 Series is a small luxury car that is fun to drive and has a lot of nice features. It comes in different styles, like a sedan, and is known for being high-quality.
Car
Ford Mustang GTD
The Ford Mustang GTD is a special version of the Mustang that focuses on performance. It has upgrades that make it faster and more fun to drive compared to regular Mustangs.
Car
Ford GT
The Ford GT is a super-fast sports car that looks amazing and is built for racing. It has a powerful engine and special features that help it go really fast and handle well on the track.
Concept
Le Mans
Le Mans is a famous car race that lasts for 24 hours. It's known for being very tough on cars and drivers, and many car manufacturers compete to show how fast and reliable their cars are.
Car
Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 is a famous race car that won a big race called Le Mans several times in the 1960s. It was built to be really fast and is known for its cool design and powerful engine.
Car
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a popular sports car that has been around for a long time. It's known for being fast and stylish, and many people love it for its performance.
Term
horsepower
Horsepower is a way to measure how powerful an engine is. The higher the horsepower, the faster and more powerful the car can be.
Concept
GTD (GT Daytona)
GTD stands for GT Daytona, which is a type of race category where cars that are based on regular street cars can compete in races.
Term
supercharged
Supercharging makes an engine more powerful by pushing extra air into it, allowing it to burn more fuel and create more power.
Term
transaxle
A transaxle is a part of a car that combines the transmission and the differential, usually found at the back. It helps balance the car's weight better.
Part
multi-matic DSSV spool dampers
Multi-matic DSSV spool dampers are special parts of a car's suspension that help control how the car rides and handles, making it feel smoother and more stable.
Term
body in white
'Body in white' is a term used when a car's body is put together but hasn't been painted or had parts like the engine added yet. It's an important step in making sure the car is strong and ready for the next stages.
Part
spring and damper unit
The spring and damper unit helps keep the car smooth over bumps and turns. It works like a shock absorber to make sure the tires stay on the ground and the ride feels comfortable.
Part
multi-matic dampers
Multi-matic dampers are special parts in a car's suspension that help make the ride smoother and more stable. They can change how stiff or soft the ride feels depending on the road conditions.
Term
weight distribution
Weight distribution is how the weight of a car is balanced between the front and back. A 50/50 balance is ideal for better control while driving.
Term
F1
F1 stands for Formula 1, which is a top-level racing series where specially designed cars compete in races around the world.
Term
torque
Torque is a measure of how much twisting force an engine can produce. More torque helps a car accelerate quickly and pull heavier loads.
Car
Ford Raptors
Car
BMW F22
The BMW 2 Series is a small luxury car that looks great and drives really well. It comes in two-door and convertible options, making it a fun choice for people who want a stylish car.
Car
Ford Ranger Raptor
The Ford Raptor Ranger is a tough pickup truck made for driving off-road. It has a powerful engine and special features that help it handle rough trails and tough conditions.
Car
Ford Ranger
Term
track mode
Track mode is a special setting in some cars that makes them louder and more responsive, which is great for driving on a racetrack.
Term
quiet mode
Quiet mode is a setting in some cars that makes them quieter, so they don't make as much noise while driving, which is nice for regular use.
Car
Cadillac At Cadillac
The Cadillac ATS Coupe is a stylish two-door luxury car that is fun to drive. It has powerful engines and modern features, making it a great choice for people who want a fancy sports car.
Company
Lotus
Lotus is a car company from the UK that makes sports cars. They are famous for their lightweight designs and have a history in racing, especially in Formula One.
Car
Ford Escort
The Ford Escort is a small car that Ford made for many years. It's known for being affordable and was used for different purposes, including racing.
Car
Ford Ka
The Ford Ka is a tiny car that is great for driving around the city. It’s easy to park and saves money on gas, making it a smart choice for city dwellers.
Car
Toyota Hilux
Car
Ferrari Mondial
The Ferrari Mondial 3.2 Cabriolet is a fancy convertible sports car that can fit four people. It’s known for its stylish looks and powerful engine, making it a special car from Ferrari.
Car
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta ST is a sporty version of a small car called the Fiesta. It has a powerful engine and is designed to be fun to drive, making it popular with people who love cars.
Car
Bristol 400S
The Bristol 400 is an old British sports car that was made a long time ago. It’s known for its beautiful design and was built with great care, making it a rare and special car.
Car
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a famous sports car that has been around for a long time. It's known for its unique shape and fast performance, making it a favorite among car enthusiasts.
Car
Hyundai Santa
The Hyundai Santa Fe is a family-friendly SUV that has lots of space for people and their stuff. It’s comfortable to drive and comes with many helpful features.
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Hello, welcome to the AutoCard podcast, my weekend cars with Pry here, Steve Cropley
over there.
Morning, Stephen.
Morning to you, mate.
You've arrived in a Ford Capri.
I have.
I'm a German.
Blue in colour, thank God.
I was a bit worried about the yellow because everybody that I've spoken to about its arrival
says, is it yellow?
And that seems to be the launch colour.
And I was keen to avoid the launch colour.
Well, yeah, blue is a bit more subtle, isn't it?
Well, it's what sort of blue is it?
Is it a light?
Is it that sort of lightish metallic or is it a darker racing?
It's pretty similar to the Ford racing blue, I think.
So a Ford colour.
But it's not attracted the attention that I thought it might because, you know, every
time the Ford Capri's name, the Ford Capri EV's name is mentioned, everybody goes up
on the air and starts bleeding about the fact that it's a misuse of the name and blah,
blah.
Yeah.
Well, more on that in a moment.
You have presumably already charged it on your Anderson charger at home, have you
seen it?
I will.
It's come over here.
I think it's one of those.
It's one of those cars that seems to be growing in mileage.
So it offered me 280 when I left home.
I've come, whatever it is, 48 miles or something to your place.
Yeah.
And it's still showing something like 265.
So good.
So if you I got caught in a few roadworks and that slow stuff means you get good.
Yeah, it's pretty good for an EV, isn't it?
Yeah.
This podcast is brought to you in association with Anderson EV.
Yeah.
Suppliers of a charger to Steve Cropley's house, but also to you as well, if you
like, if you visit Anderson dash EV.com, you can find their range of designer
chargers, very well made, very beautiful to look at.
And they have a full concierge service.
They'll do everything for you.
Go to Anderson dash EV.com.
Yeah.
Good bunch of people.
Good bunch of people, very nice bunch of people.
This week, Steve and I are going to be talking, well, there's no magazine
published today.
That's the weird thing.
We are in the middle of two Christmas double issues, the first of which is
on sale now and remains on sale for another week after the publication
of this podcast remains on sale to the 17th.
It's rather good piece of work, isn't it?
Because it's great piece of work, because we it's it's so big that
that some of the contents are surprised to me.
So yeah.
