The Squeezed Middle

If you cast your mind back to the last UK elections you’ll remember this phrase being chucked about a lot. I can’t remember who exactly said it, as all politicians have since become a faceless blur to me, blithering on about a financial crisis which none of them control. This blog, despite a title based in politics, is about cars. Who this squeezed middle is in society seems to be something that no one wants to define. However with the much simpler motorcar, it’s more easily pin pointed.

Any customer can have a manual, so long as it is automated.

The other day I had the privilege of driving a Gallardo round an airfield. It was awesome. While I know all the raw figures, I never expected it to feel that fast or have that much grip, and that glorious V10 bark would have been enough to get me excited even if it wasn’t that good. Here’s the obligatory ‘but..’ though, it was equipped with an E-Gear transmission, Lamborghini’s single clutch automated-manual.

 A great car, but where's the manual?