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Opinion

"Who asked for autonomous cars?"
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

"Who asked for autonomous cars?"

Engineers and scitentists are falling over themselves to create the autonomous car, but who actually wants one?
19 Sep 2017
"Cars are often nicer if you don’t try to be such a hero about it."
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

"Cars are often nicer if you don’t try to be such a hero about it."

Richard Porter rallies against the misplaced machismo of performance cars and urges us not to be a hero.
15 Sep 2017
'It takes a special kind of person to take the plunge with a bold car colour scheme'
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

'It takes a special kind of person to take the plunge with a bold car colour scheme'

So you think the motorsport-inspired livery on your car is cool? It might be, says Meaden, as he plays arbiter of automotive taste
5 Sep 2017
"Give it ten years, never mind 20, and DIY gearchanging will seem like a lost art"
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

"Give it ten years, never mind 20, and DIY gearchanging will seem like a lost art"

Porter suggests that the mass proliferation of automatic gearboxes doesn’t mean our left legs should become redundant
29 Aug 2017
"It's a shame that our relationship with the performance car industry has become that of junkies and pushers"
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

"It's a shame that our relationship with the performance car industry has become that of junkies and pushers"

The so-called 'power wars' that manufacturers have engaged in are no longer relevant, amusing or helpful.
22 Aug 2017
"The V6 is the engine world's constant disappointment"
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

"The V6 is the engine world's constant disappointment"

The worst engine layout ever to grace an engine bay? Porter has a convincing argument for a perhaps unexpected choice
15 Aug 2017
"Dukes of Hazzard probably played as important a part in influencing my future as any maths or English lesson"
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

"Dukes of Hazzard probably played as important a part in influencing my future as any maths or English lesson"

Car makers are missing out on the incredible power of the silver screen and should try harder to engage with car culture, says Meaden
8 Aug 2017
"The Portuguese are good at overtaking, people in Britain see it as lethal and objectionable"
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

"The Portuguese are good at overtaking, people in Britain see it as lethal and objectionable"

Porter ponders on the miserable - not to mention dangerous - inclinations of many people we share our roads with
1 Aug 2017
"Conventionally-engined cars may be on borrowed time, but they've borrowed a good 20 years worth"
Fuel gauge
Opinion

"Conventionally-engined cars may be on borrowed time, but they've borrowed a good 20 years worth"

The headlines may promise an all-electric future, but read more deeply and actual Government policy is thin on the ground, says Steve Walker
28 Jul 2017
"If you really want to get to know a car, you have to take the time to run a sponge over it"
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

"If you really want to get to know a car, you have to take the time to run a sponge over it"

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)
25 Jul 2017
"The glassfibre cladding has disappeared, but the test mule keeps the intrigue alive"
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

"The glassfibre cladding has disappeared, but the test mule keeps the intrigue alive"

Manufacturers used to exhibit extraordinary creativity in disguising their prototypes. Porter laments the loss of these pantomime cars
18 Jul 2017
"I'm reluctantly wondering whether I've actually become a power-sliding parody of myself"
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

"I'm reluctantly wondering whether I've actually become a power-sliding parody of myself"

The cornering shot used to be a source of education and inspiration, but its currency has been devalued in recent times, reckons Meaden
11 Jul 2017
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"Scrapyards are full of shiny things that appear to have years of life left in them"
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

"Scrapyards are full of shiny things that appear to have years of life left in them"

Rusting bodywork is largely a thing of the past, but it’s unlikely car makers will address other failing components, reckons Porter
4 Jul 2017
"The car industry is slowly but surely engineering me out of the process of driving"
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

"The car industry is slowly but surely engineering me out of the process of driving"

Engineers and scientists are falling over themselves to create the autonomous car, but who actually wants one, asks Meaden
28 Jun 2017
"Cars are often nicer if you don't try to be such a hero about it"
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

"Cars are often nicer if you don't try to be such a hero about it"

Didn't go for air-con? You'll only notice when you're sweating rivers, says Porter, who doesn't buy into all this options-list machismo
20 Jun 2017
"We're conditioned to want the next big thing, whatever that may be"
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

"We're conditioned to want the next big thing, whatever that may be"

Afraid of change, overly sentimental or just uninspired by modern machinery? You may well be a Hoarder, says Meaden
13 Jun 2017
"The A1 is consistently confusing and confusingly inconsistent"
Richard Porter opinion
Opinion

"The A1 is consistently confusing and confusingly inconsistent"

