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Fifth Gear reviews the 370Z
2009-06-27 17:50:00
Speaking of the European launch of the 370Z, here's the first review of the car from Fifth Gear .
More About: Reviews , Nissan Z , Fifth Gear

370Z at 24 hours Nurburgring race - followup
2009-06-27 17:36:00
Wondering what happened to the two 370Zs at this years 24 hour endurance race at Nurburgring ? It was a disaster all around - and you can watch it unfold thanks to these YouTube videos. Note the wheel sitting on the side of the road with the front suspension upright still attached. And then for some reason they disassemble it - to reuse the upright? The Zs themselves were far from stock, using the older 3.5 liter engines and third-party sequential gearboxes. So there's not a lot we can learn from this for "civilian" track events. Nissan of Europe wanted to use this event to kick off the launch of the 370Z in Europe... but it didn't work out very well. The German motorsport show GRIP has provided approx. 42 minutes of video coverage, including in-car video from the yellow 370Z. All in German, although there is some English in the background and the results are apparent enough. Lots of extra video shows what it's like to spectate at this legendary event - consider this a...
More About: Race , Nissan Z , Hours

First Volt prototypes on the street
2009-06-25 11:09:00
Andrew Farah, GM's Volt Chief Engineer, shows off the first Volt prototype to be built with the final bodywork and chassis. Note that the Volt program is ahead of schedule, which will allow more time for refining the engineering and software.
More About: Street

Ford Press Release reviews future technology plans
2009-06-24 11:52:00
In a press release Tuesday, Ford discussed some of the progress that has been made to date, as well as plans over the next few years. New news:  Ford will introduce the EcoBoost technology for the F-150 in 2009. It's been said before that it was coming, but it wasn't clear that it is going to be this fast. Old news:  Ford will offer dual-clutch transmissions. It's known that one recipient will be the all-new Focus that is coming to us from Europe (by 2011 - note the BEV Focus below). And the weight reduction program, which is not yet going full speed but should drop a couple of hundred pounds from each product once it is. That will be very interesting to watch - and in the age of 4400 pound Taurus SHOs it is very much needed. What wasn't said:  the plan is to add direct injection across the engine lineup. This has been discussed before, but that part of the story is probably being held back so as not to take away from the EcoBoost news. Th...
More About: Technology , Reviews , Press Release , Future

Fun at Harris Hill Road in the G37S
2009-06-24 02:41:00
Took a day off Monday and went out Harris Hill Road racetrack to show my friends Jack and Monica around the track. I'd been there before, and instructed at an S2000 club sponsored event. It's a private club track - meaning memberships are required unless you can attend one of the events various groups run there. See their site for complete information: http://harrishillroad.com/.  Jack and Monica brought out their new Infiniti G37S - an absolutely gorgeous car in any color (and especially this red). The track was new to them. We were the only car on track so we were able to try it in both directions. Jack decided he liked clockwise best because the sharp drop after Santa Rita is a lot of fun. Santa Rita is at the end of a long uphill, followed by a sharp decreasing-radius near-180 degree turn and then an abrupt and fast chute back downhill. It's a blast, and it's probably the defining turn at this track for most people. Take a look ar...

That was quick - crunch SHO
2009-06-23 13:21:00
The first crunched SHO is in Chicago. If they're a friend of Obama, maybe they can get a free bailout or a job in DC. Thanks to ChicagoSVT, who works at the dealer.
More About: Ford , Quick , Crunch

autoblog: how a Hurst Hemi Challenger is made
2009-06-20 15:51:00
autoblog has the ultimate Challenger enthusiast's blog posting - a tour of Hurst's facility showing in detail how the Hemi Dodge Challenger is built. 26 high-res images from start to finish. Very good reading: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/how-its-ma de-hurst-hemi-dodge-challenger/2082871/
More About: Autoblog , Made

The Car Connection drives the SHO
2009-06-19 12:35:00
And their first impressions were good. You can't call this a test because it wasn't instrumented - just a drive around the back roads of the press event. Everything worked well, except the brakes. That concerns us, since the brakes of our original Gen 1 SHO were terrible and it took all the way until the 3rd generation to get brakes that didn't wobble and smoke for the first 20k miles. Read more: http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-b log/1021595_driven-2010-ford-taurus-sho&n bsp;
More About: Ford , Connection

