TOURING - ROMA-ORVIETO-SIENA-FIRENZE by John Crawford

 As you will have realised by now, I simply LOVE Italy, and it is by far my favourite country for touring. This GREAT DRIVE is an excellent starter for your first driving vacation in Italy.

It starts with with your arrival at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport, which used to be named after the city it's located in, Fiumicino - but the Italian Tourist Board figured it should have a flash name, so they settled on some famous artist to improve its status with travellers.

After years of experience, I think Europcar has the best rental car setup at FCO, with a pretty big fleet, and a wide variety of cars.

I have said I would not provide maps with my GREAT DRIVE stories, but in order to capture all the important locations, I've added maps by section.

So, we'll have Roma-Orvieto; Orivieto-Siena; then finally a long section from Siena to Firenze (taking in San Gimignano, Pisa and Lucca), before arriving in Florence.

Head west out of the airport and take the coast road north, the SS1, which will be signposted to Rome's cruise capital, Civitavecchia. Follow this highway until you reach, Montalto di Castro, then go east on the SR312, which will be signposted to Orvieto.

This is just a short section, because if you arrive at FCO early in the morning, you should be on the road by 9am, and will probably arrive in Orvieto in time for lunch. The total journey is around 175km, and should take just under three hours.

Orvieto is an ancient Etruscan city, on the southwest tip of what is now Umbria. Its hilltop location made it virtually impregnable, but it was annexed by Rome in 3BC.

When you arrive, the town looks humble, and is dominated by a huge Duomo - because Orvieto was one of Papal Rome's most important centres. There are cool and shady streets and laneways off the main Piazza, and a number of small ristorantes and enotecas to have lunch.

The local Umbrian wine is excellent, and very often served in recycled wine bottles minus a label, and a loose cork jammed on top, but the cost will be less than 5 Euros. However, don't linger over more than a bottle, as the next section to Siena, on my route, follows a twisty regional road (SR2) north-west toward Siena, passing through Montalcino. The total distance is just 120km and should take just over two hours.

Siena is famous for the Palio horse race, begun in 1596, taking place twice, on July 2, and August 16. Ten horses, with bareback riders, representing the ten surrounding cantons, race for three laps around Piazza del Campo, and the race is over in 90 seconds. It's often riders are thrown, and riderless horses finish the race!

However, Siena is a beautiful medieval city, with so much to offer tourists. It has a fabulous range of hotels, but be warned. If you're driving make sure you definately book a parking space. Parking is expensive, and hard to get. My hotel had six rooms, but only two parking spots, so our FIAT Ritmo was squeezed next to a tiny Lancia!

From Siena the next section is about 240km, which if you drove straight through would take less than three hours. However, it passes through some great locations, so maybe you should plan an overnight stop.

The first location after you leave Siena is San Gimignano (above), set among rolling hills and beautiful vineyeards, but apart from souvenir shop trinkets, it offers just a piazza with coffee shops and medieval landmark buildings.

I would make it no longer than a 30-60 minute pitstop, just to say you've been there.

After that you'll reach Pisa, and quite frankly, apart from the Leaning Tower, I can't say that Pisa, as a city, held much interest.

It's full of tourists (maybe not now), and the sacred landmarks. No doubt you'll pause to snap the staged photos of you supporting the tower, but that's about all there is.

Next on this drive is the beautiful little city of Lucca. It's said to be Etruscan, but there is a lot of evidence that Ligurians settled on the location earlier. The original residents built humungous walls and battlements to repel invaders, which were never tested! The reputation of the wall's invincibility put off a lot of attacks on the city.

Lucca is the birthplace of composer Giacomo Puccini, and his house where he lived and worked is maintained as a museum in his honour (bottom row, centre). It's really a pedestrian-only town, with cool and shady streets.

The road atop the walls was named The Passeggiata delle Mura Urbane and is now a favourite circuit for walkers and joggers.

There's only a few accommodation places in Lucca, so if you want to pause overnight during the journey, I'd suggest staying in Pisa.