It may not be the quickest route, but its ability to surprise, entertain and even disgust makes the A1 the natural choice, says Porter
6 Jun 2017
"It's long been the case that brutally unsocial hours are the best for driving"
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

"It's long been the case that brutally unsocial hours are the best for driving"

You don’t need to take a far-flung vacation to acquaint your car with a great road. Just get up early, grab the keys and drive
30 May 2017
"Engine swaps embrace the spirit of anything-goes engineering to incredible effect"
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

"Engine swaps embrace the spirit of anything-goes engineering to incredible effect"

Some of the most deranged automotive one-offs are the result of engine swaps. Meaden identifies his favourites
16 May 2017
"Time will tell whether these electric hypercars are hollow, fatuous publicity stunts"
Richard Meaden opinion
Opinion

"Time will tell whether these electric hypercars are hollow, fatuous publicity stunts"

Not only is the way in which hypercars are built rapidly changing, but so is their raison d'etre. Meaden thinks he's identified a new trend.
12 May 2017
Ask Goodwin - What’s the oddest car that you’ve ever owned?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - What’s the oddest car that you’ve ever owned?

It was never going to be conventional, but Goodwin has surpassed himself with this revelation.
20 May 2016
Ask Goodwin - Can you fix F1?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - Can you fix F1?

Arguably, Formula 1 hasn't been exciting for years but does Goodwin have a solution?
13 May 2016
Ask Goodwin - What’s the best motoring event you’ve ever been to?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - What’s the best motoring event you’ve ever been to?

Bored of F1? Had enough of Goodwood? Touring cars no longer your thing? Here's Goodwin to help you.
6 May 2016
Ask Goodwin - Can you come up with a master plan to breathe life into Lotus?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - Can you come up with a master plan to breathe life into Lotus?

Lotus has shown some promise recently. But with Goodwin in charge, its future would be assured...
14 Mar 2016
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Ask Goodwin - Should white lines be removed from roads?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - Should white lines be removed from roads?

What does Goodwin think of the proposal to remove some white lines? Not keen, by the looks of things...
22 Feb 2016
Ask Goodwin - What exactly was the 'Bentley Incident'?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - What exactly was the 'Bentley Incident'?

Colin Goodwin experienced autonomous driving before the term had been coined, and lived to tell the tale
10 Feb 2016
Ask Goodwin - What would you build in your personal skunkworks?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - What would you build in your personal skunkworks?

Having built a plane, Goodwin now wants to construct a Hethel/Stuttgart hybrid in his shed
5 Feb 2016
Ask Goodwin - Will you be changing your old-fashioned views on motorsport?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - Will you be changing your old-fashioned views on motorsport?

Fighting words from a reader, who wonders if Goodwin is mired in the past with his views on modern motorsport
20 Jan 2016
Ask Goodwin - What are your predictions for 2016?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - What are your predictions for 2016?

There were ups and downs in the automotive world in 2015. What does Colin "Nostradamus" Goodwin reckon is in store for 2016?
4 Jan 2016
Ask Goodwin - What cars have you not driven that you wish you had?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - What cars have you not driven that you wish you had?

Regrets, I've had a few ...
28 Dec 2015
Ask Goodwin - What's your favourite alloy wheel design?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - What's your favourite alloy wheel design?

So many wheels, so little time to choose. Which wheel makes Goodwin's world go round?
21 Dec 2015
Ask Goodwin - Can you help me avoid more speeding points?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - Can you help me avoid more speeding points?

One reader is on the brink of penalty point disaster. What car does Goodwin suggest to stem the speed?
14 Dec 2015
Ask Goodwin - Would you ever buy a car as an investment?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - Would you ever buy a car as an investment?

With many classic cars rising rapidly in value, will Goodwin be riding the wave?
7 Dec 2015
Ask Goodwin - What are your gripes about modern driving?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - What are your gripes about modern driving?

Nobody is beyond occasional annoyance on the road. What grinds Colin's gears?
30 Nov 2015
Ask Goodwin - is twitchy handling a good thing?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - is twitchy handling a good thing?

Some cars are edgy on the limit. Does this keep Colin Goodwin focused, or just scare him?
16 Nov 2015
Ask Goodwin - Have you auditioned for Top Gear and if not, why not?
Opinion

Ask Goodwin - Have you auditioned for Top Gear and if not, why not?

Not even a heavy paycheque can tempt Goodwin to get behind the camera
5 Nov 2015
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