The Golf GTI is a sporty Golf car that is fun to drive but not as fast as the Golf R. It looks a lot like the Golf R, so sometimes people might confuse the two.
The Jaguar Mark 2 is an old British car made in the 1960s. It was popular and had different engine sizes. You might recognize it because a TV detective named Inspector Morse drove one.
The BMW 5 Series is a nice, comfortable car that many people use for work or family. Some versions, like the E34 M5, are faster and more fun to drive but don’t look too flashy. People like it because it’s both fancy and sporty.
The BMW M Coupe is a small, sporty car that looks different from regular cars and is fun to drive. It’s based on a popular BMW model but made to be faster and more exciting. People like it because it’s special and handles well.
The Volvo V70 is a big car with lots of space for families and their stuff. Some versions, like the V70 R, are faster and sportier but still look like normal family cars. People like these cars because they’re safe and practical.
Touring car racing is a type of car race where cars that look like regular street cars race on tracks, but they are made faster and stronger for racing.
A five-cylinder engine is a type of car engine that has five parts called cylinders where fuel burns to make the car move. It sounds different from engines with four or six cylinders.
The Lancia Thema is an old, fancy car from Italy that was made to be comfortable and look good. It was similar to some other cars but had its own style. People talk about it because it’s a classic car from Europe.
A flatplane crankshaft is a part inside the engine that helps it run smoothly and makes a special sound. It’s used in some sports cars to make the engine feel faster and sound different from regular cars.
The BMW M5 is a fast and fancy version of a regular BMW car that people use for work or family. It’s special because it’s built to be really quick and fun to drive, while still being comfortable and nice inside. People talk about it because it’s one of the best cars in its class.
The BMW 3 Series is a smaller fancy car that’s fun to drive and good for everyday use. Some versions, like the M340i, are faster and sportier but still easy to live with. People like it because it’s both practical and exciting.
The BMW M3 is a sportier, faster version of a regular BMW car that’s smaller than the M5. It’s made to be really fun to drive and looks a bit cooler. People sometimes say other versions like the M340i might be better for daily use because they’re easier to live with.
The Audi S6 is a sporty version of a regular Audi car called the A6. It has a very strong engine, sometimes the same kind used in Lamborghini cars, which are very fast and fancy.
Lamborghini is a famous car company from Italy that makes very fast and fancy sports cars. They share some of their engine designs with other car companies.
The Volkswagen Passat W8 is a type of car that has a special eight-cylinder engine shaped like a W. This engine helped the car go faster and run smoothly.
The Jaguar XF is a fancy car that looks nice and drives smoothly. The SV8 version has a big, strong engine that makes it go faster. People talk about it because it’s both comfortable and sporty.
The Jaguar XJR is a fancy and fast car that’s comfortable to ride in. It has a big engine that makes it go quickly. People talk about it because it’s both smooth and powerful.
A supercharged V8 is a type of engine with eight cylinders that uses a device called a supercharger to push more air inside, making the car more powerful.
The Jaguar XJ6 is a fancy old car that’s very comfortable and looks nice. It was one of Jaguar’s top cars a long time ago. People talk about it because it’s a classic luxury car.
The Audi RS4 is a fast and powerful car that looks like a normal family car but drives like a sports car. The B6 version was special because it had a big V8 engine. People like it because it’s both practical and fun to drive.
The Audi e-tron is an electric car that looks like a family SUV and doesn’t use gas. It’s powerful and good for people who want a fancy electric car with space. People talk about it because it’s one of the newer electric cars from Audi.
The Audi Quattro is a famous fast car from the 1980s that can drive on all four wheels to keep better control. It was very important in racing and helped Audi become well-known. People talk about it because it changed how cars are made.
The Audi A6 is a nice, comfortable car that families can use every day. There’s also an electric version called the Avant e-tron that doesn’t use gas and is good for people who want a powerful electric car. It’s popular because it’s both fancy and practical.
The Tesla Model Y is a small electric car that looks like a tall car you can sit in with your family. It runs only on electricity, so it doesn’t use gas. People talk about it because it’s one of the popular electric cars that can drive far on a single charge.
The Tesla Model S is a fancy electric car that doesn’t need gas and can drive a long way on one charge. It has lots of smart features that help you drive safely. People talk about it because it changed how many think about electric cars.
The Ford Mustang is a famous fast car from America that looks sporty and has a loud engine. It’s well-known because many people love how it looks and how it drives. Sometimes, people put Mustang engines in other cars to make them faster.
The Fiat 500e is a small, electric car that’s easy to drive around town and doesn’t use gas. It looks cute and is good for short trips in the city. People like it because it’s simple and helps the environment.
