2008 wasn’t the best year. In retrospect, it was pretty bloody awful. At the tender age of 10, little Kerbsider remembers watching Lehman Brothers employees -well one supposes ex-Lehman Brothers employees – leaving their London offices with arms full with boxes of their possessions on the six ‘o’ clock news. Did young Kerbsider, with hisContinue reading “The Supersaloon Class of 08′ | Intro”
Author Archives: Kerbsider
Gumpert Apollo | Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – Part 5
So far in this series a prevailing theme has emerged – that these didn’t make it track-only hypercar/track only supercars didn’t fail for lack of trying. Each car has been the product of soulful engineering expertise; each given buoyancy with both hope and ambition equally. Most of the cars on this list have sought toContinue reading “Gumpert Apollo | Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – Part 5”
Opinion | Is Drift Mode a Sham?
All-you-can-eat. Buy-one-get-one-free. Drift mode. These are all tangible, easily understood and tantalising concepts. But when scrutinised, each concept is perhaps only as glamourous as their initial meaning. All you can eat is a brilliant concept as it drills into the capitalist desire of a good deal, the culinary desire of gorging and the primal desireContinue reading “Opinion | Is Drift Mode a Sham?”
Ford Indigo | Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – Part 4
Ford in the mid-1990s was a strange beast. In Europe, its small and medium sized cars were doing well in the automotive war for Europa. The Focus and Mondeo were brilliant to drive, good value for money and good looking. But back in America – on the home front – things were different. In theContinue reading “Ford Indigo | Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – Part 4”
Maybe Modern Cars don’t Look So Bad | Mercedes C-Class Coupe
Design language is not for polyglots. It is a job for committees and clever people with rulers and clay. The trick of design language is to create a meaningful consistency that is present in all models and derivatives. The language needs to be easy to interpret and immediate – not everyone pays as much attentionContinue reading “Maybe Modern Cars don’t Look So Bad | Mercedes C-Class Coupe”
In the Rear View | Mitsubishi Evolution VIII MR FQ400
The Mitsubishi Evo is a car defined by competition success, cult-status and its eternal and mortal rival, the Subaru Impreza. In the Evo vs Impreza debate, it has long been held that the Subaru was the more charismatic and rounded proposition, compared to the edgier, sharper Evo. Whilst these two cars have waged war againstContinue reading “In the Rear View | Mitsubishi Evolution VIII MR FQ400”
Caparo T1 | Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – Part 3
The Caparo T1 is an infamous car. The T1 was spontaneous – and not in a good way – and demanded perhaps too much from its driver. Yet it is a car that nowadays would probably be so in demand that Caparo wouldn’t be able to make enough of them. The year is 2006 andContinue reading “Caparo T1 | Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – Part 3”
Ascari A10 | Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – Part 2
Self-righteous predators circle the bloated automotive sector, which has grown fat and slow and stupid on crossover SUVs and token facetious hybrids. Automobilia’s underbelly is exposed, as the sharp and unstoppable claws of governments and legislative groups seek to rake the soft, bulging flesh. The end days are coming. And as a result people thatContinue reading “Ascari A10 | Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – Part 2”
Mosler MT900 | Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – Part 1
One advantage that large OEMs have when creating track-only supercars is resources. When Ferrari built the FXX back in 2005, all of its components were Ferrari components. What we’re trying to get at, is that all of its bits were organic Ferrari componentry turned up to twelve. They didn’t have to source an engine fromContinue reading “Mosler MT900 | Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – Part 1”
The Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – A Series
The trackday hypercar/track-only super car is a strange sideshow to the wider automotive discourse. It’s a sector that has bubbled away under the surface, long-served by trackday staples Caterham and Radical. In recent years, there has been a shift with bigger and more prestigious manufacturers taking a turn at building track-only showcases for their bestContinue reading “The Lost Souls of the Trackday Supercar Sector – A Series”
Kerbside 