h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I think we should all boycott the Ford Motor company. this is why: Ford wants to turn Aston Martin and Jaguar into volume car companies.

Ford America wants the PAG (Prestige Automotive Group) to contribute one third of Ford's total profits. This would mean that Aston Martin and Jaguar would have to increase their output. The PAG consists of Volvo, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Jaguar.

I don't care about Volvo or Land Rover, but Aston Martin and Jaguar - they cannot increase their output - that would decrease their quality. In 1996 Aston Martin made 43 cars, and Ford want their production to increase to 5,000 by 2005.

Ford cancelled the F-type and some cool new X-types - why? Becaue they're uneconomical. "We can make more heroes through F1 than F-type." Jaguar's F1 has no chance, so what can they lose by giving the F-type the green light?

BMW, Honda, Toyota, even MG have Boxsters rivals, so why can't Jaguar have one?

I don't know why it turned F1 into a link.

This is terrible! I don't give a hoot - no, actually I do, if it is an issue of quality...

Oh no, Ford are Heretics!!!

*mumble mumble* never did like ford

I *still* don't care very much - but no, I never liked Ford either... (mumble).

della, just forget that it's a car. Think of something with presteige and then think of a company forcing it to be mass produced.

Right, I got that! I can see why Jimmy is hacked off about it...

I can see why Jimmy is hacked off about it too. It does make sense that Jaguar and Aston Martin cars will retain their quality, specialty and PRICE only if they remain low volume car makers. The thought of Astons selling beside Toyotas turns the stomach.

I don't think anyone really needs a Boxster rival, to say they do, implies that the Boxster is a benchmark and it's not, it's just a poser's car.

Jaguar do seem to have a very real future in formula one. It looks like this year may be a turning point for them. They seem to have found the reliability they were looking for, now it's just a tiny matter of speed. Replacing Eddie Irvine with Mark Webber was more of a gesture than anything else, they're as good as each other. It helps that now Ford are keeping out of their way and concentrating their efforts on being an engine supplier to Jordan (not very successfully yet, as it happens).

There are, however, other reasons to boycott Ford (in this their centenial year). Ford have shown all the sense of corporate responsibility of Enron over the years. Remember the 'Pinto' debacle? Due to a design flaw, the Pinto was quite literally spontaneously exploding and killing its occupants. In about the late sixties, a leaked memo from one Ford executive to another suggested that it was more economically expedient to carry on paying compensation to the families of future victims that to recall the car and fix its problems. And Ford didn't emerge entirely unscathed from the investigations into connections with Nazi Germany and the use of slave labour there.

And on it goes.

You're right about the Boxster - it's just the poor man's 911. But it's good to have a car for the person undergoing the mid-life crisis. I'm sure there's a big market for those...

Isn't there a conflict of interest in the Formula one - Ford has two teams competing. Or do they sleep at night knowing that one team has a ghost of a chance and the other doesn't even have that?

The only real contenders are Ferrari, McClaren and Williams.

You're right that those three are the only real contenders in f1. In the last four years all Grand Prix, except ONE, have been won by someone from those three teams. There's hardly even been anyone else on the podium (first second or third).

Exactly how Ford sleep at night will have to remain a mystery for now.

Yep, formula one is definately a three horse race at present. Williams have just won their third race of the season (France). So now they're looking untouchable. Ferrari are slipping and McLaren appear to be doing their best to throw away their advantage. The championship will go right down to the wire, but only among those three teams.

The good news is that it won't be a walk-over for Ferrari.

Empty Sky, Jimmy Nugget and all other formula one fans - RULE!!!

Jimmy Nugget backs Montoya.

Yeah! Montoya is very talented, but very impetuous. He breaks cars in his haste. Many times, he's blown up that BMW engine.

It's interesting to see the contrast between team mates Ralf Schumacher and JP Montoya. It's a kind of tortoise and hare situation. Montoya is faster, but impetuous. Ralf is not as fast, but more patient. They're achievments are about the same.

David Letterman once asked Montoya why he's so fast and Montoya put it down to "balls".

Round objects...indeed!

Who is Round? And to what does he object?



The old jokes are always the best.

shirley not...

Yes and don't call me Shirley.

Sorry, Martha...