THE MAKING OF DRIVERS CAR OF THE YEAR Undertaking a task like Drivers car of the year is quite a job. It started in July when we sat down and put the planning in place. We made a provisional wish list of 17 cars we knew were launched or coming soon and looked around for a suitable venue – the objective being to one-up our 2014 effort when we closed the Franschhoek Pass for our shoot. It had to be bloody good. So I headed off down the valley and gave it a shot and lo and behold, pulled it off. There was a little negotiation but these are the first published images of our still-secret test track. We then spoke to all the carmakers and hammered down most of the pack for our test days, which we finalised would happen from 19-21 November, just after we’d put the mid-November AutoWeek to bed. We followed up in September and tied up a little more metal and then finalised arrangements two weeks before the big day. Then the cars started to arrive – fourteen of the seventeen we’d planned for – 13 of them being the exact models we’d asked for up front and one was a pretty handy replacement. The three that never arrived were the supercars – we’d finalised two but one was lost so rather than having one alone we canned our fourth group. The next trick is to run the show – first taking each car from the office for a thrash up the Pass and then 10 clicks down the R45 and back – a pretty compelling blast to remind us about each one That process was finished off with a fresh run on our VBox with each car tested by the same driver on the same piece of road in a temperature split over just three degrees Centigrade over the entire test period – you cannot get it better than that. Then it was time for the track – getting there by convoy with each car driven to the venue by one of the motley crew of staff, friends and dependable volunteers. The track manager explained the intricacies of us shooting there – Cape Cobras and all and then it was down to business – getting all the images in the can in six monster shoots – one each per cover and the five spreads set to appear in the ‘paper tomorrow. Now that is easier said than done, especially considering that most of the guys had never been on a shoot before, but we used a walkie-talkie that my son took from car to car and sat next to the driver, who did his best to follow instructions broadcast from the camera point! There were a few tracking shots too and there’s also plenty detail to worry about and make sure all is just right, so I was hoarse by the time we were done and nobody seemed to understand what left or right was anymore. We got it 99.9% right though – there is one error – let’s see if you can find it! Anyway, as you will see, we have reason to be delighted with what we got, but there was still one most vitally important aspect to take care of – the track test! For that I started with the smallest, least expensive car and built up to the biggest and most expensive car – it’s my special bonus to myself for the year in a real time version of GT – this time on a spectacular secret test track in a glorious valley watched only by my party of helpers and an angry line 3m hissing Cape Cobra the same colour as that M3 shimmying at me trackside as I blasted over his hotbed… I’m still smiling ear-to-ear six weeks later – that afternoon is a privilege I will long cherish – not so much for what we did, but how and where we did it this time – it really was special. So the hard labour was done – I as pretty dead beat by the end of it when we parked the cars and celebrated with an icy frosty – but my real work had only just started. The cars disappeared over the following days while I knuckled down to assemble all the data, write the words and prepare Matteo’s brilliant imagery for layout before sitting with David and bashing the pages into place. Then I hopped on a Boeing and headed for Jo’burg where we had seven bakkies waiting to repeat the whole process for Best Bakkie 2015, which is waiting for you on shelf now in Bakkie & Truck magazine or to download at bakkiemag.co.za. Best Bakkie will also feature in AutoWeek’s January 8 New Car Special… AutoWeek’s Drivers car of the year 2015 was a significant one for me. Over the years we have run a thing like this every year here and at the previous magazine – at Zwartkops, at Gerotek, at Kyalami, WesBank Raceway and elsewhere – always in a similar fashion and always with a view to find the finest Drivers or Performance car of the year. Every time that has been a team effort – we split up responsibilities and shared duties, each doing something on the days and splitting the writing up between us. This time I thought what the hell – let’s see if I can do it on my own – and besides Matteo and Bryce’s ace photography and the assistance in moving that metal about, and of course David’s layout, I managed quite well. Look, I’ll still have to sleep it off like a bear over the next week or two, but I did it – and I’m pretty proud of that! Not that it takes anything away from anyone who chipped in to make it happen – from our brilliant photographers Matteo Conti and Bryce Barnard and our layout star David Silberbauer, to Giordano the walkie-talkie man and the beautiful Carol, who kept us happy, hydrated and fed (sorry I scared you so much in that M3, my darling!) to each and every one of you who helped on the day, to the car suppliers and PRs, to our friends at that stunning secret test venue and the rest, thanks so much. Now go get that copy – or download it from autoweek.co.za - and enjoy it – and don’t forget to come here to bicker about it too… - Michele Lupini
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:45:47 +0000
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