So I've been turning the pages and thinking, oh, that's good.
Yeah, I didn't know I didn't know somebody done that.
No, I thought that too.
Yeah, I thought that as well that yes, or stuff that I'd just forgotten
that we will talk about later in this podcast.
So we're going to be talking.
A bit of race retro, some festival of the unexceptional stuff.
There's a thing called the road test as Christmas lunch.
That's what we call it in the office.
I don't know what we actually call it in the mag.
But we just know it as the road test as Christmas lunch, where we all
nominate one of our favorite cars of the year, take them along,
have an argument about who was right and usually decide it wasn't me.
And with Clarkson, some highlights of the year and a bit more besides
including your correspondence, you can write to us auto car at
haymarket.com or if you buy the magazine, you can find Steve's
email address and mine at the end of our columns.
Kirk Lancaster writes from the Isle of Man.
Hello, to say after listening to this week's
modern hearing of Mr. Kenny's woes of having to scrap a 25 year old
Fiat multiplayer because of an airbag issue causing it first MOT,
I might have a solution for other users of older airbag equipped cars.
I assume the problem is a failed obsolete sensor under the driver's
seat, which was causing a warning light to be illuminated permanently,
therefore causing the MOT inspection failure as a time served taxi driver
and sometimes enthusiastic helmsman I have in the past
been disappointed with the support comfort or positioning of driver's
seats in cars that I've purchased for users' taxis.
This led me 27 years ago to buy a couple of aftermarket
Recaro designer touring sport recliners.
They sound good, don't they?
For fitment into my then Peugeot 405 GLX TD, a fine car,
and laterally several Ford Mondeo TDCI STDCI,
which are also excellent cars, I think.
They really are. Yeah.
No man fondly.
All of which I've admired for their engaging drive and handling.
However, the Peugeot had standard seats, which my skinny frame
were unsupportive long periods and the Mondeo seats were too high.
The Recaros were much more supportive, came with a vehicle
specific subframe and also a small resistor plug,
which was inserted into the wiring under the seat to bypass the airbag.
This was either because the seats were designed to be fitted
lower than was deemed safe or because the standard seat had its own airbags.
My reason for detailing this is I assume such a kit could be purchased
and inserted into the wiring under any driver's seat or failing that
any decent auto electrician should be able to cut and splice
an appropriately rated resistor into the wiring under the seat,
thereby fooling the ECU into thinking that the airbags are installed
as normal, thus extinguishing any warning light.
That is a smart idea.
That is a very smart idea.
I'm not quite clear, though.
So you're then functioning without the airbag.
I think so. Well, yeah.
Kirk says this may be considered dubious and a warranty infringement
on a new car, but on something much older,
I would think it's less of a concern and less of a safety issue
when one wears a seat belt.
Also, some manufacturers years ago said that airbag systems
were not guaranteed to be effective beyond the body warranty period of the vehicle.
Anyway, yeah. So I mean,
I've got a BMW 330 CI outside at the moment
that went in for an airbag recall, even though it's 20 years old.
Oh, really? God.
You had to go in for a recall to that.
Is that your car?
No, that is effectively my new long term.
Oh, right. But I haven't started writing about it yet.
So it's owned by eBay Motors
and they bought it and they paid for some mods to bring it up to like
modern spec in terms of Apple CarPlay and stuff like that.
And then we're going to run it.
I'm going to run it for a bit,
but it's just got a sticking break at the moment.
So I need to sort that before I can do anything else.
A really promising motor to me.
Nice car. Nice car.
I bet you you'll get to the end of the period and think, oh, God.
This could this day.
Well, I don't know.
I'm still driving the A2 all the time and loving it.
Yeah, true. Yeah.
Got back in it again, drove it to the airport last week,
spent five days away, got back in it and thought, God, this is so nice.
Fix the windscreen wiper over the weekend, too.
Oh, did you? Yeah.
Because it's.
Is this boring?
It's got it's got a single wiper.
Yeah. Big, big wiper with two,
two struts to wave it across the windscreen to keep you for them.
But then it's and then it's got a little
a bracket at the end of those two struts so that as the as the arms change
direction, obviously everything swivels so that the wiper scribes the correct arc.
But as some bushes in that bracket wear out,
the bracket then starts to rest on the windscreen
while the wind's sitting proud of the windscreen.
So it's slides.
Groanches the windscreen, which is not breaking news.
So anyway, there are various fixes.
You can buy it a reconditioned one or you can kind of fix one yourself.
Or as I have done this weekend, I have basically.
Zip tied to rubber bushes into the bracket just to make it temporarily fine.
Yes, I just don't want it scribing across the windscreen.
And I'll see how long that lasts while I work out the permanent fix.
And if it turns out that lasts a long time, that will be my permanent fix.
Well done. Yeah.
Thank you, Kirk, for your note.
That's a handy piece of info, I reckon.
It's a, yeah, I think so, too.
Yeah, I think so, too.
Steve, do you mind if I turn this heater off?
I'm just getting slightly.
Do you want me to?
Yeah, it's the left hand one there.
So that's all right.
Cheers, mate. Sorry.
Rita, we're in a room at my house with a little hot heater on.
And it's quite it's quite toasty.
Yeah, nice to shut some doors because there's some
shenanigans going on outside with some building work, not mine,
building work, but some building work going on.
So anyway, what should we talk first?
A bit more Capri or there's quite a lot of Ford stuff to talk about this week.
Yeah, because I've been off driving a Mustang GTD.
Yeah, well, let's go there first.
Shall we go there? Yeah, it's good, mate.
I'm in short. I need to hear about this, mate.
Well, yes, I mean, so will the reader when I finish writing about it.
That's in the story is going to be eight pages in the December 31st issue.
It's a good thing.
So the GT did.
Well, funny story.
Do you remember when Ford decided it wanted to go back
to Le Mans for the 50th anniversary of its win with the GT40?
Yeah.
And the Bods at Ford, the bosses at Ford decided they would do it with a Mustang.
Yeah.
And the engineers started looking at it and they went,
look, we just don't think it'll be quick enough in the GTE category.
Because even if they put balance of performance on it, it's such a big car
that it's Brayson or that.
Yeah, it's just it's just it's just a large car.
We don't think it'll be very competitive.
And then they went and screwed away in this sort of skunkwork things they do.
They developed the GTE off the books and then showed it to the bosses
and went, look, we don't think the Mustang will be competitive enough.
But we have been working on this, which is only 41.8 inches tall,
that tiny, tiny narrow cabin and its performance was its horsepower
was capped everywhere it went because it was so fast.
It's a proper race car.
But anyway, I think the short of it is that
they still hadn't quite scratched the Mustang itch.
So they developed a GT3 race Mustang
and have started racing it and it won.
It got a podium at Le Mans last year and the GTD.
