Author: kurt

Volkswagen America has announced a special edition of the Jetta TDI to commemorate their TDI Cup racing series. Called the Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition, the car will feature the same body kit used by Cup racers, Jetta GLI spec brakes with painted calipers (in red, of course), 18 inch alloy wheels and GLI suspension. Interior revisions are modest and include special seat fabric, a leather wrapped steering wheel and brushed aluminum door sills.

The TDI engine remains untouched, delivering 140 horsepower and 236 ft-lbs of torque. The Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition models will be available with six speed manual or six speed DSG gearboxes.

I love TDIs and can’t say enough good things about them. I’ve driven them on the Autobahn, and never felt that the motor was underpowered. The DSG gearbox is superb, and a decent compromise if you drive in rush hour traffic.

If only I can find a dealer that doesn’t charge ADM on TDI models, I’d be seriously interested.

Source: Autoblog

Concerned over plummeting sales and declining values of used product, Toyota is considering a bribe incentive program to silence reward existing customers. Nothing has been finalized, but the automaker is reportedly considering cash incentives towards the purchase of a new Toyota and warranty extensions for new and existing cars.

Let’s see, you’re hemorrhaging sales to Hyundai, you’ve got about a hundred class action lawsuits in the works, you’ve got less credibility than Amy Winehouse declaring she’s clean and sober and you’re about to get a beat down from Congress. Now is not the time to be “considering” incentives; now’s the time to be giving loyal customers a one week trip to paradise with their favorite porn star, a new car and a fully paid mortgage. Assuming, of course, that they’re not planning on suing Toyota or already involved in a lawsuit.

Trust me – in the long term, Toyota’s going to wish they got off this cheaply.

Source: Left Lane News

Own a pawn shop and there’s no telling what might walk in the door. If you’re not an expert on everything from jewelry to antique motorcycles, you need to know where to find one on a moment’s notice.

Pawn Stars, a second year series on The History Channel, shows what life is like in a very successful Las Vegas pawn shop. The show’s dynamic is a blend of “American Chopper” and “Antiques Road Show”, so it’s become a hit with multiple audiences. This week’s show featured a 1942 Belgian Sarolea motorcycle, one of only five known to exist in the United States.

The Pawn Stars crew purchased the bike in “as is” condition, not running, for $4,000. It later sold at auction for $7,000, not bad money for a single transaction.

Source: Momsworld

In 1999, Ford began showing a concept car loosely based on the original Thunderbird two seat roadster, but with modernized styling. Public response at auto shows was overwhelming, so Ford gave the project a green light and began development. By utilizing an existing platform, shared with the Lincoln LS and the Jaguar S-Type, and an existing V8 from Jaguar, Ford was able to bring the car to market in just three years.

Launched in 2002, the original “Generation 11” Thunderbirds featured a retro two-toned interior and nostalgic exterior colors such as torch red, inspiration yellow and Thunderbird blue (although black and white were also available for more conservative buyers). The original model year used a 3.9 liter V8 from Jaguar, good for 252 horsepower, mated to a 5 speed auto transmission. The comfort tuned suspension and modest power made the car more of a grand tourer than a full blown sports car, but that was Ford’s intent.

Subsequent years saw changes in horsepower (raised to 280 in 2003), interior (switched to single color in 2003) and exterior colors, but the Thunderbird was never a great sales success for Ford. Thirty one thousand units were sold in the first model year, but sales declined to less than half that level in the second model year. Ford, it seemed, simply did not know how to market a luxury convertible, and public interest fell off as Ford channeled advertising dollars elsewhere. After a four year model run ending in 2005, the company pulled the plug on one of the most attractive retro rides to ever come out of Detroit.

Tom’s car is a 2002 in Thunderbird blue, also known as turquoise. It features OEM chrome wheels, the factory hard top and some really, really nice seat covers courtesy of his friend Go Go Amy.

Thanks to Tom Tilert and Go Go Amy for the pics!

Remember when Lincoln was the stodgy, conservative branch of FoMoCo? The brand preferred by bankers, accountants and tax attorneys everywhere? Here’s a front pic of the 2011 Lincoln MKT wagon / crossover; sadly, the Skeletor theme continues with their 2011 MKX, the Lincoln equivalent of the Ford Edge. Did anyone in management sign off on this look? What the hell is your styling department thinking?

