SO, JAGUAR LAND ROVER IS IN TROUBLE by John Crawford

It's official - India's Tata Group has reached out to Geely and BMW to discuss a rescue package for the premium British brands.

I have watched with alarm, as JLR invested in new models, restyles, facelifts, new powertrains, electric vehicles, a range of new tech innovations, and re-structuring its model ranges. Tata has poured huge amounts of money into all these activities, all predicated on continuing improvement in sales results, and stable profit margins.

Even before the impact of COVID-19, the global automotive business model was suffering from hiccups. Smaller companies began to find it harder and harder to compete - and even harder raising investment funds to execute their current business plans, let alone provide for all the new developments every car company will have to make as we head toward an uncertain future for conventional vehicles.

Throw in the pandemic and it's anyone's guess what survival will look like ten years from now.

And, before you start thinking about EVs, Fuel Cell Vehicles, Hybrids and autonomous vehicles, let's squash one theory right now.

Despite all the brave talk from politicians, bankers, venture capital fund managers, scientists and environmentalists the investments needed to fund this hazy, new high-tech future is simply not going to happen as soon as everyone expects, because the car industry will be too busy trying to save itself, and the millions of jobs that exist on the periphery of the industry.

All the really sensible people in the car business know that the Internal Combustion Engine has centuries of life ahead of it, because of very low continuing investments, improving fuel efficiency and lowering emissions. There is truly no need to rush into new tech until the future path becomes clearer.

Global car sales 2010-2020

It's more than likely that the consolidation of the industry will come first as brands are swallowed up. Some, like Jaguar Land Rover may not even survive that process. The British luxury companies may have done well since Tata Group acquired them, but in global sales terms it's still a small fish, the future plans it has revealed will require daunting levels of investment.

Get ready for some famous brands to simply disappear.

John Crawford

TOURING - PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY (San Francisco-Santa Barbara) by John Crawford

The totality of this epic drive is just short of 1700 miles (2736km), from Seattle, Washington, to San Diego, California. It’s regularly on the bucket lists of tourists who want to drive the coastline of the extremities of the western frontier, when the New World was discovered and populated by Europeans in the 16^th century.

 

The early section includes the tall and stately redwood trees, which are truly worth experiencing, but maybe on a separate journey.

I’m going to concentrate on the section from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, because my Great Drive includes a section not many people even know about, which adds both majesty and variety.

Let’s say you are departing from San Francisco. From the famous Golden Gate bridge take Route 101 south (the main highway between San Francisco and Los Angeles), and travel until you reach SFO, and see a sign pointing west towards the town of Millbrae, and Millbrae Avenue.

 

Take Millbrae Avenue, a densely residential section, which climbs to a high ridge, and you’ll see signs to Route 280, so take 280 south (Junipero Serra Freeway) towards Cupertino (Silicon Valley) and San Jose.

 

After you pass the Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir on your right, look for signs to Half Moon Bay, and Route 92. At this point you can go straight ahead for a pit stop in Half Moon Bay.

Despite the romantic moniker, it's just a huge Ritz-Carlton Hotel and a great golf course atop the cliffs looking out to the Pacific Ocean.

 

However, if you’re after a fun drive then shortly after Route 92 West dips and then climbs sharply, you must not miss the next turn, which is off to the left marked as Route 35 (Skyline Boulevard).

 

This is my secret section, and for the record is nowhere near the coast, but it runs along a steep ridge through temperate rainforest, stands of tall trees and tiny hamlets. It's a beautiful drive, and the road itself is a driver’s dream as it sweeps and swoops high above the surrounding localities.

 

Follow Route 35, until the junction with Route 9. This road emanates near San Jose in the east, but after it crosses Skyline Boulevard, it descends through twisting curves toward the west coast and Santa Cruz.

 

A good place for a pit stop is Boulder Creek, a tiny town which looks like it hasn’t emerged from being a wild west town. 

The wide main street is lined with traditional shops, gas stations and restaurants, and the overwhelming vehicle type is the now-ubiquitous pick-up truck.

