This is a blog, dedicated to anything to do with the automobile. I'll bring you things like my favorites in a list by importance, different cars, different days. my take on certain cars and their affect on history. I hope to expand my content as ideas come to me.
Just a few years ago, the biggest news in police vehicles was the migration from Ford Crown Vics to the likes of Dodge Chargers and Ford Explorers. Then things kind of subsided, but one police department in Texas has a new acquisition that blows those vehicles away.
According to the NY Daily News, the New Braunfels Police Department can now count a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 as part of its fleet. The car was seized as part of an operation that broke up a meth smuggling ring, and was converted for police duty.
New Braunfels Police Department communications coordinator David Ferguson says the court determined the car was purchased using drug money. As part of the refit, police graphics were added, including the message, “This vehicle was seized from a Drug Dealer.” “It’s kind of like a driving billboard for drug dealers and criminals saying ‘Hey look, crime doesn’t pay,” says Furgeson.
Before the arrival of the ZR-1, the Z06 was the big dog of the previous-generation Corvette. It features a 7-liter (427 cubic inch) LS7 big block V8, cranking out 505 horsepower. It also features stiffer sway bars, a supercar-quality dry-sump oil system, and an aluminum frame that makes it 136 pounds lighter than the standard frame of that year. It is capable of 0-60 mph in just 3.6 seconds. The KENS news anchor calls is a “Z-6,” which is sure to cause a few Corvette owners’ undergarments to get in a bunch. They also jump on the fact that the Z06 was $80,000 when new. That may have been the case in 2007, but the current price of that car is about half on the used market. New Ford Police Utility Interceptors (Explorers) cost between $30,000 and $40,000, so getting a Corvette for free is still a better deal.
Love it or hate it, the Dodge Viper has long been a car dead set on outperforming. It boasts one of the biggest engines in the performance car world, top speeds that make pony cars look sluggish, and an unequaled stage presence.
So how do you out-do a Viper? Simple, with an even nuttier Viper. And here’s a prime example.
When this Dodge Viper SRT-10 rolled off the Conner Avenue assembly lines in 2004, it fashioned an eye-opening 500 horsepower from 8.3-liters of V10. Today, this poison adder terrorizes eBay and it brandishes twice that amount. Heavens above.
The source of that serious performance enhancement comes courtesy of California’s A&C Performance, which ran this Viper through a veritable “best-of” collection of engine mods. The brutish V10 was blueprinted and outfitted with high-performance heads, pistons, rods, fuel injectors, and a punchy camshaft. Then a Paxton centrifugal supercharger, air-to-water intercooler, and methanol injection system were added for good measure.
All told, the engine churns out over 1,000 horsepower at the crank and a usable 936 hp at the wheels, which gets translated to the dirt through the Viper’s T-56 six-speed. For comparison’s sake, that makes it 33 horsepower more powerful than a McLaren P1 hypercar, and just 64 hp shy of the original Bugatti Veyron 16.4. Intimidating neighbors.
A set of Toyo R888 competition tires are on the receiving end of that massive power blast, which wrap four OZ Challenge wheels. Next to them, KW V2 coilover shocks and AP Racing brakes ensure that the Viper SRT-10 stays on its feet.
Blacked-out from head to toe, it’s a seriously looker, eclipsed only by the latest and greatest Vipers of today. Hopefully, just hopefully, we’ll continue to see these V10 snakes for many years to come.
For years, there has been rampant speculation that Mazda would once again bring life to the rotary engine. For years, there have been rumors that Mazda was secretly working on a successor to the RX-7 and RX-8. And for years, we’ve all been bitterly disappointed when Mazda shows up to the latest auto show with…nothing. That could soon be changing.
Mazda just issued a press release that could be the surest signal ever that the company is, in fact, working on a brand new sportscar to succeed the aforementioned RX series. At least, that’s what we all hope is the case.
According to Mazda, the company, “Will hold the world premiere of a new sports car concept model at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.” From the picture above, it definitely looks like it could be the real deal.
Above is a lightened version of the top picture that we manipulated to get a better sense of what the car lines are. The company stated that, “The design of the sports car concept to be unveiled in Tokyo is modern, but maintains a sense of lineage and authenticity, appearing almost to condense Mazda’s entire history of sports car development into a single model.”
