The Triumph Stag needs its own adjective

THE OTHER week I mentioned one of my petrolhead pals was threatening to blow five thousand of his carefully earned pounds on a Triumph Stag.

Luckily, he saw sense at the last minute and decided not to; he decided to chuck seven and a half bags of sand at one instead. That’s £7,500 on a 1970s convertible best known – unfairly or not - for its penchant for rotting and munching through head gaskets at the first hint of overheating. To make matters worse, even if you bag a really good one it’ll still struggle – and I’ve seen the fuel bills to prove it – to top 25 to the gallon. 

However, all of this pales into comparision with the really unhinged bit – almost immediately after doing the deal, the mate in question lobbed the keys in my direction and insisted I had a go. I returned half an hour later with an enormous grin on my face – and not even remotely envious! 

The tricky thing with the Stag is that while not being superlative or extraordinary in any one particular field, it covers all the bases with a caddish charm that’s surprisingly hard to pin down in print. It’s so difficult to define what underpins the Stag’s essence that it’s actually easier to associate it with things which have the same delightfully dated and yet somehow cool sense of aspiration. Things which are, in other words, a bit stagulent. 

Roger Moore, for instance, is stagulent, as were his attempts to charm Britt Ekland in The Man With The Golden Gun. Velour jackets and polka dot shirts (especially worn together) are stagulent, as is playing golf. Flying on Concorde was always a bit stagulent, as are Joanna Lumley, Directors Bitter, the whole of Harrogate, and reruns of The Persuaders!. Cars other than the Triumph Stag can be stagulent too; try the Jaguar XJ-S, or today’s BMW 6-Series Convertible and the Jaguar F-type. 

That’s why you’ll either ‘get’ Triumph’s V8-engined, Italian-styled, leatherette-lined cruiser or you won’t. It’s not the fastest, the nimblest, or best-built car you’ll ever drive but the looks, the rumble of the 3.0 litre engine when you shove the automatic gearbox into kickdown and the way it just lollops along effortlessly acts an automotive passport to some parallel world where everything is a bit more stylish, albeit in an irredeemably gaudy sort of way.

In short the Triumph Stag is thirsty, badly-made, not especially fast and looks like it’s escaped from a casino in 1970s Monte Carlo. I love it.

Image courtesy of Classic Car Weekly and Sam Skelton

Porsche 911 goes back to its roots for new Targa model

PORSCHE has gone back to the Sixties for inspiration for its latest twist on the 911.

Recent versions of the 911 Targa – an al fresco model for anyone who doesn’t quite want a full cabriolet – have used full length sunroofs, but this latest version harks back to the original 1965 model, with a lift out roof at the front and a wraparound glass panel at the rear.

The new model, which arrives in the UK in May, is available to order now, with prices for the entry-level Targa 4 version starting at £86,281.

End of term report: Mazda MX-5

THE roof has been lowered one last time. The revvy little twin cam engine has been switched off. I have, after nearly two years of small sports car fun, sold my Mazda MX-5.

Due to getting a new job - more on that in a few days, because that's another story for another day - one of the Life On Cars fleet had to go. The MGB GT, despite still being in winter hibernation, is my passport into a world of classic car shows and authentically old-fashioned driving experiences, and even though it hasn't moved in months I'd rather sell my right arm than get rid of the old warhorse. The Rover, meanwhile, has earned its keep by taking a small forests' worth of old wooden furniture to be recycled and taking hundreds of miles of motorway driving in its stride, so it's proved too comfortable, too practical and too useful to get rid of.

So it's the Mazzer, a small, two-seater roadster I bought back in 2011 after years of wanting one on my driveway, that had to go. Which is one of the hardest motoring decisions I've ever made, because I've loved almost every mile it's covered.

It hasn't, don't get me wrong, been plain sailing all the way, after a combination of cheap tyres and tail-happy handling prompted one repair and a split hose prompted another, but once both these issuse had been tackled it's proven one of the most enjoyable cars I've ever owned. If you pick a good 'un and look after it, an MX-5 is arguably one of the best automotive recipes ever concocted - authentically British sports car thrills topped off with bulletproof Japanese reliability!

The Mariner Blue, 1990 Eunos Roadster - meaning it found its way onto Britain's B-Roads as a grey import after starting its life in Japan, but don't let that put you off - has proved a perfectly reliable companion, which just happened to have a soft-top roof you could chuck down in seconds. Which is exactly what I did when I used it on my advanced driving test.

What's more, even in the company of more exotic machinery and grand automotive stages it's never been anything less than sublime. In the company of a Ford Racing Puma, a supercharged Volkswagen Polo G40, a Metro GTi and some stunning Welsh scenery in certainly didn't embarrass itself. It tackled the Buttertubs Pass and felt right at home, and even took the more boring stuff - like motorway tailbacks - in its stride. Not once has it so much as thought of refusing to start.

