Fresh Cars Reviews: 2009

In the Pits at the Ferrari Challenge

There isn’t any really any racing in this clip, but the camera man had some great access to the pits, and just getting to see the FXX and some vintage Ferrari F1 machines up close makes it worth watching. Towards the end, one of the techs gives some explanation of the FXX’s diagnostic computer, which I thought was kind of cool. Apparently, if you’re lucky enough to own one of Enzo’s old racing machines, you also wind up stuck with whatever vintage computer they were using back in the day, as they were basically hard-wired into the car. But hey, if getting to drive a Ferrari race car means having to use an ancient DOS machine, I think I could get used to it…

Mini John Cooper Works Hard Top

MINI John Cooper works engine modifications deliver 211hp and 0-62 in 6.5 seconds with the on-the-road prices at £20,500.

[Source: Mini]

2008’s most satisfying cars

Consumer Reports has just released their list of 2008’s most satisfying cars, and the results aren’t what I would have guessed!

Topping the list (for the 5th year in a row so I guess that’s not TOO surprising!) is the:

Toyota Prius!

2008-prius-hybrid-8

Ninety three percent of owners said they’d buy or lease another one.

A very close second was:

The Corvette Z06

2008z06corvette

Yes, more people would buy their Prius again than would buy their Z06 again. Still 92 percent of owners wouldn’t think twice about plunking down the cash for this American gem of a car that can beat a 911 Carerra and a Jaguar XK8 to 60.

And coming in third…

The Mini Cooper Clubman

minicooperclubman_1_440

Hey, it’s kinda like a Suburban. Only smaller. And German.

At the other end of the list is some sobering news: 20 of the 23 least satisfying vehicles were American.

At the very bottom is the Jeep Commander, preceded by the Chevy Equinox, the Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon.

Thank goodness Chevy still makes the Corvette!

What car do you drive, and would you buy it again?

-tgriffith

Infiniti Wants to Increase Its Lineup with New Models and a GT-R Based Coupe

According to Nissan's global design chief Shiro Nakamura, Infiniti is considering adding new models to its lineup that will stray from Infiniti's current image. A new small car, a large "people mover", a GT-R based coupe and new smaller engines are reportedly in the works.

Such a deal: Ten 300-hp used cars under $10K

Filed under: Car Buying, Time Warp, Etc.

300 horsepower. Not too long ago, that was a number to brag about. Nowadays, minivans edge close to that number, making 500 or even 600 horsepower the new 300. While the proliferation of big horsepower might scare the beejeezus out of average drivers, car lovers see it as an opportunity to get a musclebound automobile at a fire sale price. If you've got a need to have the latest, best stuff, then the idea of picking up 300 still-exciting horsepower under the hood of something interesting from the last two decades might not do it for you, but the idea that you can get 300 horsepower for less money than an Aveo has a real appeal to us. Next Autos has whipped up a list of what they think are some of the better options in the sub-10K marketplace that pack the magic triple-hundred rating. We agree with some of the picks, one we've even singled out in the past as a Future Classic, but as is the case with any list, opinions will vary. One thing to bear in mind when contemplating the purchase of some of these cars is that while the price of entry might be pleasant, service costs can add up to monumental sums. Not that maintenance costs would stop us from being suckers for the roar of enraged pistons and the firm shove of hundreds of horsepower. Hit the link to see if the list is right on or full of beans.

[Source: Next Autos/Winding Road, Photo: Edmunds]

Such a deal: Ten 300-hp used cars under $10K originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LA 2008: Jerry Seinfeld's sublime Porsche 550 Spyder

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Time Warp, Porsche, Celebrities

Click above for a high-res gallery of Seinfeld's '54 Porsche 550 Spyder

Alongside the facelifted Cayman and Boxster, Porsche brought this gorgeous 1955 550 RS Spyder owned by none other than car nut Jerry Seinfeld. While we love the silver in which we usually see this car painted, the light blue really makes it stand out. The 550 Spyder holds a special place in the hearts of Porsche fans, giving the make its first overall win back in the 1956 Targa Florio. Just 70 examples were produced, making it one of the most valuable Porsches, as well. Power comes from a 1.5L air-cooled aluminum flat-4 producing 110 horsepower and 88.5 lb-ft torque. That might not sound like much, but the motor only had to push around a mere 1,213 lbs. Check out the gallery of high resolution photos below for more proof that Jerry Seinfeld has good taste in cars.

