Tim has always been passionate about cars that give the driver a rewarding experience. His favourite cars handle well and look good, with fighter jet manoeuvrability rated over flat out power.
He adores Italian legends such as Ferrari and Lamborghini, but his preferred sportscar marque is Lotus. He feels that the genius of genuine British engineering should be admired over the outlandishly expensive electronics that keep other marques on the road under similar conditions.
He also has a soft spot for British makes; Aston Martin, Range Rover and Jaguar. Although he does add the caveat that they are all “as wonderfully unique as you can expect from a Ford”.
Tim is quite willing to accept flaws in a car, such as reliability and practicality, if he feels that the car's strengths out-way its weaknesses. He is particularly fond of cars that deliver astounding performance, or great looks without high price tags such as the Peugeot RCZ, the Subaru Impreza and the Arial Atom.
During the 2010 series of The Fast Lane he strongly argued that the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, should be awarded the 'Greatest (all-round) Car In The World' title. He won his argument on the basis that the car provided a better mix of practicality, performance, value, looks and traction than any other car.
By contrast, he is also known for liking the Mitsubishi iMIEV, the electric car that simply plugs in to a normal household power socket. Many manufacturers have since devised similar models, but the iMIEV was the first main-stream use of the technology, delivering a range of over 90 miles (at up to 80mph) on a single £2 charge.
Tim's quick wit often finds fault with the most obvious flaws in a car's design. He often likens a car to stereotypes found in the nation that designed it. For example, he recently described the Porsche 911 as “rather serious...
As serious in fact, as a German body builder who's just discovered that his entire steroid supply has been eaten by an ill tempered Rottweiler called Maximilian...
Along with his Wiener Schnitzel and the cat”.
He has however complimented the technical attributes and practicalities of many Porsches over the years. Reviewing a Porsche 911 GT3 in 2004, he conceded that Porsche had finally got the handling just right... Stating “The GT3 is undoubtedly the best Porsche I've ever driven!”
Tim is a great fan of the works of Jeremy Clarkson and although he refuses to be led by other motoring journalists, he does naturally agree with many of Clarkson's observations.
He concurs that all true petrolheads share a passion for Alfa Romeo, but quickly points out that even Alfa get it wrong from time to time. He described the old 166 as “Alfa's Ford Mondeo”, but heavily praised the styling and handling of both the Mito and the Brera.
He judges each vehicle on its individual merits, rather than on the reputation of the manufacturer, stating “it's only fair... The greatest actors in the world will almost certainly have a few flops during their careers and car manufacturers are no different!”
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