Steve kicks off the new year with another burst in his time-honoured Mazda MX-5, recalls Ben Groot, the teenager who's bidding to have his amazing Bentley Blower lego model made into an official set and much more.
Monday
Holiday season driving is weird, isn’t it? On some days, the roads are unaccountably deserted, and on others they’re packed. The trick is picking which is which, and in 30-odd years of trying, I’ve never managed it. Still, I have recently overcome a foolish prejudice that sports cars are only for good weather – and put away 150 miles or so in my Mazda MX-5, the ex-Tisshaw 15-plate long-termer I’ve happily owned for four years.
What rewards! Ignore this car for a month or so and you forget how wonderful it is, and how surprisingly snug and practical. Or intrepid, if you’re courageous enough to lower the lid. You almost pray for low-grip surfaces so you can enjoy the MX’s built-in accuracy and controllability. Sure, there’s cleaning to do when you get home, but it’s worth it.
Tuesday
Remember Ben Croot, the teenager I wrote about last summer who has designed a superb Lego Blower Bentley from scratch and is bidding to have it adopted as a proper, boxed model for production? Early last month, Ben was invited to spend a day at Bentley’s own Crewe HQ – to see and ride in their full-sized Blower and meet the team that creates the modern cars. He was blown away, he says.
As I mentioned, Ben’s project needs 10,000 recommendations from people like us to proceed. Since he first appeared here, his total has grown from under 5000 to 8000. Now he has six months to gather the remaining 2000 supporters. Will you help? Registering as a supporter requires a bit of grappling with Lego’s website (go to the model at tinyurl.com/y7j5qweh) but Ben’s model is a thing of beauty, and you’ll be helping a determined young designer achieve his dream. Please help.
Wednesday
The bloke came today to collect the Nissan Leaf EV I’ve been driving for the past few days, and I’m disappointed at its departure. In the past, I’ve tended to take Leafs for granted because they’re ubiquitous – it’s often better, commercially speaking, to be a fast follower than a pioneer – but what I’ve warmed to is the car’s practical soul: size, price, capability (this was the long-range 62kWh model) and sweet driving qualities. I’d rather forgotten how logical Nissans are. If you want the time, a clock stares you in the face. If you want a USB port, it’s obvious. A seat heater switch requires a one-touch operation. The instruments are helpful, not confusing. I could settle down with one of these, no problem.
Thursday
To counter the global blizzard of ‘car of the year’ awards – all fundamentally boring apart from our own ‘different’ selections and the hardheaded choices of our colleagues on What Car? – I’m proposing a new concept, a ‘car of next year’ award. Yes, I know we’re a few days into the new year, but I’m hoping you’ll cut me some slack. My CONY is the strongly rumoured two-wheel-drive version of Porsche’s four-wheel-drive Taycan 4S electric saloon, presumably to be called the 2S. Judging by the differences between a base 911 Carrera and a Carrera 4, the 2S is likely to save you £7000-ish on a 4S (thus starting at around £77,000) and should offer the advantages of less weight and more adjustable handling in extremis, stability controls permitting. I have it on good authority that a 2S will look just like the 4S (ie fantastic), and if it’s like every other Porsche I know, a low-spec car will be just as desirable as the rest. Your next Christmas presso, maybe?
And another thing...
Having had a taste of the hot-shoe Toyota GR Yaris, I thought I’d chase a few facts about the size of the waiting list. No one’s saying, beyond admitting that customers and dealers are yelling as never before. The calmest description I heard for the demand was “insane”.
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Steve Cropley: Don't block this Lego Bentley-makers dream
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I understand your concerns but Steve's car will have a glass rear window and mohair outer cover so should withstand folding up and down in cold weather. At least the roof can be whisked up easily and quickly; my convertible complicates things by hiding the roof under a hinged cover and can only be operated with the engine switched off, so I'm always keeping a wary eye on the sky should the weather turn and I have to make an emergency stop, rather than enjoying myself. For that reason, if I were to have another convertible it would have to be an MX5 with its simple, manual, quickly manipulated roof!