Not like a golf doesn't have a two litre.
No, no, no, no, it has a it is effectively a Jeep.
There isn't in the American Imsa series.
There's a category GTD, GT Daytona, right?
And that's what it races in, I think, there.
And so the GTD is the road.
Version sort of of the GT3 racing car.
So that makes it much more powerful and lighter, doesn't it?
Well, you should you'd think you'd think.
But it's not it's not lighter, but it is much more powerful.
It's got 815 horsepower, supercharged,
dry sump for the first time in a road going Mustang.
So five litre supercharged, 5.2.
Yeah. And then.
But the stuff they've done,
loads of carbon fiber on the outside, loads of carbon fiber body panels,
loads of aero makes 880 kilos at 190 miles an hour or something.
But to even up the weight distribution,
instead of having a gearbox at the engine,
they've put a transaxle at the back, twin clutch transaxle.
The suspension doesn't quite normally fit around that.
So they've got this weird extra subframe at the rear
and they've got those multi-matic DSSV spool dampers.
Those really trick ones.
Yes. Multi-matic for GT was fitted with,
but also a bit in the same fashion.
Multi-matic run the race car
have been involved in the development of the road car and the racing car.
And I think they built.
Did they build the GTs?
Yes, they did. You're right.
And I wouldn't surprise me if these cars leave.
I think they leave the line at body in white stage in the normal line.
And then they go to multi-matic for finishing.
So there's a rear seat delete
and these dampers spring at these big spring and damper units,
which are very cool, hydraulically actuated and everything else.
They sit across each other horizontally above the gearbox,
which is now between the rear wheels.
Right. So there's a rear seat delete
and then a window where the seatback would be
that looks straight through onto the spring and damper unit, which is cool.
So actually, if you set the mirror just right on a quiet bit of road,
you can look in the mirror and watch the dampers moving.
It's a really cool thing.
They really know about damping.
Oh, it's not. Yeah, it's phenomenal.
It's really well controlled with with multi-matic dampers.
Really? Yeah, there was one off.
There were I can't remember why, but they were fitted experimentally.
And I mean, transformed the car made it.
It seemed to have a really stiff ride, but it was totally flat and beautiful.
It was one of the best riding cars I've ever had.
And and yet it was hard to give them back, unfortunately.
Yeah, that's a shame.
I bet that would be a stupendous.
It was, it was good.
And we run it up the hill climb for a bit and it was good.
Yeah, good.
The anyway, these these mods make it
make the weight distribution pretty much 50 50 for a start.
So it's less nose nosey than a standard Mustang.
But then also to to help increase the turning.
They fit three to five section front tyres.
Wow. That's the same size as the rear tyres
on a on a Ford GT. Gosh, what does that do the steering?
Well, it's they've obviously up to that.
I think they must have up to the assistance because it's you can have.
You can have various different weightings,
but in its sort of comfort mode, it's still
relatively straightforward, but it does tram line a bit.
I mean, American roads are flatter and.
They're quite coarse surfaces, aren't they?
But they tend to be flatter than ours less.
I think in the UK, that would be plus the fact
is 160 mil wider than a standard Mustang as well.
So it's 2.08 just over two meters wide.
I think across the body.
Is this going to UK?
Well, it'll be left hand drive only and it's three hundred and fifteen grand.
There's only a thousand of them, but you may be able to.
I think it would have to be IVA approved when it was brought in.
But I mean, I think if you really wanted one, you could.
So hand built, I think.
I think so, yeah, three hundred and fifteen grand.
Yeah. But but I thought tremendously exciting.
I mean, amazing noise.
That's really amazing noise.
And they clearly have had some sound engineers involved.
It's not all about performance, because when you stand behind it,
I'm sometimes low to turn cars off if I've got the lights on
and we're doing static photos because I don't want to drain the battery.
So I just left it idling while we were walking around it, taking some photos.
And it's got a proper as you stand behind it.
So it's clearly not only designed for performance.
It's it's also still sounds mega, looks mega.
Yeah. I mean, really, they're really making an effort, aren't they, Ford?
Yeah, they I mean, I was intrigued to see
Max Verstappen driving David Coulthard around in a Mustang
as part of the the telecast for the last F1 race.
Just yesterday and as we speak.
And, you know, it suddenly occurred to me
that they are the engine provider for next year.
And the link between Max Verstappen and Fords is going to be very large.
Yeah, probably benefit his bank manager.
You could think you would think I suppose he'll be he'll be driving around
in a GTD in that case.
Yeah, I suppose I would have.
You would have recognized it.
I wasn't able to to know whether it was a GTD or not.
I think it might have been a dark horse.
I mean, the thing was interesting was that Coulthard,
I mean, Verstappen chucked this thing around, you know, complete abandon
and and also a complete lack of effort, you know, just trivial for him.
And Coulthard, but Coulthard was hanging on a bit and he looked rather.
You know, almost ill and it sort of shows you what
what it's a bit of a chore getting driven at full speed these days in a really fast car, I think.
Because of the because just because of the motion sickness issues.
And when he got out, he was I think he would, you know, I would have said body language.
He was pleased to get out.
Oh, really?
He also said some rather scathing things about his own career, which I thought was a shame
because he he's won 13 Grand Prix or something.
He's not exactly.
Yeah, he can't be a mug to do that.
Can you know? But but he was pretty impressed by Max.
And it was it was quite something to see the winner of 13 GPs still impressed
by the the modern day, the best of the modern day group.
Yeah, I'd be really interested to know what they think when they
when somebody really good sits next to somebody who is even better.
Yeah. Well, I think that's what happened.
I think that's literally what happened.
I mean, Cool Thud was undoubtedly impressed.
And you could see just how easily Max was to happen to handle the car.
I know, you know, there's nothing to him, I suppose.
You know, you used to a thousand horsepower and all that.
Yeah. But I think the danger may be the.
People as has happened to us once upon a time, people who used to Grand Prix cars
for getting the braking distances of all that and piling into bends
and and sort of not remembering to stop.
Yes. Yes, I suppose.
They have more exposure to that because they drive more simulator stuff.
Yeah, I guess there was a time when drivers just did testing
and testing and testing in their cars, in their race, in their F1 cars.
And that was that was what they did.
They only ever drove race cars on circuits, but maybe, yeah.
Yes, should be.
What do you want one one of these GTD GTD?
Yeah, maybe I'm not maybe not in the UK.
But if I lived in the States, yes, but where its size and its.
The size of its front tires and its sort of potential for traveling.
Perhaps the width as well up and down here.
Yeah, I think the way I think I think the width on some of British
bureaus, I don't think you necessarily get the most out of it.
I'd be intrigued to see what the dampers are like on a bad British
back road, though, I'd like to see what they do and I'd love to try on
circuit because I think it would be a really with those the size of those
front tires and the 5050 weight distribution of it.
