Rampant depreciation raises laissez-faire fears in automotive EV scene
IAIN ROBERTSON Recognising that it used to be ‘fun’ to play ‘inflation-proofing’, Iain Robertson wonders what has happened to consumers fighting for better trade-in valuations and motor traders prepared...
Rachel´s Wanderings in Spain – South of Granada City & North of Granada Coast
Leaving the city of Granada and heading south towards Motril you have two choices, head east to The Alpujarras or west to Valle de Lecrin. Today we´re taking...
Greater standardisation is needed to make EVs more consumer acceptable
IAIN ROBERTSON Increasingly, as we approach ‘E-Day’ in 2030, a number of pertinent management factors will find themselves under the microscope and Iain Robertson is intent on finding and...
The world 10 best cities for vegetarians and vegans – World Meanderings (n°116)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny With more and more people seeking to reduce their meat consumption more and more cities throughout the world have...
Loyalty – an hugely under-rated ethos that will soon smack of desperation
IAIN ROBERTSON Receiving a press release from a renowned German carmaker led Iain Robertson to reflect on a sometime important aspect of humanity that may have been forgotten in...
Malta Diary Farewell old friend
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: Malta’s older generations went into solemn mourning with the announcement of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh,...
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Beautiful in Snow and Sun
By Ann Mealor Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a charming and little known town situated in the Bavarian Alps region of southern Germany. Close to the Austrian border, it has...
Toyota Supra, the ‘Ru Paul’ of Teutonic sporty cars, now in BMW ‘lite’ form
IAIN ROBERTSON The consumer has every right to feel confused, when confronted by a BMW engineered coupe wearing Toyota badges, states Iain Robertson, but, while he cannot fathom its...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 61 – Constant in Constantine
In this article Karl reflects back to April 2016 while exploring the Algerian town of Constantine. A place with a strong historical past and enjoying one of the...
New BMW iX, due in late-2021, is an EV that is highly encouraging
IAIN ROBERTSON From weird and wacky, to plainly plugly, Iain Robertson has been seriously concerned about the design direction being adopted by the Munich-based carmaker, although the latest news...
Lyn Looks at Life 6. Crossroads and Mini-Roundabouts.
You’ve probably never heard of Frank Blackmore, but I bet you’ve cursed his blight on our roads! Blackmore worked for the Ministry of Transport in the 1960s and he’s...
An exciting city-break in lively Thessaloniki – World Meanderings (n°115)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Thessaloniki is the second most populated city in Greece after Athens and is an awesome mix and match of modernity...
Lyn Looks at Life 5; Jack the Ripper. Do they really know who he is?
Everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper, the notorious Victorian serial killer who attacked prostitutes in 1888 in the slums of Whitechapel. But who was he? He was suspected...
Showtime at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon.
The British Motor Museum is gearing up to run a full schedule of motoring shows and events this year. Ann Evans has the details. Following the Government’s...
Jeni on Drawing 23; Trapani – La Grotta Mangiapani 20.6.17
A few years ago I organised two painting trips to Trapani in Sicily for my students. I live in Malta, so it was just a very short – and...
Rachel´s Wanderings in Spain – Ruined Moorish City Madinat al-Zahra and its Museum
The old Moorish city of Madinat al-Zahra, also known as Medina Azahara was rediscovered in 1911 and to date not much more than 10% of this, once astonishing...
Latest VW Golf R plays ‘Whack-A-Mole’ with potential owners
IAIN ROBERTSON Possessing something of a fascination for prior iterations of VW’s hottest hatchback, Iain Robertson admits to concerns related to carmakers engaging with motorsport competitors and, when it...
Infinite all-inclusive & Infinite Care Protocol at “Ikos Olivia” – World Meanderings (n°114)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Over the last decade Ikos Resorts has reinvented the world of luxury all-inclusive hotels. Today Ikos not only offers guests...
British Motor Museum is heading your way
If visitors can’t go to the museum, let the museum go to the visitors! Ann Evans has news of the British Motor Museum’s family fun this Easter. ...
Stuff a bit of Gazoo Racing up your Toyota C-HR for motoring enchantment
IAIN ROBERTSON Long-time fan of Toyota’s response to the Nissan Juke, Iain Robertson’s pro-C-HR stance certainly helped the Japanese carmaker to nail its colours to the mast, although he...