However, if you've made good time, push on through to Firenze where there is a wonderful selection of accommodation, and a city which I suggest should offer at least four days of activities.

Florence is a wonderful centre for the arts, and was governed by the Medicis for a very, very long time. Their patronage of the arts ensured they flourished, making Florence the centre of the Renaissance.

Make sure you walk from the city centre up to the Boboli Gardens, which is the highest point of the city, and the views over this truly important location for Italian art and culture are impressive.

After that, you're on your own, to plan the next leg of your journey, through this pleasant and ancient country.

John Crawford

MARATHON MOMENTS by John Crawford

I began flying internationally in 1976, but little did I know when I boarded Qantas QF15 at Brisbane airport on October 31, 2019, headed for Los Angeles, and ultimately New York City, I would be celebrating a number of marathon moments

 

First, flying around the globe for 43 years must count as a sort of marathon; second, stepping aboard the 747-400 Longreach, I would be celebrating the aircraft’s marathon service in Qantas livery and flying on one of the 747-400’s final flights before the entire Qantas fleet of Jumbos were mothballed in the Mojave Desert; third, I would be joining my son Matthew on his participation in the 2019 New York City Marathon (which could turn out to be the last ever).

 

Looking down on Colorado on the flight to Newark reminded me it was the northern winter, with snow blanketing the country.

 

On arrival, we met up for dinner in 34^th Street, just off Herald Square. It wasn’t flash. We had been recommended a fancy restaurant on one side of 34^th, but it was closed for a private function – so it was across the street for beer and pizza – very New York. We snapped a selfie under the Empire State Building, and then back to our hotel on the Subway.

 

Sunday morning was brilliant sunshine, but the temperature hovered around freezing 0C (32F) as Matt headed off with his running team from Travelling Fit to join more than 50,000 runners from 103 countries on Staaten Island. I parked myself with family members of other runners out in the Court Square area of Queens, near the halfway mark at 14 miles.

After travelling all that way, and waiting for Matt to appear, he suddenly loomed up in the lens of my camera, with little warning, for me to take the only action shot I would get of him, as he went on to record his aimed-for personal Best (PB), and claim his medal.

 

Post-race we had a great party looking down on the Lincoln Center.

However, as it was just wine and finger food, we ended up at the Premier Deli on 7^th Avenue for Matt’s first ‘real meal’ since he began training. 

There’s a great vibe in all of the Delis I’ve dined in, in the Big Apple.

Forget your diets, there’s nothing Low-Cal on any of the menus, and you better like beer.

Next morning as I trudged through the chilly streets to Penn Station to catch the Skytrain out to Newark Airport, I got one last look at the iconic Empire State Building before the Undergound whisked me off for my United Airlines 787 to LAX.

I first visited New York in 1982, and have since enjoyed countless visits there on business, and I love the city. It's very sad to think that this will have been my final visit.

Marathon events are not new to me, having had the pleasure of competing in the very last international marathon motor sport event, the Singapore Airlines London-to-Sydney Car Rally in 1977, but these events I’ve described here represent marathon milestones in my life.

It will probably turn out to be the last international journey I will ever make; my one and only involvement in what may well be the last NYC Marathon, and one of the final flights of Qantas’s Boeing 747-400s which have been in service for more than 30 years.

 

Yes, life as we knew it has changed. Time for the next chapters.

John Crawford

ITALIAN MEMORIES by John Crawford

This past May we would have been on yet another driving vacation in Italy, which we began doing back in 2004, with our primary focus on the city of Bellagio on the eastern shores of Lago di Como.

For many years, a 1954 painting of Bellagio, by American painter Howard Behrens, has adorned the living room walls of whichever house we were inhabiting at the time.

I promised my wife we would visit this beautiful part of Italy, and in 2004 we managed to capture some memorable photos of our first visit.

