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Page 1: Automobile 2010 08

AUGUST 2010 AUTOMOBILEMAG.COM

563-HP M-B SLS AMG 553-HP LEXUS LFA553-HP

USA $4.99 CANADA $5.99

Page 2: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 3: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 4: Automobile 2010 08

*Whichever comes first. See dealer for limited warranty details. **Visit onstar.com for details and system limitations.

2010 Lexus RX FWDA Consumers Digest Best Buy: no

Powertrain Warranty: 70,000 miles/6 years*

Seating Capacity: 5

Turn-by-Turn Navigation: optional

Remote Door Unlock: not available

Page 5: Automobile 2010 08

2010 Buick Enclave FWD A Consumers Digest Best Buy: yes

Powertrain Warranty: 100,000 miles/5 years*

Seating Capacity: 8

Turn-by-Turn Navigation: OnStar®/1 year standard** Remote Door Unlock: OnStar/1 year standard

visit buick.com

Page 6: Automobile 2010 08

64 There’s a new sheri� in town.

54

SUPERCAR SHOOTOUT

By Georg KacherThe Lexus LFA and the Mercedes-Benz

SLS AMG represent very different

approaches to the supercar. We

compare them side-by-side during a

long day—and night—in Frankfurt.

64

BORDERLINE INSANITY

By Ezra DyerWe ride shotgun along the Mexican

border in the baddest, most capable

off-road pickup on the market: the

Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.

72

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO

By Preston LernerThis Swiss-born rookie hopes to be the

fi rst female racer to make people

forget she’s not one of the boys.

78

ACURA TL SH-AWD

VS. AUDI S4

By Jason CammisaTorque vectoring, previously used only

in rally-bred sports cars, has trickled

down to these two grown-up sedans,

proving that adulthood

has never been so much fun.

90

NON SEQUITUR

Photographer Michael Alan Ross

shoots hot rods in the stark scenery of

the Bonneville Salt Flats.

96

BAD BOY PORSCHES

By Preston LernerThe quasi-underground club of Porsche

lovers, R Gruppe, demonstrates that

hot rods don’t have to pack V-8s.

insideAUGUST 2010

Automobile features

AUTOMOBILE (ISSN 0894-3583) (USPS 000-934) (GST 135274306) Vol 25 #5 is published monthly by Source Interlink Media, LLC., 261 Madison Avenue, Fifth Floor, New York, New York 10016. Periodicals postage is paid at New York, New York, and additional mailing offi ces. Subscription rates for one year: in U.S. and possessions, $19.94; in Canada, $27.94. Foreign rates on request. For subscriptions, address changes, and adjustments, write to AUTOMOBILE Magazine, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, Florida 32142–0235, or email [email protected] or call 800–289–2886 (U.S.), 386–447–6383 (international). Please include name, address, and telephone number on any inquiries. AUTOMOBILE is a trademark of Source Interlink Magazines, LLC. Copyright © 2010 by Source Interlink Magazines, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Manuscripts, photos, and other material submitted must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope; AUTOMOBILE Magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Printed in U.S.A. Postmaster: Send address changes to AUTOMOBILE Magazine, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, Florida 32142–0235. Canadian Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40612608. Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Canada

6 Automobile | August 2010

BR

IAN

KO

NO

SK

E

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK BRAMLEY

Page 7: Automobile 2010 08

P R E S E N T I N G

STARTING UNDER $19,000. WELL EQUIPPED UNDER $21,600.

SuzukiAuto.com/Kizashi

While designing the all-new Kizashi, we targeted sedans such as the Audi A4® and Acura TSX.® We started by creating an Autobahn-tuned,

highly rigid chassis with available all-wheel-drive traction that delivers better road-holding grip than many premium-priced sedans.1 Next,

we provided advanced safety features that achieve 5-star ratings in all four crash categories – something that even the Volvo S40

can’t match.2 Then we added technology like standard SmartPass™ push-button ignition and an available 425-watt Rockford Fosgate

audio system. We then finished with one of the most powerful standard engines in its class.3 The result? AutoWeek said the Kizashi was

the “best handling and most composed FWD sedan we’ve driven.” The all-new Kizashi. Everything’s premium except the price.

®

®

1 Based on Edmunds.com lateral skidpad testing. Kizashi attained higher lateral force than Infiniti G37, Acura TSX and Mercedes C300 Sport.2Government star ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) New Car Assessment Program (www.safercar.gov). 3 Engine output claim based on manufacturers’ web sites as of 5/10/10. Class defined as IHS Global Insight’s® MY10 Lower Midsize segment. MSRP does not include tax, license, title or destination charges. Dealer prices may vary. Audi A4, Acura TSX, Infiniti G37, Mercedes C300, Volvo S40, Rockford Fosgate, and AutoWeek are registered trademarks. Kizashi GTS as shown $22,729. Professional driver on environmentally approved closed course. Do not attempt. Vehicle shown upon a designated off-road trail. Along with concerned conservationists everywhere, Suzuki urges you to Tread Lightly® on public and private land. Preserve your future off-roading opportunities by showing respect for the environment, local laws and the rights of others. © American Suzuki Motor Corporation 2010. Suzuki, the “S” logo and Suzuki model names are Suzuki trademarks or ®.

Page 8: Automobile 2010 08

AutomobileMAG.COM

>>visit us online

>>WEB EXCLUSIVELearn more about the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s origins with our extended timeline and collection of historic Grand Cherokee photos.

>>RUMORSLooking for your daily fi x of news? Want to let Automobile’s editors and other readers know how you feel about the latest industry happenings? Rumor Central is the perfect place.

>>EDITOR’S NOTEBOOKSThere’s always new metal in the garage at Automobile Magazine. To follow what we’re driving—and what we think—check out our test fl eet notes.

>>DOWNLOADSSpice up your boring desktop with beautiful photos of your favorite cars.

ignition 12 NEWS

New mid-engine sports car from Germany; the life of Giorgetto Giugiaro; the future of car radio; Volkswagen’s venerable VR6; and budget racing.

22 BY DESIGNBy Robert CumberfordThe Porsche 918 Spyder is our kind of economy car.

24 NOISE, VIBRATION & HARSHNESS

By Jamie KitmanWill Jaguar’s new owners continue what Ford started?

26 DYER CONSEQUENCESBy Ezra DyerDoes a hybrid badge on a three-ton vehicle really make it earth-friendly?

28 LETTERSThe Corvette’s gotta have a V-8, you say.

driven 30 2011 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

What’s old is new again.

34 2011 ASTON MARTIN V12 VANTAGE

A formula for fast.

43 2011 PORSCHE CAYENNE S HYBRID Smooth sailing.

44 2011 MINI COUNTRYMANThis one’s big.

48 2011 INFINITI QX56Keeping it real.

52 2011 FORD SHELBY GT500SVT prepares for the Camaro Z28.

upshift 102 FOUR SEASONS WRAP

Nissan GT-R: Living with a supercar proves not to be so easy.

110 FOUR SEASONS LOGBOOK

An Acura ZDX joins our fl eet and we catch up with our Audi Q5, Mazda 3, and Volkswagen GTI.

113 COLLECTIBLE CLASSICThe 1965–74 Iso Grifo is American muscle in a high-style Italian suit.

117 AUCTIONSThe Mecum Auction: Two 1960s Mercedes convertibles with Hollywood credentials cross the auction block.

122 VILE GOSSIPBy Jean JenningsHow to get a job at a car magazine. At least at this magazine.

30 44

52 34

113

22

16

AUGUST 2010

Automobile

102

departments

8 Automobile | August 2010

Page 9: Automobile 2010 08
Page 10: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 11: Automobile 2010 08

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BASED ON THE AVERAGE OF LEADING ECONOMY FILTERS.*

When your oil breaks down, damaging dirt and particles can threaten the life of your engine. A FRAM Extra Guard oil filter delivers advanced engine protection with specially blended glass and cellulose filter media. FRAM Extra Guard traps 95% of dirt and harmful particles, and holds them until your next recommended oil change. Don’t cut corners — go with FRAM. To learn more about advanced engine protection, go to fram.com.

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Engine protection is the measure of a fi lter’s ability to not just trap dirt, but hold it for the life of the fi lter.

© 2010 Honeywell International Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. THE DIRT STOPS HERETM

Page 12: Automobile 2010 08

E’VE REPORTED RECENTLY

that Mercedes-AMG was working on

a smaller, cheaper SLS spin-o� called

the SLV, which would share the

Gullwing’s front-engine layout. That plan

is now on the back burner. Mercedes is

still interested in a derivative of its new

halo model, but that prospect is currently

being referred to internally as SLM.

The M stands for mid-engine, as captured

in the proportions of our spy illustration.

The change in course is primarily due

to concerns about overlap within the

Mercedes lineup. “Our friends in

corporate rightly pointed out that a

front-engine sports car would have been

too close to the SL, which is an important

cash cow for the brand,” explains our

source at AMG. The performance division

considered going in the opposite direction

and building a “super SLS”—something

wilder than the defunct SLR McLaren—

but soon realized that such a concept

wouldn’t fi t the times. AMG has found

that even its elite customer base expects

more environmental and social

responsibility going forward, so the SLM will emphasize

lightness and e� ciency. But why go with a mid-engine

confi guration, which will basically require AMG to start from

scratch rather than adapting Gullwing components?

“A mid-engine car is the best way to avoid cannibalizing

sales—and to challenge rivals like the Audi R8 and the upcoming

production version of the BMW Vision E� cientDynamics coupe,”

our source answers.

In the early stages of the SLM’s gestation—kicked o� under the

leadership of Volker Mornhinweg before he left AMG to run the

Mercedes van division—engineers experimented with a twin-turbo

four-cylinder, but that option was dropped because it would have

been hard to fi nd a profi table price point. Another alternative was

simply to replace the SLS with a mid-engine coupe powered by the

latest small-displacement V-8. Again, the idea was nixed because it

didn’t provide enough incremental business. The most likely

scenario now is a 350-hp, 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 paired with two

electric motors positioned in front of the driver. To maximize

synergies, the front axle, elements of the battery pack, and the

electronics platform will be adopted from the electric-drive SLS,

which is due in 2012. The rear suspension, complete with the

seven-speed transaxle, is another signifi cant carryover item.

Expect AMG to adapt the aluminum spaceframe it developed for

the SLS, although the fi rewall will obviously move rearward.

One aspect of the SLS that defi nitely won’t trickle down is its

distinctive appearance. “We are not going to o� er a downsized

Germany’s Mid-Engine Boom

by GEORG

KACHER

IT ALL STARTS HERE

the deep dive

w

12 Automobile | August 2010

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Page 13: Automobile 2010 08

Porsche, Volkswagen, and Audi clash over small sports cars

COULD INTERNAL POLITICS

endanger the Volkswagen

Group’s trio of mid-engine

compact sports cars—the

Porsche 356 (illustrated below),

the Audi R5, and the VW

BlueSport? VW launched the

mid-engine BlueSport concept

at the 2009 Detroit auto show.

The car was a runner, the

engineers had done much more

than their routine homework,

and, in principle, marketing had

given it a thumbs-up. Almost

eighteen months later, however,

the two-seater is still on hold.

Where is the problem? As

usual, it lies elsewhere—in

Zuffenhausen and Ingolstadt, to

be precise. Porsche doesn’t

want the next-generation

Boxster to be cannibalized by a

less expensive and potentially

more capable 356. Audi, facing

slow demand for the R8,

doesn’t see the need for a third

sports car to be positioned

between the next TT and its

mid-engine fl agship. Although

VW is quick to admit that the

BlueSport would work wonders

for its image, the brand has its

plate full coordinating the

cooperation deal with Suzuki,

preparing the next Golf, and

getting the so-called New

Small Family under way.

“Sports cars are not at the top

of our priority list,” states

chairman Martin Winterkorn.

“This applies in particular to

sports cars that require the

collaboration of Porsche, which

is not even part of the VW

Group yet.”

At Porsche, Not Invented

Here syndrome is also a major

issue. Porsche will almost

certainly lose the development

of the next Cayenne to Audi.

The Cayenne’s still-nameless,

Q5-based little brother will also

be conceived by the friendly

enemy from Ingolstadt. If it

were to base the 356 off VW’s

BlueSport, Porsche would lose

its third project in a row.

“The VW Group needs a

modular sports car structure to

stretch from the entry-level

segment to the 911 or even

beyond. And the only brand that

can credibly conceive such a

structure is Porsche,” says one

source in Zuffenhausen.

Rather than quell this

burgeoning sibling rivalry, VW

chief Ferdinand Piëch is in fact

encouraging Audi to pitch a

new platform of its own against

Porsche’s. He’s done this

before—the apparent intent is

to motivate both groups and

generate additional ideas. In

the end, however, the project

will likely land under the

Porsche umbrella.

Although the platform for

this mid-engine trio remains

somewhat up in the air, we can

speculate on how each will

evolve. Porsche will likely insist

on a fl at four in a coupe and

a roadster, but Audi could

probably live with an R8-

inspired derivative powered

by the blown 2.5-liter

fi ve-cylinder in the TT RS. VW

could then come out with a

minimalistic droptop equipped

with the “twincharged”

(supercharged and

turbocharged) 1.4-liter engine

from Europe’s Polo GTI. More

fanciful ideas include a targa,

a speedster, a turbocharged

GT4, and a lightweight

Clubsport for Porsche in

addition to an E-tron with

electric four-wheel drive, a

solar-panel roof, and adjustable

sideblades for Audi. Wishful

thinking? We’ll know more late

next year when the integration

of Porsche is complete.

Gullwing. Such a car would dilute the

attraction of the SLS, and it would

demonstrate a lack of imagination,” says a

team member on the project. AMG has

also ruled out a hardtop convertible. “It’s

not su� ciently hard-core and sporty.”

That leaves us with the following

alternatives: a coupe, a roadster, and a

hatchback. According to the AMG

grapevine, a coupe with so-called

“heron-wing” doors (they swing out and

then pivot up at a 45-degree angle) is the

likely starting point. The second SLM

model will probably be a speedster with a

cut-down windshield and a basic,

manually operated canvas top.

Dimensionally, the SLM is smaller than a

Ferrari 458 Italia. The time frame, volume,

and fi nancial calculations for the most

radical modern Benz are still i� y. The year

2015 looks like a realistic target, and if the

company can sell at least 7500 units

annually, the asking price should come

down to approximately $165,000. That’s

more than most SLs but about twenty

grand less than a base Gullwing. AM

9The number of

German mid-engine

sports cars we

might soon be able

to choose from

should these four

models, plus the

Porsche 918 Spyder

and the BMW Vision

Effi cientDynamics,

all make it to

production. That’s

up from only three

at present—the

Audi R8 and

Porsche’s Boxster

and Cayman.

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 13

Page 14: Automobile 2010 08

F YOU OFTEN FIND yourself switching aimlessly among the

hundreds of radio stations beamed to your car by AM, FM, and

satellite radio, get ready for even more choices. Lots more.

Ford announced earlier this year that, starting with the

new Fiesta, its Sync interface will work with Pandora radio’s

mobile phone application, allowing drivers to use it hands-free

via voice commands.

Some might see this as a coronation of Pandora, an Internet

radio service with 54 million subscribers, but in fact it’s an

opening of the fl oodgates for new companies and services looking

to enter the already-crowded marketplace that is your car stereo.

In addition to traditional broadcast and satellite radio, which

attract 239 million and 35 million listeners, respectively, Pandora

also faces o� against HD radio, which gives FM and AM digital

sound quality and more stations, and stored media on CDs and

MP3 players. And then there’s the fact that Pandora is only one of

many fl edgling Internet radio applications pining to cooperate

with automakers.

At one time, we might have seen automakers lining up in

alliances, as happened during the Sirius and XM showdown.

technology

Now, it’s more likely that they’ll let the contenders duke it out for

themselves.

“Going forward, we’re looking to o� er the customer as many

choices as possible,” says John Schneider, Ford’s chief

infotainment engineer. “We’ll let the market determine [what

format people listen to].”

That’s easy, because unlike satellite radio a decade ago or even

FM radio in the 1970s, there’s almost no new investment required

for an automaker to accommodate for these new services. Millions

of drivers already pay for powerful mobile devices and data plans,

and most new cars, even those as inexpensive as the Kia Forte, are

set up to connect with them via Bluetooth and USB inputs.

“It’s not a big deal for automakers to interface with our

Who will win the radio wars?

Ford is the fi rst automaker to offer control of Pandora Internet streaming audio through the radio’s head unit.

“Making your metal shine is no sweat.

Mothers® Billet Metal Polish gives you the absolute finest finish available.”

– Chip Foose, Automotive Designer & Builder –

Page 15: Automobile 2010 08

® ®

®

®

®

and show your metal some love.

product,” says George Lynch, who worked

at XM radio when it launched with the

aid of $50 million from General Motors

and who now serves as vice president of

automotive business development at

Pandora. “They don’t need a new chip set

in the radio or anything. It’s not costing

millions of dollars.”

The biggest development on Ford’s

next-generation Sync system is secure,

robust software that will allow mobile

applications to communicate with the car.

Ford will also maintain control by

screening third-party developers in much the same way

Apple does with applications for its iPhone. In addition to

Pandora, Ford has already partnered with Stitcher, which

aggregates talk radio and podcasts, as well as OpenBeak, a

mobile Twitter application.

Still, it’s likely that for the next few years, car stereos will be

like the Wild West, as traditional broadcasters and startups

battle for a chunk of the millions of hours of radio listening that

Americans do in the car each year. And although each format has

its own advantages (see sidebar below), there’s simply no way to

know what will come out on top fi ve or ten years in the future.

“I tell you, when I know that for sure, I’m going to leave my

job [at Ford],” Schneider says. — David Zenlea

The Contenders

AM/FMReach: 239 million listenersFirst broadcast: 1916/1937

(AM/FM)Sound quality: equivalent to

256–300 kbps* (FM)Automaker availability: All Pros: Local entertainment,

sports, and news; freeCons: Limited coverage; patchy

service in rural areas; commercials; local preachers with talk shows

SATELLITE RADIOReach: 35 million listenersFirst broadcast: 2001Sound quality: 48–128 kbps*Automaker availability: AllPros: Full coverage from New

York City to Death Valley; lots of variety; “Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour”

Cons: Pricey subscription fee; signal can be blocked by trees, underpasses, etc.; Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville

PANDORA RADIOReach: 54 million subscribersFirst broadcast: 2004Sound quality: 64–128 kbps*Automaker availability: FordPros: Near-infi nite, personalized

content; millions already own the hardware; free or very cheap

Cons: Relies on wireless networks that may soon start blocking data-intensive applications; doesn’t include the cost of a smartphone

HD RADIOReach: 3 million unitsFirst broadcast: 2003Sound quality: 128 kbps*Automaker availability: Audi,

BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Mini, Rolls-Royce, Scion, Volkswagen, and Volvo

Pros: No subscription requiredCons: Only in some cars in

some areas

“Going forward, we’re looking to offer the customer as many choices as possible.”JOHN SCHNEIDER,

FORD

* CD bit rate: 1411.2 kilobits per second

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Page 16: Automobile 2010 08

1959: Frustrated, he presents some drawings to Nuccio Bertone, who then assigned a trial design. “You know that design I had you do as a test? Well, I sold it to Alfa Romeo, so you’d better come to work for me.” His monthly salary increases from $129 to $225. The

drawing becomes the Alfa Romeo 2000 (later 2600),

Giugiaro’s fi rst car.

Giorgetto Giugiaro is the Car Designer of the Cen-

tury, according to 132 (relatively) young automotive

journalists back in 1999. Their grasp of automotive

history seems to have been concentrated in their

own adult lifetimes, however. Whether GG’s infl u-

ence is greater than Battista “Pinin” Farina’s or

Harley Earl’s is very much open to debate, but there

is no question that he is one of the most prolifi c de-

signers alive. “I have designed cars for every major

company but Honda, and one day I will do that,”

says the Maestro. The merging of his fi rm Italdesign

with Volkswagen (see sidebar) may signify an end

to his half century of intense activity, but he remains

a powerful and highly infl uential force in automo-

bile design. — Robert Cumberford

the MAESTRO

August 7, 1938: Born to an artistic family in Garessio, province of

Cuneo, in northern Italy. His father is a painter.

1952: Moves to Turin, enrolls in the design school of the famous

1920s caricaturist known as Golia. At an

end-of-term party, Golia’s nephew Dante Giacosa, Fiat’s chief

engineer, sees Giugiaro’s car drawings

and offers him an apprenticeship at Fiat.

1967: Leaves Ghia to start Italdesign, partnered with brilliant production engineer Aldo Mantovani.

1968–71: Both Italdesign and daughter Laura are born. Italdesign makes a splash with the dramatic Bizzarrini Manta mid-engine supercar. Within three years he adds Abarth, Suzuki, Porsche, and—superbly, with the Iguana 33/2—Alfa Romeo concept cars to his portfolio, not to mention the production Maserati Bora and Alfasud sedan. These designs grab the attention of Kurt Lotz, who has just taken over VW and knows he needs fresh products.

Abarth to Zastava, Giorgetto Giugiaro was there.

1955: Hired at the Fiat Special Vehicles Styling Center at Mirafi ori. In four years, Giugiaro’s immediate supervisor

does not present any of his projects to the chief

of the Center.

1961: Second serious production model: the

BMW 3200CS.

1962: Hitting his stride with another unique Ferrari–

Nuccio Bertone’s personal 250GT–and two production

models—the Simca 1000/1200 S coupes and

the Iso Rivolta GT 300/340.

1963: Marries Maria Teresa Serra.

1964: The Canguro, Giorgetto’s favorite Alfa. Giugiaro also designs a

one-off Ford Mustang for Automobile Quarterly.

1965: Son Fabrizio is born during the Geneva show,

where the Fiat 850 Spider was revealed.

1966: Bertone wants to hire designer Marcello Gandini.

Displeased, Giugiaro moves to Ghia, then operated by

Argentine wild man Alessandro de Tomaso. The

limited-production De Tomaso Mangusta

launches Giugiaro’s sharp-edged, origami-like

“folded paper” period.

1960: Assigned to an “Alpini” military regiment headquartered at Bra, well away from Turin. Bertone rents Giugiaro a hotel room, installs a drawing board, and keeps GG working on the design of the Alfa Romeo Giulia GT whenever he’s off duty. He also does his fi rst of three Ferrari one-offs with Carrozzeria Bertone.

profi le

16 Automobile | August 2010

Page 17: Automobile 2010 08

1987–88: Too many projects and far too little time. Things like the Eagle Premier impress neither critics nor car buyers. Then, suddenly—as this magazine proclaimed at the time, “Giugiaro is back”—three defi nitely nonstandard, indeed exciting, Audi-powered show cars appear: Aztec, Aspid, and Asgard.

1989–1991: The Lexus GS300 and the totally unexpected Subaru SVX, a great GT car that was completely outside Subaru’s market—and thus sold poorly—reach the streets.

1995–1996: More concepts, including the Lamborghini Cala—a predecessor to the 2004 Gallardo—and one production model, the Daewoo Lanos, are added to the portfolio. Fabrizio Giugiaro is made styling director of the fi rm.

1997–1999: Italdesign becomes Italdesign-Giugiaro.

2000: Reputation wanes even as business fl ourishes with more and more body engineering projects. Word in the industry is that Italdesign would throw in Giugiaro styling free if the company got the engineering contract. Projects came to him, concept and theme included.

2003: Case in point: the Alfa Romeo Brera concept. Not knowing the origin of the project at the time, we call it “a welcome return to form for the Giugiaros and the Italdesign carrozzeria.” In fact, the styling is done mostly by Jean-Paul Oyono at Zagato.

2003: Assists on the design of the Lamborghini Gallardo.

2004–2005: The GG50, a Ferrari by and for Giugiaro, is built to celebrate his half century of car design. Italdesign also puts out the restyled Alfa 156 and the Fiat Croma and Grande Punto production cars.

2006: A second Mustang by Giugiaro, mostly by Fabrizio.

2008: The fi rm celebrates its fortieth anniversary with several concept and production cars, including the 2007 Suzuki SX4.

2010: Lamborghini Holdings, an arm of the Volkswagen Group, buys 90.1 percent of Italdesign-Giugiaro.

1985–86: So busy with production models for Hyundai, Fiat, Seat, and

Renault that there isn’t much time for concept cars, other than the

Machimoto, Oldsmobile Incas, and the VW Orbit. Oh, and Italdesign did

engineering for the Merkur XR4Ti and the Ford Escort cabriolet. Busy indeed.

1984: A growing year: the Saab 9000, its sister-under-the-skin

Lancia Thema, the Isuzu Gemini (badge engineered as the Chevrolet Spectrum, too), the Seat Ibiza, three

Lancia concepts, and one concept each on Lotus (Etna) and Ford

(Maya) platforms.

1983: The Fiat Uno debuts. It’s still in production today in Brazil and has

been one of Fiat’s greatest successes.

1981: The De Lorean DMC12, designed much earlier, and the highly

infl uential Isuzu Piazza/Impulse coupe reach production.

1980: Pens the Fiat Panda, perhaps his second-most important design. It stays in production for twenty-three

years, including variations with all-wheel drive (also engineered by Italdesign).

1978–79: Brought forth a concept car close to Guigiaro’s heart, the

Lancia Megagamma, a tall car with a small footprint. But that concept was

countered by the space-ineffi cient production BMW M1.

1973–76: Likely the peak of Giugiaro’s career in terms of volume

and quality of work, with seven production cars—VW Passat,

Scirocco, and Golf; Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT and Alfasud Sprint; Hyundai Pony;

Maserati Quattroporte; and Lotus Esprit. The Golf is, in Giugiaro’s own

opinion, his best and most important design and was a direct derivative of the De Tomaso Mangusta in surface and cutline treatments. Who knew?

1972: A summer intern named Ferdinand Piëch spends two months

learning about design from thirty-four-year-old Giugiaro. Piëch

predicts the Golf will be a failure.

1971: VW contracts Italdesign for several projects, but Rudolf Leiding,

who succeeded Lotz, immediately kills all of the designs except for the

Golf, saying, “It can’t work, but it’s too late to change it,” proving that good

luck trumps bad judgment.

1970 VW-PORSCHE TAPIROAn angular coupe body—complete with gull-wing doors—wrapped over the mechanicals of a VW-Porsche 914/6. Sold to a wealthy industrialist after two years on the auto-show circuit but was later fi rebombed by protesting workers.

1973 AUDI ASSO DI PICCHEA slick coupe built upon the pedestrian Audi 80. The Karmann-commissioned concept didn’t reach production but did inspire both the Scirocco and the Isuzu Piazza/Impulse.

1986 MACHIMOTOAn attempt to merge motorcycle and GTI long before VW tried with the 2006 GX3 concept. Up to eight occupants straddled cyclelike saddle seats; power came from the GTI’s sixteen-valve, 1.8-liter I-4.

1995 LAMBORGHINI CALAIn 1994, Italdesign was contracted to style a prototype for a smaller, more a� ordable Lamborghini. The Cala project was canceled before VW purchased the brand, but almost a decade later, Italdesign helped design the Gallardo.

1997 VOLKSWAGEN W12 SYNCROVW executives mulled a limited-production run at nearly $200,000 a pop, but the W12 Syncro—along with the W12 Roadster concept—ultimately was simply a showcase for the company’s new W-12 engine. A 600-hp version set several speed records at Nardò in 2001.

1999 BUGATTI 18/3 CHIRONItaldesign created several earlier Bugatti concepts, but the 18/3 Chiron was the fi rst commissioned after VW bought the fabled French brand. This concept evolved into the Veyron 16.4 production car.

— Evan McCausland

The ink on the nuptial license is still drying, but Volkswagen and Italdesign-Giugiaro, which announced their merger in late May, are hardly strangers. In fact, the two newlyweds have been courting one another for roughly forty years.