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Welcome back to the intercooler podcast, everybody, the podcast
powered by car finance specialist JBR Capital. This is
So that is absolutely an example of, and actually, actually if you take, take cars
like that, I mean, far more so to me than Teslas and the like, that to me is
absolutely the future of, if there is a few cars to have a future, it lies with
cars like that.
But you, um, by the sounds of it, you don't think the cue car thing has much of
a future because it's not what people want.
It's not what people want.
I think, I think people want, uh, I think, I think they want to show their
personalities through their cars.
Or as I said earlier, the personalities, they would like other people to think
that they have, um, and just anecdotally, it's just not a term you hear these days.
No.
Um, and I think that's a shame, but I think it's also an inevitable, maybe it'll
come back, um, maybe there will be a time when people actually attach some value to
being quite discreet in the way that, I mean, to me, actually, I think there's
really good argument in these days where, you know, people tend to get envious
and jealous and, you know, and react badly to cars that look overt and
overtly fast and excessive and ostentatious.
A cue car just bypasses the best of both worlds.
I think it is.
Um, you know, you get to drive hopefully a really fast, really engaging car and
you upset no one in the process.
Yeah.
Love it.
You don't have people trying to race you on the road.
You don't have the light-fingered community coming around at night trying to
pinch it off you.
No, I don't suppose anybody's tried to nick a W8 Passat because it's a W8 Passat
and they really, um, they really want that engine.
They're not, apart from the W8 badge on the back, they really wouldn't, or I
have thought of one more old cue car.
Go on then.
It's actually one of my favorites because it's, it's just like the last car
of the world you'd expect to have a massive V8 in it, Rover 75.
Yeah, I did think you were going to say Rover 75 at some point.
A Rover 75 Estate V8.
Yeah.
Now people will remember that MG, it got MG'd and it was the ZTT V8 Estate.
But you could get the same engine in a Rover, which didn't have any of the go
faster bits on it and it still had the sort of, you know, the sort of wooden
leather interior and it really did look like something you'd expect a bloke wearing
a hat to drive on his way to the golf club.
But it had this engine out of a Mustang in it.
Yeah, not mega power.
Was it 260 horsepower?
Yeah, but enough to be getting on with.
And more than enough to be getting on with, you know, mega torque, rear wheel drive.
Yeah.
I mean, sideways as you like.
I'm sure.
I think to me, a cue card, it's got to sort of generate that inner smile.
Yeah, you've got to think of and thus think, yeah.
There's a sense of fun, isn't there?
Yeah, that's a bit of me.
Yeah, yeah, a sense of fun about it and definitely a Rover 75 V8 takes that box.
It's so self-aware, it's so knowing, because nobody else will get it and I just love that about it.
So to wrap up this episode, I'm going to, I have one, one, actually, it's a demand of you.
You go on.
You have to name the greatest cue card ever.
And it can only be one.
Are you telling me that there is one?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, you have to decide.
Well, my heart says golf limited, but there were only 71 of them.
Yeah, I think I think that's kind of a bit out.
There's a bit of me which thinks it's the Rover 75 because I think that's the funniest
cue card ever, but ultimately, it wasn't that great a car.
I had a lot of problems.
I think in terms of all the cars that we've discussed, the one that resonates most with me,
I mean, it should be the E34 M5, a six-speed 3.8, E34 M5, I think is one of the finest cars
that there's ever been.
But the very fact it's called an M5 just takes a slight edge off it.
For me, it's the 500e.
Oh, great.
Great answer.
It's the 500e because it is so elegant.
It is so discreet and demure and such a lovely thing to be in and to drive.
And I think that V8, because it's so torquey and it sounds so lovely, I think it also
suits being in that car so well.
I love those very gently flared arches.
There's nothing about that car I don't like.
But also the story of it, the fact that it was Porsche, I don't know if they built it or they
developed it.
Yeah, they did, but yes, absolutely.
Yeah.
It's a great tale behind it.
There's a great tale behind it.
So that is my ultimate Q-car, an automatic left-hand drive car, which didn't
sell very well.
Bragging.
Welcome to the intercooler podcast.
All right, well, let's wrap that one up there.
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About this episode
The discussion delves into the concept and evolution of Q cars—vehicles that look ordinary but pack impressive performance. Originating from the WWI 'Q ships,' these sleeper cars were once popular but seem less relevant today due to modern image-driven culture. The hosts reminisce about classic Q cars like the Jaguar Mark II, BMW E34 M5, and Mercedes 500E, highlighting their subtle yet powerful nature. They debate what qualifies as a true Q car, touching on driving experience and design cues, while noting the scarcity of modern equivalents like the Golf R. The episode blends history, nostalgia, and cultural shifts in car enthusiasm.
Dan Prosser and Andrew Frankel discuss the disappearance of the expression ‘Q-car’ from the motoring lexicon. Where did the term come from, what are the greatest Q-cars of all time, and do the public still want them?
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