Gallery: LA 2008: Jerry Seinfeld's 1955 Porsche 550 RS Spyder

LA 2008: Jerry Seinfeld's sublime Porsche 550 Spyder originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Momentum Race Group to run Camaros in KONI Challenge

Posted by Autoblog

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet

Momentum Race Group Chevrolet Camaro – Click above for a high-res image gallery

It might be late, but it’s better than never. The Chevrolet Camaro is set to battle the Ford Mustang and the…

The Next Ford Fusion and Ford Focus Will be Global Cars...Finally!!

Ford CEO, Allan Mulally has announced that the next generation small and midsize cars from the Blue Oval will be global cars. This means that models like the Ford Focus, which differs from the model in Europe will finally be the same car.

2008 Saturn Astra Will Start at $15,995...Better than the Old Saturn Ion?

The Saturn Astra is one of more of the exciting new GM models that is going to be offered for 2008. Basically because the Astra that we will get here is essentially the same as the Opel Astra sold in Europe. The Opel Astra is one of the most popular small car in Europe.

Commenter Of The Day: Sarah Palin Edition [Commenter Of The Day]

The domestic pig has been an integral part of human civilization for over 10,000 years. While its primary use has been for food, pig parts have also been used to make weapons, tools and rhetorical devices. Yes, the pig has long been featured in such idioms as the Biblical "pearls before swine," "a pig in a poke" and "pig's ear." The indispensable 1796 tome The Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue notes that a "hog in armour" refers to an "awkward or mean looking man or woman, finely dressed." Wearing armor, however, is frowned upon today and the expression has evolved to "lipstick on a pig;" in both cases, the idea is that adding superficial upgrades to a poor product is ultimately futile. When we asked you today to list the worst automotive design features of all time, LamerX responded in classic lipstick-on-a-pig fashion:

Fake chrome kills me. You know, the chrome strips embedded in the door panels in your 1982 Dodge? The ones that when you were a kid in the back seat, you'd sit back there and peel the chrome off exposing the white plastic underneath. Your parents yelling at you "QUIT PEELING THAT OFF!"

But there was nothing you could do. You'd be bored, and have nothing to do. You'd just sit there and look at that chrome hanging off, and want to pick the whole thing off to make it at least look uniform. The sweat would start building up on your brow, your fingernail reaching out. You'd wait until a couple miles up the road when your parents were focused on the road. Maybe wait until they were in traffic, and couldn't see you in the rearview.

I guess peeling that stuff up was like picking a scab. So satisfying to rip it off and expose the raw flesh underneath... Except you didn't want to eat the chrome.

Public Service Announcement: We at Jalopnik would like to remind you that we don't endorse eating anything from a 1982 Dodge. Thank you.

VIDEO: Richard Hammond’s Honda Fireblade vs… a rocket and a golf ball?

Posted by Autoblog

Filed under: Videos, Honda, Motorcycle, UK, Celebrities

Click above to watch the video after the break

We’re not fans of the term “crotch rocket” in general when referring to motorcycles, but in the case of the video embedded after the…

Index Of Effluency Bar Set Unreasonably High For Thunderhill: Peugeot 505 Turbo or Chevy Corvair? [24 Hours Of Lemons]