Would I point an aspiring petrolhead in the direction of an early MX-5's pop-up headlights? Definitely, given it's one of the cheapest routes into the world of authentic, rear-drive sports cars thrills (and, I suspect, a lot more reliable than a similarly priced MGF!). There's plenty of them out there, so choose one that hasn't succumbed to rot and shows signs of being looked after mechanically. Don't skimp on the tyres - particularly the rear ones, where the power goes - because it makes a big difference to how it behaves. Most of all, treat it with respect, but if you do the MX-5 is one of the most rewarding modern classics on the market.

My Mazda was a cracking little car. I miss it already.

Toyota in convertible GT86 shocker

IT WAS only a matter of time. Toyota is considering putting a convertible version of its fabulous GT86 into production.

The Japanese car giant will unveil what it's calling the FT-86 Open at this year's Geneva Motorshow in a few week's time, and while it's calling it a concept car I wouldn't be fooled; if the original FT-86 concept coupe was anything to go by, I'd put my money on an al fresco version of the rear-drive enthusiasts' favourite being in the offing.

It's one of two concepts the company's showing off in the Swiss city - the other being what's billed as Toyota's response to the Renault Twizy - and while the official line is that it'll only decide to put the FT-86 Open into production if the public likes it, chances are it will. What's not like about the inevitable but inviting prospect of one of the great drivers' hits of the past decade?

The coupe version of the GT86 is a bit of a Life On Cars favourite, blending sleek coupe proportions, keen pricing and old fashioned rear-wheel-drive, oversteer-happy dynamics to create something that offers as much fun as some sports car costing two or three times its £25,000 price.

The initial impression I got when I drove it last year was that it's a Mazda MX-5 on a 1.5 times scale with metal rather than fabric over your forehead but that's selling it short. It's somehow meatier and more challenging, but more thrilling too.

Of all the cars I drove last year, this was by far and away the one I had to fight my way past other journalists to get a go in, and I can understand exactly why. I can also also understand exactly why Jeremy Clarkson said the GT86, of all the four billion cars he drove last year, was his favourite. In an automotive landscape where everything is anodyne and the loudest sound you're likely to hear is the chime of a seatbelt safety warning, the GT86 is a motor with a sense of mischief. It's a laugh.

Throw in open-top thrills (without ruining too much of the coupe's dynamics) and I reckon they'll have a bit of a roadster hit on their hands.

Fire up the... Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet

PERHAPS it's a case of saving the best for last. Across the country fans of all things Volkswagen are being asked to give the new Golf a go, but in doing so they're missing out on the outgoing model's finest moments.

The sixth generation of Germany's bestseller wasn't exactly left wanting for kudos but that hasn't stopped the company from making sure it goes out with a bang rather than a whimper in the shadow of the slightly longer, roomier and sturdier new model. The Golf GTI Cabriolet covers two bits of automotive territory VW's awfully good at; the hot hatch, which it's been doing since the original Golf GTI of 1977, and the solidly-built ragtop beloved of middle class families everywhere.

Step aboard and it's business as usual for Golf lovers; detractors might call the interior dull, but Veedub fans will be delighted by the seemingly unbreakable build quality and the nice visual flourishes you get with the tartan seats and the subtle red stitching. It's also definitely a ragtop in the traditional sense- no folding metal roof here, sorry - but that's no bad thing because it a) keeps the boot free for things such as luggage and b) keeps the weight down, which means the performance familiar to fans of the GTI hatchback is still there in abundance.

All of which means you can enjoy this car's best feature - its engine, which thanks to having two litres and a turbo to call upon can muster up 208bhp. It's a fabulous bit of hardware which not makes this open-top Golf fast enough to wear the fabled GTI badge with pride but is smooth, rev-happy and happy to play along with enthusiastic driving.

But you can get this engine in the hatchback, which offers more practicality and ever so slightly sweeter handling for £3,000 less than this cabrio's £30k pricetag. Look at this car as an open-top hot hatch and you're missing the point, because it'll almost certainly seem too expensive. See it as a classy, go-faster cabrio that neatly fills the gap left by Saab's 9-3, however, and it's a very tempting prospect indeed.

Now all we need is some proper summer weather to enjoy it...

How cold is too cold for driving a convertible roof down?

IT WAS somewhere near Bala, as the road climbed ever higher into the mountains, that the temperature really started to drop.

The outside temperature gauge in my friend's Saab - a car built to cope with a harsh winter if ever there was one - had dropped its reading from a toasty five degrees to just above freezing. Thing is, where his car had a powerful heater and a plushly trimmed interior, mine has a floppy roof that goes up and down and as a result the answer to a question I'm sure you've been itching to find out. How cold is too cold for driving around with the roof down?

