A British Motoring magazine has been asking its writers to nominate a car that defines the last decade. Names banded about include: the new Mini, Rolls Royce Phantom, Audi R8 and even the Ford Fiesta MK VI.

I thought the Nissan GT-R could be in with a shout - the ultimate expression of Japanese dominance for the fraction of a price of a Porsche. Technology that seemingly overcomes the Laws of Physics...

Or how about the Ford F-150 or any number of shoddy GM products? Toyota Prius? Cadillac Escalade?

The Lamborghini Gallardo? Not even the Italians can get away with making unreliable cars nowadays.

And for the coming decade? Anything by Tata, Geely, Roewe, SAC.

Your thoughts please.

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Number 46 is a real life-changer.

It's happening! It's going to occur! We're all going to do it!

The dates havn't been released yet, but judging by previous years, plan for December 2010/January 2011.

http://rickshawrun.theadventurists.com

Some vids to whet your appetite:

So sell your kidney, brush up on your Hindi and paint on a bindi.

Badcolonies reunited!

I have long been intereseted in Iran and the Middle East. In terms of historical and cultural significance Persia is often ignorantly overlooked compared to more accessible nations such as Egypt. Iran's geopolitical stance dominates our limited understanding, not helped by Western media casting the Middle East as either a Billionaire's playground or stagnant backwater where terrorism flourishes. A curious juxtaposition.

The elections and subsequent demonstrations in Iran are a reminder that real people live in the Middle East - not just stereotypes. They care about how they are governed and how the world perceives them.

This travel article originally published in the Times gives a flavour of what Iran is really like:

"I'd never have guessed that my first time inside a synagogue would be in Tehran, but Iran is full of surprises. It has a fundamentalist leadership that many in the West believe to be as nutty as a box of pistachios. But it also has a population of 65 million, most born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution (which culminated in the return from exile of Ayatollah Khomeini 30 years ago this month), and far removed from the dour and menacing stereotype often portrayed on the 10 o'clock news. The ordinary Iranian people are by far the friendliest and most welcoming I've met in more than 20 years of travelling."

'The Road to Oxiana' by Robert Byron is a must read, charting Byron's ten month voyage through the Middle East in the 1930's.

The emergence of Mountune as a kind of AMG-for-the-masses is one of the feel-good automotive tales of recent years.

The Essex-based concern is one of those great British success stories that few have heard of, but are the brains behind countless below-the-radar engineering projects for all sorts of race teams and manufacturers, both big and small. Now, thanks to the openly publicised partnership with Ford, Mountune is getting the exposure – and plaudits - it deserves.

Regular visitors to DR will know that we were massively impressed with Mountune’s Focus ST, for the performance kit elevated this likeable, capable hot hatch to genuine giant-killer status. We also fell in love with the more extensive body of work – mapping, cams, exhaust, chassis and seats - that went into the Fiesta ST 185, for it turned a fairly average small hot hatch into a fast, feisty and utterly addictive machine.

Faster Fiesta

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