‘I’ve decided to wean myself off a succession of V8 long-termers and it’s wholly refreshing’
‘I’ve decided to wean myself off a succession of V8 long-termers and it’s wholly refreshing’
Power and speed are intoxicating, but you don’t need 500 horses to put a smile on your face
'My son loves McLaren, but what happens when he notices they're actually a bit cack?'
'My son loves McLaren, but what happens when he notices they're actually a bit cack?'
If McLaren wants to continue its success with road cars, it’s time to pull down the pitlane shutters
Dream Drive: Formula 1 at Circuit de Monaco
Dream Drive: Formula 1 at Circuit de Monaco
Following in the tyre tracks of Senna, Hill and Hamilton is just a dream away…
"If I’d applied myself as diligently at school as I did at Driving School, my grades would have been rather better"
"If I’d applied myself as diligently at school as I did at Driving School, my grades would have been rather better"
It's over 30 years since Meaden passed his driving test, and it remains as the single most momentous thing he's ever passed
'Digital driving modes are fine, as long as they add to the thrill of driving'
'Digital driving modes are fine, as long as they add to the thrill of driving'
Gimmick or genuine drivers' tool? Meaden weights up digital driver modes, and their positive, or negative effect
‘Overall, we need the car makers of Italy. Or do we? Would we really miss Maserati if it wasn’t there?’
‘Overall, we need the car makers of Italy. Or do we? Would we really miss Maserati if it wasn’t there?’
If the Irish can cope without moles, are there some car companies that we can all live without?
It used to be the bodies of old cars that usually gave up first, but nowadays it's a little more complicated
It used to be the bodies of old cars that usually gave up first, but nowadays it's a little more complicated
Rusting bodywork is largely a thing of the past, but it’s unlikely car makers will address certain other issues, reckons Porter
‘In-demand cars have become commodities, but if you’ve missed the boat, it sucks...’
‘In-demand cars have become commodities, but if you’ve missed the boat, it sucks...’
These days if you’re searching for performance bargains you need to think big, reckons Meaden
'Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the perplexing One Car For Life challenge, or OCFL, for short.'
'Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the perplexing One Car For Life challenge, or OCFL, for short.'
Your perfect three-car garage? Child’s play, says Meaden. What you really want is to identify your automotive soulmate
"It was an inexplicable BMC parts box made me nostalgic for a time when people were less wasteful”
"It was an inexplicable BMC parts box made me nostalgic for a time when people were less wasteful”
Finding a carefully stored old car part in his father’s garage has got Porter feeling nostalgic for simpler, more resourceful times
‘High summer might seem like an odd time to ponder the merits of driving in the rain, unless of course you’re British’
‘High summer might seem like an odd time to ponder the merits of driving in the rain, unless of course you’re British’
There’s a natural antidote to the crushing ability of modern performance cars, says Meaden, just keep an eye on the Met Office
‘The value of Long-term tests for magazine readers cannot be disputed’
‘The value of Long-term tests for magazine readers cannot be disputed’
Long-term magazine tests are a fundamental link between you, the reader, and us, the journalists. We shouldn’t dismiss them, says Meaden
‘Cleaning your car is the simplest and most readily accessible car-based pleasure’
‘Cleaning your car is the simplest and most readily accessible car-based pleasure’
It’s easy to get sentimental about cars, but to romanticise washing them? No problem for Meaden (who hasn’t held a sponge in years)
Driving a supercar is no longer a painful compromised experience, and that's a problem
Driving a supercar is no longer a painful compromised experience, and that's a problem
Supercars no longer put the fear of god into their owners. Porter advises remedial action
'The Land Rover Defender is a rewarding drivers' car'
'The Land Rover Defender is a rewarding drivers' car'
Is there an ‘evo’ defence for the Land Rover Defender? As an owner of one one, Porter believes there is
‘I think I’m done with fast road cars’
‘I think I’m done with fast road cars’
‘Too fast for the road’ has long been a badge of honour among supercars, but it’s now a condition that afflicts most performance cars
'If you want a nice investment, just buy a bloody painting, not a supercar.'
'If you want a nice investment, just buy a bloody painting, not a supercar.'
The treatment of fine supercars as static investments is a crime, says Porter, this is why...
'It's time the established fast-car makers gave us all something to look forward to.'
