Automotive

2017 New York Preview: The Infiniti QX80 Monograph Concept revealed ahead of Javits debut

2017 New York Preview: The Infiniti QX80 Monograph Concept revealed ahead of Javits debut The Infiniti QX80 soldiers on on as the company’s flagship SUV based on the Nissan Patrol/Armada and this concept previews a new version.
What’s going on?
Infiniti just revealed a new concept car due for the New York International Auto Show. Meet the new Infiniti QX80 Monograph Concept.
Details are sparse. But as of now, it’s safe to assume that this QX80 Monograph Concept previews not only an updated QX80, but perhaps a flagship version as well.
“The QX80 Monograph represents a detailed study into our expertise of exterior design,” describes Roland Krueger, Infiniti’s current president. “QX80 Monograph shows our concept of luxury and style on the road, and is an exploration into how we could enhance our future Infiniti offering in the luxury SUV segment.”
Ok. Anything else?
Nope, just a single picture, which you can see in HD below.
The Infiniti QX80 Monograph Concept looks fairly close to production ready. So we anticipate the actual car to look very similar. Automakers are also introducing ultra-luxury versions of their high-end vehicles for foreign and affluent markets. So in a way, you can describe this new Infiniti QX80 Monograph Concept as a potential alternative to others, like the Range Rover Autobiography.
Though, I’d still rather have a Range Rover.
– By: Chris Chin
Infiniti QX80 Monograph Concept

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SoCal Private Country Club For Gearheads Opens New Track

SoCal Private Country Club For Gearheads Opens New Track

A lot of the time, I read the words “country club” and my jaw clenches. I start thinking it’s time for a short ride in the tumbril and a date with The National Razor. And honestly, in this case, I thought the same, briefly. Then I realized, well, I’m a car guy, albeit one of limited means.
That does not take away from the fact that as a gearhead, I, like all gearheads, are always, pretty much as random background noise, thinking “what if, what if?”
Endless Possibilities
And by “what if,” I mean, “what if I had an “extra” 20-thousand dollars? What kind of car would I buy?” or “what if I had an “extra” 200-thousand dollars? What kind of car would I buy?” or “what if I won the Powerball Lotto? What kind of cars would I buy?” See, for a gearhead, it’s never “would you” but “could you.” And, in the back of my mind, smooth and febrile as it may be, the equation is always one of “get a warehouse, and fill it with all the cars I can afford.”
Motorsports Country Club
Suppose that you’re already in that position. Suppose you’re richer than Croesus. Now suppose you are really into the track and racing cars. So much into them that you have, let’s say, a dozen or so of the beasts carefully stored and waiting. Now, where do you drive the things? It’s not like having a bunch of old Packards and De Sotos. Even if they’re old, you can still take them out for a drive, early on a warm Sunday morning. But you have ten or a dozen racers – a Porsche 908, a fully prepped 911 RSR, an older Devin, that sort of thing – what do you do?
Enter the motorsports country club.
As the name implies, it’s a country club minus the golf links and tennis courts, with garages, storage facilities, and most importantly, a track. And, like a country club, you pay your (idiotically exorbitant (but who cares, you own a dozen racing cars!)) fee and you get your own, semi private (or at least exclusive) playground to use. And, besides having access to mechanics and tools, you’re also around other like-minded and like-enriched car people to go out on the track and play with.
These things, country clubs for rich gearheads, have been cropping up for a while now. There’s a couple in Colorado, and a slew in the desert southwest, where the weather is much more amenable to this sort of thing. Also much more amenable is the land, which there is plenty of, and is cheap like the budgie. For example, The Thermal Club, which is located in Palm Desert, California, right next to Palm Springs.
The Thermal Club’s road courses can be utilized for vintage race cars, modern GT3 cars, and motorcycles. Photo: The Thermal Club.
Track Treatments
The Thermal Club is a private motorsports country club that offers up a whole bunch of well healed conveniences for its members. It sits on 344 acres of land in the California desert, about half the size of Central Park in New York. About half an hour from Palm Springs, The Thermal Club offers luxurious villa accommodations, 5.1 miles of private pavement, and three different tracks. There’s also a club house, a fueling station (no mention on kinds and qualities, but I’m guessing/hoping all the way up to and including AvGas), and a tuning shop for repair and maintenance. No mention if you can wrench on your car yourself, or if there are available dogsbodies to be ordered around and abused just like great-grand-papa did when he was working for the East India Company.
The Thermal Club just expanded, adding a third track, The Desert Track, that joins the North and South tracks. The Thermal Club says the new course is its most technical road course to date. They also say that “since monotony is not an option, all three tracks can be combined, allowing for 22 different configurations, giving drivers a new experience each time they take to the tarmac.” Yes, that monotony can be such a bother in your daily life. I mean, how many times can you take dives into your Scrooge McDuck vault of gold doubloons or waste more hours looking through catalogues for your fifth trophy wife? Life can be such a struggle, can’t it?
All of the circuits were developed by track designer Alan Wilson, the brains behind the revamped Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Barber Motorsports Park, and The Utah Motorsports Complex. The Thermal Club also has a karting track, skid pad, and autocross course.
“Our goal is to have a country club that the entire family can be a part of and give our members a place that feels like home for a day at the track or a long weekend getaway,” said Tim Rogers, Thermal Club Founder. Photo: The Thermal Club.

