Carfreax

CARS & CHAMPAGNE

Hills filled with concrete architecture that is far from "now". Narrow streets with steep inclines. I never travelled a complete country in one afternoon, ...by feet that is. The silence, the wealth. Somehow so passe that it starts be cool again, like the tiles in your grandparents bathrooms many decades ago. Monaco, you can repaint it, but it will never be as fresh again. On the other hand, the mellow breeze and the warm champagne light that bounces of the facades feel really good this time of year. Magic hour at the Mediterranean Sea.

-Matt.

SWINGING LONDON

Touch down in London for a quick visit, soaking up the energy of this swinging city. "Why are you here, now?" Mainly this day will be colored with art, colleges and royals. In between though I scan the streets to update my view on britishness 2012. It is a jungle out here, but is a Camel Trophy the answer? We Chelsea.

-Matt.

TOKYO MOTOR SHOW PART III

Are you ready? Damn right we are! This is the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show and we are here to soak up the energy. Japan, a country with a positive and sympathetic attitude. The tsunami earlier this year had a major impact. Still one can feel the the aftermath of the catastrophe reverbing. The annual motor show as a kind of catharsis.

I have always thought of Japan and France being the most creative cultures to push new concepts of mobility. Playful, full of humor and daring. The Tokyo experience seems to underline this hypothesis. For hours we bump from one strange thought dressed up as means of mobility into the other. An eclectic mix of style and technology.

After the obvious we move to the west halls for some haute couture. Projects seen somewhere else before perfectly tangent to the asian thought of mobility. Off beat, out of sync, over here, nothing is impossible.Wooden cars, a link to tradition, strange packages. The olympic games of the industry. Let's go crazy and be proud of it.

This is your usual press days hectic, but with a different taste. The difference is in the detail. Why do we so many wind deflectors on cars over here. The use of the climate controls is local and so is the atmosphere. Breathing masks, eye for detail, taking pictures with a strange perspective. We adapt as we move on.

After a long day I am loaded with impressions. Japan, the country of the hybrid, the mould breaking approach, the friendly and the technological, the robot and the  manga. It is all summed up at the motor show. It is five o'clock as we call it an automotive day. Let's hit the streets of Tokyo to inhale reality while we still have time.

-Matt.

TOKYO MOTOR SHOW PART II

A stroll over the Tokyo Motor Show. What is served by the big three of Japan? I have a soft spot for Honda. This is the brand of the spaghetti exhausted '67 Formula One racer, the Monkey motor cycle, the groundbreaking Jazz and the Senna inspired NSX. The  asian brand can be seen as the BMW of the east, innovative and still independent. A spyder concept loaded with carbon, a foldable scooter, a mobility concept and a racy livered motor cycle. A range of heritage dressed up for today. Inspiring.

Suzuki shows a bunch of rather quirky concepts, based on tomorrows  needs and sustainability. The green car is classic, strange, organic and pixelated at the same time.A blend of efficiency and nu-tech. I have to get used to my cup of tea with a chai flavor.

Toyota. The biggest player on a global scale seems to have re-invented itself from a rather dull overall brand to a more lively identity. The Tokyo Motor Show as a reset button. Positive, colorful, playful and human. Fun to drive again, Jean Reno included. We stand in front of a concept with projected graphics on a body side, waiting for a change. After five minutes we give up, realizing this innovative idea is rather static. Reborn? Not yet.

-Matt.

TOKYO MOTOR SHOW PART I

I have never been here before, and yet I feel at home. The Tokyo Motor Show, it has always been on top of my list since I was a kid. One of the grand slams of automotive car shows and probably the most exotic in the pack. The Asian view on things. Finally a check mark after all those years. Hardly I have put this event in context before we hit the floors of the quiet compact compound. With a group of colleagues we have touched down on Japanese ground and are still lost in translation.

To get in contact we start with the oblivious. The German side of the show. The Audi corporate identity suits the location. Clean, professional and with a local touch. Love the graphics on the soccer edition Audi A1. Neat colored detailing inside of the head lamps.