We’re honestly on pins and needles, waiting for Mazda to unveil this concept. Is it the next RX? Is it a hard top MX-5 Miata? Or is it a brand new car that doesn’t succeed any previous car? We’ll know more soon. The Tokyo Motor Show begins October 29th, so stay tuned as more details become available.
When the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro debuted earlier this year, it brought with it three muscled-up engines—a 275 horsepower four-cylinder, a 335-hp V6, and a 455-hp V8. That makes for one compelling family of power, but undoubtedly fans want more, and it appears they won’t have to wait long.
This camouflaged beast is purported to be the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1—the supercharged successor to today’s 580-horsepower ZL1. It was recently filmed while performing test runs on Germany’s Nurburgring Nordschleife track, and one thing is for sure…it is properly fast. Take a look, below.
Between the squealing tires and bellowing quad exhausts, it’s obvious the new Camaro hasn’t lost any hint of its performance while going under the knife. And it had quite a lot to begin with. The track-tuned 2015 Camaro Z/28 can round the Nurburgring in a heady 7:37.47. The raucous ZL1 does it in 7:41.27.
While it can’t be confirmed, the likely engine in play underneath this Camaro prototype is Chevrolet’s supercharged LT4 V8, which also finds a home within the Corvette Z06 and the new 2016 Cadillac CTS-V. In the Corvette, it conjures up 650 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque. In the CTS-V, it musters just ten fewer horsepowers.
If and when an LT4 does emerge from the Camaro’s hood, its power will likely match closer to the Cadillac. At least, history suggests it will. The outgoing 2015 CTS-V and Camaro ZL1 both share versions of the supercharged Chevrolet LSA V8. Want one? The next-gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is expected to debut next spring and could arrive in dealerships before the leaves begin to fall.
Driver Tony Stewart waits in the garage while his car is worked on during practice for the Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Tony Stewart picked his way through the crowd surrounding a red carpet at Chicagoland Speedway to make his way to the pre-race driver meeting. Dance music blared from two large speakers at the front of the tent, celebrities and other dignitaries sat in special seats and fans craned their necks for a glimpse of NASCAR's star
Stewart, always the last driver to arrive, was agitated as he scoured the room looking for his teammates. ''Can we get some more people in here?'' he said to no one in particular. ''I thought we were here to race.'' It's no secret that NASCAR and all its pomp and circumstance have always been the necessary evil in Stewart's storied career. NASCAR money pays his bills, has afforded him a lifestyle he never imagined, allowed him to collect toys such as ownership of race tracks and a sprint car series. But NASCAR has never been his love. It's always been his job.
The sideshow that accompanies the 38 races a year? A nuisance. So it should be no surprise that Stewart is scheduled Wednesday to announce his retirement from Sprint Cup racing at the end of the 2016 season. He will detail his decision to get out of the car, according to a person familiar with Stewart's plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because the three-time NASCAR champion has not publicly discussed his retirement.
Stewart's die-hard fans don't want to believe the news. They've always assumed their driver, a modern-day A.J. Foyt, would race deep into his 50s and slowly scale back his schedule.
They think that because they don't really know Stewart, and don't understand that his decision has very little to do with the personal problems that have plagued his last three years. He broke his leg in a sprint car crash in 2013 that cost him the final third of the season; he struck and killed a young racer, Kevin Ward, during an on-track incident at a dirt track in New York in 2014; and he's not at all competitive this season, mired in the worst slump of his career.
Any of that would be enough to push Stewart, who turns 45 next season, into retirement.
The reality, though, is that this nightmare Stewart has been living just happened to come as his career was already winding down. Stewart years ago figured out the financials to determine how long he needed to race in NASCAR. He understood the timetables put on every contract signed with a sponsor. He kept an eye on the free agent market to determine candidates to succeed him in the No. 14 Chevrolet.
In other words, Stewart had an exit plan.
Why? Because fun for Stewart is riding a four-wheeler around Eldora Speedway, the dirt track he owns in Ohio, to make sure the show is going off without a hitch. Fun for Stewart is crisscrossing Ohio during a rare off week in NASCAR to oversee the All-Star Circuit Champions of Sprint Car series he purchased in January.
His enjoyment has never been found at a NASCAR race, and this spiral he's been stuck in the last three seasons did nothing more than confirm to Stewart that it's time to go do something else.
