Has EVERYONE seen Jaane tu..??

Do ALL the boys in Bandra have hot girlfriends?

Can anyone afford to buy a house in Bombay now?

These are the humdrum rantings that race through my head as I write these jealous words.

Yes, Jealous

Extremely

It seems my sozzled soiree has had a most (un)desirable effect, it convinced my dear ex-best friend (you’ll see why ex best) to buy THE Ford Fiesta (now you see the cause de flare up!!) because as he calls it ‘it sounded like a boy’s ride’. And not just that the evil knievel actually gets a swank free watch FREE with it!!

Since someone somewhere is taking me seriously lemme take this opportunity to record his experience as briefly as possible (coz it hurts) since I’m getting nowhere near a new car given my current bank unbalance, so here goes –

Moolah/ Dosh / greens – it seems the Ford Fiesta costs 848,629/- and Sammy (that’s Sameer Valechha, VP, Swincap Securities to you) simply walked in to the showroom, met this suave cool folks who seem to have charmed him (he gave me a BIIIG lowdown on intelligent well-informed customer interaction being the future of retail or some such) and decided he wanted to get one of the feisty babies right THERE!!!

LOAN – HA HA HA – this part I really like – turns out Sammy the Moneybag needs a loan to buy a new car! So he plonks his salary slip, PAN card AND credit card to get a loan!! And here’s the best part, its gonna take 1 week for his car to arrive (although I must admit, it’s a bit better than the wait on some other wheels in town right now).

For the financially uninitiated reader here’s a checklist of d and documents before you lose your heart to a four wheeled beauty –

a) ID Proof (typically a copy of the PAN card/Driver’s License / Valid Photo ID)

b) Salary slip / IT returns

But honestly if you are in Delhi or Bombay, Please, Please, Puhleeease… spend some time getting to know your new car. Be familiar with the handling and capabilities of your car. Nothing irritates me more than to see a driver choking traffic because s/he doesn’t know the turning radius of the car!!!!!

So, my soliloquy ends here. Sammy is over the moon pretty much like the proverbial cow and I will soon have access to the jizzin Ford Fiesta 1.6S, after all what else are friends for (wink wink)

I find myself in a thoughtful mood today. Something of a rarity I must admit. So, this is a more inward looking, contemplative. I was invited to a rather wonderful preview of a Bollywood film yesterday. The film show extended into a party right there in the cinema and suddenly I was in a group of strangers with a keen sense that I’d known them all along! So, the long and short of it was that yours truly needed a ride back home when the melee go over and was promptly offered one by a stylish and smartly dressed (though not very bright as you’ll see) couple in their Maruti Suzuki SX 4.

Now, my kaboozers were still singeing from burning the rubber in the Ford Fiesta 1.6S so I couldn’t resist asking them for some real time feedback and I think I did sing a little while describing my TD. This didn’t go down very well with my host (and driver) and I was deposited by the sidewalk, he’d mistaken my glad rantings for the Fiesta as against his ride (well, not so bright, you see). Make n mistake, the SX4 is not to be dismissed lightly but I find myself partial to the Fiesta. So there, the contemplation (partly for having shot my mouth off with a little help from some roset` wine) and thought has now convinced me that I should get to the end of it. So expect more on this!!

Way back in the 1970s, Ford was facing some stiff competition from companies like Fiat and Renault in the so called small car section…. Then in 1975, was born the very first Fiesta(apparently the product project “Bobcat” ….. sounds like a 007 story plot)and the Mark One was the first Fiesta(1976) to ever be launche…… Fast forward to 2008 and we have the sixth generation staring at us, the lineage to speak of… and the new baby out of the Ford India stable(Ford India established in 1995)… the Ford Fiesta 1.6S… sportier, better looks and the inclusion of 15” alloys a nice change(but the exposed wheel nuts…..the design takes hits a small glitch for me there..)

There is so much to talk about the Sports variant…. This car marks the end of the 1.4L Fiesta petrol variant (1.4L Duratorq still available)… Now, a 1.6L 101PS Duratec(aka petrol version) engine powering the car(a little step down from the European versions..) The facelift was the first thing I wanted to check out… considering the old plain boring look… the lower grille is trapezoidal in shape with the addition of the twin jewel (dealers words…) effect headlamps with a black surround… Its new styling, evidence of the European or kinetic design being incorporated.. however marginal changes only(kind of sad… more restyling was possible…) The new additions being the spoiler, a chrome tip exhaust… throw in some cool vinyls and your Fiesta can appeal to the common man…..(some racing vinyls to show off maybe..) and the colour during the launch being Aquarius Blue(wow… nice choice Ford India)

The Fiesta 1.6S comes with a sporty body kit and the tail lights remaining unchanged… the upper and lower front grille with a new look honeycomb structure (buzzz…..) All in all a better looking Fiesta with 175/65R 15 tubeless tyres(obviously 4 in number) but that does not speak for the drive the Fiesta series offers… arguably one of the best handling in the market and one which I would drive all day if I had nothing better to do(till I got dragged out… with the wife bellowing at me…. callous towards life I am according to her…) Next time, a look into the engine as well as the suspension of the Fiesta(responsible for me wanting to break out of home and drive the Fiesta all day..) and a further more technical discussion about the new kid on the block… the Fiesta 1.6S

Ciao till then and don’t forget to view this space with that morning/afternoon/evening beverage/soft drink/milk in your hand..