I was, in the noble interests of Life On Cars research, more than kitted out for the job; whereas I'd happily drive my Mazda MX-5 in the climes it was designed for in jeans and a t-shirt, last weekend I had gloves, a big coat and the heater on at full blast. Logic dictates that tackling a snowy mountain pass with the roof down should be unbearably uncomfortable but here's the truth in the (very) cold light of day - it really wasn't the hellish experience you'd think.

True, the air was very cold that afternoon but the really chilly stuff was being whipped over the Mazda's windscreen, leaving me to enjoy the warmth whirling into the interior from the heater. It's a bit like going skiing, but with the added luxuries of electric windows and a CD player. It was only when I pulled over to take a few photos that the cold caught up with me, because as soon as I got out I was no longer in a cosy car interior, I was hundreds of feet up, in the middle of nowhere in the midst of the cold snap currently engulfing most of Britain.

In fact, being the motoring masochist I am, I was actually enjoying it. There are lots of things I love about Wales, like the unpronouncably brilliant names for the villages and the Welsh cakes on offer in just about every bakery, but best of all they do roads quite unlike just about anywhere else in the UK. Coming across a set of twisty roads draped over some stunning scenery and having a couple of great cars to tackle them in is one of the best feelings in motoring.

So the answer to the question is that it's never really too cold to drop your roof down, as long as it isn't raining - or in my case, snowing - of course. Blummin' freezing but big, big fun.

Fire up the... MINI Cooper S Roadster

DID the Great British Summer end ages ago or is yet to begin? Thanks to heatwaves, floods, droughts, downpours and landslides, I doubt anyone's really sure.

One thing, however, continues unabated during the country' greener months - our unusually optimistic take on it all, probably best expressed automotively through our generations of small and not-at-all-leaky sports cars. It's a mantle MINI's keen to take on with their latest addition to the small car family, a two-seater ragtop roadster aimed at the keen driver.

Posing's a big part of what sporty cars like this are all about and on this front it's usual MINI fare, with a short, stubby stylishness on the outside and lots of chunky rocker switches on the inside. To my mind it looks better than its tintop sister, the MINI Coupe, because it swaps that car's hideous baseball hat roof for neat, electrically-powered soft top that's a doddle to operate.

It's also a doddle to drive and as keen to attack corners as the rest of its MINI sisters, although I can't help feeling that if it's driving fun you're after than the 2.0 litre version of Mazda's MX-5 will offer you more thrills for the same sort of money as the Cooper S version's £19,000 asking price. That said, the rear-wheel-drive roadster can't compete with the MINI on looks or interior ambience.

Ironically, the MINI Roadster's biggest rival in my books comes from within, in the larger and more familiar shape of the MINI Cabriolet. No, the Cabriolet can't offer the same sharpness in the corners but it's still an absolute joy to drive, and it offers space for four and a bit more space for your bags. If I wanted a sports car I'd go for that infernal Mazda, but if I wanted an open-top MINI, hand on heart, I'd go for the Cabriolet.

That said, if your heart's set on enjoying the added aesthetics and agility of the MINI Roadster during what's left of summer, you won't be disappointed.

Fire up the... Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

CHEESEBURGERS. Bottles of Budweiser. Episodes of Friends. Some American ideas, whether you love them or loathe them, just cross the Atlantic well.

Yet American cars, with the notable exception of Jeep, are the exception to the rule; for some reason we Brits just haven't taken to them to our bosom. Now it's the latest Chevrolet Camaro that's oversexed, overpaid and over here, but don't be too quick to dismiss the latest iteration of a Stateside icon.

Sure, the Camaro looks like something that should be in the Transformers movies - which, funnily enough, it is - but you can't deny it's a handsome son of a gun, blending the sculpted good looks of a Hollywood hunk with the bright colours, stripes and shiny bits of metal you'd expect in a Marvel comic. It's a just a shame the interior, which has leather everything and lots of toys to play with, looks a bit cheap by comparision.

Yet the biggest drawback about the Camaro is that in this country it's flummoxed by that other most American of institutions, the drive-thru, because you can only buy the convertible I tested and its coupe sibling in left hand drive. If you're frightened of driving ‘left hookers' on Her Majesty's highways and byways then don't be put off, because it's easy enough to master, but I still reckon it'll severely limit the big, bold Camaro's appeal with buyers over here.

Which is a pity, because Chevrolet have cracked setting up the previously all American Camaro for European tastes - while it's not BMW sharp it's fun to drive in a lazy, laid-back sort of way, the £40,000 pricetag makes it bit of a bargain for a convertible of its size, and because the 400bhp V8 can shut down its cylinders to save fuel it's even vaguely economical to run.

