One weekend, two Ferrari FXXs Evoluzione

Once in the blue moon we hear about one of the thirty Ferrari FXXs: one recently got sold, one got stuffed into a wall, and another was on TopGear driven by someone who retired but didn’t, claiming to be someone he wasn’t. The truly lucky ones get to see an FXX in person, and if you see one being properly driven on the track, by all means buy a lottery ticket. Imagine my surprise when on the same day I received two emails from two different people, about two different FXXs spotted in North America on the same day.

The Ferrari FXX was a research and development project put on by Ferrari from 2005 to 2009. Where the project brilliantly differed from all other R&D projects was that the development vehicles were leased to a group of hand-picked Ferrari owners for a ridiculous amount of money. The manufacturer would retain the cars but transport them to scheduled track events around the world where the cars would be driven by the testers/owners and the data would be collected.

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Modern Classic: GMC Syclone

“The wonder of the Syclone is not so much a pickup that’ll do a Ferrari blur on the local scenery, although that’s no small trick. The real magic is the way it makes this capability seem like a perfectly wonderful idea.”

– Patrick Bedard, Car & Driver September 1991

It was like nothing else on the road. It was a freakin’ pickup truck capable of destroying most sports cars of the time in a straight line street race. An unfavorable, front-biased, weight distribution, rear drum brakes, live axle on leaf springs were its shortcomings. Those shortcomings were rather quickly overshadowed by a 4.3L V6, which itself is a small-block V8 with two cylinders chopped off, a Mitsubishi TD06 turbo, and an all-wheel-drive system. … Continue Reading

Quick Drive: 2012 Ford Explorer Ecoboost and Ford Edge Ecoboost

For 2011 Ford introduced an all-new Explorer. Upon the introduction Ford said that there will be a four-cylinder Ecoboost version, but not until a year later. It is now a year later. The six-cylinder Explorer has been a great sales hit for the company, and now here is the promised only four-cylinder.

Disclosure: Ford invited me to Detroit to sample the Ecoboost Explorer and Edge. I have never been to a press event like this and I reluctantly accepted as I had difficulty taking the day and a half off work. I also read enough of Jack Baruth’s articles to know what to expect. Ford paid for transportation and a nice hotel. I paid $20 for a taxi ride to the airport and worked late the other three days that week. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Volkswagen Corrado

Pegged as the replacement the long-running Scirocco, Volkswagen introduced the Corrado in 1988. The design lost the sharp edges the Scirocco was known for, but under designer Herbert Schafer the Corrado took a smoother, more aerodynamic shape. The Corrado was a mix of Volkswagen parts; the front-end used components of the Golf while the back-end used parts from the Passat.

Volkswagen used the new Corrado as a place to show of some of their technical advancements. Known as the G60, the new engine was a supercharged 1.8L inline-4 producing 160HP. Volkswagen also introduced a rear spoiler that would rise around 45 MPH to improve down-force. In 1992, Volkswagen replaced the G60 with the much-heralded VR6 engine. The narrow-angle design of the VR6 allowed engineers to easily place the motor into the space originally occupied by the inline-4.  The 2.8L VR6 brought forth 178HP and 177 lb-ft of torque. … Continue Reading

Quick Look: 2011 Chrysler 200, 300, Town & Country

We have become jaded. Most people wouldn’t know a luxury car is if they got ran over by one. Car magazines are telling us that modern luxury cars need to have dynamic side bolsters, Lotus-like handling, and Corvette power.  Why? Since when does a luxury car need to be a big sports car? By big magazine standards Germans are leading the way in the luxury car wars and are defining the market by attempting to create a better BMW M5 with each new model. I say they are wrong, completely wrong.

Luxury speaks of comfort, refinement, and opulance. Once upon a time American manufacturers were the luxury car leaders. The proof of that is in vehicles driven by heads of state, celebrities, and gangsters in the 50s and 60s – they were all driving a big American sedan or some kind of eastern bloc knock off. Those cars were big and intimidating, with long hoods and huge trunks. On the inside were soft, wide leather seats and latest technological gadgets indiscernibly integrated among the wood trim. … Continue Reading

Pointless Comparison: Corvette Grand Sport vs. Porsche 911 Carrera

Every time a new version of the Corette or the 911 comes out, which happens pretty often, every automotive magazine comes out with their big “Corvette versus Carrera!” comparison. To me, and to actual buyers, such comparisons are pointless. I have yet to meet anyone who actually cross-shopped the two cars; you either want a ‘Vette or you want a 911, performance numbers be damned.

That fact could not be more true for the convertible versions of each. These are both street cars and they appeal to potential buyers through style and image, not performance. No track junkie would consider either of those two convertibles, just as none of the convertible buyers would eye the Z06 or the GT3.

The Corvette and the 911 have been around for a very long time. In their own way, both remained true to their roots and evolved since their introductions. Current generations of both are nearing the end of their life cycles which means that soon there will be more pointless Corvette versus Carrera comparisons. Before that happens however, I got one last chance to drive the C6 and 997.2 which allowed me write this pointless comparison. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Volkswagen GTI Mk1

The Mk.1 Golf/Rabbit GTI started off as a project by a small group of Volkswagen engineers. Codenamed “Sport Golf”, the engineers raided VW/Audi parts bins to build up the car. Engineers took a Golf body, a 1.6L fuel-injected 4-cylinder engine from Audi 80/Fox GT, and other components to create their masterpiece. To help differentiate the GTI from pedestrian Golf models, the body got minor tweaks with a blacked out grill and stripes running down the side.

