A Word About Parallel Parking Yesterday, I went to pick up my daughter from kindergarten. Her school is on a main road and has no parking lot, so parallel parking is unavoidable. It can be hard to find a spot when lots of parents are parked there, so I try to arrive as late as possible—but even then, I still have to parallel park. Parallel parking a large car like the Panamera is no easy...
Where Do I Take My Panamera? The Panamera feels right at home on mountain roads and by the sea, but it suits the city just as well. I can easily picture it cruising down Fifth Avenue in New York—or around Omotesando and Minami-Aoyama in Tokyo.(Not that I’ve ever been there.) Here in the Kansai region, it would look right at home around Kobe’s Daimaru department store or parked outside a luxury watch shop. And yet,...
A Name for Your Porsche It occurred to me one day: “Do Porsche owners give their cars names?” Most people probably call their cars by their model names, but I wonder if some give them pet names, too. I once tried to come up with a name for the Panamera we have now. I thought giving it a name might make it feel even more like “a trusty companion.” A Porsche already feels like a...
Hitchhikers When summer vacation rolls around, I seem to run into hitchhiking kids all the time. They’re usually standing near a highway entrance, holding a sign with their destination written on it. I came across one yesterday as I was getting on the highway, and there’s something I’d like to tell them. You’re standing in the wrong place (-_-) Yesterday’s hitchhiker was holding a sign for somewhere in the opposite direction from where I was...
What Is “Palming” the Steering Wheel? After going on and on about proper driving position and related topics, I have to admit that I used to steer by palming the wheel quite often. So, what exactly is palming the steering wheel? Palming is a steering technique in which the driver turns the wheel with the hand held palm-up. It is also known as “backhand steering.” It was used in the days before power steering, when...
Unlike Golf or Tennis The other day, my husband said, “With golf and tennis, people make a point of working on their basic form. But when it comes to driving, why does everyone stop thinking about their driving position and technique? It’s basically the same thing.” …Wait, the same thing? I’m not sure they’re quite the same, but I can see where he’s coming from. Plenty of people study their golf swing. How can they...
Alfa Romeo and the Giulia Before I knew it, 85 people had bookmarked my blog—thank you so much! The other day, my husband requested information about the new Alfa Romeo Giulia, and showed me the brochure when it arrived. I knew almost nothing about Alfa Romeo. I was so clueless that I actually blurted out, “Giulia? Romeo and Juliet? What’s that?” So my husband filled me in. Apparently, since Alfa Romeo became part of the...
Back on the Highway in the Golf Over the long weekend, we took the family to Oishi Highland in search of cooler weather. It was our second visit, and we already knew the road there was narrow, so we decided to take our nimble Volkswagen Golf 7. The open grassland at Oishi Highland was a welcome escape, and the kids had a great time. On the way home, I felt like driving for a while,...
The “Baby in Car” Sticker I’ve always felt a little uneasy about “Baby in Car” stickers. As the driver behind one, I’d find myself wondering, “So what?” Does it mean, “There’s a baby on board, so I’ll be driving slowly”? Or perhaps, “There’s a baby on board, so I may need to stop suddenly”?… I could never tell what the sticker was meant to communicate to other drivers. And since one would spoil the Panamera’s...
Ogi and Yahagi’s Car History Ogi and Yahagi’s Car History is a well-known car show among automotive fans. Many guests say things like “I’m so glad they finally invited me!” and “I’ve been waiting for the call!” So it must be popular with car enthusiasts in the entertainment industry, too. And I’m sure just about everyone who watches has wondered, “What if I appeared on Car History with my own cars…?” I’ll admit, I’ve imagined...
