Autoblog

Click above for our high-res ZR1 burnout gallery!

Car and Driver recently strapped its test gear to the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and, as expected, recorded some impressive numbers. All eyes have been on the supercar Vette as it enters the boxing ring to duke it out with the heavy-hitting Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, Nissan GT-R and Porsche GT2 (among others), and it looks like the latest Corvette will more than hold its own. According to C&D's trusty electronic gear, the supercharged 638-hp beast knocked off a 0-60 mph time of just 3.4 seconds as it continued towards a blistering 7.6 second 0-100 mph run. The quarter mile was cracked in 11.5 seconds @ 128 mph (Chevrolet claims 11.3 seconds, but the guys at C&D didn't believe in "...that sort of drivetrain abuse" to get lower numbers). The top speed also remains unverified as the team "ran out of room" before they could hit the claimed 205 mph. Under braking, the ZR1 set a new C&D record as it hauled itself down from 70 mph in just 142 feet. Of course, we must mention the obligatory claimed Nürburgring lap time of 7:26 (at the hands of Chevrolet). So you don't have to Google the competition's best-claimed Ring times yourself, here they are: Porsche GT2 - 7:32, Nissan GT-R - 7:29, and the Dodge Viper ACR - 7:22. Of course, we'd like to see all four on the track under identical conditions, and with some digital timing gear!

[Source: Car and Driver]

We don't get it. Saturn has done an amazing job transmogrifying itself into a productive division for The General, and people are wistful for the Saturn of yore? In internet parlance, WTF? Three years ago, it would have been apt to predict that Saturn would be nearly done circling the drain by now and well on its way to the same fate as Oldsmobile. What has in fact happened has been an impressive brand renaissance, invigorated by GM's smart utilization of its global operations. Jerry Garrett opined in the September 5th Wheels section of the New York Times that GM's realignment of Saturn amounts to quietly smothering the brand with a pillow and then swiping its identity. Saturn's communications director Kyle Johnson shot back a reply on the GM FastLane blog, and it all makes for fascinating reading.

We'd like to point out that global asset and platform sharing has been going on for decades at GM. It's really no big thing that Saturn is selling Opels. Heck, the Chevette was an Isuzu Gemini, and who can forget the final Pontiac LeMans? Platform sharing has been going on for a very long time at all of the big three, we're not sure why Saturn's excercise of the practice is such news to Jerry Garrett. Kyle Johnson delivers a pretty good dope-slap of a reply, too. It's always entertaining when the fur flies on the interweb.

[Source: GM Fastlane]

Because the first three were such highly regarded cinematic art, The Fast and The Furious franchise may expand to a fourth waste of film movie. Currently, the project is in development by Universal, and nothing for production is nailed down. Rumors will suffice in lieu of real facts, though.

The conjecture machine has characters from the first three movies coming together for another installment of vehicular hijinks. This time, the action will be set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cars will be a mix of old and new, such as a return to the 1970 Dodge Charger used in the original movie, as well as a new Camaro, a South-American Chevrolet Opala, and a Buick GNX may even make an appearance. We can hardly wait, even though we were so rapt watching "Tokyo Drift" that we can't imagine topping that particular masterpiece.

[Source: Inside Line]

A couple of years ago I was motoring down the highway at something above the speed limit, when I noticed in my rearview mirror that a Kenworth had snuck up on me. It's not easy for an 18-wheeler to sneak up on anything, but he was simply going so fast that one moment he wasn't there, and the next moment he was. The other surprising thing in the mirror, beyond that giant grill inches from my bumper, was a little sign just below the Kenworth logo that read "Move Over." Which I did. Quick smart.

Well, the "Move Over" movement isn't just for truckers anymore. It's gone mainstream with the Left Lane Drivers of America, whose mission it is "to get that left lane back!" from the slowpokes, cowpokes, and any other pokes who might be using it to do something other than pass the cars on the right. There are states where using the left lane only to pass is a law. However, like laws against jaywalking, it often, frustratingly, goes unheeded. Left Lane Drivers offers "Move Over" windshield stickers to let folks know what they need to do when you rock up behind them. It's even got an arrow so people know exactly where they're supposed to go. While we're all for anything to reduce road rage and the frustration of having to do 2 mph under the speed limit, we have a sinking feeling that some might see it as more automotive bullying and drive even worse out of spite. Maybe a "Move Over Pretty Please With A Cherry On Top" sticker could work better?

[Source: Left Lane Drivers via Winding Road]