Exclusive Treatments
The Thermal Club just finished work on an all-new Tower Clubhouse that features gourmet cuisine served by executive chef, Armando Rivera for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All the chow, er, cuisine is prepared by the on-site gourmet chefs in a state-of-the-art kitchen. The Tower Clubhouse also has a full bar, comfortable seating, and a premium wine selection.
You want more, you say? But of course! The Thermal Club gives its members their own custom designed luxurious villas, all the aforementioned dining and drinking and such as well as activities for all members of the family. An athletic center, spa, and kids club is planned for the near future. It’s located close enough to L.A. that if you’re one of the cities richer denizens with a serious car Jones, then it’s a convenient drive away for the weekend. If not, you can always take the G 650 into PSP and take the short drive from there.
Before Graham Hill became a triple world driving champion, he used to sell cars for Colin Chapman. At one point, he was showing a prospective buyer around the Lotus showroom when the client asked, “this car is much more expensive than that one, why is that?” To which Graham replied, “speed equals money sir, how fast would you care to go?”
The Thermal Club, in its own, unassuming and humble way, is also here to help answer that question.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
Photo: The Thermal Club.
Photos & Source: The Thermal Club

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The Lotus Evora Sport 410 GP Edition is a new version for our shores

The Lotus Evora Sport 410 GP Edition is a new version for our shores Lotus is bringing a more powerful Evora Sport 410 to the US, in legendary GP livery for enthusiasts.

What’s going on?
I frequently look at Lotus’ lineage during my lifetime as being broken into three distinct periods. Firstly, Lotus Esprits were often broken at the local exotic shop when I was a kid,. Then, there were Lotus Elises that friends my age were actually owned and enjoyed. And Lotus Exiges and Evoras proved to me that the British have yet to slow down with their oh-so-popular-yet-historic nameplate. The thing is, the Elise may have been fast because of its ridiculously light aluminum and fiberglass construction. But it just never had the extra cylinders like one of those Esprits I remembered from the garage.
I’m here to tell you that Lotus made all my big-kid dreams come true. By taking the more powerful Evora we’ve all come to love, shaving an exciting 154 pounds from the 400 model (yes!) and painting it in classic Lotus black and gold (yes!!), they’ve created the Evora Sport 410 GP Edition. And the real winner… they’re bringing it to North America.