 

When you reach Santa Cruz you’ll realize the only reason for any fame it enjoyed was because of the waves, as a prominent surfing hangout when the Beach Boys were crooning surfie songs.

 

Santa Cruz sits on the northern limit of Monterey Bay, and it’s here you’ll join Route 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway) and drive through some pretty boring scenery until you reach Castroville – then look out for Route 156, which is just a shortcut to the continuation of Route 1 (PCH).

This is where you join the coast, and the rest of your drive never drifts far away from the surf and sand after that. You pass through Marina, Sand City and Seaside before you reach Monterey.

 

Monterey is worth a stopover, for as many days as you can spare. Originally a fishing and cannery town, it’s now a hub for tourists, with a lively cultural scene, a great Aquarium and home to flocks of fur seals.

It's certainly possible to justify four days, at least. You can drive a short distance to the beautiful town of Carmel (that’ll fill a day); You can also sample the famous 17 Mile Drive, with spectacular oceanviews and the 'Lone Pine' (right).

Next day you can drive out through the Carmel Valley (on G16). 

To make a loop, you can take G17 after you pass Fort Romie and Mission Soledad, and this will take you all the way through fields of fruit farms, running alongside the Salinas River until you reach the junction with Route 68. Take a left, and this takes you directly back into Monterey.

 

If you’re done with Monterey, pick up the PCH and head south towards the Big Sur.

After that it’s a memorable coastal drive (heavily populated with tourists), until you reach Morro Bay, and turn east towards San Luis Obispo. At this point you have to rejoin Route 101, but only until you reach the town of Arroyo Grande, where you pick up the PCH again.

 

From there the PCH is inland until it rejoins Route 101 at Las Cruces. At this point you have an interesting choice to make.

 

Before heading into Santa Barbara, you can take a left, and head back north on Route 101 until Buellton, then take a right and head into Solvang.

 

Solvang is one of those unusual communities which pop up in various places in the USA. It was founded by Danes, escaping religious persecution, and now it’s like ‘Little Denmark’. It’s quaint, a bit kitsch, but certainly worth a stop if you like Danish cuisine.

 

Back on the road and the PCH shares its highway number with 101, and leads you to one of the finest cities in America, Santa Barbara. I’ll not be surprised if after exploring the town and surrounding areas of Mission Canyon and Montecito, that you may have decided you could happily settle there.

You could do worse than check yourself into the luxurious Bacara Resort, for a few days of R'n'R.

 

Of course the PCH goes on from here, through Los Angeles ending in San Diego, just short of the Mexican border.

I’m not sure I’d rate the LA-San Diego section a 'Great Drive', but the areas it visits hold a lot of interest for US citizens and tourists alike.

JOHN CRAWFORD

INTRODUCING: MICHAEL TAYLOR

It’s my great pleasure to welcome my good friend Michael Taylor to DRIVING & LIFE. We have been friends for more than 30 years, but just as I was retiring from corporate life in the USA back to Queensland’s Gold Coast, Michael was preparing to leave Australia, and follow a dream. G’day Michael:

 

“I’ve been in Italy going on 14 years now, since January 2006. I landed in Modena, in the heart of supercar valley, with Maserati, Pagani, Ferrari and Lamborghini all within 30km.

 

"But I moved from there to Cernobbio, on Lake Como, about 200 metres from the Villa d’Este hotel, which is a fairly upmarket address. According to the stats there are 7000 official residents, but realistically closer to 3000, because people from Milan and southern Switzerland have houses here, which they only use in summer.

Michael and Sammy; Cernobbio from Lago di Como; Downtown Cernobbio; Villa d'Este; Cernobbio aerial

"We’re just one ferry stop from Como city, and Milan is 40 minutes away. Switzerland is over the hill. We hiked into it accidentally once.

The Taylor tribe - summer and winter on Lago di Como

"I was bored at home in Australia. It is a wonderful country but professionally limiting. If I was going to play the game, I figured, I might as well play in the main game, so that’s what I did.

"Italy was an easy choice because Germany was already covered by a couple of people writing in English; England was strewn with Aussie scribblers; and nobody cares about French cars. That left Italy."

