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Pick of the Day: Zagato Parana Z-One

I detest hyperbole or bold proclamations without some form of factual backing when developing an argument. After decades of listening to sports talk radio on KNBR 680 I’ve had more than my fill of sports reporters and fans giving their hot takes with ludicrous concepts. Settle down Boone from Cloverdale because I can’t imagine any scenario where Kyle Shanahan is a better coach than Vince Lombardi.

Zagato Parana Z-One
Zagato Parana Z-One

That said, I am going against my own code for debates when I maintain that the Zagato Parana Z-One is the greatest South African and Italian mashup the automotive industry has ever seen. Yes I broke my own code, but can you name another car penned by an Italian design firm (Zagato) for a South African performance car company (Parana Performance Group)? Didn’t think so.

Zagato Parana Z-One
Zagato Parana Z-One

The Zagato Parana Z-One is the biproduct of that collaboration and to add more intrigue to its already unique backstory its rides on a C6 Chevrolet Corvette chassis and is powered by a Corvette LS7 engine. It was a true international collaboration for a sports car that made its debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show with aspiration for 999 copies with a starting price under $100,000. Productions goals were never achieved and just seven were made for the United States.

Zagato Parana Z-One
Zagato Parana Z-One

If you like unique collaborations look no further than the Pick of the Day; a Zagato Parana Z-One listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Orange, California. This Parana Z-One is number five of seven built, and the only concept car produced.

Zagato Parana Z-One
Zagato Parana Z-One

“The side profile is of a fine sports coupe that had finely sculpted lines on the front fenders,” the listing states. “Those huge multi-spoke wheels sure did go along with its design appeal. The rear third quarter and rear fascia sure give out Aston Martin and TVR vibes with the bulky wheel arches and the rear tail-lamp layout. The design language, no doubt, is an inspiration for many iconic cars. Zagato did an impressive job of fusing all of it and giving it a unique character.” 

7.3-liter V8 LS7 engine
7.3-liter V8 LS7 engine

From any angle the Parana is striking and exotic, but also has the performance to back up its demeanor. It’s powered by a 7.3-liter V8 LS7 engine that the listing states produces 600 horsepower, and the engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission with a ZF limited-slip rear differential. It has a well-designed interior with seating for two and features air conditioning, a back-up camera, and a navigation system.

7.3-liter V8 LS7 engine
7.3-liter V8 LS7 engine

The listing price is $185,000 for this international sports car mashup with a Corvette heart.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Lifted 1971 Volkswagen Beetle Is Your Basic Commuter Car Made Burlier

Lifting economy cars and putting gnarly tires under them seems to be all the rage these days, likely inspired by the overlanding movement, the increased interest in camping due to the pandemic, and the resurgent four-wheel-drive truck and SUV aftermarket, but Volkswagen enthusiasts have been jacking up Beetles—you know, the world’s foremost economy car—for about as long as the Beetle has been around. Longer, if you want to bring the Typ 87 into the conversation. While we don’t know the particulars of this particular safari’d 1971 Volkswagen Beetle listed for sale on the Hemmings Auctions, it appears to have been built about 15 years ago more for tooling around town than for organized off-road racing or other off-road pursuits.

In addition to the lifted suspension—likely accomplished by simply adjusting the torsion bars, given the lack of flashy aftermarket parts underneath—the Beetle’s been fitted with a Scat 1776-cc engine, wide-five wheels on adapters, and an aftermarket steering wheel and shifter. However, the rest of the car looks relatively untouched from its commuter days, down to the tears in the seat fabric and the assorted paint chips from its occasional use since it was lifted. The seller reported that it runs and drives well with no commentary on how the lift, tires, and bigger engine affect performance, though for some reason the headlamps and taillamps don’t work.

With a couple weekends’ worth of work, a fresh set of tires, and minimal outlay, it could be made into a nice beach cruiser. After a few more weekends, along with a roof basket, lightbar, and the other requisite Safari-All-The-Cars aftermarket parts, it could be a capable trail buggy ready for a backwoods camping weekend. Or, for those who don’t care about the latest trends, it doesn’t look like it would take much to return the Bug to stock.

lifted 1971 VW Beetle on the Hemmings Auctions

lifted 1971 VW Beetle on the Hemmings Auctions

lifted 1971 VW Beetle on the Hemmings Auctions

lifted 1971 VW Beetle on the Hemmings Auctions

lifted 1971 VW Beetle on the Hemmings Auctions

Have We Seen the Last of the Interesting Winter Beaters?