Volkswagen historians are keen to cite Giugiaro’s revolutionary Golf hatchback and Italdesign’s work in styling both the Scirocco and the Passat, but some light digging in the design fi rm’s archives shows the roots of the new merger run even deeper.

VW and Giugiaro tie the knot

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 17

Page 18: Automobile 2010 08

The mighty VR6 isn’t going anywhere, but several of its iron-block compatriots in Detroit are either gone or are on their way out. The pressure to downsize powertrains and the development of high-tech sixes has spelled the end of venerable workhorses from General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.

BUICK “FIREBALL” V-6 (GM 3800)Displacement: 3.2L–3.8LFirst application: 1962 Buick Special (the fi rst V-6-powered American production car)Last application: 2009 Buick LaCrosseMost powerful production application: 1987 Buick GNX, 276 hp, 360 lb-ft of torque (turbocharged)

FORD “COLOGNE” V-6Displacement: 1.8L–4.0LFirst application: 1968 Ford TaunusLast application: Ford Ranger (current)Most powerful production application: 2005–2007 Land Rover LR3, 216 hp, 269 lb-ft of torque

CHRYSLER OHV V-6Displacement: 3.3L–3.8LFirst applications: 1990 Chrysler Imperial, New Yorker, Town & Country; Dodge Grand Caravan, Dynasty; Plymouth Grand VoyagerLast applications: Grand Caravan/Town & Country, Jeep Wrangler, Volkswagen Routan (all current)Most powerful production application: 2010 Wrangler, 202 hp, 237 lb-ft of torque

Americans. The VR6 made its debut in the

Passat and shortly thereafter found a home

in the Corrado sport coupe. From there, it

proliferated into other VWs, including the

GTI and the Jetta.

With two valves per cylinder, the

original VR6 developed between 172 and

178 hp, depending on the application. But

it wasn’t this engine’s output that

characterized it—it was the VR6’s sound

and smoothness. Indeed, the VR6’s

refi nement matched

the best in-line sixes’.

Even though the

engine’s plastic cover

said DOHC, the

original VR6 was

functionally an

SOHC design, with

each cylinder’s valves

actuated by the same

camshaft. In 1999, a

24-valve variant was

born, also with two

camshafts in total,

but now one

operated all the

intake valves while

the other opened all the exhaust

valves. Variable valve timing was

now possible, helping broaden

the VR6’s torque curve.

All these advantages bring up

the obvious question: why have

no other makers followed VW

with VR engines? Mainly, the

tightly packed cylinder head

imposes severe compromises in

combustion-chamber and port

designs. Even within VW, the VR6 is

gradually giving ground to the

turbocharged 2.0T four-cylinder, which

produces more power and uses less fuel.

But Volkswagen insists that the VR6,

having now been increased in size to

3.6 liters and with a smaller included

cylinder angle of 10.6 degrees, will

continue to power the CC as well as the

forthcoming new Passat, Touareg, and

Porsche Cayenne. — Jason Cammisa

survivorThe six-cylinder

HE LAST PLACE ONE would expect

to fi nd devotion to a two-decade-old,

iron-block six-cylinder engine is

Volkswagen. The company has developed

a line of powerful turbocharged, direct-

injected four-cylinders, but VW remains

committed to an aging engine that defi es

easy categorization: the VR6.

We—like VW itself—have occasionally

described the VR6 as a V-6, but that’s not

strictly correct. Whereas most V-6s use

two separate

cylinder heads, the

VR6 uses a single

head. It’s not an

in-line six, though,

because the

cylinders are

staggered and

separated into

two narrowly

angled banks of

three cylinders

(15 degrees when

the engine was

fi rst introduced).

In German, as

in English, the V

indicates an angle between

two cylinder banks. Whereas

we’d call a straight six an I-6,

the Germans call it an R-6,

with R standing for

Reihenmotor. VW simply

combined the two terms,

resulting in the name VR6,

which, loosely translated,

means in-line V-6.

The benefi ts of this

staggered, narrow-angle layout are clear:

the VR6 is only marginally longer and

wider than a four-cylinder engine,

meaning that it can be mounted

transversely in small front-wheel-drive

cars without the need for a long, space-

wasting hood. Volkswagen began work on

a prototype 2.0-liter VR6 in 1978, but by

the time it entered production in 1991, the

VR6 had grown to 2.8 liters, largely to

meet the needs of power-hungry

DimensionsThe VR6 is nearly as compact as a four-cylinder, but thanks to turbocharging, the current 2.0T is more powerful and more effi cient than the VR6.

Dimensions VR6 2.0TLength, in. 19.3 17.6Width, in. 25.0 25.1Height, in. 28.1 25.1

Not sofortunate

old iron

18 Automobile | August 2010

Page 19: Automobile 2010 08

*Based on a severe sludge clean-up test using SAE 5W-30. ©2010 SOPUS Products. All rights reserved.

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Page 20: Automobile 2010 08

motorsports

Even with a $300 car,racing ain’t cheap.

OU’VE LIKELY HEARD

the Roger Penske quote

that the best way to make a

small fortune racing is to start

with a big fortune. It turns out

that Penske’s observation is true

even in racing’s scrappiest

series, the 24 Hours of LeMons.

Senior web editor Phil

Floraday’s misfi t team (read: not

bankrolled by this magazine)

bought a $300 1987 Volkswagen

Quantum Syncro wagon and

then put in more than ten times

that amount getting it ready to

race. Result? They won the

Index of E� uency (awarded to

the team whose fi nishing

position furthest exceeds judges’

expectations), turning the $5644

worth of parts, labor, and entry

fees into a check for $1501.

Page 21: Automobile 2010 08

Only your knuckles should turnwhite.

Page 22: Automobile 2010 08

by ROBERT

CUMBERFORD

PORSCHE918 SPYDER OUR KIND OF ECONOMY CAR.

three men has contributed something

outside the Komenda template: Lapine

the 914, the 928, and the 944; Lagaay the

Carrera GT; and Mauer the Panamera.

Mauer, despite what you see when you

look at the bloated back of the Panamera,

is a very good designer, and with the 918

Spyder he and his team have truly broken

away from the Komenda canon while still

respecting it and the variations that

followed. The headlamp openings are no

longer round or oval, the front accepts the

fact that there are radiators needing large

amounts of air, and the profi le still falls

away in a fastback manner, although the

deck is substantially fl at between the

headrest fairings. The turned-down rear

wing picks up a cue from the Lapine 959,

but the composition is totally di� erent.

It is said that future Porsche cars will

be infl uenced by the 918, and I can believe

that because the 918 itself has about twice

as many good styling ideas as it needs,

and no doubt they’ll

eventually be used—but not

all at once, as here. The

overall impression is much

more related to racing

Porsches than to past road

cars, all of which had more

monolithic forms. Here the

body profi le is defi nitely

dictated by the wheels, giving

a voluptuousness that is

made manifest in the top view showing

that the nose and sides form an almost

perfect circle. You can’t get any more

Rubenesque than that.

Porsche has already said that it would

need 1000 orders to justify building such a

high-performance hybrid and that a

production version might appear as a

coupe and/or as an open car. Three

months after the initial surprise showing,

some 900 of the faithful had made their

desire known. I’d bet there are three times

that many who will buy 918s.

T TOOK 110 YEARS for the Porsche

car company to revisit its founder’s

concept of a hybrid powertrain with an

internal-combustion engine plus

electric motors. The Porsche 918

Spyder is one of the most astonishing

concept cars ever presented, by anyone. To

claim—and be able to prove, no doubt—

that this missile can get around that

crinkly old racetrack in the Eifel

mountains faster than a Carrera GT and

provide 78-mpg fuel economy (if you

respect speed limits) is utterly amazing.

Yet, given the source, it’s much easier to

believe those claims than to question them.

The irascible Professor Porsche had

fi nally burned all his bridges to the

German motor industry by 1931 and was

forced to open his own independent

engineering design consultancy seventy-

nine years ago. Since then, there have

been only fi ve Porsche styling leaders.

Austrian Erwin Komenda shaped the

Volkswagen Beetle and its Berlin–Rome

sports derivative, the magnifi cent Cisitalia

grand prix car, and the iconic 356. He also

worked on the 911, credited to fellow

Austrian Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche,

Komenda’s successor, who was quickly

followed by Latvian-born American

Anatole Lapine, then Dutchman Harm

Lagaay, and now, for the fi rst time, a

German, Michael Mauer. Each of the last

by design

1 Yes, Ferrari was there nearly fi fty years ago, and McLaren did much the same twin-inlet design on the F1. And why not? It is perfectly logical.

2 This separate carbon-fi ber molding gives defi nition, but it is so low as to be seriously vulnerable in normal road driving.

3 Little indents for the headlamp covers provide visual structure to the front end. Contrast this with the fat forms of earlier Porsches.

4 The entire rear body is larger than the front, effectively becoming a huge scoop. Its leading edge profi le parallels the graceful door cut, while a door indent channels more air to the engine bay. Count on the exhaust coming out the back in production, though.

5 Pierced transparent wheel covers are high on decoration, null for practicality. How do you clean brake dust? It’s hard enough to get it off aluminum wheels that don’t scratch so easily.

6 Not only are these knife edges unusual for Porsche, the lines result in sharp points both behind the front wheel housing and at the outer edge of the rear cooling outlets.

7 The sharp trailing edge of the rear fender sweeps gracefully across the entire rear of the body. It’s a little surprising that there is no clearly delineated license-plate position.

8 Shades of Jaguar’s levitating shift dial. These scoops apparently rise above the surface as needed (and as shown here), rather like the rear fl aps on other Porsches.

9 Everyone must have a diffuser, functional or not. Count on this one working. Hard.

10 This is the approximate center of an almost-perfect circle circumscribing all surfaces ahead of the doors. There is a tiny point on the bumper, but not on the outlet slot . . .

11 . . . which is concentric with the perimeter of the whole.

1 2 3

22 Automobile | August 2010

Page 23: Automobile 2010 08

12 The convex outer surface of the headrests changes abruptly to a concave descent toward the scoop indents, establishing a sharp profi le line. Again, artful and elegant.

13 This knife edge is dramatic and dynamic and would work extremely well on a coupe, too.

14 The fi xed, freestanding rear wing turns downward at the tips, recalling the integrated wing of the 959 supercar. The elliptical trailing edge is both pretty and aerodynamically effi cient.

15 Very nicely shaped headlamp covers recall Italian racers more than Volkswagen/Porsche 356 lights.

16 These crisp peaks on the fenders break sharply with Porsche surface traditions.

17 Notice the complex cutline between the center body and the tail cover. Every cutline on the body is elegantly artful, especially on the aft ends of the doors.

18 Another sharp surface change on the rear fenders gives direction and avoids the pudgy look of early Komenda designs like the 356.

5

2120 22

10

4

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

7 986

19 The circular theme in plan view is carried across the instrument panel just at the intersection of the windshield base.

20 A very science-fi ction sideview camera will have to come eventually. The technology is ready, even if the auto industry is not.

21 What?! No shift lever? Not really needed with the dual-clutch automatic gearbox. And there are paddles.

22 Beautifully coordinated curves for the body-side scoop and the door cut.

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 23

Page 24: Automobile 2010 08

BIGGER, SMALLER, BETTER.

on Detroit’s history of botched lobotomies

and assisted suicides where its foreign

wards are concerned, such as the number

GM performed on Saab. Ford’s huge

investments allowed Jaguar to modernize

its factories and engine designs while

adopting cutting-edge aluminum

architecture for its XK grand tourer and

its biggest sedan, and its control systems

also helped the marque achieve massive

quality gains, as exemplifi ed in last year’s

J. D. Power awards for dependability and

owner satisfaction among luxury brands.

The question now, of course, is

whether the new Jaguar, with its humbler

sales goals, can make a go of it on its own.

Tata’s pockets are not inconsiderable, but

the huge, albeit theoretical, synergies of a

PAG are no longer there. While a new

fi ve-year, 50,000-mile, all-maintenance-

included “platinum” warranty program

will help back up the Power surveys in

potential customers’ minds, it’s the car

that will have to close the deal. In the

near term, that’s good news, for the new

XJ showcases all of the best Jaguar

virtues—supreme speed, amazing quiet,

and big fun to drive, with sharp steering,

prodigious roadholding, and a better ride

than any of its competitors, even those

that build a lot more cars.

How could that be?

Perhaps it was the Ford money. Allied,

of course, to some serious engineering

wizardry. But, then again, as Lyons proved

way back when, there’s something about a

gambler whose very existence depends on

success that increases the odds of

succeeding. When you have to care, dare

you must. Big isn’t necessarily better. AM

IKE HIGH-STAKES GAMBLERS WITH fi nite bankrolls

and three-alarm substance-abuse habits, ruination always lies

just around the corner for small-volume carmakers like Jaguar.

Or so we have been told.

Admittedly, every roll of the dice counts for more when your

pockets are shallow, which observation has led many to

conclude that building luxury cars can only be a game for those

with high-rise billfolds. Indeed, for years we’ve been assured that

salvation for the world’s exclusive carmakers lies in becoming less

exclusive by urgent multiplication of volume—leading us to the

present moment where the ever-expanding sales targets of luxury

brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz (and to a lesser extent

Porsche) all but require them to crank production like General

Motors puking out full-size Chevrolets in its 1960s heyday.

It was this harsh assessment—as well as Margaret Thatcher’s

loudly declaimed free-market catechism—which saw the sale of

money-losing Jaguar to the Ford Motor Company in 1989. The

marque would go on to become part of the now-defunct Premier

Automotive Group, Ford’s well-intentioned but money-losing

agglomeration of luxury brands (with Aston Martin, Land Rover,

Lincoln, and Volvo). Lately, most of PAG’s components have been

jettisoned, lest they distract Ford—pockets no longer bottomless—

from the new Job One: keeping the namesake brand alive.

At the height of its powers, Jaguar was best known, in addition

to its reputation for legendarily spotty reliability, for delivering

amazing style and performance at comparatively reasonable

prices, with hit after hit culminating in the eternally awesome

E-type and the impossibly long-lived XJ. Penned by Sir William

Lyons, the fi rm’s founder, this four-door luxury sedan sold well

from its 1968 introduction until its mildly dull replacement—also

called XJ—arrived almost twenty years later.

Sadly, Jaguar’s unparalleled gift for groundbreaking good

looks never really made it out of the ’60s, a worrisome trend its

Dearborn caretakers never fully corrected and often

compounded. And unsurprisingly, Ford missed hitting the

ambitious sales goal—200,000 cars a year—it had set for Jaguar by

several cricket pitches and a spacious county or two.

But after I’ve spent a few hundred miles in the newest Jaguar

XJ, plus some additional time at various auto shows soaking in its

luxurious interior—at once old-world cosseting and gloriously

modern—it seems clear in retrospect that Ford’s tenure, which

o� cially ended in 2008 when Jaguar was sold along with Land

Rover to Indian industrialist Ratan Tata, was more benign than

not. The new XJ—largely developed on Ford’s dime—is not the

prettiest car we’ve ever seen, but it ain’t bad at all. And it is an

unalloyed delight to drive. Without Ford’s extreme—arguably

misguided—investment, it might not be the almost unbelievably

wonderful luxury automobile that it is.

The good that Ford did stands in clear relief when one refl ects

by JAMIE

KITMAN

noise, vibration & harshness

24 Automobile | August 2010 ILLUSTRATION BY TIM MARRS

Page 25: Automobile 2010 08
Page 26: Automobile 2010 08

by EZRA

DYER

HY SOCIETY

on unicorns, unless you want an earful

about horses and narwhals.

Nissan’s only hybrid is the Altima, a car

that was released with an air of resignation.

I think the press materials said, “Even

though hybrids are a waste of time, we’re

going to license this thing from Toyota just

to appease the ignorant swine of California,

who think they’re smarter than our army

of superintelligent engineers. But rest

assured, the Leaf is gonna make this Altima

look about as advanced as a ’68 Chevy

Nova.” Or something like that. Nonetheless,

the Altima Hybrid gets signifi cantly better

gas mileage than the conventional

four-banger—at least, in the city.

But what if Nissan simply put the

Altima on a diet and bequeathed it other

fuel-saving methods, like perhaps a

smaller, direct-injected engine? That

less-is-more approach might deliver

near-hybrid economy along with a zestier

drive. Consider the fuel-miser version of

the upcoming Chevy Cruze. It’s slated to

deliver 40 mpg on the highway, but the

spec sheet sounds so much cooler than a

hybrid’s. It’s got a 138-hp turbo four-

cylinder and a six-speed manual. It’s

lowered and has forged wheels and a

shutter behind the grille that opens and

closes according to speed. That’s how I

like my fuel economy—fewer CVTs, more

turbos, forged wheels, and active

aerodynamics.

BMW’s latest 7-series is another car

that provides interesting perspective on

the value of hybrids. That’s because BMW

o� ers both a V-8 hybrid model and a

six-cylinder version. The ActiveHybrid 7

and the six-cylinder 740i both manage a

20-mpg EPA combined rating. So what,

then, is the point of the hybrid?

Well, it’s faster. I had the chance to

drive both cars on the Lightning circuit at

New Jersey Motorsports Park, and the

hybrid owns the straightaways. With a

HE HYBRID AGE IS coming to an end. Or at least, a new

beginning. Soon, new hybrids will be plug-in and thus vastly

more e� cient than our current crop of machinery. And so now

is a good time to ask the question: were hybrids an important

technological stepping stone, or were they the 2000s’ equivalent

of tailfi ns—a marketing device meant to connote futurism?

I acknowledge that all hybrids are not equal. The Chevy

Malibu Hybrid, for instance, doesn’t really deserve the label.

Calling that car a hybrid is like calling a woman with Lee

Press-On Nails a cyborg.

In the past few years, just about every automaker rolled out a

hybrid powertrain, which was seen as the unquestioned ticket to

heroic fuel economy. But there was one dissenter, one loud voice

in the crowd proclaiming that hybrids are silly. And I’m

beginning to think that guy may have been right.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has compared hybrids to mermaids,

saying, “If you want a fi sh, you get a woman; if you want a woman,

you get a fi sh.” Most CEOs are afraid to publicly express such

antimermaid sentiment, but not Ghosn. Don’t even get him started

dyer consequences

26 Automobile | August 2010 ILLUSTRATION BY TIM MARRS

Page 27: Automobile 2010 08

twin-turbo V-8 and an electric motor, the

ActiveHybrid’s 455 hp crushes the 740i’s

modest 315 ponies, delivering a 0-to-60-

mph time of 4.7 seconds versus 5.8 seconds

for the six. But there’s a catch.

The ActiveHybrid 7 also weighs 451

pounds more than the 740i. You know

what else weighs 450 pounds? A gorilla. A

really big one. So the cars look identical,

but one has a gorilla hiding inside it. And

Newtonian physics says that gorillas don’t

like to change direction, no matter what

you may have seen at the ADHD gorilla

pen down at the zoo.

So in the corners, the 740i slays the

hybrid. Its tires sing while the hybrid’s

groan. The ActiveHybrid pulls ahead on

the straight, but in a standing-start lap, it

was only a second and a half quicker over

nearly two miles. And that’s on a

horsepower track, where both cars

averaged about 90 mph. If I robbed Tail of

the Dragon National Bank and needed a

getaway car, I’d choose the 740i over the

ActiveHybrid 7.

Perhaps you’ll never actually use your

7-series to run the Dragon. Likewise, how

often will you require sub-6.0-second

0-to-60-mph runs? In either car, you get

that velvety, dreadnought-limousine,

7-series driving experience, so I’d call it a

draw except that the ActiveHybrid 7 costs

a bit more. As in, $32,150 more, which

admittedly doesn’t account for the tax

credit that ActiveHybrid customers get for

being so environmentally friendly as to

buy a car that says “hybrid” on it

somewhere. Sorry, you earth-hating

seal-clubber in your nonhybrid Ford

Fiesta with the fuel-economy package

(34 mpg combined)—no credit for you.

And why don’t you just go nuke a

rainforest while you’re at it?

Indeed, it’s a strange consequence of the

hybrid mystique that we revere porky cars

with batteries while paying little attention

to vehicles that are trim and thrifty in the

fi rst place. I once drove a Chevy Tahoe

Hybrid with a General Motors engineer

riding shotgun. He told me how di� cult it

is to wring one additional mile per gallon

out of a given vehicle, which makes the

Tahoe hybrid system’s 25 percent gain seem

like a silver bullet.

But the Tahoe Hybrid is like one of

those obese people who gets kicked o�

The Biggest Loser early and never sheds as

much weight as everyone else. At the end

of the season, that guy’s managed to drop

fi fty pounds, but he’s still gigantic.

Yet that fat guy who loses some weight

gets plenty of positive reinforcement,

while there are no congratulations for the

person who kept the weight o� in the fi rst

place. That’s the case at the Chevy

dealership, where the Tahoe Hybrid is

covered with screaming green badges and

honored with a $2200 tax credit, while

the Chevy Traverse—bigger inside than

the Tahoe and rated at 23 mpg highway

with all-wheel drive—is just another SUV.

It achieves better highway mileage than

the hybrid, but because it does so in a less

fl ashy way (lighter unibody construction

and a direct-injected V-6), it doesn’t get

the same attention.

I think this dynamic is about to change.

In the near future, people who drive

Toyota Priuses and Ford Fusion Hybrids

will gravitate toward the new fl agships of

petrochemical parsimony, cars like the

Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt. With that

squeeze from above, and conventional cars

like the Cruze and the Fiesta (and the

Traverse and the 740i) pushing from

below, it’s hard to see our current brand of

hybrid fi nding much love. I don’t know

whether it’ll happen in ten years or twenty,

but the hybrid as we know it will someday

sleep with the mermaids. AM

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 27

Page 28: Automobile 2010 08

Corvette to anything but a V-8

is like the Blues Brothers

becoming a Britney Spears

cover band.

LELAND JORDON

WASHINGTON, D.C.

OH, TOYOTA. HOW LOW

can you go? Ever since your

then Europe/Japan-only iQ

was previewed in this

esteemed periodical nearly two

years ago, I have been

champing at the bit to try one

out. But wait. Now you tell me

it’ll squeeze out fuel economy

only in the high 30s. What

happened to the two gas

engines that were supposed to

get about 50 mpg? And what

about the diesel I wanted—and

would never be able to

get—that got 60 mpg? I

suppose it’s back to the Prius.

But hold on a sec. A few pages

back you say that Lexus has a

new car coming out that pulls

50 mpg and—can it be

true?—actually looks like

something I’d want to be seen

in. CT200h, welcome to the

top of my list. Previously, I

wouldn’t have owned a Lexus if

you gave me one. I guess you

can change a demographic

with just one car.

MARK THOMAS

SARASOTA, FLORIDA

I JUST RECEIVED MY

June issue and was looking

forward to reading your Sneak

Preview feature. I turned to

the fi rst page, took one look at

the new Aston Martin

Lagonda, and promptly burned

the magazine in ritual sacrifi ce

to the memory of the 1980s

Aston Martin Lagonda. That

was a beautiful, sleek car. This

vehicle looks like a mentally

handicapped Decepticon. Who

came up with this thing? The

same guys who beat the Chevy

Volt concept with an ugly

stick? And you have the nerve

to call this “crossover”

highfalutin. It’s anything but

that. It’s ugly, will probably get

only 13 mpg, and will likely

cost well into the six fi gures

just because it’s an Aston

Martin. But I’m probably not

too far o the mark when I say

that Robert Cumberford will

love it.

JUSTIN SWARTZ

RED LION, PENNSYLVANIA

YOU KNOW WHAT I LOVE

about your magazine? In

particular, why I’ll pick it up

over your rivals any day?

Because you show real cars; the

ones you can take photographs

of. If all you have to go on is a

guess, you don’t run gratuitous

speculative concept art and

pass it o as the real thing.

When I see a picture of a car in

Automobile Magazine, I

know it’s for real. Yours is the

only magazine that seems to

have the self-respect and

integrity to be up front about

when it runs “spy illustrations”

in a feature on upcoming cars,

drawing attention to what’s

real and what’s guesswork.

Small wonder it’s the place to

go when I want to see a styling

critique by Robert Cumberford

or a look at timeless successes

like Collectible Classics. Keep

Peter gets a silver-arrow streamliner model car from Schylling.

LETTER OF THE MONTH

“THE FUTURE AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE.” —YOGI BERRA

SNEAK PREVIEW

I JUST READ YOUR

June 2010 issue’s Sneak

Preview feature, and I believe

it is safe to say that the vast

majority of Corvette owners

will not accept a six-cylinder

engine. There are already

Camaros and Cadillacs with

supercharged V-8s (at lower

prices), and yet you say that a

V-6 for the Corvette is not o

the table. Well, guess what? A

V-6 better not be anywhere

near the table. To further

compound things, we now

learn that it will most likely be

three to four years before the

C7 Corvette is ready. This most

likely means a C7 debut in

2014, which gives the C6 an

almost ten-year run. That will

no doubt lead to a continuing

slide in Corvette sales. While

the Corvette is a niche vehicle,

it is also a moneymaker, and

GM needs to realize that

current Corvette owners will

accept nothing less than an

impressive restyle and a

kick-ass V-8. Wake up, GM, and

put the new Corvette on the

front burner.

GUS RICHTER

PLANT CITY, FLORIDA

IN YOUR SNEAK PREVIEW

issue, you quote Corvette chief

engineer Tadge Juechter as

follows: “Considering V-8

alternatives is analogous to our

move away from pop-up

headlamps . . .” No, it isn’t.

Changing headlamps is like the

Blues Brothers changing

sunglasses; changing the

On page 58 of the June issue, in your brief interview with Jamal Hameedi, you list his title as chief

nameplate engineer. This brings to mind several important questions: (1) How many engineers does

it take to engineer a nameplate? (2) How many staff members are on the nameplate engineering

team? (3) What are their specifi c job accountabilities? I mean, if his job is to engineer the SVT

nameplate, how many variations does he have to manage over their extensive product line? It’s a

good thing Ford didn’t go for the bailout. If cutbacks need to happen, just how relevant is the chief

nameplate engineer in the total scheme of the company? —Peter de Blanc via e-mail

letters

28 Automobile | August 2010

ss

Page 29: Automobile 2010 08

up that standard; it’s

greatly appreciated.

BRIAN TIEMANN

VIA E-MAIL

CLASS ACT

I ENJOYED YOUR

article on Peter Brock

[“The Prodigy,” June]. I

fell in love with the shape

of the Daytona Coupe and

bought my fi rst one in

1964—yes, it was a slot car.

In 2007, during a midlife

crisis, I got the real thing.

Needless to say, there were

bound to be some glitches.

I fi nally found a really

good mechanic, and we

had numerous questions

and some issues that

Superformance was not

addressing. Hey, we

thought, why not call the

man responsible for this

beast? Peter Brock got the

ears of those who could

resolve my problems, and I

am now prowling the

roads getting more

thumbs-up than I could

have ever imagined. Peter

really went to bat for me in

a situation where he did

not have to, and all parties

benefi ted from his e� orts.

Hats o� to Peter Brock, a

real class act.

ARTHUR NIXON

SAYVILLE, NEW YORK

PETER BROCK WAS MY

hero when I was a teenager

dreaming of Daytona Cobra

Coupes. But when I saw

your article, I expected to

fi nd a eulogy for a brilliant

designer. You see, I had

been told that Peter Brock

died while testing a

Superformance Daytona

Coupe. I assumed this was

true, as I knew Peter was

doing development work

on a Daytona Coupe kit car

for Superformance. After

reading your article, I

Googled Peter Brock, and

there were pages of

references to “Peter Brock

crash,” “Peter Brock

Daytona Coupe crash,”

“Peter Brock death,” etc.

