Ok, it’s another FFFA which isn’t actually a photo, but a video. But, in our defence, it is quite a special video. We mentioned in yesterday’s post about F1-inspired road cars about the importance of the link between Ayrton Senna and Honda. That link is obviously, still, of importance to Honda to this day as…
Category: Features
Friday Photo from the archives #8
Today’s Friday Photo from the archives is a little bit of a cop-out, as it’s a car already featured previously. Yes, it’s that infamous Audi S3: It’s featured today for no reason other than it was exactly five years ago to date (July 19th 2008) that I collected the money-pit which would be my 225 bhp…
EngageSportMode Shares the R-Line Love
If you just cannot get enough of hearing about my Polo R-Line, but would rather read about it elsewhere, then you prayers have been answered. Over the coming months I’ll be documenting my ownership of the R-Line over at PoloDriver.com But in all seriousness, I am genuinely honoured to have been asked to contribute to…
Friday Photo from the Archives #7
Some car ideas work better in certain places than others. Some, such as the BMW 5-Series GT, don’t really seem to work at all – at least not in America that’s for sure. The Volkswagen Jetta (or Bora/Vento/Golf with a boot) is one of those propositions that has never really taken the UK by storm….
Music Makes it Better – Driving Tunes
Does music turn a drive into a journey? It’s something that struck me last weekend, as I found myself piloting the Polo R-Line along a short stretch of road from Crakehall to Catterick in North Yorkshire. It’s the one highlighted in blue on the image below: It’s a road I’ve driven a few times, but…
Hidden Desires #2 – BMW X5 4.8iS
With this week’s announcement of the new third-generation BMW X5, I felt it was time I owned up to the irrational inclination I have towards wanting to own the original iteration. #2 – BMW X5 Way back in 1999 when the millennium was just around the corner, Bill Clinton was President of the United States…
Friday Photo From the Archives #6
Ok, I apologise. The title for this post is actually rather misleading, as the featured content is neither a photograph or particulary old. However, I do not care. A couple of months ago we brought you the epic work of FS Aviation and their drone cameras from the Monte-Carlo Rally. Well, the guys have been…
Friday Photo From the Archives #5
Continuing with the theme of ESM’s BTCC correspondent, here is a (fairly) recent photo of our two cars chilling out together: A few similarities; both black, both VW-group, both petrol-turbo and both with motorsport pedigree. Our correspondent’s is the rather rare Seat Leon TFSI, which existed for only a short period of time in the…
VW Polo R-Line – 1,000 Mile Review
As you might have just read, after a huge period of indecision, ESM finally acquired a Volkswagen Polo R-Line. That was back in late January so, several months and miles later, just what has the kitted-up supermini been like to live with? First, some photos from when it arrived and the cleanest it has been…
ESM’s 2012 Car Buying Predicament #6 – The Finale
Recently I wrote about the end of my ownership of the 9N3 Volkswagen Polo, following the epically long saga to replace it which began all the way back in October last year. So after several months of searching, test driving and negotiating, just what did land on the EngageSportMode drive? Originally when my quest began I…
End Of The Road: The VW Polo 1.4 SE (9N3)
I intended to write and publish this item many, many, weeks ago. However, certain events transpired to prevent me from doing so. So here it is, now, slightly later than planned. In short, the 9N3 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 SE pictured above is no longer with me, having been traded in for something else, which…
Hidden Desires #1 – Vauxhall Corsa VXR
Last year I ran a short feature called “Crap Cars I Like” on ESM. The aim was to explain my love for cars which automotive journalism, the internets, or society as a whole had shunned. However, I decided the name did too much of a disservice to the cars featured. So, instead, this segment is…
EngageSportMode 