Patrick James

“I don’t know what type… it’s a blue car… once it gets me from A to B that’s all that matters” – I think everyone has heard this statement or something similar at one time or another – and for some people it is true, but not for most petrol heads. For me it’s a pet hate… and akin to a person saying about their own leg: “I don’t  know what it’s called really… it’s just a limb… as long as it gets me from A to….”!

Since the dawn of the automobile age we’ve seen so many different shapes, makes and models with numerous companies pushing the boundaries of what was possible – safety, style & design, even the combustion engine evolved and motoring needs gave birth to the electric engine. To compete, cars got more advanced and inevitably those developments led to better cars and as people began to spend more of their lives and lifestyles in or around their cars there grew a need for the “Luxury Car” – that safe, mobile haven that had all the creature comforts and security of home.

As someone who loves cars, I believe one of the biggest revolutions was the dawn of the affordable car, pretty much made possible by cars like  Henry Ford’s legendary Model-T. Once upon a time, cars were seen as a luxury but the affordable car meant everyone could could own one – before long the automobile was commonplace – and nowadays many homes boast the title of  being a “two car family” without batting an eye. To meet demand, cars became more and more lavish, with every automotive company offering “luxury models”. There was a car and a specification to suit every pocket.

In recent times though, the global credit crunch has given rise to the question of what is need, what is luxury and what is over-indulgence – as someone who often test drives cars, a question that I have been asked is: “Should car companies continue to produce and develop luxury cars in a world that is in the grasp of financial crisis?” The simple answer is YES – without a doubt.

Apart from the beautiful cars produced, the biggest virtue of “Luxury Cars” such as BMW’s new Z4 is they push the boundaries of what is possible (technologically and as regards safety, as Road Tests prove). One thing that always reigned true is that new developments that start off as exclusive to a luxury car, eventually become a commonplace feature and part of all cars, for example, power steering, central locking and even rear seatbelts (once exclusive to luxury cars only).

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