So why the excitement over some black and gold paint? Why couldn’t we just order black, and then have a little gold vinyl cut up for it?
Well, we’re hoping Lotus screens its buyers to prevent this sort of DIY disgrace in the future. But until then, you should know that the GP trim is based on the John Player Special Team cars that Lotus was racing from 1972 to 1986 in Formula One.
They’ve given a great homage to this bit of heritage via the gold stripes on the hood, doors, fenders, and rockers. There’s a “Wold Champions” piece on the engine cover, and 410 logo on the tail end. If you know a Lotus fanatic, you know this is very, very different from make-believe racing lineage livery slapped on mid-range sports cars. Black and gold are the colors of Lotus’ blood – and likely the color of your enthusiast friend’s underwear.
And my last bit of excitement, they’ve decided to finally bring this wonderful machine to North America. The 410 weighs just 2,921 pounds, and boasts a 3.5 liter supercharged V6 with 400 ponies, and 302 pound-feet of torque. There’s a 6 speed manual standard and a Torsen-type LSD making sure this thing doesn’t mess up that beautiful Lotus handling with all that power. 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, and a top speed of 190 MPH round out these specs.
Going back to my earlier moment of Lotus nostalgia, it’s like Lotus took the muscle of their latest 6-cylinder platform, put it through the Elise’s fat-burning gym membership, and then brought it to us Americans in the most “gotta have it” appearance possible. The only downside (aside from hearing about this a mere 2 weeks before the IRS takes my Lotus money away), is that Lotus will only be producing 150 of the Evora Sport 410 GP Edition. You’d better believe we’re excited to wait in line for it though.
– By: Pat Miller
Source: Lotus
Lotus Evora Sport 410 GP Edition Gallery

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Lamborghini Delivers New Huracán To Italian Police

Lamborghini Delivers New Huracán To Italian Police

Somehow, the Italian police have gotten their hands on a brand new, Lamborghini Huracán to use as a police car, and for the first time in my life, I’d seriously like to be a cop. Normally, being a cop in Italy is 90% low-key and 10% life threatening (when you’re seeing to Mafia-related activities), but you know, I’d definitely put up with those numbers.
Automobili Lamborghini (that’s the official name of the Sant’Agata Bolognese builder of exotic cars) just delivered the police version of its Huracán supercar, dubbed the Huracán Polizia, to the Italian Highway Patrol in Rome.
Passing The Keys
This might come as a surprise to many, because 1 – Italy actually has highways, and 2 – Italy actually has an Italian Highway Patrol. The keys to the Huracán Polizia (which has got to be the coolest name for a cop car, ever) were handed over to Interior Minister, Senator Marco Minniti by Stefano Domenicali, Chairman & CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. Wait, Stefano Domenicali? The same Stefano Domenicali that ran Ferrari’s Grand Prix team? No wonder Lambos have been working so well lately.
The Italian Police Huracán (which is the way Italians say hurricane and is pronounced huruhKAHN) has been assigned to the Highway Patrol in Bologna. Bologna, the ancestral home of both Fascism and probably the best red sauce on the planet – hey, you gotta take the good with the bad, y’know? Bologna is also situated on one of Italy’s main Autoroutes, their version of highways, and like most other Italian Autoroutes or American highways, is chocked full of half-crazed speed freaks flogging all sorts of inappropriate vehicles (e.g. Fiat delivery vans) at velocities you’d think were suicidal.
Emergency Situations
Or, to put it another way, Bologna is a great location for the Huracán Polizia; it’s a big city without being too big, there’s lots of potential “customers” and most importantly, the lunch options are superb and numerous. The Huracán Polizia will be used both in normal police operations and for the urgent transport of blood and organs. Which, c’mon, sounds like the cherry on top for becoming an Italian cop. “You need me to get this kidney down to the hospital in Forli as quick as I can? Si comendatore! Si!”
This is not the first time Lamborghini has provided the Italian cops with cars. There’s another Huracán Polizia that has been operated by the Highway Patrol in Rome since 2015, in case you’re looking for office locations of a more cosmopolitan nature. In 2009 Lambo gave (sold?) the Roman police a Gallardo Polizia. That car is on permanent display at the Highway Patrol Auto Museum in Rome.
An essential task of the Huracán Polizia is to provide medical assistance. To this end, the front luggage compartment features a special refrigeration system for the urgent transport of organs. To provide emergency first aid, the Huracán is also equipped with a defibrillator, which can save lives by inducing targeted electric shocks that restore normal heartbeat in case of serious arrhythmia or ventricular fibrillation. Photo: Automobili Lamborghini.