Sure, it would fit right in if I were going to a Halloween party dressed like the Predator. Perhaps I could rent it out as a parade float for Mexico’s “Day of the Dead” festivities, but where would I hide it the rest of the year? Seriously, that thing gives me the creeps just looking at it.

Here’s a message for car designers: different, for the sake of being different, doesn’t equal good. Have you learned nothing from the Edsel?

Let’s say you live on an island, about the size of Wyoming, situated in the North Atlantic. Let’s also say that the island is volcanic, and has hot springs, mud pools, geothermal vents and mountains covering the interior. What do you do for fun if you’re a gear head? Why, build a big honkin’ V8 powered Jeep for hillclimbing, mud surfing and all pupose hoonage, that’s what.

Enjoy the video, courtesy of Bangshift.

Mikko Hirvonen took his 12th WRC win (his first in Sweden), beating favorite Sebastian Loeb and fellow Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala. Hirvonen takes a seven point lead in the championship into round two in Mexico.

Surface conditions in Sweden posed a challenge to drivers and teams alike. Ice on the course required the use of studded tires to be competitive; however, the exposed gravel in sections tore the studs from the tires, creating handling and tire wear problems.

Former F1 star Kimi Raikkonen made his WRC debut, but lost 30 minutes when his car buried itself in a snowbank on day one.

Next month’s event in Mexico marks the debut of American Ken Block and the Monster Energy Ford Focus. Block, who also competes in the Rally America series, is the first American to campaign in the WRC.

In a recent episode of his CarCast show, Adam Carolla was pretty clear that Top Gear USA is not a dead project. While NBC may have pulled the plug, it appears that the History Channel will be picking up the show.

No details are available on when the program will air, who the other hosts will be or whether or not they’ll be recruiting candidates to play the American Stig. Trust me, we’ll keep you posted on this.

Source: Autoblog

Answering the question, “What kind of Hyundai can I get for $60k”, here’s the Hyundai Equus on display at a local auto show. Despite the state of the US economy, Hyundai still has plans to bring in their BMW 7 series fighter by year end.

Currently available in Hyundai’s home market, China and the middle east, the Equus features a front engine rear drive layout and is built on the Genesis sedan platform. Want something more to impress the neighbors? The Equus (called the Centennial in South Korea) is potentially available in limousine and armored versions as well.

The Firebird, like its mythical namesake, simply refuses to die. Here’s another rising from the ashes (although they’re not Pontiac’s ashes, which have long since grown cold). This Trans Am prototype, in festive Mardi Gras themed camouflage, was snapped in suburban Detroit, leading to speculation that it’s ASC’s entry into the pseudo -Pontiac Firebird TransAm market.

Source: Jalopnik

Calling it “racing roulette”, Atlanta Motor Speedway will sell 2,000 tickets to the March 7 Kobalt Tools 500 at $1.00 each. The $1 amount is based on the Daytona 500 winning car’s number, which makes me glad that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (car 88) didn’t pull of the win. The first batch of 1,000 went on sale this morning at 7:30, with a second batch of 1,000 released at 9:00.

Missed the promo? Don’t stress, because you can still get a second ticket for $1 when you buy a regularly priced ticket at $85. Forty three bucks a pop for NASCAR tickets sounds like a good way to start the week.

Blitzed to the public during the 2009 Super Bowl, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe represents a significant effort on the part of the Korean automaker to improve their brand image. Previous efforts from Hyundai, such as the S’coupe and Tiburon, could be called “sporty entry level coupes”; they could not be called sports coupes.

When the Genesis Coupe concept was unveiled in 2007, it was clear that Hyundai intended to target a different audience and buyer. Initially aimed at the Ford Mustang, Hyundai appears to have set their sights higher by targeting the performance luxury market. The Genesis Coupe is now squared off against the Infiniti G37 and the Nissan 370Z.

How did they do? According to Edmunds, Popular Mechanics, Car and Driver, Motor Trend and others, quite well. The Genesis has kicked ass and taken names; in fact, The Truth About Cars claimed the Genesis Coupe’s steering was actually more precise than a BMW M3. Talk about setting the bar high.