He's confided during a handful of interviews with The Associated Press over the past 12 months that his passion is gone. The euphoria from a strong finish - and really, strong finishes are all he's shooting for right now, wins are not presently attainable - has worn off by the time he gets to his airplane after a race. His personal struggles took a toll on him. His on-track struggles have sapped his confidence and stripped him of that feeling of invincibility he had in more than three decades of racing cars. Stewart can't get a feel for NASCAR's current rules package, and at times it seems like he's accepted that he's just not competitive anymore.
So why not stick to the exit plan and spend his time doing all the things around racing that still give him a charge? Well, leaving means filling his seat at Stewart-Haas Racing and Stewart desperately wanted Kyle Larson for the job.
Larson is available in 2017, but the particulars of his current contract didn't fall into place with the timetable Stewart needed to execute his plan. Then Clint Bowyer became available and Stewart had his man. Bowyer will spend 2016 making laps with another team as he waits for Stewart to complete his retirement tour.
Those Stewart loyalists who are so devastated and disbelieving that this day is actually here are looking at it all wrong. Begging for another three or five or 10 years from Stewart will only tarnish his legacy. He's led a career-low 24 laps this season, doesn't have a single top-five finish and hasn't won a race since midway through the 2013 season.
Watching him putter around the track, fighting to stay on the lead lap, trying hard to squeak out a top-15 finish - that's not the way anyone wants to see Stewart go out.
Loyalists should be happy for Smoke. He's going to exit on his own terms. He's going to be able to do what he wants with his time. He's going to finally have fun.
The electric car isn’t a new idea, believe it or not. Back in the early 1900s, companies like Chicago-based Woods Electric were producing modern and efficient vehicles (at the time) for around the city—and did so for over 15 years. Now one of their most amazing creations has sold at auction.
This is the 1905 Woods Electric Style 214A Queen Victoria Brougham. While the name may be a mouthful, the car itself is absolutely stunning. It’s over 110 years old, and known to be the only Queen Victoria Brougham still in existence. It’s been thoroughly restored and even features two modern electric motors and a fast-charging system. That means you can actually drive it.
Make your way from the stunning exterior, and there’s an equally beautiful interior to match. It’s been completely refinished back to original shine with black leather and wood accents. There’s room enough for two passengers and even an open-air cab.
Crossing the Bonhams auction block this past weekend, it fetched $94,548. It was a significant increase from its 2010 auction price of $77,000. No surprise for such a rare and unique vehicle.
It goes without saying, the Ford Raptor was one special truck. Introduced for the 2010 model year, the SVT-tuned Raptor packed a rock-crushing off-road suspension, a choice of two extremely potent6 V8s, and visual cues to make lesser trucks cower in fear.
Unfortunately, it’s now gone….at least temporarily.
The 2017 Raptor successor has already been crowned, but you won’t find it in dealerships quite yet. At a loss for words? Don’t worry, in the meantime Texas’ Hennessey Performance has a solution—their supercharged 2015 Ford F-150 VelociRaptor 600. It’s a mean looking thing.
The 2015 VelociRaptor 600 starts out as a current XLT Crew Cab model and totes the potent 5.0-liter V8. Hennessey adds on a whopping great 2.9-liter supercharger on top of that, giving the super truck a round 600 horsepower output, complete with an air-to-water intercooler, high-flow intake, beadlock wheels, off-road tires, fender flares, and a Hennessey suspension kit to boot.
In the company’s old truck, that level of performance equated to zero to 60 mph times of 5.2 seconds and quarter mile dashes in the mid-13 second range (5.6 seconds in VelociRaptor 500 tune). With 700 fewer pounds to lug around (thanks to the new aluminum F-150 body), count on that performance being even greater still in the latest version. Here’s the thing…it doesn’t come cheap. Far from it.
Hennessey recently put one of its sinister ’15 VelociRaptors on eBay, with an asking price of $84,950. By comparison, the late-great 2014 Ford Raptor sold for $45,000 with a not-so-small 411 hp on tap in stock configuration.
But for those who can’t wait for the 2017 Ford Raptor to roll into dealerships next year, or who’d rather take a supercharger over twin-turbochargers, perhaps the VelociRaptor is the stopgap that dreams are made of.
