The Week In Cars

At this time of year, it seems like new car manufacturers have gone off on holiday and forgotten that we petrolheads need our fix.

But fear not. I’m here.

Most of the talk is about racing, with F1’s latest intra-team battle at McLaren and Max Verstappen’s frustration being aired over team radio.

Audi made sweeping changes, bringing in ex-Ferrari F1 boss Mattia Binotto and parting company with Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffman to try to get their F1 project into a respectable state before putting their name on the car.

And the conclusion of the Formula E Championship in London (I still can’t get excited by this race series)

Then, there are various small news stories, such as awards for BMW and their M5’s news retrofit M Performance body parts.

And last but not least, in terms of non-news, as far as I can see as a petrolhead, there are what I’d call “filler” stories about warranties, apprenticeships at Rolls Royce and updates on car plant production sites.

But if you are looking for something more exciting, as always, Aston Martin is doing something (no, not the rumoured £100 million deal with Adrian Newey).

It’s the Valkyrie AMR-LMH, which has been doing a shakedown session at Donington Park.

I'm not sure why they didn’t use Silverstone, as it’s across the road from their F1 factory, and Aston has a facility using the Stowe circuit there.

Maybe the elevation changes help at Donington, or is it just because it’s a great circuit? The Craner Curves in any car, even ones as diverse as a Caterham Academy, a FunCup, or a Ginetta’s LMP car, are hard to beat.

Still, I’m interested in seeing if Aston can challenge Ferrari next year at Le Mans.

There’s also the Red Bull, Adrian Newey-designed RB17.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a company like Lanzante or RML make a few of these roads legal and create a Le Mans-eligible racecar, too.

Potentially good news for values is that Ferarri has allowed its European dealers to accept cryptocurrency as they do in the US.

They’re not keeping the currency digital, so I feel this is a way to find buyers for less desirable cars. Presumably, if you already have one of them, you can pay for the new extended warranty now on offer for their hybrid cars, like the SF90 and 296.

But maybe you’re a crypto-loving petrolhead, which could be a great way to shift from one asset class to another.

In My Opinion…

On the personal front, a couple of parts have now arrived from McLaren, so I was able to get a couple of niggling issues sorted, but neither has stopped me enjoying the car.

I’ve always used my cars, and I wish more people would because, for petrolheads like us, it’s the best way to brighten up even the dullest and wettest British summer’s day.

What’s On.

There are a couple of events; one I may get to, and the other, unfortunately, not.

This weekend is the Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional, celebrating its 10th. Anniversary.

The greatest thing about this event is not how well-maintained a Micra or Alegro can be but that people can appreciate and love all cars.

However, on more than one occasion, friends bought me a Marina as a birthday present, and as much as it has rear-wheel drive, I didn’t keep either of them, even the one they replaced the badges with Lamborghini ones.

I can’t get to Monterey Car Week, but I have talked about going for over ten years.

I keep seeing managed trips from brands like McLaren, but I’m not sure that gives you a full-on experience. At £10,000s, it’s also not something most of us can do at the drop of a hat.

As much as I love a high-end experience, I also love the freedom, flexibility, and honesty of seeing cars parked on the streets.

Also, I’d prefer to grab a burger and look at cars rather than sit at an intimate dinner with multiple courses.

I love the fact that there are free and exclusive events during car week and what seems to be a non-stop calendar of petrolhead “porn”.

And this year, the fully restored 205.4mph Aston Martin Bulldog, owned by American businessman and fellow petrolhead Phillip Sarofim, will be at the Pebble Beach Concours for the first time.

I’d love to have something like Car Week in the UK. Just a thought: could you help me get it up and running?

In car-buying news, it’s been a quiet week for me, but I did spend time trying to help my brother-in-law find his old BMW 328i.

I haven't had any luck yet, but if you know where R319 WCF is or have a way to find it, he’d love to own it again.

Here’s a picture from when it was for sale about a year ago.

It made me think I should try to find all my old cars again, but would trying to re-live my petrolhead youth be a mistake?

What do you think?