The Camaro is good looking, practical, oodles of fun to potter around in, and - thanks to it being a V8 muscle car - cast iron cool to boot.

Get that steering wheel switched over, Chevrolet, and I reckon you've got a hit on your hands.

Summer is here...

....after what feels like an eternity of showers, grey skies and drizzle. Naturally, with this being Britain the best way to measure this meteorological high is from the number of convertibles out on our roads at the moment.

Regular readers will probably already know I like to fly the ragtop flag whenever the sun comes down, regardless of the time of year, but the combination of proper sunshine, warm weather and the uniquely British need to 'get the old girl' out of the garage means more and more of my fellow motorists, I've noticed, are getting the roof down.

Obviously there's the inevitable stream of BMW-era MINIs, new Beetles, Vauxhall Tigras and - dare I say it - Mazda MX-5s now on the roads in al fresco mode, but far more refreshing are the rarer beasts which have emerged from automotive hibernation in the past week or two. Stuff like MGBs, Lotus Elans, Merc SLs of the slimline Sixties vintage, Triumph Spitifires, TVR Griffiths and Chimaeras, and, if you're among the more minted petrolhead variety, Aston DB7 Volantes.

But I just had to share a picture of what I reckon is probably the coolest convertible effort I've seen so far lately - an E-Type V12 roadster parked up roof down, on a busy Saturday morning on Lord Street, Southport's busiest thoroughfare. While I usually prefer my E-Types to come in the sleeker, straight six powered variety, it would take someone with a heart of stone to say this car doesn't cut the mustard. It's just got a certain rightness about it.

Then again, you don't have to be an automotive twitcher to take in all these gorgeous old convertibles - a lot of them will be at the Woodvale Rally next weekend. Can't wait!

Fire up the... Jaguar XKR-S Convertible

BILL Lyons would have liked this car. Jaguar's late, great founder would, I reckon, have got out of the XKR-S, taken in its lines and given it the thumbs up.

Why? Because Jaguar's sports cars, right from the original XK120, through the Le Mans winning C and D Types and through to the iconic E-Type were all about being as fast and beautiful as anything Aston or Ferrari could knock out, and for a fraction of the price. This roadgoing missile and the old E have a mission statement in common.

The XKR-S, to get it out of the way, is almost unspeakably fast. Thanks to a supercharged five litre V8 and a uprated exhaust system at its disposal it has no less than 542bhp at its disposal, meaning that in terms of big cats only the old XJ220 supercar can outsprint it. More importantly, it offers more grunt than the Ferrari California and the Aston Martin DBS for a lower price. Which is a very Jag thing to do.

It also pulls off that other crucial Jaguar accomplishment - it looks good, although I'd argue not quite as svelte as the cheaper and less powerful XKR the S is based on. The XKR-S, in its bid to look bolder and more aggressive, loses a little of the elegance of its slower siblings. Different strokes and all that, though.

In fact, the biggest bugbear about the absolute gem of an engine that Jaguar's created for the hottest XK ever is a surprisingly simple one; that the company, quite simply, has fitted it to the wrong car.

The XKR-S is a wonderful showcase for what the company, finally freed from the limits of ex-owner Ford's finances and the needs to play second fiddle to Aston Martin, can do, but with two doors, tiny back seats and a £103,000 pricetag it's left looking a little indulgent. Especially next to the likes of the BMW M5, a car that'll offer even more grunt and a similar prestige in a more practical package. This engine belongs under the bonnet of the XJ saloon, and when and if the company get around to it (please, pretty please) they'll create a performance car package to die for. Until then, however, the XK will do just fine.

Don't worry, however, if you reckon a 542bhp Jaguar costing upwards of £100,000 is bordering on irrelevant in today's recession-ridden times, because the company does the real world just as well as the surreal one. Tune in next time to find out why...

The Range Rover Evoque Convertible - the latest in a long line of open top Land Rovers

LAND ROVER has just raised the stakes when it comes to desirable off-roaders - by lowering the roof on the baby Range Rover Evoque.

The company's just shown off this 'concept' (as in a dead cert for actual production) for an open-top version of the award-winning Evoque, which it reckons is going to carve a new niche by blending open air fun with legendary Land Rover mudplugging ability.

Gerry McGovern, the company's design director, said:

"The Evoque lends itself beautifully to the idea of a convertible. This study is not a traditional convertible design execution - instead we have worked with the balance of the Evoque's lines to retain its distinctive shape and create something that is unique and, we believe, highly desirable."

Except, of course, it's not quite as new a concept as you might think. While it would be the first production Range Rover convertible its creators are more than familiar with chopping the roofs of their other products - the first generation Freelander was available with a fabric roof at the rear, while the traditional, leaf-sprung Land Rovers have been available with canvas roofs going right the way back to the very first Series One in 1948.