Modifying a classic car can be a touchy subject. When the production numbers go down, the rarity goes up, and every little custom modification is usually met with a cringe from those who worship the brand.
So just imagine the looks that this man, Joe Alessandrino, gets when he pulls up in his 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE—one of about 950 built in total, and likely the only that sports a hot rod Chevrolet V8 engine.
To the diehard Ferraristi, it’s a scornful act of sacrilege. To the rest of us, it comes across as pretty darn cool. But don’t worry, a perfectly good GTE didn’t die in order to give life to this custom job…it was already dead.
As Alessandrino explains, the original car was sacrificed by a custom shop in order to create a Ferrari 250 GTO replica, using the ’63 GTE’s chassis and engine, ubiquitous among the 250 lineup. Why? Because even some millimeter-perfect GTO replicas are worth more than restored four-seat GTE cars.
Alessandrino simply bought the leftover body, crafted his own frame and suspension, and dropped in a Chevrolet 302 engine from a ’69 Camaro Z/28 to create his sinister Ferrari hot rod…nicknamed “Joerarri.” While its body comes dressed in a limited edition Mitsubishi red paint, the engine boasts an aggressive camshaft, funnels power to a Dodge Viper six-speed gearbox, and puts it to the road via a Ford nine-inch rear end.
Ferrari, Chevy, Dodge, and Ford…Joe’s wicked creation may offend just about every corner of the hot rod market. Oddly enough, even with that American V8 poking through the engine bay, Alessandrino says his GTE is within 80 pounds of a perfect front-to-rear weight distribution. Thumbs up for even attempting such a build.
Earlier today, we brought you five things you need to know about the upcoming Tesla Model X. It looks like you can add one more. The California-based electric vehicle maker is set to officially unveil the production model tonight, along with a host of other specs, but for now, we know how far you’ll be able to go on one charge.
If you check out fueleconomy.gov, and its find-a-car feature, you’ll notice two new entrants under Tesla. Below the many variants of the Model S, you’ll find the Model X 90D and performance oriented P90D.
For the non-P version of the 90D, a full charge should take you 257 miles in ideal driving conditions. Meanwhile the P90D will go 250 miles on a single charge. This is a little short of the 265-mile range of the Model S when equipped with the 85 kWh battery setup.
That is pretty impressive, as the P90D also goes 0-60 mph in just 3.3-seconds, though don’t expect to get the full range if you keep making those quick runs. As Jalopnikpoints out, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S has a range of 449, though clocks in at a slower 3.8 seconds to get to 60 mph.
The thirsty Cayenne also uses premium fuel, which was $2.78 as of the publishing of this article. The national average for electricity usage is 10.45 cents per kilowatt hour.
We’ll know a whole lot more about the Model X following its official debut tonight.
We’re in the middle of one of the most talked about presidential races in recent history. Donald Trump is at the center of all the hubbub for the most part. But before he was vying for GOP nominee, he was doing a different sort of race in his rare Lamborghini Diablo, which is now for sale.
It’s a 1997 Diablo VT Roadster, and one of only 200 ever made. It has a big V12 and close to 500 horsepower. It’s an impressive vehicle no doubt, but probably even more impressive (to some people) considering The Donald himself has driven it.
It features a beautiful Le Mans Blue paint job, a pretty much perfect interior, and even some not-so-narcissistic “Trump 1997” badging, which has been updated for his 2016 campaign. The real kicker is that it’s only got 14,992 miles on the odometer and a manual gearbox.
The asking price for this particular example is $299,000, according to The Drive. That may seem like a lot for a nearly 20-year-old Lamborghini considering most are coming in at under $200,000, but with Donald Trump’s butt having sat in that driver’s seat, it considerably increases the value.
Serious potential buyers can reach out to Michael Digonis (michaeldigonis@aol.com). Love him or hate him, you can’t fault Donald’s choice in Lamborghinis.
If you’re a fan of classic Jags, the name XJ220 should have you excited. The iconic 90s supercar styling and addicting twin-turbo V6 made the XJ a classic from the moment it rolled off the factory floor. And today, it’s turning into collectors item.
While most of us will never have the cash to own one of these stunning machines, there is a pristine XJ220 coming up for auction. In case there’s a One Percent of you out there that might be interested.
