It's Nice But Does It Have A Cupholder ?

In an obvious sign of the coming apocalypse, Lotus has decided to include an optional cupholoder in their recently announced Exige S Performance Pack. Obviously bowing to pressure from owners and potential owners (probably mainly American ones) Lotus, the company famed for lightweight, simple, raw sportscars, has added this to a car that is more suited for the track than the road.

The question of why is easy to answer. They obviously have heard from enough people that they feel it will make buyers happier and maybe increase sales. I don't blame them for that. The real blame lies with the people who are actually looking for such a device on such a car. I have to say that if you bought a Lotus Exige or are thinking of buying one and the thing you are not happy with is the lack of a cupholder, you've obviously got the wrong car. These are cars that demand all your attention and are all about the driving experience. Not about whether or not your big gulp can come along for the ride.

I stated that it is probably mainly American customers who are looking for this because I imagine this is one of their biggest if not the biggest market for their cars. Here in the US, more than almost anywhere else, most drivers think of cars as appliances and of driving as a necessary inconvenience that they would rather avoid if they had the choice. Most American drivers feel that they need to do something else while driving to pass the time. European manufacturers were probably the last ones to put these kind of non-driving related options in their cars because they don't get it. They don't understand our need to do other things while driving. They put them there because we demanded them and we are a huge market for their cars. Europeans seem to take their driving much more seriously than we do. Even our mainstream automotive press reinforces this since most car reviews I see in the magazines complain if a car doesn't have a good cupholder. I don't give a crap if a Lotus has a cupholder or not. The damn car is meant for driving, not a picnic!

I don't know how this happened but there are probably a number of reasons. The highway system in our country is pretty boring with it's mostly straight driving and relatively low speed limits. Driving is a necessity here in the US much more than in most parts of Europe. Population density is higher in Europe and public transportation is relied on more. The US is much more spread out requiring longer more boring interstate travel. Also, because of this the automatic transmission has become more popular here than anywhere else in the world. That in itself frees up the driver to do other things while driving because you only really need one foot and one hand to drive. The newest dangerous trend here is to send text messages via cell phone while driving. I don't know how the hell you do that at all while driving but it would be pretty much impossible while driving a manual transmission car. In fact almost anything, besides actually driving the car, would be much harder if not impossible in a manual transmission car.

Sure I've used the cupholders in my cars but if I was in the market for a track toy type of car, I wouldn't even think to ask if it had one. It's just not important and not what the car is all about. I'd probably never use it on such a car anyway. I'd be too busy enjoying the driving.

Jay Leno's Garage

Jay Leno seems like a real cool guy. Not only is he funny and talented, but he is also an absolute car fanatic. For those that don't know, Jay has a very impressive car collection and his own garage and staff that does all the maintenance and restoration/fabrication on his cars. The garage is called the Big Dog Garage.

I recently found out that he has a website dedicated to the garage at www.jaylenosgarage.com. What a great site! It has photos and histories of all the cars, motorcycles and other items in the collection. It also has a video collection, most with Jay himself giving some info on each car and usually a test drive. Really cool stuff.

I've never met the man but everything I have read seems to indicate that even though he is hugely famous, he is a really down to earth guy. I've read stories from people who have bumped into him in various places and they all say that he is just a regular guy with a passion for cars and the means to have a very impressive and unique collection. He apparently is always showing up at various car gatherings in California, not as a publicized star appearance, but rather as just a guy with a one of his cars who'll just stand around and talk to anyone who shares his interest in cars.

I really admire his passion and knowledge of cars and their history. When you see the videos on his site you immediately understand that he is genuinely excited about each car he owns. He's like kid with a new toy. Entertaining is his job, but I think that his collection is what he is really all about. I'd love to see that collection and garage first hand. It must be like Disneyland for guys like me.

Now before anyone gets the wrong idea that I have some sort of affiliation with the site or Jay, or that I'm some kind of super Jay Leno fan, let me just say that none of that is true. I can honestly say that I've never watched the Tonight Show since he took over and I was actually upset that Letterman didn't get the gig. I do think Jay is a funny and talented guy but I am most impressed by his cars and love of them. Sure other celebrities have collections like Jerry Seinfeld with his Porsches. But I doubt that Jerry gets his hands dirty and has the passion that Jay does. Maybe I'm wrong, but either way, I admire Jay and I'm jealous as hell.

