2022 is over and it’s time for a look in the rearview mirror. The year has been both fun and hectic for Broom-Benny, with, among other things, a couple of exotic trips and a long private holiday trip.
2022 is over – and we in Broom take the opportunity to summarize and reminisce a bit.
Well, you have to read what the various members of the Broom editorial team remember best from the past year.
Today it is car expert Benny Christensen’s turn. Hers is his story:
Then it’s that time again – the time to take a look in the rearview mirror and see what has happened in the past year.
I knew Broom-style isn’t that clean lite. I think perhaps the fact that I have actually been to both Nordkapp and Cape Town – two definitive extremes – during the year illustrates a bit of what I have experienced. So a lot.
Too much to include in a quick summary. But below you should at least get a taste of what I have been up to in 2022.
New VW Amarok in Cape Town
Let’s start from the far south. Namely in Cape Town and the most exotic car launch I attended.
– Hey, hey, hey … Are you mad as hell, man? You can’t get out of the car here. There are snakes in the area and, believe me, you will not get bitten by one of these …
It is our guide who says this.
– I just had to take a few pictures, I try very hard.
– You have to do that somewhere else. Look to get back in the car. Reach!
I see from the facial expression that it is best to do as I am told. But at least I managed to snap a few pictures from the “krøtterstien” we drove on.
After a few years of absence from the Norwegian market, the VW Amarok pickup is now making a comeback. Then in a completely new and larger version.
Where better to drive a proper pickup truck with four-wheel drive than in South Africa – that’s where it’s also produced? Among other things, we went on a proper mountain stage, where we really put the car to the test.
It is, of course, both exotic and fun – while also being a job. It becomes a little extra exotic when you are told not to get out of the car – because in the worst case you can die.
Read also: This is from another exotic car launch
To Löten
You don’t have to travel far to have fun by car. Colleague Mats and I took an evening trip to Løten and to Ståle Pettersen, who is the owner of Carfreaks. It was an exceptionally fine afternoon and a super-charming and completely original Ford Model-T was tested. It is in a special class the most special car I have driven in the past year.
On this fantastically beautiful summer evening, a little cruising in a genuine American 50s was by no means a mistake either. Watch the video above.
Read also: No – this old VW is probably not what you think…
Used car tests:
As many have probably gathered, we have long had video tests of used cars here at Broom. It has gone down very well. Many take these tests with them when they are posted. This is definitely the core substance for us in Broom and something we will continue with in the next few years.
Although new cars are important, used cars are by far Norway’s best-selling car. Around 170,000 new cars are sold in Norway in a good year, while the same figure for used cars is around half a million.
There are so many used cars and the range is huge both in terms of price and area of use. We have tested everything from Nissan Qashqai to DKK 60,000 – for one Ferrari F430 with one and a half million kroner on the price tag.
Between these two extremes is the Ford F150 Raptor pickup. Also doing this test was one of many, many fun days on the job in Broom. You can see the result in the video below:
You can find more used car tests here:
Porsche for Nordkapp:
I started this recap all the way back in the day. Let’s finish in the north.
Sent last year I realized a picture dream. A car that is actually both too nice and too expensive for my use. Namely a Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo. With such a car in the garage, we decided on a long trip this summer.
Neither Mona, my better half, nor I had been further north than Tromsø previously. Well, we decided to spend the summer holiday north – as far as it is possible to go.
Efficient driving through Sweden and Finland on the way up. Then we had to take it easy on the way down again. It was as if at the “top” the trip had to start in earnest. Both Finnmark and Nordkapp had to be experienced. We also thought of a quick trip to Murmansk in Russia, since none of us had been to Russia before. However, the war in Ukraine effectively put an end to those plans.
But neither Finnmarksvidda in the midnight sun (and without mosquitoes) nor strolling around the Nordkapp plateau in shorts and low evening sun is to be despised.
There was also a trip to Lofoten and Steigen in the same fine weather. It was well over 5,000 kilometers in total and with petrol prices of 27-28 kroner a litre, it costs a little, but was worth every kroner. This is a trip I really recommend if you haven’t taken it.
Next summer we are planning a trip to Denmark. Then in the Volvo 142 from 1974. Unfortunately, it has been used a little too little this summer, but both brakes and loads have been fixed, it is EU-approved without comments and is ready for new adventures.
Read also: Old robber Volvo set price record
Volvo Classic:
Apropos Volvo: In familiar style, we have also published the magazine VolvoKlassiker this year. However, not without a bit of drama. Paper shortages and strikes meant that this year’s edition did not come out until autumn – and not in the spring as usual. It is available on the magazine racks until mid-January. Run and buy if you haven’t already.
It can also be ordered at Bladkiosken.no. Older editions can also be bought if you are missing any in the collection.
Good helpers
I really want to say a big, big thank you to everyone who sends in questions Our “Ask Benny” section. It’s very cozy and I feel that way that I get very close to the Broomles – which I really appreciate!
An extra thank you to good helpers. Namely Norulf and Car Wizard, who answer a lot of questions for me. Without a doubt, guys with a lot of experience and a good sense of direction. They give many times many longer and more comprehensive answers than I myself have occasion for. I really appreciate your contributions! Hope you will join us in the New Year too!
Read also: Can buy what they want – for many, it’s only one car that counts anyway
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