MY WEEK IN CARS
Steve Cropley
Seagrave’s 1927 LSR Sunbeam is on display at Beaulieu
MONDAY
On holiday this week, I’ve had my nose in the printed newspapers, many peppered with suggestions that the government will soon ease its green agenda to please voters. It seems beyond bizarre that such a debate should ensue while swathes of lower Europe are wracked by fires attributed to climate change: small wonder most car makers no longer seem interested in wholesale rule relaxation. They would rather know exactly what regulations are coming and see them sensibly interpreted.
One phrase to arise from the discussions is ‘the Aston Martin exemption’, a plan to ease electrification hurdles for the UK’s unique band of small-volume car companies. This, of course, would be a fine thing. Nothing Ariel and Caterham do will ever affect world pollution, yet an exemption would keep them healthy, which matters. For as long as I can remember, Caterhams and Ariels in multi-car tests have set the standard for handling, lightness, simplicity, compactness, performance, design bravery and sheer desirability. Leading by example is what tiny firms do and why we’ll always need them.