It turns convincingly for a front for a heavy front engine car.
Yeah, and you even if you just need to fiddle it through the bends a bit,
you've got all that grunt to throw you down.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
It's got 815 horsepower.
It's got 660 pounds feet at four and a half thousand revs.
So it's a broadly powerful engine to and you drive on the paddles.
You drive on the paddles.
Yeah, titanium, titanium paddles apparently apparently using titanium
from retired F-22 Raptors, they say.
Of course, tell me.
And but otherwise, the interior is quite Mustang-y and that's OK.
There's some carbon fiber highlights here and there, but that's fine.
Because it's a good interior.
Yeah, me too.
Just for the because they get more different, don't they?
Every there's nothing like it anymore.
And for Jim Farley, in particular, you know, the boss,
Jim Farley is particularly addicted to the Mustang,
isn't it? So it's not going to go away.
No, they'll make it absolutely as long as possible.
And of course, we've just learned, haven't we, that the
that the Europeans are going to allow
petrol cars until 2040, which means that the Mustang can
live on there.
Be around it as long as they can make enough EVs to balance it.
You know, balance it.
Do you have you because I've seen the headline,
but I haven't seen the full depth of the news on that.
Well, I don't think it I don't I don't think it's
set in concrete yet.
It's just one of those things that
a decision has been taken and the detail is still being fleshed
filled in behind it.
But but that that was the stuff that was around in the newspapers on the weekend.
Forgotten where we are in the weekend.
Yeah, I saw it a couple of days.
I think a couple. I think a couple of days ago.
Yeah, I saw it.
But I've often, you know, I even thought
I mean, radical thought thought maybe one day that I might
you know, get swap the Ranger Raptor for a Mustang.
Oh, really? Just thought about it.
But I've got me helping.
I just like helping so much.
That's the thing. I mean, are they?
Yeah, do they do this?
It is a they do the same job in a way.
Yeah. And the also, I think I'd get a lot of trouble
nowadays from the steering committee because because the she really, really likes that.
The Raptor. Yeah.
So, you know, if we go somewhere that's a bit of distance,
she always says, let's take the Ford.
It's a comfortable car, isn't it?
Yeah. And actually, this Mustang's
time as the Raptor, this Raptor, I think probably the previous one as well.
And then there are a few other cars like it.
They but the fast Fords of late seem to do it.
They almost get better the faster you go.
Because around town, this GTD, I got in it and pulled out.
I mean, it's made an enormous racket in the hotel car park.
And then you pulled out onto the street.
The nose lift went down again.
And I thought in my first few yards in a in a
you know, on a concrete high street, I was thinking, oh, my goodness,
this is going to be a painfully long day.
And it wasn't at all, you know, because as you as you pick
the speed up, the ride settles really nicely as the dampers get
I don't know, a bit of force into them to get getting to work properly.
But it's I mean, it's not made for 10 miles an hour.
Great job. Great job.
Did it did it attract attention?
Yes. And I think it because I.
Drove from the airport to the hotel in a in a Mustang dark course.
And the GTD was at the hotel when I got there.
And even the dark course gets loads of attention.
Some of it I wanted to have broken a three series
buzzing around it on the highway, trying to go, you know,
goad me into racing and I was just like, I'm just going to look
straight ahead and pretend none of this is happening.
Anyway, but yes, loads, loads of attention.
Loads of people know what it is.
And I suppose in a quite patriotic country where they like homegrown
sports cars and they like Mustangs, you have the amount of knowledge
about what it was all positive as well.
Nobody seems to dislike it. Excellent.
Yeah, good thing.
Did you get driven by anybody or did you do it yourself?
I mean, obviously, you did drive yourself, but I just wondered
if they got the sort of hero driver out to.
No, it was all on the road and it was a very.
At risk of talking shop for a moment, it was quite a casual
thing with no Ford representative with me.
I just met a photographer for a day who came over to the hotel
and was great, actually, really did you get a chance to give it the beans?
I don't know how to behave in America.
No, I so I found a stretch around the the rim of the world scenic byway.
Oh, well, there's some cars.
They've got some great sounding roads to make that did the Wild Atlantic way.
Yeah, exactly.
And then there's the the the Pines to Palms Highway as well.
And then there's another road called Box Canyon.
But the the thing is, all of those things, if they were in the UK,
it would just be rammed full of tourists all the time.
The Box Canyon is a bit like.
I suppose it's closest thing here.
It would be Cheddar Gorge, but it's wider, longer.
And there's just nobody there.
We weren't there for sunrise because we thought it would be really spectacular
is because, you know, the Californian sun comes up and shines off of the rocks.
It looks brilliant.
Nobody there. Wow. Nobody there.
So the picture. So you can.
Yes, so the pics they have landed this morning.
They're terrific.
Yeah, really terrific.
And is there a vid?
There will be a vid. Yes, I did.
And yeah, so I could give it.
Yeah, I could give it the beans, but you have to pick your pick your moments,
basically, really, don't create an incident.
Yes, exactly. And the idea that one of these roads was sort of shut
halfway up because some recent rainfall caused a sort of road failure.
So actually, there was nobody going up and down it anyway.
So you can go up and down and go, well, I know nobody's on this stretch
of road because I've been all the way to the closure and I've not passed
anybody and I've come back and not passed anybody.
So then you can go.
OK, I can. Must have sounded OK off the rock walls.
Yeah, it just sounds it sounds way.
And you can turn it up and down a bit as well.
You can turn the exhaust up to track mode and down to quiet mode.
OK. And I'm more of a quiet mode kind of bloke most of the time.
Yeah, from time to time.
But I presume quiet mode is still a quiet mode is still quite loud
when you yeah, when you put your when you put your boot in it a bit.
Yeah, does the Capri make any noises?
Not really.
I haven't this trip across from the Cotswolds to yours is it
is really my first sorry, second significant trip in it.
I haven't really been right around the controls.
You know how this if you count the number of adjustments
on cars like this these days, it probably 300, you know,
by the time you get the interior lighting tuned and I haven't got that far.
Because I think you know better than I do,
there's there's quite a lot around for us to do pre Christmas.
And so all you tend to do is walk outside, jump in the car
and head up to another place. Don't you? Yes. Yes.
Mainly the airport in your case.
You want are you finished with all that now for the year?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
We've got you and I traveling around a bit on you.
Well, let's take a commercial break just to remind the reader
that Anderson Evie is the sponsor of this podcast.
And if you go to addson dash Evie dot com, you can find.
All of their charges, all their offers, which they will have.
You have a full concierge service who can guide you through.
I'm going to do is I have not done this, even though I'm an owner.
I haven't I haven't actually done it.
I want to ring them up and say, what the hell supplier should I be with?
