Category Archives: Opinions

Discussion of matters in the automotive industry and in car culture. Our opinions on what is going on, manufacturer’s products, etc

CARS 101

How Fast Is “Fast?”

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Porsche 918 Spyder Performance Specs
One of the fastest accelerating production cars on Earth.

I remember seeing an episode of Doctor Phil (don’t ask why) where he was scolding a kid for street racing. I remember the distinct moment where, in an excessively appalled tone, he said, “You went 100mph?!!!!” And my immediate reaction was that if I had a nickel for every time I’d done over 100mph, I’d be well on my way to saving up for a Ferrari.

The truth is that 100mph just isn’t all that fast, especially these days when every new car on sale can do it. Hell, even V6 Camrys and Accords are now pushing on the 300hp mark, and could surely top 140mph with any limiters removed. Those are just normal everyday cars, though, in a supercar, like a Lamborghini, 100mph comes in 2nd gear.

This begs the question of what “fast” really is. The answer will be entirely subjective, but let’s see if we can find some reasonable middle ground to define it.

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Opinions

The Hellcat Challenger is here! Fathers, hide your daughters.

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Dodge Challenger Hellcat 1

It’s America’s birthday this week, and to celebrate Chrysler has released the glorious details on their new 6.2L supercharged Hellcat V8 engine. Commies run for cover! 

In a stroke of PR genius, their previous release had said that the new engine would produce “at least 600hp,” but when they announced the real number it was a massive 707hp! This comes as a massively pleasant surprise from Chrysler as their product line has been a bit lacking in recent years compared to rivals from Ford and GM. But just as we thought the horsepower wars might be tapering off for a while, as focus turns to lighter weight, Chrysler launches their long-awaited counter-offensive, and it’s about damn time!

Continue reading The Hellcat Challenger is here! Fathers, hide your daughters. →

CARS 101

Mind Over Motor Modification Guides

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Modified Mazda Miata Supercharged BMW M3s

Every type of car has an aftermarket where you can customize your car and make it faster. When searching around for a new car to buy, many enthusiasts spend a lot of time digging through online forums to learn about what can be gotten out of each type of car with performance modifications. Online forums often provide a thorough, if cluttered and confusing, picture of what can be done to each type of car, and it often takes hours of digging to find it.

This is why we want to make some general modification guides for our readers that are quick and easy to understand. We won’t be going through every single possibility that you might find on the forums, no, this will just leave readers with a good idea of what to expect in a short amount of time. For any extremely specific concerns, the forums are still the best place to go.

We also aren’t going to go into too much detail on everything that is possible to do to a car with an outrageous amount of money because at that point, your imagination is the only limitation. Hell, you could make a Toyota Prius run a 10 second 1/4 mile if you had the money to spend, and the desire to do so.

What we are going to do is try and illustrate what can be done to a variety of different cars for a few thousand, or even a few hundred, dollars. Most people aren’t interested in doubling or trippling the cost of their car with modifications, but many people are interested in what they can get for a couple extra grand. These days, everyone seems to be doing at least some modifications to their cars, so, in many cases, the modification potential may be just as big of a selling point as anything else about a car.

We’ve already posted our Subaru WRX STi modification guide, but there are many more to come in the future. Let us know in the comments what cars you’d like to see us do modification guides for!

-Nick

CARS 101

Subaru WRX STI Modification Guide

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Modified 2004 Subaru WRX STI

The Subaru WRX STi is a fantastic package with solid Brembo brakes, a high-performance suspension, and around 300 turbocharged horsepower being put to the ground with pure all-wheel-drive traction. It is a deadly back road weapon as-is, but there is a lot of room for improvement should you want to take your rally car the the next level.

While better tires will improve any car, overall, the STi is already very well set up for handling and braking. To raise the excitement level, you can just dive right into adding horsepower.

This post is meant to be a generic, easy to understand guide for anyone who is looking into modifying a Subaru STi. We hope this will help save people the hassle of having to dig through online forums just to find the basic information. Look for more modification guides for other types of cars in the future.

