Motoring journalism could be labelled as one of the most glamorous occupations out there. If the allure of driving super cars worth millions isn’t reason enough to want to do it, then the people, places and paparazzi-like scenarios you’re likely to find yourself in should be enough to convince you.
If it isn’t, I suggest picking up a copy of Cranked Up – Confessions of a Petrolhead.
Written by esteemed motoring journalist Hannes Oosthuizen, it is one of the best rides… sorry – reads - of my life. Hannes is the deputy editor for South Africa’s leading motoring publication, CAR, joining the magazine in 2001 and what he has done – and where he has been – in the last 9 years makes for a worthy read for any motoring fanatic.
The book begins with Hannes’ frenetic and hilarious depiction of a trip that he and a colleague had embarked on to Japan. Known for its intense car culture, the Land of the Rising Sun is also known for its efficient taxi drivers and a host of wildly modified road machines (to call them mere cars seems an injustice).
After this first comically fascinating chapter in the book, I quickly sped through the next four or five. It helps that each chapter is presented in bite-size portions.
Other highlights include a trip to Tuscany where, after several hours of spa treatments, Hannes got to drive the R6 million Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. He also writes about how Russia hates its tourists, how pulling away in an F1 car is akin to keeping a cat calm while drenching it in water and which car design it was that brought him to tears.
What is wonderful about all of Hannes’ adventures is that it’s not just about the cars and how quickly they accelerate to 100km/h. It’s also about the people who commit their lives to manufacturing these “gods” of the street. It’s about culture and setting – each chapter provides entertaining titbits on the country he might find himself in, the history of its people and more.
Having lived in Cape Town for many years, Hannes has written from a colloquial perspective that we can all quickly latch onto. The insights are blunt, the gags hilarious and the tone sometimes manic as this motoring aficionado and jet-setting journalist writes of his many escapades on the asphalt.
Oh, and yes, he shares every Capetonian’s generally dismal perception of our drivers!
So, if you’d like to know how it is that a toilet atop the Eiffel Tower is as sensational and hopeless as a certain German sports saloon or why the road trip as we have come to know it is officially dead, then I strongly suggest getting yourself a copy.
*Cranked Up, Confessions of a Petrolhead, has just gone on sale in CNA and Exclusive Books stores across South Africa and is available at R149,95
Alternatively, you can order your copy at www.magsathome.co.za
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