The Problem With Ford
2009-06-19 04:51:00
So here I am ranting on the problems of the Mustang again. From my last post, written with a furious pounding of the keyboard, it seems that I am having a case of deja vu about Ford yet again. It's a love/hate relationship in the end - one of those relationships you just have to walk away from because it's all a big drama and you realize the years are slipping by.   Here's the problem with Ford:  we like most of them, but when it comes to the ones that we really want to get passionate about, they just fail to measure up. It’s been 5 model years since the 2005 Mustang came out – and we still have the same old engines. Yea, sure, the 2011 will get the engines the 2005 should have had (Ford engineering has attempted to create a DOHC 5 liter twice in the last ten years!). 6 years will have passed to get just one step forward!   The 2010 has gotten a few bandaids - - they’ve juggled the bushings in ye olde solid axle a bit, offered a "track...
More About: Problem

More on the S197 Mustang IRS
2009-06-19 04:24:00
Motor Trend's blog talks today about the IRS suspension that was developed for the S195 (2005) Mustang : http://blogs.motortrend.com/6523204/auto- review/2010-ford-mustang-near-enough-is-n ot-good-enough/index.html They've got a couple of points wrong in their article, but by and large it's right. My own involvement with the IRS Mustang begins in 1999, when I took delivery of the 1st or 2nd IRS-equipped Cobra in Texas. And I took delivery of another in 2003, with the improved IRS (thicker half-shafts, and very much improved bushings). Both cars were so good on the track - especially my 2003 (with 2000 Cobra R springs and shocks) that I swore I'd never do another solid-axle Mustang. I spent some considerable time talking to the designed of the SN95 IRS suspension and learning form him what it would take to make it work  on the track (start with doubling the spring rates, for one). Like Joe over at My Ford Dreams http://myforddreams2.blogspot.com/2009/06 /real-reason-05-and-forwa...

First test of 2010 SHO - FAIL
2009-06-18 05:16:00
Edmunds has the first true test of the new SHO - and it doesn't look good. At all. http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightline/200 9/06/il-track-tested-2010-ford-taurus-sho -vs-pontiac-g8-gt.html  4400 pounds... that's 4400! A nearby Lincoln MKS was heard to shout "Holy mother of god, I've been cloned"!!!! Interest in the new SHO across the internet is making SEO heroes out of certain sites, this one included. This was a car we wanted to like... but "she's too much girl for me". Perhaps she is for President Clinton (in the P.J. O'Rourke sense) If you are still undecided, build your own SHO on the new Ford configuration site: http://bp2.forddirect.fordvehicles.com/20 10-Ford-Taurus#page=/ChooseYourPath/  ;But remember, 4400 pounds.  You may want to get your Pontiac G8 before it's too late.
More About: Test

2011 Mustang engine news is actually old news
2009-06-17 10:57:00
The web is all a-twitter this week about the upcoming Duratec V-6 Mustang . That, folks, is not news - it's been the plan all along and only lack of funds has held it back. One fanciful site went to far as to suggest that some sort of complex "engineering" was taking place to convert the transverse Duratec to rear wheel drive. Couldn't be more wrong - a rear wheel drive version of the new V-6 has existed all along. In fact, it was the very first version of the new Duratec engine that was shown to the public! Here's the picture: and it's clearly a rear wheel drive configuration. The engineering was done a long time ago when the engine was originally created. Shortly after the Duratec 3.5 liter engine went into production for North American models, Mazda started using it in their CX-9 crossover. In the second model year of that vehicle, the engine was bumped to 3.7 liters - well before Lincoln started using a 3.7 liter variant. A 3-mm increase in bore is all it ...
More About: News , Ford , Engine , Old News

Camaro looses both wheels
2009-06-16 14:11:00
We've seen this week what happens when a cheap GM car looses a wheel. How about when another GM car looses them both?
More About: Wheels , Camaro