The Michael Taylor I know is best described in Australian terms, as a 'larrakin', and now he lives life with love; for his three princesses, Cernobbio, Italy, and fast cars.

"Perfetto"

Welcome Michael.

JOHN CRAWFORD

FERRARI F90, FIORANO, FALLING RAIN, AND FUN by Michael Taylor

According to Google Maps, it’s a two-and-a-half hour drive, from sleepy Cernobbio to the throbbing heart of Maranello, home of Ferrari. However, despite most of the drive being on autostrada, it takes closer to three. That’s why I took a train, pumping along at 250km/h.

 

The invitation to drive a Ferrari is not to be dismissed. I’m included in a small group of some of Europe’s most skilled and respected automotive journalists – the only people other than Ferrari test drivers (and F1 racers) whom Ferrari trusts with their sports cars.

 

It’s raining when I arrive at Pista Fiorano today, and I don’t mean drizzle, I mean really serious rain. Will this detract from the experience? No. Everything is easier when the grip is limited and, besides, it was dry in the mountain passes.

 

Anyway, you always climb behind the wheel of a Ferrari with the intention of wringing whatever performance the conditions will allow. I have to find out what all those engineers have been doing for the past four years...

 

You slide down in to the Ferrari SF90 Stradale’s new carbon-fibre seats, examine its new digital dash, push the start button twice and... nothing.

 

Not a single intake roar, fuel-pump whir or exhaust whoomp enters the cabin.

 

Which is very strange for a Ferrari brand that made its name on start-up theatrics, as much as high-speed cornering prowess.

 

The SF90 Stradale is just that kind of intriguing machine, though. 

 

Four motors packed in to an evolutionary body style, capable of ripping to 200km/h in only 6.7 seconds and flying out to 340km/h, yet also capable of dawdling through city traffic as a silent, front-wheel drive EV, at least for 25km.

 

Yes, it’s a plug-in hybrid, but in a very Ferrari way, with one 162kW axial flux “pizza” motor jammed in between the upgraded twin-turbo V8 and another two 99kW e-motors up front – one for each wheel.

 

Even one motor costs $484,888 in the F8 Tributo, so three more for $846,888 starts to look reasonably priced.

 

It has a new lithium-ion battery, with 7.9kWh of capacity and 180kW of charging capacity, and the entire hybrid system adds 270kg.

 

But, it also adds far more than that. It adds capability that no Ferrari has ever had. It adds cornering stability that no rear-drive car could ever dream of.

 

Put together, the four motors deliver 1000 horsepower, limited only by the battery’s output, with the 574kW/800Nm V8 doing most of the heavy lifting.

 

Amazingly competent as it is at low speeds, it’s even more impressive being driven quickly.

 

In its Qualifying or Race modes, the SF90 Stradale’s V8 works all the time, mostly twisting the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, but also generating juice for the battery so those e-motors keep working.

The bipolar SF90 Stradale can cruise silently and serenely, then tear 100km/h to shreds in 2.5 seconds. It can ease past people without them noticing, or it can shatter the air at 8000rpm as it whips by.

 

The real genius is that the front e-motors supply instant torque vectoring, slowing or accelerating the front wheels to keep the car arcing impossibly quickly around corners. 

 

Its abilities from the turn-in point to the apex of a corner are mind boggling and it takes the most difficult exercise in car craft and makes it a doddle for anybody brave enough to take the leap.

 

That’s lucky, because that V8 howl delivers you in to braking points with furious rapidity and long straights feel like tiny driveways.

 

And the 'pizza' motor fills in any holes in the V8’s torque curve, so that the urgency never dims. Ever.

 

The steering is brilliant, the braking is monstrously strong and the ride comfort is impressive for a Ferrari with this much cornering prowess.

Yet it’s imperfect, with a yawning gap between the EV character of the car and the go-fast stages, and it’s always a shock when the V8 wakes up to charge the battery when you’re driving in the hybrid mode.

