Have Car, Will Drive

Over the years I have accumulated a number of photos of interesting cars. Some of particular interest, like this one, I will share here for your viewing pleasure. Photographed at a gathering of French cars in 2004, this Renault R5 Turbo is a fine example of a nearly forgotten breed: the mid-engined rear drive (or sometimes all-wheel-drive) hatchback. The Renault R5 Turbo was one of the first of the breed, built in road-going guise to homologate its rally-racing twin for Group 4 rallying. Of a total 3576 R5 Turbos built between 1980 and 1984, only the first 400 were built to comply with homologation regulations. The remaining cars were built with some cheaper and heavier components, but remained almost as fast. I can't tell whether this model is one of the early few, but it is certainly statistically unlikely. While I don't have any numbers, I would also doubt that many, if any, of those first 400 cars were built in right-hand-drive.

When the term SUV (that's a Sports Utility Vehicle for any of you who have been living under a rock for the past ten years) first attempted to migrate to Australia from its US origins I was resistant. What did the term add that existing descriptions of vehicle types did't have? What does it even mean?

Every car is a compromise. Generally, size is traded off against fuel economy and weight, and practicality against driver enjoyment. When I bought my Ford Focus, one of the main priorities was fuel economy. However, I also periodically find myself wanting to transport a reasonable amount of cargo, and so the obvious solution was a hatchback, giving me good load access and the ability to fold the seats down for a large cargo space. Last weekend I headed to Phillip Island for the weekend, and took with me a collection of musical equipment plus a few personal items. As you can see in the photo above, with two of its rear seat folded the Focus swallowed up everything I could possibly need, while leaving room for two (admittedly non-existant) passengers.