Top Gear

Next week I will be working on my Boat For My Potplants - again. There's always something that needs doing, and this winter is no exception.

There's an awful lot of painting to be done, and it's about time I replaced the leisure battery. The battery was fitted new, about five years ago, and it's lasted all this time without any maintenance, so I can't complain. But now when I play my hifi it gives up the ghost after only half and hour or so, even when it's been a sunny day and it's been fully charged up from the solar panel on the deck.

So, now that I'm in the mood for spending some spondoolics (after all, I've just had to pay my tax bill), I thought 'to hell with the expense - let's buy a battery'. It will keep me in music while I work.

But as I prepare for next week's boat labour of love, my attention has been drawn to this wonderful comparison of three top Italian cars from the Sixties in a classic car magazine.

And guess which one has come out on top!

Yes! And on that bombshell I would say I've been set up very nicely for the day, thank you.

Their conclusion is: " Your heart says Alfa Romeo, your mind Lancia and then mixes the Fiat in the struggle. The Fiat is actually the best choice that we rely on four things. Firstly the Alfa and Lancia have more status, but the design of Boano and engine Lampredi lift Fiat at the same level. Secondly the looks. The trapezoidal shape of the 124 is timeless elegance and is hardly inferior to the exciting Guilia . Then the engine. They have all two camshafts and all three deliver nice performance at high speeds. But the Fiat engine needs much less maintenance. And then the market value. the Fiat is the most rare and least expensive. So are we waiting ? Yeah. It's quite a quest to find one. "