What do I think? I’ll give you road test impressions in a future article, but I’ve got to say I was VERY impressed with the comfort, fit and finish of the Genesis. The seats are the best the company has ever produced, and rival those from Infiniti and BMW for comfort and support. Both seat and side bolstering is perfect; not intrusive for daily driving (like the VW R32), but not lacking for spirited driving. The quality of material used in the interior is impressive, with soft touch vinyl offset by aluminum painted panels. Yes, I know it’s plastic, but so is the fake aluminum in a BMW 3 series. It makes for a pleasant interior, especially in a car with sporting intentions, and I prefer it over the acres of plastic used by the competition (like the new Camaro or the older Nissan 350Z).

Controls fall to hand, where you’d expect them to be, and the leather wrapped steering wheels feels just the right diameter. Look close enough and you’ll realize that the Genesis is still a price point built car: seat leather quality is good, and on par with Acura, but no match for BMW. Interior quality is good, but spend enough time looking and you’ll find exposed bolts and screws. Carpeting looks too shiny and thin to be of high quality.

Still, these are minor points. Where is the Achilles heel of the Genesis Coupe? The back seat, or lack thereof. I’ve sat in the back of the Infiniti G35 and G37, and it’s not bad for those under six feet. You wouldn’t want to spend hours back there, but a cross town trip in the G series coupes wouldn’t require a chiropractor’s intervention. Not so on the Genesis; those taller than about 5 foot 8 need not apply. Your options are to fold yourself sideways, across the seat, or to tuck your head back under the hatch’s glass. Neither is particularly comfortable for more than a minute or two at a time. Even pets will resist climbing into the back, unless they’re the type of dog that routinely gets its ass kicked by cats.

So here’s my 1/50 of a dollar: if you’re shopping for a sports coupe like a 350Z or a G37, and your family consists of two persons only, drive the Genesis Coupe. It’s comfortable, it’s stylish, and it’s damn hard to tell you’re sitting in a Hyundai. Besides, the $5k to $10K you’ll save over competitive models pays for a lot of rental cars in case you need to haul more than one friend at a time.

Jamie McMurray has won a bizarre Daytona 500 race, twice red flagged for track repairs. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. staged a remarkable run to the front to claim the second position, and Greg Biffle finished third.

The race was halted on lap 122 so that repairs to the track surface could be made between turns one and two. After a delay of one hour and forty two mintues, the race was restarted, only to be red flagged again on lap 161. A second patch was made (causing another 45 minute delay) and the race was resumed.

Crashes in the final laps tested NASCAR’s new “green, white, checker” rule designed to promote green flag finishes. McMurray used the second restart to his advantage, taking his first win for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

“Upstairs,” Jim said, “is the flight deck and bedroom. The hot tub is in the basement by the wine cellar.”

Source: Megamoto

Mazda is working the car show circuit with their soon to be launched subcompact hatchback, the Mazda 2. Family resemblence to the Mazda 3 and even the Mazda 6 is readily apparent, and the 2 is expected to live up to Mazda’s reputation for building entertaining cars in every niche. Slotted below the Mazda 3 family in both pricing and amenities, the Mazda 2 will be available with a five speed manual or five speed auto gearbox. Only one engine, a 1.5 liter four good for 103 horsepower, will be available. Look for the 2 to hit Mazda showrooms in summer 2010, at prices starting around $16k.

More pics (including the inside) after the jump.

Tony Stewart worked his way to the front from a 32nd starting position to take Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide race at Daytona Speedway. Carl Edwards finished second and Kevin Harvick rounded out the podium spots.

Danica Patrick, who started from the 15th spot, was a never a factor in the race. She clearly had difficulty running in the draft and adapting to a changing race car, and fell back as far as 34th before a major crash on lap 68 took her out of the race.

Friday’s rain cancelled both Nationwide Series qualifying and the Camping World Truck Series race. Based on Nationwide Series rules, drivers were qualified for the top 30 starting positions by last year’s owner’s points. Remaining spots were determined by victories in the previous season and the qualifying position awarded in a lottery draw.

In the Nationwide Series, Kyle Busch will start from the pole, with Carl Edwards outside on the front row. Danica Patrick, who seemed to struggle in Nationwide Series practice, starts from the 15th spot.

Jason White has the pole for the Camping World Truck series, with Elliot Sadler beside him on the front row.

The Nationwide race airs at 1:15 today, with coverage provided by Speed TV. The Camping World Truck Series follows at 7:00.