Special Treatments
The Huracán Polizia sports the official colors of the Italian Police: A two-tone Police Medium Blue with a broad white area and lettering “specially executed to match the Huracán’s dynamic look.” What, you were expecting them to just slap on some decals that say “Polizia.” This is Italy. Have some style. Whattaya think this is, Germany? The livery is finished off by a tricolor stripe running along both sides of the Huracán Polizia.
Like all Lamborghinis, the Huracán Polizia is equipped with Pirelli P Zero tires, but with the added touch of the sidewalls tinted in Police Medium Blue especially for the occasion.
The Huracán Polizia comes standard with the normally aspirated V10 that produces 610 horsepower. It puts all that power to the strada via an all-wheel drive system. Just like the Huracáns you or I could buy (snicker) the chassis is made of aluminum and carbon fiber. The inside features a whole buffet of cop-related gear. An integrated tablet and computer, recording equipment, and a video camera used to document police operations on the road. There is also a Nuova Simonelli Aurelia Ii Semi 2 Group Espresso Machine and a six capacity doughnut warmer. C’mon, who am I kidding? That was a joke. There’s no way Italian cops would stoop to eating doughnuts.
So, if you are a slow-witted American tourist (is that redundant?) moseying around Rome or Bologna in your rental Fiat Punto and you see a blue and white Lambo blast up onto your tail, do not get all uppity or, even worse, take this as an invitation to race. You will lose and soon be seeing the inside of Regina Coeli, where the red sauce is as mediocre as the espresso.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
Photo: Automobili Lamborghini.
Photos & Source: Automobili Lamborghini.

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Report: Mercedes-AMG is developing a new line of performance EVs and hybrids

Report: Mercedes-AMG is developing a new line of performance EVs and hybrids The instant power delivery of electric motors should find themselves at home in Mercedes-AMG models known for power.

What’s going on?
More electrification!
“Oh jeeze, this really is the end of the internal combustion engine, ain’t it,” you might think. That seems true for the beloved Mercedes-AMG brand as Automobile reports Mercedes-Benz’s performance division seeks to shift its focus to electrification and hybridization.
Despite what seems like the end of the EPA, automakers still insist on moving forward towards EVs and hybrids to continue reducing its carbon footprint.
What can we expect from this new push?
According to the article, AMG plans to develop new high-voltage batteries, fast charging, and stronger motors, all with performance and efficiency in mind. From that, a total of four performance electric vehicles will join the AMG lineup. We can expect some models to sport as much as 612 instant horsepower from two motors powering all four wheels. Juice should be supplied by a 105-kWh battery.
When should we expect some electrified AMG awesomeness?
Probably sometime around 2020 to 2022. Two will be sedans while the remaining two will take form as crossovers.
On top of the complex power- and drivetrain technology, other features such as rear-wheel steering and uniquely tuned Airmatic dynamic suspension should be included.
What about the hybrid front?
All is not lost with the internal combustion engine just yet. Since AMG is all about power, its hard to deny that there will be many customers still longing for that classic AMG V8 burble.
What’s in store for the hybrids? Details are sparse, but more plug-in hybrids will arrive in the future both in Mercedes-Benz’s and Mercedes-AMG’s future.
Hints and rumors imply Mercedes will utilize the technology developed on earlier hybrid models. On those models, Mercedes mounted the electric motors into the transmission housing, assisting the cog swapper with power. This is a more ideal hybrid system overall since the car can still use a traditional transmission rather than the off-putting CVT that other hybrids use.
Other plug-in hybrid cars could include an electric rear-drive system with a separate power pack for front-wheel drive models.
– By: Chris Chin
Source: Automobile
Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ Concept Gallery

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2017 New York Preview: The new Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban RST get more power and 10-speed auto

2017 New York Preview: The new Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban RST get more power and 10-speed auto Chevy tries to inject some more performance into their venerable full-size SUVs. How does 420hp and a 10-speed auto sound?