It's also true that open-top Range Rovers have been available from aftermarket customisers for donkey's years - if you don't believe me, check out the very slick example you could clock way back in 1983 in the opening scenes of Octopussy.

But that doesn't mean I don't think Jaguar Land Rover's onto a winner with this al-fresco version of the acclaimed Evoque. They say they've got no plans to put into production.

Yet...

Too many motorists miss the point of convertibles

I'D LIKE to argue this week that my ideal world would be a happy-clappy one brimmed with a healthy helping of democracy, but I can't because it wouldn't.

Simister's Britain, of course, would be a brutal but benevolent dictatorship where the great and the good would be made to share their contributions with the rest of society and the less fortunate would be given a helping hand. Most importantly of all, the stupid and annoying would be punished for their various crimes as I saw fit. Particularly those who buy a convertible and then refuse to put the roof down.

On a fine, sunny, spring day yesterday I drove all the way to Manchester and back with the roof down and loved it - but every other car that could have had its canvas or folding-metal roof down didn't. My fellow convertible connoisseurs, in Simister's Britain, would be seen as wasting an opportunity and thus punishable by a lengthy spell in prison given the absolute power I'd inevitably wield. Naturally, said prison would have a retractable roof which opened every time the sun came out, as part of the corrective justice my dictatorship would provide.

Driving a convertible is one of the most enjoyable experiences of motoring - with the wind in your hair, a blue sky rather than a roof lining above your head and the sounds and smells of the great British countryside wafting directly into the cabin, you somehow feel a little bit closer to nature. It's a thrill that harks back to the dawn of motoring - the very first horseless carriages came al fresco - it's something British motorists have long embraced and most importantly of all it's fun. People who refuse to put their roof down when the sky is blue and the sun is shining are missing the point completely.

While the officers working for my secret police force will respect drivers' rights to put their roof up if it's cold, dark, or rainy, the pleasure of driving an open-top car with the roof down on a beautiful day will be mandatory, because otherwise drivers would be defeating the point of owning a Z4/MX-5/TF (or even lowlier ragtops, like the Escort and Astra cabriolets). A ragtop with its roof down would be a proud, powerful symbol of the freedom Simister's Britain would bring its citizens.

All cars are equal, obviously, but some are more equal than others.

The new Porsche Boxster

IT MIGHT still feel like the dead of winter outside but that hasn't stopped Porsche announcing a new version of an open-top sports car favourite.

The Stuttgart supercar makers said the third generation of the Boxster will go on sale this spring with an all-new body, a completely revised chassis and a range of new flat six engines, and as with its two predecessors is hoping to be the keen driver's choice of convertible.

A Porsche spokesman said: "The styling of the new Boxster clearly signals the unique driving experience on offer; with shorter front and rear overhangs, significantly forward-shifted windscreen, a flatter silhouette and expressive edges. Inside, the passengers are enclosed by a new fully electric hood, which now dispenses with a compartment lid for the convertible top when stowed.

"The interior design offers the driver and passenger more space and reflects the new Porsche outline, while the distinctive centre console – originating in the Carrera GT – further improves ergonomics."

The Boxster goes on sale on April 28, with the basic version starting at £37,589 and the Boxster S starting from £45,384.

Fire up the... Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet 1.6 TDI

GOLF, as anyone who's enjoyed a couple of rounds at the Royal Birkdale knows, is best enjoyed outdoors.

I reckon it's as true for the car as it is for the game, which is why it's so refreshing to see the good old Golf Cabriolet name making a comeback to Volkswagen's showrooms. In much the same way that the Golf GTI is synonymous with the hot hatchback, so the Golf Cabriolet is one of the icons of the open-top world.

You might have thought the company had played all its cabriolet cards with the Eos and its slick metal roof, but the smaller, soft-top Golf is positioned slightly below its older sister, in a bid to appeal to younger style-conscious buyers.

Costing roughly a grand less than the Eos across the range, it's giving fans of al fresco Volkswagens more choice than ever before.

The great thing the Golf, based on the proven mechanicals of the sixth-generation hatchback, has in its favour are its looks. Unusually for a cabriolet it's appealing with the roof up AND down, with the steep rake of the canvas hood giving it an almost coupe-like look when it's raining. The folding metal roofs which are de rigeur amongst its rivals might offer you more security, but on style alone the Golf's got ‘em licked.

The 1.6 diesel version I tested didn't offer a spectactulary exciting drive but there's plenty else to count in its favour, pulling well throughout the rev range while remaining quiet at higher speeds. Importantly for a cabriolet there's very little in the way of buffeting - the unwanted gust of wind that messes your hair up - and decision to decapitate the Golf doesn't seem to have spoilt any of its handling or composure.