Oh, yes, because they can help you with your energy tariff and everything.
And I haven't. It's a stupid thing.
I'm probably checking my handfuls of money. We're not doing it.
Yeah.
Next in the commercial break, coming up soon on this podcast,
your yeah, my plan over the next couple of weeks is basically to
is we've got some videos to finish and a few bits of copy
to finish for the start of next year.
But then you and I
are talking to some people and you are going, well, where are you going
later today? Well, I'm going to tell me that.
I think I can because the the embargo, we're talking on a Monday.
The embargo is a Friday.
Yeah, but this pods out on the Wednesday.
OK, well, in that case, I can't. OK, well, on Saturday,
this Saturday coming up, Stephen is going to be doing something
that he cannot yet tell you about, but it's very exciting.
But it's a bit of a blockbuster.
Yeah, so please do that.
He's he's leaving here and going somewhere else.
The thing is, I'm I'm sitting this morning, I woke up too early
this morning quaking about making the best of this opportunity
because, you know, our sometimes it's a bit like the GTD.
You know, the opportunity comes along and and you better do your best
because yeah, because it's there's no going back.
Is that no, no, no, we had a day.
I had a day with it with on my own in which I thought I would do
all the video I could and then a day with a photographer.
Who doesn't really shoot much video, but we helped out
with a couple of drive-bys and stuff.
So it's so yeah, the video is basically shot mostly by me
and you sort of go, well, I bet I'll just try and make it OK.
So how do you do that?
You do you have a tripod or something and just yeah, I've got stuff.
Yeah, I've got stuff that these little gimbals, these handheld
gimbals that are sort of steady ish that you can do details
and statics and stuff in and then just set it up for a.
You're a man of many parts, aren't you?
You really are. I mean, you're a you're just I don't know how
you get through the amount of stuff you do get through.
Well, by doing a half-ass job, everything's done.
I don't believe that for a second.
And that's the way to do it as a listen.
That's the way to do it.
And then on the 24th, Steve will be talking to Pat Simmons.
Yeah. Is he is he team principal of Cadillac?
Well, they call him technical consultant because he he.
But he's basically the the technology guru at Cadillac.
Having been the technology guru at
Formula One management is formulating the new formula for for 2026.
So so he is he is right in there.
He knows everything. Yeah.
I'm also going to be talking to Russell Carr, Lotus Design Chief
later today. And I think that pod is going to be out as an auto car
meets a week Saturday, whatever that would be, the 20th, something like.
And then do you want to say who we're talking to tomorrow?
Yeah, I think so.
Yeah, I mean, our star guest is a Duke of Richmond.
We are both going down there tomorrow and we took to meet him for an hour
and have a chat about the basically not too much history,
but quite a lot of what's happening next year and why it's happening
and who the stars are and and how he gets it all together.
That's the thing because they seem to be such a small team down there.
But they achieve a great deal.
Don't they? Yeah, don't they?
And he's going to talk about that.
That will be.
Shall we run that 31st?
I think that will be a regular in charge.
Oh, no, yeah, that will that will be one of our Christmas special.
It'll be right in the middle.
Yeah, that'll be that'll be another one over Christmas.
So I'm looking forward to it.
I I so admire him.
He, you know, we've both interviewed him a few times before.
And the thing that you were always left with is that he's greatest desire.
You know, people talk about the amount of cash that good would generate and all that.
But he always leaves you with this impression that he's greatest
desire is that people who depart have had a good time.
I do love that that concern.
He never stops being concerned about the person that visit.
Yeah, he was interviewed during the Festival of Speed.
I heard it over the speakers when I was there.
And I think somebody said to him about the number of cars.
They said, yes, sometimes people come to me with a bit of a complaint
that I can't possibly see it all in a day.
He said, yes, that's the that's the point.
That's that's that's why I do that whole idea.
That's the idea is that it is not something you can do over a day.
And actually, you know, over a weekend, you would get most.
So you there will, if you see the things you really wanted to see,
that would be the way to go about it because you can't take it all in.
No, it is actually get that's the way they're all going, I think,
because I went to the classic car show a few weekend.
We had a rattle about it.
Yeah. And honestly, I should have been there two days
because you get your head gets full up
and you just get to about quarter to four or something.
And you think, well, I just go and look at a nice white wall for a while.
Yeah. But you'd be very happy to, you know,
keep somewhere and go back the next day and look at the rest of it.
Yeah. And I didn't. It was annoying.
Actually, race retro, we were going to talk about.
Let's talk about that in part two.
Let's finish the commercial break with.
I don't know, is it? I don't know.
But let's just say, if you visit the magazine shop dot com
four slash auto car, you can find access to the entire 130
archive and it is not too late, I don't think, to get a gift for Christmas.
And if you leave this podcast playing near your loved one,
they will. And if you go to the magazine shop dot com,
you can sign up to auto car.
And if it's a gift, we send you a card that you can give to somebody
on Christmas Day, perfect, that they can open.
And it's another thing, you know, as we know, I've got
subs to other motorcycle magazines and aircraft magazines.
And every time they arrive, I just feel a certain amount of little frisson of joy.
Yeah, same. Same.
Yeah. So we recommend it to you.
Should we talk race retro?
Because this is there isn't because there's no magazine published today.
The first of two Christmas issues is out now.
The next one is out next week.
Your column was your year.
The column in the magazine that is on sale as we speak.
Yeah.
It was sort of your year in car.
Your year. Yeah, just just the bits and pieces out of my camera.
Included race retro.
I haven't been to race retro.
It's a it's a really optimistic sort of thing
because of I'm trying to think where it's held.
It's held in a rather grim fairground, you know, show
ground halfway up the, you know, south of Birmingham.
I wish I could remember what the hell it's called.
Stony Park. Stony Park.
Well done, mate. Well done.
They'll be delighted.
But I mean, it's perfect for what it's what it's for.
Yeah. I went with my son.
I'm going to go with two sons and a and a friend this time
because because we all, you know, we realize it's for us.
And what it does is it's February.
It looks forward to the to the new season and you go up there
and you probably need a new helmet or a new pair of gloves
or a widget for your car or something rather.
And it just juices you up.
And there are three elements.
There's lots of race type.
Businesses who exhibit.
There's a fantastic auction of cars
that it's not full of Aston's and Ferrari's.
It's all the, you know, the.
I don't know, sort of 12 different varieties
of hot Ford Escort, that kind of thing.
And and the other thing is they do some live action.
So in two ways, you can either go and do what we did last year,
which is just watch these cars go around a bit of a handling track
on the just by leaning it on the fence.
Blocks in ours, two thousands of things.
Or you can pay a tenner, I think it is, and go for a ride.
And the the sort of mood of the place is great.
It's not grand in any way, but but it's very it's it's for normal people.