This collage (above) enshrines the essence of Bellagio, and how much we have enjoyed our visits. This year, we planned a short drive from Malpensa airport to spend a few days in Cernobbio, on Lake Como, and then head for Cremona (below).

The plan was to base ourselves in the delightful 4-Star Hotel Impero for five days; and take a daily drive, radiating out to various towns and villages such as Piacenza, Modena, Sant'Agata Bolognese, and others.

We have tried to get to Italy at least once a year since 2004, and we take it in short chunks (usually 5-7 days), but despite extensive touring and our best exploratory efforts, there remains so much more of Italy that, now sadly, we will not see - thanks to COVID19.

The existence of Coronavirus has made us decide to stop any further global travel, and basically, enjoy our photos and memories. By the time the coronavirus is manageable, or there's a vaccine, we will be that much older and right in the line of fire - so it's just not worth it.

Still, we are luckier than many lovers of Italy who have maybe only been able to enjoy one or two visits there - whilst we have been travelling all over the beautiful country for the last 16 years. Outside of Australia, it's the only other place in the world where I feel completely at home, the minute after touchdown.

John Crawford

CADILLAC CHARGES AHEAD by John Crawford

Demeaned, denigrated and dispossessed by many American premium car buyers Cadillac is staging a spectacular comeback with its first all-electric vehicle – the LYRIQ – crossover. In addition we have seen the first appearance of possibly the ‘hottest’ Cadillac sedan for decades – the CT4 ‘Blackwing’.

 

The chief designer for Cadillac, Australian Andrew Smith, and his team have delivered a striking new EV, based on an all-new modular platform, and a choice of single EVM rear wheel drive, or EVM all-wheel-drive.

The LYRIQ is a striking vehicle which Cadillac hopes will help win back buyers who may have turned to alternative brands, but more importantly will help restore faith in the brand, known throughout its impressive history as a technical pacesetter.

As I have said before, a detailed study of Cadillac’s early history reveals it could easily have been named the ‘American Rolls-Royce’ such were the advanced and innovative developments, and its unique technical solutions to early motoring challenges.

 

The current vehicle is described as a ‘show car’, but GM’s VP of Global Design, Michael Simcoe, hinted to me that a production version would differ little from the concept.

 

Next comes the slightly-delayed introduction of the high-performance version of the CT4 sedan, catchily-labelled ‘The Blackwing’ – a sinister-looking sedan with stunning performance from Cadillac’s high output 3.0L V6.

The Cadillac brand may have slipped down the ‘Lust Scale’ in the past decade, but the combination of Cadillac designers and engineers are making determined efforts to restore the glory of the marque. And, while there’s life there’s hope.

John Crawford

BRILLIANCE IS ITALIAN by John Crawford

Chinese car design skills are not well-enough honed nor sophisticated enough to carry off a major debut in the heart and soul of the European styling pantheon – the Geneva Salon.

That’s why I was keenly attracted to the concept car displayed on the Brilliance (Zonghua) display at the Salon in 2007.

 

Although looking more than a tad like McLaren designer Peter Stevens'-penned 1999 Hyundai Tiburon F2 (right), the BC-3 concept was a smooth piece of cohesive design, and a detailed inspection revealed tight margins, thoughtful design touches and the impression of a car immediately ready for production. In fact it was.

The BC-3 concept had been revealed at the Beijing Auto Show in 2006, but the headline performance was to be in Geneva in March 2007. I dug out my photos from the Salon after writing about Brilliance’s JV with BMW AG recently, to recount my impressions.

Needless to say the only English-speaking Chinese guys on the display all insisted that the BC-3 was wholly Chinese, and would be launched on the American market in mid-2009. After decades of experience decoding what I am being told by various Japanese, Korean and now Chinese car company suits, I decided I would wander the Palexpo displays and check out the BC-3 with my European friends.

 

The investigation confirmed, not unsurprisingly, the blatant lies emanating from the Brilliance executives.

 

The BC-3 is wholly-designed in Italy, by Pininfarina, and the concept car powered by a 1.8L Mitsubishi engine, with FWD. 