Winter tends to come on somewhat suddenly up here in Vermont— one day it’s a gorgeous “Indian summer” with autumn colors and light jackets and a few days later you’re scraping the windshield under a gray morning sky. Needless to say, the cool cars get tucked away quickly at that point, if you’re the sort who tries to make use every bit of the “good” weather. I had my ’67 Camaro out just a week or so ago as this is written and didn’t even need to slide the heater control over to “warm.” It snowed last night, so that ride was probably the last bit of vintage motoring I’ll get in before spring.

But it’s exactly that notion that gets my mind turning every year around this time —do I really have to give up on old cars altogether for the next few months? Couldn’t I just revisit the time-honored practice of having a “winter beater” and find something interesting yet cheap to bomb about in the meantime?

It’s a premise that sparks naysayers to point out that there aren’t any usable cars from the period prior to, let’s say, the ’80s that can be had cheaply— they’ll insist that if you’re on a budget, you can have vintage or you can have something that runs, but not both.

I’m not so easily dissuaded when it comes to such things, and besides, I’ll take any excuse to do some virtual shopping for an interesting car. What I found was somewhat encouraging, if also maybe a bit dangerous, as I really don’t need to acquire a single additional motor vehicle right now. Still, I couldn’t help considering the possibilities.

To that end, I conjured the notion of a winter beater challenge, wherein the participating contestants would each have to find something to use for their winter commute that was built before 1980 and cost no more than $4,000. Now, at first, four grand may seem a bit steep for anything considered a beater, but take a look around at the used car market today—very slim pickins below that price point. To further justify this scheme, I like to tell myself that an older, somehow interesting car will be more likely to offer a return on investment come springtime.

Terry McGean

I hadn’t actually challenged anyone else, so this was mostly an academic exercise… at least for the moment. To keep myself from considering project cars that would need work to be useful as transportation, I added another stipulation: the subject must be already roadworthy.

Right out of the gate, I found a ’77 Olds Cutlass —the last of the colonnade models. This one was a gold-colored four-door with 14-inch wheels, and tan interior… a once fairly common specimen, but not today. It turned out to be a lower-mileage example claiming to still have original paint. The photos weren’t great, and the wording suggested the car was being sold by someone who might have inherited it and who just wanted it gone, which helped keep the asking price comfortably below my $4,000 cap. I bookmarked it and pressed further to see what else was out there.

Soon I came upon a ’67 Buick Wildcat, this one also a four-door, though oddly, not a hardtop. It still had its original 430-cu.in. engine, and though it was a bit beat up, the seller claimed he’d been driving it for the past couple summers with no issues. Delving still further I discovered a ’65 Coronet, a two-door hardtop with the polyspherical version of the 318 V-8, a TorqueFlite, and missing the lower portions of its quarter panels and fenders. This one was also on the road but needed some sorting. Still, it could have made a tough driver with later project car potential—a real contender.

The search continued nightly for a couple weeks, and plenty of other options cropped up, including one very alluring ’62 Cadillac I’m still seeing in my daydreams. I don’t intend to move forward with the beater stratagem right now—the whole “too-many-cars” thing is still an issue —but I was heartened to find so many vintage vehicles still running and reasonably attainable. Even in the Northeast, there’s still plenty of fodder for classic motoring fun out there. Let us know if you’ll be motoring some sort of seasoned-but-interesting beater this winter.

The Bullitt Mustang Inspired It, but Belmondo’s 1967 Ford Mustang Has Become an Icon All Its Own

As far as cars in French films go, there’s the bizarre (the flying Citroen DS19 from “Fantomas”), the pointedly comic (anything appearing in Jacques Tati’s “Trafic”), and the absurd (the transparent Cadillac and the backwards Peugeots and Renaults of “Mood Indigo”). But there’s none more iconic than the battered green 1967 Ford Mustang from Jean-Paul Belmondo’s 1983 action flick “Le Marginal” that danced and slid and bashed fenders through the streets of Paris and which will head to auction next month.

