Driving: thats what its all about!

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Ford losses 8.7 Billion - and accelerates transformation plans
2008-07-24 16:05:00
Ford announced an enormous loss today for the 2nd quarter. The loss was larger than expected at $8.7B. Ford also announced that it is accelerating the move to small cars by stating that a total of 6 small vehicles form Europe would be manufactured in the Americas for our market. Only 3 of the vehicles were named: Fiesta, Focus , and Transit and these three had already all been announced. Two of the remaining three will probably be crossovers, and the third is speculated to be the Mondeo. However, the Mondeo overlaps with the Fusion - so how Ford will work this out remains to be seen. An updated Fusion will also come out next year, with enhanced engines and a hybrid powerplant for the first time. Past examples of European Fords brought to North America were all de-contented from their European counterparts. The European Mondeo for example, was an up-market product in Europe but was de-contented for North America as the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique. Now that small cars are impor...
More About: Ford , Explorer , Capri

AWD Miata prototype spotted?
2008-07-23 18:10:00
Spotted in California near the Mazda Design headquarters. Could be a prototype for an upcoming all wheel drive version of the Miata ...    ... or it could just be some redneck hayseed with too much time on his hands.  Talk amongst yourselves....   ;-)

Challenger vs Challenger: 1970 vs 2008 - Jay Leno has them both
2008-07-22 17:17:00
Challenger vs Challenger: Jay Leno 1970 RT vs 2008 SRT.   1970 Challenger R/T - 426 Hemi, dual-quads     vs   2008 Challenger SRT8 - Jay picks up the very first new Challenger in California, #4 production! An excellent set of videos from Jay Leno's Garage, with lots of video footage of both cars. These can't be embedded, so visit this page for both videos: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video _categories.shtml?cat=30492 (suggest <right click> and <open in new tab>)  
More About: Dodge Challenger

2010 Camaro Press Introduction and specs
2008-07-21 22:18:00
You have to hand it to Chevrolet... they beat the Mustang again, hands down. When you compare the standard 300-HP V-6 engine in the Camaro to the lowly 210 HP V-6 in the Mustang... ther eis no comparison. When you compare the standard across-the-board (all Camaros, all options) 6-speed transmisisons (auto and manual) to ye old T-5 in the V-6 Mustang (a transmission that literally dates back to 1983) and the 5-speed autos and manuals in the other models - saving the 6-speed manual only for the Shelby - there is no comparison. And, of course, the Camaro has a standard IRS... something that Ford designed for the Mustang and then dropped at the last moment. Chevrolet press release follows: FOR RELEASE: 2008-07-21 Chevrolet Unveils The 2010 Camaro - A Fun, Efficient Sports Car For The 21st Century   function SetValues(){var getx = 'window.event.clientX'; var gety = "window.event.clientY";} .wordtodisplay{font-family:arial; font-size:16px; color:#ff0000; cu...
More About: Press , Introduction , Specs

Official 2010 Camaro specs now available
2008-07-21 21:40:00
GM has released the specs, along with a nice document that describes the upcoming car. http://www.drivingenthusiast.net/sec-gm/c amaro/2010/camarospecs.pdf  (suggest <right click> and "open in new tab>) Full specs, colors, and extensive images are on Chevy's own site: http://www.chevrolet.com/camaro/  (suggest <right click> and "open in new tab>) And, if you're wondering how it stacks up against the new Challenger, as well as the existing Mustang, try this comparison chart: http://challenger.drivingenthusiast.net/s ec-competition/index.htm  (suggest <right click> and "open in new tab>). The V-8 Challenger gains a 6-speed manual and limited slip diff in 2009. The Mustang remains unchanged for a shortened 2009 model year, then gets a re-skin for 2010.
More About: Camaro , Official , Specs

What happened to the Brembos on the Camaro?
2008-07-20 20:06:00
Looks like the bean counters have hit the Camaro ... it's lost it's rear Brembo calipers and gone back to a single-piston caliper. Look at the 1st picture below of the production Camaro SS: small 4-piston Brembos on the front only. And compare that to the 2nd picture of the Camaro testing at the Nurburgring several weeks ago - larger front Brembos and 4-piston rear Brembos. Rotor sizes have also been downgraded - particularly at the rear. And lest you think that rear brakes don't make that much difference, remember that the Camaro is a 52/48% fr/rr weight balance car - unlike the grotesquely obese Shelby at 58.5% in the front (same as most front wheel drive cars!). So, yes, a 4-wheel multi-piston braking system would have made a phenomenal difference for the Camaro. So, either the bean counters made a last-minute cut in production spec, or the Nurburgring car wasn't production-based, or the Nurburgring car was a higher level car such as the supercharged Camaro Z28 - w...

