All posts by ndubs77

Opinions

Pagani denied by US over child hating airbags

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Horacio Pagani and his creation, the Huayra

I am kind of heated over this. Pagani has done so much work to make the Huayra US legal, and has even put airbags in it for goodness sake. However, because these airbags are not “passenger weight sensing” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has denied the car for road use in our country. Keep in mind this is a seven figure hypercar of which only a small handful are made per year. Pagani says between 6 and 12 Huayras would have been sold to American customers per year. This is not some huge production car that will affect many people at all, and exceptions have been granted for other such “special case” cars; one of which being the Tesla Roadster which has already sold more units than the amount of Paganis in existence. Clearly if they can make an exception for Tesla then is just plain hypocritical of them not to grant a much smaller company a pass as well.

Continue reading Pagani denied by US over child hating airbags →

Opinions

VW is a Bulli

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Bulli

The original Volkswagen Bus was the icon of a generation dedicated to peace, free love, and rebellion against the establishment. The Bus served as a fitting mode of transport for such people with its unique design and usability, it served the counter culture lifestyle well. VW’s new concept, the Bulli has a similar appeal to it for modern times.    Continue reading VW is a Bulli →

Obscure Autos

Obscure Auto: Bugatti EB-110

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These days everyone knows about the Bugatti Veyron and it’s esteem as the fastest production car in the world. Fewer people know about the car that came before it, the Bugatti EB-110, that was among the fastest production cars of its time.    Continue reading Obscure Auto: Bugatti EB-110 →

Auto Idolatry

Alfa Romeo 4C, new video

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The 4c is like a mini 458 Italia. What a glorious little supercar. I just hope they don’t change much in the full production model. It will be interesting to see what happens with it, but from the looks of this video all is well.

-Nick

Cars We've Driven, Used Car Gems

Test Driven: 2006 Mazda RX8

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Mazda RX8

I have always been a bit hot and cold on the RX8. I always saw it as a downgrade from the FD generation RX7, and I thought it was underpowered, especially when compared to the likes of its competition. I had also heard it had no torque at all and needed to be pushed hard if you wanted to go anywhere at all. Everyone I had ever met who owned one loved it and swore by it as a proper driver’s car, and of course on Top Gear Jeremy Clarkson loved it as well. So, there are a lot of people who like it, but I was left wondering why. I realized the only way I could really finalize my opinion was to go out and drive an RX8, so I did.     Continue reading Test Driven: 2006 Mazda RX8 →

Opinions

Hyundai Genesis Coupe line adjustments

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Hyundai Genesis Coupe going Slidewayz

The Genesis Coupe has been a great asset to Hyundia’s recent charge up market. In its current form the 2.0T offers a solid entry-level rear wheel drive platform, and the 3.8 offers some solid competition to the Nissan Z, Camaro V6, and Mustang V6. The Genesis has proven a worthy competitor in the lower range of the sports car market for sure, now I think it is time for Hyundai to turn up the heat even more with a few changes to the Genesis Coupe line.    Continue reading Hyundai Genesis Coupe line adjustments →

Opinions

The Clutch Pedal’s Decline

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For the entire existence of the automobile, the manual transmission has been the choice for maximum performance and efficiency. It was the enthusiast’s choice because it gave the driver much more control over a car than did an automatic. The manual transmission has served the same function for around a century, but now things are changing big time.    Continue reading The Clutch Pedal’s Decline →

Obscure Autos

Obscure Auto: Schuppan 962CR

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Shuppan 962CR

This is basically a road version of the Porsche 962C that raced in Group C in the late 1980s. The Schuppan 962CR is its own chassis design based on that of the racing car, and uses many Porsche parts, but it does not bear the Porsche nameplate because it was a separate undertaking by one of their racing drivers, Vern Shuppan. In total only five or six of these magnificent supercars were built, making them some of the rarest cars on Earth. Schuppan went bankrupt due to the high cost of the cars as well as two customers failing to make payment. Such is the reality of all too many small supercar ventures.     Continue reading Obscure Auto: Schuppan 962CR →

CARS 101

Cars 101: How To Be A Ricer

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Back in 2001 there was a little film called The Fast And The Furious that came out, and for all intents and purposes, it created the ricer fad as we know it today. Ricers are all about excessive automotive expression by any means unnecessary. Letting everyone know how cool your car is because of the, mostly useless (or obnoxious), upgrades you have made is the goal. Its like being a “diet car enthusiast”; you get to act like you know your stuff and have a cool car, but without putting forth the money and effort to actually have the real thing. So at this point you may be thinking, “Wow that’s so neat, but how can I become a full fledged ricer myself?” The answer may be simpler than you’d think.    Continue reading Cars 101: How To Be A Ricer →

Cars We've Driven, Luxury Cars

Test Driven: Mini Countryman S

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Mini Countryman S

The Countryman is a big Mini, their entry into the emerging small crossover market. Honestly, for this new segment of SUV hot hatches, the Countryman is pretty much the poster child. I would be very disappointed in Mini if they didn’t have a car in this segment because it seems like it is literally tailor-made for them. All of the haters who say it is too big are comparing it to the Cooper, which is stupid because they don’t take part in the same market segment at all.    Continue reading Test Driven: Mini Countryman S →

Opinions, USER SUBMITTED

The Ferrari FF

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Ferrari FF
Recently, there was a massive amount of hype over a new model Ferrari was releasing. This car seemed to be a very different Ferrari, having all wheel drive, and, judging from the “spy shots” released by Ferrari themselves, this car seemed like it could easily compete in rally races. However, that’s all well and good as long as the car stays as a concept. After all, one could claim that although their prototype was only capable of doing 110 mph, the production version can reach the speed of light! However, the concept of this car seemed to be almost identical to the production version, and that in itself was impressive. Not only that, but the car looked astonishing. Possibly slightly inspired off the BMW Z4 coupe, Pininfarina managed to pack all the styling perfections of both the Ferrari and the BMW into one exceptional looking automobile.   Continue reading The Ferrari FF →
Opinions, USER SUBMITTED

The new Fiat 500, bombshell or bust?

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Fiat 500C
Recently, Fiat returned to the United States for the first time since 1984. They did so with their new flagship model, the 500. One might recognize the name 500 from the postwar car that, for all intents and purposes, saved the Fiat brand. This new 500, however, is bigger than its father car, sportier, and all around better. The car is fairly strict as far as factory options go. There are 3 trim levels, in ascending order, the Pop, Sport and Lounge. Each trim level has equipped its luxuries, with the Pop being more of a bare-bones car than the others. Each is a 3-door hatch, with a cabriolet version available as well. While this is all well and good, there doesn’t seem to be a real attraction to enthusiasts yet and for good reason, this car, at least from the outside looking in, is just a simple city car. In order to understand the true beauty of this car though, one must delve deeper, inside the engine bay.