What’s going on?
Chevrolet just announced some new version of the Tahoe and Suburban called the Rally Sport Truck. What is it exactly? It’s a special edition package that adds the company’s more powerful 6.2L V8 and 10-speed automatic as standard.
Such a power- and drivetrain combination was not yet available previously, even on other versions of GM’s full-size family. The GMC Yukon still only gets a 5.3L EcoTec V8 and an eight-speed auto. You can still get a 6.2L V8 in the Yukon Denali and the flagship Cadillac Escalade. But both still don’t get the latest and greatest 10-speed automatic yet.
That means Chevy Tahoe lovers can get the latest power- and drivetrain combination ahead of their more luxurious stablemates.
So what are the details? How much more power are we talking?
Well, since the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban RST Editions basically just get the Escalade engine instead, that means the 6.2L EcoTec V8 is good for 420hp and 460 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated strictly to GM’s latest HydraMatic 10L80 10-speed automatic transmission. Then, a wider overall gear ratio of 7.39 is added to increase efficiency at highway speeds. But thanks to the forward gear count, shorter gearing allows for improved acceleration as well.
As a result, Chevrolet claims a Tahoe Rally Sport Truck Edition can hit 60 from a standstill in less than six seconds. For a truck weighing close to three tons (6,000lbs), that’s quite impressive.
Buyers also get GM’s Magnetic Ride Control active suspension to help body control and ride quality.
Sounds like a pretty dope Tahoe. When will it go on sale and for how much?
Those details, as expected, weren’t released yet. But we can expect that information to surface later on as we near the Rally Sport Truck line’s official debut at the New York Auto Show.
– By: Chris Chin
Source: Chevrolet
Chevrolet Tahoe Rally Sport Truck Special Edition Gallery

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2017 New York: The Nissan GT-R marches on with a new Track Edition set for NY debut

2017 New York: The Nissan GT-R marches on with a new Track Edition set for NY debut Nissan drags out the current-gen GT-R and adds a new Track Edition to the lineup, set for New York reveal.
What’s going on?
It seems the current generation Nissan GTR has been in production since the beginning of time. Believe it or not, it was first introduced a decade ago in 2007, exceeding the average generational lifespan of cars of about five to seven years. That basically means in car years, that’s the equivalent to being your great-grandfather.
And yet, Nissan continues to produce it, which means they need to keep it fresh. So what does that mean? There’s a new flavor of GT-R on the way. It’s called the Nissan GT-R Track Edition.
What’s new you might ask?
Well, the Nissan GT-R is pretty much the same as the 2017 GT-R that came before it. But this new version Nissan’s bragging about is a new “Track Edition,” due for a reveal at the 2017 New York Auto Show next month.

What exactly is the 2018 Nissan GT-R Track Edition?
According to the press release, Nissan describes it as a middling model that slots in between the T (Touring) and R (Racing) models. And yes, because of the name, it is biased towards track-day performance.
Changes take form in small details. For instance, the GT-R Track Edition features more adhesive bonding and spot welding during construction to stiffen up the chassis. The suspension receives some tweaks thanks to Nissan’s in-house performance division, NISMO. The result is a slight reduction in weight, added chassis rigidity. Rounding out the package is a set of sticky NISMO-spec tires.
Other updates include new 20-inch NISMO forged alloy-aluminum wheels, a cargon fiber rear spoiler, and a bespoke red and black interior color treatment for the Recaro bucket seats. The exhaust is also supplanted with freer-flowing titanium system.
Is there any more power?
Sadly, no. But, the GT-R Track Edition comes equipped with the most powerful version of the GT-R’s legendary VR38DETT 3.8L V6. That means 565 horsepower and 467 pound-feet of torque is on tap. It’s still mated to the same six-speed dual-clutch automatic, complete with the GT-R’s familiar ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive.
The new Nissan GT-R Track Edition will take a bow at this year’s New York Auto Show next month.
– By: Chris Chin
Source: Nissan
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Jaguar Classic Launches E-Type Reborn Models In Germany