The chassis and roadholding was wholly-developed by Porsche.

The later Brilliance-designed 1.8L engine fettled by the hugely-experienced FEV GmbH engine specialists near Leipzig.

The BC-3 did eventually go on sale in China, but it’s practically impossible to obtain accurate sales numbers from Brilliance. Any plans to export the car, especially the USA, are dead – with its only overseas sales happening in Egypt – of all places! 

 

Further research revealed that BMW was not Brilliance’s first choice as a car-making partner. In 2002 MG Rover despatched 12 Rover 75s to Zonghua, fitted with its 2.5L K-series V6, wearing Brilliance badges.

The deal never came to fruition, but my mate Keith Adams, at AROline.com, later discovered that Zonghua had rebadged the cars as Zonghua B8, registered them all, and sold them off to private owners!

To be fair, Brilliance's expertise has never been wholly-focused on passenger cars, as it is one of China's biggest busmakers.

 JOHN CRAWFORD

 

 

BMW - SPINNING WHEELS WITHIN THE ROUNDEL by John Crawford

"It was flat, and uninspiring!" That’s my friend Paul Gover’s brief assessment of his recent test drive of a FWD BMW 2-Series.

 

For a company whose foundations are represented by the slogan ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ I think a statement like that could be like a ‘Kiss of Death’ to a great premium European brand.

 

After all, Paul Gover is an automotive expert with a lot of hard-driving miles of on-road testing and motor sport exploits, to support his credentials and opinions.

 

Think of the massive PR budgets that have been poured into building BMW’s image as a driver’s car - not to mention the infrastructure investments and resources poured into creation, design and manufacturing. Plus the billions of dollars BMW has forced its dealers to spend to represent every aspect of the company image at the dealerships.

 

Then, like every other car manufacturer in the world, BMW headed for China, forming a joint venture with Brilliance Auto Group (actually HuaChen Group Auto Holding Co. Ltd) in 2003.

 

Its first co-produced model was the very underwhelming Zinoro 60E, followed by an improved Zinoro 60H. 

This model is part of what China is calling a ‘new’ sector of its domestic market – NEV – which stands for New Energy Vehicle. The idea is that every model which participates in this sector is either a Hybrid, or Pure EV.

 

The 60H is a dullard in the design department, and does not resemble any sort of design cachet which you might associate alongside a company with a European partner, which has designed some good-looking cars over the decades.

 

However, in Shanghai in 2017, a concept car appeared, called the NEXT, and it was a pretty sharp looking vehicle, which I suggest was probably designed ‘outside’ both companies.

It bears no resemblance to anything Brilliance/Zinoro, or BMW, has done, and is a very stylish piece of concept craftsmanship.

 

But, back to BMW AG and its plans for the future, which are very interesting. The 1-Series and 2-Series models share the entire platform and underpinnings of the latest MINI, codenamed UKL-2. The German cars feature either FWD or AWD, whilst Mini retains FWD only.

 

I believe that it is this choice, forced on BMW in order to achieve the highest possible of economies of scale through platform sharing, which has led to a good deal of criticism of the chassis dynamics of its range of smaller BMW models.

 

Now, for even more interesting news from Sindelfingen and Munich. The German business newspaper Handelsblatt reports that advanced talks are under way between Daimler AG and BMW AG to combine resources to make future models off common platforms – especially in the EV sector.

Some time ago, I was asked to forecast how the global motor industry may change given the JVs, takeovers and alliances being formed to protect against the crushing cost of developing each company’s own unique vehicles – specific to their brand image and values.

 

I suggested that an obvious direction would be for Mercedes-Benz and BMW to merge – a suggestion ridiculed by many of my automotive media mates – but that outcome is now being openly discussed in Germany.

 

So where does this leave the company which claims to produce ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’? Well, if you want to retain ‘the BMW magic’ your choices begin with the 3-Series, which remains BMW’s most popular car worldwide, and that’s where RWD starts - especially the potent M3.

