Nashing of teeth
You say “BM W ’s long relat ion sh ip
with the British car industry was
triggered way back in 1993” (News, 31
July). Really? How about the Frazer
Na sh-BM W s e r ie s of c a r s f r om 193 5
to 1939? Even after World War II,
Frazer Nash used a modified BMW
328 engine and in the late 1950s used
a new BMW 2.6-litre (later 3.2) V8 in
its Continental model.
There was a nodding gesture to
these cars with the limited run of
the 1967 BMW Frazer Nash 2000 TI.
I drove one of these when working
in market research for the Rootes
Mot or s d i v i sion of C h r y sle r U K at t he
Ryton plant in Coventry. The BMW
was almost as great a revelation to
drive as a Lotus Cortina (alas, just
t he M k 2) w he n c ompa r e d w it h
the average motor of the day. We
u s e d t o ‘ t e s t ’ b or r ow e d c a r s l i k e
these on the straight mile, which is
the length of the Fosse Way leading
south from where it crosses the A45,
nowadays by bridge.
Peter Skillern
Peterborough
Rate the fun factor
I loved Andrew Frankel’s article (Our
Cars, 7 August) where he summarises
his use of the McLaren 720S as
everyday transport for six months,
but I think his expression in the
image of him sitting in the car says it
all: too wide, too worrying, too much
power, despite his high praise.
Fun or fear – that is the question.
Maybe he never smiles while road
testing cars for us readers (despite
having the best job in the world)
but, if I’m reading him correctly
from previous articles, he would
h av e pr e fe r r e d a n A lpi ne A 110 for
maximum fun with minimum worry.
Because many of your testers
now comment on aspects of the
c a r s t h at ne gat e f u n , w e c ou ld a l l
benefit from seeing their Fun Factor
Ratings with every car test.
My top marks go to my Honda
S2000 and Vauxhall VX220, both
now departed in favour of a VW
Pa s s at E s t at e – F u n Fa c t or R at i n g
zero, but perfect at what it does.
Kathy Cumbley
Via email
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Don’t read too much into
Frankel’s demeanour –
he’s having a blast
Ford Ranger Raptor
Ford Performance has built a
go-faster pick-up. We drive it
Alfa Romeo GTV
Stunning looks, great to drive – this
guide explains how to spot a good one
Jaguar I-Pace
The most radical new Jag yet joins
o u r f l e e t. T h i s i s g o i n g t o b e g o o d ...
Britain’s Best Aff ordable Driver’s Car
The best driver’s cars the right side of £30,000 – including the all-new
Ford Focus ST – assemble as we find out which is the cream of the crop
VW ID Buggy driven
We h e a d to C a l i fo r n i a fo r a s p i n
in VW’s revived beach buggy
Meet Mr Hypercar
Loris Bicocchi is behind cars from
Bugatti, Pagani and Koenigsegg
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