Tokyo seems to be a good opportunity to take a second and more intense glance at concepts I have seen in Frankfurt before. The rounded and also edgy Smart concept feels more at home in this urban environment. Formed in a different medium, plastics can be formed so precise and crisp, inside and out. This compact car is loaded with innovative ideas. The big and blobby Mercer fits the Tokyo approach. Let's show a crazy vision of the future.

We walk the floors of the show as we hear the touching speech of the European biggest CEO, addressing the power and innovation of Japanese car culture and its role in the automotive industry. Put aside all the novelties this is also a kind of resurrection of a country after the Fukushima disaster. The team from Wolfsburg surprises with a cross over coupe, based on a new platform. It looks great in overall stance and detailing. One of my Tokyo high lights. 

Another Wolfsburg premiere is a special edition Beetle, featuring a rather rock and roll in your face theme. Volkswagen goes guitar hero with the Stratocaster. The wood inlays are fake, but hey, this is Tokyo!

-Matt.

DUTCH DESIGN WEEK - PART ONE

Wednesday afternoon. After a smooth ride from Germany we arrive in the centre of Eindhoven. Last years report on the Dutch Design Week had its impact in Ingolstadt. Close to Italy the Bavarians normally look south for inspiration. Milano is just a couple of hours drive. This year it is different. We travel in a pack to the city of lights. The coming days I guide my colleagues through the vast amount of design related exhibitions and ateliers. A plan by the minute, full of interesting meets and greets, inspiration and spontaneous happenings, trying to get a grip on what's dutch.

Eindhoven. Energy. A city on the move. A wide spread section of the city formally in the firm hands of a local industrial player called Philips has turned into a playground for start ups and creative heads. Once again, a comparison with Berlin turns up. An urban landscape that re-invents it self every year. Ateliers today, lofts tomorrow. As we park our car in Strijp S, we take a look at the bobcats stripping down an industrial compound that housed one of last years events. Next year this place will be "exciting lofts at the epicenter of a creative environment". Your bio, herbal, tea to-go will be served around the corner, located a bricked building block of the industrial era.

Strijp S, it will be our pivot point the coming days. On the axis of design this is the professional business location of the Dutch Design Week. On the other hand a perfect place to witness an event that has turned into an experience, hence the emphasis on eateries and lunch opportunities.

What is on our menu for a starter? The Clock Building turns out to be the right thing to dive into the DDW. A wide array of impressions, tied to each other by labyrinth of minimalistic white canvasses. What we see in between is a summary of Dutch design now!

Craftsmanship meets tech. Material explorations. Witty statements with a tongue in cheek approach.  Scale up, invert, surprise, the classical tools of the Dutch attitude. Wood, glass, colors. Say cheese. Mix, sample, re-invent.

To cut it short the exhibition is all about design led by technology with a strong human or personal touch. The bias tends to the customized and crafty. Laser cut, check, bio degradable, check, one offs, double check. The story behind the object is in the foreground.

Concepts I have seen last year have been transformed into new objects. "Why are you taking a picture of my cupboard?" Because of the birch finishing! A continuation of a theme. Visiting the DDW for a couple of years means seeing the shifting tectonic plates. Last year the seat, this year the table. Talking directly to the makers and their intensions is what is the the interesting part.

Meeting designers. Proudly they present their work.  Every now an then I bump into people I have seen before during my academy years. I have turn left, they right.  A bright yellow bench made of fire hoses. Broken pottery glued together with gold, keeping the sweet memory of heritage and childhood alive. The  phenomenon of magnetism turns a lamp into an attractive toy. Simplicity works!

Connections are the glue in the design equation. Re-connecting used materials, steel, wood, ceramics, paper. After a couple of hours my camera is filled with images and impressions. There is so much to see. What I miss in general is a high tech, industrial approach. It is the individual, low tech, crafty things that turn heads in Eindhoven. This is just the beginning  so let's wait for the final judgement.

The end of day one. The weather is mild and the sun sets. We discover another building that is close before its  final tear down. A relaxed atmosphere and cheap drinks. The theme is about City Hacking. Beautiful installations displaying the urban landscape, presented in statistics, models and pure poetry. The DJ plays a jazzy tune as we walk from room to room.