All were about a popular

Australian racing driver

named Peter Geo� rey

Brock. Needless to say, I am

happy to learn that my hero,

the Peter Brock of Daytona

Cobra Coupe fame, is still

alive and well. It just goes

to prove that you can’t trust

everything your friends

read on the Internet.

Thanks for a great tribute

to a legendary designer.

ANDREW CHONG

VIA E-MAIL

A RED-BLOODED

PONY CAR

YOUR WRITER, ERIC

Tingwall, stated that the

new 2011 Mustang

V-6 [“The Good War,”

June] without the

performance package was

underwhelming in power,

slow to rev, and anemic in

acceleration. Then two

pages later, we learn that it

turns the quarter mile in

13.8 seconds at 103 mph,

mere tenths of a second

slower than the 2010 V-8

car. Anemic? Hardly.

PAUL KLOBAS

EL SOBRANTE, CALIFORNIA

BURIED UNDERNEATH

all the dismissive trashing

of the Mustang’s solid rear

axle and its outgoing

engines is the truth: the

Mustang is the most

comfortable and natural

pony car, with unparalleled

visibility and a sporty

feeling of compactness.

Government Motors had

years to reintroduce a car

that was better than the

Mustang, and it didn’t

succeed.

LOU CAMP

SEDONA, ARIZONA

SPEEDVISION, R.I.P.

I JUST FINISHED

reading “Speed Screed” in

the June issue, and I’m glad

to see that I’m not the only

one who thinks Speed has

become one of the worst

channels on TV. When

Speedvision fi rst aired, it

was a revelation. You could

watch almost every type of

racing, plus things that

simply went fast. There

was Two Wheel Tuesday

(everything motorcycle),

Water Wednesday

(powerboat and sailboat

racing), and on Thursday it

covered anything to do

with fl ying, including air

racing, taking check rides

in rare aircraft, and

Oshkosh. On the weekends

you could watch every type

of racing, from SCCA to

European semitruck racing.

You always knew there

would be something

interesting to watch. Then,

seemingly overnight, it

became the NASCAR

channel. And why is it that

Barrett-Jackson is the only

auction they show—

multiple times a day? When

Speedvision was on the air,

it was one of my favorite

channels. Now I don’t even

know what channel Speed

is on. Thankfully HD

Theater has come along

and is producing some

great and diverse

motorhead programming.

MARK MORLEY

SAGINAW, MICHIGAN

I APPLAUD PRESTON

Lerner for being able to

echo my impression of

Speed without using any

four-letter words.

JESSE LAIRD

BOSSIER CITY, LOUISIANA

Write: Letters, Automobile Magazine, 120 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 E-mail: [email protected]

P a i n t P r o t e c t i o n

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Page 30: Automobile 2010 08

2011 Jeep Grand CherokeeWhat’s old is new again.

forward progress, I cautiously feather the throttle under the

assumption that an angle this radical requires the perfect balance

of torque and grip. It does, but the reality is that the Grand

Cherokee’s traction control will sort all that out. After a few

seconds of violent bouncing, we’re back on earth, facing the

horizon and surrounded by uninterrupted beauty with a sweet

V-8 idling in front of us. This is practically unbelievable.

It’s surprising—but not impossible—that this $50,000

near-luxury truck is conquering a trail named Hell’s Revenge. It

was uncertain—but not beyond reason—that Chrysler could

survive a decade of neglect and a crippling bankruptcy. But the

shock is that while everyone else is dumping SUVs for crossovers,

MOAB, UTAH

S THE JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE in front of us

crests the slope, we take note of the slender, roof-

mounted antenna dipping out of view. It’s the last

visual indication that we’re actually in contact with the

ground as fl awless blue sky fi lls our Jeep’s windshield and we

sit motionless on an unnervingly steep slab of Utah’s beautiful

red rock. “What kind of angle does it take to fl ip this thing

over?” I ask chief engineer Phil Jansen later. He’s not sure of

the exact number, but I’m convinced that we are within a

couple degrees of fi nding out. Our 5210-pound Grand Cherokee sidesteps left as the

5.7-liter V-8 grunts to get us moving. Once we start making

30 Automobile | August 2010

Page 31: Automobile 2010 08

Chrysler’s hopes are pegged on a bona fi de truck. Of course, there

are improvements in comfort and fuel economy, but the 2011 Jeep

Grand Cherokee is as true to its mission as when it was launched

in the segment’s heyday in 1992.

While Jeep will o� er a rear-wheel-drive variant for southern

states, most Grand Cherokees will be equipped with one of

three four-wheel-drive systems. For road-bound drivers,

Quadra-Trac I fi xes the torque split at 48 percent to the front and

52 percent to the rear wheels. Quadra-Trac II, with its two-speed

active transfer case, is the bare

minimum for any serious o� -roading.

The active part means that the torque

distribution can be varied between the

front and rear axles from 100 percent

at the rear wheels to a 50/50 split. The

two-speed portion indicates that

there’s a low-range gear for crawling

on dirt, in sand, or over rocks. The

top-spec all-wheel-drive system,

Quadra-Drive II, adds an electronically controlled limited-slip

rear-axle di� erential.

The new, optional Quadra-Lift air suspension can adjust the

vehicle’s height to one of fi ve levels. Normal ride height sets the

Grand Cherokee 8.1 inches o� the ground. Two o� -road settings

raise the ground clearance to either 9.4 or 10.7 inches. Park mode

lowers the vehicle for easier entry, and aero mode automatically

activates at speeds over 60 mph to lower the SUV for improved

fuel e� ciency.

A rotary dial on the center console controls the new

Selec-Terrain system, which is optional on four-wheel-drive

Laredo models and standard on four-wheel-drive Limited and

Overland vehicles. Selec-Terrain alters the behavior of the engine,

brakes, transmission, transfer case, stability control, and traction

control for fi ve settings (auto, snow, sport, sand/mud, and rock).

It also controls the ride height on vehicles equipped with the

air suspension.

The Grand Cherokee is particularly adept off-road with active four-wheel drive, air

springs, and Selec-Terrain

(controller pictured below), which adjusts

engine, chassis, and traction behavior.

The Specs // ON SALE: NowPRICE: $30,995/$32,490 (V-6/V-8)ENGINES: 3.6L V-6, 290 hp, 260 lb-ft; 5.7L V-8, 360 hp, 390 lb-ftDRIVE: Rear- or 4-wheel

Page 32: Automobile 2010 08

Inside, we were surprised by the cabin’s exceptional

quietness, which is the result of double-pane glass and a noise-

suppressing fi rewall between the engine and the cockpit. Building

on the precedent set by the 2009 Dodge Ram, the well-executed

cabin should be a key factor in reestablishing Jeep’s claim that

this is a premium SUV. The top-trim Overland receives a stitched-

leather dash and real wood accents that could pass muster in a

Lincoln or an Infi niti. Lower trim levels might not boast the same

high-end fi nishes, but they benefi t just as much from improved

materials and upgraded switchgear. The comfort features are

top-notch as well, with standard equipment such as keyless

ignition, a power driver’s seat, and satellite radio and options

including a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front

seats, heated rear seats, navigation, a power liftgate, and a

panoramic sunroof.

Daimler was in control when development of the Grand

Cherokee began in 2006, so there are several common

components with the upcoming Mercedes-Benz ML. The two

vehicles share key chassis dimensions, brake packages, and

suspension geometry, among other parts, meaning the Grand

Cherokee for the fi rst time uses an independent rear suspension.

The steering is particularly Mercedes-like in its feel and action,

with evenly weighted power assist and relatively light e� ort

regardless of speed or angle. But it’s also devoid of feedback.

Happily, the Grand Cherokee has great on-center response,

confi dently reacting to slight steering changes. On pavement, the

Jeep provides acceptable, but not engaging, driving dynamics.

When fi tted with the optional air springs, the vehicle rides

comfortably, closer to sti� than soft. Rotating the Selec-Terrain

controller to sport mode allows the air springs to drop the ride

height to aero mode for a lower center of gravity. The change,

though, is subtle and does little to improve the SUV’s handling.

Cornering ability is on par with other SUVs of this size, which is

to say that the limits are fairly low and it’s di� cult to feel like

you’re fl uidly connecting curves when driving aggressively.

The standard V-6 is Chrysler’s new Pentastar engine, a

3.6-liter that’s set to replace a total of seven di� erent six-cylinders

currently used in the company’s cars, minivans, and trucks.

Compared with the Grand Cherokee’s old 3.7-liter unit, city fuel

economy is unchanged at 16 mpg, but the highway rating

increases two ticks to 23 mpg (22 mpg for four-wheel-drive

vehicles). The power gain—from 210 hp to

290 hp and a torque peak up from 235 lb-ft

to 260 lb-ft—is decidedly more impressive.

At more than a mile above sea level in the

hills surrounding Moab, we needed every

bit of power to hustle our 4850-pound V-6

Grand Cherokee, but we can’t let that

undermine the vast improvement over the

old engine in terms of power and poise.

We’re less forgiving of the fi ve-speed automatic, which su� ered

from inconsistent shift behavior.

The safe bet for passionate drivers is the familiar 5.7-liter

Hemi V-8 making 360 hp and 390 lb-ft, which will quash any

acceleration complaints (expect a more powerful SRT8 edition

within a couple years). A fi ve-speed automatic is again the only

transmission, but it’s an entirely di� erent gearbox and the

programming is better sorted. Even with the Hemi, though, the

on-road driving experience is a bit staid—like what you might

fi nd in a modern crossover.

Back on the trail, where the new Jeep was a star, we might as

well have been driving a Chevrolet Traverse from the looks we

received. Although the drivers of battle-worn Jeep CJs and

Toyota FJs feigned friendliness, you could sense a touch of

disdain about them. Were the meticulously waxed Grand

Cherokees too pristine to be here? Had we broken the rules by

turning on the ventilated seats? Whatever their beef, by simply

showing up at the end of the trail, we gave those purists no

doubts as to the capabilities of the new Grand Cherokee.

Whether buyers see that old-school approach as distinctive or

out of touch will be decided by sales, but it certainly makes for a

uniquely capable vehicle. — Eric Tingwall

The interior now sports more style and better materials. Top-spec Overland models (not pictured) tout a stitched-leather dashboard and real wood trim.

The Grand Cherokee fi rst arrived in 1992 and

was originally conceived as the replacement for

the Cherokee, but with Cherokee sales still

strong—and the SUV segment starting to take

off—Jeep decided to keep both vehicles in its

lineup. Larger and more comfortable than the

Cherokee and equipped with a driver’s-side air

bag and antilock brakes, the posh Grand

Cherokee was the fi rst serious competitor to

the blockbuster Ford Explorer, which had been

launched in 1990. Together, the two vehicles

fueled the SUV boom. In only its second year,

Grand Cherokee sales surpassed 200,000 units

and would eventually touch 300,000 (in 1999).

The profi t-gushing

Grand Cherokee was

also a major engine of

Chrysler’s rosy fi nancial

results in the heady

1990s, helping make the

company an attractive

takeover target for

Daimler-Benz. More

recently, sales have

returned to earth, slipping

below 100,000 in 2008 for the fi rst time since

the truck’s launch year. Although still an

important vehicle for Jeep, the Grand Cherokee

follows in the tire tracks of Jeep’s original icon,

the Wrangler. — Joe Lorio

SUV superstar Born in better days.

32 Automobile | August 2010

is no longer the brand’s best seller as it now

Page 33: Automobile 2010 08
Page 34: Automobile 2010 08

NÜRBURG, GERMANY

N PICTURES AND ON paper, it’s

di� cult to get really excited about

the Aston Martin V12 Vantage. Sure,

it’s gorgeous and has a beautifully

balanced V-12 under the hood, but it’s also

the fi nal homogenization of the Aston

Martin coupes: three models with the

same look, the same architecture, and

now the same engine.

Chief engineer Paul Barritt makes his

case for this car, though, and it’s enough

to pique our interest. “This is the most

edgy Aston we do,” he says. “It’s our most

driver-focused car.” And to drive that

point further, Aston has the guts to o� er

the V12 Vantage with a manual gearbox as

the only transmission.

Even with race-liveried Lexus LFAs

and Astons lapping the Nürburgring

simultaneously, our caravan of relatively

slow-moving

production

cars entertains

the beer-

swillers who

have already

erected gypsy

villages in the

surrounding woods six days before the

annual twenty-four-hour race. I have

reservations about driving such a

powerful car my fi rst time out on a track

that claims a few lives every year, but the

Vantage’s 510 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque

quickly prove to be more of a boon than a

threat on the Nordschleife. Despite its

age, the 5.9-liter V-12 pulls just as hard

whether it’s spinning at 3000 rpm or

The carbon-fi ber louvers on the hood are a giveaway that this Vantage has Aston Martin’s 510-hp V-12 wedged into the engine bay.

6000 rpm, so coming out of a turn in the wrong gear doesn’t

really penalize a rookie.

The extra 150 pounds added to the Vantage causes a two-

percent weight shift to the front for a still-respectable

51/49 percent split. Steering feel and response are nearly perfect,

and the nineteen-inch Pirelli PZero Corsa tires grip masterfully.

The V12’s suspension is lowered 0.6 inch, and sti� ness is

comparable to that of a sport-package-equipped V8 Vantage. The

Aston corners fl atly and confi dently, but the ride is a little harsh

for a lengthy trip. Standard carbon-ceramic disc brakes are easy

to modulate on the road and provide the stopping force they

promise. The pedal, though, doesn’t provide much feedback

when pushed fi rmly, obscuring the antilock-brake threshold.

The V-12 was such a tight fi t in the Vantage’s engine bay that

engineers had to install a shallower sump, a smaller alternator,

and a new oil-fi lter housing. Carbon-fi ber hood louvers, a

carbon-fi ber lower splitter, brake-cooling ducts in the front

fascia, larger fl ared sills, a taller spoiler, and a new rear fascia

designed to pull more air through the transmission oil cooler

di� erentiate the V12 from the V8 Vantage. Inside, there are

unique instrument-panel graphics, a new shift knob, and

carbon-fi ber door grabs.

The Vantage’s smaller size may make it more agile than the

$270,350 DBS, but it also makes for a tight fi t in the cabin. At six

feet, three inches tall, I fi nd that the seatback is forced forward

when I slide the bottom cushion rearward. I’m able to get far

enough away from the pedals but struggle to fi nd a comfortable

position between the seat, wheel, pedals, and stick. After logging

300 miles in two days, my body feels as if it’s been fl ying coach

class for twelve hours. The seats are also virtually devoid of any

lateral support, and the optional fi xed-back, lightweight seats

don’t comply with U.S. regulations.

A big engine in a small car is a formula for fast, and it holds

true here, as the V12 Vantage is the quickest car in Aston’s lineup

(aside from the radical One-77): Aston claims a 0-to-62-mph time

of 4.2 seconds, 0.1 second faster than the DBS. Considering the

$90,000 discount over the DBS, we’re starting to think that V-12

homogenization isn’t such a big deal after all. — Eric Tingwall

2011Aston Martin V12 Vantage A formula for fast.

34 Automobile | August 2010

The Specs // ON SALE: Fall 2010PRICE: $181,345ENGINE: 5.9L V-12, 510 hp, 420 lb-ftDRIVE: Rear-wheel

Page 35: Automobile 2010 08

C h e v r o l e t S i l v e r a d o H D

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Page 36: Automobile 2010 08

ONLY A NINNY WOULD POUND TACKS with a sledgehammer. Se-

lecting the right tool for the job is the first step on the road to success.

When there are tough jobs to be done or serious recreation on the agenda,

picking the right truck is fundamental.

A minivan won’t haul your heavy stuff or tow a mighty trailer. And

there are times when America’s beloved workhorse, the half-ton pickup,

is too small for the task. That’s why Chevy offers a full line of heavy-duty

pickups. Since both our jobs and our vacation aspirations continue to grow,

the bow-tie brand keeps upping the ante on what a heavy-duty pickup can

do. Enter the 2011 2500HD and 3500HD, the best-dressed heavy-duty

Silverados that money can buy.

Engineering any car or truck is a bar-raising exercise. If the new de-

sign isn’t tougher, better, and more capable all around than what it’s re-

placing, there is no point to the project. So Chevy engineers assessed the

competition and polled their constituents before establishing performance

targets for the eleven 2500HD and eight 3500HD pickups that would carry

the Silverado and bow-tie badges in the 2011 model year.

Strength of character best describes what was achieved. Engineering

new frames, larger brakes, and more robust suspension systems delivered

notable gains in the categories serious truckers hold dear:

• Up to 30 percent greater towing capacity with a maximum rating

of 17,000 pounds.

• Fifth-wheel towing capacity that tops out at 21,700 pounds.

• A maximum payload of 6635 pounds.

THE RUGGED CHEVY SILVERADO HEAVY DUTY IS

Page 37: Automobile 2010 08

• Up to 17 percent gain in gross vehicle weight ratings with the

maximum rising to 13,000 pounds.

• A maximum gross combined weight rating of 29,200 pounds.

• A front axle weight rating that has been increased by 25 percent

to 6000 pounds, enabling snowplow use with all 4WD cab styles.

Optimum use of materials helps add strength. Shaping steel with

high-pressure water—a technique called hydroforming—maximizes tough-

ness without adding excess weight. Boxing the frame rails their entire

length and increasing the cross-sectional dimensions at high-stress points

add stiffness. Greater use of high-strength steel also helps to make the new

Silverado HDs among the strongest heavy-duty pickups on the market.

STRONGER THAN DIRT.

When there are tough

jobs to be done or serious

recreation on the agenda,

picking the right truck is

fundamental.

A stout backbone is what distinguishes the

Silverado from competitors who don’t take

the Heavy Duty assignment seriously. Chevy

engineered eleven all-new, fully boxed frame

assemblies with more high-strength steel, larger

cross-sections, and greater use of hydroforming

to raise twist resistance by a factor of fi ve while

nearly doubling bending stiffness. Engine and

transmission mounts are more substantial, and

the forward part of the frame is stiffer by

125 percent. The benefi t is extra towing

capacity, vastly superior ride and handling, and

the best durability money can buy. Hydraulic

body mounts for extended and crew cab

models insulate occupants from the pain of

potholes and expansion joints. A new box-tube

frame-mounted trailer hitch supports towed

loads up to 17,000 pounds. Access holes

pre-punched in the rear areas of the frame ease

the installation of a fi fth-wheel tow hitch.

GOOD TO THE BONE

Page 38: Automobile 2010 08

WHEN YOU HIT THE ROAD WITH A KING’S RANSOM in horse flesh

or a home mortgage’s worth of landscaping gear, the last thing you need to fret

over is whether your truck has enough stamina. Both Silverado HD power-

trains—gas and diesel—are engineered to provide the performance necessary

to tow heavy loads along with improved fuel efficiency and longevity.

The new 6.6-liter Duramax is the diesel without the smoke, rattle,

and roll that still plague some of its competitors. This diesel V-8 delivers

an astounding 765 lb-ft of torque at 1600 rpm, the most available in any

heavy-duty pickup. The 397 horsepower at 3000 rpm produced by this

turbocharged and intercooled engine is also best-in-class.

Thanks to the application of various new technologies, NOx ex-

haust emissions have been reduced by 63 percent. This diesel runs 680

miles between particulate filter regenerations, a 75 percent improvement.

Since 2000, more than a million Duramax diesel V-8s have impressed

truck owners with their durability and dependability. For improved stami-

na, the main bearing profiles are new, there’s more oil flow at low speeds,

and lubrication to the turbocharger has been increased. Soot deposits in the

exhaust gas recirculation system have been reduced with a new bypass cir-

cuit. The pistons and wrist pins have been redesigned for improved strength

and less weight.

The Duramax V-8 is now capable of running on B20 biodiesel fuel.

There’s also a new exhaust brake system that uses internal backpressure

instead of the friction brakes to smoothly slow a heavy truck/trailer com-

bination on grades.

AN ALL-NEW DIESEL V-8 AND SIX-SPEED AUTOMATIC

Page 39: Automobile 2010 08

Since 2000, more than a

million Duramax diesel

V-8s have impressed truck

owners with their durability

and dependability.

The sturdy Allison 1000 six-speed automatic transmission that is

teamed with the Duramax V-8 continues to offer handy tap up/tap down

shifting and a tow/haul mode for reduced shift cycling. Two overdrive gears

are provided to maximize highway mileage.

The 6.0-liter Vortec gasoline V-8 has revised valve timing aimed at

providing the extra oomph needed to get the Silverado HD’s heavy loads

rolling from rest. The Hydramatic 6L90 six-speed transmission mated to

this engine has several small changes aided at improved durability.

Because Silverado HD pickups enjoy such a sturdy reputation, Chevy

is able to provide the best available warranty coverage—a five-year/100,000-

mile limited powertrain warranty plus roadside assistance and courtesy

transportation.

NEVER CRY UNCLE.

POWER PLAY

To provide heavy-duty disciples with lionhearted

performance and durability, both Silverado

HD powertrains are thoroughly upgraded. The

Duramax 6.6-liter turbo-diesel and Allison 1000

six-speed transmission combine to deliver

more power and torque, lower emissions,

quieter operation, enhanced durability, and an

11 percent increase in fuel economy. Internal

components are tougher and better lubricated

for the long haul. Fuel-injection pressure is

15 percent higher for improved combustion.

Two new features are an exhaust brake to slow

the vehicle on long grades without tapping the

brake pedal and the ability to use B20 biodiesel

fuel. To handle the greater torque produced by

the Duramax engine, the Allison 1000 six-speed

automatic has stronger internal components.

Spin losses are reduced for improved operating

effi ciency. The gasoline-fueled Vortec 6.0-liter

V-8 now has extra low-rpm torque that’s

especially noticeable when towing. The six-speed

Hydramatic transmission mated to this engine

embodies several changes aimed at increased

strength and smoother performance.

Page 40: Automobile 2010 08

THE SHINY METAL SECURITY BLANKET.

WHEN YOU HITCH UP YOUR TOY BOX and set the navigation system

for a good-time destination, it’s good to feel secure. In the heavy-duty pickup

category, you’d like to have some assurance that safety and occupant protec-

tion, along with driver assistance are high priorities.

Chevrolet engineers came to a

similar conclusion while developing

the new Silverado heavy-duty pick-

ups. StabiliTrak electronic stability

control and trailer sway control are

standard on single-rear-wheel mod-

els. Commensurate with the larger

loads these trucks will bear, front and

rear brake rotors have been increased

to the size of pie plates—14.0 inches in

diameter. Four-wheel, four-channel

ABS is standard on single-rear-wheel

models, and dual-rear-wheel models

are equipped with a three-channel

system. And to give the brake pedal

a firm, reassuring feel, both the travel and the booster calibration have been

adjusted to suit the new HDs.

To take optimum advantage of the stronger and stiffer frames support-

ing these pickups, the steering system is all new. The steering gear, hydraulic

pump, and linkages have been reengineered for quieter operation and re-

duced effort at parking speeds.

With the intention of giving these HDs a poised ride over both good

and bad pavement, damper calibrations have been revised, the jounce bum-

pers provide extra resilience, and special hydraulic body mounts are included.

Nowhere in Chevy’s engineering book does it say that a heavy-duty pickup

has to ride like a truck.

To keep the rig from accidentally

rolling backward on grades, hill-start as-

sist is standard on all single-rear-wheel

Silverado HDs. In addition, there’s an

optional backup camera and cockpit

display for those instances when reverse

travel is intentional.

OnStar 9.0 is included—free for six

months—to maintain a communications

link to an assistance center for routing

information, emergency aid, and stolen

vehicle recovery assistance. The Sil-

verado HD’s standard XM satellite radio

and optional navigation system, mobile

WiFi, and Bluetooth connectivity are a great help, whether you’re a contractor

on a deadline or a parent bent on keeping a vacationing family entertained.

In the event of an accident, occupant protection is enhanced by the new

stronger frame. Front air bags are standard. Seat-mounted air bags and side-

curtain air bags that guard against injury during a lateral impact are a new

2500HD option.

Page 41: Automobile 2010 08

BULLETPROOF CHASSIS

Archaic beam-type front

axles used by competitors

wouldn’t do for the best

truck in the heavy-duty

category. The Silverado

HD’s new independent

front suspension is more

rugged than ever while also

delivering vastly improved

ride and handling. With a

gross axle weight rating of up

to 6000 pounds in front, 4WD models are now eligible

for snowplow service. Forged-steel and cast-iron control

arms, beefy torsion bars, reinforced shock-absorber

attachments, and dual urethane jounce bumpers per

side are behind the Silverado HD’s suspension prowess.

At the rear, the three-inch-

wide leaf springs have a new

asymmetrical design (shorter

ahead of the axle than

behind) for improved traction

and hop control. Gross

axle weight ratings are up

across the range. Four-wheel

disc brakes with ABS are

standard equipment. Brake

rotors, wheel hubs, bearing

assemblies, and calipers are all upgraded to support

segment-leading towing and payload capabilities:

conventional towing up to 17,000 pounds, 21,700-pound

fi fth-wheel towing, and a maximum payload of 6635

pounds in the Silverado 3500HD.

Safety, occupant protection,

and driver assistance are

high priorities.

Page 42: Automobile 2010 08

WITH MORE THAN NINETY YEARS OF TRUCK-MAKING EXPERIENCE UNDER ITS BELT, CHEVY ISN’T GOING TO TOLERATE ANY COMPROMISES NOW.

To see video of the new Silverado HD, visit WWW.AUTOMOBILEMAG.COM/SHOWCASE/CHEVROLET

WHEN CHEVY ENTERED THE TRUCK BUSINESS in 1918, its sem-

inal Model 490 rode on a passenger-car chassis with beefed-up springs.

Customers bought the cargo bodies that suited their needs from indepen-

dent suppliers. Chevy’s one-ton pickup was also introduced that year with

a 37-horsepower engine, an electric starter, full lighting equipment, and a

bow-tie badge on its radiator.

From this humble beginning, Chev-

rolet matured into the brand America

turns to when there’s hard work and play

to be accomplished . . . without spending

a fortune. The arrival of new Silverado

HD pickups for the 2011 model year af-

firms the fact that Chevy is still the go-to

source of uncompromised excellence and

innovation.

In many locales, pickup trucks are

the preferred form of family transporta-

tion. Although minivans are ideal for

trips to soccer practice or the grocery

store, they falter if asked to haul a load of

firewood or a yard of topsoil. When it’s

vacation time and boating is at the cen-

ter of family recreation, a full-size pickup truck is the only way to travel.

Heavy-duty pickups have evolved into the ultimate tool for hard work and

ambitious play.

Chevy trucks earned their dedicated following based on a reputation

for versatility, longevity, and all-around satisfaction. They enjoy excellent

resale value, the highest owner loyalty, and

a low cost of ownership. When creating a

new HD edition for introduction this year,

Chevy engineers listened to what their

constituents liked about the current mod-

els and what capabilities they would need

in the future. Then they focused attention

on upgrading the Silverado HD’s core at-

tributes. The frame, brakes, suspension,

and powertrains all benefit from scores

of fundamental improvements. Custom-

ers who may never actually see most of

this equipment will definitely appreciate

a Silverado HD that lasts and performs

beyond expectations. Delivering on that

promise is precisely what Chevy means by

no-compromise design.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Page 43: Automobile 2010 08

1

3

2

4

5

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

IRST AN SUV. Then a sedan.

And now a hybrid. It may be another

gut punch for purists, but Porsche’s

foray into volume products and new

segments continues with a hybrid model

for the new, second-generation Porsche

Cayenne. However, the Cayenne S Hybrid

isn’t an overweight Toyota Prius. Both the

hardware and the software feature

unique—or at least unusual—approaches

to hybrid execution. The result is that the

Porsche Cayenne doesn’t drive like any

other hybrid.

Primary propulsion for the most

e� cient Porsche SUV is the 3.0-liter

supercharged V-6 borrowed from the

Audi S4, here producing 333 hp and

324 lb-ft of torque. As in all automatic-

transmission Cayennes, power is

transmitted to all four wheels through an

eight-speed gearbox.

