Steve Cropley
Time to overhaul classic car market
MONDAY
The more I drive our Toyota Prius PHEV, my main means of transport these past few weeks, the better I like it. More important is that we all like it: Mr Tisshaw gives it a thumbs-up having consistently returned 110-120mpg on his brisk 50-mile commute, and reports enjoying the newage challenge of managing the battery power. The key to spectacular economy and emitting very little CO2 – to me, the key to the whole car – is to use the Prius’s 30-35 miles of electric potential wisely and replenish it often. It’s fun: the tales one hears of people buying PHEVS for their low company car tax and never showing them a charging point are depressing.
Not that this is a general reaction. Even people you wouldn’t class as car-lovers see the words ‘PLUG-IN’ on the Prius’s flanks and ask you about it (more often in supermarkets than filling stations). Many now know driving PHEVS is set to become a big part of motoring life. My message is always the same: come on in, the water’s fine.
TUESDAY
Our Frankfurt interview with Volkswagen Group chief Matthias Müller (p54) reminds me how badly, and for how long, I’d wanted to ask him one burning question: why on earth would you take a job like this when you don’t have to? Any 44-year veteran of VW’S top table is already wealthy; why would he step into the white-hot cauldron of bubbling trouble that is the CEO’S job?
Müller’s answer was candid and modest. I really liked him for it. Even more, I admired the words he used to launch Roadmap E, the grand electrification plan VW bosses believe will lead the industry into a bold new era: “This is not some vague declaration of intent. It is a strong self-commitment which from today becomes the yardstick by which we will measure our own performance.” Big words were needed; Müller sounded almost Churchillian.
WEDNESDAY
No boasting, but we’re rather pleased with last week’s cover (see above, on the right), which predicts the 2019 arrival of a compact Land Rover saloon-and-a-bit crossover codenamed Road Rover. The story – which has proved to be remarkably accurate – has an interesting echo. We did the same back in 2006 (above, on the left) when we predicted, three years out, the arrival of the Evoque that ushered in an entirely new era of Land Rover design. We didn’t know the new car’s name in those days, but neither did its creators…
Many great cars have moved beyond the reach of private owners who would love them
THURSDAY
Classic cars have peaked. Close to half the lots offered in recent big-note sales were passed in, mainly because buyers are growing reluctant and sellers remain too ambitious – which is leading auction spokespeople to say what they always do at times like these: less than perfect stock may be off a bit, but the best stuff is still flying.
To tell the truth, I reckon it’s high time for a shakeout. So many great cars have moved far beyond the reach of private owners who would love them and into the perspiring grip of ‘collectors’ who only want to turn a profit. The proof for me is instantly obvious from Porsche 911 prices. A half-decent 30-year-old whale-tail Carrera 3.2 can set you back 20-40% more than a better, quicker, lower-mile, more durable and much nicer to drive 997. Of course, comments like this always attract moans from existing owners worried about their investments, and there’s a half-valid point to be made about the comparative rarity of the earlier Porsches. But I still say a correction is overdue.