The improvised meets architecture. An almost anarchist feeling, comfy and disturbing at the same time. Creativity needs destruction. Welcome to Eindhoven. A city on the move! Next year this place might be your loft,. Let's enjoy the time in the meanwhile.

- Matt.

PORSCHE MUSEUM

A saturday in may. Dashing the autobahns in a TT RS. Four automotive cities in one day: Ingolstadt, Muenchen, Stuttgart, Zuffenhausen. The short list for a museum trip through Germany. That concept is on another page though. Today we head towards the 125 Jahre Auto Event in the center of Stuttgart. Nevertheless we manage to visit one of the museums to top of a fantastic day.

We still have a little hour left after finishing the concours down town. Porsche or Mercedes, let's toss a dime. Shortly after we stand in front of a white geometric crystalline building. A nice contrast with the cars inside. The place is empty. The final hour. And yes, some of the cars have left their podium for tomorrows event. 

The escalators upstairs and then a jaw dropping scene. An immaculate collection, cars in a more than perfect condition, presented in a black and white scenery. This is insane! A string of high lights. Little time to think, carfreax in the candy store, kneeling down for each icon, trying to grasp the spirit. Martini and Rothmans, Pig and Sunoco. A landscape of 917's with accompanying soundscapes and historical graphics.

A short and intense visit. This place should be your Mecca if you are into cars. Within 60 minutes you will experience that Porsche is a religion.

-Matt.

PASS MASTERS

The scenery, the cars, it all looked great on the pictures. The first edition of an exhilarating event. A bunch of cars slicing the Alps in three days. That was last year. It is the beginning of June. One year later things look different. No longer am I limited to see the aftermath, I am in the middle of the action! Cars tagged with numbers and stickers. This is not a race, but a extremely well organized get together of passionate car enthusiasts.

Pass Masters 2011. Friday morning, I arrive late in Munich at the Haus der Kunst. The parking lot is closed, or better, reserved for a private happening. The lady at the gate looks at me with a slightly grim face. "One of them I guess?" The gravel cracks as I slowly roll around the corner. It is raining. Action. A jaw dropping colorful avalanche of metal. My pulse rises, excitement. Finally I am awake. This is amazing. Exotic and classic cars parked all over the place. People putting stickers on the flanks of their beauties.

A couple of minutes later I return to my car. Road book, "racing" numbers and some Carfreax.com stickers, a last minute action by me and Steve with the help of Florian. The latter is one of the style police crew, giving the event a graphical identity and in charge of documentation. I wonder why I am given number 77, a late arrival or does it just looks great on a TT Mark I? It mimics the name of the car. During the event one can undoubtedly see the the concept looking at the other cars. Designers at work that is.

No time to take pictures. In a pack we leave the compound, cruising through Munich. Bystanders point fingers, smiling faces. Soon after I got lost, followed by a Porsche. "One of us" I think. Together and with the help of the soft voice from the navigation we make it to the autobahn, direction south. We catch up with other members of the group. A first flexing of muscles, ready for the Alps, hungry for some hairpins.

A regroup at a Raststaette. The whole bunch together. More than seventy cars, about one hundred petrol heads. Magnificent vibes. Click click. A final call, "let's take it easy guys, this is not a Gumball trip". No space to speed. Soon after we are struck in traffic. An opportunity to open the stylized lunch package and let the pack of cars slowly pass by. Mustangs, Beetles, Porsches, Italian classics. To much to name all of them.

On the other side of the border, after Garmisch, the group of cars thins out quickly. After I stop for some pictures I am on my own. Every now and then I grab the road book from the passenger seat. Still on track, with my own pace, aiming for the end of stage 2. First steep climbs. "Over crest, cows, maybe" I think as I speed through the "Kuh Tal".

At the Oetztaler Glacier I catch up with the others, just in time. Or not. It rains and its cold. We won't go through the clouds today, but still, heaven is just some miles away. Direction Italy. A pearl necklace of passes, swinging asphalt and twisty roads. Don't have the rhythm yet, but slowly it's coming. The quattro feels great, grippy and eager for more.