Would one buy one? That depends on how badly you want a fancy folding metal roof with your flash cabriolet, in which case it's the older and slightly larger Eos you'll want.

In terms of driving, looks and packaging though I reckon the Golf's the better buy. But only slightly.

Fire up the... BMW 640i Cabriolet

IT'S probably better to think of this, one of BMW's biggest offerings, as not really being a car in the conventional sense at all.

The problem with testing plush cabriolets that aren't trying to be sports cars is that people only end up interested in one of its many impressive figures; the price.

So let's get it out of the way so you don't have to read right to the end before you
discover you can't afford it. It's £65,695.

That makes the 640Ci Cabriolet not only significantly more expensive than, say, a similarly-specced 5 Series salooon, but also £15k pricier than the Infiniti cabriolet Life On Cars will be testing in the next few weeks. Thinking about it logically in a recession-ravaged world, this Bavarian bruiser makes no sense at all.

But, believe it or not, there are plenty of people in the north west with the funds to spend their sunny afternoons cruising along the Southport Riviera, so to get into the 6-Series mindset you have to think of it as being like a land-going motor yacht.

It was also - until Infiniti's G37 arrived on these shores - just about the only luxury car which could four fully-sized adults in al fresco comfort, so it's definitely got an appeal if you're a (rich) family man. The question is whether it's worth the premium to have the blue and white propellor badge on your bonnet.

The BMW's unusual now among open tops in that its roof's still made from old fashioned canvas rather than folding metal panels, but don't let that put you off because it's one of the slickest in the business, folding away faster than the Infiniti's hard top and taking up less of the boot space. It's only at very high speeds you'll notice the difference.

From behind the wheel the BMW's a creamy, luxurious affair, cruising effortlessly, although I found the Japanese upstart slightly sharper and more fun to drive. Both though, are aimed more at offering comfort in spades both in the front and rear, and it's in the sumptuousness and space of the interior where the Beemer really excels.

The other ace up the BMW's sleeve, of course, is its depreciation; because unlike the Infiniti it's a long-established brand in the UK with plenty of cachet and street cred. That means more people are likely to want a secondhand BMW, and means you're more likely to see more of your money back when you come to sell it.

If you go for the Infiniti you'll be far from dissapointed - and £15,000 better off - but if money really isn't any object this BMW's going to prove hard to beat.

Fire up the... Mercedes SLK250

WE Brits, convertible sales statistics are always suggesting, are a right bunch of optimists.

You know that our collective glass is always half full because we buy more open-top cars than any other nation in Europe; more, in fact, than the French, the Spanish and the Germans put together. This despite our overcast skies, our never-ending showers, our cancelled barbecues and our flash floods. As a nation, we love our convertibles, our cabriolets and - best of all - our two-seater sports cars. Despite knowing they're going to get us soaked.

Mercedes, I've always reckoned, has understood this peculiarly British predicament because it revived the art of the folding metal roof for its original SLK, a car which not only looked great but combined the wind-in-the-hair thrills with the security and comfort of a coupe. As a recipe it was always going to be a hit with British buyers, and since the original's launch in 1996 it's got faster, smoother and handier in the handling stakes.

The third generation of the car, tested by Life On Cars in six-cylinder SLK250 form, has also updated its supercar styling cues; while its predecessor had a hint of SLR Mclaren about it, the new one's made more than a subtle nod to the stunning SLS coupe. I reckon in one of the most style-savvy sectors of the new car market it looks fantastic, managing to come across as fun-loving and free-spirited but hard charging and meaty with it. To my mind, better looking than both the Boxster and BMW's Z4.

But don't be fooled into thinking Merc's offering is going to be some uncomfortable, uncompromising roadster, because once that slick and secure metal roof's up you'd swear you were in a C-Class saloon. Putting its power to the rear wheels through an automatic gearbox - unusual for a open sports car - and blessed with sumptuous leather seats, a delightfully powerful heater to keep you snug even if you're al fresco on the chilliest of winter days, the SLK is as snug as a freshly-knitted jumper.

It handles the corners capably enough but if you're looking for seat-of-the-pants thrills this isn't the roadster for that; you're better off trying either Porsche's Boxster or Lotus' Elise, on offer for similar money, instead. The SLK is instead a sports car that's the sensible choice, because it'll cope better with our British summer.

What's left of it, of course.

As published in The Champion on July 27, 2011.

The Lotus Elise: brilliant once you get into it

IT was at Forton Services that I pondered whether I'd picked the wrong car for the job.

Picture the scene; you've pulled in for a quick break from a long drive north, it's getting dark, and your passenger, who has a bad back, is trying to get out. In any normal car this wouldn't have been a problem, but I wasn't in a normal car. I was in a low-slung Lotus Elise with a letterbox-like aperture to clamber in and out of, and the roof was up. I've never witnessed
frustration like it.