If the Mustang in “Le Marginal” comes off as reminiscent of the Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in “Bullitt,” that’s no coincidence. McQueen had died just three years prior, so Belmondo and director Jacques Deray wanted to pay tribute to the late actor with the chase scene they had planned for their crime thriller “Le Marginal.” Though far from a shot-for-shot remake of the earlier movie’s chase scene, the Remy Julienne-coordinated chase—complete with stunt driving by Belmondo—still featured a number of similarities from the pair of baddies in the other car to the brutal end that they meet. The other car’s even a Mopar, albeit a circa-1977 Plymouth Volare four-door sedan rather than a Dodge Charger.

And of course, a tribute wouldn’t be complete without the Mustang. Artcurial calls it a 1966, but according to the car’s VIN (7T01A120268), it’s a 1967 model year car that came out of the Metuchen, New Jersey, assembly plant. Apparently sold new in France, the Dark Moss Green car was first registered for the road there in December 1966. Five years later, Parisian Jean-Michel Brault bought it, registered it with the license number 9 TL 75, then sometime afterward commissioned Michel Mokrycki, a French V-8 specialist perhaps best known for preparing a Rolls-Royce for the 1981 Paris-Dakar, to rebuild the Mustang’s A-code four-barrel 289 with some measure more than its stock 225 horsepower.

At some point either during Brault’s ownership of the Mustang or when Julienne began preparations for filming, the Mustang underwent numerous modifications. Barrel flares covered wider wheels and tires, massive foglamps filled the grille, a pair of quarter-panel scoops were reversed and fitted to the fenders, all chrome was painted over, and a piece of clear plexiglass was cut into the roof (the latter reportedly to help shed light on Belmondo while he was at the wheel of the Mustang). The Mustang also underwent a severe debadging, with even the fuel filler removed from the tailpanel so as not to show the galloping horse emblem. It even appears to have yellow headlamps.


Car Chase Collection : Le Marginal

youtu.be

The movie, described as a typical Belmondo vehicle, nevertheless did well at the box office, and whether it was the star’s McQueen-like intensity, the fact that he did his own stunts, or the Mustang itself, the chase became just as legendary among French film aficionados and gearheads as the “Bullitt” chase did here in the States. As Artcurial’s Matthieu Lamoure wrote, “Le Marginal” is no cinematic masterpiece, but the Mustang and the car chase forever influenced him. The Mustang is “a part of our collective memory, our cultural heritage,” as the Artcurial description noted.

Julienne had Jo Cote—an occasional stunt driver and Julienne’s mechanic—prepare two nearly identical Mustangs for the film. One, reportedly fitted with a 400hp engine, was slated for the grisly end to the car chase and was subsequently destroyed, but the hero car—still wearing the same registration number from Brault’s ownership—survived filming and afterward was parked on Cote’s property. As with the Bullitt Mustang, the Le Marginal Mustang’s whereabouts were unknown for many years while it sat in Cote’s possession. According to Artcurial, Cote had committed the Mustang to a scrapyard when a Mustang enthusiast recovered it, then sold it to a Belmondo fan who recognized it as the “Le Marginal” Mustang.

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

The 1967 Mustang from "Le Marginal"

That Belmondo fan then set about restoring the Mustang to its film appearance, and though it wears different wheels and tires and smaller foglamps, it still has the same low, wide-tired no-nonsense street brawler appearance as when it appeared in the film.

The “Le Marginal” Mustang will cross the block as part of Artcurial’s Retromobile sale with a pre-auction estimate that ranges from €200,000 to €400,000 (about $215,000 to $430,000). The Bullitt Mustang, by way of comparison, sold for $3.74 million, including buyer’s fees, when it went up for auction in January 2020. Artcurial’s Retromobile sale will take place February 3 and 4 in Paris. For more information, visit artcurial.com.

Here’s Why a Classic Car VIN Lookup Should be on Your To-Do List When Purchasing a Classic Car

The bond between a car and its owner usually develops over years of driving and thousands of miles logged on highways, back roads, and around town. For car enthusiasts, it’s a relationship that stretches beyond man and machine, a bond forged over countless hours and long-lasting trips. But what happens when the classic car history has already been written by someone else? When the miles have been added to the odometer over twisting roads and interstates. What does a car enthusiast do when they want to understand where a car came from before they set out on their own unique journey?

