The last decade….
December 31st, 2009, Features
Another decade has gone by….this one a bit more quickly, or so it seems. Or, does it only feel that way to those of us who have been around a little longer? Looking back over the last ten years we (of course) look at what happened in the car world.
What were the most significant cars over the last 10 years? A few come to mind, but only a few, really. First - the BMW Z8; fantastic. We are of the opinion that the Z8 is one of THE most handsome and perfectly proportioned cars built- ever! The Z8 is a great driving car and certainly a great Grand Touring car rather than a full blown sports car. It is a car that one can get a great looking lady and a set of golf clubs in; not having to give up either is a huge plus. This is a very competent car that will take enough luggage for a few days and is comfortable to drive for hours and hours. The car was also built in very limited numbers and for only three short years; a future collectable for sure and one of our favorites of all time.
Porsche Carrera GT; without question the best car we have ever had the opportunity to drive on a track. If we could only choose one car and money being no object, this is most likely the car….yeah, this is the car. Fast? OH MY GOD!!! The noise the car makes….GLORIOUS/ SYMPHONIC! Before we had the good fortune to drive the car at Cal. Speedway (it will always be Cal Speedway, rather like Sears Point will always be Sears Point) we were told that the GT was a handful, that it was tail happy; a “monster”. Not true. The car does exactly what is asked of it…it is simply far more capable than 99.99999% of the drivers who own one. If one checks his/her ego, leaving it in pit lane, and drives the car within ones ability, not the cars, the car is simply fantastic. Push it beyond what you as a driver are capable of…different story. This is where one must admit that he is not Schumacher…regardless of how much money you may have…..but, this is whole different subject. It is also a bloody great looking car!!! An absolute collectable - the price of admission steep, but, if you had an extra $300,000 -$400,000….……
The Ferrari 360 Modena is a fantastic car as well; a car with fantastic balance, great feedback and feel (compared to the earlier cars) and is a seemingly bullet-proof reliable car. The car is great looking and ergonomically friendly. It is also a fantastic track car. We certainly prefer the manual gearbox over the F1 paddle shifter, but, then again we think this true regardless of the manufacturer. Our opinion is that REAL sports cars have real gearboxes that involve the driver, allowing the driver the opportunity to heal-toe and double clutch- you know- drive the car! Paddle shifters…..rather like going to the whore-house to listen to the piano player. The Ferrari 360 is a great car.
What else? I –Pods and I -Pod connectors for cars….LOVE IT! Being music hounds as much as car hounds, this is one of THE best things to happen in the car world. Thousands of songs on tap, no more CD cases with hundreds of CD’s….NICE!!!! No more having to stop and change CD magazines….who would have thunk it? Some of us still remember when 8 tracks were the stuff…..fewer…FM radio!
Motor Sport – We witnessed the first and perhaps only time that a Formula One driver will have won 7 World Championships. Like him or not, Herr Schumacher has accomplished what no-one else had ever done what many thought could never be done. Fangio’s record of 5 world titles was a benchmark that many believed would last for ever, rather like Ruth’s homeruns. There have been many great race car drivers…Schumacher the greatest? Perhaps!
Another First in Formula One this decade….a fantastic new comer ……a certain Lewis Hamilton comes onto F1 as a …who the heck is that …never heard of him…kind of guy and takes F1 by storm. He misses winning the F1 Championship his rookie season by one point and then wins the championship in just his second season as an F1 driver; FANTASTIC!!!
Jimmy Johnson wins 4 consecutive NASAR titles! Ok, NASCAR is not normally our favorite form of motor sport, must of the time it is a 2/1/2 hour left hand turn, but, we will admit that it is THE most competitive form of auto racing – anywhere. What we do like about NASCAR is that any driver can win at any race, starting from any position- even from dead last. So, for a guy to win 4 consecutive championships…..great driver, great team, great team owner. HUGE!
Racing also witnessed a three time transition by one driver; Juan Pablo Montoya. From Indy cars, winning the Indy 500 to Formula One, to NASCAR; a winning driver in all 3 disciplines….is he perhaps the best?
Danica Patrick wins an Indy car race. Not real surprising, she can drive a car! Bernie Ecclestone must have about crapped himself….apparently she does belong in a race car Bernie and not in the kitchen with all the other appliances as you had suggested…what an A@@. Now she may move into NASCAR for the 2010 season as well….It will be tougher there m’dear….much tougher.
There have been a number of fantastic achievements in motor sports this last decade, but none…absolutely none (in our opinion) compare to this: In 1969 a young (if my math is right) 28 year old American driver by the name of Tony Adamowicz steps out of his 1968 Trans-Am championship winning 1850 lb 200 horsepower Porsche 911 and into a 1200 lb 500+ horsepower Formula 5000 Gurney Eagle; talk about a learning curve-kind of like going from a tricycle to a GSXR. Tony wins the F5000 Championship his first year out. Impressed? Flash forward 40 years….this year. Tony climbs back into the very same car that he wins his championship with in 1969- he is now 68. The car is just as fast…if not a bit quicker than it was back in the day, meaning the car is an absolute handful for a fearless 28 year old let alone a seasoned (68 year old) driver. Tony and his Eagle, now owned by Doug Magnon form the
What is your most memorable car/car event of this decade?
O.C.C.E.
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