An electric motor

that measures 5.5

inches long sits just

ahead of the torque

converter, raising the

total output to 380

hp and 428 lb-ft.

The fi nal piece of

hybrid-specifi c

between the engine and the electric motor,

and it’s the hybrid Cayenne’s most

distinctive feature. The clutch can

decouple the V-6 from the rest of the

drivetrain, allowing the Cayenne to coast

or move under electric power without the

drag of a spinning engine.

2011Porsche CayenneS HybridSmoothsailing.

Pure electric mode is possible at low speeds and under light

throttle applications, but you’ll have to push through the kickdown

switch to get the electric motor and the gas engine operating

together, unless sport mode is activated. The Cayenne’s calling

card is a unique mode referred to as “sailing,” also described as

coasting or freewheeling. As soon as the driver removes a foot

from the accelerator, the gasoline stops fl owing and the clutch

decouples the engine from the drivetrain, allowing the Cayenne to

coast (at speeds less than 97 mph) without using gas or electricity.

Only a mile into our drive of the Cayenne S Hybrid, we were

already impressed with the powertrain. It’s the hybrid that you’d

never know is a hybrid. One trip through the eight gears, and we

were blown away by how much it felt like we were driving an SUV

with only a supercharged gasoline engine. The transitions from

electric to gas-only to electric-boost mode to sailing are barely

noticeable unless you’re looking for them. We had to rely on the

tachometer and the powertrain display to discern what the

complex powertrain was doing. We even had trouble identifying

when the hydraulic brakes began assisting the regenerative

braking system, all while staring at an analog gauge that showed

exactly when the change happened. Our chief complaint is the

slow shift times, whether the gearbox is left to shift on its own or

controlled by steering-wheel-mounted buttons.

Unfortunately, the hybrid won’t be o� ered with some of the

Cayenne’s most compelling chassis features, such as an active

antiroll bar and a trick torque-vectoring rear di� erential, so it’s not

quite as fast or as confi dent in the turns. At 4938 pounds, it’s also

the heaviest Cayenne, but it is lighter than last year’s V-8 model.

O� cial fuel-economy numbers for the hybrid Cayenne haven’t

been fi nalized, but they’re expected to come in at 20 mpg in the

city and 23 mpg on the highway. That won’t make the Cayenne a

standout, but it will slot right in the mix of large hybrid and diesel

SUVs. The hybrid’s cost premium is exactly $4000 over the V-8

Cayenne S, a price worth paying for those people who appreciate

improved fuel economy. Unless you desire the $105,775 Turbo

edition or insist on having sporty equipment like the fancy rear

di� , the hybrid model delivers the comfort, drivability, and

performance that a Porsche SUV should. — Eric Tingwall

13.0-liter supercharged V-6

2Power electronics

3AC motor

4Battery-cooling duct

5288-volt nickel-metal-

hydride battery

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 43

The Specs //

ON SALE: Fall 2010PRICE: $68,675ENGINE: 3.0L supercharged V-6/electric hybrid, 380 hp, 428 lb-ftDRIVE: 4-wheel

hardware is a dry multiplate clutch placed

Page 44: Automobile 2010 08

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

HE COUNTRYMAN is big for

Mini—in size, certainly, but even

more so in concept. “For Mini it’s a

huge step,” says Dr. Wolfgang

Armbrecht, Mini brand manager. “Four

doors, four-wheel drive, a higher seating

position. We weren’t sure it was the right

direction.”

That’s why we’ve been seeing concept

versions of this car for the past year and a

half, to ready the public for this very

di� erent Mini. The most obvious

di� erence is its size; the Countryman

exceeds the already-stretched Clubman

by more than six inches and the standard

2011

Mini Countryman This one’s big.

hatchback by nearly a foot and a half.

It’s also four inches wider and some six

inches taller than the hardtop and rides

on a 102.2-inch wheelbase (versus

100.3 inches for the Clubman and

97.1 inches for the hatch).

The Countryman’s bigger body

houses considerably more space for

people and stu� . Four real doors

provide relatively easy access—except

for the wide sills. The rear bucket seats can comfortably

accommodate six-footers; reclining rear seatbacks are a nice

touch, but hard, molded plastic door armrests are not. Luggage

space, at 12.2/41.0 cubic feet (rear seats up/folded), betters that of

the Clubman (9.2/32.8 cubic feet) but is still less than what most

44 Automobile | August 2010

The Specs // Cooper S CountrymanPRICE: $26,500 (est.)ON SALE: Early 2011ENGINE: 1.6-liter turbocharged I-4, 184 hp, 192 lb-ftDRIVE: Front or 4-wheel

Page 45: Automobile 2010 08

The Countryman’s optional navigation system can display directions inside the center-mounted speedometer.

small crossovers provide. Aside from the two-inch-higher seating

position, the driver’s environment is familiar. A new center stack

groups all the audio controls together (at last!), but it still su� ers

some odd climate controls.

The other big departure for the Countryman, of course, is its

optional four-wheel-drive system (called ALL4), which adds

about 150 pounds and is available on the Cooper S version only.

Ordinarily, it sends 100 percent of the engine’s torque to the front

wheels, but 50 percent can be diverted to the rear under

acceleration or if a wheel begins to slip.

The Countryman has updated versions of the current 1.6-liter

engines, which other Minis will get as part of their 2011 model-year

update. Variable valve timing joins direct injection for the

turbocharged Cooper S unit. Output climbs from 172 hp and

177 lb-ft of torque to 184 hp and 192 lb-ft (with overboost). The

base engine adds more muscle, too, going

from 118 to 122 hp and 114 to 118 lb-ft. Don’t

look for a full John Cooper Works version,

although we could see one eventually.

As in other Minis, a six-speed manual

transmission is standard and a six-speed

automatic is optional. The former benefi ts

from new synchronizers and a friction-

reducing coating to its shift cables for

slicker operation.

Other markets get auto stop/start and

regenerative braking, but they aren’t

coming to the U.S. because they wouldn’t

help the EPA ratings (although they would

aid real-world fuel economy, which ought

to count, too). The Countryman doesn’t

yet have o� cial EPA numbers—the car

goes on sale here early next year—but Mini

is hoping for a highway fi gure of 34 mpg.

We probably didn’t come close to that

mileage during our brief test-drive, when

we fl ogged a Cooper S Countryman

(all-wheel drive, manual, no sport package)

on a short cone course and a somewhat

longer road course—both water-slicked for

extra enjoyment. The all-wheel-drive

system fi nally puts an end to torque steer in

the Cooper S, so we welcomed it for that

reason alone. (Unfortunately, ALL4 is not

likely to fi nd its way into other Mini body

styles.) The turbocharged 1.6-liter pulls

nicely, although factory fi gures indicate

that it is, not surprisingly, slower here than

in the Clubman or the hardtop. With the

manual transmission, the front-wheel-

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 45

Page 46: Automobile 2010 08

drive Cooper S Countryman will

get to 62 mph in 7.6 seconds

(7.9 seconds with all-wheel drive),

against 7.4 seconds for the

equivalent Clubman and 7.1 ticks

for the regular Mini. The gap grows

wider for base-engine Minis, with

the Countryman at 10.5 seconds—

about a second slower than the

Clubman and 1.4 seconds behind the hardtop.

Despite its extra height and weight, the Countryman has much

of the alert, lively demeanor of other Minis. The electrically

assisted power steering is among the best of its type and gets even

better given a bit more weighting with a push of the Sport button.

Yes, the Countryman understeers, but stabbing the brakes can kick

the tail out to aid turn-in, provided you’ve switched the stability

control into sport mode or o� completely. On the high-speed

course, we found that you can drift this Mini like a rear-wheel-

drive car—so long as your name is Jörg Weidinger. Weidinger has

the benefi t of being a Mini test engineer for chassis and

suspension—oh, and a professional racing driver who has piloted

Minis (and other cars) at the Nürburgring’s twenty-four-hour race.

The fact that you can carry big drift angles on a wet racetrack

probably won’t be a primary criterion for Countryman shoppers.

Instead, Mini’s managers say these customers are looking for more

interior and cargo space. Previously, they had to leave the Mini

brand to get it—which might have been fi ne if most of them were

marching across the street to their BMW dealer, but too many

were wandering o� to other manufacturers. Whether you think

the big Mini is a major mistake or a big idea, that’s the reason it’s

here. And once the Countryman reaches showrooms, it’s expected

that the biggest Mini will account for the second-biggest share of

the brand’s sales (after the traditional hatchback). — Joe Lorio

46 Automobile | August 2010

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Page 47: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 48: Automobile 2010 08

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

F YOU THOUGHT Infi niti was

going to abandon the full-size luxury

SUV segment just because most

people are segueing toward smaller,

more fuel-e� cient, less ostentatious

crossovers, think again: the smell of

money is in the air.

Ben Poore, vice president of Infi niti

Americas, explains: “The bling-bling

buyers have left the segment, leaving

families.” Rich families at that, he adds:

“Our QX buyers are the wealthiest

Infi niti customers: many pay cash,

55 percent of them have another luxury

vehicle in their garage, and a lot of them

tow boats and horse trailers. Our biggest

market,” he continues, “is Long Island,

and Dallas and Houston are also

growing.” Which leads us to conclude

that the Infi niti

QX56 is the

o� cial vehicle

of the Real

Housewives of

East Hampton,

Preston Hollow,

and River Oaks.

But those gals

still like their

bling, don’t they? Lucky for them, the

new QX56 has plenty.

Let’s start with the cabin, which is

slightly narrower than the outgoing

QX56’s because the new QX is based on

the Nissan Patrol (not sold here) rather

The fender vents are not pretty, but at least the one on the driver’s side actually funnels air to the big, 400-hp, 5.6-liter V-8. These twenty-two-inch wheels are optional; twentiesare standard.

than the Armada. This interior has an attention to design detail

and material fi nish that rivals Lexus and even Land Rover. The

steering wheel gets a rich helping of wood and hide, the front

seats are deserving of the most discerning derrieres, and the

center stack is framed by two stitched-leather goalposts. A center

console between the heatable second-row buckets (a second-row

bench that adds an eighth seat is a no-cost option) is big enough

to hold all the detritus that Real Children must tote, and a new

tri-zone climate-control system improves airfl ow for second- and

third-row passengers—a nod to the Middle East, where the QX56

is popular. Infi niti’s Around View Monitor, a series of cameras

that project a 360-degree view of the immediate surroundings

onto the dash, is crucial not only for Real Husbands to back up to

boat trailers but also for Real Housewives to slip into tight

parking spots when they’re late for mani/pedi appointments.

2011

Infi niti QX56 Keeping it real.

48 Automobile | August 2010

The Specs // ON SALE: AugustPRICE: $57,650/$60,750 (RWD/4WD)ENGINE: 5.6L V-8, 400 hp, 413 lb-ftDRIVE: Rear- or 4-wheel

Page 49: Automobile 2010 08
Page 50: Automobile 2010 08

Not that the QX56 should be a late

arrival anywhere, since its 5.6-liter

V-8—mated to a new seven-speed

automatic—is now the modern unit from

the 2011 M56 sedan rather than the old

truck engine. With this direct-injected

With the second- and third-row seats folded, there’s 95.1 cubic feet of cargo space. Ceiling air vents have moved to the outer edges for better airfl ow. The second-row center console is a great toy box.

In Infi niti’s new Hydraulic Body Motion

Control system, part of the $5800 deluxe

touring package, the upper chambers of

the dampers on one side of the vehicle are

cross-linked to lower chambers on the

other side, and vice versa. This creates

counteracting forces to resist body lean,

minimize roll, and reduce head toss for

rear-seat occupants, thereby curtailing

motion sickness. QX56s thus equipped

have no antiroll bars, so another benefi t is

greater wheel articulation over rough

terrain, in the unlikely event that a QX56

owner should engage low range on the

optional four-wheel-drive system and go

off-roading.

“Since the new QX56 is based on the Nissan Patrol rather than the Armada, it’s slightly narrower inside, but with 168 cubic feet of interior space, it’s hardly small.

mill under its expansive hood, the 5850-pound QX56 (down 161

pounds) can defi nitely move. The tow rating is 8500 pounds, and

EPA fuel economy now inches toward respectability, at 14 mpg

city, 20 mpg highway, and 16 mpg combined. Executive summary:

The responsive V-8, the rigid body-on-frame structure, and the

well-insulated interior are impressive. Steering that’s reasonably

precise but devoid of feedback is less so.

Perhaps the coolest feature is at once both an indulgence and

a potential lifesaver. Connect an air hose to the QX56’s standard

twenty-inch or optional twenty-two-inch tires and start pumping.

When the tire pressure approaches the correct level, the hazard

lights fl ash; when the correct pressure is reached, the horn

sounds. If the tire is overinfl ated, the system works in reverse as

you bleed out air. This is a Really Good Idea that needs to trickle

down into cars that Real People drive. — Joe DeMatio

50 Automobile | August 2010

Page 51: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 52: Automobile 2010 08

ALTON, VIRGINIA

HEVROLET HASN’T

acknowledged its existence, but

the engineers at Ford’s Special

Vehicle Team know that a

supercharged Chevrolet Camaro Z28 is on

its way. That car could be the fi rst direct

competitor to the Ford Shelby GT500, as

its closest competitors today either come

up short on horsepower (Dodge Challenger

SRT8, Camaro

SS) or fi t into

an entirely

di� erent class of

car (Chevrolet

Corvette). To

combat the

Camaro Z28

even before it

arrives, Ford has

freshened its

hottest Mustang, making it a leaner, more

powerful, and more agile muscle car.

The biggest change comes as a result

of switching from iron to aluminum for

the 5.4-liter V-8 engine block. The switch

is more dramatic, both on the spec sheet

and from behind the wheel, than you

might think. Ford claims a substantial

weight savings of 102 pounds versus the

old iron block, which clearly was carrying some unnecessary

mass. Power climbs ten ponies to 550 hp, and torque is unchanged

at 510 lb-ft. Fuel economy rises 1 mpg both in the city and on the

highway (to 15/23 mpg), which allows the GT500 to escape the

gas-guzzler tax that ensnared last year’s car.

A new $3495 performance package lowers the car 0.4 inch in

front and 0.3 inch in the rear and features springs that are some

twenty percent sti� er in front and ten percent sti� er in back. It

also includes a shorter, 3.73:1 fi nal-drive ratio; a Gurney fl ap on

the spoiler; and forged aluminum wheels measuring nineteen

inches in front and twenty inches in back. The gorgeous,

graphite-fi nish wheels are wrapped in Goodyear’s new Eagle F1

Supercar G:2 summer tires.

JU

LIA

LA

PA

LM

E

Driven

52 Automobile | August 2010

The Specs // ON SALE: NowPRICE: $49,495/$54,495 (coupe/convertible)ENGINE: 5.4L supercharged V-8, 550 hp, 510 lb-ftDRIVE: Rear-wheel

The switch from iron to aluminum for the engine block makes the supercharged 5.4-liter 102 pounds lighter than last year’s powerplant.

2011

Ford Shelby GT500Watch out, Camaro Z28.

Page 53: Automobile 2010 08

We were given the opportunity to drive

the 2011 Shelby GT500 against the 2010

car back-to-back on Virginia International

Raceway’s full 3.3-mile course. It wasn’t an

apples-to-apples comparison, as the 2011

GT500s were equipped with performance

packages, an option that wasn’t o� ered in

2010. Still, the track time highlighted how

removing weight from the front end has

altered the Shelby’s character. The 2010

car is signifi cantly more sensitive to how

it’s driven. Trail brake or get on the

throttle too early, and it’s happy to wag its

tail. Take a corner too fast, and the

nose-heavy machine will plow toward the

outside of the turn. It’s certainly

manageable behavior, but it takes patience

and experience to learn exactly how to

control this snake. The 2011 car, on the

other hand, is much more neutral,

requiring more deliberate or more

ham-fi sted inputs to break its composure.

The new car also stays much more stable

and level over VIR’s esses and their

unsettling camber changes.

As with all 2011 Mustangs, the Shelby

switches from hydraulic steering assist to

an electric motor mounted on the steering

rack. The feel isn’t quite as connected

when you’re unwinding the wheel, but it’s

still a calibration that builds e� ort

naturally and communicates nuances in

the road. Most frustrating is the lack of a

telescoping column.

The engine’s power is predictably

awesome. Ford claims that 80 percent of

peak torque is available from 1750 to

6250 rpm. Despite that wide band,

changing gears is inevitable, so we’d

appreciate a lighter shift e� ort from the

six-speed manual. To publicize the engine’s

authority, Ford has switched the exhaust

system from an X-pipe to an H-pipe

confi guration, and the plumbing has

increased a quarter of an inch to a 2.8-inch

diameter. The result is a note that’s just as

raucous as before but o� ers more burbles

and snaps for a livelier personality.

The changes made by Ford’s Special

Vehicle Team are quite subtle on the spec

sheet and from outside the car. But from

the driver’s seat, they add up to a

substantial di� erence that makes the

GT500’s capabilities more accessible and

its handling more predictable. Topped

with the cherry of a more aggressive

exhaust note, the 2011 Ford Shelby GT500

is a truly meaningful enhancement. Bring

on the Z28, Chevy. — Eric Tingwall

Page 54: Automobile 2010 08

By Georg Kacher | Photography by Mark Bramley

Page 55: Automobile 2010 08

Despite these conceptual similarities,

the way the two cars look, sound, and drive

could hardly be more di� erent. From a

performance point of view, they are so

close that the virtual stopwatch inside

your head struggles to declare a winner,

but at the end of a long day and an even

longer night in and around Frankfurt, Ger-

many, one supercar turned out to be frac-

tionally more desirable than the other.

Even when these testosterone-laden

machines tiptoe through the narrow vil-

lage streets of the picturesque Odenwald

forest region in fourth gear, they come

close to doing serious decibel damage.

While the high-pitched voice of the Lexus

is a constant threat to tired windowpanes,

the densely packed roar of the Mercedes

puts loose plaster to a real test. Downshift

to second gear, and you’ll make cats arch

their backs and dogs bark and bristle.

The insane intonations of raw power

coming from the LFA are particularly dis-

tinct. Redlined at 9000 rpm, where the

electronic tachometer changes color from

snow white to devil red, the V-10 sounds as

shrill as a MotoGP bike or a Formula 1

racer. When the wide white wedge ap-

pears on the horizon, bystanders pull out

their mobile phones, both to freeze-frame

one of Europe’s rarest sports cars and to

capture its spine-tingling sound track. In

tunnels, other drivers inadvertently step

on their brakes when the Lexus pilot fl oors

the loud pedal, because the xenon-eyed

noiseball in their rearview mirror sounds

and looks like a UFO heralding the end of

the world.

The SLS strikes a chord more minor

than major, all bass not tenor, roaring tiger

rather than howling wolf. While the LFA

misses no opportunity to launch its shriek-

ing, high-pitched backup choir, the car

from Stuttgart loves to indulge in a simu-

lated part-throttle misfi re that blat-blats

like a highly tuned American muscle car

from the 1960s.

The transmissions fi tted to our two

warriors are far apart in both concept and

personality. Mercedes pairs its V-8 with a

seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic that

reduces power interruption during full-

throttle upshifts to virtually zero. There

are four shift patterns to choose from: C

for controlled e� ciency, S for sport, S+ for

sport plus, and M for manual. In S+, the

black box automatically blips the throttle

during downshifts, holds the gear through

fast corners, downshifts early, and upshifts

late. We tried the manual mode for the

fi rst part of the route but found no real

need to work the steering-wheel-mounted

paddles, because in S and S+, one step on

the throttle is all it takes to summon a

lower ratio. The interaction is beautifully

intuitive and sensationally speedy.

There is no doubt that the single clutch

that drives the six-speed automated man-

ual transmission is the Achilles’ heel of the

Lexus. Gearchanges are controlled via pad-

dles attached to the steering column, where

you can fi nd them even with the wheel at

full lock. There are four available shift pat-

terns: Auto, Sport, Norm, and Wet. Auto is

slow, jerky, and out of sync with the car’s

focused dynamics. Norm is exactly that—

normal—so we found ourselves driving in

Sport most of the time. To complicate mat-

ters, there’s a choice of seven di� erent shift

speeds ranging from a whiplash 0.2 second

to an almost lethargic full-second gear

swap that still can’t match the smoothness

of the Mercedes.

Nice touches include a tachometer that

changes color from black to white as soon

as you activate sport mode and paddles

with contrasting shift weights: it’s feather-

light for upshifts, but downshifts require a

high-e� ort tug. So far, so good. Unfortu-

nately, the mechanical execution isn’t in

line with the brand’s premium-quality, to-

tal-functionality image. O� -the-line clutch

engagement varies from rough on level

surfaces to wah-wah wailing on inclines.

HE LEXUS LFA AND the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG are about as di� erent in approach

and ability as a muscular sprinter is from a sinewy long-distance runner. It’s a clash of

characters along the lines of a Suzuki Hayabusa sportbike taking on a BMW K1300S, a

Moog synthesizer compared with a Steinway piano, or techno music as opposed to

Beethoven. This is a little surprising when one compares the almost identical DNA of the

two supercoupes. Both cars are front-engined; are powered by high-revving, normally

aspirated engines; feature a well-balanced transaxle layout; rely on lightweight body

structures; and make do with nonadjustable suspension and steering setups.

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 55

Page 56: Automobile 2010 08

Like the Nissan GT-R, the LFA struggles

through tight and slow uphill bends, where

torque delivery is anything but smooth.

There is a fair bit of clickety-clonk noise in-

volved, too, and the occasional whi� of

overheated friction material wafts through

the cabin. Maneuvering the Lexus is remi-

niscent of driving Ferraris with early F1

automated manual gearboxes. To switch

from drive to reverse, you must fi rst pull

both paddles to engage neutral and then

reach for a small toggle to the

left of the instrument panel to

trigger a change of direction.

Don’t rush, or you’ll have to re-

peat the sequence even if tra� c

is rapidly approaching.

The SLS boasts a small joy-

stick-type drive-by-wire gear se-

lector with a squared-o� T-han-

dle instead of a conventional

transmission lever. To engage re-

verse, push the handle forward,

pull it back to engage drive, and

hit the button marked P to lock

the wheels. Angled to the left is

the AMG Drive Unit that is also

found in the SL63 and the E63.

The keyboard contains fi ve

round buttons that control trans-

mission mode, engine start/stop, stability

control, the rear wing, and AMG (to store

your favorite settings). Last but not least,

there’s the familiar Comand system that

provides access to communication, naviga-

tion, and entertainment functions. A similar

setup can be found in the LFA.

As in other AMG cars, the SLS o� ers

performance-oriented in-dash readouts

for coolant, engine-oil, and gearbox-oil

temperatures; the stability control setting;

and the most recent lap and trip times.

Above the two large main circular gauges

are LED shift lights with one amber warn-

ing at 6900 rpm and two red dots that

come on at 7100 and 7200 rpm, but only in

manual mode.

The LFA cockpit looks and feels even

more special than the cabin of the SLS.

The starter button is conveniently placed

on the carbon-fi ber steering wheel, which

boasts a squared-o� bottom and two broad

horizontal spokes with thumb rests. The

LCD instrumentation features a large,

round rev counter, a relatively small digi-

tal speedometer, and your choice of sec-

ondary readouts. You can summon the

fuel, oil, and water gauges as well as a trip

The modern Gullwing’s somewhat cramped cabin includes lovely materials, controls for Mercedes-Benz’s fi rst dual-clutch automatic transmission, and design elements inspired by aircraft. An eleven-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system and carbon-fi ber trim are optional. ■ The SLS AMG’s top speed is 317 kph (197 mph). So how did our photographer snap a shot at 360 kph? It’s not Photoshop trickery—the speedometer needle pegs itself when you turn on the car’s ignition. ■ The wing on the trunk lid automatically raises at 75 mph or at the touch of a button. ■ The 6.2-liter V-8 is mounted almost completely behind the front axle.

56 Automobile | August 2010

Page 57: Automobile 2010 08

computer, a lap timer, a tire-pressure mon-

itor, and more. The seats are comfortable,

supportive, and generously adjustable.

Subjectively at least, the LFA feels a lit-

tle roomier than the SLS, which combines

C-class-style switchgear with instruments

that are unique to the model, plenty of

leather, and a high level of fi t and fi nish.

The gull-wing doors are true attention

grabbers, but they’re no more practical

than the front-hinged apertures preferred

by Lexus. In both cars, a glance

in the mirror at autobahn speeds

gives you a look at an imposing

tail wing that extends automati-

cally to increase downforce and

stability. The luggage compart-

ment of the Mercedes holds a

fairly useful 6.2 cubic feet , but

Lexus doesn’t bother to quote a

number for the LFA. The LFA

tips the scales at 3460 pounds;

the heavier SLS has a curb

weight of 3573 pounds .

We aimed for Karlsruhe on

the A5 autobahn, which typi-

cally is 150-mph-plus terrain—

but not today. Road construc-

tion, speed limits, and congestion

slowed us down to 100 mph

most of the way. Only twice was there an

opportunity to knock on 150 mph, and we

never saw the LFA’s claimed 202-mph top

speed, nor the 197 mph the SLS is report-

edly capable of reaching. But having driven

both vehicles on prior occasions, I know

that the Lexus takes a little longer than the

Mercedes to reach its terminal velocity. We

can also confi rm that the Benz’s displace-

ment advantage—6.2 liters versus 4.8 li-

ters—and its 479 lb-ft of torque versus the

LFA’s 354 lb-ft give the German contender

a noticeable edge when it comes to mid-

range acceleration. This impression is re-

fl ected by the torque peaks, which occur at

a lofty 6800 rpm in the LFA and 4750 rpm

in its rival.

Without question, Lexus’s V-10 needs

to be revved much harder than the AMG

V-8 to deliver, which takes some getting

used to. Even at a yelling 6000 rpm, you’re

only two-thirds of the way to the LFA’s rev

limiter, and the inferno becomes more in-

tense with every incremental 1000 rpm.

The AMG V-8 is redlined at 7200 rpm, but

the last few hundred revs seem to do more

for your ears than for forward progress.

Although the winding roads through

Not only does the LFA’s interior feel more spacious than the SLS’s, it also looks and feels more special. If occupants, seated in their cocoonlike chairs, somehow get sick of hearing the high-strung V-10, an

optional twelve-speaker Mark Levinson stereo can fl ood the cabin with sound. ■ The LFA’s taller wing deploys at 50 mph; it can be raised with a switch, too, but only when the car is parked. ■ An LCD gauge

cluster offers drivers lots of information, but the tachometer always dominates. ■ Like the Benz’s powerplant, the Lexus V-10 utilizes dry-sump lubrication to allow it to be placed lower in the car. Despite

its two extra cylinders, the LFA’s engine displaces 23 percent fewer cubic centimeters.

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 57

Page 58: Automobile 2010 08

PRICE $183,000

ENGINE 32-valve DOHC V-8

DISPLACEMENT 6.2 liters (379 cu in)

HORSEPOWER 563 hp @ 6800 rpm

TORQUE 479 lb-ft @ 4750 rpm

TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic

DRIVE Rear-wheel

STEERING Hydraulically assisted

SUSPENSION, FRONT Control arms, coil springs

SUSPENSION, REAR Control arms, coil springs

BRAKES Vented discs, ABS

TIRES Continental ContiSportContact 5P

TIRE SIZE F, R 265/35YR-19, 295/30YR-20

L x W x H 182.6 x 76.3 x 49.3 in

WHEELBASE 105.5 in

TRACK F/R 66.2/65.0 in

WEIGHT 3573 lb

EPA MILEAGE 14/20 mpg

The SLS is a powerboat for the road, a mighty mauler that evokes fond memories of a brand’s glorious past. The LFA is heart-stoppingly pretty and very nicely put together, a street racer for track days and early mornings.

