Showcases of various cars for various purposes.
Tesla’s Model S gets tested properly… as a car. They ask the question of, “Is it fun?”, and they compare it to the Mercedes E63 as a rival. Oh, and before you scoff at the 416hp figure, just know that the motors are hooked up directly to the wheels so there is no drivetrain loss. This means this car is comparable to petrol cars in the 500hp range. Have an open mind, this may be the future.
-Nick
Drive/Jalopnik’s Mike Spinelli takes us up close with the new Mclaren MP4-12C Spider in Spain. Lots to learn here about this fascinating car and company.
-Nick
Chris Harris once again getting paid to do something fun for Drive that most of us would all happily do for free (not to undermine him in any way). Enjoy.
-Nick
A very well edited Mclaren video from Brazil
-Nick
Happy Friday everyone! It has been quite a busy week, and we are looking forward to some events this weekend. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to do much writing in the past few days because of this, so there won’t be a review this week.
Have a great weekend.
-Nick
Drive’s J.F. Musial goes to Fisker Automotive in California to try out the Karma, and get some fantastic insights from company founder, Henrik Fisker. Listen to what he says because he is absolutely right about the future of cars, and the need for something like the Karma to keep our roads interesting. Not to get all political, but Mitt Romney said Fisker was a failure, and seeing this I would have to ardently disagree. Enjoy.
As much as I agree that car reviews from the passenger seat suck, and I generally refuse to do them, there are some cases where you take what you can get. This would be one of them, given how much buzz there is around the Porsche 918 at the moment. This video sheds a lot of light on Porsche’s new hypercar, and turn up your speakers for the part where they kick it out of “electric mode” because they engine is pure savagery.
On another note though, they do say this car will weigh 1700kg (3700lbs). While I absolutely trust Porsche in everything they are doing, there is a bit of me that has to look back at the Carrera GT with a sort of somber admiration for its comparative simplicity. It was a light car with a glorious engine, and a clutch pedal of all things; the epitome of a pure Porsche supercar? The 918 is awesome, but seems so complex by comparison. We will see if that is a good thing, and I have high hopes, but the V10 will be tough to beat.
-Nick Walker
Some things just need to be reposted when I see them, and this is one of those. Yet another truly epic video from the folks at Drive. The cars Chris normally tests are incredible, but this Porsche 962 is straight up Biblical. Keep it up, we all love it!
-Nick
Chris Harris tests the Mercedes CLS 63 Shooting Brake for Drive. He makes a very good point on how this car is a niche within a niche, and how the market is moving that way overall. Enjoy.
-Nick
The Miura Jota is one of those unicorn cars, one that everyone who knows about it wants, but that none will ever have. The Jota is a legend because it was the most extreme example of Lamborghini’s beloved Miura, the car that really put the marque on the map. The Jota has a particularly interesting story though, because its fame began with its own fiery death in 1972. The Jota had been a side project of famed Lamborghini test driver, Bob Wallace, and it was the news coverage of the car’s destruction that informed people of the project to build a faster, more racy Miura. The original Jota was damaged beyond repair, never to be rebuilt, but it did peak the interest of several Miura owners, and six Miura SVJs were created. These SVJs are probably the most valuable Lamborghinis around at this point, and they carry on the legacy of their doomed predecessor.
Yet another fantastic example of what is happening to BMW, as well as an equally good example of how Porsche has maintained their identity despite being faced with the same issues.
-Nick
Car and Driver take the new SRT Viper out for a spin and share their thoughts on Chrysler’s reborn beast.
-Nick
Mind Over Motor 