[Leica] Speaking of cars...

[jbm at jbm.org (Jeff Moore)]

2006-04-29-22:38:53 Brian Reid:
> Perhaps I ought to be embarrassed to admit it, but I'm not: I drive a 
> recent German car with a giant V8, great brakes, killer suspension, 4WD, 
> and enough room to play a game of bridge in the back seat. 335 HP. 
> Volkswagen Phaeton.

Nothing at all to be ashamed of.  A cool car.  And with a few tweaks
(including such minor details as swapping in the 12-cylinder engine and
turbocharging it to a mighty 550 bhp), it becomes the Bentley Continental,
doesn't it?

I'm not so sure that the V8 qualifies as "giant", at least in a
discussion including the old-school Detroit iron -- 4.2 litres is less
than, say, the 7.5 litres of an old-school big block.  It performs like
a giant, though -- I'm pleased to have the same motor (though sadly
detuned to a mere 300 bhp) in my '05 Audi allroad, and indeed it loves
to go.

> Too bad Volkswagen stopped selling them in the US. I'm going to miss it 
> when it finally wears out.

That's sad -- I hadn't realized they're no longer available here.

I do recall, though, that when I discussed them with a local dealer a
year or so ago, he said they didn't sell very well -- that most people
who looked for that general flavor of car ended up going for an Audi A8
(similar size, essentially identical powerplant and running gear,
similarly strong body except lighter, because executed in aluminum).

Out of curiosity, what tipped you to the Phaeton over the A8?  Just the
way the sheer mass of it damps road vibrations better, subtleties of
their different aesthetics, or something I'm not considering?

 -Jeff M