ACCELERATION

0–60 mph 3.8 sec

0–100 7.7

0–110 9.1

0–120 10.6

0–130 12.4

0–140 14.5

1/4–mile 11.7 sec @

127 mph

BRAKING

70–0 mph 152 ft

CORNERING

L 0.98 g

R 1.02

SPEED IN GEARS

1 47 mph

2 73

3 98

4 124

5 155

6 190

7 197

Me

rce

de

s-B

en

z S

LS

AM

G

Page 59: Automobile 2010 08

PRICE $375,000

ENGINE 40-valve DOHC V-10

DISPLACEMENT 4.8 liters (293 cu in)

HORSEPOWER 553 hp @ 8700 rpm

TORQUE 354 lb-ft @ 6800 rpm

TRANSMISSION 6-speed automated manual

DRIVE Rear-wheel

STEERING Electrically assisted

SUSPENSION, FRONT Control arms, coil springs

SUSPENSION, REAR Multilink, coil springs

BRAKES Carbon-ceramic vented discs, ABS

TIRES Bridgestone Potenza RE050A

TIRE SIZE F, R 265/35YR-20, 305/30YR-20

L x W x H 177.0 x 74.6 x 48.0 in

WHEELBASE 102.6 in

TRACK F/R 62.2/61.8 in

WEIGHT 3460 lb

FUEL MILEAGE 13/19 mpg (est.)

ACCELERATION

0–60 mph 3.9 sec

0–100 8.0

0–110 9.7

0–120 11.2

0–130 13.1

0–140 15.6

1/4–mile 11.8 sec @

126 mph

BRAKING

70–0 mph 154 ft

CORNERING

L 1.04 g

R 1.06

SPEED IN GEARS

1 51 mph

2 75

3 102

4 133

5 169

6 202

Le

xu

s L

FA

Page 60: Automobile 2010 08

the Odenwald are pure bliss for commit-

ted drivers, the speed on the best bits is re-

stricted either by law or by heavy tra� c. In

this roller-coaster habitat, where tight

radii and narrow blacktop prevail, the

Lexus benefi ts from its more compact di-

mensions and lighter weight. The Mer-

cedes is not only a touch wider and a sub-

stantial 5.2 inches longer, it also has a

phallic snout that positions the driver far-

ther back in the aluminum spaceframe

cradle. In the carbon-fi ber Lexus, you sit

between the axles and are thus closer to

the front wheels, which supports the butt-

to-brain interface. The front/rear weight

distribution is almost identical: 48/52 per-

cent in the Lexus, 47/53 in the SLS.

In our tests, these two supercars are

separated by one-tenth of a second in the

0-to-60-mph sprint, where red eclipses

white by completing the task in 3.8 versus

3.9 seconds. In actuality, it’s all down to

tire wear, tire temperature, surface quality,

and launch success. Both vehicles must

shift once before they exceed the 60-mph

mark, and even after a dozen or so full-

throttle side-by-side sprints, the results

were pretty much a dead heat.

The electrically assisted power steering

of the Lexus takes 2.4 turns from lock-to-

lock, about 0.4 turn less than the hydrauli-

cally boosted rack-and-pinion device fi tted

to the Benz. The helm of the LFA feels light

and communicative, quick and responsive.

The SLS has meatier steering, with slightly

stronger self-centering action, but turn-in

is equally attentive and feedback doesn’t

deteriorate on poor tarmac or when you

wind on more lock. Both stability control

systems o� er an intermediate sport set-

ting—the Lexus setting deactivates traction

control; the Mercedes raises the interven-

tion threshold. On public roads, that’s all it

takes for a gentle nudge of power oversteer

at the exit of an open bend.

On the track, you can remove the safety

net completely, thereby clearing the stage

for tail slides lurid enough to qualify for

the next national drift challenge. In the

LFA, the steering makes the car feel light

and nimble and chuckable, but even the

heaviest right foot must fi rst get used to

the sky-high revs required to smoke the

tires. In the SLS, the balance between

steering and throttle is more natural and

better weighted. At very high velocities,

the Gullwing needs fewer corrections to

maintain a steady line, but it is more easily

irritated by long undulations and sharp ex-

pansion joints.

With some 5700 miles on the odometer

and a long weekend at the Nürburgring

Nordschleife under its belt, our preproduc-

tion Lexus felt a little loose and tired. Al-

though fi tted with standard carbon-

ceramic discs, it could have done with fresh

brake pads to smooth the grinding noises

and the rather rough response. The SLS

was also equipped with carbon-ceramic

brake rotors—optional in its case—which

decelerate the coupe about as e� ectively as

the thrust reverser of a jet engine. But it’s

not only the sheer stopping power that im-

presses, it’s also how the car copes with

split-friction turf, hot brake discs, and wet

pavement. Despite its substantial size and

weight, the SLS will actually outcorner

most other sports cars on the planet. Al-

though the numbers may tell a di� erent

story, the commendably progressive SLS

feels as though it pulls more lateral g’s than

the LFA, which is hindered by a slight front-

to-rear grip imbalance and a more brittle

suspension. On the racetrack, this is rarely

an issue. But through patchwork corners,

An academic one-tenth of a second separates the two cars in the 0-to-60-mph sprint.

60 Automobile | August 2010

Page 61: Automobile 2010 08

the Lexus feels busier, more nervous, and

less stable. In these conditions, which can

also apply on ancient autobahn sections, a

little more compliance would probably

make a big di� erence.

The city center of Frankfurt is crammed

with towering glass cubes built by the

banks before Mr. Lehman fell ill and in-

fected his brothers. In the early hours of

the morning, the streets around the main

station were still busy with amber taxis

chasing late barfl ies, with blue-over-silver

police cars on the prowl, and with two out-

of-place supercoupes worth a combined

$560,000. We were looking for bright neon

lights, colorful cliques, and cheerful ad-

mirers for that fi nal bit of metropolitan ac-

tion. It didn’t take more than a pair of open

gull-wing doors and an impromptu V-10

concerto to draw a very mixed crowd of

scantily dressed ladies and chain-smoking

scarfaces who probably never remove

their sunglasses or their shiny jewelry.

There wasn’t an LFA customer in

sight—they were presumably in a far less

seedy part of town—because Lexus

screened all interested parties before al-

lowing them to sign a two-year lease con-

tract. When the lease expires, the lucky

500 will be allowed to purchase the vehi-

cles, a move that might delay gray-market

action but won’t prevent it. There might

be the odd drug baron or the occasional

Lolita merchant among the 500 or so SLS

clients Mercedes intends to serve this year,

but since the car is sold out globally deep

into 2011, getting one quickly will likely

cost you dearly.

Before we headed for the hotel at 4:30

in the morning, we took every opportunity

to evaluate, test, savor, sample, and then

decide. So, what would I buy if I had the

means and the choice—the 553-hp Lexus

or the 563-hp Mercedes?

The LFA is a limited-edition, high-tech

item that is heart-stoppingly pretty and

very nicely put together, a street racer for

track days and early Sunday mornings.

The SLS is a powerboat for the road, a

mighty mauler that evokes fond memories

of a brand’s glorious past, a surprisingly

practical and highly visible tool for the

dedicated driver. Both cars are honest and

straightforward, classy and competent, in-

triguing in the way they present them-

selves and perform, dynamically focused,

and deeply rewarding. The fi nal choice

could come down to personal preferences,

such as the more modern Lexus exterior

and interior or the more practical packag-

ing of the Mercedes.

But as should be the case when you

compare two such evenly matched ma-

chines, the real deciding factor hides be-

neath the skin. The Lexus LFA is let down

by its transmission, and it is, albeit to a

lesser extent, handicapped by the need to

rev its melodious engine to more atten-

tion-getting volumes than the more re-

laxed, bigger-bore V-8 . In all other depart-

ments, it’s a very close decision. I could

quite easily live with the LFA’s less com-

pliant suspension, and if this was toy num-

ber six or seven, even the screaming en-

gine wouldn’t matter that much. But the

clutch does, because it’s at odds with what

the halo car of the brand should deliver:

ultimate quality in every respect. The Mer-

cedes-Benz SLS AMG, on the other hand,

establishes a credible link to its maker’s F1

and DTM racing e� orts. And it proves,

fi fty-six years after the original Gullwing

and only weeks after the fi nal production

run of the SLR McLaren, that Mercedes

still knows how to make a supercar. AM

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 61

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Photography by Brian Konoske

64 Automobile | August 2010

Page 65: Automobile 2010 08

However, as much as I admire

Fox Racing suspension compo-

nents, fl ared fenders, and mas-

sive o� -road tires, you’ve got to

admit that the Raptor’s talents

are on the esoteric side. O� -road-

ing is a pretty niche hobby in the fi rst place (despite

what Land Rover and Jeep would have you believe),

and the F-150 SVT Raptor is designed for a specifi c

kind of o� -roading—high-speed desert-running. And

who really does that on a regular basis?

The U.S. Border Patrol, that’s who. Most of the

U.S./Mexico border is an arbitrary line across the des-

ert, and we haven’t gotten around to paving much of it.

Which means that the people tasked with patrolling

that border are basically professional o� -roaders. They

might see pavement in the morning when they leave

the house and again when they head home, but in the

interim they’re driving across dunes, hard-packed

sand, and dry riverbeds—basically prerunning the Baja

1000, 365 days a year. These people need Raptors.

Unfortunately for them, they don’t have any. Yet.

Without getting into the arcane details of government

procurement procedures, it seems that there was some

kind of a problem with the Raptor’s leather interior—

the gub’mint couldn’t buy trucks with fancy cowskins

inside, and Ford didn’t build Raptors any other way.

They got the situation resolved, and a batch of Raptors

are destined for the Border Patrol. But the Yuma

County Sheri� ’s Department is one step ahead.

Soon after the Raptor hit the street, Major Leon

Wilmot of the Yuma County SD caught a look at it

running Baja on TV. “I said, ‘We’ve got to get one of

those,’ ” Wilmot recalls. So he wrassled up some

Department of Homeland Security dollars through a

program called Operation Stonegarden and made it

happen. The Yuma sector of the U.S. Border Patrol has

six more Raptors on the way, but at the moment, the

Yuma sheri� has the only one, the baddest police truck

north of San Luis Río Colorado.

Which is actually where I fi nd myself at the mo-

ment, driving beside the longest fence you’ve ever

seen, accompanied by Wilmot and a former narcotics

o� cer named Jimmy. I’d contacted Wilmot a few

weeks before to see if I could accompany the Yuma

police Raptor on desert border patrol. In the interim,

Arizona passed a mildly controversial immigration law

that you may have heard about. So it’s an interesting

time to be on border patrol in Arizona.

Now, on any mission that includes the possibility

of shoot-outs and bandits, you’ve got to choose the

proper equipment. To that end, I paid careful attention

to my choice of vehicle. The only way I could keep up

with a Raptor, I reasoned, was with another Raptor.

So that’s what I’ve got—a 5.4-liter V-8 model in an

orange-red hue that is approximately the color of a

ost right-minded people agr� that the Ford Raptor is a sw� t ride.

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 65

Page 66: Automobile 2010 08

nuclear explosion. We won’t be sneaking

up on anybody.

Truck cred established, I was still wor-

ried that the Yuma cops would perceive

me as some kind of East Coast city slicker

who wouldn’t know a rattlesnake from a

bolo tie. So I bought a cowboy hat at a

Yuma gas station (in Yuma, you can buy

cowboy hats at gas stations), and I’ve got

my aviator sunglasses, which Jimmy ap-

provingly refers to as “cop shades.” Finally,

knowing that my hairless upper lip won’t

cut it out here, I’ve brought prosthetic as-

sistance—an array of Mustache Party–

brand fake mustaches. The Bandit model,

in particular, nicely complements my cop

shades and cowboy hat. I feel like I want to

draw on someone, shoot the gun out of his

hand, and then say, “I was justifi ed.”

Too bad the paperwork I fi lled out back

at the station explicitly prohibits civilians

from packing weapons in police cars. So I

don’t have a gun, although I did look into

getting one—a local dealer boasts that it

specializes in “politically incorrect black

guns with extended magazines.” Damn

straight. Yuma isn’t buying those new po-

litically correct guns, with their recycled

bamboo stocks and fair-trade ammo.

In any case, it appears that the Yuma

police Raptor is all set when it comes to

fi repower. I’m in the passenger seat, and

behind me is a vertical rack that holds a

semiautomatic .223 rifl e. Riding shotgun

to the rifl e: a shotgun. Perhaps more

important than both, the truck’s radio

system can summon the mighty ordnance

of the U.S. government. Apache attack

helicopter, anyone?

But in the Grand Theft Auto hijinks of

the Mexican/American border, even an

Apache might not save the day. “Before the

fence went up,” Wilmot says, “there was a

big problem with tractor theft. The farms

go right down to the border, and the

farmers leave their tractors out in the fi elds

at night.” This led to problems, because

what a tractor lacks in speed, it makes up

for with a certain unstoppability. “We had

an Apache fl y down and get right in front

of a stolen tractor that was heading for

Mexico, but he wouldn’t stop. He was

going to ram the helicopter, so they had to

let him go.” Tractor chicken? Apparently,

Mexican farm-equipment thieves take

their cues from the iconic Kevin Bacon

fi lm Footloose.

Right now, we’re close to civilization.

San Luis splits the border, with most of the

town on the Mexican side—which is a

problem, because the people on the south

side of town are not huge fans of the

Border Patrol. That’s why the trucks down

here have some extra modifi cations.

“I want to show you a War Wagon,”

Wilmot says as we cut down toward the

Colorado River. Jimmy and photographer

Brian Konoske follow in the civilian

Raptor. Wind whips the dust in thick

clouds, pasting everything with grit.

Parked in the middle of this tableau is a

Border Patrol Chevy Silverado 2500 with

metal grates and mesh over the windshield

and side glass.

“People throw things over the fence,”

explains the major. “Like rocks.”

“And dirty diapers,” says Jimmy.

“And balloons fi lled with chicken

blood,” adds the Border Patrol guy sta-

tioned here. The wind whips the sand into

my eyes, nose, and ears. A portable light

tower rests nearby, awaiting nightfall. It’s

called the Nightbuster 4000. I imagine it’s

probably a big step up from the Night-

buster 3000. Just the thing to spot those

incoming chicken-blood balloons. Maybe

later they can use it to look for Konoske’s

hat, which the wind rips o� his head and

tosses straight into Mexico, providing a

nice moment of levity for everyone.

As charming as San Luis is, we haven’t

really seen the Raptor in action yet, so I’m

itching to hit more rural terrain. We don’t

have to go far. As we head east out of town,

the fence on our right, the graded dirt road

morphs into pure desert. There are tire

tracks, but this isn’t what you’d call a road.

Nonetheless, we fall into an easy 60-mph

cruise. To our right, we can see tra� c on

Mexico’s Highway 2, just a couple hundred

yards away. We’re keeping pace, even

though we don’t have the benefi t of a road.

This is the Raptor in its element.

“With our other trucks, we’re tearing

up shocks, suspension, skid plates,” Wilmot

says. The Raptor, though, is designed

Clockwise from right: A safety beacon out in the far reaches of the desert; evidently, Mazda sedans are not ideal off-road vehicles; Wilmot breaks out the binoculars; the Raptor’s police livery.

66 Automobile | August 2010

Page 67: Automobile 2010 08

precisely for this mission—high-speed

desert recon. In fact, deputies take an o� -

road driving class where they learn how to

take advantage of the Raptor’s o� -road

talents, preferably without destroying it.

“We call this truck the career-ender,”

Wilmot says. “You mess this thing up—

your career’s over.”

We keep heading east, deep onto the

Barry M. Goldwater Range. Wilmot’s map

of the area points out that there are a few

hazards for travelers around here. For one

thing, the average high temperature in the

summer is about 105 degrees. Also, un-

exploded warheads litter the area (a photo

on the map shows what looks like a small

missile stuck in the side of a cactus). And

there are abandoned mines, scant fresh

water, and, of course, a colorful variety of

on-the-go drug smugglers, human traf-

fi ckers, and other ne’er-do-wells. Further,

the map warns that, “If a road is impassable

because of fl ooding, mud, moon dust, or a

lawful closure, turn back.” That’s right,

moon dust. Did I mention that the main

thoroughfare through this terrain is a trail

called El Camino Del Diablo, or The

Highway of the Devil? Well, it is.

But we’re on no highway whatsoever

when we come to the burnt-out hulk of a

car sinking into a dune. Based on the shape

of the roofl ine, I guess that it’s a Dodge

Shadow, but what’s left of the engine

indicates that it’s a Mazda. Probably an old

626. I ask the major how a car got out here.

“Well, before there was a fence, people

would just drive in from Mexico,” he says.

And, if they were driving a Mazda 626

through the desert, apparently they would

not get very far.

Believe it or not, cars still manage to get

through the barrier. “They’ll park a car

carrier on the other side of the fence and

use it as a bridge to drive over the top,”

Jimmy says. That strikes me as pretty

ballsy, but it’s far from the only trick.

“They’ll come out with a welder and cut a

door into the fence, complete with hinges,”

Wilmot says. “We’ve seen them remove a

real Normandy barrier and replace it with

a Styrofoam look-alike, so they

can just move it aside whenever

they want.”

Getting past the fence on

foot is much more straightfor-

ward, but out here, the question

becomes: then what? You’re

miles and miles from anything.

This area is so remote that there

are actually safety beacons scat-

tered around the range, intended for Mex-

icans who’ve decided that it’s better to get

arrested than die of heatstroke. The bea-

cons feature a big button that you push to

alert the authorities, but even then a sign

warns that it could be an hour before any-

one shows up.

I suspect that the law would get there

sooner than that, though. As we approach

what is evidently a new area, a Border Pa-

trol truck comes roaring toward us. “We

must’ve tripped a sensor,” says Wilmot. I

ask what kind of sensor we might’ve

tripped. He doesn’t elaborate. When the

Border Patrol o� cer pulls alongside, he

gets out to scope the Raptor. “This thing’s

a mule,” he says, gesturing to his Silverado.

“It doesn’t have as much power as the

2006s we had.” I’m guessing that the older

trucks had the discontinued 8.1-liter big-

block, which put out 330 hp and, more im-

portant, 450 lb-ft of torque. The new

6.0-liter makes 360 hp but signifi cantly

less torque. Which must make a di� erence

when you’re slogging through sand dunes

Top: The Operation Stonegarden Raptor runs alongside the fence. Above: An unusual sight out on the dunes—a rearview mirror fi lled with police truck.

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 67

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all day with an air-conditioned jail stuck

in the pickup bed.

Greetings concluded, we continue on

our way, again at a high rate of speed. I’ve

taken the wheel of our civilian Raptor

(probably to Jimmy’s dismay, since he

seemed to be enjoying it) and fi nd my-

self amazed at the ease with which this

thing soaks up fl inch-worthy obstacles—

you keep fl inching, but then it just glides

on its way. You start to feel invincible. And

that’s always a bad way to feel, in the long

run. Soon enough, I go too hot o� a whoop

and bottom out the skid plate with a verte-

brae-rearranging crash. When you manage

to bottom the suspension on a Raptor, you

need to take a time-out to contemplate the

law of gravity and how it applies to a

6000-pound truck, tricked-out suspension

or not. We stop for a break, and Jimmy and

the major hold court on the topic of cut-

ting sign.

“Cutting sign” is the lingo for tracking

footprints. It’s a big part of border patrol

work. The Stonegarden Raptor has LED

lights under the running boards that shine

down at an angle, illuminating footprints

in the sand. Of course, once you fi nd some

footprints, the truck also has a FLIR—For-

ward Looking Infrared—night-vision dis-

play built into the passenger-side sun visor.

(“Yo, dawg, I pimped your Department of

Homeland Security vehicle so it can see in

the dark.”) The Border Patrol trucks rou-

tinely drag tires along the fence, smooth-

ing out the sand so that any new footprints

will be instantly noticeable. Cutting sign

still sounds like an art, though. “When you

fi rst learn how to do it, the old-timers

Even where the terrain is smooth, choking sandstorms and blazing heat make the border brutal on trucks. The Raptor has held up well enough that the Yuma County Sheriff’s Department just ordered a second one.

68 Automobile | August 2010

Page 69: Automobile 2010 08

make you take o� one of your boots,”

Jimmy says. “Then they carve your initial

in the heel, so you’ll know when you’re

tracking yourself.”

Of course, every action has a counter-

action. I say that I’d get some deer hooves

and strap them to my feet. “People strap

foam to their feet,” Wilmot says. “But you

can still track them.” Jimmy tells a tale

about a deputy who took o� his boot and

hopped from the fence o� into the desert

to prank the Border Patrol guys, who set

o� in pursuit of a one-legged illegal alien.

That sounds sort of like an urban legend,

but it’s still a funny image.

We continue, ever deeper into the des-

ert. The scrub brush and dunes give way to

low mountains, saguaro cacti, and a sprawl

of blooming fl owers. It’s quite beautiful.

This would be a great place to go camping,

except for the whole unexploded ord-

nance/bandits/heatstroke thing. We’re so

far out now that the Border Patrol trucks

we encounter are strictly diesel, because

there’s nowhere to refuel. One Border Pa-

trol Ford F-250 Power Stroke that rumbles

past has remote-reservoir Fox Racing dam-

pers on the front axle, but a Raptor it’s not.

As it heads o� over the washboard, I see

the cab shaking like an unbalanced wash-

ing machine—which, according to the map,

it’ll be doing for quite some time. We’re at

least forty miles from the nearest road.

Out here, the fence has gaps, since it

would’ve been impractical to build it over

the craggy mountains. I walk to the end

and peek around the corner, into Mexico.

“I used to wonder why they bothered with

a fence if you can walk around it,” Jimmy

says. “But it keeps out vehicles. And it fun-

nels the people on foot into certain spots,

so they’re easy to track.”

Maybe it’s hard to avoid getting caught

once you’re on U.S. soil, but the act of get-

ting across seems pretty easy—back by the

fi elds near the river, it’s about a one-

minute swim. So I’m perplexed by stories

of how Mexicans pay thousands of dol-

lars—from $1000 to $3000, according to

Wilmot—for smugglers to get them across.

“They’re not paying to get into the U.S.,”

Wilmot says. “Because the smugglers usu-

ally just bring them to the other side of the

river, rob them, then leave them to get ar-

rested. What they’re paying for is protec-

tion on the Mexican side, to cross in a par-

ticular guy’s territory.” Well, that doesn’t

sound like a great deal. “OTMs pay even

more,” he says. I ask what an OTM is.

“ ‘Other Than Mexican.’ Chinese, South

Americans, anyone else trying to get across

the border.”

To my relief, we encounter NOTA,

none of the above—at least, not as far as we

know. All we saw down by the fence were

Border Patrol trucks, but it turns out that

the smugglers have a new trick: using

cloned Border Patrol trucks to drive into

the U.S. But for that ploy to work, their

trucks would have to match the ones that

the Border Patrol actually use. Which

means that the agents in the Yuma sector

probably aren’t the only ones waiting, im-

patiently, to get behind the wheel of the

fastest truck in the desert. AM

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 69

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DECADES FROM NOW, when some

clever doctoral candidate writes his or,

more likely, her dissertation about the

history of women in sports, the 2010 Indianapolis

500 may be cited as a watershed moment.

The scene was Pole Day, a week before the

race. Shortly after a disappointing qualifying

e� ort, Danica Patrick complained about her

ill-handling car during an interview broadcast

over the trackside P.A. system. Patrick is racing’s

It Girl, the most recognized face and best-known

body in IndyCar racing, thanks to her exposure

in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue. Yet the

crowd responded by booing her lustily, with all

the bitterness of a jilted lover.

But that wasn’t the watershed moment. No,

that came a few minutes later when a twenty-

one-year-old Swiss rookie by the name of

Simona De Silvestro outqualifi ed Patrick for the

fi fth time in six IndyCar races this season despite

making her run in the heat of the afternoon—the

most diabolical conditions she’d ever

experienced at racing’s most daunting circuit—

and taking to the track immediately after the

previous driver had crashed during his run.

Simona De Silvestro hopes to be the fi rst

female racer to make people forget she’s

not one of the boys.

By Preston LernerPhotography by Tony Valainis

72 Automobile | August 2010

Page 73: Automobile 2010 08
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“Think about the mental toughness that requires,” her race en-

gineer Michael Cannon says. “We’d drawn a terrible qualifying

position. It was hot. Another car had just splattered against the

wall. And we’re telling her to go fl at into turn 1—230.5 mph before

turning in. Well, o� she went.” And qualifi ed solidly at 224.228

mph. “She’s bloody good,” Cannon says in the team’s garage in

Gasoline Alley, two days before the Indy 500. “I’d be very sur-

prised if she doesn’t win championships.”

De Silvestro is the anti-Danica, bubbly rather than sultry, a

tomboy rather than a sex kitten, less sizzle, more steak. Janet

Guthrie was the fi rst woman to race at Indy, back in 1977, and Lyn

Saint James carried the feminist torch during the ’80s and ’90s. In

2002, Sarah Fisher became the fi rst woman to qualify on the

pole for an IndyCar race. Then, two years ago, Patrick scored the

fi rst, and so far only, IndyCar win for a female driver. Now,

De Silvestro—the winningest female driver in Formula Atlantic

history—is poised to achieve the biggest fi rst of all: she could

become the fi rst female racer (outside of drag racing) whose

gender doesn’t matter.

This isn’t to say that De Silvestro is androgynous. Although it’s

often noted that her ears aren’t pierced, she seems like a perfectly

typical young woman who smiles a lot, laughs easily and often,

and can be girlishly silly. She shrieks when she spots a spider, and

she’s seen the chick fl ick Twilight seven times. But what sets her

apart from those who came before her is that she’s not a woman

racer who happens to be seriously quick. She’s a seriously quick

racer who happens to be a woman.

“Before I worked with her,” says her driver coach, Bob Perona,

“I thought she was just another girl race car driver. After I started

working with her, I knew she was going to be very good. But she’s

turned out to be great. She’s the whole package. She’s got the

talent. She’s got it mentally. She’s got it emotionally. I don’t think

there’s anything she can’t do in a race car.”

De Silvestro is one of those preternat-

urally gifted athletes who excel at

every sport they pick up. She won

her fi rst ski race when she was three, was a

top regional fencer at age four, and played

championship tennis not long after that.

Considering that motorsports were banned

in Switzerland in 1955, racing wouldn’t have

seemed to be in her future. But her father,

Pierluigi, was a car dealer who also did driv-

ing instruction at tracks in Italy, France, and

Germany, and his daughter was born with

racing in her DNA.

“When I was a baby, my dad says I was

quiet only when I watched Formula 1 on TV,” she says. “When I

was four, he did a go-kart demonstration, but I couldn’t reach the

pedals, so I cried the whole day. By the time I was nine or ten, I

knew that racing was what I wanted to do, and my whole life has

been about it. Driving open-wheel race cars has always been my

goal. I really never had anything else in my head.”

When she was seven, De Silvestro won the fi rst kart race she

entered—in the rain. When she was eleven, her father let her

drive his Porsche 911 GT3 at Hockenheim, sitting on a pillow, and

she got it up to 135 mph before he ordered her to slow down. At

sixteen, she graduated from karts to Italian Formula Renault. The

De Silvestros didn’t have enough money to pay for a second

season in Europe, but with the help of friends, family, and an

American sponsor, they put together a Formula BMW program in

the United States.

At seventeen, halfway through the Swiss equivalent of high

school, De Silvestro moved to Indianapolis. She didn’t know any-

body and barely spoke English. But she was already fl uent in the

language of speed. She won once, made the podium repeatedly, and

went into the last race of the season with a shot at the champion-

ship. The title eluded her, but her pace earned her a propitious

meeting with an entrepreneur by the name of Imran Safi ulla.