Anyway, check out the site, it's pretty cool.

October 2007 Dream Car of the Month - Lamborghini Miura

In 1963 Ferruccio Lamborghini, a wealthy tractor manufacturer, went to the Ferrari factory to meet Enzo Ferrari and complain about problems with the clutch on his Ferrari 250GT. Enzo replied by telling Lamborghini that there was nothing wrong with the car and that he should go drive his tractors because he didn't know how to drive cars. Quite mad, Ferruccio went back to his factory and had the Ferrari's transmission removed to find that the clutch was from the same manufacturer he used for his tractors. He searched his parts warehouse and found an appropriate replacement and the problem was solved. Sill furious, Ferruccio Lamborghini swore that he would never buy another Ferrari and vowed to beat him at his own game by building a better sports car. Automobili Lamborghini was born.

The 1963 350GT was the first model produced by Lamborghini which was followed by the 400GT. Both sold well but the car that put them on the map as a serious sports car company was the Miura. The chassis of the Miura was shown for the first time at the 1965 Turin Motor Show where it generated a buzz and several orders even without a production body. A body was designed by Marcello Gandini from Bertone and was unveiled at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show where it became a sensation.


P400 Miura

The early cars, known as the P400, were produced between 1966 and 1969 and used the same 3.9L V12 from the previous 400GT. The 350HP engine was mounted transversely and was a single casting along with the transaxle using the same lubrication system for both. These early cars became infamous for being a fire hazard due to the use of a particular model of Weber Carburetors intended for race cars. The carbs would build up with excess fuel while idling which would ignite when the driver attempted to accelerate. Lamborghini eventually came up with a fix that was, surprisingly, adopted by Ferrari who used the same carb in one of their cars. Approximately 275 of the P400s were produced with a price tag of around $20,000.


Miura S

In November 1968, the P400S better known as the Miura S, debuted at the Turin Motor Show. There were slight changes from the original Miura which were mostly ergonomic. There was however a bump in power of 20HP thanks to larger intake manifolds, and revised camshaft profiles. About 338 Miura S models were produced between December 1968 and March 1969.


Miura SV

The final production model Miura was the P400SV. Lamborghini again revised the camshafts and changed the carburetors to add another 15HP to engine output. The SV also featured a limited slip differential which required the engine and transmission to become separate castings with independent lubrication systems. The Miura SV also had some cosmetic changes, most noticeably the wider rear fenders to cover the new 9" wide rear wheels as well as different taillights and the loss of the "eyelashes" around the headlights.


Miura SV/J

There were also a few one-off and limited production variations of the Miura produced during the life of the car. There was the P400 Jota built meeting FIA racing requirements for group J racing and as a development mule for future Miura models. This car led to customers requesting that Lamborghini produce a Jota model. They refused to take on the expense of building the new car and instead offered an upgrade to the SV which came to be known as the SV/J. Only five of these were built by the factory. Two were new chassis and three were converted SVs. One final SV/J was built in 1987 from a leftover chassis for the brother of Patrick Mimram who owned Lamborghini at the time. A one-off roadster was also built by Bertone as a show car and still exists today. An SV/J Spyder was also created and displayed at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show. The car was actually the 1971 Geneva Show car which had been converted by the Swiss Lamborghini importer.

Aside from the early fire problems, Miuras also became somewhat notorious for being unstable at high speeds. This was mainly due to the fact that the fuel tank was in the front of the car and as it emptied, the weight over the front wheels became less and less resulting in lift being generated at the front of the car at speed. The car's performance was pretty good for it's day though as the Miura was able to hit 60MPH in about 5.5 seconds and through the 1/4 mile in the low 14 second to high 13 second range. Top speed was around 179MPH.

In 2006 Lamborghini unveiled a Miura Concept which commemorated the intoduction of the original car in 1966. The concept car is a beautiful modern interpretation of the orignal design of the Miura much like the Ford GT is to the original GT40. Unfortunately, Lamborghini has indicated that they have no intention to put the car into production.