However, the biggest barrier to BMW ownership for me relates to its exorbitant pricing of vehicles and options. The purchase experience goes something like this: “Does Sir want wheels, and window glass with this car? They will be options!”

 

Yes, that’s silly, but the way BMW cross-links its option packages, means you will exit the dealership with a shiny new premium car, but with a much-reduced bank balance.

John Crawford

MITSUBISHI ASX - WHEN IS 'OLD', OLD? by John Crawford

When is ‘old’ too ‘old’ to be successful? It seems like Mitsubishi has stumbled on success and it’s all down to something that many car company executives deny - price!

The commercial sales success of the Mitsubishi ASX crossover has very little to do with the contemporary values of its platform, drivetrain or finish – it’s all down to equipment and price!

 

You’re now saying: “Duh, what else is new?”

 

Today’s ASX (the third generation) was originally born in 2010, based on the Mitsubishi GS (Lancer) platform, and designed by Norihiko Yoshihime.

 

Here is a list of cars derived from this platform:

 

·      Citroen C4 Aircross

·      Peugeot 4008

·      Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

·      Mitsubishi Lancer

·      Mitsubishi Outlander

·      Jeep Patriot

·      Jeep Compass

·      Dodge Caliber

 

Yes, look at the range of marques and models. This platform has been very widely adapted and not updated since introduction. It is ‘O-L-D’ – and yet it doesn’t matter. Obviously, it must have been a highly functional platform concept, in order to suit the purposes to which it has been utilised.

 

I first began looking at this when a friend dropped by in his Peugeot 4008, and asked me if I knew the origins of his car. It seems he has just test-driven the Peugeot 5008 and found it refreshingly modern and competent, compared to the 4008. 

Once I began investigating the 4008‘s history, I began to understand (yet again) how much of a part price plays in car selection.

The Mitsubishi ASX in Australia today is a definite commercial sales success. In its market segment (SUV Small <AUD$40,000) sales for 2019 were up 9.3% YTD, but in December 2019 sales were up 61% compared to December 2018!

 

This year, sales YTD July, despite falling just over 30%, the ASX still managed 7,900 sales for July, maintaining a market share of 15% of the segment. This is astounding for such an old vehicle. So what’s the answer?

 

Again, it’s just one factor – price. It may be old, it may not be as dynamically-competent as some of its competitors, but it delivers on every level – performance, handling, trim, equipment and comfort – but more importantly on price!

This car has paid back its initial investment many times over, so keeping the price competitive is not a challenge for Mitsubishi.

 

I have been having this argument with car company CFOs for decades. Price it right and you sell a lot; premium price it (for some obscure reason) and you sell less. When the public sees ‘lots’ of these cars on the road, they form the view this ‘must’ be a very good car, because it’s so popular.

 

To me it just reinforces the fact that in the long haul, higher 'numbers on the road', beats profit considerations every time. 

Very few car company CFOs and CEOs, will accept this. Usually, they’re taking orders from a head office which places an emphasis on profit margins – whereas I think they should be brave enough to take a dive on the margin, get more cars on the road, and the profit margins (albeit slightly less) follow the increase in volume.

 

That’s how it is with the Mitsubishi ASX, make no mistake. This is a classic example of common-sense beats dreamtime margins. If you don’t sell the volume, you don’t achieve the inflated margins anyway.

 

Public perceptions of a model’s success differ widely from those of car company executives. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the 'suits' exist in a bubble – untouched by reality.

 

I last drove an ASX five years ago, and found it quite acceptable – given price and specification.

I have NOTHING against the Mitsubishi ASX, I just think it’s a good honest vehicle that despite its age delivers on the qualities and values that crossover buyers are looking for.

 

And what’s that? A competitive price! Nothing more, nothing less.

PS: The Peugeot 4008 sales in Australia were abysmal, compared with the ASX at the time.

 

JOHN CRAWFORD