Goodwood is just one week ago. The images still burn on my retina. This, though, is my private hill climb. Pure action. With every curve the bond between men and machine gets more intense, almost intimate. No squealing wheels, over- or understeer so far. A certain respect for road, car and my own limits. Ups and downs, I am getting in the flow, cutting the curves sharper by the minute.

Finally Italy. A quick look in the road book. Miles away from our destination and still quiet a bit to travel. Am I ahead or behind the pack? I can only guess. Did I take to many stops trying to freeze the moments when the amazing landscapes unfold? The play of light and shadows, the stony tectonic breaks and amazing formations of rocks. It all flies by in a rush. A kinetic experience, hard to nail down in a picture. I up the speed, hoping to be one time for the end of stage 3.

Carfreax in the mist. At the top of one pass I meet some others. Steve and I take some quick shots in a blurry environment. His R8, numbered 88 parked next to my 77. The tuned beetle passes, fighting for speed. "Ready to go?" "Damn, I like this!" A gray windshield, no sight. Soon after the stinging breaking lights of Steve dilute into the fog. A different league, or attitude.

Some hours and many hairpins later the last pass before Bolzano. Penser Joch. I have seen the Veyrons taking a break and have been chasing a MX5. The group is mixed up once again. Lost the feeling of time and space. This must be the concept of the Pass Masters. The last stint is a hard one. Curvy stretches of mountain roads, pushing the clutch every couple of seconds. It is getting late and I am craving for some pizza.

The journey is the reward. I flip through the maps to get a feeling where the f#*k I am. Must have taken the wrong turn somewhere. The Seisser Alm is our final destination for today. After some u turns I coincidentally bump into a pack of Pass Masters, chasing the Italian hills. We stop a couple of times and decide to let the navigation be our master for the last miles of the day. In a rather adventurous way we reach our destination. The road through the woods gets narrower with every curve. A look in my rear view mirror to check if the wide Diablo is able to make it. Vrooop Vrooop.

A phone call to number 88. Steve must be behind me. Must have been quicker than I thought. We re-unite at the local pizzeria, craving for food and sharing impressions of a fantastic first day.Tired after an intensive.day one. One hundred petrol heads with empty stomachs, but loaded with stories. Along the way we have lost some cars and we will loose some more the day after.

The saturday will be another ride through heaven, crossing the holy grounds of motorists walhalla. The Dolomites are the decorum with its impressive rock formations. Another 300 Kilometers of passes. This time with a co driver. Bernd's quattro has a troubled fuel pump. We listen to jazz music as we slice through the greens of northern Italy. Another perfect day, topped with a neat dinner in the middle of nowhere. Petrol holidays.

1200 Km. Those are the back lid numbers as I return home on late sunday evening. These are just the facts. I spastically open the door in Ingolstadt, the gear changes still reverb in my nerves. 4th, 3th, 2th, a quick turn, throttle. I mastered the passes. Man meets machine.

-Matt.

GENEVA REVIEW - PART 4

Proportions

I have a soft spot for the Nissan Z cars. The 240 is a classic, the 350 might be one in a couple of years and although the 370 looks bulky it has an original design theme. What is next? Take away the zero emission marketing bla bla and the Esflow might be a well balanced follow up. Presented in a liquid silver the car looks good in metal. Loving the proportions and sculpted surfacing. The interior sports a sixties Corvette-esque architecture, be it a bit heavy looking. Nevertheless one of the cars I spend some time on during this years show.

- Mattijs.

GENEVA REVIEW - PART 3

Sympathy bonus

The Nissan Townpod turns on its plate as I try to focus my camera. Although the overall size of this urban vehicle is hard to judge and its front end is quiet strange in a sympathic way, it gets my thumbs up for the detailing and the resolved surfacing. And yes, this car may be standing on "the best rim of the show". Kudos also go to the neat and subtile blue eloxated aluminium bits and pieces, scattered in and out. Cube gone spheric.

- Mattijs.

