First Love...

When I think about why I am a VW guy, a lot of it goes back to the day I bought my first car. Although I was an admirer of sporty European cars, if a 1984 Jetta GLI hadn't been on the lot that day, I might well be blogging about Hondas (which I guess I do a bit) or Mustangs (which I definitely don't).

The original Jetta GLI was a GTI with a trunk, but had the benefit of being built in Germany, unlike Mark 1 GTIs which were built in Pennsylvania. Accordingly, they had seats from the Scirocco and the dash from the Euro GTI, not the maroon or blue affairs from the US GTI. It was a great first car...enough power to make it fun, but not so much power to be dangerous. Good luck trying to find one today...most have been heavily modified or flogged mercilessly.

Mystery Car of the Week

Can you name this classic ride? Hint: it's currently celebrating its 50th anniversary and is the most successful car of all time in its native land.

ANSWER: RENAULT 4

NDB 2 Wrap Up and NDB 3 Plan

Another great get-together was held last weekend in Weston. This time we had a few more cars, including a pristine 928, terrific 2002 and an awesome little 914. Although our "police escort" hampered our run through some great twisties, fun was had by all and we did get to open it up a bit through the wilds of Sudbury.

The gang has decided our next rendez-vous will be Father's Day June 19th. We will meet in Weston again at 8am, then take drive through Sudbury, Wellesley, Needham, Dover and Westwood ending at Larz Andersen Auto Museum for German car day. Although NDB is open to all, it has thus far been an all German affair, so the destination of NDB 3 is appropriate. Hope to see you there!

Here's some shaky video of our NDB 2 police escort:

Cars and Coffee Second Running - May 7th

After a successful first NDB Cars and Coffee (see link below) with five cars, the second of our planned monthly get togethers is planned for May 7th in Weston Center at 8am. Please email or comment if you would like to join.

Video from NDB 1...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2hoqFsZI-Q

Some Predicitions...

The 2011 Formula 1 season gets underway this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix. This is against a backdrop of the F1 powers-that-be warning that Australia may be dropped in the future from the calendar, and interesting news that commercial head of F1 is in NYC this weekend meeting with Mayor Bloomberg about a Grand Prix on Staten Island. I am happy to leave the politics and wheeling and dealing to others and focus on the racing. Here's my 2011 predictions:

• Fernando Alonso will win the World Championship
• Red Bull will win the Constructors Championship
• Vettel, Webber, Hamilton and Massa will score wins
• Schumacher, Rosberg, Heidfeld, Button and Barichello will appear more than once on the podium

Enjoy what promises to be a fascinating season!

The Best of All Worlds...

I recently got rid of my 1992 Mercedes 300E after a year of service. Although it was a solid performer, I just wasn't smitten. It was underpowered and didn't get my juices flowing. So, after getting a decent offer on it, I jumped and sold it.

I have to say that the replacement for the big Merc' is at the opposite end of the 4-door spectrum. I purchased a 2011 Civic Si. I went from 6 cylinders to four, rear to front wheel drive, leather to cloth, German to Japanese, stolid to sporty, full-size to compact.

I think the Civic Si is the best performance bargain going. For a price of less than $22,000 (after some negotiation), you get a car that will carry a family of four comfortably, provide years of reliable service and be able to rev to 8,000 glorious RPM. This is my first Honda with a VTEC engine and it is awesome. It has a real Jeckyll and Hyde character - below 6,000 is a docile econo-car, but above 6,000 it shows its teeth. So far after six months of ownership a couple of family trips and daily commutes, I have no regrets...oh, and air conditioning works, which is a nice change from the Mercedes.

N.D.B. Cars and Coffee

A group of local Boston-area car nuts are working to organize a regular get-together for folks to talk cars and go for a "spirited" drive. I am sure the group will lean towards European sports cars from the '80, '90s and '00s, but all are welcome. The first meet-up is scheduled for April 16, 2011 in Weston with a route planned through the Weston, Concord, Acton, Subury area...so mark you calendars and tell your friends! Here are the details:

• What: An informal get together for car talk, coffee and a spirited drive


• When: Saturday, April 16, 8am meet-up, 8:30am departure


• Who: Everyone welcome as long as you are passionate about cars. All cars welcome. Just one rule: NDB - that means no Fast and Furious crowd.


• Where: Intersection of Boston Post Road and Townhouse Road in Weston Center (2 miles from Route 128 exit 26).


• Route: A 30-40 mile loop between the 128 and 495 belts starting and ending in Weston Center. Maps and directions to be provided.

Back in the Saddle

After a year off, I am going to try to revive this blog. Stay tuned!