Recent Comments:
Jeep's second SEMA Concept: the Wrangler Ultimate {Autoblog}
May 22nd 2007 5:07PM The "Ultimate" Wrangler has an automatic? Hmm..maybe this isn't the best name for the concept.
Preview sketch of the next G35 coupe {Autoblog}
Jan 10th 2007 10:20PM "Infiniti is not a luxury division. Just look at their sorry interiors."
What's the last one you were in? If you see the M or new G35 Sedan, you'll change your mind.
MG now known as Modern Gentleman {Autoblog}
Jan 10th 2007 10:15PM Sounds a little like Engrish to me. Make good cars, and I won't give a rat's ass what you claim MG stands for. Oh, and keep Modern Gentlemen far away for advertising and PR materials...
Automobile gets a 6-speed M5. Better, but not great. {Autoblog}
Jan 2nd 2007 8:51AM "9. Manual transmission car's don't have traction control. Well not the computer traction control more like human traction control."
Incorrect. MT cars often have the same electronic traction and stability control systems as automatics. The systems generally use the throttle and brakes, so they can operate on any trans type.
RR of the Day - 1986 Mustang SVO {Autoblog}
Dec 4th 2006 1:28PM Merkur XR4Ti was a version of the Ford Sierra. I think the closest Sierra model was the XR4i, though there was a Cosworth version at one time, too.
Anteros XTR and XTR Targa debuting at SEMA {Autoblog}
Oct 16th 2006 5:39PM Did Shimano approve the use of XTR for the name?
Gallery: Crystal Cove car meet 9-30-06 {Autoblog}
Oct 2nd 2006 10:41AM I only went a few times, but I miss that and Donut Derelicts! Nashville just doesn't have comparable events (yet).
High gas prices crippling European growth {Autoblog}
May 1st 2006 2:15PM "Why aren't we using rail for shipping?"
We are, but can you imagine a world with rail access to every grocery store, car dealer, appliance store...well, basically every retail entity? Perhaps more rail could be used in leiu of some of teh "cross-country" trucking, but you can't really use it as a repalcement for all the in-city transport, and that's a lot of what you see.
Also, I doubt the current rail system would support replacing all current cross-country trucking; so you'd need more railways. Many people would probably support it on a theoretical level right up until it got close to them. This would be a major NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome issue.
High gas prices crippling European growth {Autoblog}
May 1st 2006 2:09PM The gas tax isn't even the whole story. Policies vary widely by country, but cars in many places are taxed on either output (horsepower, CV, whatever you want to call it) and/or engine displacement at annual registration. So...you get taxed heavily for buying "too much car" (basically a luxury tax) and then again when buying fuel. This is an unfortunate cost of more socialistic society.
In France, for example, diesel is encouraged by the gov't, so it's cheaper per liter due to less tax. They also tax cars (at registration/renewal) on output instead of displacement. The interesting result is that torque-biased diesels offer more performance bang for the tax buck, get better range from the volume of fuel and use fuel that costs less. This is why cars like the Peugeot 206 with the 2.0L HDI powertrain and Renault's 2.2 dCI-powered small cars have been very popular. These are basically each company's "big" diesel - usually developed for larger cars - shoved into smaller cars.
Yes, it's gov't meddeling and it's much less of a free market than the US; but it's interesting that companies and consumers find creative ways to keep things fun...
New York Auto Show: 2007 Shelby Hertz GT350H intro and high-res shots {Autoblog}
Apr 17th 2006 3:04PM I like the look and the idea of another "H", but the original was actually a full-on Shelby Mustang and thus really was track-ready. This is just a mildly clapped-up GT from what I've read; so it's not really true to the concept. Regardless, they'll go to collectors at silly prices once Hertz starts selling 'em off.