Jaguar Classic Launches E-Type Reborn Models In Germany

Jaguar is getting into the factory resto game – not in a terribly big way, but still in a charming, and very British way. A few automakers have started up programs like this. They get some old, yet workable examples of their products from days gone by, and then a dedicated team at the factory restores them to “like new, showroom condition.”
And then the automaker sells them to the public, or, more likely, collectors with deep pockets.
Original Collection
Jaguar is having a go at this whole concept with what they pretentiously call the “E-Type Reborn.” Coventry went through 10 Series I E-Type Coupes with a fine tooth comb, making them literally as good as new, and then selling them. The first one just rolled out at the Techno-Classica Show in Essen Germany. By the way, the Techno-Classica Show sounds pretty cool, and if anyone is in the neighborhood, it would probably be worth checking out.
What the E-Type Reborn program does, is offer prospective customers the exceptional prospect of purchasing an original E-Type direct from Jaguar. It goes without saying that E-Types are very hot collectables these days, and if you’re one of those knuckle-dragging Saracens that look at purchasing a car like this as an investment, then getting one from the factory most likely means it will be worth even more money. Obviously, I don’t condone this as the sole reason for buying a sports car, nor am I Jordan Belfort, so don’t look at me for anything even approaching sound investment advice.
Original Condition
Every E-Type Reborn is plucked live from the real world, then sent through the factory’s resto program and completely redone according to the company’s original 1960s factory specifications. Unlike specialty shops and other marque experts, this gives the subject car exclusive access to build records and original drawings held by the Jaguar Heritage Trust, not to mention the team’s decades of experience in all things Jaguar. To maximize the vehicle’s quality, longevity, and collectability, Jaguar Classic Parts are used throughout the process.
The first E-Type to go through the process was a 1965 Opalescent Gunmetal Grey Series 1 4.2 Fixed Head Coupe. Originally exported to California in May of that year, the car put 78,000 miles on the clock before being put in storage in 1983. It has original matching numbers on the body shell, engine, and gearbox, all of which have, duh, been completely rebuilt by Jaguar Classic technicians. Jag keeps as much of the original vehicle as possible of course, while any safety-critical parts are replaced with new bits from Jaguar Classic Parts.
When necessary, body panels from Jaguar Classic’s reverse-engineered panel program are used. Jaguar’s team even goes so far as to recreate the correct type of spot-welding when refitting those panels. Photo: Jaguar Land Rover.

Modern Components
Jaguar says if the customer would like “sympathetic upgrades from later E-Type models,” they can be incorporated into the restoration. Things like improved cooling (using Lightweight E-type-derived parts), installation of an all-synchromesh transmission (if not fitted to the vehicle originally), or the addition of later, Series 2 front brake calipers are all to be had. At extra cost, of course.
As mentioned, 10 examples will be produced as part of the Reborn program, all of them being Series 1 cars made from 1961 through 1968. All of them will sport either the 265 horsepower in-line six-cylinder engine, the 3.8 liter plant, or the big displacement 4.2. Same four-speed box that came with the cars in the 60s and same performance specs: 150 mph top end and a 0 to 60 time of around 7 seconds.
Notice anything missing? Anything that would have been, oh, let’s just say “nice” to have on a Jaguar today? Things like a functioning electrical system that has a lifespan somewhat longer than a bowl of grapes?
Nope, none of that here Cochise. When Jag says, in so many words, this is just like it was sitting on the showroom floor in 1964, they mean just like it was. That means you best be on speaking terms with Lucas, The Prince of Darkness. Yes, yes, I know. These are not being marketed, sold, or most likely even used as daily drivers. All ten of them will likely be snapped up in no short order, tucked away in a climate controlled storage facility, fussed over by a team of personal mechanics, and driven by their very, very rich owners a couple of times a year.
The Jaguar E-Type was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961 and became a signature car for notable figures like Steve McQueen, George Best, Sir Jackie Stewart, Brigitte Bardot, and Frank Sinatra. Photo: Jaguar Land Rover.
Trophy Car
How much? Well the E-Type Reborn will start at “£285,000 dependent on specification,” which is around $300.000 in real ‘Murican money. Which is, let’s face it, completely senseless. For $300,000 you could get a . . . well, I’ll let you fill in the blanks here (things like a very fun track car and an enclosed trailer and a tow vehicle; or a year or two old Ferrari 458 Italia or a house).
But that’s just the point. Any one of the ten people who buy an E-Type Reborn are not thinking in a very practical, “this’ll be fun to drive to work on sunny days” kind of vein. No. This is a trophy. Like that squiggly modern art painting their third, 20-something wife had them buy that is now worth 564% more. Still, E-Types are fun when they’re running, and if you really want the cream of the crop, the E-Type Reborn is most likely it.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.