To understand a car’s history, you must start with a vehicle identification number (VIN) lookup. A classic car VIN lookup is essential to understanding a car’s history from maintenance to purchase history to emissions records.  A classic car VIN check is the easiest and simplest way to understand whether the price you’re about to pay for a classic car makes sense.

A VIN check tells the story of a car’s history. Whether it’s a pre-owned vehicle with low miles or a vintage car that requires some TLC, an owner should always research a car before making a purchase. Imagine the headaches that could be saved by doing a VIN lookup and seeing a lack of maintenance records or a safety recall that’s outstanding. With used car prices still higher than pre-pandemic levels, it’s more important now than ever to fully understand the history of a used or classic car.

For buyers looking into a classic car purchase, consider looking at cars listed at A better bid car auction and SCA auto auction. Registering on these sites allows you to receive up to 50 EpicVIN reports for free. This can be invaluable considering the rarity and expense of a classic car.

The History of the VIN

Starting on January 1, 1969, any car manufactured in the United States or manufactured overseas and imported to the U.S. required a VIN. On most cars, the standard VIN is 17 characters in length and is used as your car’s DNA strand or marker to separate it from the thousands of other cars on the road. However, some classic cars or older cars, in general, will have a VIN that can be anywhere from 11 to 17 characters in length.

Located on the bottom of the windshield or near the door jamb on most cars, the VIN is easy to locate on a modern car. In addition to properly marking your vehicle, a VIN decoder can help an owner understand more about the car, including the automobile’s unique features or the vehicle’s specs when it was first manufactured in the United States or overseas.

What makes a VIN unique is all the information it contains. By using a VIN decoder, you can understand where a car was manufactured – VIN’s starting with 1, 4, or 5 were built in the United States, for example, while ‘J’ signifies a car built in Japan. You can even see whether there are recalls on the vehicle that would pose safety risks while driving. A VIN lookup is essential to the car-buying process.

While not all classic cars have a VIN history report, many still do, and it’s always important to start your background search with a VIN search whenever possible.

 In Steps EpicVIN

Approved under the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), EpicVIN can ease the stress of purchasing a used car thanks to an extensive database of information. EpicVIN currently allows prospective buyers to see critical information about a car’s history, including ownership history, current odometer readings, open safety recall checks, title history, sales history, and major title brand checks, among other information. It also allows users to see a classic car’s VIN history.

So how does a prospective buyer use a free tool to look up an old VIN and review a classic car’s history? At EpicVIN, users can type in the VIN and hit ‘search.’ If there is no VIN, a free tool on the site called ‘License Plate Lookup for Car Shoppers’ allows users to see key data by entering a license plate number and hitting ‘Check Plate.’ This feature is especially important when considering a vintage car, as older, rare vehicles don’t always have a VIN. In addition to a license plate lookup feature, EpicVIN offers a Chrome Extension that helps customers find the most important information on any website. This tool allows users to see when and where a car was sold, the price, and the full vehicle history.

What separates EpicVIN from its competition is the way the reports are delivered. Unlike most sites that provide a text-only report, EpicVIN offers its reports with key visuals that help  users better understand the information within the report. So, when doing a vintage VIN lookup on a classic car history report, you’ll get the key information displayed prominently to help you better understand the vehicle’s VIN history.

Users can be sure that EpicVIN’s information is accurate as the data reported is constantly updated and refreshed within the system to provide accurate information and peace of mind.

With a tool like EpicVIN, classic car buyers can feel safe knowing their purchase decisions are backed by accurate car history information. Find out purchase history, previous owners, accident history, and more to ease any second thoughts about starting a new journey in a classic car.

Act today and receive a 25% off your first order at EpicVIN with the promo code ClassicCars.

The Fastest Corvette Ever Is A Hybrid

Doncha get tired of cringing? First, Dodge kills its Hemi cars, and now we have a hybrid Corvette. Isn’t anything sacred anymore? But your shrink would suggest embracing what you cannot control, so count to ten slowly with measured breaths and enjoy the Corvette’s 70th anniversary as we discuss the 2024 eAWD Corvette E-Ray.

