Driven: Lancia Delta Multijet Oro (2010)   Hello, petrolheads! I’m back to an Italian playgroung again, this time with the Lancia Delta, perhaps one of the most controversial family hatchbacks on sale today. The current Delta is, for many, an unknown car, almost like the Lancia brand itself these days. A few may still recall the phenomenal Delta Integrale from the eighties, but from there on, Lancia almost vanished in time. Being integrated in the Fiat Group, a long time ago it was decided that Lancia should be more focused on comfort and luxury, while Alfa Romeo would keep its focus on sportiness. The second generation, launched in 1993, was the first real product of this strategy, but here is the thing: for a car to be “Premium”, it cannot be flawed in key areas, such as design, reliability, comfort or performance. An Audi A3, essentially an overpriced Volkswagen Golf, works because the Golf has good underpinnings. Being based on the Fiat Tipo, a mediocre design even when n...

Hello car enthusiasts! Today I will... discuss, let’s say, Convertible stuff. More specifically, I will try to make a couple of considerations regarding roof arrangements, as there are two dominant approaches these days: the trendy, practical folding steel roof and the classic fabric top. Which is best? The classic convertibles and roadsters are visually recognized mainly because of the predominant black fabric roofs. It’s the cheapest, lightest, less complicated solution to cover the heads of open-air driving lovers. As time passed by, their remarkable evolution went from a simple layer of fabric and a couple of steel tubes (pretty much like my Smart Roadster’s…), later with a plastic screen at the back for improved rear visibility and a gutter over the doors. Electric motors were introduced for added comfort, back in the Sixties (remember the movie ‘Bandits’, from 2001?), after multi-layer fabric tops making their appearances, perhaps the biggest and more relevant evolution in their ...

Greetings everyone! Today’s post is about another commercial vehicle, even if a very different approach from my Fiat Panda Van: the 2004 Seat Ibiza TDI Sport Van. Back in 2002, when Seat renewed its biggest-selling model – you guessed it – the message it wanted to spread was simple: we’re a young, stylish brand focused on those of you who are dynamic, young (at heart, at least...) and uncompromised. It was this clear. So, they went to Alfa Romeo, borrowed Walter de Silva – at the time Alfa’s chief of design – took the Skoda Fabia’s new platform (launched one year before), added a couple of powerful engines from VW and had a success between hands. I must recognize I like the look of it. Even today, the design is relatively up-to-date, despite the car having been sold in such great numbers and being a compact hatchback. On the inside, it’s another story. Yes, the round dials and air vents look Italian (wonder why...), but everything else is purely German: definitely practical and well s...

Driven: Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 (1999 R170) Hey car freaks! Today’s post regards my dream car. After spending a lot of time driving every kind of cars, I’m back at the wheel of something remotely special. Yes, for the first time since 2006, I’ve been back at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz SLK! However, this version is far from being my favourite amongst the range: it’s the non-facelift SLK 200, with a normally-aspirated engine, and in a very basic specification, indeed. I remember the first time I saw this model as if it has been yesterday. Back in March 1997, a 15-year old kid was giving a quick look to a car magazine, when he was faced with this slim, brilliant-silver sporty shape. He was everything but a car enthusiast, but the then-new SLK had a very profound effect on him. It was what can only be described as love at first sight! From there on, his passion for cars grew an awful lot, first concentrated on Mercedes-Benz (I must recognize that, for me, the vast majority of go...