 

But it’s brilliant.

from MICHAEL TAYLOR, MARANELLO

 

 

How much does the 2020 Ferrari SF90 Stradale cost?
Price: AUD$846,888 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 / twin-turbo petrol 
Output: 574kW/800Nm
Transmission: eight-speed / dual-clutch automatic

 

 

MINNOW WITH MOXIE by John Crawford

That’s Mazda. While most of the automotive world is rushing to embrace electric cars and alternative powerplants, Mazda continues to pursue perfection of the internal combustion engine. 

Debuting the SkyActive-X petrol engine, Mazda appears determined to persevere with a technology most of the world’s largest carmakers seem prepared to abandon.

By global standards of measurement, Mazda is a ‘minnow’ – trailing behind Toyota, Nissan and Honda, but it remains a company driven by principles of engineering perfection. In spite of the push toward batteries, plug-ins and fuel cells, Mazda is sticking with technology it knows well, and has declared it will continue to develop.

 

In my mind, there is no car available today which reflects Mazda’s determination to be different, and ready to dominate the world of the auto enthusiast, which most other car makers are deserting, than the Mazda MX-5 (or if you’re reading this in the USA, the Miata).

No other carmaker is promoting sports cars, leaving the field open for Mazda to dominate the segment. And, in blunt terms let’s call the MX-5 the world’s only genuine sports car - reminiscent of the MG TC, MG-B or the Austin Healey Sprite.

 

The MX-5 strives for absolute lightness, a great power-to-weight ratio, no overweight extras, and fantastic performance for the money. It also handles brilliantly and delivers driving enjoyment in spades.

Having just driven the 2020 MX-5, I can sense that whilst the specifications differ little from last year’s car, the turn-in is sharper, there’s a crispness to the 2.0L engine and the six-speed manual is the definitive knife-through-butter experience.

The MX-5 is truly ‘superleggera’ (super-light) and doesn’t have anything it doesn’t need, to keep weight down - well maybe except for air conditioning, but then it would be impossible to sell this car to the pampered population of the US West Coast without aircon.

 

However, before we get carried away with a basic two-seater, let’s look at the rest of the range. This relatively small company has captured big chunks of the Crossover and SUV market with a range of brilliant models like the CX-3, CX-30 and the CX-5.

 

In addition, despite other carmakers turning away from passenger cars, there’s the Mazda 2, Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 – all extremely competent, high quality, and enjoyable to drive.

I have a number of friends who have deserted high-priced Europeans, for the quality and value of the lower-priced CX-3 and CX-5.

By the same token, Mazdas are not ‘cheap’ cars. Striving to build a reputation for quality, Mazda has pushed retail prices above most of its competition, but its aspiration for premium status is supported by extraordinary reliability, strong dealer support and excellent driving dynamics.

But, all is not rosy for Mazda. The company has its share of problems too. Despite the comparatively small size of the Australian market, it is nonetheless Mazda’s strongest. Mazda has suffered a big fall in sales globally, thanks to COVID19, but even before that it was carrying USD$4.32bn in interest-bearing debt, and has been forced to apply to Japan’s big banks for a fund raising totalling USD$2.93bn.

 

This deteriorating sales position has forced the closure of Mazda’s Japanese factories, in order to sell-out built stock.

 

Global sales have been steadily tracking down, and in the USA sales have fallen almost 42%, with its passenger cars down by double digits. However, one bright spot are strong MX-5 sales.

Mazda’s Japanese management says it’s concerned, but emphasises it is in a strong position to recover. Let’s hope so.

I think Mazda is a company to be admired for its focus and determination on continually improving its ICE powertrains, including the SkyActiv-X engine, and improving quality and refinement.

In the automotive world I think Mazda is a standout.

John Crawford

10,000 HOURS & A MILLION BUCKS GETS YOU THIS! by John Crawford

I’m not big into hot rods and the American muscle car scene, but I know quality when I see it – and this remake of a 1937 Ford coupe is the bee’s knees. The craftsmanship is awesome!

 

Also, this is not from some hyper-expensive custom shop on the West Coast. Most of the work you see here occurred in the mid-West, which just shows you what a surprising place the USA is. You get pockets of talent and outstanding skill sets all over the place.

The car is now owned by Ryan Thomas from Delano, Minnesota. The custom job began with the first owner, Boyd Coddington, at Tucci Hot Roads in Marcy, New York.