Safi ulla had been involved behind the scenes in open-wheel

racing for several years. But in De Silvestro, he saw a unique

opportunity to do something that had never been done before—

orchestrate the career of a female driver who wasn’t defi ned by her

gender. He became De Silvestro’s manager, big brother, benefactor,

deal broker, father fi gure, marketing maven, and moral compass.

“Racing is dominated by alpha males, and it objectifi es women,”

he says. “When you see a woman in racing, she’s usually in tight

knickers, holding an umbrella. We’re not promoting a feminist

agenda, but we’re trying to promote gender equality. Danica has

opened the door, but she’s chosen a path that, in my opinion, is

De Silvestro and her father,

Pierluigi, who perched his

daughter in his lap for a spin in a go-kart when she

was four. “The fi rst time she

drove herself,” he recalls, “I was

astonished. Her lines were

perfect. She was a natural.”

74 Automobile | August 2010

Page 75: Automobile 2010 08

slightly easier because she’s leveraging her sensuality. Simona

won’t be doing any [innuendo-laden] commercials. If she’s selling

a road car, she won’t be lying on the fl oor in front of it in a bikini.”

That said, nobody’s going to mistake De Silvestro for Patrick.

De Silvestro is fresh-faced, disarmingly open, and delightfully

eager to please, but she looks more like an athlete than a runway

model, and there’s none of the diva in her. “She’s my same brand—

the girl next door,” says Fisher, who was the IRL’s poster child

before Patrick arrived. “She’s a really great girl, and you could take

her anywhere. She could fi ll my shoes pretty easily.”

Safi ulla insists that his goals for De Silvestro are—his words—a

vision statement rather than a sales pitch. But he’s also trying to

create a brand with broad commercial appeal. “This is a chance to

deliver merchandise to a consumer market that doesn’t have a

voice,” he says. “Of course, you can talk about this until you’re blue

in the face. But until you are standing on the podium, the credence

is not there. She has to win races.”

De Silvestro’s confi dence was shaken during her fi rst year

with Safi ulla, in the supercompetitive Atlantic series. The next

season, she won the fi rst race of the year—the same weekend that

Patrick scored her IndyCar victory—before her performance

plateaued, so Perona was brought in to unlock her innate talent.

“She was fast but inconsistent,” he recalls. “She’d come back from

a session and spew information, 1000 miles per hour in

semibroken English. But I realized that I could really push her, so

I started cracking the whip.”

Last year, De Silvestro won four races, all from the pole, and

was leading the Atlantic championship until she was punted into a

tire barrier in the season-ending race. With nothing left to prove

in Atlantics, Safi ulla arranged a test at Sebring in an Indy car

campaigned by HVM Racing. She’d never driven anything

remotely as powerful as the Dallara-Honda, but that didn’t

dissuade her from lighting up the rear tires as she left the pits for

the fi rst time. “You always have to show o� a little bit,” she explains

with a contagious laugh.

Keith Wiggins, HVM’s phlegmatic team owner, raised an

eyebrow as he watched her slither o� . But he fi gured it would take

her time to get up to speed, so he climbed into the trailer to grab a

cup of co� ee. “While I was inside,” he says, “I could hear her down

the back straight. Christ, she was on it! I had to get back out there,

as much out of concern as out of interest.”

Cannon was equally surprised. “Typically, rookies don’t start

making sense of the car until the middle of their fi rst day. But she

came in after her second outing. I think it was her thirteenth lap

in the car. She said, ‘It has some understeer. But I’d like to settle

the rear under braking fi rst.’ So we made some changes, and the

next time she came in, she said, ‘Better. Now you can fi x the

understeer.’ That’s a professional race car driver. I told Keith, ‘She

was very impressive. If we can fi nd a way to run her, I’d like to take

care of her car.’ ”

HVM is a small team whose success on the racetrack belies its

meager resources. This year, after funding for other drivers failed

to materialize, Wiggins agreed to run De Silvestro for a budget he

reckons is maybe one-sixth of what Penske Racing spends on each

of its three drivers. Because the team is running only one car,

De Silvestro can’t share data with a teammate. Also, most of the

tracks are new to her.

So what happened at her debut in Brazil? She led four laps. In

fact, her pace has been good all season, allowing her to run solidly

in mid-pack before being victimized by rookie miscues. Kansas

Speedway, her fi rst oval, was the only track where she seemed in

over her head. “She threw out the parachute the fi rst few laps,”

Perona says. Says De Silvestro: “It’s funny, because last year and the

year before, when I watched oval races on TV, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s

easy.’ Then when I got to Kansas and everybody told me it was fl at

[full throttle], and I’m like, ‘Are you sure about that? It doesn’t look

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 75

Page 76: Automobile 2010 08

possible.’ ” She smiles. “The fi rst fi fty laps, I was so confused. But

when I passed Justin Wilson, the light bulb came on.”

Cannon was convinced that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

played to De Silvestro’s strengths—high-speed corners and the

ability to provide high-quality feedback. She breezed through

rookie orientation and practiced well before drawing a bad

qualifying number on Pole Day. During the autograph session the

day before the race, the drivers were seated according to their grid

position, which placed De Silvestro next to Patrick. Hundreds of

fans showed up with Danica apparel and merchandise. And there

was one remarkably self-possessed thirteen-year-old girl wearing

a Simona hat and T-shirt.

“I don’t like Danica because she’s always whining,” Jessica

Hoopengardner said after snagging De Silvestro’s autograph. “I

found it fairly funny when she got booed last week. I like Simona

because she’s a good, new female driver. I think she’ll fi nish

between tenth and twentieth tomorrow.”

Out of the mouths of babes . . .

Race day is obnoxiously hot and humid. This means De Sil-

vestro will have to deal not only with brutal conditions in

the cockpit but also with a treacherously greasy racetrack.

The tension ratchets up during the interminable prerace festivi-

ties, and after getting to the grid, she fi ghts the almost irresistible

urge to go to the bathroom. It’s a relief to fi nally be strapped in the

car. Still, during the pace lap, for the fi rst time in the middle of a

full fi eld of thirty-three cars and a racetrack fi lled with fans, she’s

so nervous that her legs are shaking.

Immediately after honorary starter Jack Nicholson waves the

green fl ag, De Silvestro picks up a position. But before the fi rst lap

is over, Davey Hamilton wrecks in front of her—a taste of what’s to

come. Ten drivers will crash out of the race, and three more will

park their undrivable cars. De Silvestro struggles with an ultraloose

car that constantly threatens to end her day.

On several occasions, she dirt-tracks the car

around turn 3, and she survives half a dozen

heart-stopping moments in turn 1.

With fi fty laps to go, De Silvestro’s drink

bottle stops working. With thirty-seven laps

to go, the team goes to a fuel-conservation

strategy. De Silvestro is poised to pick up

several positions when the fi eld is frozen by

a hellacious wreck on the last lap, and she

fi nishes fourteenth, running out of fuel as

she takes the checkered fl ag. After being

towed to the pits, she has to be helped from

her car. “She did an awesome job,” Perona

says. “She deserves a raise.”

An hour later, revived with food and water, De Silvestro is still

jazzed by the experience. “It was crazy out there!” she says, her

eyes shining. With time, perhaps, her sense of wonder will

dissipate. But at the moment, she radiates her passion for racing,

and she openly expresses the sense of joy she gets from balancing

a car on the limit of adhesion.

When the race began, she says, the bu� eting was so fi erce that

her tires didn’t feel like they were touching the ground. Then her

car was wicked loose, and on one occasion, she countersteered so

violently that she ran out of steering lock. What else? She was

dehydrated. She barely avoided Vitor Meira’s wreck. Her right

foot was numb from matting the throttle for so long. Sounds like a

nightmare, right? “Oh, no,” she says, genuinely horrifi ed. “That

was the funnest thing I’ve ever done. I can’t wait to come back

next year.”

Like Saint James and Patrick in years past, De Silvestro was

named Rookie of the Year. Patrick, who’d been booed again during

the driver introductions, ran a gritty race to fi nish sixth (and ate

plenty of humble pie afterward). Nobody’s ever doubted Patrick’s

bravery or determination, and she’s always been especially good

on ovals. But nothing on her résumé—one professional race win—

suggests that she’s going to be a dominant driver in IndyCar, much

less NASCAR.

Still, no matter what trajectory Patrick’s career takes, it’s im-

possible to overestimate the adversity she had to overcome or the

impact she’s had. Thanks in part to Patrick’s success, De Silvestro

has never had to deal with the issue of gender. “For me,” she says,

“it’s always been about results.” For better or worse, she’s not a pi-

oneer. She’s just a driver with two X chromosomes, and her goal

isn’t breaking down barriers or beating the boys. It’s winning

races. And if she can win enough of them, it really won’t matter

that she’s a woman. AM

After practice on Carb Day —the Friday

before Sunday’s Indy 500—

De Silvestro sits on the pit wall

and debriefs with her race

engineer, Michael Cannon

( far left), and team owner,

Keith Wiggins (standing).

76 Automobile | August 2010

Page 77: Automobile 2010 08
Page 78: Automobile 2010 08

TORQUE-VECTORING HAS TRICKLED DOWN TO GROWN-UP SPORT SEDANS LIKE THE AUDI S4 AND THE ACURA TL SH-AWD, PROVING THAT ADULTHOOD HAS NEVER BEEN SO MUCH FUN.

By Jason Cammisa // Photography by Jim Fets

LIFE AFTER

EVO78 Automobile | August 2010

Page 79: Automobile 2010 08

GROWING UP DOESN’T HAVE TO SUCK THE FUN OUT OF DRIVING. You don’t have to sell your soul—and your Mitsubishi Lancer Evo—and buy a life-sucking,

automatic-transmission, front-wheel-drive sled just because you landed a real job and

produced o� spring. These two luxury sedans appear grown up to the outside world, but when

no one is looking, the cars can bring out your inner juvenile delinquent. You probably never

thought of the Acura TL SH-AWD and the Audi S4 on the same day, much less in the same

sentence. But this duo is remarkably similar in base price, power, and weight. And signifi cantly,

they both use torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive systems to ensure that they don’t sacrifi ce one

iota of the corner-carving thrills you’ve grown to love. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands

together for the two cars that will change your perception of all-wheel-drive luxury sedans.

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 79

Page 80: Automobile 2010 08

In a tit-for-tat comparison between two cars that share the

same driveline philosophy, it quickly becomes obvious that the

Acura and the Audi are signifi cantly di� erent only in the details.

Despite riding on a wheelbase within an inch and a half of the

Audi S4’s, the Acura TL is about ten inches longer and two inches

wider. In fact, its interior is su� ciently voluminous to push the

TL into the next EPA size class. The S4’s lower beltline and bigger

windows give a better view out, though, e� ectively eliminating

any di� erence in perceived interior size. It’s only from the back

seat where the size di� erential becomes pronounced, but the

S4 still o� ers su� cient space for a young family. Although the

Acura’s trunk is also larger, its rear seats don’t fold down.

Slam one of the TL’s doors a little too hard, and you can’t help

but notice how tinny it sounds. Not so for the S4, which sounds and

feels like the proverbial bank vault. The S4’s attractive interior is

up to Audi’s typical high-quality standards, but the Acura’s cabin is

more striking, with a dashboard draped in symmetrical, sinewy

curves trimmed with black-on-silver dot-matrix-patterned alumi-

num that provides a modern ambience without the risk of glare in

sunny weather. The punctuation mark is a red metal start button,

and although the shifter is located a bit too far toward the passen-

ger side, its heavy weight and perfectly precise throws are among

the best in the business. So, too, are the turn-signal stalks. But then

there are the buttons. There are seventeen of them on the steering

wheel alone, and perhaps another eight thousand on the dash-

board. Despite being organized logically

in clusters for climate control, stereo, and

navigation functions, their sheer number

means that it takes a good bit of time to

become comfortable using them.

The S4, meanwhile, is intuitive from

the get-go. The uncluttered dash and

Multi Media Interface system are both

easy to use, and the Audi’s seats are just as

comfortable and supportive as the Acura’s (which is to say, very),

but the German seat heaters are far more powerful. Unfortunately,

Audi’s base stereo isn’t. For enjoying anything other than AM radio,

you’ll need to budget an additional $850 for the 505-watt Bang &

Olufsen sound system.

The TL SH-AWD comes standard with a 440-watt premium

surround system that is nothing short of phenomenal. You can’t,

however, get three-blink turn signals, rain-sensing wipers, or

swiveling bixenon headlights in the Acura, all curious omissions

at this price point. Acura also doesn’t o� er an equivalent of Audi’s

Drive Select, the S4’s user-selectable chassis system that custom-

izes steering boost, suspension damping, and throttle response.

We’re still not fans of Audi’s particular setup, as it seems to never

o� er the right combination of modes. The steering vacillates be-

tween being overly boosted or artifi cially heavy, sometimes in the

middle of a corner. And maddeningly, the system defaults to the

auto setting at each restart. At least the S4’s ride quality is superb

in any setting, and its electronic adjustability allows it to combine

a more supple ride than the TL’s with far better body control, two

typically contradictory assignments.

The Acura’s steering is lightning quick, with an overall ratio

nearly as fast as a Mitsubishi Evo’s, and its thick rim communi-

cates more feedback to the driver, especially at the limit, where

the Audi’s steering goes numb. If there’s one place where the

Acura could use driver-adjustability, it’s in the throttle mapping.

Several factors conspire to make the TL

frustratingly di� cult to drive smoothly

around town: First, the computer seems

to interpret one quarter of the accelerator

pedal’s travel as a request for full throttle.

And it’s slow to close the throttle as you

back o� the gas. Further complicating

matters is a clutch pedal that engages

high in its travel and over considerable

On a racetrack, the TL showed us exactly why Acura used the word “super” to

describe its Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive system.

80 Automobile | August 2010

Page 81: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 82: Automobile 2010 08

with four cams instead of

two, direct injection, and

of course, the silent tu-

percharger that you never

hear but, oh, my word, do

you ever feel. The power-

to-weight ratios may be

similar, but the S4 is a full

league quicker and faster

than the TL thanks to the

additional torque across the entire rev range.

The Audi’s extra thrust should have been a huge advantage at

Pittsburgh’s BeaveRun racetrack, which rewards straight-line

speed with two long straightaways—especially since, on paper, the

Acura carries no advantage in cornering or braking: the two cars

have similar weight, tire section width, and suspension designs.

The Audi’s slightly better weight distribution would, we thought,

be nixed by the Acura’s wider track. And we were right—as ex-

pected, the cars posted similar braking and cornering numbers in

standardized testing.

But on a racetrack, the TL showed us exactly why Acura used

the word “super” to describe its Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive

system. Despite its signifi cant power advantage, the Audi S4’s fast-

est lap beat the TL’s by only 0.4 second.

Although the two all-wheel-drive systems are di� erent in de-

sign (see Techtonics sidebar), they both strive to accomplish the

same thing: temporarily routing extra power to the outside rear

wheel to help rotate the car in a turn. The big di� erence here is

how these two cars are set up to handle to begin with.

The Acura is blessed with nearly perfect cornering balance, so

its rear di� erential can easily and dramatically alter the car’s han-

dling attitude. It takes a little while to build up trust in the system,

distance, making it a chal-

lenge to locate a consistent

engagement point. What’s

more, since the V-6 is so

surprisingly responsive, you

wind up leaving tra� c lights

like an amateur with way

too many revs on the tach.

Or worse, too few, resulting

in an embarrassing stall.

The TL’s willingness to rev (and stall) no doubt comes from

the particulars of its V-6. Like most cars based on a front-wheel-

drive design, the Acura’s engine is installed transversely, and a

narrow engine helps maximize both frontal crush space and inte-

rior room. To that end, Acura uses a 60-degree angle between cyl-

inder banks. This layout is well-balanced as far as V-6s go and ne-

gates the need for balance shafts. Despite its size (a robust

3.7 liters of displacement), it revs instantaneously, and the only

drawback to the low rotational inertia is slightly gritty power de-

livery. That’s a nonissue in the TL, since any coarseness is over-

shadowed by magnifi cent intake music, especially as the valve-

train switches over to the high-lift cam profi les at the fun end of

the tach. It pulls hard to its 6700-rpm redline, and the harder you

drive the TL, the better this powertrain becomes.

You won’t hear a single complaint from us about the Audi’s

driveline. Except that if “Acura TL SH-AWD 6MT” is a stupid

name for a car, then “3.0T” is a stupid badge to put on a super-

charged engine. Unless, of course, the device is called a Tuper-

charger in German. Which it’s not. Mounted longitudinally, the

3.0-liter V-6’s banks are splayed out at a 90-degree angle, and

thanks to balance shafts and counterweights, it’s as smooth as

silk. It’s also decidedly more high-tech than the Acura’s engine,

2010 ACURA TL SH-AWD

PRICE: $43,245/$44,245 (base/as tested)ENGINE: 24-valve SOHC V-6DISPLACEMENT: 3.7 liters (224 cu in)HORSEPOWER: 305 hp @ 6300 rpmTORQUE: 273 lb-ft @ 5000 rpmTRANSMISSION: 6-speed manualDRIVE: 4-wheelSTEERING: Electrically assistedSUSPENSION, FRONT: Control arms, coil springsSUSPENSION, REAR: Multilink, coil springsBRAKES F/R: Vented discs/discs, ABSTIRES: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2TIRE SIZE: 245/40YR-19 L x W x H: 195.5 x 74.0 x 57.2 inWHEELBASE: 109.3 inTRACK F/R: 63.2/63.8 inWEIGHT, DIST. F/R: 3860 lb, 58.0/42.0%EPA MILEAGE: 17/25 mpg

2010 AUDI S4

PRICE: $46,725/$54,075 (base/as tested)ENGINE: 24-valve DOHC supercharged V-6DISPLACEMENT: 3.0 liters (183 cu in)HORSEPOWER: 333 hp @ 5500 rpmTORQUE: 325 lb-ft @ 2900 rpmTRANSMISSION: 6-speed manualDRIVE: 4-wheelSTEERING: Hydraulically assistedSUSPENSION, FRONT: Control arms, coil springsSUSPENSION, REAR: Multilink, coil springsBRAKES F/R: Vented discs/discs, ABSTIRES: Pirelli Cinturato P7TIRE SIZE: 245/40YR-18 L x W x H: 185.7 x 71.9 x 55.4 inWHEELBASE: 110.7 inTRACK F/R: 61.1/60.6 inWEIGHT, DIST. F/R: 3940 lb, 55.3/44.7%EPA MILEAGE: 18/27 mpg

82 Automobile | August 2010

Page 83: Automobile 2010 08

INTRODUCING THE NEW FIESTA

fordvehicles.com

How does the Fiesta get more miles per gallon than many

hybrids?* Two words: thoughtful engineering. The kind that

understands that giving the Fiesta a Ti-VCT engine will allow

it to squeeze every last drop. Or that a line cutting through

the taillamp will make the Fiesta more aerodynamic,

and therefore more fuel-effi cient. But these are only a few

of the many reasons the Fiesta can go farther than so many

other cars. Including all those hybrids.

IT’S A PRETTY BIG DEAL.

* EPA-estimated 29 city/40 hwy/33 combined mpg, automatic SFE vs. 2010/2011 hybrids. Fiesta SES shown. EPA-estimated 29 city/38 hwy/33 combined mpg, automatic.

Page 84: Automobile 2010 08

The TL’s instrument panel display shows that the SH-AWD system can send 50 percent of engine torque to one rear wheel.

the car approach neutrality. You can feel the com-

puter shu� ing power around, but it’s slower to

react than the Acura’s system, so it takes patience

and smoothness to get there. Add too much power

or turn in too quickly and you’re back to drowning in a pool of

understeer. The S4 is far less bothered by midcorner bumps

or puddles than the TL, but its cornering balance changes

dramatically at very high speeds, when it transitions to over-

steer. That’s a surprise that no one likes.

The other surprise was how spectacularly undersize the

Acura’s brakes are. Even on a cool, rainy morning, one lap of

BeaveRun was su� cient to fry the brakes completely. Each

timed lap was completed only after a lengthy cool-down pe-

riod and a call to our mothers saying we made it through alive.

If it seems like neither car can pull an advantage here with-

out the other catching up, you’ve been paying attention. The

fi nal equalizer is that, comparably equipped, the Audi costs

nearly $11,500 more than the Acura. That kind of money can

buy the TL a serious brake upgrade. But the price di� erence

isn’t much of a factor here, since we’ve never actually heard of

someone cross-shopping a TL and an S4.

It’s beside the point to declare a winner or loser when

comparing two cars that fall into such di� erent hands in the

real world. As that most rabid of enthusiasts, you already have

your own prejudices and opinions based on the brands alone,

not to mention the countries from which they hail. If we could

combine the Audi’s good looks, brakes, and tupercharged V-6

with the Acura’s steering, handling, and all-wheel-drive sys-

tem, we’d have discovered luxury car nirvana for the enthusi-

ast driver. In the absence of that elusive hybrid, we walk away

from these two wolves in sheepish skins knowing that they

are absolute equals in one way: the ability to reassure us that

there is, in fact, life after Evo. AM

but you soon realize that if the car can han-

dle any amount of power in the middle of a

turn, it can handle anything the V-6 can

throw at it. There’s no reason to be scared

of the right pedal—the TL begs you to steer

it with the throttle. The more power you

add, the more neutral the TL’s cornering

balance and the faster it scrambles through

turns. Indeed, the Acura was faster than

the Audi through nearly every single cor-

ner at BeaveRun (see track map above).

The Audi’s all-wheel-drive system is

crippled by so much understeer built into

the chassis that, at very best, it will help

0.99 g @ 62 mph0.97 g @ 57 mph

PEAK SPEED ON STRAIGHT 114 mph 116 mph

PEAK SPEED ON STRAIGHT 114 mph 121 mph

1.08 g @ 55 mph1.04 g @ 54 mph

0.94 g @ 77 mph0.94 g @ 75 mph

0.95 g @ 59 mph0.92 g @ 57 mph

1.08 g @ 44 mph1.01 g @ 45 mph

BeaveRunNORTH TRACK (WET)

•ACURA RESULTS

•AUDI RESULTS

��

��

����

� �

BEST LAP TIME1:09.2

BEST LAP TIME1:08.8

TECHTONICS

Dueling 4WDWhile the Acura and Audi

four-wheel-drive systems

differ in hardware, their

performance goals are the

same: excellent traction

and stability on slippery

roads with rear-wheel-

drive feel and agility on dry

surfaces. Forcing the

outboard rear wheel to

turn faster during hard

cornering is the trick that

helps both of these

front-heavy sedans mimic

the steering and handling

behavior of a nicely

balanced rear-driver.

A control computer

informed by sensors

determines when the

overdrive nudge is needed.

The Audi S4’s

fi fth-generation Quattro

system ties the front and

rear axles together with a

center differential that

provides a 40/60

front/rear torque split.

A Torsen device inside the

center diff and automatic

front brake applications

limit individual wheel

slippage.

When the Acura TL’s

SH-AWD (Super-Handling

All-Wheel-Drive) system

chooses to send power

rearward, the driveshaft to

the rear wheels spins

1.7 percent faster than the

front axles. Partially

engaging both of the

rear-wheel overdrive gears

diminishes the torque

conveyed by the front

wheels. To produce a yaw

moment benefi cial to

handling, only the

outboard rear wheel’s

overdrive is engaged.

— Don Sherman

84 Automobile | August 2010

Page 85: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 86: Automobile 2010 08

©2010 MacNeil Automotive Products Limited

What Matters to You?Today, America needs fresh leadership to lead us as a nation out of this economic crisis. Leadershipmust come not only from our political leaders butalso from the average citizen. The exporting ofAmerican jobs is a trend that must be stopped andreversed. When I walk into my local hardware store,I typically find 85% of the goods for sale are manu-factured 7,000 miles away. Recognizable Americanbrands have been forced by shortsighted manage-ment and buyers at large national chains to buildfactories overseas just to save a lousy $.50 on a tapemeasure. To these ruthless buyers, it is all about themoney. Rarely are product quality, the political sys-tem, human rights, animal rights and environmentalcosts to the planet considered, not to mention thecost to our society of exporting not only jobs, butan entire factory!

At MacNeil Automotive, we are doing our part for the American economy and for our 300 million fellow citizens and neighbors. My philosophy is that if my neighbor doesn’t have a job, sooner orlater I won’t have a job either. For example, we usedto have our All-Weather Floor Mats manufacturedin England by a company that used antiquated, inefficient equipment. They made a decent floor mat for us, but we thought we could build a betterfloor mat for our customers using modern Americantechnology, American raw materials and skilledAmerican workers. So in 2007 we transferred all ofour floor mat manufacturing back to the UnitedStates. Today, we build the best fitting, highest quality automotive floor mats in the world, right here in America.

Our machine shop is equipped with 17 CNC machining centers including four 4 axis mills andone 5 axis mill that produce between 30 to 50 injection and thermoforming molds per month. We have one shift of highly skilled AmericanJourneymen toolmakers and apprentices, but ourmachines run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Thereis not a more efficient tool and mold making operation in the world - and guess what, it’s righthere in America.

“How about ifwe build a

factory here, inAmerica?”

Site of MacNeil Automotive

Manufacturing Facility Expansion

Bolingbrook, IL

Page 87: Automobile 2010 08

Specialists in Original Equipment and Aftermarket Automotive Accessories

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Our thermoforming machinery is made in Carol

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which make up our tooling are sourced from

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Page 88: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 89: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 90: Automobile 2010 08

90 Automobile | August 2010

Page 91: Automobile 2010 08

Photographer Michael Alan Ross has

been a car guy—or maybe that’s car

kid—since age four, and he has been

shooting cars since he was nine. More

recently, Ross met the owner of a 1932

Ford roadster with a land speed record

at Bonneville, and their conversation

led Ross to make his fi rst of three trips

to the salt for the annual Speed Week.

“It was like stepping onto the face of

the moon,” he says of his fi rst

experience at the Salt Flats. “To stand

in the middle of 46 square miles of salt

is a pretty amazing experience.”

The two Deuce Coupes posing on the broad

expanse of the Salt Flats are owned by Keith

Cornell (left) and Diana Branch (right).

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 91

Page 92: Automobile 2010 08

Above: Ford fenders are borne aloft by an international caravan—three

gentlemen from Spain, England, and South Africa—evidence of

Bonneville’s worldwide appeal. At the highway rest area nearby, tourists

who have wandered onto the salt can wash their feet. Below: Something

you won’t see at Pebble Beach: a honey-bear coolant-overfl ow tank.

92 Automobile | August 2010

Page 93: Automobile 2010 08

Above left: Salt-encrusted, this radiator-cap design appears on cars built

by the Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop in Greenfi eld Center, New York.

Above: Rob Gibby with his roadster. Below: Richie Whalen with his hot

rod, another Rolling Bones car. The 2010 Speed Week is August 14–20.

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 93

Page 94: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 95: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 96: Automobile 2010 08

BADBOYPORSCHES

ROLLY RESOS GLANCES IN HIS REARVIEW MIRROR AND MURMURS, MORE

ANNOYED THAN ANXIOUS, “THAT ORANGE CAR IS RIGHT ON MY ASS.”

With a deep, satisfying blip of the throttle, he downshifts from third to second and

plants his foot in what’s appropriately called the loud pedal. The rorty snarl of his barely

mu� ed fl at six crackles through the canopy of trees enveloping the picturesque, two-lane

road threading through Carmel Valley, California. But it isn’t until Resos backs out of the

throttle as he brakes for a hairpin that his vintage Porsche 911 gets really cantankerous,

backfi ring like a high-powered rifl e—bap! bap! bap!—and spitting fl ames out the tail. “Sorry

about that,” he says sheepishly as he gets back on the gas and hustles down a short chute.

“With the twin megaphones and the cracked header, you’ve got to keep your foot in it.”