Camaro convertible prototype coarse and ugly
2009-06-16 01:28:00
Autoblog has the first photos of an actual pre-production Camaro 'vert, scheduled to go into production next summer. Originally it was this summer... but supply problems got in the way. Take a close look at this photo - the A-pillars are *huge*, and just as worse the windshield header is gigantic. And look at the height of the drivers seat - won't many drivers have the header right in their eyes? And then look at the rear side windows... hopefully those do go down all the way (although they are both down to the same position on each side, suggesting they won't) - otherwise some unlucky passenger is going to get speared in the head. If all this is true... then this is one lousy convertible. And that's not even counting how much it must weigh. How does a 4200 pound Camaro SS sound? Sounds SLOW to us.  
More About: Prototype , Ugly , Convertible

Ford introduces the Fiesta R2 rally kit
2009-06-15 13:05:00
Speaking of the Fiesta , Ford of Europe has just introduced the Fiesta R2. The Fiesta R2 provides rally enthusiasts with an entry level rally competition car with which to compete and to eventually work their way up the ranks to WRC events. Ford's intent is to provide a relatively inexpensive way for enthusiasts to start in professional rallies, using as many production-based components as possible. A conversion kit is offered which includes an engine, sequential gearbox, safety cage, and rally suspension. Owners can start with their own existing car or a new one. Visit the Fiesta R2 site http://www.FiestaR2.com/ for complete details, tech specs, information on where you can see the R2 in action, and media galleries. 
More About: Rally

Natalie Neff and her Fiesta survive a roque tire
2009-06-15 12:44:00
Natalie Neff, an up-and-coming editor at Auto Week , was almost killed by a runaway tire. The tire came off an old Cutlass traveling in the opposite direction, took a bounce, and came down on top of the Fiesta she was test driving at approx. 75 miles per hour. Thanks to fate and the Fiesta's boron steel windshield frame, she survived and walked away from the incident. Read her article about it here: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090610/ CARNEWS/906109990  There remains the question of how a tire came off the Cutlass. Presumably the owner was ticketed... presumably the tire was improperly torqued or was worn out. Kudos to Ford for the new Ford Fiesta. This car clearly isn't some cheap little econo-box. It's a very well designed car, high quality, and carefully executed. This, and the upcoming new Focus, demonstrate what the Europeans have been telling us for years: that quality, luxury, and driving dynamics can be had in small cars. These ...
More About: Media

Week in review from Chrysler
2009-06-14 17:11:00
The week's news from the same old new Chrysler . Lots of hope at Chrysler... but reality is that all they have to sell for at least the next 18 months is the same old selfishly profitable gas guzzlers. The first North American Fiat is 18 months off - at a minimum. The first Fiat-derived sedans are even further out. And Chrysler desperately needs new sedans - the big 300C boat is wretchedly outdated and obese, the miserable Sebring and it's knockoff Avenger are the worst cars in their class. None of these sedans have any conceivable value for Driving Enthusiasts - indeed they aren't even intended for them. But mediocre cars make for mediocre drivers, and with the upcoming Cash For Clunkers program from the U.S. Government, a large part of this government handout, er, automotive manufacturer welfare, er, economic stimulation will be spent on these very same "new" clunkers as well as gigantic pickup trucks whose sole purpose for 99% of buyers is to r...
More About: Review , Week

Esquire gets first drive in the 2010 SHO? Sounds fishy!
2009-06-14 16:36:00
Esquire magazine has awarded the 2010 Taurus show it's Car of The Year award: http://www.esquire.com/features/cars/2010 -ford-taurus-SHO-0709  Such an apparently prestigious award suggests that the editors at Esquire drove the SHO. Problem is that Ford follows a very strict schedule for new car introductions to the press - and as of this writing nobody has driven a SHO. Several journalists have been given rides in one, but driving hasn't happened. So did Esquire drive the SHO or not? Look at the article - there isn't any unambiguous wording to indicate they did. So hows does one go about picking a Car of The Year without driving them it... or perhaps not even any of it's competitors? Hmmm... sounds fishy to us. And it sounds like an award without any substance. Do Driving Enthusiasts even read Esquire? We don't think so...  
More About: Sounds , Drive , Esquire