GENEVA REVIEW - PART 1

A personal touch

Press days in Geneva. Once again I have the opportunity to visit the start of the motoring season in Switzerland. We are stuck in the early commuter traffic and miss the first unveilings on tuesday. It is 8:30 AM when we hit the floor and stumble into the ongoing circus. We have come here to look at what is new, meet friends and partners in crime. Two days of buzz.

This year Geneva has a personal touch. For months we have been working hard in a closed studio on a car that is being presented here. The Audi A3 Concept. After hours of fine tuning it feels good to see the final product in its natural habitat, the show. Camera teams swirl around the compact sedan, doors being opened, details explained. Happy faces and good reactions. Time to take a photo with part of the team that worked on the car. It is time to enjoy and take a long zig zag walk around Geneva's candy store.

- Mattijs.

GOODWOOD SUNDAY

Sunday, the final day of the festival. Inspired we will return to Germany with stacks of pictures. Should I take off the itching green wrist band or go back one more time for a final bite? "Just a couple of hours, let's take it easy today". Sniffing petrol is addictive. As junkies we stand behind a Mercedes W196 that is being warmed up in full glory. A fantastic and impressive ceremony. A team of mechanics does a final check while the driver pushes the pedal deeper and deeper into the foot well. The sound is deafening, the air vibrates. With every push the needle of the rev counter climbs closer to the red limit. I try to point out a detail to Steve, but he doesn't understand a word of it. Finally the car leaves the paddock in full vroaarr and the scene turns back to peace.

GOODWOOD SATURDAY

Saturday at the festival. Many British visitors have come to sniff some petrol. The place is packed. A full day lays ahead of us, filled with new perspectives and unexpected impressions. In the end it turns out to be our longest day at the compound, but at this early morning we hit the scene one more time with fresh energy.

Let's start where we left off the night before. Martini anyone? Hell yes! We stroll through the Formula 1 paddock and stumble on a wide, bright racing car. Silently we move around the Lancia Beta Monte Carlo, trying to get a grip on the legendary livery. Powerful blue and red paint, accompanied by reduced decals. In the details one finds the uncompromised racing attitude. Stripes follow function.

GOODWOOD FRIDAY

Friday morning. After a hearty breakfast we hit the road. Our navigation guides us through narrow and twisty roads. The flowing landscape reveals itself through a blur of green hedges. We get a taste of what is coming as we tune in to 87.7 AM. A dry cockney voice splutters through the speakers. "This is radio Goodwood, bringing you all the latest news of the Festival. We expect a bright and sunny day, filled with fantastic events".

Half an hour later we park our cars, get our tickets and walk up to the entrance, full of excitement. The lot is filled with exotic sport cars and campers. Gear heads united. For the next couple of days Goodwood is our garden and the Festival of Speed our walhalla. A feast for the eye and the ear.

Finally we are here. At this early morning the place is already crowded. Masses of people slowly move through the commercial section. Magazines, t-shirts, energy drinks, formula one displays. Things have changed here since my last visit. We quickly take a short cut to the heart of the festival, aiming for the Goodwood house.

Emotionally it turns out to be the hard way. We feel like kids in a candy store. Distraction everywhere. Shiny metal and revving engines. Before I realize it I have lost the others. Steve is taking his first pictures, Stevie dries his hair behind the fuming exhaust of a classic racer and Nathalie thinks she has seen the Stig. This zig-zagging through a wonderful cocktail of automobile culture won't change the following days. We have time to consume every sweet bit.

The Goodwood House is the pivot point of the festival. We will return here many times, be it for lunch or to stare at the impressive quadrifoglio sculpture. Alfa Romeo celebrates its centennial and has brought most of its master pieces to the UK. The italians are omnipresent. On the circuit, in the paddocks and many displays, this years color is definitely red.

DUTCH DESIGN WEEK

Last year I took a quick look at the Dutch Design Week. This year I come back for more, and for a change I managed to turn it into a business trip. It also means scanning the dutch style landscape with a higher resolution. A journey through Eindhoven with the right equipment; the perfect car and a charged camera. Three objectives in my bag, ready for the broad perspective and the microscopic view. The Dutch Design Week summed up in pictures.