# Quote — Jeremy Clarkson, Born to be Riled

> Then there's power. There was a time when people cooed over Ferraris that developed 200 horsepower, whereas today 2.0 litre Escorts can manage that. It's almost impossible to buy a car that won't do a hundred. (If you really want one, various Mercedes diesels make a pretty good stab at it.) Then there's the environment. The Volkswagen Beetle could kill a rain forest at 400 paces whereas today's Golf trundles around with tulips coming out of its exhaust. The gas coming out of a Saab is actually cleaner than the air that went in. That's true, that is.

- Author: [Jeremy Clarkson](https://www.leafyquotes.com/jeremy-clarkson.md)
- Book: [Born to be Riled](https://www.leafyquotes.com/jeremy-clarkson/born-to-be-riled.md)
- Page: 21
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jeremy_Clarkson#Born_to_be_Riled_(1999)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/jeremy-clarkson/born-to-be-riled/then-theres-power

## More from this book

> If you're limited by budget, don't buy a new small car. Buy a used big one.

p. 212 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/jeremy-clarkson/born-to-be-riled/if-youre-limited.md)

> Now that's contentious stuff. You can say a car manufacturer's new product is a waste of the world's resources and they'll do nothing. You can liken it to a cup of cold sick and refuse to test it, saying it's more boring than dying, and still they won't react. But call a car dangerous and whoa, what's this? A writ? Blimey.

p. 194 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/jeremy-clarkson/born-to-be-riled/now-thats-contentious.md)

> The Alfa Romeo GTV6 had the worst gearbox I've ever encountered, and the worst driving position and the worst record for reliability. Nevertheless, I bought one. I knew it was a hopeless basket case but I'd become smitten by the noise its engine made: a rumble in the jungle at low revs and almost an eerie howl as it neared the red line. I would put up with the massive bouts of truculence, the deep discomfort and the absurdly heavy steering because no car before, or since, has ever made such a glorious sound. It was music to the enthusiast's ears, like a cross between 'Ode to Joy' and 'Nessun Dorma'.

p. 6 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/jeremy-clarkson/born-to-be-riled/the-alfa-romeo.md)