Resos is a charter member of R Gruppe, the quasi-underground, semifamous car club

whose provocative devotion to hot-rodding early 911s has earned it a reputation as the bad

boy of the Porsche world. This morning’s spirited drive is part of the group’s annual Tref-

fen (German for meeting), which has brought 150 members and their performance-modi-

fi ed cars from England, Germany, Mexico, and all over the United States to the Monterey

Peninsula for a weekend of touring, tracking, tire-kicking, and bench racing. The mods run

the gamut from mild to wild, from Kent Moore’s elegantly understated ’67 (“I jazzed it up a

A quasi-underground group of Porsche lovers,

R Gruppe, proves hot rods don’t have to pack V-8s.

By Preston Lerner

Photography by James Chiang

96 Automobile | August 2010

Page 97: Automobile 2010 08

Treffenis R Gruppe’s

annualmeeting.

—Arguably the most

exclusive, the most

polarizing, and the most

infl uential car club in the

Porsche universe.—

Limited to300

members.

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 97

Page 98: Automobile 2010 08

little, but I like cars that are for the most part stock”) to the volup-

tuous RSR-ish hottie that Scott Longballa fashioned out of a plain-

Jane ’72 T (“I didn’t intend to go this crazy, but once I got into it, I

couldn’t stop”). Purists would sco� that there’s not a truly “authen-

tic” 911 in the bunch. Then again, is a ’32 highboy with a fl athead

Ford “authentic”?

The 911 that Resos is driving is a poster child for R Gruppe’s

mix-and-match ethos. He spotted it in 1999, buried in the back of a

used-car lot in Costa Mesa. At fi rst glance, it looked like a tired ’66

in need of plenty of TLC. But when he got closer, he saw a factory

roll bar, Recaro seats, “deep 6” Fuchs wheels, and, under the hood,

an oversize fuel tank typically found in rally cars back in the day.

Resos wasted no time buying the car, and as a collector who’s

owned as many as seven Porsches at one time, he immediately set

about bringing it back to life. But not, as you might imagine, as a

concours queen with numbers-matching components and screw

slots pointed in the same direction, like soldiers on parade.

Resos—seventy-eight-years young, with the craggy features and

bushy white mustache of a Western desperado—is a member of the

Outriders, an elite SoCal hot-rod club that dates back to 1932. So,

much to the consternation of Porsche pedants, he proceeded to turn

his car into the ultimate 911 rat rod: Rally-style driving lights. Matte-

black American Racing aluminum wheels. Fiberglass front fenders

in white gel coat. Black fi berglass hood with period Shell and Hella

decals framing a center-fi ll gas cap o� a Porsche 904. Red body with

plastic 911R door handles. R-style taillights. S-model fuel-injection

head (with the fuel-injection ports plugged) on a Weber-carbureted

’66 engine of uncertain pedigree. Zu� enhausen by way of El Mirage.

“It’s not an R. It’s not an RS. It’s not an ST,” says R Gruppe co-

founder Cris Huergas, name-checking three of the rarest and most

iconic of early 911s. “It’s a car that’s an extension of the owner, and

it embodies the image and the essence of the sports-purpose

Porsche. That’s an R Gruppe car.”

R Gruppe is arguably the most exclusive, the most polarizing,

and the most infl uential car club in the Porsche universe. A small,

invitation-only group dedicated to creatively modifi ed and thor-

oughly personal versions of “early” 911s—defi ned as long-hood cars

built before the U.S. bumper regulations enacted in 1974—R Gruppe

thumbs its nose at convention while o� ering a rough mechanical

and philosophical template for owners looking to pump up the per-

formance of their Porsches. The result is a fl eet of sweet, esoteric

cars that cherry-pick elements of crazy-expensive limited-edition

R, ST, RS, and RSR models—a ducktail here, a twin-plug motor

there—to create one-of-a-kind pieces of inspired mongrelization.

“We started with three criteria,” says R Gruppe’s other cofounder,

former Porsche (and current Ford) designer Freeman Thomas. “The

fi rst ingredient was sports purpose—cars that can be driven on the

track on weekends and on the street during the week. Second was

the SoCal hot-rod thing—if it looks right, it is right. The third ele-

ment was the Steve McQueen attitude—great taste and the cool fac-

tor. We’re not about screaming. There’s a discretion that character-

izes an R Gruppe car. It’s about delivering more than it promises.”

Although the R Gruppe mission sounds harmless enough, the

organization has become a lightning rod for haters from all four

corners of the car world. To the august Porsche Club of America,

R Gruppe is populated by a bunch of yahoos with no respect for

tradition. To the hard-core racers who dominate the Porsche Own-

ers Club, R Gruppe is full of poseurs who’d rather look fast than go

fast. To early 911 afi cionados who haven’t been invited to join the

club—membership is limited to about 300, and members are

booted if they don’t continue to measure

up to unspecifi ed standards—R Gruppe is a

gated community reserved for arrogant

snobs. To high-dollar collectors, R Gruppe

provides a prescription for replicars and

fakey-doos that cost more to build than

they’re worth on the open market.

Operating on the assumption that any

group that’s managed to o� end so many di-

verse constituencies must be doing some-

thing right, I decide to join R Gruppe for its

eleventh annual Tre� en. The weekend be-

gins on Thursday with a track day at But-

tonwillow Raceway Park, a club circuit

about two hours north of Los Angeles. In

keeping with R Gruppe’s street/track phi-

losophy, only a couple of cars are full-on

racing thoroughbreds, most notably Mike

Gagen’s wicked-fast, black-primer RSR

look-alike—a ’69 T packing a 3.6-liter en-

gine from a ’95 993-series 911 and rear tires

wide enough to bridge small rivers. But the

ambience is laid-back and low-key, unlike a

serious race weekend, and Tre� en orga-

nizer John Gray seems as happy telling me

about his 911 as he is playing hero race

driver out on the track.

“Anybody can take their car to the shop

98 Automobile | August 2010

Page 99: Automobile 2010 08

and say, ‘I want this, this, this, and that,’

and then write a check,” he says, explain-

ing how he tricked out his metallic green

’70 with an idiosyncratic collection of parts

ranging from an S-spec engine and SC sus-

pension components to lug nuts o� a Volks-

wagen Vanagon. “Some guys will spend

years hunting down an authentic part, and

then, right next to it, they’ll hang some-

thing that they whittled in their garage.”

As I wander around the paddock, I have

a hard time zeroing in on the demograph-

ics of the group. Gray is a fi fty-seven-year-

old senior software engineer for Wells

Fargo. Gagen is a retired air-tra� c control-

ler. Ron Wolfe, who’s created a Franken-

stein he calls a 912R—a beast you won’t fi nd

in any Porsche menagerie—is a forty-one-

year-old physical therapist who slaps a

beanie on his head the instant he pulls o�

his helmet. Thorsten Klein is the e� erves-

cent young designer who recently styled

the interior of the Porsche 918. Although

his R Gruppe car is back in Germany, he’s

driving a 911S Targa owned by SoCal chap-

termeister Ray Crawford, who’s a para-

medic/fi refi ghter in downtown L.A.

As a club, R Gruppe isn’t an if-you-

build-it-they-will-come phenomenon. It’s more like the shared ob-

session that brought total strangers together in Close Encounters of

the Third Kind. For the most part, the gospel according to R Gruppe

was popularized by word of mouth. The group’s success speaks to

the strength of the hot-rodding impulse in the Porsche community,

and it’s something that’s not found, by and large, among devotees

of any other high-end marque.

These days, 911s are so expensive and well-appointed that

they’re often perceived as totems of a� uence rather than weapons

of high performance. But it’s worth remembering that Porsche was

founded as a manufacturer of nothing but sports cars, and racing

has always been part of its DNA. Virtually from the moment it de-

buted in 1963, the 911 was rallied and raced not only by the factory

but also by customers. In 1967, Porsche created a factory racer

dubbed the 911R, but only about twenty were built. So for priva-

teers who couldn’t get their hands on one, Porsche published

manuals that detailed exactly how they could modify their cars to

maximize performance. Porsche titled the books, “Information re-

garding Porsche vehicles used for sports purpose.” In America, of

course, we call this hot-rodding.

Huergas happened to have two of these sports-purpose manu-

als in his possession when he started restoring a ’69 911S that he’d

bought in 1991. “I knew the car was something special,” he recalls.

“But I didn’t want to keep it stock. I wanted something di� erent—

an S with an R fl avor that captured the essence of what it used to be

like back then. I realized that I didn’t have to play by anybody else’s

rules. Those sports-purpose manuals told me that I could do any-

thing I wanted.”

All of the R Gruppe cars—from the multicolored rat rod to the black beauty sporting Minilites rather than the usual Fuchs wheels to the Martini tribute car—deviate from stock in one or more creative ways. There were several passengers on the Treffen gathering, but most of the participants were members, such as Michael Eberhardt, Bob Imamura, and Rolly Resos (above right, from left to right).

GRUPPE!R

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 99

Page 100: Automobile 2010 08

In 1998, Huergas’s lightweight was featured in Excellence maga-

zine. Shortly after the article appeared, he got a call from Freeman

Thomas. Thomas had grown up in Southern California as a neighbor

of Je� Zwart, who went on to become a photographer, fi lmmaker,

and racer closely associated with Porsche. (He’s also a charter mem-

ber of R Gruppe.) Zwart’s father was a hard-core 911-phile, and each

afternoon at 5 o’clock, Zwart and Thomas would pedal their Sting

Rays to an empty lot in Cypress just so they could watch a Porsche

speed by when its owner returned home from work.

Ironically, Thomas hadn’t been able to a� ord a Porsche while he

was working in Stuttgart. But since returning to the States, he’d

bought a 911E and was giving it a Huergas-style makeover. During

the course of their fi rst hours-long phone conversation, Thomas and

Huergas discovered that they were Porsche soulmates. After meet-

ing at several car shows, they realized that the existing car clubs—

PCA, the Early 911S Registry, and so on—didn’t really fi t their hot-

rod ethic. So in 1999, they created R Gruppe with twelve charter

members. The late Steve McQueen was given membership #001.

The club has no formal entrance requirements. The cars tend

to be discreet early 911s modifi ed with period-correct parts, but

this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, and there’s no shortage of backdated

chassis and look-at-me graphics. The club mantra is: “There are no

R Gruppe cars. There are R Gruppe people.” In other words,

Porsche diehards who regularly exercise their cars and attend sev-

eral events a year. Joining the brotherhood entails a lot of hanging

with other members and hoping that—like a fraternity pledge—

you’re judged to be R Gruppe material. As Thomas puts it: “There’s

just enough structure so that things don’t fall apart.”

The Tre� en, I discover, is a perfect example. The only items on

the agenda are a visit to Bruce Canepa’s killer shop/showroom/mu-

seum and a Saturday night banquet. Other than that, there are in-

formally organized drives, an impromptu visit to Mazda Raceway

Laguna Seca, casual meals, and, mostly, adult beverages and tire-

kicking in the Porsche-only parking lot of the Hyatt in Monterey.

On Friday, around midnight, I hear a couple of guys still arguing out

there in the dark over whether that’s a ’67 or a ’68 rocker panel.

During daylight hours, I ride shotgun with Chuck Miller, an

old-school hot-rodder who’s got 212,000 miles on his ’73 S with an

RS look and engine. Later, I buzz around with Bob Imamura, an-

other SoCal hot-rodder with another fast ducktail coupe, in his

case a ’70 S with a 3.0-liter engine out of an ’81 SC. Next, I buckle

into the houndstooth sport seat of Dave Eck’s reworked ’72 T,

whose subdued exterior hides a mind-boggling array of goodies—

twin-plug fl at six, RS fl ares, RSR distributor, 930 Turbo brakes, ’86

suspension bits, etc.

Still, this year’s sleeper award goes to Zvi Hirsch, a thirty-two-

year-old Miami fi refi ghter who left his ’69 E in a factory color

known as sand beige—it looks just as unprepossessing as it

Most of the action at the Treffen took place in a parking lot full of R Gruppe cars—tire-kicking, casual technical symposia, award judging, and even a little buying and selling. The cars ranged from those with striking graphics packages (left) to dedicated track-day cars (right) to a no-expense-spared RSR re-creation (middle).

GRUPPE!R

sounds—and upgraded virtually everything

else. “I wanted a car that was built the way

the factory would have done it in ’69, ’70, or

’71,” he explains. “I could buy a brand-new

GT3 right now with all the money I have in

this car. But anybody can go out and get one

of those. This is unique.”

I fi nd myself thinking about his words

as I drive back to the hotel in the new Car-

rera I’m borrowing for the weekend. It’s an

immensely capable and comfortable car,

but it’s also the 911 of more—more power,

more weight, more room, more luxury.

Even as it reaches the most exalted levels of

performance, it distances the driver from

the driving experience with sound-deaden-

ing material, power brakes and steering,

stability control, and a dual-clutch auto-

matic gearbox. It’s hard to believe that this

car was built in the same factory that pro-

duced the 1970 911S hot rod that Ray Craw-

ford drove up from San Clemente.

The moment I slide into the red-leather

Recaro Racing bucket seat of Crawford’s

black beauty and grasp the sleek Momo

Prototipo steering wheel, I realize that I’m

in a car designed for driving, not merely

conveying occupants from point A to point

B. I twist the key and the 260-hp Andial-

built engine sparks eagerly to life. The

throws of the 915 gearbox are relatively

long, but engagement is positive and instan-

taneous. The lively, unboosted steering pro-

vides unfi ltered feedback about what the

chassis is doing, and I swear that I can feel

the brake pads clamping down on the ro-

tors. The experience is viscerally mechani-

cal and tactilely satisfying in a way that

even the fi nest modern cars can’t match.

Before this Tre� en, I hadn’t been a par-

ticular fan of early 911s. Too sober, I

thought. Not enough power and a bit—dare

I say it?—boring. But hot-rodded 911s, I re-

alize, are a di� erent breed of Porsche. Two

thoughts come to mind as I ease Craw-

ford’s baby into the parking lot: First, I’m

sure glad I didn’t hurt it. Second, I really

need an R Gruppe car of my own. AM

100 Automobile | August 2010

Page 101: Automobile 2010 08
Page 102: Automobile 2010 08

Living with a superachiever proves not to be so easy.

four seasons wrap-up

102 Automobile | August 2010 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN ROE

Page 103: Automobile 2010 08

HE NISSAN GT-R IS not warm and

cuddly. Perhaps that’s to be expected of a

car that is widely known as Godzilla. The

GT-R’s fearsome legend grew during the

years it was sequestered in far-o� Japan,

but its awesome prowess came to be

known worldwide thanks to its long-

running feature role in the Gran Turismo

video game series. Finally, the GT-R’s

international stardom proved so great that

Nissan developed the sixth-generation

model for a worldwide market, including

North America.

Godzilla fi nally reached our shores in

2008. Once we tried it for ourselves, we

couldn’t help but be impressed—very

impressed. Maybe a little awestruck, even.

After all, here was a car that could outrun

Porsche’s mighty 911 Turbo and beat a 911

GT2 around the Nürburgring (where the

GT-R’s development engineers admittedly

spent a lot of time). In the somewhat less

renowned environs of southern Ohio, at

our annual Automobile of the Year testing,

the GT-R easily walked away with our top

award—in a rare unanimous decision.

Even so, as much as the GT-R blew our

minds with its unbelievable performance,

we didn’t so much embrace it as give it the

kind of arm’s-length respect one might

accord a steroidal friend given to snorting

crystal meth and brandishing

semiautomatic handguns. “You don’t have

to like it,” we concluded in our 2009

Automobile of the Year story. “You just

have to stay the hell out of its way.”

You might particularly want to stay out

of its way when its accelerator pedal is

mashed to the fl oor. The GT-R is just

devastatingly, frighteningly fast. Try 0 to

60 mph in 3.4 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in

8.0 seconds. Top speed, not that we had

much chance to explore it, is 193 mph.

That’s true supercar territory.

As in its previous three generations, the

GT-R’s motivating force is a six-cylinder

engine bolstered by two turbochargers.

The DOHC, 24-valve 3.8-liter V-6 is

handbuilt and shares no major parts with

the company’s mass-market VQ V-6. Our

2010 model’s output is a staggering 485 hp

at 6400 rpm (fi ve more ponies than the

’09-model GT-R) and 434 lb-ft of torque

(up from 430 lb-ft) at 3200 rpm.

Would that there was a better sound to

accompany the engine’s fury. One

commenter thought it sounded “like a

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 103

Page 104: Automobile 2010 08

vacuum cleaner,” but mostly you can’t

really hear it, because it’s drowned out by

the racket from the tires and the

transmission. Whereas the engine in an

Audi R8 or a Chevrolet Corvette provides

a stimulating sound track no matter what

your speed, the lack of aural

accompaniment from the GT-R’s V-6

lends a virtual-reality quality to the car’s

quickness. Said senior Web editor Phil

Floraday: “You can rocket up to speeds

well into the triple digits and not realize

it, because there’s no drama.”

After its overachieving, boosted six,

the key component of the GT-R’s persona

is its all-wheel-drive system. The

hardware includes a rear-mounted

transaxle (housing the transmission,

torque splitter, and rear di� erential—the

di� with an electronically controlled

limited-slip device). Fully 100 percent of

the torque heads straight for the rear

wheels unless slip is detected, in which

case a maximum of 50 percent is sent to

the front. An unsung hero in the GT-R’s

ability to post such astounding

acceleration times, the all-wheel-drive

system does a terrifi c job turning the

engine’s prodigious power into forward

thrust, no matter what the road

conditions. “For a tremendously fi ne time,

experience this wild animal on wet roads,”

enthused technical editor Don Sherman,

adding: “I fi nally get the point of all-

wheel-drive propulsion systems.”

When our GT-R’s factory-fi tted

Bridgestone summer performance tires

wore out (at 17,000 miles) right on the

verge of snow season, we decided to put a

set of Pirelli Sottozero winter tires on the

car. They helped make the GT-R

incredibly sure-footed in the snow. Best of

all, though, the snow-covered roads

provided a window into the car’s

all-wheel-drive system. With some

setups, it’s impossible to guess

where the power will go, but the

GT-R’s all-wheel-drive system is

beautifully transparent. Switch o� the

stability control, and the GT-R drifts like a

rear-wheel-drive car that’s impossible to

spin. Add more throttle, and it will send

the power directly to the rear, helping

rotate the car. Stay constant on the gas

pedal, and the power gradually is sent

forward—but only enough to bring the

back end in slowly.

The third element in the powertrain

triumvirate is, of course, the transmission,

The GT-R legend was born in 1969, when Nissan created a spe-

cial, high-performance version of its range-topping Skyline

sedan. That fi rst Skyline GT-R had a DOHC 2.0-liter engine,

mated to a fi ve-speed manual transmission, that drove the rear

wheels. Output was 160 hp and 131 lb-ft of torque. A two-door

hardtop was added in 1970. The fi rst-generation GT-R, code-

named C10, racked up fi fty race wins in less than three years.

The second-generation Skyline GT-R, a.k.a. C110, used

the same powertrain as its predecessor

and was produced in a single body

style—a two-door fastback—for

just one model year, 1973. Only

197 C110s were built before rising

oil prices killed the market for high-

performance cars.

Sixteen years later, Nissan resurrected the GT-R nameplate,

but this time on a very different Skyline. Code-named R32, this

GT-R set the template with a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder

driving all four wheels. Other advanced features included four-

wheel steering and four disc brakes. The 2.6-

liter straight six produced 280

hp and 260 lb-ft of torque,

good for a 0-to- 60-mph time

as low as 4.9 seconds. The

R32 GT-R would prove far more

successful than the previous cars,

selling 43,934 copies during its six-year production run and

posting twenty-nine straight touring-car race wins.

The follow-up R33 model appeared in 1995, with essen-

tially the same mechanical layout, although an active limit-

ed-slip rear differential was offered for the fi rst time.

The 2.6-liter had a bit more torque,

and improved aerodynamics

helped the car’s top speed climb

signifi cantly. The R33 GT-R set

an unoffi cial Nürburgring lap time

of less than eight minutes.

The R34 model GT-R ran from 1999 to 2002. Although its

running gear largely remained the same, this GT-R upped the

tech factor with the introduction

of an in-dash display that

could monitor various per-

formance stats.

Five long years after

the departure of the R34,

the current GT-R (R35)

made its debut at the 2007 Tokyo

auto show. The fi rst to drop the Skyline name, this GT-R also

broke with recent tradition by switching from a straight six

to a V-6 and by ditching four-wheel steering. Engine output,

however, climbed massively (to 480 hp and

430 lb-ft of torque). The even better news

for American car enthusiasts

was that the R35 GT-R

would come to the

United States, which it

did in July 2008.

GE

NE

ALO

GY hen Nissan created a sa spepe-hen Nissan created a sa sppe-

ts range-topping Skylinets range-topping Skyline

a DOHC 2.0-liter engine, a DOHC 2.0-liter engine,

yy

e GT-R, a.k.a.e GT-R, a.k.a C110,C110, used used

cessor cessor

yy

r r

gg

high-high-

rrected the GT-R nameplate, rrected the GT-R nameplate,

yline. Code-namedyline. Code-named R32,R32, this this

in-turbocharged six-cylinder in-turbocharged six-cylinder

nced features included four-nced features included four-

wheel steering and four discwheel steering and four disc

liter straightlitl er straight

hp and 260hp and 260

good for agood for a

as low asas low as

R32 GT-R woR32 GT-R wo

successful than tsuccessful than t

selling 43,934 copies during its six-year pselling 43,934 copies during its six-year p

posting twenty nine straight touring car raceposting twenty nine straight touring car rac

, gg

ed for the fi rst time.ed for the first time.

que,que,

m 1999 to 2002. Although its m 1999 to 2002. Although its

e same, this GT-R upped the e same, this GT-R upped the

factor with the introductionfactor with the introduction

an in-dash display that an in-dash display that

uld monitor various per-uld monitor various per-

mance statsmance stats

techtech

formform

thethe

thethe

made its dmade its d

auto show. The first to drop the Skylinauto show. The first to drop the Skylin

broke with recent tradition by switchbroke with recent tradition by switch

to a V-6 and by ditching four-wheel stto a V-6 and by ditching four-wheel st

however, climbed massihowever, climbed massi

430 lb-ft of torque). The 430 lb-ft of torque). The

st of

ke a

to

nd

factofacto

of aof a

coucou

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g g p ,g g p ,

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ively (to 480 hpively (to 480 hp

even better neweven better new

four seasons wrap-up

104 Automobile | August 2010

Page 105: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 106: Automobile 2010 08

and here the news was less rosy. Sure, the

headline number of 0.2 second to execute

a shift is impressive and, because this is a

dual-clutch gearbox, shifting doesn’t

interrupt power delivery, so you can bang

o� upshifts or downshifts in the middle of

a curve without upsetting the chassis.

Nonetheless, we couldn’t help but think

that we’d enjoy this car so much more

with a manual transmission. Alas, a stick

shift is apparently too old-tech for the

GT-R (and likely would be lost on its

intended audience anyway) and is not

o� ered. It would, however, add an

element of driver involvement that the

GT-R could sorely use. And even the most

neophyte manual-

transmission pilot would be

smoother than this gearbox

when pulling away from a

stop. It’s also noisy and

painfully slow to engage

drive and reverse,

particularly in cold weather.

Of course, Michigan’s nasty winters

fl atter few cars, but the GT-R seemed to

su� er more than most. Not only did the

gearbox hate the cold, the suspension

couldn’t come to terms with the winter-

ravaged pavement. The comfort mode was

small comfort, as the GT-R slammed into

every pothole. Nissan apparently agrees

that, even for an extreme machine, the

GT-R’s ride is overly sti� , as the company

has retuned the rear suspension for better

ride quality in 2011 models.

Next, the chassis engineers might want

to address the tramlining. “The GT-R

takes every bump, rut, and pothole as a

direct steering input,” said associate editor

Eric Tingwall, in one of many logbook

comments on the subject. The issue is

likely made worse by the GT-R’s ultrawide

tires and hyperquick steering, although

the latter helps make the car so responsive

in turns. The steering is also very precise

at the straight-ahead position but not very

communicative.

As much as the ride wasn’t

comfortable, the cabin itself actually was.

The rear seats are small but they add a

worthwhile measure of practicality,

allowing you to wow two more passengers

with the GT-R’s performance, at least for

short rides. The dashboard is a

phantasmagoria of geek delights, its

multifunction display screen able to show

lap times, g-forces (for acceleration,

braking, and cornering), torque

distribution, turbo boost

pressure, and so on. Some of

us grumbled about this

high-tech machine’s basic

Bluetooth interface and the

lack of an auxiliary audio

input in our car, but both of

those issues have been

addressed for 2011 with the addition of an

iPod/USB input, Bluetooth streaming

audio, plus XM tra� c and weather info for

the standard nav system (along with

automatic headlights and speed-sensitive

wipers). There was nothing disappointing

about the interior’s premium materials

and high-quality fi nishes, which assistant

editor David Zenlea took as proof “that a

mainline manufacturer can craft a unique,

appealing cabin.”

While Nissan may be a mainline

manufacturer, the GT-R certainly exists at

the tippy top of its price ladder. Our

Premium model (which adds heated seats,

an eleven-speaker Bose stereo, darker-

colored wheels, and Bridgestone summer

tires to the base spec) started at $84,040

including destination. To that we added

2-door coupe2+2 passengersSteel unibody

24-valve DOHC twin-turbo V-6 3.8 liters (232 cu in)485 hp @ 6400 rpm434 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm6-speed dual-clutch automatic4-wheel

Hydraulically assisted2.4 turns36.6 ftControl arms, coil springsMultilink, coil springsVented discs, ABSBridgestone RE070R255/40YR-20, 285/35YR-20

38.1/33.5 in44.6/26.4 in54.3/50.0 in54.7/44.9 in183.1 x 74.9 x 54.0 in109.4 in62.6/63.0 in3882 lb55.2/44.8%8.8 cu ft19.5 gallons350 miles91 octane

3.4 sec8.0 sec11.6 sec @ 122 mph4.6 sec0.88 g1) 38; 2) 66; 3) 96; 4) 123; 5) 154; 6) 193 mph0.99/0.99 g149 ft1.16 g

RATING

Overview

BODY STYLE

ACCOMMODATION

CONSTRUCTION

Powertrain

ENGINE

DISPLACEMENT

HORSEPOWER

TORQUE

TRANSMISSION

DRIVE

Chassis

STEERING

LOCK-TO-LOCK

TURNING CIRCLE

SUSPENSION, FRONT

SUSPENSION, REAR

BRAKES

TIRES

TIRE SIZE F, R

Measurements

HEADROOM F/R

LEGROOM F/R

SHOULDER ROOM F/R

HIP ROOM F/R

L X W X H

WHEELBASE

TRACK F/R

WEIGHT

WEIGHT DIST. F/R

CARGO CAPACITY

FUEL CAPACITY

EST. FUEL RANGE

FUEL GRADE

Our Test Results

0–60 MPH

0–100 MPH

1/4–MILE

30–70 MPH PASSING

PEAK ACCELERATION

SPEED IN GEARS

CORNERING L/R

70–0 MPH BRAKING

PEAK BRAKING

2010 Nissan GT-R

Pros&Cons

+ Blistering performance

+ Magnetic roadholding

+ Nicely fi nished cabin

– Stiff ride

– Tire and transmission noise

– Light on driver involvement

Hold on tight to these reins. The infotainment screen can display performance data such as boost pressure and much more. Rear seats are cramped, but thrill-seekers didn’t mind.

four seasons wrap-up

106 Automobile | August 2010

Page 107: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 108: Automobile 2010 08

super silver paint and fl oor mats, the only

two extracost options available, bringing

the total to $87,320. For 2011, the base trim

is gone, and the Premium version’s price

has crept up to $85,060.

