Sao what?

South Africa: a country with a fascinating domestic motor industry (Austin Apache, Ford Sierra XR8 and Volkswagen CitiGolf to name just three of the interesting cars built there) but not one known for exports. Apart from the Ford P100, which doesn't really count as it was a pickup truck or 'bakkie' in the vernacular, you'd probably struggle to think of any South African car that was officially imported to the UK. In fact there has only ever been one and it has long since vanished into automotive oblivion. What was this mythical beast then? Read on to find out...

An even more Unexceptional day

Today saw the return to Whittlebury Park of Hagerty's Festival of the Unexceptional, which I first blogged about last year. Now in its third year, it is an event that just keeps getting better and I can honestly say this was probably the best car show I have ever been to in terms of the type and variety of exhibits (and it's completely free of charge too). This year the date had been moved to avoid clashing with the nearby Silverstone Classic, having established itself as being strong enough to stand alone, and this seemed to do wonders for visitor numbers, as of course did the fine weather.

Allegro points the way to the field of wonders...

The collectability paradox

One question I am often asked is why I buy collectable models only to destroy their originality by repainting or converting them, as surely that is a waste of a rare and valuable collectors' item and I'm losing a large sum of my hard-earned money in the process. I approach my collecting with a healthy dose of realism so I justify it purely as an interest that makes me happy and not one that makes me money, and it is taking a common mass-produced model and creating something personal and unique from it that gives me most pleasure. Sadly for those who believe the hype, logic dictates it is very rarely the case that something advertised as a 'collectors' item' will ever actually become collectable, and buying these models as an investment is extremely unlikely to pay off.

Chris Evans and New Top Gear

Love it or hate it, you can't ignore BBC Top Gear and its new incarnation has certainly provoked a huge reaction right from the start, culminating in Chris Evans's recent resignation after making a single series. The show has always had a very vocal fan base, many of whom have been very quick to criticise everything the new presenters do and had already written off the latest series as a failure before it even aired simply due to the absence of Jeremy Clarkson. I took a more open-minded approach and tried to watch it without letting my preconceptions of how it used to be influence my view too much, but I do feel Evans may have made the right decision as despite his best efforts he just didn't seem to gel with the show and wasn't the right man for the job.