It will be a part of Bonham’s Zoute Sale on October 9th. The car in question is number 33 of 280 made. It has only 1,080 kilometers (671 miles) on the odometer from new, and is fully documented as a pristine original.
Under the hood, the twin-turbo 3.5-liter Cosworth V6 remains intact. The exterior wears a beautiful Burgundy paint scheme, while the interior comes coated in beige leather and plenty of 90s-era black plastic finishes.
All in all, the XJ220 remains a classic, and this example is no different. If you’re lucky enough to afford such a machine, head over to the Bonham’s Zoute Sale on October 9th, where you’ll likely be paying somewhere in the neighborhood of $310,000 – $470,000.
The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air was lightning in a bottle. Before that, the design had been shared on cars going all the way back to the 1920s, but no one took much notice until the ’57 Bel Air debuted. It became an iconic symbol of not just automotive design of the time, but of the entire era. Its hardtop, non-detachable roof that looked like a convertible, soft-top struck a chord and spread across the General Motors line into other Chevys and Cadillacs.
The Bel Air had some serious style and it’s still a car that turns heads today. The ’57 received a complete facelift including a new dashboard, sealed cowl, distinctive chrome headlights, and 14-inch wheels to replace the previous 15-inch wheels. Those wheels made the car lower to the ground and gave it a sportier stance along with a wider grille and those killer tailfins.
Despite all these cosmetic changes, sales weren’t impressive. Success came a few years later in the 1960s, when hot rodders figured out they could replace the stock 283 cu. in. V8 engine with a 327 cu. in. engine, making 365 horsepower. This left other cars in the dust.
The 1957 Chevy Bel Air went on to win 25 NASCAR convertible races (yes, that was a thing at one time), which is a record for any one car model. They might not be winning races today like they were back in the ’60s, but they’re still a highly coveted car. You can expect to pay up to 6 figures for a car that originally sold for just $1,741.
Sometimes an automaker builds a vehicle that stops you in your tracks. The supremely off-road capable Ford Raptor is one such vehicle. With 11 inches of front suspension travel and 13 in the rear, the SVT Raptor can rocket off-road at near triple-digit speeds, all the while enduring constant abuse.
But there’s a bit more depth to the one-track Raptor than meets the eye. It can also make for a pretty savvy off-road camping vehicle, and that’s exactly what this juiced-up F-150 has become. It recently Baja blitzed its way onto eBay, and it looks like a perfect antidote for the weekday blues.
Needless to say, they won’t be five star accommodations. Like many off-road campers, this Ford Raptor sports a bed-mounted camping rack with a rooftop tent in the back—keeping occupants well off the ground and out of the food chain. The rack also totes a Hi-Lift jack, series of light bars, luggage tray, tools, and jerry cans. There’s also a Mr. Hyde to this Dr. Jekyll, and that comes courtesy of a huge injection of horsepower.
Built by California’s TAG Motorsports, the custom SVT Raptor boasts a Roush Performance supercharger and intercooler, which dials up an even 590 horsepower and 590 lb.-ft. of torque—a gain of 179 hp and 156 lb.-ft. over the stock 6.2-liter V8. A Magnaflow exhaust ensures that engine can breathe easy and a upgraded ReadyLIFT suspension kit with Fox shocks gives Raptor yet another reason to take the trail least traveled.
The styling cues may not be everyone’s cup of tea, that is to say electric blue wheels, but the Ford certainly does look commanding. Its body has been doused in a layer of Line-X Body Armor protective coating. A 12,000 pound Warn winch finds a home in the front bumper. And it packs enough exterior lighting to turn night into day.
This type of setup may not be the camping vehicle alternative for the everyman (the old Raptor started at $45,000), but at least it’s an option.
The Ford GT40 is nothing short of an institution in the world of motor racing. These iconic Blue Oval racers took the fight to Ferrari at Le Mans, won the race four years on the trot in the 1960s, and proved a dominating force at circuits the world over.
Famously, the GT40 likeness has returned in recent years: first, the Ford GT of 2005 and 2006, followed by the all-new 2017 GT. But interestingly there’s more to the GT story, and it’s a tale that this car tells—a 1992 Ford GT40 Mk V Spyder. It was built as an official continuation model using the original GT40 tools, molds, and plans. It’s also said to be the lightest GT40 ever built.