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Letter From The UK: Drunk With Distraction

Letter From The UK: Drunk With Distraction

Recently, I sustained a fall that has slowed me down a bit. To go from charging around like Road Runner on acid to becoming a couch potato virtually overnight has been extremely frustrating. No driving, you see. I am already suffering from cabin fever. The one piece of good news is that at least I can have an alcoholic drink or two, or three, for the duration of my incarceration.
Being laid up has also given me time to think about, of all things, road safety.
Here in the UK, we talk a lot about it and the authorities make many rules and regulations. Some of these are fair and sensible and some are tantamount to legalized theft or just plain downright stupid, but that’s government for you. You’ll already be aware of this no doubt. What is more worrying is the contempt which even the more sensible laws are treated with by some drivers.
Cops On The Ground
Part of the problem here is that our UK police force is run by pen-pushers, log-stackers, and accountants. Accountants like to save money (it’s in their nature; nothing you can do) and the result is that there are not enough policemen to go around these blighted isles. Get your house burgled here and there is only a one in ten chance of the case being investigated, let alone solved. As a consequence of this shortage, there is not much chance you will see a traffic officer on our highways.
This lack of roadside oversight means that some crazy motorists continue to use mobile technology on the go because there are not enough British Bobbies on the ground to catch them. Recently, the penalties for this have been made much more draconian, but the numbers getting caught remain comparatively few.
People who do not concentrate on their driving deserve what they get; the innocent people they kill or maim do not. The worst offenders for this are people who drink and drive. Yes, despite all the rules and laws and TV campaigns and newspaper reports, the drunks are still at it in the 21st century.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, two in three people on average will be involved in a drunk driving accident in their lifetime. Photo: Vigan Hajdari.
In Days Of Yore
In the dark, mysterious days of the prior century here in Great Britain, cars were simpler and although they broke down more often we could usually fix them ourselves. Back in the day, the people of the United Kingdom spent much of their leisure time in the pub too.
The pub, or Public House (like an American bar only with fake Elizabethan oak beams, warm beer, a dartboard, and a dreadful bore with a wet, slobbering dog) is licensed to sell alcoholic beverages and food. Once, pubs were the center of social activity. Men would traditionally “go to the pub” on a Friday night, come home totally “bladdered” from a surfeit of “booze,” encouraged by the thought of some hot lovin’ action from the dutiful wife at home. Usually, when he crept between the covers, he discovered that he was in fact married to Jadis, the Ice Queen of Narnia, cold enough to freeze the most fervent ardor and shrivel rampant manhood.
Worse still, our theoretical drunk probably traveled to the pub and back by car. It was a different world all right.
The attitude to drunk driving was relaxed to say the least. If you managed to get home in one piece that was fine. Drivers would actually have to crash, or at least do something fairly dramatic, to attract the attention of the cops, by and large. I know because a long time ago in my youth I learned the hard way with the precious wheels of my Audi almost vertical up a bank, the headlights searching the skies as if for enemy aircraft. It was a sobering, salutary lesson that had a profound effect on my attitude to road safety.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the average drunk driver has driven intoxicated over 80 times before the first arrest. Photo: Andy Kreyche.

Life Is Different Today
In the here and now, just like in the past, we drink to forget, although we can never remember what it is we are supposed to be forgetting. In short, it is a much more complicated world in 2017 and that goes for our automobiles too. Gone are the days when a car could be fixed with a sheer stocking doubling as a fan belt, some string, sticky tape, and a hammer. Now you have to have an engineering degree just to open the hood.
Yet despite the complexity of modern life, despite our traffic packed, busy, potholed roads, some cretins still believe the drink/drive laws do not apply to them. And people continue to die.
Although some believe that alcohol turns them into a driving god, the truth is even the sharpest reactions are dulled by booze. If you don’t react, you lose. It seems to me that drivers have become complacent at the wheel, distracted by devices and presumably lulled into a false sense of security by the high-tech safety technology on our cars.
Autonomous Drunks
If your car is autonomous; if it drives itself, why not have a drink or several? Is that our future motoring scenario? Uber recently demonstrated that automotive autonomy is not quite ready yet because real life has a habit of throwing curve balls at the most inopportune time. I personally found this out recently on a flight of good, old-fashioned stairs without the benefit of alcohol. Ouch.
If technology cannot yet master all the vagaries of the road then a drunk driver certainly can’t. If there are not enough law enforcers to go around then we should police ourselves. Don’t use your cell phone; don’t encourage the person next to you to do something intimate (unfortunately) and don’t, just don’t, drink and drive.
Geoff Maxted is a motoring writer, photographer, and author of our Letter From The UK series. Follow his work on Twitter: @DriveWrite
Cover Photo: Michal Jarmoluk.

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