When it was shown at the 1975 Frankfurt Auto Show, the car was producing 110 HP and weighed around 1800 lbs. That combination gave the GTI a 0-60 time of 9.0 seconds and a top speed of 110 MPH. While that may not see like a great achievement, the GTI was nearly as fast as the muscle cars and exotics of the day. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Isuzu VehiCROSS

Certain vehicles garner a cult following. Whether it is because of their inovative design or interesting technology - the vehicle has to have something that draws people to it. One such vehicle with a cult following is the Isuzu VehiCROSS, a car whose purpose was to be a sports car and an off-roader at the same time.

The VehiCROSS began life as a concept introduced at the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show. The concept was designed by Satomi Murayama, chief designer/manager at Isuzu’s European office. The goal of the concept was to build a “lightweight but tough, fun but environmentally friendly” SUV. Their efforts paid off because the concept was a success, prompting Isuzu to put the VehiCROSS into production. … Continue Reading

Quick Drive: Acura ZDX – Is it everything or nothing?

I own a 2005 Acura TSX. Two years ago I had the chance to drive a 2006 TL for a few days and I loved it. Last year I had a 2009 TL for a weekend and I liked it. This past weekend I had an Acura ZDX, given to me as a loaner car from the dealership while my car was in for service. ZDX, the crossover-wagon-SUV-coupe thing seen above, is Acura’s answer to the question no one asked. The ZDX starts around $45,000, has a 300hp 3.7L V6 engine, trademarked “Super Handling” AWD, SportShift transmission with steering wheel mounted paddles, a hatchback-like hatch, and styling from a different planet. To my industrial designer eyes, if I maybe so kind, the design is awkward – I had zero expectations.

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Modern Classic: Alfa Romeo Spider

If there was ever automotive brand that was the pinnacle of design, performance, and lust – that brand would be Alfa Romeo. During its long history Alfa Romeo has produced some of the most beautiful vehicles, raced in different forms of motorsport, and caused lust in people’s hearts for an Alfa of their own. One of their best cars to illustrate these points is the Alfa Romeo Spider.

The Spider began life as a prototype at 1961 Turin Auto Show. The car was designed and engineered by Pininfarina. The Spider would be the last vehicle that Pininfarina founder, Battista “Pinin” Farina was associated with. It would take five years for the first Spiders to begin rolling off lines at Pininfarina due to success of other models in Alfa’s lineup and economic troubles Italy was facing at the time. … Continue Reading

Quick look: 2011 Lincoln MKT and The Panther

In the early 1990s my stepfather was operating a car service company in northern New Jersey. The fleet of Lincoln Town Cars would chauffer businessmen between fancy suburbs and the three area airports. To the teenage me, there always seemed to be a Town Car around in need of cleaning or a transmission replacement.

Ford has recently announced that they would be discontinuing the Panther platform on which the Town Car, Grand Marquis, and Crown Victoria are based. Normally I would have no issue with a car manufacturer killing off such dinosaur, after all these are heavy, inefficient, and essentially non-upgradeable vehicles. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Merkur XR4Ti

In the United States, we look at foreign auto markets and lust a some of the offerings such as Ford Focus RS, Audi RS5, Holden Ute to name a few. We wonder why these vehicles have not made their way onto US soil. Companies have tried bringing vehicles from other markets with varying results. One of the biggest flops was Ford’s Merkur, a brand which brought the very successful Ford Sierra and Scorpio.

In the 1980s Ford was talking about selling vehicles from Europe. The vehicle they were looking at was the brand new Ford Sierra. However, then vice president, Bob Lutz, wanted to differentiate the Sierra from other Ford vehicles in the lineup. It was therefore decided that a new brand would be created for the new vehicles, Merkur.

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2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon: What it is and what it could be

Car reviews, much like annual performance reviews, can be tricky to write. Love the car and you’ll be labeled a fan-boy. Hate the car and you’ll be labeled, well, a hater. Most writers find a few things they love, few things they hate, throw all into the mix and bam, a review. A writer whom I respect calls it “The Wobble” and chances are that at some point we all have all been guilty of doing it.

It’s easy to be a critic, but it’s tougher to be a constructive critic. I just spent a weekend with the Acura TSX Sport Wagon, and as a critic I’m tempted to write simply that I liked it – but I couldn’t love it. As a constructive critic, however, I’ve decided to offer a solution that would change my opinion, and perhaps the opinion of others as well, from “like” to “love”.

The idea stemmed from looking the TSX over and just realizing that it could look so much better with so little effort. Don’t get me wrong. This is a great car. It drives smoothly. It corners well. The engine and transmission combination is more than adequate. The interior is nice, and if it is not opulent it is at least high quality. The seats are very comfortable, and there is plenty of storage room. Frankly, there isn’t much wrong with the TSX wagon. Still, I couldn’t help imagine how much better it could look with some simple changes.

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Modern Classic: Nissan 240SX

The early to mid-nineties were the golden age for Japanese sport cars. Seemly every year a new sports car from the Land of the Rising Sun would arrive onto the shores; Supra, Eclipse, Celica, 300ZX, and RX-7 to name a few. While those cars did not have the sound and torque of domestic V8s, people them loved as they were affordable, well built, and simply fun to drive. One of those vehicles was the Nissan 240SX.

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Modern Classic: Subaru BRAT

When the first Subarus came off the dock in the 1960’s, no one expected the brand to make a significant impact on the American car culture. During its years in the U.S. market, however, Subaru has sold some of the most odd and interesting sedans, wagons, coupes, and crossovers. In 1977 Subaru presented one of their most interesting vehicles, the Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter, also known as BRAT. … Continue Reading