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it’s hard to think of a car that’s so easy to exploit so fully so soon after taking the wheel. And that, depending on what you’re looking for from your convertible, could be the [Audi] TTS’s downfall. With no subtleties to explore and learn over time, you have to wonder how long it would hold your interest, and, ultimately, whether you would be better off sacrificing a little of that pace and choosing a Boxster instead. – evo

Nearly two decades ago the Honda/Acura NSX shook up the performance car scene.

This year, the Nissan GT-R is said to be doing the same.

But could the two cars be any more different?

Looking at this picture I stumbled across on the web – is the NSX is too much like a Formula 1 car or is the GT-R is too much like an SUV?

When car companies want to increase fuel economy one of the first places they look is the wheel and tire setup; the less rotational inertia and frontal area the better so the narrowest, smallest tire that will effectively carry and redirect the car’s mass is best.

Would you notice? Some would say no, but as someone in the market for a Prius recently pointed out those with the optional 16” wheels report having a hard time matching the observed mileage of those with 15” wheels. So I’d argue that you can’t break the laws of physics (and tell Prius buyers if fuel economy is what’s most important 15” alloys do best of all).

So when you see someone in a hybrid on larger, wider, heavier aftermarket wheels do what I do…

...shake your head and look at the driver with a mixture of pity and disgust.

When I started blogging I was hellbent on two things: that I not accept advertising dollars and that the blog be text only (to ensure that readers were here to learn not to skim as so many armchair experts do).

Well, I’ve changed my tune. From now on you’ll be seeing more pictures and – who knows? – maybe even some hand picked advertising.

Let me know what you think – if it doesn’t work for my readers I’m happy to remain a luddite.

Admission: I’ve never followed racing very closely because I’m more interested in road cars or track cars based on road cars.

Fact: Regardless of your enthusiasm for racing or Formula 1, you’ll probably have a newfound appreciation for the factoids listed in this article…

Do you like your cars analogue or digital? With an inherently low CG and body weight or with a lot of technology to compensate for a high CG and a more portly whole?

As Peter Tomalin points out in this month’s evo...

Yes it still rolls a bit, certainly more than an Evo, which also has sharper steering responses, but there’s an honesty and transparency to the STI, a kind of analogue feel, that’s very appealing.

I’m not arguing for one over the other, I’m arguing against anyone who obsesses over numbers and spec sheets when buying cars.

Up to now, I’d thought there were five basic types of stare. The Truly Gobsmacked (Veyron, Zonda, Koenigsegg), the Knowing Nod (Audi R8, Nissan GT-R, Merc CLK Black), the Cute As Hell Grin (new Fiat 500, old Fiat 500), the Call That A Car Smirk (Vauxhall Tigra, Toyota Prius, Fiat Croma) and There’s Something Nasty on The Sole of My Shoe (BMW X6, SsangYong Rodius, Merc R-Class). But the Clubman has created a sixth category: the Huh? It’s neither approving nor dismissive, just the facial manifestation of a question mark. As in “I wish I could put my finger on it, but why hasn’t this worked?”... [Compare this with the] very tidy previous-generation Cooper S hatch, a car that actually seems to get prettier with age, though I’ve no doubt this has something to do with the comparatively bloated appearance of its larger successor. Inside, too, the earlier car’s leaner, edgier, less clunkingly exaggerated architecture seems far sexier and more inviting. – evo