Charles Darveight
36 ARTICLES
Personal motto:
Pedal to the metal.
Where art thou, fast-paced future?
23 Aug 2014, 07:57 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / Flashback from 20 years ago: there we are, riding in the rather underwhelming cars of those days, daydreaming about a better time when we would zoom around in faster, more powerful and safer vehicles, not wasting hours in traffic inching forward at...
Mercedes SLS AMG 5 doors. We need it!
1 Jul 2013, 16:29 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / Just try picturing the most beautiful car in the whole wide world. A five meter long SLS AMG with four seats, decent storage space of around 350-400L, 4 functional doors and two children on the back seats, delighted by the amazing sound coming out ...
Supercars - Luxury Escorts of the Auto Industry
9 Jan 2013, 14:19 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / Supercar owner? You probably think you’ve got the best car in the whole world. You might have a Ferrari 458 that makes you feel like a million dollars. But did you ever get behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Gallardo? Or, why not, the La...
The future is bright, the future is... Orange
31 Mar 2012, 21:59 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / 2044 AD. Nürburgring. Sunny with a hint of smog, but hey, this is a technologically developed society, so that’s rather normal. A bored pelican goes about his morning exercise routine on an artificial tree’s branch installed courte...
The Grind. The German Side
18 Aug 2011, 13:00 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / The Faroe Islands. 2011. The Grind. Just like every year, beaches are flooded with blood as the pilot whale hunt ensues in the towns “chosen” as grounds for slaughtering the poor mammals. At least 1,000 pilot whales are killed annually...
Life at Nurburgring
25 Jul 2011, 12:48 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / Between two helpings of bratwurst and a pint of “pure” beer, Hans and Otto admire the Nurburgring racing track from up high: proud and vast, a veritable bitumen serpent, undulating beautifully in the natural, German Sun’s light.&n...
France! Liberté, égalité and a whole lot of communism
16 May 2011, 12:29 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / I never was what you would call a “fan” of the French. They’re simply annoying. They’ve got this unbelievable tendency of being backwards compared to the rest of the world, they’re lead by a president whose ego is furt...
We’re going to the US. EU sucks.
30 Mar 2011, 08:50 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / I wonder... how prepared the guys over in the US are to take in a wave of immigrants of about... 500 million people by 2050? I’m already considering it, after reading the new projects fleshed out by the old buggers standing on piles of cash (...
Start stop technology. The oil crisis. Geneva.
25 Feb 2011, 15:39 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / The oil crisis looms over us menacingly yet again, one blown out of proportion by social rebellions perfect for filling even more the pockets of filthy rich sitting on crude wells or those of stock market pretty boys who get all worked up doing lin...
Jimmy Choo vs. M5. Louboutin vs. AMG. Catwalk cars.
27 Jan 2011, 15:17 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / Not long ago, I went along with a friend to visit a veritable modern temple, a museum of famous shoe designers. Ok, I must admit it was actually a Dubai mall during the sales season, but you can imagine I got literally dragged around from store to ...
Wacky Laws, Uncanny Regulations, Zombie People
25 Dec 2010, 07:32 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / Recently, there’s been quite some fuss over a new traffic regulation which, by initial accounts, is quite strange (to say the least) and has good chances of being enforced in Paris. Specifically, pedestrians who wish to cross the street wil...
Automotive Industry Gotchas. Buying a Good New Car Without Getting Screwed
23 Dec 2010, 08:33 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / I’ve seen it one too many times: people purchase a new car and, as if on cue, problems which would have otherwise been easy to avoid start pouring. I thought it might be helpful to at least some of you if I shared the experiences and frustrat...
Audi Cayenne Turbo / Audi Touareg. Porsche’s Obituary
16 Dec 2010, 09:29 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / The Porsche-VW relationship has always been rather odd and soap opera-ish. Their intertwined journeys through time offer thrills and twists reminiscent of Maurice Druon’s acclaimed novel “The Accursed Kings”. In this case, Pors...
The Concorde. Mystery Solved. Regress instead of progress.
10 Dec 2010, 09:20 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / The Concorde (or Concord for UK beer bellies) was a technological marvel, an accomplishment that could be considered even more important than the so-called Moon landing, which, regardless if it actually existed or not, it certainly required a lot o...
Car of The Year 2011: just another Eurovision
3 Dec 2010, 08:47 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / It’s already a known fact that the Nissan Leaf has been voted as European Car of the Year for 2011. It was a very close call, at Alfa Romeo Giulietta’s loss. To be precise, the 100% electric Nissan got 257 points, whereas the beautiful ...
Choosing the ideal car
26 Nov 2010, 11:19 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / The task of choosing a new car has become a painstaking journey. Take, for example, two friends of mine who were looking to buy a new automobile. On one side was their yearning for a prestigious, resounding brand and lots of advanced features a...
From Dacia 1300 to Dacia Logan/Duster. The History of a Controversial Brand
25 Nov 2010, 14:28 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / Nicolae Ceausescu (former Romanian president/dictator) in 1966, about the new Dacia 1100/Renault 8 car: “It’s just right for idiots”. The history of the Dacia brand couldn’t have begun in any way other than with a stateme...
Better Cars, Smaller Profits. The Automotive Industry at the Crossroad
19 Nov 2010, 08:16 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / Profits posted by the great automobile makers follow such a steep, descending trend that it becomes pretty obvious that their strategy for the future must change, and quickly. They’re probably aware of that, judging by the flood of „...
The Astounding SUVs. Eppur si muove
12 Nov 2010, 13:05 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / When Porsche announced they were going to launch an SUV, a wave of protests from brand fans (and not only) emerged, raging like a cataract in a thunderstorm. Journalists snorted in disgust, further supporting the heated views of the most vocal Boxs...
Toyota Redux
18 Jun 2010, 12:13 UTC · By: Charles Darveight / I have to admit it, the Japs from Toyota can really overcome any barrier. Maybe the word "man" is written deep in their genes. Maybe their brains have a few connections which are missing from European or American car manufacturers. They a...