ramp #63 Happy on the Road

Happy on the road? You bet. For any respectable car culture magazine, after all, being happy on the road is a mandatory prerequisite. Over time, and with a little bit of luck (which is, after all, a close relative of happiness), these feelings cheerfully blossom into an emotional foundation that extends far beyond the car and into every one of our stories and publications. With all the happy perils and possible complications. The makers in a state of flow. Happiness researcher Mihály Csíkszentmihályi describes “flow” as a state of complete immersion and total absorption in an activity.

A perfect moment becomes perfect momentum. And besides, special things always seem to happen when happiness is not the goal, but just an unexpected start. Happy accidents and all that. If you thought that Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s name was challenging to say, then you should try hyppytyynytyydytys. This Finnish word expresses the satisfaction derived from gleefully jumping up and down on a bouncy cushion – or at least the pleasure of having pronounced the word correctly. Anyone who just now associated the word “cushion” with “car seat” should probably put on a crash helmet before chasing after any excessive feelings of happiness – or better still: go on a road trip in a convertible with the top down.

The Porsche Among the 911s: the Porsche S/T

518 near-natural horsepower, rear-wheel drive, manual gearbox, lightweight clutch, rigid, relentlessly loud, rattling, scraping, rushing forward, always on the move, always on the attack, always reliable when it comes to steering instead of braking. Any questions?

M as in Montez. M as in BMW M. 

Montez is not only one of the most successful songwriters in Germany at the moment, he’s also an entrepreneur passionately realizing new ideas. We met the twenty-nine-year-old for an exclusive interview in Berlin – and brought along a BMW i4 M50, an iX M60 and an i5 M60. Because he’s a big fan of the brand.

The Feminine Side of Alpine

Alpine, the French sports car brand, has big plans – including for women. We take a closer look at a glorious past. But first we race through Macau with Sophia Flörsch.

Road Trip. Or Similar.
A trip from Toronto via Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City to Tadoussac where Saguenay Fjord flows into the St. Lawrence River. To see the whales. Hopefully.

With Núria Oliu in Barcelona
Núria Oliu is getting started on a stellar career as model and photographer. And you can now say that you saw the twenty-four-year-old here first – in a Bentley Continental GTC driving through Barcelona, to be precise.

Biomass Ballast Accelerator: the Ferrari 512 BB Competizione

User experience is a hot topic of discussion these days. The Ferrari 512 BB Competizione fitted with the Le Mans kit, on the other hand, is not really what you could call user-friendly – despite being street-legal. And what’s more, the driver even seems to be irrelevant. Which actually makes this a very special car.

The Legend Stands: the Ferrari 330 LM

Not long ago, a Ferrari 330 LM was sold for just under $52 million. Classic car expert Simon Kidston tells us its story. And asks how it could come to this, that a car like that isn’t driven, but only dusted off and worshipped in a private showroom.