Driven #38:- Alfa Romeo 159 1.9 JTDm

I seem to be conjuring cars up out of thin air, right now. No sooner have I taken the Giulietta out for a drive (here), and start thinking to myself that it would be nice to have a 159 to compare it to, then suddenly one turns up. So, next week, expect a full report on the McLaren F1.

The Giulietta plays the fashion card, and tries appeals to an image-conscious market. The 159 is the Alfa Romeo for those who want a straight-forward, hard working saloon car, but one which is still an Alfa through and through. Of course, achieving that is no mean feat. 

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Driven #19:- E65 BMW 730d

It’s funny how things change. Last time I drove an E65 7 Series it had belonged to my boss. This was going back a few years, it was a facelifted, 2006 ½ machine, in Sterling grey, and I absolutely loved it. Such was its imperious bulk, traffic would part the instant it appeared in its rear view mirror, it made you feel special, very special indeed. Everything about it seemed designed to remind you that you had gained admission to the BMW executive lounge. You had made it in life.

It’s now, with the benefit of hindsight, that I realise I had probably been brainwashed by the great Munich corporate propaganda machine that I was working for at the time. Now's a good time for a re-evaluation - for here on my desk are the keys to an original, 2004 E65 730d. 

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