The Elise S is the smallest, friendliest car Lotus make, but that's like buying a cheetah as your new family pet because it's smaller and more docile than a lion or a leopard. It's still going to make a life a little uncomfortable if you try and get on with it on a daily basis.

It is, for starters, mid-engined, which means the performance-tuned Toyota engine sits where the back seats should be, right behind your eardrums, and the space up front where you'd find the engine in your Ford Fiesta is taken up by an enormous radiator. There is a boot, right at the very back of the car, but it's tiny and almost entirely taken up by the roof, which you don't drop down on a sunny day but unclip and roll up, like a tent.

This will at least make the job of getting in, which is difficult even for a supple young reporter with the roof up, a little easier, because you can just step over the sizeable door sill and drop down into the thin, leather-lined plank that passes as a seat. To be fair, it's suprisingly
comfortable once you get in, or at least it will be until you try to pull away and realise the view over your shoulder is not of passing cyclists but of a chunky roll bar. This is particularly fun when you're trying to pull out on a motorway, for instance.

But here's the rub; if you've ended up on a motorway you're not really using this thing properly. Get rid of the passenger - they're only messing up the power to weight ratio anyway - and chuck this thing at any country lane, because on challenging roads this thing flies. For something that musters a mere 134bhp, the Elise is ridiculously rapid, buzzing and fizzing its way through bends with virtually no roll at all. It is, for better or worse, a really big go-kart.

Anyway, that's the warts 'n' all appraisal of the Elise, and why you shouldn't buy one if you've got knackered joints. If you haven't, tune in next week for a full Life On Cars road test to find out why you should.

Swiss and cheesy

FORGET the Ferrari 458 Spider, the BMW 650i Convertible and even the new MINI Roadster. Next year's ultimate open top car will be made in Switzerland from bits of bamboo.

Chances are you're too busy scraping the ice off your windscreen to contemplate going anywhere near a convertible, but even in the middle of deepest winter a slightly bonkers concept car from a company based about 20 minutes' drive, from Zurich, is being hailed as one of next year's unlikely motorshow stars.

Switzerland as a nation has never really taken the car to its heart - motorsport, for instance, is banned altogether - and I've already reckoned Rinspeed, this new car's creator, is the result of all the latent enthusiasm left to boil over among the country's few petrolhead residents.

In previous years they've given us the Splash, the world's first and as far as I know only hydrofoil car, the Presto, which can stretch in size at the touch of a button, and the X-Trem, which is what a Mercedes M Class would look like if you asked a small child to redesign it as a yellow pickup truck with a hovercraft on the back. As a car company, they're ingenious and insane in equal measure.

So it's not at all surprising to discover the Rinspeed Bamboo has an interior lined with - you guessed it - bamboo - and an exterior painted in gold and topped off with some poles and a bit of black fabric. Apparently, it's meant to remind you of St Tropez at some point in the Seventies, with Brigitte Bardot behind the wheel with playboy Gunther Sachs at her side. That's the company's description, not mine!

It is, particularly from the viewpoint of a frosty British person, possibly about the most pointless vehicle I've ever seen, unless you're actually convinced you're a character from the Roger Moore era of James Bond films and have Boney M's greatest hits on standby. Even if Seventies fashion makes a comeback next spring you've still got remember what it is; a beach buggy lined with bamboo and crafted by lunatics in a shed in Switzerland.

I still want one though.

Fire up the... Renault Wind

RENAULT'S decidely dinky little two-seater isn't a Wind so much as a breath of fresh air.

The company's choice to take its Twingo city car, chop off the top and replace it with a folding metal roof unlike anything you'll have seen before wasn't exacty something you would have been expecting when they announced the new arrival earlier this year, but it does offer the ideal option for cabriolet fans daring to try something different.

Not only is it suitably more stylish than the urban runabout it's based on, but it also looks unlike any of the other open-tops on offer for less than £20,000, thanks largely to a folding metal roof that's rather different to its rivals.

Taking an idea last tried by Ferrari, the roof doesn't dissapear into the boot, but instead sits on top of it, meaning that whether you're travelling al fresco or not you'll always get the same 270 litres' worth of space for your shopping. It's not only a clever USP, but it means the Renault isn't blessed with the frumpy proportions of its Coupe-Cabriolet competitors.

You'll also like the cute proportions and the way the hidden door handles help to keep the Wind's lines clean, but you probably won't be as pleased with the interior, which is livelier than the Twingo thanks to its leather seats but still looks more obviously plastic than the likes of Peugeot's 207CC, another French flyer for a similar price.

Out on the road the 133bhp powerplant - swiped straight from the Renaultsport Twingo - is lively enough, producing a sweet sound, but it's obvious it doesn't have the same get up and go as its hard-top cousin, largely due to the common cabriolet problem of having to carry extra weight, dulling the performance.

