http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com Welcome to our new weblog. On this site you will find an archive of articles and information, as well as news and feedback on a broad spectrum of topics. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:59:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/fiat-500-%e2%80%93-dolce-vita-personified/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fiat-500-%25e2%2580%2593-dolce-vita-personified http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/fiat-500-%e2%80%93-dolce-vita-personified/#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:09:47 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=899 Every now and again a car is launched that simply puts a smile on your face. Stepping around it, you can’t seem to get enough of its round, bulbous form, and once seated behind the steering wheel you just want to start the engine and let the fun begin… At Manifesto we like good design, and this fun little car-about-town proves the point that it doesn’t always revolve around the biggest or most expensive creations. Though measuring just 3,55 metres long by 1,63 wide and 1,49 high, the cinquecento is a well-proportioned bundle of good-natured fun. ]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/fiat-500-%e2%80%93-dolce-vita-personified/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/mini-clubman-fun-on-four-wheels/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mini-clubman-fun-on-four-wheels http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/mini-clubman-fun-on-four-wheels/#comments Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:27:41 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=743 So you may be more accustomed to seeing car reports on Ferraris, Lambos, Bentleys, Rollers and 300k Mercedes, but if articles like this are to do more than allow us to salivate over cars that only a privileged few can really afford then maybe it’s worthwhile to discover that there is a lot of driving fun to had in the affordable price bracket too. Which is why I decided to focus on the imminent launch of the Mini Clubman, expected to hit showrooms across Europe and America early next year. It seemed appropriate, too, as this pint-sized estate seems just the accessory to take shopping—it looks better on you than a designer handbag and it fits a hell of a lot more goodies too. ]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/mini-clubman-fun-on-four-wheels/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/bentley-mulsanne/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bentley-mulsanne http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/bentley-mulsanne/#comments Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:20:50 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=701 After decades in the shadow of Rolls Royce limousines, the Bentley has now emerged as a magnificent luxury vehicle in its own right. With the Mulsanne, Bentley is reviving the heyday of the marque. Not since the legendary Continental of the 1950s have Bentleys looked so good. The renaissance of the brand began with the beautifully styled and engineered Continental, no doubt inspired by its famous namesake. It is good to see that Bentley have built upon the success of that model to allow its design style to evolve into something truly special. That something is the Mulsanne, itself the bearer of a name laden with history, tradition and a reputation for motoring excellence.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/bentley-mulsanne/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/mondial-de-lautomobile/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mondial-de-lautomobile http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/mondial-de-lautomobile/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:34:26 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=644 The biennial Paris Car Show is not just the oldest and one of the largest in the world, but also one of the most glamorous events on the annual car show circuit. The names are familiar to those of us who love cars. Earl’s Court, London, Geneva, Detroit, Frankfurt and Paris. Along with a growing number of Asian car shows these are the industry’s calling cards, the glamorous occasions when manufacturers from across the world show their imminent new models and the flights of fantasy that designers and engineers have moulded into physical shape. ]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/mondial-de-lautomobile/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/the-monty/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-monty http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/the-monty/#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:16:29 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=615 Though yachting, power boating, tennis and a host of other sophisticated sports feature prominently in Monaco, it is motor sport that above all runs in the veins of this principality. Over the years Monaco has built up a sporting tradition that far outweighs its size both in terms of area and population. Professional French League football club AS Monaco, the international athletics meets, tennis championships and offshore power boating competitions are fine examples of these, but if you mention sport and Monaco in the same breath the first association will undoubtedly be with motor sport.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/the-monty/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/off-road-luxury/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=off-road-luxury http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/off-road-luxury/#comments Wed, 22 Sep 2010 08:25:36 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=502 We have purposely not chosen to focus on the well-known models from the Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes and VW-Group stables, but have instead opted for the kind of mid-range models that are reasonably affordable yet attractive. The first candidate, Chrysler’s Jeep Grand Cherokee, is a successor to one of the most successful luxury four-wheel drives of recent times, while the Nissan Murano by contrast is a newer kind of jeep—round, sporty and young in its appeal. ]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/off-road-luxury/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/motoring-for-individualists/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=motoring-for-individualists http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/motoring-for-individualists/#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:47:46 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=327 Built for individualists with a penchant for style and elegance, Wiesmann cars are as exclusive as they look – a modern sports car beneath classic retro charm. On the outskirts of the German town of Dülmen stands a modern building whose stunning architecture offers a hint at what is inside. No, this is not a state-of-the-art museum, a science faculty or a futuristic conference centre but actually a factory where cars are made.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/motoring-for-individualists/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/triumph-an-old-name-with-modern-appeal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=triumph-an-old-name-with-modern-appeal http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/triumph-an-old-name-with-modern-appeal/#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:31:14 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=264 In the world of motorcycling Triumph is one of those names that reads like aristocracy. Like its car-manufacturing counterpart, the marque was very much at the forefront of the evolving history of motoring, building itself a legendary heritage in the process. The renaissance of this great old name is therefore every bit as important as the revival of the Bugatti brand was – all the more so because today Triumph once again makes some of the most beautiful bikes around.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/triumph-an-old-name-with-modern-appeal/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/lancia-powerboat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lancia-powerboat http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/lancia-powerboat/#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:03:42 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/?p=252 Arriving at the unique setting of the Venice Film Festival is glamorous enough, but imagine how heads would turn if you made your way across the famous Venetian canals in this mysterious beast? The Lancia Powerboat is just that – a gorgeous beast of a vessel that contains all the raw beauty of Italian styling and the pedigree of the Lancia marque wrapped up in one hell of a package.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/motoring/lancia-powerboat/feed/ 0 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/tygan-speedster-porsche-356/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tygan-speedster-porsche-356 http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/tygan-speedster-porsche-356/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:30:39 +0000 Michel Cruz http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/tygan-speedster-porsche-356/ Until I got into the Tygan Speedster, however, I hadn’t driven a 'real' car. Now not all my cars have had power steering, power assisted breaks and traction control. In fact, I can still remember flooding the carburettor with the choke on a cold winter’s morning or having to push-start an unwilling car, but none of the vehicles I had driven before—no matter how fast or recklessly—prepared me for the real McCoy. In this case, a picture-perfect replica of a 1958 Porsche 356.]]> http://michel-cruz.rimontgo.com/freelance-writing/tygan-speedster-porsche-356/feed/ 0