I learned something today

There's so much we can learn from automobiles. Everytime I see a car, or drive something new for the first time, there are so many things I realise, if not learn.


Like a good suspension system, we should be independent, and learn to deal with the bumpy bits in our life by ourselves.

And like HillAssist, we should be able to deal with life's ups and downs, and the bits in between. We should find a balance that gets us through these situations comfortably.

We should be dynamic, like a traction control system, and learn to deal with changing situations to our advantage, and never experience loss of control.

We should focus on the direction we wish to take for our lives. Like a good steering system, we should have understeer and oversteer in control, and make the required effort, and then let everything just grab the intended line.

Sometimes, to jump further, you need to take a few steps back. Just don't get stuck where you didn't want to be in the first place. Cars come with a reverse gear, and some even come with a reverse camera!

The grass is usually always greener on the other side. Rest assured, most of the times in a good car, the front seat is just as comfortable as the back seat.

It doesn't matter how much you shine when you're standing still. Just like it doesn't matter what your wheel size is. In the end, power and torque get you ahead, not blinged out wheels and fat tyres.

Don't assume that more is always better, and never underestimate yourself. You may have 400 horsepower while someone else may have 500. But if you make that at 5500 revs and the other guy's comes in at 9000, you're surely gonna have a good and happy head start, while he's left frustrated, waiting for it all to build up and eventually kick in.

With great power comes great responsibility. There's no use having an engine making a thousand horsepower if you can't find a gearbox that can take it and put it to good use.

Always keep your guard up in questionable situations. A laminated windshield will not shatter in the event of a direct hit. Some cars like Volvo's S80, even come with laminated side windows.

You don't need eyes in the back of your head. Just glance back every now and then to ascertain your position before assuming anything. Objects in the rear view mirror may be closer than they appear.

Take time to pay attention to the small details, and don't rely on just the big picture. Even an airbag won't deploy if your seat belt isn't fastened.

Keep your choices vast and enjoy the different gifts of life. Like a good audio system, enjoy different kinds of music. Be it the radio, or a multi-disc changer.

Don't get too excited when presented with something you've waited for for a while. That's why launch control keeps your revs and tyres in check. You don't wanna meet a great road and lose out on the fun because of a silly mistake right at the start.

Like tyre pressure, keep your blood pressure in check. This will lead to more efficiency and a smoother ride.

And most importantly, like a good engine layout, always have your heart in the right place.

Remember, there's always someone waiting for you. So ride/drive safe.

The new yore

What can I say, the day has arrived. Of course, 116% import duty still intact, the foray of major manufacturers into the Indian automobile market is stunning. I'd like to say, "Who'd've thunk it?" and I do.

India now has a market for all the ultra-exclusive examples. Bentley and Lamborghini brought house first, followed by Bugatti, all thanks to Volkswagen; and now Aston Martin, Koenigsegg and Ferrari are barging in. Ferrari has been testing the waters far too long now. Just bring it already.. AMG is established, as is M. Brabus and Hamann have quietly been seeping in as well. And just look at the choices you have if you're looking to spend upwards of 3 crore on a car. You have everything from a Lamborghini Murcielago, Merc SL Black and Aston Rapide to an Armored Range Rover, Phantom or even the mighty Bugatti Veyron, which tops out even that farmhouse investment at about 22 crore on the road (!!)

Some thoughts now. First, as I recall, the Land Rover Discovery. Sure. It looks like someone put a cardboard cabin on the back of a pickup. But it will whoop the Merc ML left, right, centre, over and above.. The Fortuner is huge for it's price, and is only selling because it's a "new launch" from Toyota. However, if it were me, a 20 year old horrifically underpowered engine in an 11 year old design with wooden brakes is not to my liking, thanks. SUVs nowadays are a far cry from say the Jeep, the Defender, and of course, the Humvee.

Hummer, what a time to go on sabbatical (as I'd like to think). In a market where big, obnoxious cars, some as useless as the Fortuner, sell to the rural-minded on sheer size, Hummer (or Hammer as it is popularly known to the less-read) would have been the ideal car, not just for them, but also for the afficionados alike.

Thank God for the Thar then.

Three's a crowd..

People say a lot of things..

They say there's two sides to every story..

They say there's the two sides of a coin..

I say, the coin rolls only because of it's third side.
The side that isn't considered, but most certainly exists.
True, it's not the most noticeable,
but again, that is what separates the two sides,
and what carries them
when they both wish to see the world.
Acknowledged on not..

They also say, two's company, while, well..