This Corvette has not been a secret, though it may seem like it has hit you on the side of the head. Imagine this: all-wheel drive, 6.2-liter LT2 and an electric motor. You still get the thunderous roar of the classic small-block V8 while achieving the quickest acceleration times ever for a Vette. What’s not to like?

“In 1953, the enthusiastic reaction to the Chevrolet Corvette concept kicked off seven decades of passion, performance and American ingenuity,” says Mark Reuss, the prez of General Motors. “E-Ray, as the first electrified, all-wheel-drive Corvette, takes it a step further and expands the promise of what Corvette can deliver.”

Horsepower is rated at 495, with 470 lb-ft of torque to the rear axle. Enhancements include a 160-horse electric motor with 125 lb-ft of torque through the front wheels thanks to a 1.9kWh battery pack that’s located between the seats. Combined, the E-Ray produces 655 horsepower. Zero-sixty times are 2.5 seconds. The 400-meter sprint takes 10.5 seconds.

“Corvettes must provide an exhilarating driving experience on backroads and tracks, and E-Ray nails it,” adds Tadge Juechter, the big kahuna of Corvette engineers. “The electrification technology enhances the feeling of control in all conditions, adding an unexpected degree of composure.”

Chevrolet claims the E-Ray’s eAWD system “is constantly learning the road surface, seamlessly adapting to meet traction conditions and driver needs.” When needed in low-traction situations, the system uses the electric motor to apply power to the front wheels, aiding in vehicle stability.

Keep in mind that the E-Ray Is not a plug-in hybrid. The battery is charged thanks to regenerative energy from coasting and braking, if not normal driving. It’s even possible to sample pure electric momentum — select Stealth Mode at start-up and you can enjoy acceleration up to 45 mph without a drop of gas being used; the V8 will take over at speeds over 45, if more torque is needed in a particular driving situation or if the battery pack is out of juice.

The electric motor also aids in the E-Ray’s Active Fuel Management system, which complements the engine’s operation when deactivated to a fuel-sipping four cylinders. In fact, the driver can tailor the amount of electric assist via six selectable modes: Tour, Sport, Track, Weather, My Mods and Z-Mode.

E-Ray styling leans towards the Z06’s, sharing the wide-body proportions. The lightweight alloy five-spoke wheels are an E-Ray exclusive. Other E-Ray design highlights include four aluminum wheel finishes, 14 colors, carbon flash badging and available carbon fiber options throughout the body, among other items.

“There’s never been a Corvette like E-Ray and its sophisticated design reflects that,” says Phil Zak, executive design director for Chevrolet’s global operations. “It starts with the body color trim which draws your full attention to the exotic proportions of the E-Ray. The interiors allow customers to reflect their individual personalities with their choice of color executions that provide a refined or dynamic sport look and feel.” 

So you see, hybridization is not the death knell of the Corvette. It’s simply using the technology that we have at hand to see how Chevrolet can make the Corvette a better car. Of course, all this comes at a cost: the coupe starts at $104,295 and the convertible will cost you at least $111,295. However, what’s great about this is we have choices so if you’re still feeling curmudgeonly, Chevrolet still has a traditional Corvette to scratch your itch.

Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction Preview: 2012 Lexus LFA

The 2012 Lexus LFA maintains the balance of high performance with the civility of a luxury car. Its performance is derived from a 4.8-liter V10 that produces a factory-rated 552hp and 354 ft-lb of torque paired with a six-speed automated sequential manual gearbox (ASG) featuring steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The performance numbers are upper echelon for the time, with a 0-to-60 mph time of just 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph. Since this is a Lexus, the LFA’s amenities, function and style are, of course, lavish. The Lexus LFA is a truly unique supercar, with one available for sale with no reserve at the upcoming Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Collector Car Auction.

2012 Lexus LFA
2012 Lexus LFA

“The Lexus LFA was limited to just 500 examples for the world; only 156 were produced for the U.S. market,” the auction listing states. “In its configuration of Steel Gray with an orange interior, this is a one of one, according to the LFA Registry. That hue required an additional charge of $3,000.

“The interior orange was selected new from the selling dealer, Sewell Lexus of Dallas, TX. The additional cost to select orange front seats was $2,500, which did not include the additional $1,000 for the stitching. To accent the interior, the steering grip was also selected in orange for an additional $1,500.”