GM still rules roads in Cuba? No, a Communist dictator does.
2009-06-13 19:42:00
MSNBC video reports that "GM still rules roads in Cuba ". Setting aside the sad statement about the condition of GM, this report leaves us with a series of stories about inventive people keeping their hulks going no matter what - for well over 50 years. But look a little deeper look for what this report is really showing us. The Communist Cuban government is a repressive dictatorship, plain and simple. Old cars like this are just another sign of its many failures.  The tourist agency shown in the video even features restored cars in an attempt to draw nostalgic tourists. That’s nothing more than an attempt at crass propaganda. Let’s remember that Castro stole what democracy his people had (granted, it was corrupt and needed change) and a getting tourists back on the island isn’t going to improve upon the freedoms of the people. And don’t forget about Chavez and Ahmadinejad and their recent election rigging. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World New...
More About: Rules , Roads , Dictator

Ford didn't cancel plans to bring the Focus RS to North America!
2009-06-08 03:48:00
One bit of news last month that we meant to comment on was (in early May) the news that Ford was allegedly planning to bring the Focus RS to the United States, and then at the end of May that Ford had canceled those plans. We were laughing so loud at these two news stories - picked up all over the web and even in Britain - that we were rolling around on the floor. Folks, there weren't any plans to cancel - as anybody in the press should have known. The Focus RS can't be brought to the North America because: 1) the certification process would take a year or more, and b) the current Focus will be replaced by a remodeled car inside of two years (and that's the one which will be built here, at long last). That means that as soon as outrageous sums of money were spent to certify the car, it would go away. A platform that has never before been certified for sale in the United States. Does anybody in their right mind think that Ford could spend that kind of money to sell a de...
More About: North America , Plans

Conflicted GM drives the electric evolution forward
2009-06-07 17:55:00
There is a good article on MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31146562/&nbs p;about the Chevrolet Volt and how conflicted GM is about building it. While they are 100% committed to doing so, they continue to worry about its acceptance in the marketplace and about the financial viability of building an all-new product which will not and cannot be profitable - yet. Only a very small portion of the car buying public will consider a Volt and this will not cover costs, much less any profit. And the Federal Government “green” subsidiary of $7500 per car (tax refund after the initial purchase price of approx. $40,000) does not tilt the equation. Lutz points out that the car needs to be $15-20,000 less to work - but those prices will come down as the technology gets better and production rises. As an aside, Lutz also points out that they have been concerned that the Camaro is the wrong car at the wrong time - certainly the liberals at the Obama administration...
More About: Evolution , Electric , Forward

Retro: May 2002 S2000 event at TWS
2009-06-06 19:03:00
After an event at Texas World Speedway sponsored by John Eagle Honda on May 18 and 19, 2002, I was asked to drive a couple of demonstration laps for a video. Problem is that the air temp was over 110, the surface temp was over 150, and over the course of the very long weekend I'd already done well over 500 laps (3.1 miles each) in my own run group, driving other people's cars in their run groups, and instructing my students in their own cars. That's 4 out of 5 ~22 minute run groups, repeated 8 times a day, for two days. Needless to say, there wasn't much left of me by then.  But what the heck... one last lap.  Onboard is a videographer from the "Temple of VTEC" website, who edited this film and added the music overlay. We did two laps after the event ended. The S2000 was flawless (as always) and wasn't adversely affected by the temperatures. However after a very long weekend of well over 500 laps I'd had enough! Image: my car going ov...
More About: Event , Retro

YouTube for DrivingEnthusiast.net
2009-06-06 17:17:00
We've finally gotten around to putting a couple of the hundreds of videos we have on our DrivingEnthusiast network websites up on YouTube. These videos are buried in the dozen sites that make up the  DrivingEnthusiast.net sites. Organizing them all on YouTube will make them easier to find, and easier to embed. Visit us here: YouTube.com/DrivingEnthusiast - and look for a heckuva lot more as we go thru everything we have.
More About: Video , Youtube

GM re: tardation
2009-06-06 04:40:00
You may have seen the “gm:reinvention” website and ads that GM has been putting up since it’s bankruptcy a few days ago. Now take a look at a grass-roots response to that campaign that is both brilliant and angry:    http://gmretardation.com/ The YouTube video is very nicely done, with professional standards.

