Autoblog

We're shooting from the hip this week for Podcast #71. Rather than prepare, we're going with gut reactions. Starting it off, we mull over the loss of the USGP from Indianapolis, and postulate on where else F1 may pop up in the US. An F1 race on the Vegas strip would be the bomb. Staying with motorsports, we marvel at how Team SARD spanked everyone extremely hard at Tokachi with a hybridized Supra GT. We're sure that racing will improve the hybrid breed at a much steeper pace than conventional powerplants. In other racing news, Dale Junior has split from Budweiser, so he'll have new livery to plaster all over his left-turn machine.

Moving on from racing, we ponder the leakage and eventual announcement of the Porsche 911 GT2. It's as unassuming as a Porsche can get, but it packs 530 horsepower and uses the rear wheels to push top speed to the 200 MPH realm, while being a docile everyday car. While Porsches always make us giddy little schoolboys, Subaru's recent model line revisions have us alternating between cheers and jeers. The good: the Legacy SUS, or whatever the heck they call their Outback sedan is kaput. The bad: so is the straight Legacy wagon. We devolve into a styling review of Subaru's new corporate language for a while before surfacing again to discuss the inanity surrounding presidential candidates and hybrid vehicles. Idiocy, 'nuff said.

On a lighter note, we discuss the rumored sequel to Disney/Pixar's "Cars." Not surprising when you consider how lucrative the tie-ins usually are. Off entertainment and on to entertaining cars, we ogle the leaked pictures of the FPV Falcon, and discuss the future plans of that platform here in the US. It does look mean, so thanks to that janitor who picked these renderings out of the trash. Our pithy cavalcade keeps rolling along, and we chew over Bob Lutz's latest comments about the future of diesel powerplants in the US. It's odd that Bob is cool on diesel just as GM is poised to roll out new oil-burners. Wrapping up, we put out the call to action again for the Reader Ride - add your pix to the Flickr pool and include details! The hour duration of Podcast #71 will give you enjoyment to and from work, enjoy!

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When FoMoCo was looking to reshape its image in March 2005, it hired a top political strategist to help it turn things around. But after only 18 months on the job, Josh Gottheimer is on his way out the door.

Gottheimer instituted the "180 degrees in 180 days" campaign to rejuvenate Ford, teaming up with his former political associate (and new boss) Mark Penn to pinpoint messages with which American customers would identify; images such as Innovation, Safety and American Heritage. Gottheimer urged Ford to move ahead with hybrid development, and, among other image-building initiatives, was behind the presentation of the special Mercury Mariner Hybrid to his former boss, President Clinton.

Gottheimer has been a senior Democratic Party operative for nearly a decade, despite his young age. He was a speechwriter and advisor in the Clinton White House, worked for former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark (coolest title ever) in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, then joined Sen. John Kerry's campaign for the White House (who could evidently still use him), and is tipped to be a key player in Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign if and when she announces her candidacy for president.

With Detroit making news by asking for funds from the federal government, Gottheimer has a unique vantage point straddling the two spheres: He insists that what American automakers are looking for from Washington is not a bail-out but crucial R&D funds that would help insure that MoTown jobs don't get sent overseas. Detroit can only hope that Gottheimer takes that message with him if and when he finds himself back in the national policymaking ring. As for the rest of us, we can only hope he keeps Hillary from reducing the speed limits again.

[Source: Detroit News Auto Insider]

President Clinton will be the first U.S. president ever to use a hybrid outfitted for presidential service thanks to Ford, who will be presenting our 42nd president with a Mercury Mariner Hybrid "Presidential Edition" at the Clinton Global Initiative conference later this month in New York City. The Mariner Hybrid has been modified to include LED interior lighting, a 110-volt outlet and a writing table. Everything else on the vehicle, including the hybrid powertrain that delivers 32 mpg in the city, is supposedly stock.

We say supposedly because most presidential vehicles are heavily modified with armor and other technologies to thwart assassination attempts. The LED interior lighting installed in Clinton's Mariner Hybrid suggests the window glass is either heavily tinted for privacy or has been replaced with a transparent armor similar to the kind used on President Bush's armored Cadillac DTS limo that's so thick it blocks natural sunlight.

Speaking of presidential vehicles, did you know that the presidential motorcade is typically 35 cars long? A lot of gas could be saved by switching that fleet over to a next generation powertrain. Follow the jump to see what vehicles follow the president when he's out on the town and in what order.

[Source: Ford]