As we all know, successive models of the one car tend to get larger.

A Corolla is now bigger than the original Crown; the new-age Mini is vastly bigger than the original; the current VE Commodore is very much larger than the first VB model.

Bigger is apparently better, until the size has grown so much that there’s a created place for a new, smaller model – like in the Corolla’s case, the Echo and then the Yaris. (Or in the Honda Civic’s case, the Jazz – there are many examples of the phenomenon.)

But the Holden Commodore has proved rather problematic. The newer, smaller models designed to slot in where the Commodore once was have not been very successful – the Vectra being the expensive case in point. So now we have the much cheaper Epica, which in terms of cars like the original sized VB-VL model Commodores, is actually large indeed. (But despite its size, it’s still smaller than the current VE Commodore…)

So what does it take for a long-time Commodore owner to finally jump ship? You know, the older person who has driven Commodore models continuously since their 1978 release? (For Commodores and Falcons, it wouldn’t surprise me if people in the ‘have-always-driven-them’ category make up half of the current private buyers.)

Do these people just religiously follow the upgrading in size, the upgrading in power, and the upgrading in weight? Or at some point, perhaps now with children having left the nest, do they say to themselves that the new iteration of the model simply doesn’t suit, and it’s time to get a car that isn’t smaller than their current model – it just isn’t yet again bigger. To step out of a VZ Commodore, not into a VE but into an Epica, for example.

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Perhaps driving self-evaluation is like social class.

How? Well, whenever surveys are taken that asks people to list what social class they belong to (ie lower, middle or upper), the vast majority of people put themselves into the category of ‘middle’. And the interesting thing: there’s no correlation between a self-belief in belonging to a middle class and income. People others might call impoverished still think they belong to the middle class; many of those anyone else would call wealthy also think they belong to a middle class.

In the same way, an awful lot of people believe themselves to be good drivers. Or at least, well above average.

In fact, you need only read web discussion groups to see people, either explicitly or implicitly, boasting about their incredible prowess. Slippery roads, powerful engines and rear wheel drive without traction control on public roads? Ahhh, that’s just fun. Cars that are twitchy and unforgiving at the limit? That’s why you need real drivers, not these pathetic attempts who prefer front wheel drive and are good for driving only shopping trolleys.

Over the years I have ridden with quite a few excellent drivers, including former Australian open wheel and rally champions. I have also ridden with drivers who are very good completely away from motorsport: one in particular who was always, in my opinion, extremely unlikely to have a crash in an urban environment as he was always so very watchful.

But there’s one thing about good drivers that is universal. Firstly, they never ever say that they are good drivers. Why? Because they’re always so well aware of their deficiencies. Secondly, they want in their cars predictability, consistency and communication. Someone who finds a challenging car fantastic fun in difficult conditions, and who tells everyone about it, is very likely just a wanker.

I think that it’s very important when evaluating your own driving that:

1) You never denigrate those who confess to being less than excellent in their driving skills. Instead, this self-analysis is to be applauded.

2) You constantly evaluate your own driving standard – taking the role of a make-believe critical passenger, if you like.

3) If you ever get a chance to, go for a drive with a really brilliant driver. It’s a reality check second to none.

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Having the throttle jam fully open is a pretty exciting idea. And an even more exciting reality.

I’ve had the throttle jam fully open twice in my driving career.  Once it was in city traffic, in second gear.  I’d just had the throttle body-to-plenum rubber hose off, and when I’d replaced it I hadn’t orientated the hose clamps the right way around.  The result was that when the throttle lever moved past the clamp screw it couldn’t get back: instant sustained Wide Open Throttle. 

After thinking “Shit!” I turned off the ignition key and then swapped lanes to the curb.

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The email was short and simple: Julian – From all your driving experience can you describe which (one) characteristic makes driving a pleasure?

I assume that the writer means which one characteristic of the car – and that’s a bloody good question.  

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All that I’ll say here has already been covered in AutoSpeed, but here it is again – this time with the facility to allow you to directly comment.

AutoSpeed is changing. The publication that we were 8 years ago, 5 years ago, even two years ago is not what we are today. Rather than being stuck in a time warp, we are responding to changes in society, changes in car technology and changes in the philosophy of staff members.

We started the latest raft of changes back in November last year – less chequebook hero feature cars, more background on car engineering, a hands-on project car (Frank the famous Falcon!) and more reader feedback.

Now we’ve dropped my Driving Emotion column in favour of this blog, a change that incidentally has boosted overall published content.

And reader contributions to the blog are just the beginning – expect to see in the near future the facility to comment on every single article. When the comments facility is up and running, we’ll drop the current Response reader feedback column. A weekly ‘letters to the editor’ forum is now outdated and with the facility to comment and give feedback on everything published, we see no need to retain it.

And the editorial content is further changing.

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The other day a reader wrote in, saying how he was disappointed with AutoSpeed. Amongst other things, he said that there were plenty more powerful modified cars around than those we are featuring – all we had to do was attend some dyno days and go to the drags.

That we are no longer particularly interested in featuring typical straight-line drag cars, and typical horsepower dyno hero cars, hadn’t occurred to him.

I told him in my reply that AutoSpeed was (and is) changing in editorial direction; if he liked the Australian magazine Street Machine (he’d said in a previous email he did) I thought it very unlikely that he would like AutoSpeed, both now and in the future. Therefore, it would seem best that he stop reading AutoSpeed, rather than just go on being frustrated with us.

[Incidentally, this idea that if you don’t like us, don’t read us, seems to offend people. But to me it makes perfect sense: what’s the alternative – I encourage those readers to persevere, even though I know they won’t like what is coming up? To me that seems completely hypocritical.]

Anyway, I was reflecting on the reader’s comments, especially in the implication that more power is good – and even more power is therefore better. As I’ve stated previously, I think that many modified cars in Australia are heading in completely the wrong direction – they’re huge, hugely heavy, and hugely powerful. But rather than put this so negatively, let’s look at the issue more proactively. What makes for a good modified car? (And so, one that we’d be delighted to feature?)

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The blurb at the top of this blog describes one of my interests as human powered vehicles.  

Human powered vehicles are – and aren’t – a longstanding interest.

Huh?

Well, in the same way I am interested in ultra-light and home built aircraft – but have never turned that interest into a reality – so for a very long time I have been interested in machines powered by pedals.  But having now started to build my own human-powered machines, I soon realised that I know nothing about cycling technology. I don’t know my Rohloff from my Schlumpf, so to speak. 

So I figured I’d better do some reading… 

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Over the years that I’ve been driving, my respect for various road rules has, I have to say, varied.

I’ve always respected drink driving laws – in fact, after driving a car once after having had just a few drinks (and so being well under the limit), I noted how my prowess had faltered and resolved to never drive again with any alcohol concentration at all.

But I’ve never had the same belief in speed limits – they’re simply too arbitrary, especially in their ignoring of car competence, the road quality and driving conditions.

And as for laws regarding car modification, I must say that I often have little respect for these.

But there’s one road law that I’ve always had the utmost belief in – the sanctity of the white line in the middle of the road.

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Back in this blog post I wrote about a number of old books.

One was ‘Automobile Brakes and Brake Testing’, published originally in 1938. It is, I said, “The best book I have read on brakes – how they work, how to test them, principles of braking”.

I have the second edition, which was published in 1958.

The book won’t tell you how to fit new disc pads to your Ford’s brakes, but it’s a superb book on the fundamentals of braking.

Timeless in fact.

And the reason I am mentioning it here? If you’re quick, it can be yours also – see eBay.

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