US Senators Failing to Address State Franchise Law Ramifications
2009-06-04 13:40:00
MSNBC reports http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31081547/&nbs p;on the hearings that the US Senate held Wednesday with the heads of GM and Chrysler regarding the dealers that are being forced to close. The hearing was purely political, with senators making a long-winded speech during their alloted  period and then allowing too little time for response. Most were posturing for their voters back home and their national image, as always. Few of them understand the business world themselves or take the time to try. How many times have we had to watch this political BS over the course of the last few months? Once the GM & Chrysler crisis came to a head, at least they finally had the backbone to do the necessary thing and take steps to handle the mess that the UAW, Chrysler, GM, and State franchise laws have put us all into. Nobody likes having to do what was done - but it was necessary. And now that it's done, Congress shouldn't be second-guessing ...
More About: Franchise , Address

Movie time: The Green Helmet from 1961
2009-05-28 03:27:00
After trying to find this film for many years, courtesy of TCM, we finally got to see it. It stars Bill Travers and Ed Begley, as well as Jack Brabham appearing as himself! Based on a book of the same name. This is a terrific racing film. The central theme is the development of new tires for a Jaguar racing car, then their application on race tracks. The film opens at LeMans, and with the famous running start. The secondary theme is the death of several racers and the lives of the people surrounding them. Actual historic footage is used. It's fascinating - and it's scary. You'll like this film for it's historical historical footage of LeMans, Silverstone, Sebring, and especially the Mille Miglia. The original Mille Miglia was one of the all-time greatest racing events on the planet, in our humble opinion. Although this film does show why it had to be canceled in it's original form. This is a very obscure film and is not listed in many film databases. It's very rarel...
More About: Movies , Movie , Time , Green , Helmet

Carscoop misinterprets purported S2000 picture
2009-05-26 21:32:00
Another month, another S2000 rumor. Putting aside the fact that Honda confirmed that the cancellation of the successor to the S2000, all the rumors to the contrary so far have all been either wrong or (as in this case) a gross misinterpretation. This is not an S2000 successor - in fact it isn't even rear wheel drive. Look at the location of the engine in the chassis - if this were rear wheel it'd have the worst possible weight balance from the far-forward engine placement. This is a front wheel drive car. It's obvious that this is a nothing more than a styling buck - one of many that are gone thru and discarded or selected to be taken further as a normal part of the design process. Yes, it is a convertible hardtop coupe, which fits in with earlier thinking that a convertible hardtop would make the car more appealing to the up-market “moneyed” crowd (which was never what the S2000 was about - although the spartan accommodations did hold back sal...
More About: Picture

Summit White Camaro goes into production this summer
2009-05-26 21:08:00
Now that's a handsome car in white... though personally we're hooked on the dark blue. Nevertheless, given the pending bankruptcy as a wild card, it is (was?) scheduled to be orderable this summer. More info at Camaro 5.com - the single best source of all things 5th-gen Camaro: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread. php?t=24221 
More About: Summer , White , Production , Summit

S2000 at the Hurburgring 24 hour endurance race
2009-05-25 11:48:00
S2000s were also competing at the 24 hour race this past weekend. They were entered by CarDiff Motorsport of Germany. Follow this link to the homepage of the team: cardiff-motorsport.de
More About: Race , Hour , Endurance

RJN Motorsport - 370Z team at 24 hours of the Nurburgring 2009
2009-05-25 11:42:00
Here's the team running the 370Z at the 24 hours of the Nurburgring 2009: http://www.rjnmotorsport.com/ of Oxfordshire U.K. The team formerly ran a 350Z. Because class rules limit the engine to 3.5 liters, the 370Z will be running an older 3.5 liter engine. You can see some more details of the car in the official team photo below, including aero mods front and rear, exhaust system, and air ducts in the rear side windows (probably rear brakes and very likely diff cooling). Unfortunately, no further technical details are available on the team site.   However, AutoZeitung provides an interesting gallery: http://www.autozeitung.de/nissan-special/ erster-test-des-nissan-370z-rennwagens. We've saved two of the images here for the sake of posterity. It would be helpful if this team were to provide some more details so that 370Z fans can better prepare their own cars. Not details of their suspension setup - that would clearly be confidential, but details sho...
More About: Team , Motorsport , Nissan Z , Hours