Honda Racer is not the new S2000!
2008-07-19 15:17:00
Honda Designer Guillermo Gonzalez recently spent 3 months designing this new "Honda Racer " Hot Wheels model to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hot Wheels. Several other automakers also designed similarly wild models; each will sell for about $3. Note that this 20 liter (twenty!) 2400-HP V10-engined prototype with 32-inch wheels out back and 22 in the front would indeed make a fine "S20000". The envisioned 300 MPH top speed would put a complete and total end to those GT-R lap times at the Nurburgring... making them look little different from a those of a Stanza. But unfortunately it's not to be. We heard that Honda discovered that there would be a liability issue with the driver and/or passenger getting sucked out of the car as it nears it's completely illegal top speed. Presumably, experimentation with various wind deflectors didn't solve the problem this time...
More About: Honda

2009 Dodge Challenger high-res images and full specs
2008-07-19 15:00:00
Now available on http://www.Challenger.DrivingEnthusiast.n et: 50 super high-res images of the SE, R/T and SRT8 models, along with full detailed specifications and other information. Follow the link to our Challenger site and then go to the "Production!" section from there. 2009 is the year the Challenger reaches it's stride: there is a heavily revised base V-8 Hemi in the R/T, a V-6 in the SE, and the SRT8 gets the 6-speed manual and limited slip diff it needed in 2008. Samples follow:
More About: Chrysler , Images , Dodge , High , Full

Production Camaro Revealed
2008-07-18 15:47:00
Several sites beat Monday's planned introduction by GM by releasing sets of photos today. Autoweek has an overview here, with full details after next Monday afternoon: http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art icle?AID=/20080718/FREE/261484376/1528/ne wsletter01  However - as usual - the folks at Camaro 5.com have the full set of photos: http://www.camaro5.com/forum s/showthread.php?t=5171  and the specs of the first two engines that will be be offered: a standard 296-HP 3.6 V-6 and a 416-HP 6.2 V-8. The V-8 model weighs 3700 pounds and has a 52/48 weight balance. Furthermore, the V-8 has variable cylinder shut-off and with the 6-speed transmission will have extraordinarily low revs at highway cruising speeds. Like the Corvette with the similar engine and transmission, careful drivers will find high-20s on the highway. Both V-8 and V-6 models "blow away" the Mustang by a considerable margin. And rumor has it that the 2010 Mustang ...
More About: Production

Ford Probe still popular
2008-07-18 08:42:00
We were looking thru our site statistics this morning and noticed 10 unique visits from the Probe Club of the Netherlands ( http://phpbb3.probeclub.nl/ - suggest <right click> and <open in new tab>) over the past few weeks. Apparently they just discovered our site and blogs and had been going thru some parts of it looking at our material. There are also about a dozen Ford Probe club sites on the web from around the world - although only the folks from the Netherlands have found us so far.  We hadn't received any attention that we know of from Ford Probe enthusiasts before, but we do routinely get thousands of hits per month from groups dedicated to other oldie-but-goodie Fords such as the SVO and SHO. We've got a lot of unique material for those great cars on the site, as well as what is probably the web's largest collection of materials on the 2000 SVT Mustang Cobra R (which few people have dug out of o...
More About: Popular

SHO-Powered Wraith II
2008-07-17 12:55:00
From Auto week, July 18 1994. A Tennessee Corvette tuning company named Air Dynamics built this prototype of a mid-engine sports car that they intended to put in limited production. Owner John Watson intended to build about 6 per year at $100k apiece in 1994 dollars. Initially, the SHO engine was stock (225 HP, under-rated), although a 300-HP version was planned later. The Wraith II weighed 2600 pounds and was composite-bodied. It uses 18" wheels and rides on a 100 inch wheelbase for a total of 179 inches in length. Apparently none were built beyond this prototype. However, the basis for this prototype was the "Turbo Interceptor" from the movie "The Wraith" (a very early Charlie Sheen film). John Watson had planned to offer that car as a kit for $70k, so apparently the $100k "II" model included the engine and was complete. The Wraith from the movie of the same name is shown to the upper left. Currently, a new Wraith kit is being offered here: http://www.wraithinnovations.com/tu...
More About: Media , Ford , Week