Aznom Palladium: either the wittiest, or twittiest, new car to ever break cover
IAIN ROBERTSON Seldom lost for words, Iain Robertson admits to struggling with one of the strangest ever attempts of a notional Italian carmaker to formulate an entirely new strain...
Bentley notoriety has hiked its GT Speed coupe to ‘most desirable’ status
IAIN ROBERTSON It is almost unwarranted that a car linked to gap-toothed caddishness, via gadabout Bentley Boys and more recent Germanic inferences should become an object of automotive pleasure...
Electric Energy Epitomises Exeter Airport’s Road To Recovery
In the past 12 months, Exeter Airport has witnessed the absence of FlyBe (its main revenue stream) and a perpetuated downturn in passenger traffic and flights, owing to the...
Fiat has every right to be Cross but tantrum, or not, it might not save Tipo
IAIN ROBERTSON Four years ago, recalls Iain Robertson, sometime Italian car giant, Fiat, relaunched its Tipo model, with a comprehensively well-considered ‘offer’ to both private buyers and business users...
Octavia has earned the right for more but the latest plug-in vRS goes partway
IAIN ROBERTSON Life can be terribly unfair, states Iain Robertson, and never more so than in big, bad corporate world, where meritorious effort is often regarded as little more...
The Greek Mani Peninsula, made for wild beauty lovers – World Meanderings (n°113)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny With Greece opening its gates to foreign tourists next May 14 it’s time to think of our next holidays in...
Wine and dine amongst the vines at Denbies
By Ann Mealor Located on the North Downs and within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is the 265 acre Denbies Wine Estate. The estate’s...
Taxi Noir: All Jabbed Up but Nowhere to Go
Over the years I’ve built up a programme of regular annual events. When the weather starts to get warmer it’s a joy to start planning. I’m all vaccinated...
Can the new XE become the much-vaunted Mark Two in Jaguar’s line-up?
IAIN ROBERTSON Subtlety is the current buzzword in Jaguar’s styling suite but Iain Robertson, long-time Jaguariste, worries that living in the past may not be the answer to future...
Peugeot’s design language is almost ‘on point’ with new 308
IAIN ROBERTSON As a long-standing advocate for the Peugeot brand, Iain Robertson has always felt that, when left to its own devices, the French carmaker is capable of turning...
Jeni on Drawing 21. Art Worlds
For the last 20 years I have worked as an artist in Malta. I have exhibited my work regularly, and taught drawing and watercolour in Malta for around 20...
Fresh talent devises new Jaguar F-Pace that now looks/feels like a Jaguar
IAIN ROBERTSON Jaguar Cars has endured more than enough problems over recent years, states long-time brand fan Iain Robertson, and there is nothing quite like a vital blood transfusion...
If you like your hot hatch cocktail shaken and stirred, invest in a Renault Megane RS
IAIN ROBERTSON Both RS 300 and RS Trophy versions of the Megane have been under the surgeon’s knife, highlights Iain Robertson, in the process underscoring a pair of the...
Welcome back to Greece next May – World Meanderings (n°112)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny May 14th. This is the official date announced for the reopening of Greece’s gates to international tourists. The Greek Minister...
Malta Diary Beautiful and priceless – Malta and its Gobelin Tapestries
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: Some five years ago a leading economic consultant pronounced that if all else fails in the Maltese economy...
Karl’s Chronicles. Mauritania Long Distance Designs
The air is cool and crisp as if it’s been prised from a foil bag. But it will soon stale and turn aggressive, the type found in a...
Cute Ignis Auto provides practical space at a surprisingly high price
IAIN ROBERTSON Beware of a ‘catchpenny’ trait being exercised by Suzuki GB, warns Iain Robertson, as it entices unwary customers towards a rocky shoreline of its own creation, where...
Rachel’s Wanderings in Spain. Cordoba City
Cordoba city is a day trip away from home in Jaén province but it is occasionally an overnighter too. The Casco Historico is the best known, most visited...
Cuba. A living museum.
It’s no use just looking at photos of Cuba. You have to see it, smell it, feel it, hear it and taste it. Cuba is alive. It throbs with...
Problematic British bike industry may have a new champion in Langen
IAIN ROBERTSON It does not matter that you cannot recall why sometime world-beating motorbikes were invariably British, highlights Iain Robertson, but they were and, despite several attempts to revive...