In-Car CD Players Not Long For This World?

Posted on Jan 15, 2019 in Technology | 1 comment

A mantra during the development of the Cadillac ATS was “every gram counts.” The result is a vehicle that should be the lightest in its class when it debuts. With pressure from consumers to improve efficiency, as well as new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards being put into place, the race is on to save weight. Saving weight includes elimination of things...

The Saga of my XJS

Posted on Jan 7, 2019 in Antique | Comments Off on The Saga of my XJS

Like all relationships, my love affair with my 1994 Jaguar XJS started out beautiful, but is now turning into something like the “War of the Roses.” Once I decided that it was time to end our affair, she has turned into a vindictive little witch, out to steal every penny I have, and to turn my life into a living hell. I bought the car in December 2006, and it...

Canadian University’s Research Seeks Extending EV Battery Life

Posted on Dec 27, 2018 in Technology | Comments Off on Canadian University’s Research Seeks Extending EV Battery Life

Entering the first major build-up in electrified vehicle construction in over 100 years, the increased use of battery-derived propulsion ushers forth automotive engineering methodology. Instead of planning a four-wheel vehicle around an internal combustion engine, electric car construction invites a new choir of design and science to dictate what many consider...

A Super Limited Edition, Flying Cars, and Great Sounds

Posted on Dec 21, 2018 in Racing | Comments Off on A Super Limited Edition, Flying Cars, and Great Sounds

The “jet black vessel of violence” Maybe you didn’t know this, but the famed Nurburgring race track in Germany is open to the public. Not all the time, mind you, but occasionally a guy such as you or me can take our Ford Focus to the track and turn some laps. Doing so is a dream for many of us. So imagine casually shooting the apexes, then looking...

Fifty-nine years later and four states away, Ohio man finds his first car

Posted on Dec 14, 2018 in Featured | 2 comments

Everybody remembers their first car, whether it be a second-hand clunker or a fine piece of machinery – typically, as the years pass, the cars somehow transform from the former into the latter. But not everybody gets to hang on to that first car, and even fewer people care enough to track down that first car decades later. Hemmings reader John Swigart, however,...

Animal Collisions, Roadkill and Kangaroos

Posted on Dec 12, 2018 in Safety | 4 comments

The only animal I’ve ever killed was a cat. With my car. While running studded snow tires. I felt terrible, but it was dark out, and I just didn’t see the feline in time to even attempt saving its life. Since then I’ve come dangerously close to much larger animals: an elk on the side of a North Idaho highway and a number of bucks encroaching on I-90 in Montana...

Why Can’t I Buy a Dodge Dart GT Manual in PA?

Posted on Dec 8, 2018 in Editorials | 2 comments

Duncan writes: Because I want a car that will depreciate faster than my 2014 Genesis 5.0 R-Spec, I inquired at a local Pennsylvania Dodge dealer about a 2016 Dart GT with a manual transmission. After a week of them trying to order one for me, I was told that the factory would not sell the Dart GT with a manual transmission to PA dealers because of something to...

Considering “what-if” buildups of “never-was” cars

Posted on Nov 27, 2018 in Featured | 2 comments

Hiking the rows upon rows of show cars at the Street Machine Nationals in Du Quoin with Hemmings Daily Editor Kurt Ernst, we saw plenty of buildups that stood out from the crowd with wall-to-wall rear tires, wild paint and graphics and blowers, sometimes one stacked on top of another and popping out of the hood. However, one of many cars that caught my...

New 911 GT3 Cup Car: Porsche Is Taking Orders

Posted on Nov 22, 2018 in Racing | Comments Off on New 911 GT3 Cup Car: Porsche Is Taking Orders

I like Grand Touring (GT) racing, because it puts a real premium on car design and driver skill. And the cars are all production-derived. For some years, the worldwide standout has been Porsche’s 911 GT3, and the 2011 racing version, called the Cup Car, will be no different. It is the latest edition of what Porsche claims is the best-selling race car of all...

The Car Wars: Ford Versus Apple

Posted on Nov 14, 2018 in Safety | 1 comment

The Siri button: Coming soon to a vehicle near you While the iCar once envisioned by Steve Jobs will probably never materialize, that doesn’t mean the Apple experience will never infiltrate our cars. Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that the Siri personal assistant will not only reside in our iPhones, she will soon take up residence in our cars. According to...

PreWar Cars

Posted on Nov 10, 2018 in Antique | Comments Off on PreWar Cars

Every once in a while I find some great cars on eBay. This week, I found something more incredible than anything I have ever seen. It is calledPreWarCar, and it is a classified listing of some of the rarest, most astonishing cars ever made. These are true automotive legends and icons, and reading through the pages is like a lesson in automotive history. The...

Volkswagen is Buying Back Dirty Diesels, But Not From Owners

Posted on Nov 3, 2018 in Editorials | 1 comment

Volkswagen Group of America has begun the process of buying back cars affected by the ongoing diesel emissions scandal, but you shouldn’t expect to receive a letter or phone call with a buyback offer anytime soon. VW is going ahead with a buyback program that will see the automaker acquire affected vehicles from dealers’ certified pre-owned (CPO) inventories, a...

Ten Forgotten Supercars

Posted on Oct 16, 2018 in Antique | Comments Off on Ten Forgotten Supercars

What makes a supercar? For most, it is a limited production car that has unequalled handling and performance, as well as a massive pricetag. But, that is not enough to rank as a supercar; it also needs a certain panache that is lacking in regular sports car models, a certain something that separates it from the regular cars of the world. Depending on who you...