Japan Car Blog reviews Top Gear 11.04 GT-R vs Bullet Train race
2008-07-17 08:28:00
The always excellent Japan Car Blog reviews the latest episode of Top Gear where Jeremy Clarkson raced a Bullet train across Japan. The Hamster and James May were in the bullet train and their journey also included a shuttle bus, another train, a ferry, and a ____________ (can't say, don't want to spoil the surprise or the great soundtrack that plays during it). Jeremy got the GT-R and a 400-mile route to follow from western Japan thru Tokyo and across the bay to the finish. Their blog includes low-res segments of the race: http://japancarblog.com/2008/07/top-gear- clarksons-ego-in-gt-r-vs-bullet-train/&nb sp;(suggest <right click> and <open in new tab>) or the entire episode is available via torrent sites. They also correctly point out that some of Jeremy's comments are culturally offensive. Actually the entire cast makes more than a few gaffes, and they all look tired and glad to get it over with. James May looks particularly worn out, or perhaps he is just...
More About: Movies , Reviews , Race

Weird Ad Wednesday: Honda Nudist Ballonists
2008-07-16 15:05:00
What comment could we possibly make about this ad?
More About: Weird , Honda , Wednesday

Speculation abounds on the next Honda S2000
2008-07-07 14:58:00
Current Japanese car magazines are discussing what a model year 2010 S2000 might look like, and have produced a speculative sketch: In my opinion, the sketch simply expresses current Honda styling trends, and certainly did not originate from Honda. Furthermore, the styling elements are a couple of years old, and Honda's design language will have advanced by then. Look at the upcoming NSX for the aggressive creases and angles that will define Honda performance cars going forward. You'll note, too, that the sketch includes provision for a folding hardtop (note the A-pillars), which has also been speculated on for the past several months. That supports the generally accepted theory that the car will compete against the Miata with a wider range of options and configurations. 2010 is probably too soon for the next S2000 - we would have seen spy shots of the car being tested by now. The next S2000 is not likely to be a simple restyle, since it wi...

Car & Driver: Five Future Mustangs We’d Like to See
2008-07-06 15:06:00
Car & Driver is starting to sound like themselves again after many years of churn... In a June article, they propose 5 special edition/future Mustang s they'd like to see. One includes a special edition Smokey & The Bandit model shown below. Follow this link (suggest <right click> and <open in new tab>) to the article:  http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_l ists/high_performance/features_classic_ca rs/five_future_mustangs_we_d_like_to_see_ feature__1/(page)/1
More About: Media , Ford , Future

DrivingEnthusiast network - consistent navigation
2008-07-06 12:52:00
The best-kept secret of DrivingEnthusiast.net is that it is actually a network of 5 individual sites: DrivingEnthusiast.net S2000Enthusiast.com EvoXenthusiast.com Challenger.DrivingEnthusiast.net CarMovieEnthusiast.com And that is the problem. Looking over site stats, we see that few people go from one site to the other. The sites were originally split apart because of different audiences: S2000 owners don't want to know about Fords, etc. (and the converse is even more true). And the Car Movie topic needed to stand on it's own. Hence, 5 individual sites. But the owner has interests across multiple topics, as do many readers. To solve the problem, we've added a blue navigation bar consistently across all 5 sites. This provides an indication of the other sites to readers, as well as consistent navigation.  Navigation around the network is easy. Each of the 5 websites has the blue navigation bar at the top of the site: Click on the&...
More About: News , Website , How To , Network

Did Top Gear plagiarize Ben Hur? ;-)
2008-07-04 21:14:00
Plagiarize - it's an ugly word. It means that you don't have an original idea and blatantly copy one from somebody else. It is, unfortunately, a situation that has occurred before on Top Gear . Top Gear started a new season in Europe last month and enthusiasts everywhere are working hard to see the broadcasts... by whatever means they have at their disposal (we don't want to know about illegally pirated copies and torrent downloads - perhaps if they'd skip the silly idea of attempting to recreate Top Gear for Americans and just send us the originals...????). Season 11, Episode 1 has a typical/Clarksonian stunt involving the cast building their own police cars (at a cost of no more than 900 pounds) and equipping them (500 pounds). So few quid doesn't yield much in the way of valuable police equipment... and of course the guys aren't trained in legitimate police tactics. So of course improvisation is the order of the day. That's where Clarkson makes his mistake... bl...
More About: Movies , Jeremy Clarkson

S2000 sales in June 2008 another disaster
2008-07-02 20:29:00
Honda sold 273 S2000s in June 2008 - the lowest figure for June ever. This despite an overall record month for Honda. The chart below shows sales since the beginning... the orange line at the bottom is 2008.  
More About: Sales , Disaster , June 2008

