DM@il

STAR LETTER ARE YOU PLEASED WITH YOURSELF?

Dear Ian My wife isn’t happy with you. Not only does she have to tidy up my copies of Diesel&EcoCar that I leave around the house, but thanks to the enticing adverts for Classic.Retro.Modern. magazine, I now get that each month, too, so she says that you’re causing her twice as much work.

I really must congratulate you, as you’ve kept me entertained on the diesel front for the best part of 30 years, ever since I bought my first Citroën BX DTR Turbo in 1991. Back then the magazines like Autocar didn’t really cater for diesel fans and were very much stuck in their ways. So when a new magazine was launched in the shops to cater for the more economically minded motorist, it was a no brainer.

When I saw that you had restyled Diesel&EcoCar, I was a bit wary, because I wondered whether it would be a case of style over substance. But no, I’m really impressed, as the fonts seem more legible to me, and there’s a few nice additions that weren’t there before. It took me a while to cotton on to the nuggets of information in the Data Files, but now I know they are there, they are a must read. I wonder how many other readers miss out, because they don’t read the data section from top to bottom.

One change to the repertoire that hasn’t been commented on, is the disappearance of Sue Baker. While she’s still listed at the front, her Retrospective column has been axed. Surely she hasn’t run out of material so quickly, so have you had a falling out along the way?

I also like the way that you’ve tinkered with the running order of the magazine, and I think it flows better than ever before.

So a big thumbs up from me, and thank you for providing compelling reading both in Diesel&EcoCar, but also Classic. Retro.Modern. I keep suggesting to my wife that we spend our retirement fund on something fast from the 1990s, but she doesn’t seem convinced. I don’t think I’m going to get that Lotus Carlton that I’ve been hankering after. Geoff Baker Via e-mail

Many thanks for the kind comments, Geoff. The team at Diesel&EcoCar work exceptionally hard to bring you the best content, and the latest restyle is solely down to my brilliant designer, Steve Dawson. Just when I think we’ve done all that we can, he manages to bring something even better out of the bag, and he constantly impresses. He deserves all of the praise for the recent refresh.

I’m also super proud of the team at Classic.Retro.Modern. They do a phenomenal job of delivering a brilliant product each month, one that is a little different from all of the other classic magazines out there. It caters for cars from the 1960s right up to the mid-2000s, and we’re featuring and writing about the cars that we love, rather than having to because of any big corporate direction. We’re like kids in a sweetshop and I don’t think the magic will ever disappear. I like to think that this comes across in the words that are placed on the page, and a lot of careful work goes into the intriguing design.

You are one of many that has noticed that Sue Baker hasn’t been writing her Retrospective column of late. I’m sad to say that she hasn’t been so well and after a nine-week spell in hospital, she hasn’t really been up to writing her monthly column. It’s a decision that caused her a lot of anguish as she didn’t want to let me or the readers down, however, her health and wellbeing is the most important thing to me.

Having grown up at school watching Sue on the television as presenter of Top Gear, I was like a giggly schoolgirl when I first spoke to her on the phone after joining DieselCar way back in 2007. I can still remember every part of that first call, including where I sat and what we discussed. In the intervening 14 years, she has become a dear friend and more than just another colleague. The impact that Sue has had on my life is immeasurable, and in the early days when I didn’t know that many people, she was always the first one to introduce me to everyone in the room. Have you met Ian Robertson, she would say… She’s guided me when I’ve not been sure as to what path to take, and given great advice.

Very often we would pair up on a car launch to drive a car at home or abroad, and having spent a good few hours together, we would then speak again on the telephone on the long drive home, to speed up the journey. We never failed to have something to talk about, and with Sue being so hugely competitive, she was always determined to get home before me, despite us both living in different counties.

I miss working with Sue more than anyone would ever know – it’s like losing my right arm. There have been times over the past couple of years where I have feared that we might lose her, but she’s on an even keel for now. I savour every opportunity I can to speak to her on the phone, or when able to visit during these strange Covid-19 times. Ian

112MPH FLAT OUT – TAKE TWO

Dear Diesel&EcoCar I’m writing on the subject of the 112mph speed limit on all new Volvo cars. What an absolute nonsense – no wonder some people missed it. With a speed limit of 70mph, limiting a car to 112mph is totally irrelevant in this country, though I guess it may be important in countries like Germany. I just don’t see how this is going to contribute to road safety one jot – Volvo’s PR department have got it wrong on this occasion. Paul Lamb