It's for aspirational folks with, you know, a millionaires.
It's brilliant.
So we're going to go back before us. Excellent.
Is it an affordable day?
Yeah, I think so.
In fact, I found it affordable because last year.
I managed to I did organise some press passes as you can in our racket.
And I cleverly organised them for the wrong day, so I had to pay anyway.
And I don't I don't think they took my trousers down.
So yeah, so and you still want to go back.
So recommend it. Yeah, clearly.
Yeah, clearly. Oh, well, I maybe I'll come along to you.
You should. You should.
Honestly, mate, it's a good it's a good day out.
At one stage, we're standing up to our ankles in mud,
you know, leaning against his wooden fence, watching these lots of escort style
cars, you know, going through the same bend, mud everywhere.
And honestly, it's very pleasant.
Yeah. And you think this is it shouldn't be fun, but it is.
Yeah. Oh, well, I could get got into that.
The other events last year,
we didn't talk Festival the Unexceptional last week.
I don't think no, it's it's always with a rattle in it.
It's phenomenal.
It's just it's just special because it's to me,
it's just uncovered a whole new form of car enthusiasm in that.
You know, people used to think car shows and meant that, you know,
a lot of middle aged or old people in Austin, Eley, three thousands.
Showing up. But nowadays, it can be.
You know, young people who it's very for family orientated for a start.
So often you you find that, you know, they'll be
a couple and their kids and they'll bring some car along.
And it'll be a well, we've seen post office fans.
We've won Ford K.A. with somebody won in a Toyota Hilux one time.
It's just just cars that that are unexceptional,
but loved and in really well displayed.
And normally, the thing that wins is a car that with
with an interesting backstory.
And you suddenly realize what a fantastic role
the old people of Britain play in buying cars,
keeping them in garages, doing about 3,000 miles a year.
And suddenly, after 30 years,
this car has still done no miles, but it's in perfect condition.
Just right to be bought for two grand by the kid across the road.
Yeah, conveniently. Yeah. Who loves it?
You know, and it's really uplifting.
And of course, it gets bigger every year that they choose
50 finalists going in, which which a bunch of judges judge.
They pick winners in a few categories of the winners
and win away out the big deal.
But the car park fills up, you know, to the horizon
with with people who bring similar cars.
And you can, you know, if you're if you like them.
I don't know, the sort of 1985 Ford Escort,
you will find another 30 of them in the car park.
The thing that's amusing, I remember not so long ago,
some bloke turned up in a Ferrari mondial and there were people
queued up beside the road saying, not here, mate.
You're in the wrong spot here in the wrong place.
You have come to totally the wrong place.
Yeah, I do love seeing
an old car that you just don't see anymore.
Yeah, I really enjoy that.
Me too. I just get such a sad childish kick out of it.
But I go, oh, it's like a late 90s Ford Fiesta.
Well, you because you don't see for all K for KAs, early KAs.
And the thing is, I mean, this is you blame the likes
of, you know, Richard Bremner, John Simister for this kind of thing.
People get excited about hubcaps, you know, you know, it at the time,
it's it's a it's a really big deal to have the allies and Horace to
bend the sunroof and so on.
But when you see the poverty spec car that 30 years old,
thirty five, you think it's fantastic.
Yeah, it's great to see steel wheels.
Did the was there a metro this year that had very little on it?
Yeah, there was. I'm trying to remember the story.
Does the base one have no Horace Richard Port-A-Port one?
Has he got like a base metro with no rear wash?
Why? But I think I don't know that.
But but at this mysterious do that I'm going to later on, he's there.
So I was. Oh, do ask him about it.
Yeah, do ask him about it.
But there was a metro that was that I think it was
a metro city and it had been it had been a city X or something with
and the and the owner had had gone to the trouble of.
Before he bought it, it had been slightly bastardised.
So he put it back to spec, including finding the correct grommets for the.
You know, how in that era, when a car didn't have a particular thing,
they'd be a grommet. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So this bloke has searched the world and found the right grommets
to do and switch blanks and things like that.
That's great. Oh, honestly, it's so uplifting.
I've been I'm glad people I'm glad people do it.
And I don't worry so much about the originality of my cars.
But I'm very I'm very pleased people do.
Yeah, it's good when you see it. That's right.
And the other thing that the lesson that it teaches you is that
these cars just drive in and perfect, you know, just as part of the traffic.
And they they've obviously provided reliable
and relatively comfortable transport and they haven't needed a dash
or radar cruise control or even electric windows.
And the simplicity thing rather hits you over the head.
Yeah, I drove a Skoda Favoret recently.
The the one that is the car that prompted Volkswagen to buy the company
effectively. Right. And that was I don't think I drove one at the time.
But I drove one a few months ago and I thought this is really good.
This is really enjoyable.
It had about 60,000 kilometers on it.
So it wasn't box fresh or anything, but it was nicely looked after.
But it steered steering was a bit heavy at low speeds, but it steered nicely.
It rode really well.
Gearbox was terrific.
And I just and visibility was great and it was comfortable enough.
I thought this would make I'd be very happy to drive this every day.
I don't remember what they were.
They were well liked at the time, weren't they?
Yes, yeah, it was it was a it was the sort of bridge between the
the old rear engine Renault based Estelle and the and the VW cars.
Wasn't it? Yeah. And no, it became it was it wasn't a.
It wasn't a star car, but it was perfectly serviceable.
Also safe car because the tail happy ones were a bit.
Oh, yeah.
Lively, lively. Yeah.
I didn't do a letter at the start of part two.
AutoCart at Haymarket dot com.
John Nichols from Vale of Glamorgan rights to say in the 26th of November
issue about potholes.
There was an article about potholes by John Evans.
He says that a council can't be held responsible for a pothole
if it hasn't been reported.
But it says John under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980.
Councils do have a duty of care to inspect all highways.
And I've succeeded in three claims against different councils
where they could not show evidence of regular inspection and one case
against the Scottish council, where the insurers rejected my initial
claim out of hand.
I went back and threatened court proceedings and they paid immediately
for a whole damage. Wow.
So that is good intel.
Thanks for that, John.
That's very good.
Especially as the whole season is soon to be upon us.
Oh, I tell you what, the roads are already terrible around me.
And I just can't help thinking the other side of Christmas
are going to be they're going to be goat tracks.
And they are really bad on there.
And some I feel a bit sorry for the winter motorcyclists
because, you know, the low light and all that,
you crash the old front wheel and some of those canyons.
Could be really hairy, couldn't it?
I reckon you don't ride in winter.
Only in London, really, on my battery scooter.
But no.
No, nor do I.
I did. I did fire mine up the other day.
Yeah, you need to keep them percolated.
Yeah. And I just rode up and down the lane, just up.
So good. My my neighbor's driveway.
It did feel good, actually.