New S2000 book available for pre-order: Honda S2000 Performance Portfolio 1
2008-07-01 15:16:00
Finally - a new S2000 book! The "Honda S2000 Performance Portfolio 1999-2008" covers the car thru 2008. It will be available in the fall, but can be pre-ordered thru Amazon.com at the link below. This looks to be a worthwhile addition to your S200 library. 
More About: Book , Order

HP MediaSmart Server for Driving Enthusiasts
2008-07-01 12:27:00
A question for your consideration: do Driving Enthusiasts also have to be computer geeks? Why do I ask? As we proceed in this hobby, we come across thousands of images and videos, hundreds of URLs, documents describing technical details of your favorite cars, downloaded videos of WRC events and Top Gear, and much more. On top of that we're taking photos and making videos at our own events. How can we possibly organize and protect all of these files? Even if we didn't begin this hobby as a computer geek, we could be forced to become one just to keep track of all the cool stuff that we accumulate in this hobby. If disaster strikes the majority of these files would be irreplaceable: photos and videos of events can't be recreated, many others can't be downloaded again. Having them sitting on a disk drive or two spinning under our desk inevitably makes for a disaster: disk drives wear out...
More About: Microsoft , Smart , Geek , Server

Fast and Furious 4 scheduled for June 5th 2009
2008-06-25 10:05:00
Both Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are reprising their roles from the 1st Fast & Furious for this 4th installment of the series (not counting the 1955 original - how many readers have seen that?). The series has earned over $600 million worldwide so far. Set your calenders for June 5th, 2009. About his quick cameo in Fast & Furious 3 (Tokyo Drift), Diesel recently explained his interest in a full return: "I saw how people related to the characters' stories as much as the cars and action." You may also remember that the DVD of the 1st film added an after-credit scene of him driving a muscle car while hiding in Mexico... perhaps an indication way back then that the originators of the series had a return in mind for his character. Readers will find several pictures on the net taken during the shooting of the film over the past several months. The following three were officially released by the studio this month. Rumor has it that Michelle Rodriquez will repri...
More About: Movies

Ford severely scales back the BOSS engine program
2008-06-23 16:46:00
Automotive News reports today that Ford has severely scaled back the BOSS engine program. Only one vehicle will receive it - the F-250 (and up) series as a replacement for the 6.8 liter V-10 (which is therefore implied to be cancelled as well). This means no BOSS engine in the mainstream F-150 or special editions Mustang . The new F-150 (actually heavily reskinned - not all-new despite what the marketers want you to believe) will launch with variants of the existing 4.6 and 5.4 liter engines. Well after launch, the F-150 will also receive a 4.4 liter diesel, a 3.5 liter EcoBoost V-6, and eventually a larger variant of the naturally aspirated 3.5 liter V-6 engine. In terms of cubic inches, this will leave it at a disadvantage to the competitors from GM and Chrysler - however better mileage will be available as well as a wider range of engine options. That's clearly what is needed in today's market and for the market going forward... versus the market 4-5 years ago when th...
More About: Boss , Back , Engine

BMW Twin-Turbo 4.4 liter V-8
2008-06-22 06:32:00
The new BMW twin-turbo V-8 has been engineered for a new line of cross-over SUVs for 2009. Technically, it's a unique peice of work: instead of the usual turbocharger location that you'd expect, the turbos are housed inside the V of the engine. The cylinders heads are reversed, with the exhaust ports inside the V and the intake ports on the outside. Advantage: packaging of the engine in roughly the same width and length as the standard V-8. Disadvantage: height, heat on the top of the engine, and management of overall airflow thru the engine compartment.  DrivingEnthusiast.net offers extensive BMW super high-res images of the new engine so that readers can study this fascinating new engine in detail. A sample low-res image is shown to the right. Follow the link http://www.DrivingEnthusiast.net/sec-bmw/ (suggest <right click> and <open in new tab>) to the new BMW section and look under Engines for full detailed infor...
More About: Liter , Turbo , Twin

BMW offers 7-speed double-clutch automated manual for 2009 M3
2008-06-21 15:11:00
Even after reading the stellar reviews of the racetrack and overall performance of the new double-clutch automated manual transmissions on the Evo X and GT-R, some enthusiasts are still holding out for ye olde fashion manual transmissions. Well, better get used to it folks - this is more than the wave of the future: it's already here today and is actively offered and promoted on the latest leading-edge cars. The double-clutch automated manual offers every possible advantage to the overall performance envelope of the car. It shifts better and faster than any human can, and almost always produce better mileage and/or emissions (2 areas which will improve as further experience is gained). And it can be electronically tuned to produce fantastic results on the racetrack when teamed with multi-dimensional accelerometers and related sensors. In the future you'll see fewer old-style manual transmissions offered in performance cars. The days ...
More About: Double , Offers , Speed , Clutch , Manual