The rare specimen will cross the Auctions America block at Hilton Head on October 31, and it’s expected to fetch between $300,000 and $350,000 for its GT heritage.
To call this a “replica” wouldn’t quite do it justice. The Mk V GT40 (original series ended at Mk IV) was the result of an agreement between Edsel Ford II and a group of motorsport veterans interested in bringing the storied GT back to life.
Edsel gave a nod to the project and pointed the group toward John Willment of J.W. Automotive, who had retained the GT40’s rights and much of its original tooling, plans, and new-old stock spare parts. Under the banner of associate Peter Thorp’s company, Safir Engineering, a new line of GT40s came to life, all of which bore original Ford chassis numbers.
This particular car was actually built for Thorp himself, and derived styling elements from the famous Ford GT40 X-1 that won the ’66 12 Hours of Sebring. While many of the Safir-built cars sport steel bodies, this GT is one of two to don an all aluminum body, allowing it to tip the scales at a scant 1,889 pounds.
Power for the Mk V Spyder comes courtesy of a 5.3-liter Ford V8, which shuttles 425 horsepower to the ground through a ZF five-speed gearbox, while stopping power is managed by four wheel disc brakes within period BRM knock-off wheels. All told, this car may not have been given the Shelby touch, but it’s still a jaw-dropping creation and it retains a spot in the GT40 registry.
Recently, I covered a video of the Bugatti Vision GT Concept rolling around under its own power at the end of the Frankfurt Auto Show. In the article, I stated that the engine Bugatti’s engineers fit the concept with sounded like dystopian hellfire, and that it could be the best sounding Bugatti engine ever built. Well, that statement started a bit of a row at the BoldRide office.
After much discussion among the staff, it appeared as though I needed to revisit some historic Bugattis. So, after digging through our extensive collection of vintage Bugatti galleries, I was able to determine the five best sounding cars from the company’s storied history.
Type 57G
The Bugatti Type 57G was entirely designed by Jean Bugatti, Ettore Bugatti’s son, and used a twin-cam inline-8 cylinder engine that produced 135 horsepower. It was manufactured by Bugatti from 1934-1940 and that 135 horsepower allowed the Type 57G to hit a top speed of 95 miles per hour.
Later on, the Type 57G would also get a roots-type supercharger that bumped up the power to 160 horsepower and made the car sound fantastic. However, it definitely didn’t have the presence of the next car.
EB110 SS
While almost everyone knows about the McLaren F1, there wasn’t as much fanfare for its contemporary, the Bugatti EB110 SS. The car was built during the same time period as the F1, but featured a 3.5-liter quad-turbo V12 engine, coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission.
The car made 650 horsepower and was capable of hitting 216 miles per hour. Two words describe the noise of this car, turbo whooshes. It’s not the loudest car here, but when you lift off the throttle, all you hear are the blow off valves singing like mating squirrels.
Type 59B
The Bugatti Type 59B is a sort of Franken-Bugatti if we’re being honest. Built for only one year, the Type 59B was the last of the 1930’s Bugatti racecars. The engine came out of the aforementioned Type 57, and sat on a modified Type 54 chassis. However, the engine bay was lowered to give the racecar a better center of gravity, and was modified to produce over 250 horsepower. Only eight of these beauties were ever built, and honestly, given that engine noise, I may be eating my words.
Type 35B
Where do you start with the Bugatti Type 35? It was the company’s most successful racing car, and one that has left an indelible mark on the company’s history and nameplate. The car won over a thousand races during its production run, and set 47 racing records.
It was originally introduced at the Grand Prix of Lyon in 1924, and used an overhead cam straight-eight engine, which came off the previous Type 29. The engine in this car sounds like a mix between an old school muscle car, and a 1950’s Le Mans racer. It sounds awesome…but.
Vision GT
Nope, it’s still the best, I don’t care what they say.
With the worlds focus all on Volkswagen and Dieselgate, another massive recall slipped under the radar.
This week, the NHTSA issued a statement about a defect found in 470,000 Hyundai Sonatas for an issue that could cause the motor to stall and cause an accident. According the NHTSA, metal pieces or debris could be dislodged from the engine, and “remain in the crankshaft area, restricting oil flow.”