Yeah, it did feel good.
And I thought I would like to.
I'd like to do this one.
I've had a quiet year of motorcycling anyway,
because I've got that Morgan Super 3 had been around.
So that was so I spent more time in that,
I suppose, over the summer.
But I just, yeah, I don't know.
Yeah, I should just do it more.
Yeah, I'd like to do it.
Extend my riding season out a bit,
but I just don't like being cold.
The thing is, but you start the engine, you realize
that they've always got lovely engines, haven't they?
And, you know, I've got two of my shed,
you know, Honda 750, just Honda 750 Twin really nice
and a 1200 Triumph Twin.
And as soon as you start them up,
they kind of, they just speak,
their potential speaks to you, doesn't it?
It does, yeah.
And even just riding it, just, you know, 10 miles an hour,
just up my neighbor's lane, basically,
just to warm it through and, well,
turn it around and warm it through,
because I had to move some stuff out of the shed
and move some cars around for very boring reasons.
And I just, yeah, and even then,
it's just like the immediacy of the controls
and the linearity of response
and just the, you know, the physical contact
with the brake pedals.
And it's just also interactive and mechanical, isn't it?
It's just lovely.
I spent half the night last night
talking to my son about, he's threatening to buy
a new motorbike, he's doing what a lot of people
seem to be doing at the moment,
which is going away from big and heavy machinery
towards these lightweights, the 400s and.
Oh, interesting.
He likes doing the, going, he's got a van
and he chucks a bike in the van,
goes to, finds these tracks and byways
and things through the Alps and he does that stuff.
And the Yamaha 700 that he had is a bit heavy
and too much luggage.
You fell in with a bunch of blokes last year
and they all criticized his choice
of a heavy bike and too much luggage.
Oh, really?
Bring fewer undies, bring a lighter toothbrush.
I think, who was the fellow
who wrote the travel features for Bike Magazine?
Yeah, he used to get lost half the year, didn't he?
Yeah, that's right.
But there was a, Dan Walsh, is it?
Dan Walsh, well done.
And there was a, I think some phrase I remember from his
is that all you need is a credit card,
everything else you just want.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, I sort of get that, really, yeah.
Yeah, I think Jonathan had found that he,
I think he struck some trouble
and he was glad to take tire equipment
and some tools, but that's a powerful map.
Yeah, because when I rode mine to Ireland,
I, basically as soon as I landed in Dublin
I had a mechanical issue
and I was glad to have some tools with me.
So I think what had happened, it was weird,
it freaked me out when it happened as well.
It, the, there's a sort of sump guard bash plate
and the mud guard over the front wheel
basically got hooked up on that
when the suspension compressed
and then wouldn't fully decompress.
And obviously that is a very strange feeling
and the brakes sort of half come on as well.
It was quite unsettling
and I couldn't quite work out what it was doing it.
And of course, then I sort of realized,
well, actually they've strapped the bike down
for four hours on a ferry pretty tightly.
Oh, right, the full bump was a little bit, yeah.
So I suppose the suspension had just been,
I mean, it's a 25 year old bike.
So I suppose the suspension hadn't quite recovered properly
and also the mud guard was a bit split
because it's an old mud guard, it's a bit cracked.
And basically the two things that shouldn't meet
were meeting, but because I had some pliers
and adjustable spanner and stuff with me
and some zip ties.
I managed to sort it out.
Yeah, yeah.
Brilliant, zip ties, they don't weigh much, do they?
They don't weigh much, no, you can take those.
Yeah, so I carry those
and I carry a tire repair kit
because they're tubeless tires
and where are you gonna go to get a replacement motorcycle
tire in the middle of nowhere?
So I bought one of those funny.
The inflator.
Yeah, but the, those bits
where you push the,
you push a bit of plastic through
and then pull it back out of the other side.
You know, I'm trying to, and it seems to work.
Well, I haven't tried it, but hopefully it works.
Yeah, I've seen the bits.
I mean, it would take a very long,
it would take me a long time.
Maybe, I don't know, maybe an hour.
And then a small hand pump to pump it,
pump the tire back up again.
But that's better than having to wait six hours
for a recovery service.
It will leave your bike as well.
It will leave your bike and get the train home and whatever.
So, yeah, so next year I'll ride more.
Sorry, listener.
This is a car podcast, but we do occasionally
lapse into motorcycles.
There's a car connection.
Did we talk Norton motorcycles the other day
or did we not on this podcast?
No, I don't think so.
Because they're back, aren't they?
Yeah.
They're owned by TVS, is that there?
Yeah, that's it.
I might be getting the wrong.
Biggest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, is it?
Yeah, yeah.
They make four million motorcycles a year.
That's my Indian company, I think.
And, but they have some car related bosses, don't they?
Yes.
The designer is Jerry McGovern, you know,
much in the news because of his departure from JLR.
But I think he's certainly been a heavyweight consultant
in there.
Because Norton have just launched three or four bikes,
haven't they?
Yeah, I think so.
All the ones at the Milan Motor Show, Milan Motor Show.
And yeah, well, in fact, they need our inspection
of those things.
I think it's interesting talking about the relationship
between cars and bikes, isn't it?
Because I think for many of us, they're pretty close.
I'll never forget the first story I ever read
about the Honda, you know, when it first came out,
the Honda C50, you know, the one cylinder four stroke,
amazingly low-powered, but remains the most built vehicle
in the world, I believe, or C50, C90.
And I found that so interesting.
You know, you could buy this dopey little thing
that revved to nine or whatever, was it?
Yeah.
That's true.
Yeah.
Shall we talk, Jerry McGovern, then?
Yeah.
Because you know more than me on this, maybe?
I don't.
Yeah, there's not much to know still,
but the story goes that he's,
or it's undoubtedly the case that he's left the company.
The reason that he's left the company isn't entirely clear
and there's, the company is not saying anything about it.
They're not even, I think they're kind of acknowledging
that he's not there anymore.
But the best I heard from a company spokesman
was that he won't be available anymore this year.
Right, okay.
And you know, the joke was that he had a busy round
of Christmas parties,
but he seems to have gone for good.
And...
Most recently, Creative Director?
Creative Director of JLR, JLR, JLR.
Both JLR.
Those in charge of all the rounds.
Yeah.
And they've had this,
they've had a new CEO arrive in the last several weeks,
this bloke, P.B. Balaji.
And the Indian,
financial specialist comes from the heart of the Tata Group,
who are the parent of JLR.
JLR makes most of the money at the moment
for the Tata Group.
And...
Oh, does it?
So Tata are pretty concerned
about the way things are going.
They have seen all the things that have concerned people
like the, you know, the work advertising
and the controversy over the styling of the Concept 00
and just the bad publicity.
You know, who wants the president of the United States
to, you know, telling the world that you're in turmoil.