Camaro SS prototype spotted
2008-06-21 13:34:00
Yet again, the folks at Camaro 5.com have pulled off getting pre-production pics of the upcoming Camaro. This time it's the SS model - showing the final headlights and wheels. Note the under-bumper front spoiler. We can't see the brakes here... and we don't as of yet know the specs of the engine. More here: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread. php?t=4699 (suggest <right-click> and <open in new window>)
More About: Prototype

Ford Focus RS coming to Europe... but what about US?
2008-06-20 10:57:00
Ford has a rich heritage of performance Foci, Escorts, and other small Fords in Europe . With the new Ford Focus coming to North America in late 2010 (MY 2011), it's a natural question to ask about performance models. The Focus ST is roughly equivalent to a Subaru WRX or Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliant - except it doesn't have all-wheel drive. The Focus RS is somewhere above that - lots of horsepower but still no all wheel drive - and therefore still under the Evo or STI in overall capabilities. The upcoming Focus RS has only officially been shown in the following picture. However, lots of pictures can be found of it being tested at Nurburgring. Only time will tell if we'll get one or both of these in North America... certification and component costs would be very high for small volume, but they would serve to nicely showcase the new Focus. FORD CONFIRMS NEW HIGH PERFORMANCE FOCUS RS IS ON THE WAY COLOGNE, December 17, 2007 – Ford of Europe is confirming its plan to...
More About: Ford , Ford Focus

2008 European Ford Focus - specs
2008-06-20 10:19:00
It's way to early to determine the specification of the European Focus that wil be built here for the North American market... but the specifications of the new 2008 European Focus illustrate what some of the options would be.  You can see that there is a wide variety of 4 and 5 cylinder petrol and diesel engines available for Ford planners to choose from. Ford has already said a 6-speed transmission and direct injection will be available for us.   Preliminary Technical Specifications – November 2007 PETROL ENGINES Engine type     1.4lDuratec 1.6lDuratec 1 1.6lDuratec Ti-VCT 1.8lDuratec 2 2.0lDuratec 1,3 2.5lDuratec ST Power kW PS 59 80 74 100 85 115 92 125 107 145 166 225 Emission level   Euro4 Euro4 Euro4 Euro4 Euro4 Euro4 1 also available with automatic transmission2 also available as 'Flexifuel' version, capable of using Bio-Ethanol/Fuel blends up to E85 (85% Bio-Ethanol)3 also available as CNG and LPG versi...
More About: Ford Focus , Specs

Ford finally begins to understand the market
2008-06-20 09:57:00
Ford finally gets it. With gas prices continuing to adjust to the reality of the worldwide market, and as consumers tire of their gasoline addiction, Ford has made several very necessary changes to their product plan. 1) First and foremost is the confirmation that the European Ford Focus will (finally!) be built in North America late in the year 2010. Very little has been said in Ford's press discussions about this, so it's clear that it is moving quickly. The current Focus dates back several years (despite it's new skin this year), and has been long overdue for replacement. It now appears that it's replacement has been moved forward to 2010. And this is great news as the European Focus is a world-class car with world-class powerplants and drivetrains. In it's home market, it's an up-level car - not a stripper. Several engines and powertrains are available - including direct-injected engines and a twin-clutch automated manual transmission. It remains ...
More About: Ford , Market , Finally , Understand

Cannonball Run - Sammy Davis Jr jacket up for auction
2008-06-19 12:43:00
The Auction network is auctioning off a number of items this weekend at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. One is the jacket worn by Sammy Davis Jr in The Cannonball Run. The movie of course isn't very good... but if you are a short person and have a grand to spend on memorabilia, here is your chance. Buried amoungst the usual ephemera are a number of items that would be interest to a person who is both an automotive enthusiast as well as a movie collector, including a drivers licenses, license plates, and even a Dodge Viper owned by Pamela Anderson. You can also watch and bid online. More info here: https://www.auctionnetworklive.com/live/j sp/images.jsp?lotId=177&auctionId=10& nbsp; White polyester jacket with red trim and print The Cannonball Run was directed by Hal Needham and starred Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Terry Bradshaw, and Peter Fonda. This all star cast romped through the film which is an...
More About: Movies , Jacket

G4TV tests the Dodge Challenger SRT8
2008-06-08 14:51:00
Alison Haislip of Attack of The Show drives the new SRT8.
More About: Dodge , Tests , Dodge Challenger , Challenger