2006 Miura Concept

The Miura was the first car to be coined a "supercar" by the automotive press. In 2004, Sports Car International named the Miura number four on their list of the Top Sports Cars of All Time. Most importantly, it proved that Lamborghini could be a player in the exotic sports car market and gave Ferrari some competition.

Nissan GTR Specs and Photos Released

Nissan's new GTR is not scheduled to make it's debut until the Tokyo Auto show next week but their attempts to keep the official specs and final details a secret until then have been largely unsuccessful. Various sources have posted official photos and specs on the car within the last couple of days opening the flood gates.



The styling is a bit iffy but I'll wait for my final decision until I see one in person. The performance numbers however, are another story. What is known now is that the car will be sporting a 3.8L twin-turbo V6 making 473HP and 434TQ which will rocket the car to 60 in 3.5 seconds and through the 1/4 mile in 11.7seconds on way to a top speed of 192mph. Pretty freaking fast in other words. The car will also feature all wheel drive and a 6 speed dual-clutch automated manual like Audi's DSG transmission. Base price looks to be below $80,000. It remains to be seen if a lot of buyers will be willing to plunk down that much on a Nissan but those who know what those three letters GTR mean will want one.

Honda teasing a new CRX in Tokyo?

Honda seems to be hinting at reviving the very popular CRX at the upcoming Tokyo Auto Show where they will be displaying the CR-Z lightweight hybrid concept. Hopefully they buid it and keep it faithful to the design philosophy of the original which was one of my favorite all time cars.



Here is the article from topgear.com:

"The new Honda CR-X may finally be on the way. Over the last few years, Honda has released a bunch of dodgy design studies previewing a lightweight sports car, but with the CR-Z concept - due to be unveiled in Tokyo - it looks like finally becoming a reality.

And we approve very much. Top Gear has a big soft spot for the original CR-X, and the CR-Z is by far and away the best-looking of the Honda lightweight concepts we've seen: miles better than the Small Hybrid Sports Concept from Geneva this year and the Remix from LA in 2006.

Honda says that CR-Z stands for Compact Renaissance Zero, which is largely marketing nonsense but does indicate that the Japanese design team has gone a bit retro. That sharply angled glass hatch is straight off the CR-X, while the low, stretched stance is faithful to the original, too.

The CR-Z is powered by a three-stage i-VTEC petrol engine coupled to an IMA hybrid electric motor. Though there are no more details on the drivetrain at the moment, Honda is highlighting the CR-Z's eco-friendliness, so expect a small engine with low emissions.

Those narrow wing mirrors will expand somewhat if the CR-Z makes it to production, while the high-concept interior would be completely overhauled.
The basic proportions of the CR-Z look sensible enough, though - longer and wider than the original CR-X (though no taller), there's a proper back seat... and even those 19-inch wheels don't look too absurd.

We'll have a closer look at the CR-Z in Tokyo towards the end of this month and, if it's even half as good in flesh as in these photos, we'll be imploring Honda to build it."

September 2007 Dream Car of the Month - Porsche 959

Well since last month's car was the Ferrari 288 GTO, why not spotlight it's contemporary and arch rival the Porsche 959. The 959 was produced from 1986 to 1989. Development started in 1981 as a study of the future of the Porsche 911. It was decided within Porsche that the best way to go about developing and testing the new car would be through a racing program. They decided that Group B racing was where they would focus their efforts.

Porsche began with an existing racing engine and went from there. The racing version of the car was designated 961 and used a 2.85 liter flat 6 cylinder, twin sequential turbocharged engine. The cylinder heads were water cooled and the block was air cooled. This engine was capable of over 600HP fully tuned in the race car and was connected to an advanced all-wheel-drive system that could vary power to the front and rear wheels. The body was made of aluminum and kevlar keeping weight to a minimum. The 961 prototype made it's debut at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show and was an instant hit.


Paris-Dakar Rally Car

The 961 however never made a big impact on the racing world. The Group B road racing class switched to a rally class killing any hopes of a Ferrari 288 GTO - Porsche 961 showdown. Porsche briefly considered entering the 961 as a rally car but decided it wasn't worth it. They did however enter 959 spec 911s in the 1985 and 1986 Paris-Dakar Rally. In 1985 all three cars failed to finish but in 1986 the Porsches finished 1-2. In 1986 the 961 made its debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans finishing first in its class and 7th overall. The following year it was back but failed to finish. That was all she wrote for the 961.