This restriction could “result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.” The problem seems to stem from worn engine parts essentially degrading over time, and flaking off pieces of metal.
That metal is said to float around the engine oil pan and could, as stated above, collect enough to restrict the oil flow and starve the engine to the point of stalling.
Hyundai has already issued a recall on the 470,000 cars affected, and has told customers the cars can be brought to the dealers for inspection, and if necessary, the company will replace the faulty engines at no cost. The recall is only for the 2.0 liter and 2.4 liter engines that come in the Sonata.
While the NHTSA doesn’t go into what to do if your car does stall, we felt it necessary to give a brief what-to-do if you encounter this situation. While driving down the road, the NHTSA states that the faulty engine “will produce a metallic, cyclic knocking noise from the engine” and then stall out.
If the car stalls, calmly shift the car into neutral, turn the engine off, and then back on again, at that point you’ll be able to steer to the side of the road and come to a stop, reducing the risk of an accident. The key though is remaining calm.
The Volkswagen Tarek debuted at the 2002 Essen Motor Show. Its next big debut came a short time later at the 2003 Paris-Dakar Rally where it put its rally-specific design to the test.
Volkswagen designed the Tarek as a rear-wheel drive buggy with a tubular construction. It was lightweight, rigid, and easy for them to complete in a very short window of opportunity before Dakar. ItalDesign out of Italy was responsible for the design and tested the car thoroughly in Morocco. This led to the development of two additional Tareks.
Testing in North Africa put 1,864 miles on the Tarek that November with a second test in Decemeber putting on another 932 miles in testing the vehicle’s engine cooling. This extensive testing assured the Tarek was ready for racing, meeting T2 regulations. Power for the buggy came from a 1.9-liter, 4-cylinder TDI engine capable of 218 horsepower.
This paired a well-tested engine with newly developed bodywork and chassis. Given the incredibly short development time, the Tarek did quite well in Dakar with Stephane Henrard and Bobby Willis in sixth position and eighth place for Jutta Kleinschmidt and Fabrizia Pons.
The term “modern classic” seems like an oxymoron. And to certain members of the old guard of the collector car world, it might just seem plain moronic.
But time marches on, as do tastes and points of view on what a “classic” car is. Here are five that are rapidly gaining a following as modern cars that are worth collecting:
The XJS now ranks as one of the most popular cars among members of the Jaguar Club of North America and it seems like it’s finally emerging from the shadow of the E-Type.
More of a grand tourer than a sports car, the styling of the XJS is aging like a fine French red, and it comes both in convertible and coupe form with lots of chrome, wood and leather to compliment what is in actuality an understated design with roots in the late 1960s,
the golden era of GTs. XJS also has the cachet of V-12 power (although it was available as a six-cylinder as well).
2. 1992-95 Porsche 968: The 968 was the ultimate development of the car that saved Porsche in the 1980s, the 944. As such, it was the ultimate expression of the front-engine, water-cooled four-cylinder Porsche and many say is among the best driving and handling Porsches of all. In either coupe or cabriolet form, they’re quite rare and we’d be shocked if they don’t double in value in 10 years.
3. 2006-09 Cadillac XLR-V: The Cadillac XLR was Cadillac’s two-seat convertible follow-up to the Pininfarina-designed Allante of the 1980s. An altogether better-thought-out package that was based on the C5 Corvette, the XLR-V added a supercharged Northstar V-8 to the mix which gave it a sub-5-second 0-60 time. The XLR’s styling remains striking and the V is difficult to come by, with most sources listing under 2,500 produced.
The retro-styled 11th generation Ford Thunderbird is a car that should have had greater success in the marketplace as a new car, and it might have done, except for a nearly non-existent sales and marketing campaign by Ford.
The relative scarcity that resulted from Ford’s lackluster selling of the car is one of the things that makes it desirable today. They’re also quite pleasant to drive and among the most visually appealing of the late 1990s and early 2000s throwback styling phase.
Mercedes R129 SLs tend to have long lives in the marketplace. The R129’s predecessor, the R107 lasted from 1971-89 and it’s already on its way to becoming a desirable collector car.
The R129 which came with six-, eight- and twelve-cylinder engines, is still very affordable. While complex and pricey to maintain and repair, it’s tough to resist the V-12 SL600’s charms, particularly at under $15,000 for a nice one.