But chances are you aren't going to mind, because what it does is take on the mantle of the old MGF by blending distinctive looks, sporty if not spectacular handling and an undeniable fun factor, which should mean that come next summer there'll be plenty speeding away from the company's showrooms.

It's not the sharpest open-top for the money but for something which sets its stall out not as a sports car but as a cabrio with a difference, it's as invigorating as the breeze in your hair.

As published in The Champion on November 3, 2010

Peugeot vs the Carlisle to Settle Railway

I WAS somewhere near Shap when the phone on the Peugeot’s Bluetooth system started ringing.

The M6 isn’t the prettiest route through this wild and isolated part of Cumbria, but it is the quickest, which is what I’d need to beat the voice on the other end of the line.

Photographer Cornelia Kaufmann was on a train winding its way north on one of Britain’s most famous railway lines, determined to prove it could get to our collective destination quicker than a car can. I might have been doing a steady 70 in calm, air-conditioned comfort, but Northern Rail’s finest had just pulled into Appleby, a good few miles ahead. This could be close.

Just over an hour earlier we’d gone to Settle, a gorgeously tranquil town in the heart of North Yorkshire, to answer a pretty much pointless question. Rail enthusiasts already know and love this picturesque spot as the starting point of the Settle and Carlisle Railway, a 72-mile-long line which threads its way through some of England’s most glorious scenery as passes past the Yorkshire Dales.

The challenge was simple - can a car get from Settle to Carlisle faster than the Settle to Carlisle train can? Discuss, using the latest in a long line of Peugeot cabriolets.

I was quietly confident I could win without resorting to cheating or breaking the speed limit, but embarrassed that I thought I’d bagged the wrong car for the job. A slight blunder on the booking form meant the CC - standing for Coupe Cabriolet, or folding metal roof in layman’s terms - label had gone missing, meaning I was expecting the snappily-titled Peugeot 207 GT THP 150 to be the company’s latest hot hatch.

Getting the French firm’s latest open-top instead isn’t something you’re likely to complain about, and once I’d got the metal origami over my head I couldn’t help but smile at how well it does the wind-in-your-hair thing.

It looks good too; it’s not as effortlessly stylish as the old 306 Cabriolet or graced with the delicate curves of either the 205 or 504 soft-tops, but when posed in front of the Ribblehead Viaduct, the railway’s stunning centrepiece, you didn’t get the feeling it was being outdone in the beauty stakes.

But for this challenge I was going to need substance rather than style, and as the Carlisle-bound train pulled into Settle station at 15.45 precisely, I raised the roof back up and set the satnav for the fastest route north. This particular Peugeot’s got 150bhp, a turbocharger and a deliciously slick five-speed gearbox at its disposal, and it was going to need both if it was going to beat the train!

My route was longer and less direct than Cornelia’s, heading towards Kendal along the A65 and then straight up the M6 to Carlisle, and on the narrow, nasty, twisty roads on the way out of Settle it seemed Peugeot might have given me the hot hatch I wanted after all. There’s no way of escaping that a cabriolet’s going to slower and heavier than its hatchback sister, but the smoothly informative feel you get from the steering wheel and the firm - but never uncomfortable - ride convinced me more than once I was actually at the helm of a mild-mannered GTI.

By the time I got to the M6, the chilly sunshine we’d enjoyed at the viaduct had turned into a dark and unrelentingly black sky, but even as the rain starting beating down I simply switched on the wipers and pounded on. I’m not a fan of the Peugeot’s too-clever computer system nestling within the central console, because the satnav wasn’t accurate enough on most occasions and the Bluetooth phone proved more hindrance than help, but with the roof up the ambience was snug enough to let you forget the worst of the Cumbrian weather.

Who won? The Peugeot of course, but by much a bigger margin than I could have hoped for. When I sauntered into Carlisle city centre and pulled up at our finishing point - the frontage of the historic railway station - the arrival from Settle was still almost fifteen minutes away. I had plenty of time to find the right platform and look smug as the train eventually chugged in, and the Peugeot had impressed me enough to prove the original point.

The little 207 isn’t perfect, particularly if you need to get anyone other than Pygmies in the rear seats or need a big boot, but it does what it’s designed to do brilliantly. I’d probably forgo the back seats and the metal roof altogether and go for the more involving drive of Mazda’s MX-5, but I really couldn’t fault this fun and feisty Peugeot.

My only regret was that my route might have been quickest but it wasn’t the best; that honour goes to the stunning Settle and Carlisle Railway, which makes up for being slower by offering simply sublime scenery. If you haven’t got a Peugeot 207 CC at your disposal, it’s well worth a try.

This story is included in the summer edition of GR8 Life Magazine, out next week.