Thanks to homologation rules, Porsche had to design and build a certain number of street legal cars to qualify the racing version of the car. When the Group B series folded, Porsche focused on making the most technologically advanced sports car ever. About 226 cars were built for public consumption and designated 959 which debuted at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show as a 1986 model. The major differences between the race car and the road car were that the road car had an automatic ride height adjustable suspension where the race car had a fixed suspension, the road car had hollow wheels that were sealed to the tires and contained air and a tire pressure monitoring system, and the road car "only" produced 444HP. Even so, weighing only 2917lbs, the street legal 959's performance was seriously impressive. The car could hit 60mph in 3.6 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.8 on it's way to a top speed in excess of 198MPH.



The first 959s were delayed a year and deliveries did not start until 1987 instead of 1986. The cars price was set at $225,000US but it is claimed that it cost Porsche twice that amount to actually build each car. The 959 however was never made legally available in the US due to the fact that Porsche refused to give 4 cars to the NHTSA for crash testing. Several cars did make it to the US via the "grey" market. Two such cars belonged to Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen who both had their cars sit in impound after they were shipped to the US due to them not being legal for use. Because of this Bill Gates was instrumental in helping pass the "Show and Display" law which removed the crash test requirements and only required the cars to pass emissions standards as they were when the cars were new.

The 959 influenced and paved the way for the future of Porsche's venerable 911 sports car. It started out as a design study to determine the future viability of the rear engine layout and became legendary. In 1991 the 964 model 911 became the first 911 to be available with all wheel drive, the same system used on the 959. By the 993 generation 911, Porsche decided to make all wheel drive standard on all 911 turbos. They also introduced twin turbos for the first time in the 993 turbo. The 993 was the generation of 911 most influenced by the 959 as noticed by the overall design which was very similar in appearance to the 959 and is considered by some to be the best 911 ever produced. Even the current 911 Carrera 4 and Turbos use an all wheel drive system derived from the one used in the 959. The 911's very existence to this day and foreseeable future may be thanks to the developments made in the 959 program.

Today 959s are very rare throughout the world, even more so here in the US where they were never officially sold. When they do appear on the market they command prices of around $1millionUS. I remember being a kid when they first came out and the leaps in technology and performance that they made propelled them to almost mythical status. Truly one of the greatest sports cars ever built.

Car Movie Review - "Redline"

Well, that was an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back. I know, I know I should have known it was going to be bad. In reality I did, it was in theaters for about 5 minutes and the only buzz it generated was when Eddie Griffin crashed an Enzo Ferrari during a publicity event for the movie. I just didn't expect it to be as bad as it was. In fact, it was easily one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my entire life! Let's put it this way, it made the Fast and the Furious movies look Oscar worthy. And we all know how bad they were.

Now, you would think that the movie would provide some enjoyment for a car guy like me since it features a collection of fantastic exotic cars racing around for a good part of the movie. Wrong! I did enjoy looking at the cars and if they had just made a movie showing just the cars racing around, it may have been watchable. Instead they insisted on including the really bad acting, awful dialog and all around stupid story. Again, I shouldn't have expected anything less, the movie was the brainchild of a mortgage broker/real estate developer (Daniel Sadek) not a movie producer or writer. The whole movie seemed like an attempt to show everyone how much money he has since it was well publicized that the exotic cars featured in the movie were all his own private collection. Hell, he wrote off an Enzo Ferrari as part of the publicity for the movie.

The plot of the movie involves a bunch of really rich guys illegally racing their exotic cars around against each other for money. From there it degenerates into a lame attempt at an action movie. Eddie Griffith plays Infamous, a music producer, Tim Matheson is Jerry Brecken, a movie producer or something like that, and Angus Macfayden (he was good in Braveheart!) is Michael, a mob boss type. The rest of the cast is a bunch of no-names.

If you have to watch it, rent the DVD, turn down the sound when anyone is speaking and just fast forward to the car scenes. Maybe then it will be somewhat bearable.