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Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1982 VAZ 21033 at the 2014 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance

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VAZ 21033 Front Right

In 1982, the vast majority of the USSR’s general population didn’t own a car.  An automobile was considered a genuine luxury thanks to the high cost and the waiting lists.  I’m not talking about waiting lists for something like a Mercedes, Porsche, or perhaps even a Cadillac.  I’m talking about a waiting list for just a car that one could drive to work every day.

Into this void steps this 1982 VAZ 21033.  This is a car that cost almost 5 times an average factory worker’s salary in 1982.  It can count among its features a radio (optional and very expensive to buy), an overhead valve engine, thick metal in the fenders, and even a hand starter to make sure the car would start up during Russia’s genuinely fearful winters. The VAZ wasn’t a particularly glamorous car, but this particular one has a great history. It was originally won for 1 ruble in a lottery in 1982, then spent the next thirty years under wraps, until the owner’s grandmother purchased it and helped ship it to the United States, where it lives today.

The owner, Roman, is very proud of his work (he restored this car himself) and his hard work paid off on Concours Sunday at Greenwich, when the little VAZ-21033 won the Best Special Interest Car award, beating out a Russian Volga, a rather straight Volvo 262C, and a very clean 1984 Toyota Supra. Congratulations on your award, Roman–the VAZ looked excellent in the strong June sun. Enjoy the photos.
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Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1949 Chrysler Town and Country at the New Hope Auto Show

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Chrysler TC Convertible Front Right Angle

In 1949, Chrysler redesigned their entire lineup for the first time since the end of World War II. The postwar era was officially in full swing, but the Town and Country would continue to sell for a few more years despite its existence as one of the last wood-bodied cars that the Big Three would sell. This was the second to last year for the Town and Country, and the sales proved that buyers weren’t swayed by its attractive wood panels since the price tag was rather high. In fact, only 993 convertibles were built last year.

List price for this car was $3,765 in 1949, which translates to a new price of just about 40 grand today. They’re worth far more than that–in fact, one sold at a Christie’s auction a few years ago for over $150,000. Someone was kind enough to bring one of these 1949 models to the New Hope Car Show last summer and I took some time out at the end of the show to photograph this green one, which is still the only 1949 model I’ve ever seen. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1949 Chrysler Town and Country at the New Hope Auto Show →

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

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1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Front Left

Cadillac was pretty bold back in the 1950s. They started the craze with tail fins in 1947 and didn’t eliminate them until 1964, years after the competition. They had the mainstream luxury car market in the palm of their hands, with only Lincoln as a volume competitor (Imperial was there but sold in far fewer numbers at the time).  Even though the glory days were to fade in the future, they were still the “Standard of the World.”

They were also fully intent on capturing the ultra-luxury market in that decade by making an ultra-sumptuous sedan based off of the new Eldorado. The Eldorado Brougham was only produced until 1960 and was a genuinely expensive car when new–in fact, it cost over $13,000, more than twice the price of the Eldorado hardtop coupe and more than the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud at the time.  It had a number of never-before-seen features at the time for a General Motors product. They came fully loaded, with superb paint, interior equipment like a full set of shot glasses, tissue and cigarette dispenser (try finding one of those on a Rolls-Royce today), perfume, air conditioning, memory seats (ahead of its time in 1957), a stainless-steel finished roof, a choice of 40-plus interior colors, and a twin-quad V8. These were all hand-built–General Motors, unsurprisingly, lost money on every single one sold.

Despite the fact that it’s a Cadillac, the high price, rarity, and over-the-top equipment standard reminds me of the recently-departed Maybach.  Only 400 of these were built in 1957 and they are a very rare sight today. Seeing one is a thrill for a Fifties Cadillac nut like myself and I was not expecting to see one at a Concours, no less Amelia Island. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance →

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1934 Rolls Royce Streamline Saloon at Pebble Beach

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Rolls Royce Phantom II Streamline Saloon at Pebble Beach

Back in 1934, this Rolls Royce Phantom II Streamline Saloon was the pride of Park Ward at the Olympia Motor Show in London. The car was a one-off that showcased a much more flamboyant design style, and it helped to cement Park Ward’s reputation as the premier coach builder for Rolls Royce motorcars.

