Retro Cars Magazine BMW M5 Back Issue

Well it’s back to normal here at RC after a relaxing and largely car-free festive period. A trip up to Cumbria for a few days disconnected from all Wi-Fi and phone signal really hit the spot and recharged the batteries ready for taking on an exciting 2014. I used my new Scirocco project to get up to the borders and was pleasantly surprised with both its comfort and economy on such a long trip from home in Cambridgeshire. Having had a myriad of old VWs, I was expecting to exit the Scirocco at the end of the journey feeling like an old man, bent double with back and arse pain! In fact the opposite was true and its thanks largely to the superb leather pews fi tted to the Storm models. To add to the posh nature of this mid-‘eighties Dub the carpets are also super thick and do a good job of drowning out the road noise, while excellent aerodynamics sort out the wind noise. Oh and added to all this civilised cruising, it also managed 45mpg! Pretty happy with that, though I think it’s running a little lean. For those searching for a moral in the babbling tale above, the point is that old cars can and should be used more often as regular transport. They often surprise in their versatility, practicality and of course enjoyment. The Hillman Imp in this issue is a great example, it’s a daily runner that has been modifi ed to look achingly cool and
yet is fi tted with a bespoke fuel-injection system that delivers mid-forties mpg all day long. The BMW M5 that I came back to drive after Christmas also demonstrates the concept of a useable retro ride perfectly. Ok so economy isn’t its strong point, but it’s an impressively comfortable saloon still and can hit 60mph in just over 6 seconds. In its day this was performance on a par with a Ferrari and yet you could take the family along in comfort while you were hooning.