Sometimes champions are crowned through disqualification.
Shelby SuperCars set the record for the fastest production car in the world in 2007 with its Ultimate Aero on a public highway in Washington. On that historic run, the car hit an impressive top speed of 256.14 mph. The Ultimate Aero kept the title for 3 years, when a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport achieved a top speed of 267.8 mph.
Just this week, though, a discovery has brought down the mighty Veyron and, by default, gave the record back to SSC.
There’s a third player in the game now, too, which isn’t going to sit idly by and let its attempt at the speed record go unnoticed.
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Last Fall I was walking through the streets of Seattle with a friend when a parked car caught her eye. She turned her head as we passed the low-slung sports car and said, “What… is that?”
It was a Maserati GranTurismo, arguably one of the most beautiful cars on the planet. We don’t see a lot of exotics in our neck of the woods, so the Trident-branded beauty stood out to us both. There’s just something about a Maserati that demands attention. It’s an understated, elegant exotic that quietly seduces the senses. Well, until the engine turns on. The slow burble of the V8 can turn into a cacophony of roars and pops that’ll leave you wondering what in your life has gone so terribly wrong as to not have one of these in your garage.
By unveiling the new Ghibli sedan, Maserati hopes to drive more of us rectify the problem of not having a Maserati.
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Have you ever heard of the Wuling Sunshine?
Neither had I. The Sunshine is a minivan built and sold in China by Wuling Motors, which is actually a partner with General Motors. According to the automaker’s website, the Sunshine boasts a “user-friendly handling mechanism,” a “reliable braking system” and “comfortable interior decorations.” I’m sure the rest of the car is top-notch as well. I don’t know about you, but I’m left wondering where to sign! That bit about the reliable braking system sold me, because that’s just not something we see enough of these days.
Sarcasm aside, you might find yourself wondering why I’ve spent the first hundred words or so of this blog talking about such an obscure vehicle. Certainly it’s not the best selling car in the world, right?
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Think back to the year 2000, if you will.
Panic about the impending clock change had just passed, Pepsi Twist was the hot new soda, “Gladiator” was the big blockbuster, and nobody bought Cadillacs.
Well, nobody cool or even remotely young bought Cadillacs, anyway.
The Wreath and Shield brand was relegated almost entirely to the retired crowd without a lot of hope for a future turnaround. Today, 13 years later, there’s been a massive shift, as Cadillac has started tearing up showroom floors almost as fast as it finishes hot laps around the Nurburgring.
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There’s always some kind of magical new solution to power our cars being passed around the Internet. I’ve read about ways to convert your car to run on water, listened to pitches on computer chips that claim to increase fuel efficiency, even wondered if someone would try to remove the floor to achieve a Fintstones effect. Rumors fly, and the idea of a cheap but effective way to save on gas is a huge draw for just about every person living in the developed world.
So when I saw a video making the rounds on Facebook about a new air-powered car, my suspicions got the best of me. I watched the video.
The concept makes sense and, according to the video, there are working prototypes built. The car could sell for $15,000 and run on nothing but compressed air while emitting perfectly clean air. Is this another case of too-good-to-be-true wishful thinking?
Probably.
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Let’s face it, gearheads are very sensitive people when it comes to cars. Whether it’s a preferred maker, type of oil or tire, opinions abound and arguments fly when it comes to the auto industry and its faithful followers. When I hear someone proselytizing a certain oil weight and viscosity, I often ask myself, “Where is this passion coming from?” Have you ever seized an engine with the oil you’re currently portraying to be the asbestos of the auto industry? No, you probably just found a coupon for the synthetic that’s currently in your engine, and because it’s 5W less than what the manual recommends, you’ve now figured out the meaning of life.
Really want to piss off the ornery oil objector? Ask that person about what they think of the new Dodge Dart compared to what it used to be. Watch out, you might start a fire. The auto industry is all about comparisons and fortunately, we as car fans love to weigh in. With so many classics seeing a resurgence in recent years, it’s only fair that we bring this debate into an open forum and watch the sparks fly.
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If everything in life happens for a reason, I can only assume there’s a lesson on organization in losing one’s car keys.
There was a time when losing keys wasn’t that big a deal. A copy of a copied spare could be made for about $1.50, and life would get back to normal. Even if no spares were around, a locksmith could whip up a replacement in no time flat, or a new lock and/or ignition could be picked up at the local auto parts store and installed in an afternoon.
Losing keys to a vehicle made in the last decade, though, spells real trouble. Real expensive trouble!
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I’ve been a card-carrying member of the diesel fan club for many years. The benefits of longevity and fuel economy speak for themselves, but the advancement of gasoline engines has significantly narrowed the gap in recent years.
The average cost of diesel fuel remains well above that of regular unleaded, and diesel cars typically cost much more than the same model powered by a gasoline engine. So have oil burners lost their edge? Chrysler doesn’t think so, as its turbodiesel V6 could start showing up in more models.
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Tesla hasn’t done much that’s conventional in the car business. Just being successful as an independent U.S. automaker is unconventional enough, but the feisty maker of sexy electric cars has shunned the traditional dealer network and, now, debuted a whole new way to finance a Model S.
Well, mostly new. It’s essentially a lease. And a purchase, but with all kinds of asterisks and “true cost of ownership” numbers involved. But is the new financing program truly revolutionary, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has suggested?
Well, yeah, the idea actually is. Don’t expect to drive a new Tesla for dirt cheap (not even close), but Tesla’s new financing plan should pique the interest of more than a few potential buyers.
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Could a Hyundai/Kia pickup look like this?
News sources on April 1 are sort of a “read at your own risk” venture. That’s especially true in the auto industry, with plenty of blogs and automakers announcing far-fetched new products or “confirming” long-held rumors.
Yesterday, Volkswagen announced a supercar, Subaru confirmed just about every rumor about the BRZ, CarGurus announced that jaded teens will do your car shopping via text and Honda’s new vacuum now cuts hair, too. Good stuff!
So hearing about a Hyundai pickup, on the first of April, is something to be taken lightly. Except the news source is exceptionally credible, and now, it’s being reported on April 2, too. Yes, it seems a Hyundai truck has become a definite maybe.
And that’s not necessarily a good thing.
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