'It's time the established fast-car makers gave us all something to look forward to.'
Dickie questions whether the established manufacturers are doing enough to adapt to the future of sports cars...
'Is it OK to repeatedly correct a 3-year-old’s pronunciation of Porsche?'
'Is it OK to repeatedly correct a 3-year-old’s pronunciation of Porsche?'
After considerable efforts to control his pedantic rage, Porter is taking the high ground and not correcting his son's Porsche faux pas
'We should begrudgingly endorse the SUV not lament it'
'We should begrudgingly endorse the SUV not lament it'
Meaden dons a flak jacket and presents a robust defence of the cars we all love to hate
'Now everything has a Sport mode. Even my dishwasher has one'
'Now everything has a Sport mode. Even my dishwasher has one'
Sport modes are everywhere… It’s a shame most have the subtlety of a sledgehammer, says Porter
'Toyota can make white goods models and still be the world’s most exciting car brand'
'Toyota can make white goods models and still be the world’s most exciting car brand'
Calling Toyota 'the most exciting car brand' might sound dubious, but Meaden might be on to something...
'The hardest thing to engineer into a car is niceness'
'The hardest thing to engineer into a car is niceness'
When you’ve got to live with a car, there’s a lot to be said for niceness, reckons Porter.
‘Listening to music should be endorsed not scorned when you’re behind the wheel’
‘Listening to music should be endorsed not scorned when you’re behind the wheel’
Switch off the stereo and listen to the music of the engine? Alternatively, suggests Dickie, leave it on and crank up the volume.
‘The A1 is interesting and unusual and I hope it never changes’
‘The A1 is interesting and unusual and I hope it never changes’
It may not be the quickest north-south route, but its ability to surprise, entertain and even disgust makes the A1 the natural choice
‘Are modern performance cars better value than their predecessors?'
‘Are modern performance cars better value than their predecessors?'
It’s easy to moan about the seemingly extortionate prices of new performance cars, but is that actually the case? Meaden investigates.
'2018 might see a road-legal production car hit 300mph. Pointless? In every practical sense, yes'
'2018 might see a road-legal production car hit 300mph. Pointless? In every practical sense, yes'
Dickie ponders the pointless, but seductive objective of road cars reaching the 300mph milestone
‘A stranger tainted my car and it’ll never be the same’
‘A stranger tainted my car and it’ll never be the same’
Mrs Porter’s car has been damaged in the street. Mr Porter isn’t taking it well...
'The ritual of looking at cars was one of the great spectator sports of my childhood'
'The ritual of looking at cars was one of the great spectator sports of my childhood'
Dickie harks back to a time when hunting down second hand cars was a Sunday ritual rather than an open tab on your browser
'Nowadays Lamborghinis flatter their drivers, rather than frighten the bejesus out of them'
'Nowadays Lamborghinis flatter their drivers, rather than frighten the bejesus out of them'
Worried that Lamborghini might be losing its hardcore edge, Meaden appraises the future of the raging bull
'Car makers developing four-wheel-drive technology should take inspiration from a dog'
'Car makers developing four-wheel-drive technology should take inspiration from a dog'
Where will you find the most sophisticated four-wheel-drive system available? Look no further than man’s best friend, says Porter
"Car technology is turning the colourful tapestry of European driving styles into a miserable morass of badly driven metal"
"Car technology is turning the colourful tapestry of European driving styles into a miserable morass of badly driven metal"
Could recent changes to cars and roads be causing driving standards to decline? Dickie has noticed some worrying initial signs.
'The speed at which electric hypercars are appearing is turning me off'
'The speed at which electric hypercars are appearing is turning me off'
Not only is the way in which hypercars are built rapidly changing, but so is their raison d’être.
‘The elusive thrill of driving is more readily accessed with the roof down’
‘The elusive thrill of driving is more readily accessed with the roof down’
Perhaps more evidence of his advancing years, Meaden confesses to a growing passion for convertible motoring
The art of disguising a car – what’s happened to it?
The art of disguising a car – what’s happened to it?
Manufacturers used to exhibit extraordinary creativity in disguising their prototypes. Porter laments the loss of these pantomime cars
‘When it comes to car ownership I reckon we all fall into one of three categories’
‘When it comes to car ownership I reckon we all fall into one of three categories’
Dickie Meaden discusses the three different personality types that exist among car owners.