The Sun & The Rain

The thing about cars is, to me, they're all special in some way or another. A point I always like to make clear, is that things don't always have to be technical when it comes to speaking to me. Some cars remind me of design elements they were probably inspired by. It could be anything from a chair (Volvo's floating centre console) to gull wings (Mercedes SLS AMG doors, which are of course based on the iconic 300SL).

What I believe, is that the Indian market has matured. There are prospects for every market segment. Be it a sub-2 lakh car, or a car with a price tag of over 2 crore. If it is distinct enough to sport the tag, it will be accepted. This brings me to a point I've been trying to understand for a while now. Trying to be unbiased, and speaking from a generic marketing perspective, I would say certain manufacturers are growing exponentially, while some are just asleep. There are car corporation giants who are hugely successful abroad, but suffering in India, for whatever reason.

Mercedes-Benz has been here for over a decade, and they have the strongest brand acknowledgement you can think of. However, aggressive marketing has enabled another German giant, BMW, to storm in and claim top spot in less than half the time it took MB. Now, MB didn't have any competition in the first place, they were a monopoly. People had to buy what they sold at the price they sold it at. They had no choice, plainly put. BMW came in, and in a span of what, 3 years, launched their entire product portfolio, something NO other manufacturer has ever done in India. That made MB sit up and take notice. Earlier, Mercedes had their C200 K petrol and C220 CDI diesel models. BMW poured in with the 320i, 325i, 320d and M3, forcing MB to bring in their C230 and C63 AMG just to stay in the race, let alone compete for position. It's grown, the segment. Now, BMW, Audi, Volvo, Jaguar, and soon, Cadillac and Lexus will flex their muscles here - then the proverbial pot will most certainly start to boil.

Volvo. One of the brands I feel is asleep, or simply lacks the resources it needs to raise it's head and make a statement. They have a wonderful lineup internationally, a lineup which in purchase decisions, supercedes the very top brands. In India, it's a case of too little, too late. But with the slew of launches expected in 2011, they might just manage to dent their target segments. Their brand-building exercise is, to say the least, critical. Stephen Jacoby, newly appointed CEO, says the funding is in place and Geely is being supportive. Which cars would I like to see as a representative? A C60, S90 and an all-new XC90 or XC100, as is rumored. Think about it, how cool will a targa-roofed, strikingly designed, 304 horsepower coupe appeal to the market now. I looked through the papers this morning, as I usually do, and something unusual caught my eye. A grey car, with gullwing doors and striking headlamps, that I thought was an Aston-Martin, until I noticed the diagonal slat on the grill - a Volvo! Blimey even!

A little more Volvo. Why has Volvo always trumped in terms of safety? Simply because all other manufacturers, earlier at least, aimed to meet the top Euro NCAP safety standard of 5 stars. Volvo on the other hand, aim solely at building cars to save lives. Which is why even the smallest Volvo, the C30, is as safe as the house-on-wheels XC90. Volvo defines the benchmark, other manufacturers must replicate it.

Right then, my thoughts about luxury cars. Just as Volvo aims at building the safest cars, Mercedes-Benz aimed at creating the perfect automobile. Which is what brought about the S-klasse. The S is created, painstakingly I might add, to be the best car in the world. And it almost does it. True, you have Rolls-Royce and Bentley who beg to differ, but then again, cars like the BMW 7-series, the Audi A8 and the Jaguar XJ - they WANT that spot that the S has. Technologically, they will have it, even exceed in some areas, but they are cars built to take on the S-klasse; the S, it's simply designed to be the best. And that, I tell you, is it's defined purpose; which is why, it always will be.

The world is moving on, automobile manufacturers are moving with it. Green does not mean less powerful anymore. I'm glad to see the way things are turning out. Like I said, no technicalities. Think of a hybrid roadster as enjoying the sun and the rain on a June afternoon, all in a matter of seconds.

Here's to the future of the automobile. ;)

Watermelon

Coping with stress the effective way.

Happy thoughts are seldom thought of when you're happy. It's when you're all down, depressed and stuck in a hole that you try to think happy things with the hope that it'll make you feel a little better. But it only makes things worse. And the last thing to do would be to think of something sad, cos that will only makes things even worse than they already are.

However, certain things, call me materialistic or whatever, but sometimes, they do help. Watermelon. Green Peas and Chocolate. They really do it for me. No matter how sad I am, the sight of a big, red, juicy watermelon makes me smile, from the bottom of my heart; and it makes me thank God that there is something so wonderfully refreshing in existence, especially to help in times where you almost wanna kill yourself.

