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You know how I like my nerdy car facts: being able to spot a model year just by looking at a wheel cover — that kind of ...
04/09/2026

You know how I like my nerdy car facts: being able to spot a model year just by looking at a wheel cover — that kind of stuff. However, sometimes I come across things I just can’t understand. Like this: a what seems completely unnecessary facelift of the , so subtle that no one ever noticed.

You all know the first two versions of the 306, or phases as Peugeot likes to call them. There was the original Phase 1 from 1993 and then, in 1997, a Phase 2 that’s easily recognized by the new shape of the grille, headlamps, and bumpers.

Phase 3 arrived in mid-1999 and is more difficult to discern. Your best bet is the headlamps: when they are clear, you’re probably dealing with a Phase 3. Another giveaway is the fully painted bumpers. However, Peugeot inexplicably made some other very subtle changes that must have cost a lot of money but are barely visible. Look at the shut line running underneath the rear lamps. On the grey 306 Phase 3, it’s a simple shut line; on the red Phase 2, there’s a plastic strip. Now look at the rear screen. On the grey 306, it’s nice and flush; on the older red 306, it’s sealed in rubber. I get the clear headlamps and the painted bumpers – they make the car look more modern. But the flush rear screen? And that strip? And why so soon after the Phase 2: couldn’t they have done this altogether in one facelift?
Peugeot designers to the front, please!

Peugeot 306 1.4 XT, 28 July 2000
Peugeot 306 1.8 XT, 23 February 1998

Poor Mazda. The brand from Hiroshima peaked during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but became overambitious. Its plan to...
02/09/2026

Poor Mazda. The brand from Hiroshima peaked during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but became overambitious. Its plan to turn Mazda into a multi-brand company, like Toyota and others, failed miserably. Rather than becoming the third majorJapanese automotive group behind Toyota and Nissan, Mazda sank into financial trouble. Ford came to the rescue, and with the bean counters behind the wheel, the fun days were over.

Today I present you with a good example of Mazda turning sour: the of the third, ‘BJ’ generation. The first two generations of the were basically four-door coupés ten years before their time. The sleek, sporty 323F was a common sight on our roads, and people loved it. Rightfully so. The third ‘F’, however, was something entirely different. In fact, it wasn’t much more than a wagon with an inclined tailgate, giving it just enough sportiness to justify the use of the ‘F’ moniker, which in this case stood for ‘fastbreak’.
Mazda’s close ties with Ford meant that the 323F was also available as the in markets such as Australia and New Zealand.

The last 323F was anything but a fast looking car. Just imagine what a third generation four door coupé could have looked like…

Mazda 323 Fastbreak 1.5i GLX, 3 september 1999.

Today I identify as a .
31/08/2026

Today I identify as a .

We need to have another look at that Lancia β Trevi. That wild interior draws away all the attention, to an extent that ...
29/08/2026

We need to have another look at that Lancia β Trevi. That wild interior draws away all the attention, to an extent that everyone seems to overlook another fact: with the Trevi (for Tre Volumi, not the fountain), added another four-door sedan to the Beta range.

The original from 1972 was a four-door fastback sedan. This was not uncommon — many early 70s cars looked like hatchbacks but were in fact sedans, like the Citroën GS and the Alfasud. Even smaller cars like the Fiat 127 and the Peugeot 104 had small boot lids. As the 80s approached, many of these models were converted into hatchbacks after all. The GS became the five-door GSA, the Alfasud got a hatch, and the rest moved to hatchback models altogether. Lancia, however, did not give the Beta a hatch when it was overhauled for the 1980 model year. Instead, it added another four-door sedan to the Beta range: the traditional-looking .