And yet the GT-R can slay pedigreed

European sports cars costing tens of

thousands more, so the car’s sticker price

may still be a relative bargain. However,

we found that when it comes to

maintenance, the GT-R is a much closer

kin to its supercar competitors than to

other Nissans. Oh, sure, it started out

acting very much like a Nissan, trouble-

free and inexpensive to maintain, at least

until the 18,000-mile service—the one that

requires fl uid changes for both di� erentials and the transmission,

ballooning the tab to $1900. We had also by this time used up the

brake pads (all four), which necessitated changing the rotors as

well. Total cost: $7705.94. Luckily, there was no charge to fi x the

driveline vibration that was occurring between 2200 and 2700

rpm; it was caused by an errant bearing inside the bellhousing, a

known issue with some GT-Rs. The fi x required removing the

engine and kept the car sidelined for a few weeks.

Supercar performance, though, never comes cheap. And when

it comes to going and turning and stopping, the GT-R is absolutely

a supercar—as it proved again just last month, when it set the

benchmark lap time against a Porsche 911 Carrera S, a Chevrolet

Corvette Z06, and a Lotus Evora. But what we found with the

GT-R is that in lesser situations, it’s less than thrilling. “Some cars

are fun to drive even when you’re just plodding along,” said

Zenlea. “Not the GT-R. Drive it reasonably, and it just feels big

and heavy and loud.”

There is no denying the GT-R’s abilities,

but there’s also no denying that this car is

o� -putting in many ways—the brutal ride,

the tiresome tramlining, the cacophonous

sound track, the trust-the-chips computer-

controlled demeanor. As Floraday put it,

“It’s tough to fi nd a car that’s faster than

the GT-R, but it’s very easy to fi nd cars that

are more fun and engaging to drive.” For

Godzilla’s legions of fans, such esoteric

considerations may not register, but that’s

the di� erence between experiencing this

superstar on an electronic screen—or on

a racetrack—and living with it in the

real world. — Joe Lorio

PRICES& EQUIPMENT

Base price

$84,040

Price as tested

$87,320

Trade-in value*$60,000

Standard

equipment

ABS; traction and stability control; dual-zone automatic climate control; power windows, mirrors, locks, and heated front seats; leather upholstery; navigation system; Bluetooth; keyless ignition; HID headlights; AM/FM/XM/CD eleven-speaker Bose audio system with hard drive; front, side, and side curtain air bags

Our options

Super silver paint, $3000; carpeted logo fl oor mats, $280

*Estimate based on info from

intellichoice.com

MILEAGE: 25,401

WARRANTY:

3-yr/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper5-yr/60,000-mile powertrain5-yr/60,000-mile roadside assistance5-yr/unlimited-mile corrosion

SCHEDULED

MAINTENANCE:

1393 mi: $06834 mi: $132.3814,562 mi: $103.5517,095 mi: $110.6322,872 mi: $1926.27

WARRANTY REPAIRS:

22,872 mi: Replace bellhousing unit due to bearing failure

OUT-OF-POCKET:

17,443 mi: Purchase, mount, and balance four Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero Series II winter tires, $2024.4222,872 mi: Purchase and install new brake pads, rotors, and fl uid, $7705.94

RECALLS:

None

FUEL CONSUMPTION:

EPA city/hwy/combined 15/21/17 mpg Observed 18 mpg

COST PER MILE:

(Fuel, service, winter tires) $0.62 ($1.70 including depreciation)

RUNNING COSTS

“Anyone who stretches his budget to buy a GT-R is going to be mighty shocked by its sky-high ownership costs.” — copy editor Rusty Blackwell

It may be big, but the GT-R can run with sportbikes from its home country. Getting some extra attention during bath time. Aluminum door handles add a degree of specialness.

Our GT-R spent more than its fair share of time in the dealer’s service bay. A brake job cost more than $7700.

four seasons wrap-up

108 Automobile | August 2010

Page 109: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 110: Automobile 2010 08

Banging its head against a glass ceiling.

Acura ZDX

110 Automobile | August 2010

Page 111: Automobile 2010 08

THE SPECS

Price: $56,855Engine: 3.7L V-6Power: 300 hpTorque: 270 lb-ft

four seasons logbook

fl eet update

Notes: 1128 miles “I love the modern interior and the lively V-6,” notes deputy editor Joe DeMatio.

1645 “Make sure you duck when climbing in,” warns associate web producer Evan McCausland.

s Acura approaches its twenty-fi fth year of

existence, it fi nds itself looking up at a

glass ceiling. The brand has grown well

beyond its “Honda plus” roots, and yet

it still trails competitors such as

Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Lexus in

both sales and prestige.

This quandary puts quite a bit of

import behind Acura’s latest e� ort, the

ZDX. At face value, it’s merely another

take on the coupe/crossover concept that

BMW pioneered with the X6. But it’s also

the fi rst production vehicle styled

completely by Acura’s Torrance,

California, design studio, and it is blessed

with the brand’s most sumptuous interior

to date. Most shocking, the ZDX tosses

Honda’s near-religious devotion to

practicality to the wind, providing less

utility than the MDX it’s based on yet

costing several thousand dollars more. No

doubt, this is a brave new world for Acura.

To learn more about where the brand

is headed—not to mention treat our

backsides to some of the most supple

leather seats we’ve ever experienced—we

ordered a ZDX for a yearlong test. In

addition to the standard 300-hp V-6,

Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive, and

dual moonroofs, we added the Advance

package, which comes with

magnetorheological dampers, navigation,

and that butter-soft premium leather.

Early on, we’re impressed with the ZDX’s

sport-sedan performance but are ba� ed

by its combination of SUV height and

coupelike interior space. Time will tell if

the ZDX portends a new beginning for

Acura or a dead end.

Audi Q515,044 miles “Who says the Q5 can’t haul anything? I managed to squeeze a six-foot-wide, twenty-nine-inch-tall, eighteen-inch-deep dresser into the Q5—a midcentury modern Craigslist snare,” crows copy editor Rusty Blackwell. “It was very tight, though.” To carry even more, we’ve installed a hitch to tap into the Q5’s 4400-pound towing capacity. Art director Matt Tierney put the hitch to its fi rst test in the Smoky Mountains. “The Q5 didn’t miss a beat with a couple thousand extra pounds tagging along,” he reports.

Mazda 323,853 miles After a brief stint in a Volkswagen Golf, West Coast editor Jason Cammisa fi nds himself disappointed by our Mazda. “You can’t help but notice that the 3’s interior is a full class below that of the Golf—in both material quality and presentation—and the rubbery shift action doesn’t help. The 3 also suffers from a lack of traction in the wet, but at least the soft leather steering wheel doesn’t get yanked out of your hands from torque steer as in many front-wheel-drive sport compacts.”

Volkswagen GTI16,121 miles “I’ve owned four Volkswagen GTIs in the past ten years, including a dedicated track car, so the turbocharged hot hatch isn’t a new concept to me,” asserts road test coordinator Mike Ofi ara. “Yet something about this GTI pastes a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel. Inside, Volkswagen has improved the fi t and fi nish with a level of refi nement that creates a night-and-day contrast between this sixth-generation model and my 2006 GTI.”

■ For more Four Seasons fl eet updates, go to Automobilemag.comAugust 2010 | Automobilemag.com 111

Page 112: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 113: Automobile 2010 08

Grifo has classic GT proportions, with its

passenger compartment set well rearward;

the engine is nestled far back in the

chassis, allowing for a 48/52 percent

front-to-rear weight distribution.

A delicate, push-button latch opens the

door, which clicks closed with the lightest

touch. The cabin is airy, with a

wraparound windshield and a huge

backlight. Padded leather is everywhere,

and the seatbacks cradle you. Eight round

gauges are arranged in the wood-faced

dash, and the thin steering-wheel rim is

wood as well. The dash is also graced with

a row of toggle switches, below which are

1965–74 American muscle in a high-style Italian suit.

Iso GrifoOME CARS ARE DERISIVELY said to look like refrigerators,

but the shapely Italian automobiles built by Renzo Rivolta’s

company, Iso, are actually descended from refrigerators—or, more

accurately, the refrigerator business. Iso (originally Isothermos)

made refrigerators in Italy starting in 1939. In the postwar years,

the company began building motorbikes, scooters, and then

minicars, most notably the Isetta bubble car, which was also

licensed to other manufacturers, including BMW.

The leap from the tiny Isetta to Iso’s fi rst luxurious grand-

touring car was a huge one, but Rivolta tapped some of the best

talent in the business in the early 1960s. Among them were test

driver/development engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, renowned today

for his work on the Ferrari 250TR and GTO. Bizzarrini worked

under chief engineer Pierluigi Raggi, whose team created a sti�

unibody with a control-arm front suspension, a de Dion rear axle,

coil-over Koni dampers, front and rear antiroll bars, and four disc

brakes. Campagnolo magnesium wheels or Borrani wire wheels

were used. For power, Rivolta looked to America and the

327-cubic-inch V-8 from the then-current Corvette.

Giorgetto Giugiaro, then at Bertone, designed the body for that

fi rst grand tourer, the 1963 Rivolta GT, but he was just warming

up. The follow-up car—built on a modifi ed version of the Rivolta

GT platform with a shorter wheelbase—was the achingly beautiful

Iso Grifo, which went into production in 1965.

Iso would go on to produce two more models, the Lele coupe

and the Fidia sedan, before fading from the automotive scene in

the 1970s. And while others would follow the formula of American

V-8 power and exotic European bodywork, none lived up to the

promise quite as well as the Iso Grifo.

The car’s rarity (some 400 were built over ten years) makes

seeing one today all the more striking. Low, wide, and shapely, the

collectible classic

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 113PHOTOGRAPHY BY A. J. MUELLER

Page 114: Automobile 2010 08

sliders for heat and ventilation. There’s no A/C in this particular

example, so owner Marty Schorr presses the Ducellier power-

window switches and the door glass slowly recedes. If it did not,

we might have had to break out the special tool that came with the

car and slips into a hole in the door panel, allowing you to crank

the windows down.

“Everyone hates these window switches,” says Schorr. “They’re

French. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t.”

Schorr knows the car well, not surprising given that he’s

owned it for forty-one years. “I had allotted $10,000 to buy myself

a toy,” he recalls. “A Ferrari 275GTB/4 and a Mercedes Gullwing

were two cars that I wanted. For $10,000 in 1969, you could buy

either of those in decent condition. But [after looking at a few] I

realized I didn’t know anyone to take care of them for me.”

Then Schorr, who at the time was the editor of Hi-Performance

Cars magazine, was o� ered an Iso Grifo to drive for a story. “It had

a 427 in place of the standard engine. I could not believe how fast

this thing was—and how well mannered.”

Schorr’s car came equipped with a 340-hp, 327-cubic-inch

Chevy V-8. Tall 3.07:1 gearing gave the Grifo a 150-plus-mph top

speed on the autostrada, but he was driving the car from Long

Island to his o� ce in Manhattan. Over drinks in New York, he told

Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov about the Grifo. “Not

to worry,” said Duntov, and shortly thereafter a 1970 370-hp,

350-cubic-inch LT1 engine arrived from Chevrolet. It was fi tted

with a di� erent camshaft, a Holley carburetor, and Edelbrock

headers and was installed at Long Island’s Motion Performance.

That same engine starts easily and idles happily under the

Above: Long, low

fastback styling is a Grifo

hallmark. Below, left to

right: French

power-window switches

can be fi nicky. Original

owner Marty Schorr

behind the wheel.

Corvette fl ags adorn

the valve covers.

Opposite page, top:

This Grifo features a

350-cubic-inch LT1 V-8

with 370 hp. Bottom left:

Bank of toggle switches

is classic 1960s GT.

Bottom right: Loop pulls

function as interior

door handles.

FIND OUT WHAT

THE

IS ALL ABOUT!

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of Lexus performance models, videos, wallpapers, and more at

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enhance the performance of your IS and GS.

114 Automobile | August 2010

Page 115: Automobile 2010 08

Grifo’s aluminum hood today. Easing the car onto the street, I am

amazed at how easy the clutch is to modulate, with short travel

and moderate e� ort. The LT1 pulls so smoothly from low revs that

you hardly need to shift, but it’s worth doing anyway just to enjoy

the positive action of the close-ratio T10 four-speed as it snick-

snicks through the gears. The unassisted steering is slow, but

there’s no slop and it’s very communicative; the wheel, though, is a

long reach away. An unfussy American powertrain and well-

engineered chassis make the Iso Grifo an Italian sophisticate that’s

easy to drive.

It may be easy to drive and easy on the eyes, but it’s not so easy

to fi nd one nowadays. Schorr found his Grifo in 1969 at a New

Jersey Chevrolet dealer who also sold Iso vehicles. It was listed as

a ’67 model (although the low serial number correctly marks it as a

’66); it was under a cover and had never been registered. The

dealer had ordered it for his wife, but when she discovered that it

had a stick shift and no air-conditioning, she said no thanks. The

window sticker was more than $14,000.

“I o� ered them $5000,” he says. “They threw me o� the lot.”

When he came back and o� ered $7500, a deal was made.

Needless to say, it’s worth considerably more now. Grifo prices

start at more than $100,000, but as an early-build car with less

than 13,000 miles and one-owner provenance, not to mention the

period-upgraded powertrain, this example would likely bring

considerably more.

Not that it’s for sale.

“My kids grew up with it being at the house,” says Schorr. “It’s

become part of the family.” — Joe Lorio

THE SPECS

STOCK ENGINES

5.4L OHV V-8, 300–365 hp,

344–360 lb-ft; 5.7L OHV

V-8, 300–350 hp, 380 lb-ft;

5.8L OHV V-8, 325 hp,

349 lb-ft; 7.0L OHV V-8,

400 hp, 460 lb-ft; 7.4L

OHV V-8, 390 hp, 500 lb-ft

TRANSMISSIONS

4- or 5-speed manual

3-speed automatic

DRIVE Rear-wheel

SUSPENSION, FRONT

Control arms, coil springs

SUSPENSION, REAR

De Dion, coil springs

BRAKES Discs

WEIGHT 3000–3300 lb

THE INFO

YEARS PRODUCED

1965–1974

NUMBER PRODUCED

400

VALUE TODAY

$120,000–$160,000

Covered-headlight

Series 2 cars (1970–74)

are worth about ten

percent more; big-block

427-engined cars and

ultrarare Targas can

reach $200,000.

WHY BUY?

Because its Giugiaro

styling brings people to

their knees, plus it has a

sophisticated chassis

and potent American V-8

performance. The last

item ensures ease of

maintenance, but be

aware that any missing

or damaged Grifo-

specifi c parts may be

impossible to fi nd.

collectible classic

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Page 116: Automobile 2010 08

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Page 117: Automobile 2010 08

1. 1970 PONTIAC GTO JUDGE

CONVERTIBLE

SOLD AT $135,150

Silver with black top over red vinyl

interior. 350-hp, 400-cubic-inch V-8;

automatic transmission. Rally II wheels.

The reported 2000-hour-plus

restoration appears to be recent. All is

excellent, no wear evident. Said to be

one of 168 WT1-optioned (Judge)

convertibles built for the 1970 model

year and one of forty-seven YZ-coded

Ram Air III automatic cars built.

Just a few years ago, this would

have sounded a bit cheap, but

American muscle cars took a hit

in value recently and are only

now climbing back up. This was

a strong price on the right car.

Sold new in Canada, it had

documentation from sources on

both sides of the border. In

today’s marketplace, only cars

with bulletproof histories will

bring big bucks. Not cheap, but a

good long-term hold.

2. 1970 PLYMOUTH ’CUDA

CONVERTIBLE

SOLD AT $85,860

Black with black top over white vinyl

interior. 335-hp, 383-cubic-inch V-8;

automatic. A/C, power steering, power

top, eight-track player. Show-quality

paint, excellent trim. All shut lines are

excellent. Very clean interior is factory

correct. Claimed 13,000 original miles.

Another sign that the muscle car

marketplace is coming out of its

recent doldrums. With low miles,

air-conditioning, and great

colors, this ’Cuda is a well-sorted

cruiser in a very distinctive and

popular guise. This just might

look like a bargain in a few years.

3. 1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO Z11

INDY PACE CAR CONVERTIBLE

SOLD AT $50,350

White with orange stripes and a white

top over orange vinyl and black cloth

interior. 300-hp, 350-cubic-inch V-8;

four-speed manual. Very good paint,

but a few chips have been touched up.

Most brightwork is excellent. Very

clean and correct interior. Original AM

radio. One of 3675 Indy Sport

convertibles produced.

This aging but still nice

restoration sold for a bit less

THE STORY

BEHIND THE SALE

The Hangover, a bachelor-party buddy

fi lm from 2009, features a good deal of

carnage involving hotel rooms and one

particularly treasured Mercedes-Benz

convertible. The movie required four

cars for fi lming—two of the vehicles

were in nice condition, and the other

two portrayed the Benz in various

states of disrepair.

It’s not at all unusual for a studio to

use multiple vehicles for fi lming in

different locations or, in the case of

older cars, to have a backup in the

event of a mechanical malfunction.

When the script calls for some sort of

on- or off-camera modifi cations (or

destruction), it makes sense to have a

less-than-perfect version on hand. Two

of the four Mercedes convertibles used

in The Hangover were offered at this

auction; the other two are not in good

condition and represent the aftermath

of the Vegas bachelor party.

Solidly built and handsome,

full-size Mercedes convertibles from

the 1960s and 1970s are hot items in

today’s marketplace, with demand as

steady in Europe as it is in North

America. Pristine examples of either of

these cars could bring in excess of

$100,000, and mediocre examples

bring low $40,000s or better. Both of

these cars sold at good prices, but not

much of a premium was paid for their

starring roles in the movie.

1 2 3

Indianapolis, Indiana | May 19–23, 2010 | By Dave Kinney

1965 Mercedes-Benz 220SE convertibleSOLD AT $40,280

Silver with blue top over blue M-B Tex vinyl. 124-hp,

2195-cc SOHC in-line six; automatic. Air-conditioned.

Good paint. Brightwork is mostly good, but the driver- and

passenger-window surrounds are heavily pitted. Some

faded trim, plus dry and peeling seals. Good top. Most

wood inside is good, as are the seats and carpets. This is

one of four Mercedes-Benz cabriolets used for the movie

The Hangover. Two cars from the movie were offered for

sale at this auction.

1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SE convertibleSOLD AT $53,000

Silver with blue cloth top over blue M-B Tex vinyl. 180-hp,

2778-cc SOHC in-line six; automatic. A/C. This car is nicer

cosmetically than the ’65 model. Very good paint, trim, and

top. Clean interior with very good dash, wood, and seats.

The Mecum Auctionauctions

August 2010 | Automobilemag.com 117

Page 118: Automobile 2010 08

4

than expected—but

not by much. For

many, the ’69

Camaro is the one

to have. Subtle body

di� erences,

including more

sculptured sides

and vertical

simulated air slots

ahead of the rear

wheels, make it

stand out from

earlier models.

4. 1961 CHRYSLER

300G CONVERTIBLE

SOLD AT

$111,300

Mardi Gras red with

black top over saddle

and black leather.

375-hp, 413-cubic-inch

V-8; automatic.

Swiveling seats. Power

steering, brakes,

windows, and top.

Correct Kelsey-Hayes

chrome wire wheels

with wide whitewalls.

Excellent paint. Chrome

is almost all good. Very

good seats, but the

steering wheel is

cracked and the interior

chrome is a bit

tarnished.

The Chrysler

letter-series cars

were the top-of-the-

line sporty o� erings

from Mopar. In the

late ’50s and early

’60s, they were at

their apex. The

300G’s Virgil Exner

styling is loved by

some and derided as

a jukebox on wheels

by others. With only

337 convertibles

built, they are

considered extra

collectible because

of their rarity.

This example sold

at a market-

correct price.

5. 1967 CHEVROLET

CORVETTE

CONVERTIBLE

SOLD AT

$137,800

Yellow and black with

yellow hard top over

saddle vinyl interior.

400-hp, 427-cubic-inch

V-8; automatic. Options

include headrests, a

hard top, shoulder belts,

and factory aluminum

bolt-on wheels. A

professional and

well-done restoration.

Reported 31,000 miles.

The second-

generation Vette,

built from 1963 to

’67, was all about

options; you could

go from a mild-

mannered V-8 to a

screaming

big-block. This

example has plenty

of the options that

collectors look for,

thus the generous

but accurate price.

This investment-

grade Corvette will

likely bring its new

owner more

satisfaction than a

few bars of gold.

6. 1951 MERCURY

CONVERTIBLE

SOLD AT

$84,800

Avon blue with blue top

over blue two-tone

leather and vinyl interior.

112-hp, 255-cubic-inch

V-8; three-speed

manual. Power top and

windows. Fully restored

with excellent paint,

brightwork, and interior.

One of 6759

’51 Mercury

convertibles. The

1949 to 1951 Merc

was a favorite of

many customizers;

few escaped some

sort of modifi cation

when they became

inexpensive used

cars in the late

1950s. This appears

to be one that didn’t

get modifi ed; as

such, it’s a rare

beast. The price

here is in line with

the expected value.

7. 1973 CHEVROLET

CAPRICE CLASSIC

CONVERTIBLE

SOLD AT

$10,000

Light blue with white top

over white vinyl interior.

150-hp, 400-cubic-inch

V-8; automatic. Factory

steel wheels. Lazy

paintwork looks to be a

quick-fi x job done to a

price. Poor chrome and

trim is sun- and

age-damaged and

faded. Decent top and

seals. The dash and door

panels are poor. From

the TV series Haunted,

then used as the hero

car in the TV show Joey

(we don’t remember it,

either). One of 7339

convertibles produced.

Forget Joey

(everyone else has),

this is a convertible

that could keep you

busy for a long time

if you wanted to fi x

it up correctly. With

plenty of other,

nicer 1973 Caprice

convertibles on the

market, it makes

auctions

5

76

118 Automobile | August 2010

example of what can happen with a K&N

High-Flow Air FilterTM that is designed to

help your car breathe easier. Actual results

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car and improve engine performance.

1-800-437-1304 Ext. 2050 - KNFILTERS.COM/AMAG

*This is the result of one dynamometer test comparing horsepower at the wheels

when changing from an OEM air filter to a K&N air filter for the application listed.

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This dynamometer test result is just one

Page 119: Automobile 2010 08

little sense to do

anything more than

just drive the wheels

o� it for a couple

summers.

BEST BUY

8. 1973 CHEVROLET

EL CAMINO SS

SOLD AT $6600

Mostly red with primer

over black and brown

cloth and vinyl interior.

240-hp, 454-cubic-inch

V-8; automatic. Door

dents, hood in primer,

plenty of overspray. It

was made this way for

the TV program My

Name is Earl. The

interior appears mostly

clean. All external

badges are absent.

My Name is Earl

was a popular TV

show that lasted

more than a few

seasons, which

means it will make

it into endless

reruns. This car was

used on the set; in

some episodes, it

was part of the plot.

The factory

big-block makes it

an El Camino worth

noting; its role in

the TV series might

just make it an

investment if the

show becomes a cult

classic. Well bought.

9. 1983 FORD

MUSTANG

CONVERTIBLE

SOLD AT $3550

Dark blue with white top

over white vinyl. 175-hp,

4.9-liter V-8; automatic.

Recent paint; the top

appears new as well.

Much of the blackout

trim is faded, and the

chrome on the trunk lid

is scratched. Inside, the

dash is faded but the

seats are good and the

console appears new.

The convertible

returned to the

Mustang lineup in

1983; otherwise ’83

was not a

watershed year in

’Stang history. Just

barely creeping into

collectors’

awareness, a

Mustang of this

vintage won’t elicit

oohs and aahs on

cruise night, but at

this price, you can

ride with the top

down knowing that

you paid less than

one-third of the

rechroming cost on

the ’50s barge

parked next to you.

8

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AUGUST 2010 | AUTOMOBILE 121

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Left: Wordsmiths Eric Tingwall, Jeffrey Jablansky, and the short-but-not-that-short David Zenlea. (Tingwall is a giant.)Right: The art team, Kelly Murphy and Matt Tierney. A striking resemblance? We have no idea what you’re talking about.

RIDE COMES BEFORE THE FALL. So it’s only

fi tting—as we approach the fall of 2010 and begin plans

for Automobile Magazine’s twenty-fi fth

anniversary—that we share our pride in this freshly

redesigned magazine. And although I’m loath to

advertise the company jewels, it pleases me to no end to

come to work every day and see the abundance of talent

packed into the second fl oor of 120 East Liberty.

Universities have been very, very good to us. In the spring of

2008, George Washington University sophomore Je rey Jablansky

sent us a bold e-mail asking for an internship. Deputy editor Joe

DeMatio was in D.C. by chance, checked his BlackBerry, and met

Jablansky for lunch on campus. We were lousy with intern

candidates that spring, so clearly DeMatio was just trying to

weasel a paid lunch. The coveted internship went to Eric

Tingwall, who’d just fi nished his junior year (double major in

journalism and mechanical engineering) at Michigan State.

Tingwall had already won a contest to go to the 2007 Frankfurt

motor show with Saturn to drive the Astra, which propelled him

into some writing for Edmunds.com. (Tingwall’s future has turned

out much better than Saturn’s.) We worked him like a proper slave

all summer, and upon his graduation in 2009, we snatched him out

from under a job o er from Honda R&D to be our associate editor.

Today is his one-year anniversary here. In the past month, he’s

been to the Nürburgring to test an Aston Martin V12 Vantage, to

Barber Motorsports Park for laps in the Porsche Cayenne Turbo

and Hybrid, and to Virginia International Raceway for the launch

of the Ford Shelby GT500. Not bad.

While waiting for Tingwall to fi nish school, we landed young

David Zenlea, fresh out of University of Maryland J-school and

with two years of real newspaper internships on his résumé. He

had us at: “But despite the apparent maturation, I have been

unable to shake my desire to write for an auto magazine.” We

brought him to Ann Arbor in the fall of 2008 as a writer. His

craziest assignment? Driving the new M-B SLS AMG on the old

Panamericana route in Mexico two months ago (June 2010).

Young Je rey Jablansky, you ask? The little moptop eventually

interned here so successfully (and joyfully)

last summer that he stepped out of college

and into the role of associate web editor

alongside Evan McCausland (who

published a bus freak’s reference guide to

General Motors Rapid Transit buses while

still in college). Jablansky started his job

today, curls shorn. Don’t tell the mother.

The new two-man creative team at

Automobile Magazine comes with

thirty-two years of combined magazine

design experience, none at a car book.

Creative director Kelly Murphy rides a

BMW K1200S, sports a mohawk, and

bombarded us with imaginative missives

insisting he was our man. We agreed. He

then blew us away when he went to North

Carolina and convinced Matt Tierney, his

top rival for the job, to come to Ann Arbor

and work with him as art director. Unlike

Murphy, Tierney has been reading car

magazines for thirty years—three-fourths

of his life. His childhood auto art (included

in his résumé) involved painstaking

renditions of auto ads and of cars he saw in

magazines. This issue is the beginning of a

beautiful friendship, and of another

twenty-fi ve years of design excellence.

From top to bottom, Automobile

Magazine is produced by smart, funny,

passionate people who love cars and every

way they make our lives better. We are

blessed with some of the best car magazine

executives and writers and web site

producers, as well as the most enthusiastic

of minimum-wage interns and motor

gophers. Don’t sco . Our former gophers

are now journalists, web producers,

marketing and public relations execs, and

car dealership owners and managers.

Oh. Did you notice our new column

photos? We were lucky to book the talented

New York–based photographer Peter Ross,

motor gopher in the summer of 1987. AM

vile gossip

by JEAN

JENNINGS

How to get a job at a car magazine. At least at

this magazine.

122 Automobile | August 2010

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Page 124: Automobile 2010 08