So he's over here to sort it out.
He's not a car specialist.
The bosses at Tata are no longer car specialists either.
It was Ratan, the patriarch, Ratan Tata,
who propelled the acquisition of JLR
and who sort of loved cars right to the end of his life.
And the fear is that these guys are
just wanting to sort it out and stabilize it
and do nothing very adventurous
and possibly do things that are detrimental, I guess.
And McGovern is, became more and more too big for his boots.
He was a very, you know, he started to take over stuff
like advertising policy and public pronouncements.
And he had a view on how the cars should be launched
and the likes of us and so on.
And really, there are specialists in normal companies
for all that stuff.
And what he needed possibly to do is to stick to designing them.
And that's, it's all gone bang.
That's how we read it.
But there's no confirmation.
So maybe we'll, I'm sure we'll hear more as life goes on
because these things don't tend to stay buttoned up,
do they?
No, no.
You find everybody's got a Jerry story.
You know, whoever you talk to.
So we probably should collect a few and...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Or Jerry, if you wanna come on the show,
then drop us a note.
Jerry is, the thing is, he is an extremely able bloke.
And personally, he's absolutely amiable.
Really interesting to talk to about design.
There's nothing wrong with him, you know,
but he's, I think he's bitten off a bit too much this time.
Can't say when we'll have more on JLR.
No.
But do listen to this podcast.
Yeah.
Is what I'll tell you,
because there's more news to come.
We've got a packed schedule over the next few weeks, haven't we?
We've loads of people to talk to.
Because you've got your lotus, we've got the Duke.
Yeah.
Pat Simmons.
Yeah.
We've got the thing that I'm doing today
that we can't talk about,
but which will result in some pretty decent pods, I think.
Yeah.
Well, pod components, what we need to do is,
I'm gonna go and meet a couple of blokes
and then we need to talk about it.
Yeah.
Well, let's do that.
We'll record that tomorrow.
And that will be on this podcast this Saturday coming.
So three days after this pod is published
on Wednesday the 10th,
it'll be 14, 13th.
Saturday, 13th.
Come on, bro.
No.
Oh, okay.
The calendar is just a mess to me.
I've got no idea where we are or where we're going.
And then a normal show this time next week,
which is the publication date
of the second of the Christmas doubles.
Don't forget, if you wanted to read
the Christmas rotors, Christmas quiz,
loads of other things,
that magazine is on sale now.
The first Christmas double issue is on sale now.
Yeah.
And it's a good one.
It's a really good one.
I feel able to say this,
because, you know, 90% of it I didn't do.
What percentage have I done?
Oh, you've probably written about 60% of it.
No, I think Christmas rotors to my column
is probably it.
Plus a couple of little box outs in other stories.
So we did a thing on our highlights of the year.
There's one for,
and then the road test as Christmas lunch
has got a couple of quotes of mine in it,
but it's very ably written by Vicky Parrick,
who writes very well,
because Richard Lane was not able
to make the road test as Christmas lunch.
And have you read Vicky's copy about that?
No. Have you read it yet?
No.
She says, but we all know Richard would have brought a 9-11.
Everybody in the pub knows Richard would have brought a 9-11.
I asked the bar staff,
they knew Richard would have brought a 9-11.
It's, yes, it's very well written.
I finished up doing this dopey story.
It's actually a fantastic opportunity.
Somebody, in fact, Sam Phillips,
one of our guys in the office got this idea
that we should just get hold of a car with a Christmas name
and link up a load of Christmas sounding locations.
So the Hyundai Santa Fe became the car.
Very good.
And we started off at the North Pole,
which is North Pole being an exceptionally seedy cocktail bar
in the center of Greenwich.
Excellent.
And that's in this one or the next one?
It's in this one.
That's in this one.
Oh, I will go away.
It's one of those stories where...
I haven't read this yet either.
It's a sort of something...
It's a nothing-into-something story.
So there's, you know, we spent a day driving around
in Santa hats, you know,
finishing up at a place called Christmas Common
in Auschwitz.
Oh, I know it, well, yeah.
We've done, yeah, it's not a bad,
somewhere near there is not a bad photo shoot location
for first-drive pictures.
You get a corner in a pan quite easily.
We found, it was amazing, we pitched up
for the final picture in Christmas Common
and there was this, amazingly,
just across the road was a little shed
which contained a couple of donkeys,
you know, classic Christmas animals.
Oh, really?
And the owner was gonna pull out one of these animals
and march it through the picture,
but unfortunately, one of them was ill
and removing one would have upset the other.
Oh, that can, yes, that can happen.
Yes, that can happen.
So no donkeys, is that it?
No donkeys, a shame.
Anyway, that magazine's on sale now.
There is a new one on sale on the 17th.
Steve and I will be talking about that next week
and please listen to all the other stuff
in the meantime, cause there is loads to tell you.
So you have to thrash the keyboard now, don't you?
I have thrashed the keyboard
so I've got to finish writing the Mustang GTD copy.
I've got to go and do the mystery job.
You've got to go and do a mystery job,
but then I've got to go into town to see Russell Carr
and then I'll see you tomorrow morning
for a bit of a catch up about all of those things.
And that will be on the pod in the next few days.
Superb.
That week.
Excellent, it just forced me then
to remind you about our sponsor, Anderson.
Thanks very much, we're very grateful to them.
Anderson-ev.com, contact them,
they will tell you all you need to know
if you don't have a charger or even if you do,
but you need a new one.
Seven year warranty, UK designed and built,
some really good offers, really well rated
on Trustpilot and other rating sites.
Anderson-ev.com, Steve and I will be back
in a few days slash weeks next week.
Here's where.
See you tomorrow.
In Fred Meyer, consigues tus productos de calidad
para las recetas familiares de estas fiestas
a precios bajos en cada pasillo.
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About this episode
The podcast dives into the exciting details of the new Ford Mustang GTD and the Ford Capri EV, featuring discussions on their design, performance, and the engineering challenges faced. Hosts Steve Cropley and his guest share insights from their driving experiences, including the Mustang's impressive 815 horsepower and unique features like a transaxle for better weight distribution. They also touch on the broader implications of Jerry McGovern's departure from JLR and the evolving landscape of automotive design. The episode is packed with technical details and personal anecdotes that highlight the passion behind these iconic vehicles.
Original notes
In the new episode of the Autocar podcast Steve Cropley takes delivery of a Ford Capri, Matt Prior drives an 815bhp Mustang and the pair discuss Gerry McGovern’s departure from JLR. There's much more besides, too, including your correspondence.
(NOTE: Due to a change in embargo, the content in the bonus podcast that we say will arrive on Saturday will actually be in the pod next Wednesday.)
Make sure you don't miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts, and if you'd be willing to rate and review and share this pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know. too.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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