Cars are like wild, untamed horses. Under their bonnets lie the heart- the engine. Roaring to life as we push down on the throttle, feeling a burst of speed as the sportscar comes to life. Same is when we tame a wild mustang as it rides through the countryside with power and finesse, majestic in every stride. However, a dead horse is a loss to Nature; the death of a beautiful creature often is tragic… similarly car companies have also died through the ages, although these metallic beasts adorn a new attire and identity to ride once again under a new banner or a new flagship. The same however cannot be said for the living flesh and bones of their mortal counterparts.

So where does Aston Martin stand right now? Considering the above relationship, many would argue that it is on its last legs, desperate to charm audiences using the James Bond theme, trying to garner support from the movie-watchers worldwide, selling cars through the movies seems to be the direction they are heading in. The various lines launched by them haven’t exactly reached a lukewarm response from the markets worldwide with a modest of dealership programme of 128 dealers in 20 countries. Well what should be done?? Should Aston Martin just pack up and decide to stop making new cars? Should movie watchers expect a new car brand to be endorsed by Hollywood film-makers from 2015?? Worse still, should the image of “Aston Martin” fade away in its present glory??? Leaving a younger generation to assign it a status equivalent to that of a DODO….

OFCOURSE NOT…. That is the pessimistic way out. The “Never say die” attitude of the company has brought it to where it is today… It is today a quintessential British sports car and deserves that honour no matter which British company you look at. It maybe no McLaren or TVR or not even be a Ferrari…. That’s the whole point…. Aston Martin is an enigma… an icon nevertheless… No one knows what its future maybe or what it should be.. Who better than Prodrive CEO David Richards to answer the critics of the car industry today… Why would any sane man acquire a 92% stake from Ford in a company many have deemed to be slowly seeing the end of the light…. It’s called passion.. A never-ending urge to orchestrate a makeover some people might deem mundane or useless. But, winners don’t do different things.. they do things differently. Lets hope Dave Richards is able to carry on the Aston Martin name and make Lionel Martin proud and boy, are we Aston Martin enthusiasts waiting for their new baby to come out?? The Aston Martin DBS already has the looks to melt any supercar lover as well silence many critics the world over and judging from the ever-growing popularity of the James Bond movie franchise, Aston Martin is a name many car companies have to watch out in the not so distant future.

It’s been a while since I’ve paid a visit to my dear blog and that’s just because I’ve been snowed over with work. However, it’s not just been about work. There has been a fair bit of play. I did a drive down to Rajasthan last month in a friend’s Honda City 1.5 Exi [Type 1]. The journey was great, except for a few [sand] pit stops in Jaisalmer.

Anyway, I’m planning on giving a full account of my travels in another post, but now I just want to gush about cars in general. I feel like it, sue me. Also, due to my long hiatus from the blog, I’ve roped in a fellow auto punk/writer who’s got far more meat on the current auto scenario than I can ever manage to gather. We’re going to be something like the twins in The Prestige – Arun Kumar I and Arun Kumar II – you spot the difference! Anyway, what matters is that my Man Friday [Saturday, Sunday, Monday…] will be more than happy to be posting at least thrice a week with some seriously interesting dirt, so I’d strongly suggest you tune in.

In the meanwhile, a little from me – The God of All Things.

I haven’t seen or driven much in the past few months, except for a sneak peek at the new Honda Accord. I like the new styling – sharper angles giving it that very fresh and aggressive look. The auto gurus have been calling it many things – Sporty, muscular, sexy, blah, blu, blee…I think it’s certainly more interesting than the old. The interior is bigger and roomier with a thoughtful layout and plenty of elbow, leg and head room.

The instruments and controls are well placed. The Accord comes with a four-cylinder, 2.4 i-VTEC that develops 178bhp, 38 more than its predecessor! Nice, huh?

Well, I could go on about the Accord and would if it wasn’t for the fact that my mind keeps racing to the Ferrari California! Please tell me you have seen this!? Please somebody write a letter to Bollywood and ask one of those schmucks to buy this car so that we can letch at it up close. The California is the latest addition in the prancing horse’ eight cylinder family, but unlike the F430, the engine is at the front, drive the rear wheels. This new one is available as a convertible with a folding hard top. Both Chassis and bodywork are aluminium, in line with the rest of the current range. And, and, and… the California is powered by a ‘new’ V8 engine! Jeepers!

Ferrari’s also made more innovations than Apple on this one. The California’s 4.3 V8 engine features direct fuel injection and a flat crankshaft. The two seater generates 460bhp at 7500rpm and Ferrari claims that 0 to 100kph is reached in less than four seconds! It also features a seven speed dual clutch transmission. Brembo brakes featuring carbon-ceramic material discs… I don’t know what carbon-ceramic disc brakes are, but they sound like they could stop a freaking Concorde’s landing.

Ah well, so much for auto wanking. I’ve had a nice time and I’m ready to get working on my Rajasthan story. But, at least we’re in business again! Over to you my friend and auto twin. Please keep those posts coming!