An immaculate full restoration from 40 years of neglect in a barn, the Streamline Saloon took the award for third place in the Pre-War Rolls Royce class at last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This car is known in restoration circles as “The Raccoon Rolls” because it was the home for a family of Raccoons during its four decades in the barn. In an interview with USA Today, the owner said that 80lbs of “refuse” was removed from the car prior to the onset of its restoration. So it went from raccoon den to Pebble Beach award-winner in the span of ten years, quite a story.

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Car Shows, Opinions

Lamborghini Huracán at Amelia Island

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Lamborghini Huracan at Amelia Island

Lamborghini only replaces each of its models about every ten years or so. Back in 2011, we were introduced to the Aventador, the V12 replacement for the flagship Murciélago. Now, here in 2014, Lamborghini has finally decided to replace their “baby” supercar model, the Gallardo. Meet the new Lamborghini Huracán, a V10-powered “baby Lambo” with large fangs and a major teething problem.

The world has gone crazy during the Gallardo’s tenure. Back in 2004, when the Gallardo first came out, the Ferrari 360 was still the supercar standard of the day with a respectable 400hp. The Gallardo upped the ante to 500hp, which seemed insane at the time. Now, in 2014, the Huracán brings 600hp to the table, more than the original Murcielago, but it only manages to sit in the middle of the current supercar pack. This may be a 200mph supercar, but in terms of horsepower alone, it’s a B student at best.

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Opinions

VW, we beseech thee, give us the Golf TDI Sportwagen 4Motion!

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Golf Sportwagen TDI 1

This may well be the perfect daily driver. It’s got wagon practicality, all-wheel drive safety and control, the wonderful fuel economy of a diesel engine, and the driving enjoyment of a manual gearbox. This is the new Volkswagen Golf TDI Sportwagen 4Motion, but the one you see here is just a “concept.” That means the corporate big-wigs may water it down quite a bit before it reaches showrooms, which would be most unfortunate.

The biggest question mark is the 4Motion all-wheel drive, a feature that is worth its weight in gold for those of us living in places where it snows. The bean-counters at VW may not think that enough units will be sold to justify offering 4Motion as an option, so they put this “concept” together to gauge if us Americans would be interested.  

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Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1967 Sabra at the 2013 Scarsdale Concours

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Sabra Front

Here’s some news for you.  At one point Israel had a short stint building cars.  No, not tanks or army Jeeps.  They had a little sports car they could call their very own.  This car, shown here at the Scarsdale Concours last fall, is called the Sabra.  This is a 1967 model.  The Sabra was named because the colloquial meaning of the phrase in Hebrew is “born in Israel” and the cactus logo is known as the “sabra”.  Israel manufactured another car before this known as the Sussita–Yitzhak Shubinksy requested Reliant Auto produce a small sports car (yes, the same Reliant Auto that produced the hilariously incompetent Reliant Robin and Reliant Regal), which they did in a scant 9 months’ time.  Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in 1967, production was cut short.  A total of just 171 were made during its life, and a scant 41 made it to the United States.  The owner was gracious enough to show it at the Scarsdale Concours this past fall.  While it isn’t the prettiest car in the world (far from it), it is certainly unique and drew a solid crowd of its own that afternoon.  Enjoy the pictures. Continue reading 1967 Sabra at the 2013 Scarsdale Concours →

Opinions

The case for the diesel sports car

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Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid
Le Mans winning #1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid. Photo courtesy of www.emotorsportnews.com

For the last eight years in a row, a car with a diesel engine has won the 24 Hours of LeMans. Seven of those eight victories belong to Audi, and Audi is a part of the larger Volkswagen group that has brought us such supercar marvels as the Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Aventador, and most recently, the Porsche 918 Spyder. If supercars are supposed to be “race cars for the road” then it is high time for VW to set the precedent for true oil-burning supercars and sports cars. 

As it turns out, they’ve already come damn close a couple of times. The first one came in 2008 in form of an Audi R8 with a 5.9L Turbo-Diesel V12 under the hood. The second was a promisingly realistic diesel Boxster with a VW badge called the “Concept BlueSport.” In both cases demand was deemed to be too low, and the timing also happened to coincide with the global economic downturn. I agree that the climate was probably wrong for both models at their respective debuts, but having said that, the world has changed a lot in the last few years.

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