Technology


Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 review

I’m a long-time Microsoft Flight Simulator user. I started with 4.0. Back then scenery was extremely limited, so you were mostly limited to instrument flying – which I learned to love, to the point that when we had to give a presentation at school, my talk was about aircraft navigation. […]


Porsche 911 (996) buying advice

Porsche’s fifth-generation 911, the 996, was a milestone – it was the first water-cooled 911, and, together with the 986-model Boxster, lead to the growth and prosperity of Porsche as we know it today. There was also much criticism leveled at the 996: besides the outcries of the air-cooled lovers, […]


Porsche 911 (996) colors

Interior The 996 could be had with five interior colors: Black, Graffiti Grey (a light grey), Metropole Blue, Savannah Beige, and Space Grey (which is a bit darker than Graffiti Grey). Space Grey was later replaced by Nephrite Green. For the early cars, Nephrite Green and Boxster Red were available […]


Porsche 911 (996) OEM wheels

The default wheel size for the Porsche 996 Carrera 2 was 7×17 up front and 9×17 in the rear. For the pre-facelift model, the default wheel appears to have been the M396 turbo-look wheel.  For the facelift 996.2 model, this was the 10-spoke Carrera II wheel. The Carrera 4 used […]


Review: Group A

While my motorsports exploits (when I was young) were limited to autocross and regularity competitions on the Hockenheimring and Nürburgring, and my current Sim Racing hobby is centred on circuit racing, too, my first and true love when it comes to motorsports is rally. My formative years in this regard […]


Review: How to Build a Car

Most racing-related (auto)biographies focus on the drivers. But there are other interesting stories to tell about racing in general and Formula One in particular. Adrian Newey’s autobiography offers a unique insight into the world of Formula One. Newey knew from an early age that he wanted to design race cars. […]


A brief history of the current Formula 1 teams

One does not simply start a new Formula 1 team these days. It’s too complex for that, and there’s a limited number of places on the grid. Hence, “new” teams have in the last decades usually been new names after the takeover of a team by a new owner. Here’s […]


Driving a ’66 Mustang

For my 42nd birthday my wife surprised me with a day of driving a 1966 Ford Mustang rented from Nostalgico. The car was a Nightmist Blue C-code coupé with power steering and automatic transmission. We took the car on a 90km trip through the forests of the Northern Veluwe in […]


Four classic cars with all parts available

When choosing a classic car to buy, drive, and work on, an important consideration to make is the availability of spare parts. Working on a car can be very frustrating when it is difficult or even impossible to find spare parts. Rare parts also tend to be expensive. Here are […]


The five ages of BMW

Beginnings (1918-1961) BMW started out as engine builder, hence the name Bayerische Motorenwerke. Automobile production didn’t start until the acquisition of the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, which built the Dixi, a licensed version of the Austin Seven. The pre-war focus was on sports cars, culminating in the Mille Miglia-winning BMW 328. Production […]


The other Shelby Mustang

The most famous version of the first Mustang iteration (1964 1/2 to 1966) is undoubtedly the Shelby GT350R, built for SCCA sports car racing, and its GT350H Hertz rent a racer brethren. But when the SCCA announced the Trans-Am sedan championship for the 1966 season, Ford faced a dilemma: the […]