Passion. It can be rocks, stamps, small cars, multimillion dollar cars, or spacecraft. Whatever helps you focus on what truly makes you happy. Of course, that depends on your will to create. Sadists and the like won't get any of this. In times of my deepest grief, my ears stand to attention at the shriek of a multi-cylinder motorcycle speeding past at 9000rpm, or a sportscar doing almost the same thing. Never fails to grab my attention and capture my mindspace, for a good while. In fact, sometimes, it's so much so, I thank God for V8s and then wonder why I was sad in the first place. It helps.

Music. Another very effective method. Choosing the right track is critical in deciding if you feel better or worse. Listening to an Opeth or Alice in Chains solo in the middle of one their songs for instance will sadden you, then get you all welled up by the time you reach the solo. It is difficult to play a happy song when you're sad, I know it is. But then again, a few songs later, you're like, that's it. Enough. No more. Throw on some Cannibal Corpse, Slayer or Metallica (or whatever bangs your head) and get moving.

Note, alcohol is not on this list. Watermelon. Try it.

Enveloped

Supercars are supercars. Hypercars are well....

When you make a supercar, you have to think about buyers, the environment, where you're going to run it, road safety thingies... Basically think like Volvo..

But when you think of a hypercar, you think extreme. The best brakes, the best suspension, the ultimate chassis, critically accurate lightweight construction and ballsout mad! There's no provision to think about safety, when the only thing to do is build a car that goes like stink down a closed circuit and handles like an extension of your body, so much so that you KNOW it will do as you please, as you WANT, WHEN you WANT! No computers, no gadgetry, no radio, no flappy paddle gearshift for wannabe F1 drivers... ENTER THE R.

Building a Supercar for Dummies - by Horacio Pagani

(Ferrari California? Money maker..) (Mercedes: Z rated tyres, only on certain AMG/Black models..)

The reason I like the Zonda; the R, in particular, is because someone the world hadn't even heard of, comes out and makes a car that makes the world stand up and take notice. Astons, Ferraris, Koenigseggs, Lamborghinis, Mercedeses, and Porsches all saw their numbers crunched the wrong way with the advent of the Paganis. (At this point, I'm reminded of the Jaguar XJ220, the Ferrari F40, the Bugatti EB110, the Lotus Esprit and the McLaren F1, the last of their kind..)

Forgive me for my inclination of portraying certain aspects not unlike a certain automobile journalist / presenter. (Hail Jezza!).

Bugatti showed the world that 400+ kph was achievable in a car that had air conditioning, airbags, a stereo, comfortable seats, and, above all, composure. I have huge respect for the Veyron and all it has accomplished. SSC can only hope to achieve what they have on their own. All due respect to the Ultimate Aero TT, except, it barely has too much of mine. Like May said, "Volkswagen have pushed the outside of the envelope. They've done something that everyone said just could not be done". And that alone garners bucket loads of my respect, and pride in mankind for creating something as thoroughly astonishing as the Veyron.

The world today is turning into the dust bowl we were destined to have. From dust we come, to dust we'll go. But before that, break the mould! Push the envelope, the boundaries that lie. Life is all about creation. Dream. And most of all, make sure at least a few things off your bucket list have been checked off. I know I've checked quite a few off mine.. :)

Walking In My Shoes

I would tell you about the things

They put me through.

The pain I've been subjected to.

But the Lord himself would blush.

The countless feasts laid at my feet,

Forbidden fruits for me to eat.

But I think your pulse would start to rush.

Now I'm not looking for absolution,

Forgiveness for the things I do.

But before you come to any conclusions -

Try walking in my shoes,

Try walking in my shoes.

You'll stumble in my footsteps,

Keep the same appointments I kept.

If you try walking in my shoes.

If you try walking in my shoes.

Morality would frown upon,

Decency look down upon.

The scapegoat fate's made of me.

But I promise now, my judge and jurors,

My intentions couldn't have been purer.

My case is easy to see.

I'm not looking for a clearer conscience,

Peace of mind after what I've been through.

And before we talk of any repentance -

Try walking in my shoes.

Try walking in my shoes.

You'll stumble in my footsteps,

Keep the same appointments I kept.

If you try walking in my shoes.

If you try walking in my shoes.

Try walking in my shoes.

Now I'm not looking for absolution,

Forgiveness for the things I do.

But before you come to any conclusions -

Try walking in my shoes.

Try walking in my shoes.

You'll stumble in my footsteps,

Keep the same appointments I kept.

If you try walking in my shoes.

Try walking in my shoes.

If you try walking in my shoes.

Try walking in my shoes.

- Depeche Mode.

The video is here.