Coddington had given Dave Tucci free reign to create something ‘special’. Sadly, he passed away before the job was completed, when Ryan Thomas bought the car. Tucci had done a lot of the early fabrication, but Thomas took it back home to Mike Jensen of Mike’s Auto Restoration and Customizing.

 

Tucci began with an impressive list of tasks –  He started by wedge channelling the body to get an aggressive hot rod rake. The headlights have been eliminated from the moulded fenders, replaced by Kawasaki Ninja ZX-9R headlights integrated into the custom Alumicraft aluminium grille.

 

The handmade hood top extends downward to the grille. The top was chopped and completely re-proportioned, with the B-pillars removed, a cut-down Saab 900 windshield flush fit in place, and the rear laid forward. The doors were reshaped, and the rear fenders were extended around the rear of the body to where the dual exhaust ports exit.

The most ingenious technical detail on the car must be the invisible door hinges.

Ryan refers to them as pocket hinges. The design allows the front edge of the flush doors to pivot into the body as they open. It's remarkable engineering that has to be seen to fully appreciate.

 

The wildly redesigned body was mounted on a Fatman Fabrications chassis. In order to achieve that pavement-scraping stance, the frame rails were Z'd in the front (?), and kicked up in the rear. A Mustang II style independent front suspension with 2-inch dropped spindles, and a four-link rear were custom built by Tucci. RideTech ShockWaves are controlled by an AccuAir e-Level air management system.

 

As you can see this is no ordinary custom job. This is automotive art, both the visual perspective and the engineering.

 

The coupe's fenders are filled in high-tech fashion with big billet wheels from Colorado Customs, machined to follow a design provided by Dave Tucci and Ryan. Pirelli 215- and 295-series P Zero Nero tires were mounted on 17x8 and 20x10 wheels. The six-piston Wilwood brakes feature 10- and 12-inch front and rear rotors.

 

Prestige Motorsports in Concord, North Carolina, built the Ford 351W engine with Air Flow Research cylinder heads and high-performance aftermarket internals. The custom engine cover fits with the 1937 Ford's classic flowing lines.

The stacks of the Borla injection system and the custom finned valve covers add a traditional rod flavour. The 550-horsepower Ford engine is adapted to a GM 700R4 4-speed transmission

 

The interior is another example of imaginative high-tech style. Hix Design in Norman, Oklahoma, hand built the contemporary bucket seats and upholstered them - along with door panels and trunk. The floor is covered with leather and aluminium panels instead of carpet.

The custom dash includes milled bullet-shaped gauge pods and the hanging shifter ball was a Dave Tucci addition that adds a 1950s vision-of-the-future appearance.

This car has won a swag of awards, and is a tribute to the Hot Rodders’ imagination and craftsmanship.

As I said, it may not be your thing, but it's beautiful work, by thorough professionals - who can take a bow.

John Crawford

MUSIC & MOTORS, WHAT A COMBINATION by John Crawford

The inspiration which has energised and motivated me throughout my life are two things really – music and cars. A big part of my background which informs these personality traits are that I spent many years as a freelance auto journalist, plus five years as the Editor of MODERN MOTOR magazine; and around ten years as a Top 40 disc jockey in Sydney during the rockin’ sixties.

 

Those two elements could not come into sharper relief than in 1976 when I was invited by Alfa Romeo Australia to undertake my very first international trip, to Italy, to see the country, soak up the culture, enjoy the food and wine – and, oh yes, visit Alfa Romeo factories and drive Alfa Romeos. Rough lot, isn't it?

 

As I settled into my seat on the Alitalia DC-10 at Sydney airport on Saturday, March 21, 1976, I plugged the headphones into the aircraft’s entertainment system, and the very next track to play was “One of These Nights” by The Eagles.

 

Consequently, that song became an ‘anchor’ for my life amongst cars, and every time I hear it, I am instantly transported to the Alitalia DC-10, and subsequently walking across the tarmac at Milano Linate, to begin the trip that forevermore gave me a great love of Italy, and all things Italian. Especially Alfa Romeo!

John Crawford