Unsalted: Bonneville Speed Week canceled for second year straight

Posted on Apr 2, 2019 in Featured | 2 comments

The day when we will no longer see sanctioned racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats may soon be at hand after the Southern California Timing Association decided on Monday to cancel the Bonneville Speed Week for the second year in a row. The announcement came after weeks of speculation and multiple visits to the salt flats by SCTA and Bureau of Land Management...

A Fast-Moving Electric Car Future with DC Fast Charging

Posted on Mar 7, 2019 in Technology | 2 comments

A sign of emerging technology and a push to minimizing the environmental impact of automobiles has led to the sizable production of electric or electrified vehicles becoming a reality. Dismissed for a long time, cars using battery-backed propulsion are being inundated into a world where a well-performing counterpart (the internal combustion engine) has existed...

Car Pranks: The Good, the Bad and the NFL Rookie

Posted on Mar 5, 2019 in Safety | 5 comments

A car prank can be either one of the funniest things to do to a friend or one of the meanest and most expensive. When pranks are done right, they might cause a small inconvenience, but in the end, everyone laughs, and the only people out any money are the ones who committed the prank. Hopefully the cost isn’t any more than the price of a few rolls of plastic...

Open Diff: What’s your automotive obsession?

Posted on Mar 3, 2019 in Featured | 2 comments

1982 Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition brochure. There are cars that are easy to love, at least under the right circumstances. On a sunny day, with the top down, few automobiles are as enjoyable as a light and nimble convertible; in knee-deep snow, a capable SUV can deliver peace of mind (and occasionally, too much confidence); and when one just has to...

Ugly is Forever

Posted on Feb 23, 2019 in Antique | Comments Off on Ugly is Forever

Beauty is fleeting, Ugly is forever – Anonymous Once again, the team at Chris On Cars has gathered a group of regular car buyers and gave them the task of creating a list of the ugliest cars ever sold in the US. Our experts included people from all social groups, starting with a local used car salesman, an elderly nursing home patient named Ruth, a teen mall...

The “King of the Hill,” the 1990 Corvette ZR-1, marks its 25th anniversary

Posted on Feb 20, 2019 in Featured | 1 comment

1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1. Photos courtesy General Motors LLC, unless otherwise noted. In late 1987, rumors of an all-new, high performance Corvette built upon the fourth generation platform began circulating among the automotive press. Dubbed the “King of the Hill,” the secretive supercar was said to be a world-beater, and in March of 1989, GM debuted its...

1980 Toyota Corolla Station Wagon

Posted on Feb 17, 2019 in Editorials | 2 comments

The fourth-generation Corolla was a gigantic sales success in California, but you won’t see many of these TE72 wagons even in rust-free regions these days; nearly all of them were driven into the ground and replaced by RAV4s or Priuses a decade or two back. Since we had wagon Junkyard Finds on Monday and Wednesday, let’s make this a Junkyard Wagon Week with...

“Avanti!” She Cried

Posted on Feb 17, 2019 in Editorials | 1 comment

(From “HW” comes a tale of a Corvette, a hot-blooded Alfa Veloce, and a young Italian wife with romance on her mind.) Sam, a good friend of mine, had lusted after a particular 1965 Corvette Stingray, and had somehow finally acquired the object of his desires. However, the cost of putting on 23 coats of a gorgeous, dark, lipstick red paint and clear coat, of...

Falling Cars, Falling Records and Falling Snow Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Posted on Feb 10, 2019 in Safety | 3 comments

I’ve driven the Pikes Peak hill climb. Okay, maybe not the Hill Climb, in capital letters, like the one that took place on the Colorado mountain this weekend, but I’ve driven up Pikes Peak for an entirely separate occasion. It took me a good 30 minutes to negotiate the switchbacks, curves, dirt sections of road and harrowing vistas of road ending in sky. That...

Porsche 918 Coupe Design Still a Detroit Surprise

Posted on Feb 9, 2019 in Racing | Comments Off on Porsche 918 Coupe Design Still a Detroit Surprise

*UPDATE: The Porsche 918 RSR has now appeared in concept form on the stand at Detroit (above) and, as we suggested, it’s different from the renderings—and better. The car is indeed a hybrid, taking its power from a flywheel-based system like the GT3 R Hybrid uses. Short bursts (up to 7 seconds) provide 767 hp. There is also a good deal of Porsche’s great 917...

Mind-Boggling Future Car Tech That Can Really Make a Difference

Posted on Jan 21, 2019 in Safety | 2 comments

I like in-car technology. To a point. I can’t live without heated seats, air conditioning and a pumping audio system, but back-up cameras, internet connectivity and touchscreens are all beyond the realm of necessity in my book. With each new model year, there are new techno bits placed in our cars that are meant to entertain and inform us, but usually just end...

Of Cost and Axle Differentials?

Posted on Jan 18, 2019 in Editorials | 1 comment

Sajeev, We have three cars in our household that see regularly use, but we are considering going down to two vehicles in an attempt to save some money. However, instead of just getting rid of one of those three cars, we are trading in two of them toward a newer vehicle that we plan to keep long term. The two cars we plan to get rid of are a Toyota Camry...

Which states require ethanol in your fuel? Fewer than you might think

Posted on Jan 18, 2019 in Featured | 2 comments

Earlier this year, Hawaii became the second state to scrap its mandate that all gasoline sold in the state must have a certain amount of ethanol blended into it. Boaters and old-car enthusiasts who believe ethanol poses a threat to their engines cheered this move; at the same time, it made us wonder exactly how all 50 states have decided to legislate...