Turning a four-door fastback into a five-door hatchback is doable. Turning it into a four-door notchback isn’t. The Trevi looks weird; some even compare it to an Eastern European car from the time. There’s something off about the proportions, especially in the rear part. Lancia wanted the Trevi to slot in between the Beta Berlina and the Gamma. In our market, the Trevi cost well over 10% more than a comparable Berlina. Also, the Trevi was made available in a top-of-the-line Volumex version the regular Berlina did not have. Despite all this, the Beta Trevi is nothing more than just another four-door Beta. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to drop the Beta Berlina fastback altogether and let the Trevi take the main stage?

Lancia β Trevi Volumex, 1983

You know how I like my wild. Well, this one was on my spotting list for a long time: the 1980 - I mean Lancia β - wi...
26/08/2026

You know how I like my wild. Well, this one was on my spotting list for a long time: the 1980 - I mean Lancia β - with its designed by .

The β originates from 1972, and it led a… let’s just say eventful life on the market. By 1980, Fiat Group — owner of — decided it was time for an upgrade inside and out. The inside part was entrusted to architect and designer Mario Bellini. Bellini had become famous for his work for Olivetti, and most particularly his Olivetti Divisumma calculator series from the early 70s. Otherwise, Bellini had designed some furniture for Cassina, so he surely knew what he was talking about.

Despite their superficial similarities, chairs and calculators do not equal car interiors, however. Bellini tackled the challenge — in his own words — “from a structural, and not purely aesthetic angle”. The result: something very hard for the average consumer to swallow. The β‘s instruments and controls were embedded in what could best be described as a black plastic cliff. The controls were angled at the driver (who would otherwise not have been able to see them), except for the heater controls. Bellini must have been utterly annoyed by this, but I guess Lancia wanted to ensure passengers would be able to adjust the temperature without crawling onto the driver’s lap.

The Bellini-β-interior, for all its clean and modernist looks, was an ergonomics disaster. And not just the dashboard: the inner door handles were completely hidden — if you didn’t know how to operate them, you’d be stuck in the car forever. The Bellini interior did not have any effect on β sales. Of course it didn’t. The only thing it was good at was scaring away those suffering from claustrophobia or trypophobia. Still… despite this rather bland exterior: isn’t this absolutely wonderful?

Lancia β Trevi Volumex, 1983

The was the last passenger car by DAF. When DAF launched it in the early summer of 1974, the company was all but bankr...
24/08/2026

The was the last passenger car by DAF. When DAF launched it in the early summer of 1974, the company was all but bankrupt and talks with Volvo about a complete takeover of the DAF passenger car business were already underway.

You’d have to be a real DAF fan to spot the differences between the 46 and its predecessor, the . There are hardly any visible differences, the most obvious ones being the wheel trims and the quarter lights in the front doors of the 46, which the 44 doesn’t have. Underneath, however, the cars are very different. The 46 got the drivetrain and rear suspension of the DAF 66, which consisted of a modernized linked to a De Dion rear axle. In the 66, that made for a much better ride, but in the 46, with its small air-cooled two-cylinder engine, it hardly made any difference. DAF probably knew this and decided to equip the Variomatic in the DAF 46 with one belt only, making it the only model powered by a single Variomatic belt. In case the belt snaps, the other models allow you to limp home, but with a 46 you’re doomed.

The 46 was built for two years, between 1974 and 1976. When production stopped, DAF as a passenger-car brand ceased to exist.

DAF 46 de Luxe, 8 July 1977.

The is the most logical conclusion of the passenger vehicle. Especially with EVs, where aerodynamics have a huge impac...
21/08/2026

The is the most logical conclusion of the passenger vehicle. Especially with EVs, where aerodynamics have a huge impact on range, it is simply the most efficient shape for transporting as many people and goods as possible. This is why I am certain the MPV format will make a comeback.

This statement was also true thirty years ago. It just took some car makers a while to realise. Like Ford, never a brand to be at the forefront of innovation. Ford actually did develop an MPV based on the first generation of the . It was called the Focus MAV – for Multi Activity Vehicle – but it wasn’t much more than a tall and roomy five-seater. The Focus MAV did not offer the flexibility cars like the Renault Scénic or the Opel Zafira offered. Ford, not wanting to be outsmarted by its main rival Opel, scrapped the Focus MAV and started anew. Dealers were furious and even Ford officials, anonymously, called it ‘a very bad decision’. The Focus MAV would most likely have sold very well; moreover, Ford buyers are not looking for the latest trends anyway.

