Look Who’s Talking: An Automotive Safety Future

Posted on Oct 27, 2015 in Technology | 1 comment

It was 50 years ago that a book authored by lawyer and public safety activist Ralph Nader caused people to observe the automobile as a risky piece of everyday life. Titled Unsafe at Any Speed, Nader’s book shined a light on various issues of vehicle safety including the rear-engined Chevrolet Corvair. Though the Corvair’s stability was actively disputed by the...

More Troubles for Honda: 2.5 Million Recalls

Posted on Oct 25, 2015 in Safety | 2 comments

Even before the terrible earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan, Honda seemed to be losing its way. I wrote a story in May of last year about that. More recently our estimable tgriffith told you about Consumer Reports’ slam of the new Civic(above)—for bad brakes and handling, a choppy ride and, yes, an inferior interior. CR rated the Civic 11th out of 12 small...

Beaten by a Winter Beater?

Posted on Oct 23, 2015 in Editorials | 1 comment

Mo writes: Sir, I’m hoping to get advice from you and/or the B&B regarding my new-to-me 2004 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport (soon to be superleggera due to rust). Included is a link to pictures I took of the underside of my car and brakes with descriptions. [Thanks for those! – SM] Questions: – First and most important: Is it even worth fixing/preventing the...

Million Dollar Dream Car Garage

Posted on Oct 18, 2015 in Antique | Comments Off on Million Dollar Dream Car Garage

“If you had a million dollars, what cars would you buy for the perfect Dream Car Garage?” Yesterday, I was asked a question by a Facebook friend. He asked “if you had 1 million dollars, what car would you buy.” Most of the responses included cars like Ferrari and Bugatti, and all included two or three cars at the most. I decided this needed some effort put into...

I fought the law… and I won – How I weaseled my way out of a (probably well-deserved) speeding ticket

Posted on Oct 6, 2015 in Featured | 2 comments

This didn’t happen. Not this time, anyway. It was the perfect mix of conditions: a dark, clear night; a miles-long straight shot of divided four-lane unimpeded by development; light but pokey traffic; a clearly marked 55-mile-an-hour speed limit; my mind on other things. Traffic going 59 in the left (but clearly not the fast) lane meant I juked right,...

Lutz Loses Cadillac CTS Challenge, May Win Buyers

Posted on Oct 3, 2015 in Racing | 2 comments

In a shrewd marketing ploy, Maximum Bob Lutz, GM’s noisy vice chairman, challenged all comers (driving comparable four-door sedans) to beat him in a race at the Monticello track in the Catskills. The race was yesterday, and Lutz came in seventh, behind a bunch of other CTS-Vs (driven by GM engineers and a couple of professional drivers) and aBMW M3, driven by a...

Volkswagen presents the Golf R 400 concept

Posted on Oct 1, 2015 in Concept | Comments Off on Volkswagen presents the Golf R 400 concept

Volkswagen pulled the wraps off a high-performance concept model based on the current Golf hatchback. The Volkswagen Golf R 400 concept, unveiled at Beijing, packs a massive 2.0-liter turbocharged engine producing 400 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque. Linked to a six-speed DSG gearbox, the 0-100 km/h sprint is possible in 3,9 seconds with a top speed of 280...