2012 Lexus LFA
2012 Lexus LFA

This Lexus LFA is a one-owner vehicle that has spent its entire life in the Lone Star State and includes a clean CARFAX report. Standard amenities include 10-way power adjustable seats, and a Mark Levinson Sound system with 12 speakers, a navigation system, XM Radio and Bluetooth integration.

2012 Lexus LFA
2012 Lexus LFA

The sale includes a Lexus Laser desktop model with a plaque signifying example number 437, Lexus luggage with a monogrammed VIN, hardbound LFA book with a protective sleeve, Lexus LFA watch in the original LFA box, two master keys and the Lexus tire inflation kit.

This 2012 Lexus LFA is available with no reserve at the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Collector Car Auction and is scheduled to cross the stage on Saturday, January 28, 2023.

The auction runs from January 21-29 at Westworld of Scottsdale.

The Porsche badge came from a business dinner

The Porsche crest is as much a part of the automaker’s identity as rear-engine sports cars and three-digit internal model codes.Yet it almost didn’t happen.

Porsche recently released an official explanation of how the crest came to be, and it all comes down to a 1951 business dinner. The automaker was already selling cars at that time, having launched the 356 in 1948, but with only Porsche lettering to identify them.

In March 1951, the company launched a design competition among German art academies, offering 1,000 deutsche marks to the winner. None of the designs won over company judges, however.

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance

The idea of a logo surfaced again later in 1951 when Ferry Porsche, son of company founder Ferdinand, met U.S. importer Max Hoffman for a business dinner in New York City, where Hoffman had a large showroom.

Hoffman had recently accepted the first Porsche franchise in America and was an influential presence, also brining the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL to the U.S.

Hoffman pushed for a distinctive logo, and this time the idea stuck. On December 27, 1951, Ferry Porsche jotted down notes for a “steering wheel hub featuring Porsche and the Stuttgart coat of arms or something similar.” After returning to Germany, he commissioned designer Franz Xaver Reimspieß to design what became the Porsche crest.

Porsche crest evolution
Porsche crest evolution

He came up with a rearing horse in gold shield modeled on the Stuttgart coat of arms, representing Porsche’s hometown, with a background based on the coat of arms of Württemberg-Hohenzollern, the West German state which Stuttgart was a part of at the time. It was merged into the newly created state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952, just as the Porsche crest debuted.

Porsche initially used the crest solely on the steering wheel of the 356, adding it to the hood in 1954 and the hub caps in 1959. It’s appeared on every Porsche production model since, and while it has undergone five updates over the years, it’s still instantly recognizable.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.

Don’t Drive Angry!

Research by Citroën UK indicates 45% of drivers admit that being in a bad mood led them to be more agitated and less tolerant with fellow drivers. Citroen surveyed 2,000 UK drivers for the project and 25% said they are more likely to be distracted and ignore hazards while feeling gloomy and unhappy. But what are some of the contributing factors to the angry driving?

The research delved into the overall mood of drivers and discovered that 49% of Brits admit to having suffered from “January Blues” in the past, with 34% indicating that January was the month with the greatest negative on their well-being. The come-down after celebrating the holidays, on top of a constant cloud of bleak weather with less daylight, could put most of us in a bad head space and into agitated drivers. Citroën’s research determined that 34% surveyed found January to be the month with the most negative impact on their well-being. Winter temperatures and dark days (73%), heading back to work after Christmas (38%) and financial worries (35%) were listed as the main contributing factors to causing January Blues.

The results of the survey are not surprising by any stretch of the imagination. Who hasn’t been in a post-holiday season funk and then carried that feeling over to their driving? The holidays are tough on everyone and, unfortunately, it’s pretty easy to release this stress whilst behind the wheel and drive angry.

Unfortunately, for those on UK roadways during the holiday seasons, 32% of participants in the survey go for a drive to clear their head. This seems counter-intuitive in many ways, but I understand. Not to wax poetic about notions of the open road and freedom to clear the mind, but it has worked for me in the past and I think a lot of people share this sentiment. Unfortunately I have also hit the road in a foul mood and have been a complete jerk to my fellow drivers.

January is not easy for everyone. The post-holiday tab can be severe, and the weather isn’t emblematic of carefree fun in the sun, so let’s all do our best to stay courteous on the road and avoid driving angry.