Cold weather? Mini has the answer

People usually whinge about the heat in Frankfurt's dozen or so halls, arrayed either side of a lane that stretches a feet-busting kilometre.

This year it's different: there's a biting wind outside and people are glad to be inside, or to go from appointment to appointment in one of the many press shuttles - principally Volts, i3s, hybrid Citroen's and the odd new Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Weirdest shuttles of all are a pair of original Minis, whose other role is to publicise an end-of-day party, being staged by (BMW) Mini.

This Union-flagged N-plater, snapped after disgorging three slim-hipped Eastern European hacks, is doing many miles up and down, its driver coping manfully with 'traditional' driving characteristics such as discreet clouds of oil smoke, intrusive timing chain rattle and no synchro on second.

Yet the car itself fits these crowded conditions amazingly well.

Steve Cropley

Title: Editor-in-chief

Steve Cropley is the oldest of Autocar’s editorial team, or the most experienced if you want to be polite about it. He joined over 30 years ago, and has driven many cars and interviewed many people in half a century in the business.

Cropley, who regards himself as the magazine’s “long stop”, has seen many changes since Autocar was a print-only affair, but claims that in such a fast moving environment he has little appetite for looking back.

He has been surprised and delighted by the generous reception afforded the My Week In Cars podcast he makes with long suffering colleague Matt Prior, and calls it the most enjoyable part of his working week.