Strange Choices

 It seems a strange choice to let your very small unrestrained child stick its head out of the car window when your travelling around:

Actually - it's just stupid - unless you don't actually like the child.

No, a strange choice would be to leave a lucrative job as Aston Martin's Design Manager having worked on the DBX, DB11 and Valkyrie...

...to go to do a similar job for Dacia.

But that is what this chap is doing:

He doesn't look like an Aston Martin designer does he?

His name is Miles Nürnberger - I've not heard of him.

But those cars show he is up to the job - and he's a bit older now and presumably wiser.  So there must be a good reason to move - probably financial but maybe the challenge or job security or he doesn't like his car-parking space - none of our business really.

What we do know though is that it's not that he gets to design the new Dacia Logo.

Gammy Rather Than Gamma

I decided to go on the Australian site www.caradvice.com.au for a change this evening - I've not been on there in a while.

I soon wished I hadn't, the first picture that greeted me was this:

That is an MG3 from this story about their petrol tanks falling out.

Very ugly - and apparently it is "Australia’s top-selling city car"

But then I spotted this picture:

That really does take ugliness to an even higher level.  It is from this story about the return of Lancia - but with SUVs and electric cars.

Just like MG.

That picture, incidentally, is the aging Lancia Ypsilon - also known as the Chrysler Ypsilon - a car I disparaged back in 2011 when it was new.  It hasn't got any better looking with time.

It's a shame because Lancia have produced some beautiful (and rally-winning) cars over time - some can even look good in yellow:

Although there were some stinkers too:

It's a shame that these brands are being treated this way.

Triumph's end seems quite dignified in comparison:

Sandero Logo's to GoGo.

 The Dacia logo is quite rubbish really:

I mean, what on Earth is that meant to be?

A boot release handle?

Upside down it could be the top of a car seat.

So here is the new one:

Double ended tuning fork?

It is meant to be the D and C from Dacia - the Autocar story is here.  It sort of reminds me of the badge on the front of a certain iconic car from the '80s:

Which in turn, mustn't be confused with this:

Anyway, walk this way and see how the logo does actually look quite good on the front of their concept small SUV:

Just a shame it is a small SUV.

Anyway, in some nice news, take a look at this:

No, it's not a graph or a weird steering wheel design - it is highlighting part of another famous graphic which has been renamed in honour of the late, great Sabine Schmitz.  That story, from the Top Gear website, is here.

Squatter's Rights

I like Ezra Dyer.  If I was American and a successful motoring writer, then that is who I would be.  He has a great sense of humour (I'd have spelled that "humor" if I was American - but I'm not) - have a read of this.  It's from the beginning of this year and prompted this story I read today.

It is about squatting - specifically this type of squat:

Looks stupid doesn't it?

So does this:

This is a Carolina Squat - a fad in the Carolinas whereby the front of a truck is raised and the back is left alone or even dropped.

I don't get it myself - the headlights will illuminate the sky and you won't be able to see where you are going properly.

But mostly it just looks like it is going uphill.  I wouldn't want to carry my logs in that load-bed.

Anyway, it's likely that it is going to banned in North Carolina after a petition was signed by about 70,000 people - I find myself agreeing with a lot of the comments in the petition but I wouldn't go as far as signing it.

Squatter's rights?  More like squatter's wrongs.

The Back Side

Whilst briefly distracted by YET ANOTHER NORFOLK STORY - WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM DOWN THERE? - I decided today to talk about this Autocar story instead which is about this car:

I've just gone with the rear view photo here - it's not the most attractive tushie of all time is it?

But why should that matter?  Well, the car is presumably aimed at Father Jack Hackett as it is called the Touring Superleggera Arse.

Their 2013 creation, the Disco Volante, based on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, had a much prettier bottom:

Ah, I've just read it again - it's actually called the ARESE - there's an extra "E" in there.

What a bummer.