As we keep saying, the team that gets the most laps at a 24 Hours Of LeMons race should feel very proud of the accomplishment, checkered flag waving, all that stuff. However, the prize you really want to shoot for is the Index Of Effluency, which goes to the team that gets the furthest with the most ridiculous possible "race car." For example, the Tunachuckers Volvo Amazon was the slam-dunk IOE winner at LeMons South. It's already becoming obvious, however, that the competition for the IOE is shaping up to be a real knock-down-drag-out for the LeMons Arse Freeze-A-Palooza race coming up in December…

We've all read Armand Bengle's oft-voiced threats to bring a V12 Jaguar to Thunderhill in December, and normally you'd figure he might as well start measuring shelf space for the Index Of Effluency trophy with such a car; just run a few dozen laps before blowing up or catching on fire and that's that! But that Jag is going to have some weapons-grade IOE competition on the track!

Would you believe a mid-60s Chevrolet Corvair? With four carburetors? Yes, by the time UDMan brings his Corvair to LeMons New England, he'll have some idea of what to expect from his swingaxle-equipped racin' mo-sheen, because Team Unsafe At Any Speed is duct-taping a truly wretched-looking Corvair into shape. Two months to go! Panic! Work faster!

Fine, so the Corvair will be duking it out with the Jag, in a race to see whether the Prince Of Darkness will hose the V12's ignition system before the Corvair goes spinning backwards off the track and breaks in half due to excessive rust, with the "winner" taking home the trophy. Not so fast, monsieur! Team Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys will be out there in a turbocharged, rear-wheel-drive, high-performance European sedan that, in theory, should be able to make everything else on the track eat its Gauloises-scented dust. Theory, practice… sometimes they diverge quite a bit, and the 505 Turbo is pure Index Of Effluency gold. Will it blow up? Will some incomprehensibly French component fail in some inscrutable, unfixable manner? Will it simply disintegrate on the track after a few laps of abuse? Or will it scream to victory, thanks to its 150 horses and lightweight chassis? There's just no telling, but we're positive that this is going to be a helluva race!

Shoebox Convert

I arrived in Santa Rosa, CA late last night and am about to head to Costco to get some dogs for the open house at Vern’s. As such, I don’t have a ton of time for a post… I mean shit fellas – I’ve got a REVOLUTION to prepare for! Even so, after a quick browse of the board I found a classified ad worth mentioning.

My good buddy, Bob Bleed, is getting rid of his shoebox convertible and is only looking for a song and a dance in exchange. After reading the ad, I thought about a post I wrote a few months ago – the affordable custom. In that post, we talked about how to build a really nice custom for under twenty large… We started with a ‘56 Plymouth Fury thinking that its low initial cost would help us budget for modifications in the future. Never, in a million years, did I figure one of us could get into a shoebox ragtop for only $15k. The potential makes my head hurt.

If it were me (And hell, it just might be yet!), I’d spend the rest of the budget on perfecting the stance, shaving and cleaning up the body, and doing something simple with the grille.

What would you do given Bob’s ‘vert and $5k to finish it up?

SIA Flashback – Mr. Morrison’s Mellow Machine

While the editors of SIA surely had a sense of humor, Photoshop wasn’t around then (at least, not as we know it), and the cover date on SIA #46 was August 1978, not April, so we surmise Michael Lamm’s story on Willard Morrison’s unusual idea cars, including some twin-prow cars and his Bug of 1934, is non-fiction. One must wonder what happened to Morrison’s Bug after GM obtained it.

Jessica Michibata: Secret To Jenson Button’s Success

Formula 1 drivers are the luckiest people in the world, they drive fast cars for a living and they have the hottest women in waiting. How hot are those F1 babes? Well, they’re so hot that Jenson Button had to grab pole position with Jessica Michibata after his win at the Australian GP last March. It was rumored that Jenson had a quick lap with his girlfriend after winning in Melbourne. Jessica is a lingerie model with Japanese & Caucasian lineage. Interestingly, she has a unusual nickname of “sakana chan” which in Japanese means “fishy”. Fortunately for Jenson, she just earned the monicker because of the copious amounts of water she drinks to maintain her flawless complexion.