SUBSCRIBE TO THE
MAGAZINE NOW
Facebook-f Instagram

“Mahketing” 101: How Chevy accidentally won the internet

9 June, 2017

 


unnamed (2).jpg

 

You can imagine how excited Chevrolet were when they came up with this concept. Get a bunch of definitely-not-paid-actors together, film them standing around your new range of cars chatting about how amazing every single feature is, give them a few dollars and send them on their way. The end result was, well, a bit shit really.

So the “post-production” addition of “Mahk” as one of the people hanging about checking out Chevy’s new range and generally taking the piss in the most brilliant fashion has boosted this campaign into the stratosphere, with three of the first four videos from YouTubers Zebra Corner so far having had in excess of two million views (as opposed to the 5,000 odd views on the official Chevrolet channel). There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?

Check the vids out below. Time well spent but probably not for the overly precious.

Today sees the fifth instalment in the series targeting millennials and Mahk is taking no bearded, flannel shirt wearing, typewriter-using prisoners.

 


 

Grand Routier — in the french tradition

10 July, 2025

Sitting in Paddy and Patsy Williams’ Dunedin garage is a stunning example of one of these rare French grand routier sedans. It is a 1949 four-door Lago-Record Factory Berline sedan, to give its full name. Daughter Cath let us know how proud she was of her dad, who had been tinkering away in his garage on this car for so many years.
Without exaggeration, it has been a mammoth task. I first saw this Talbot-Lago in mid 2019. The long-nosed, sweeping, curved four-door saloon, clothed in its misty green metallic paint, was quite breathtaking. There’s more than a little English influence in it, too, harking back to company owner Tony Lago’s involvement in the Clement-Talbot-Darracq era. The long front wings and bonnet, usually multi-louvred, highlighted with artful touches of chrome bling, are typical of the era, but these were indeed luxury length. Interiors provided leather-clad, armchair-style seating and ample legroom, with touches of wood and surprising details such as dainty childproof interior locks — a far cry from today’s lozenge boxes.
Paddy, a retired civil and structural engineer, knows his way around a lathe. He has a well-equipped garage-workshop to assist in any machining tasks along with his other passion for restoring classic motorcycles.

The Great River Road

4 July, 2025

A few years ago my family, knowing my fondness for driving, gave me the book Unforgettable Road Trips: Thirty-Six Drives of a Lifetime by Martin Derrick. Most of the road trips listed take less than a day in places like Scotland, Monaco, and Australia, plus one in New Zealand. Most of these places were too far to go just for a short drive but four of them would take several days. My interest was piqued, and those four drives were added to the bucket list. To date, I have done three of them: ‘Route 66’ (USA 21 days), ‘State Highway 6’ (NZ 10 days) and ‘The Great River Road’ (USA 22 days). You can drive all of them in less time, but you could also fly over them. We wanted a decent immersion in their charms.
The great river referred to is the Mississippi. While the name conjures the deep south, the river actually starts at the bottom of the great lakes, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 3800km later. The great road is more of a concept than a specific strip of tarmac, as you can drive down either side of the river on various routes. Regardless of which side you drive, time should be kept aside for detours to places such as Nashville, which is famous for something or other.