Vernasca Silver Flag – June 2024

I’ve been reading about the Vernasca Silver Flag event in Auto Italia magazine for a few years, and the cars that are depicted in the feature describing the event every year look fabulous, so I added it to my “list of events to try out”. Having done a bit of research, in particular finding out where...

2019 Volkswagen Jetta S (USA)

In Europe, the VW Jetta is a fading memory. The first models with this name appeared back in early 1980 when VW realised that although the market for family cars had largely moved to hatch back designs, something they had capitalised on very successfully with their Golf, there was still a demand for...

Galleria Ferrari – Maranello (I) – June 2024

For the past twelve years there have been two Ferrari museums in Italy for the fans and enthusiasts to enjoy. The larger and longer established of the pair is to be found in Maranello, the proverbial stone's throw away from the factory complex and the Fiorano test track. Needless to say, it attracts...

2021 Toyota Prius LE (USA)

The first generation Toyota Prius was a rather forgettably styled small saloon which did not create that much attention when it appeared in 1997, but thing were very different with the second generation car which arrived in 2004. This distinctive and deliberately highly aerodynamic car quickly grabb...

Caffeine & Machine – 12th June 2024

Just four days after my last visit to Caffeine & Machine (“The Hill”), here I am again, as it is their Italian evening, and a bit of careful diary planning allowed me to work from our Warwick office so I only had a 15 minute journey to get onsite and see what would turn up for this June 2024 ite...

Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari – Modena (I) – June 2024

The home of Ferrari is in Maranello, a small town about 20 km south of Modena. As well as the expansive factory buildings, there is a world-famous museum devoted to the marque, the Galleria Ferrari. It attracts vast crowds of visitors including lots of coach parties, all eager to pay homage to the b...

2021 Mazda CX-9 Touring AWD (USA)

What Europeans would think of as large SUVs, but which to Americans are only a sort of mid-size offering, are big sellers in the North American market, and pretty much every volume and premium manufacturer has an offering which means that there is a lot of competition for what, let’s be honest is a ...

Bath Festival of Motoring- June 2024

The Bath Festival of Motoring is one of those events of which I have been aware for some time, and indeed from which I have heard good reports, but just never managed to fit it into my schedule, even though it is less than 20 miles from home. Held over two days, it takes place outside the city, at t...