Ford only launched its compact MPV - the Focus - with the second generation of the Focus, in 2003, losing well over four years of potential sales in the booming MPV segment. This is of course nothing compared to their current strategy regarding the European market, but cancelling the Focus MAV may be one of the great misses of modern car history.

Ford Focus C-Max 1.6-16V Ambiente, 25 August 2006.

It was high time I drove the new on my home turf, but I needed a fitting occasion. provided one: camping. So off we w...
19/08/2026

It was high time I drove the new on my home turf, but I needed a fitting occasion. provided one: camping. So off we went for a weekend near the lovely village of Hellendoorn in the east of our country.

I must admit I didn’t have any camping experience worth mentioning. I never really grasped the concept of voluntarily spending the night in a tent. But something struck me during the weekend: there is something really satisfying about making do with just a few good bits and pieces. We brought a new Quechua 🏔 tent, which we put up in under 10 minutes. Our self-inflating mattress took under 5 minutes. It’s just all so nifty and clever: everything is light, practical and efficient. I guess this is what they mean by less is more.

It turns out the bright yellow was the best camping companion we could have wished for. We whizzed quietly across the beautiful nature campsite but still drew quite a bit of attention from fellow campers. Everyone seems to love the Twingo and we even caused a bit of a stir when we parked it smack in the middle of Hellendoorn.

As we packed our stuff in our yellow Twingo on Sunday, a thought occurred. At the time of the original Twingo, Renault did many collabs with brands like Kenzo, Elite and Benetton. Wouldn’t it be great to do a Twingo x Decathlon collab? Both are French, affordable, well-thought-out and heaps of fun. I’m thinking three colours: ice blue, copper and green metallic with a matching canvas roof and a Havana brown interior. I already have a name as well: Twingo Quechua. Renault France and Decathlon France: you can thank me later.

Renault Twingo Techno, 24 April 2026.

The Peugeot 406 coupé is a thing of beauty. There was one parked near our campsite that we spotted later on in the cente...
15/08/2026

The Peugeot 406 coupé is a thing of beauty. There was one parked near our campsite that we spotted later on in the center of a small town close by. We decided on a his-and-his Peugeot solution: will get himself a green 406 sedan in top spec (the one on pic 4 to be exact). It’s one of the best driving cars of its generation and one of the best looking at that. Meanwhile I’ll get a in blue for the weekends and fancy cruising along the Amalfi coast. We better be quick about it though: the sedan is nearly extinct, coupés have become very rare as well.

Peugeot 406 coupé 2.0i-16V, 23 January 2002.

The original 1993 Renault Twingo was a brilliant car. So was the original 1998 smart city-coupé. But sometimes one and o...
12/08/2026

The original 1993 Renault Twingo was a brilliant car. So was the original 1998 smart city-coupé. But sometimes one and one don’t make two, as the third generation of the little Twingo from 2014 proves.

For Twingo numéro 3, Renault got in bed with Mercedes. The two had just delivered their Kango / Citan twins, and what works for vans should work for passenger cars, right? The new Twingo was twinned with the smart fortwo - rear engine and all. It never attained the succes of the (dull) Twingo 2, but the Twingo 3 did not sell badly in our market. Between 2014 and 2018, Renault Nederland shifted around 4,500 Twingi each year. That’s really much more than I expected, actually.
While mildly interesting technically the Twingo 3 reminds me of a five door Fiat 500 - just not as cute. Are these any good? I’ve never driven one - maybe I should some day, Meanwhile I will be taking an equally yellow Twingo 4 on a camping trip next weekend. Stay tuned!

Renault Twingo 1.0 SCe Dynamique, 28 February 2015.

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