Contrary to popular belief, automotive writers are not born omniscient of all things mechanical. Most of us accumulate our wisdom from first hand experience, learning early on that “built in Italy” and “bulletproof reliability” are generally not phrases often used in the same sentence. Likewise, the terms “German engineering” and “inexpensive to repair”.

Since most of us will never get the chance to drive a Bugatti Veyron on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring, we turn to sources of information that have proven reliable in the past. We like articles written by others with comparable experience, not articles culled from press releases put together by corporate talking heads.

Ironically, after a grueling day of combing through automotive detritus to bring you the most relevant information in a timely fashion, some of us prefer to relax by reading about cars, bikes and other things that go zoom. Or by simply looking at car porn.

Thus, I present to you the RideLust Top 25 Car Blogs and Websites. Some are invaluable sources of legitimate information, perfect acceptable to keep on screen if your wife is looking over your shoulder. Others may not have the same editorial and informational qualities, but they make us laugh. Sometimes, that’s good enough.

In order, our favorite sites are:

1. Jalopnik

Sister site of Gizmodo, universally bookmarked by technogeeks everywhere. Jalopnik provides an interesting blend of breaking news, humor and insight. The gold standard for auto blogs.

Link: http://www.jalopnik.com

2. Left Lane News

Car reviews, insider info, breaking news and industry data, all in one easily navigated site.

Link: www.leftlanenews.com

3. Motor Authority

Spy shots, breaking news, flashbacks and new car reviews: this site has it all, with a focus on high performance and luxury vehicles.

Link: www.motorauthority.com

4. Carscoop

Online since 2000, Carscoop covers automotive news from a global perspective. If you’ve secretly harbored a repressed desire to buy a turbo diesel Peugeot, this is a blog to bookmark.

Link: carscoop.blogspot.com

5. Autoblog

An eclectic mix of breaking news and commentary, this is a well written, well laid out site. A handy and easily found search menu allows you to pull up reviews by manufacturer and model.

Link: www.autoblog.com

6. Hemmings Auto Blogs

A blog from the people that bring you Hemmings Motor News, the bible of car collectors and restorers. Good photography, great writing and great content. Their “Find of the Day” is not to be missed.

Link: blog.hemmings.com

7. The Truth About Cars

Good mix of automotive reviews (for cars available both inside and outside the US), breaking news and other industry related content. If you want to know why your Fiat stock is, um, applying localized negative pressure at the dorsal-most mammary, this is a good place to look.

Link: www.thetruthaboutcars.com

8. Gas 2.0

Despite their focus on biofuels, alternative energy and electric vehicles, Gas 2.0 is not your typical green website. One visit will convince you that they’re gear heads too! Even if your idea of energy conservation is only going to half throttle on your Mach One Mustang, you’ll find plenty of interesting reading here.

Link: www.gas2.org

9. RPM Go

Billed as a “must read” blog by Forbes, RPM Go has a good variety of content. While they cover breaking news, they also pick on topics not discussed elsewhere and provide a balanced mix of US and foreign market vehicle reviews.

Link: www.rpmgo.com

10. Hooniverse

Offbeat automotive news and commentary. Well written, and always worthy of a laugh or two.

Link: www.hooniverse.com

11. Edmunds Inside Line

Sister blog to Auto Observer, Inside Line caters to the enthusiast reader with lots of spy photos and behind-the-scenes content. If you want to know whether or not VW will shoehorn a V10 turbo diesel into the next Golf, this is a good place to start looking.

Link: blogs.insideline.com/straightline

12. Autoevolution

One of the more comprehensive gearhead sites on the net, it covers a huge assortment of topics relating to both cars and bikes. The site has a “Girls Only” section for gearheads lacking a Y chromosome.

Link: www.autoevolution.com

13. Just A Car Guy

Great photography, interesting content and cars you don’t see every day. Heavy emphasis on hot rods and race cars.

Link: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com

14. The Torque Report

Need details on a new or soon to be released model? This site should be one of your first stops. Well laid out and easy to search by manufacturer.

Link: www.thetorquereport.com

15. NY Times Wheels

Auto and industry information as only the New York Times can present it. Good mix of content, particularly well written.

Link: www.wheels.blogs.nytimes.com

16. Bring a Trailer

This site bills itself as “The best vintage cars for sale online”, but it’s much more than that. Articles detail builds and restorations, rare finds and obscure cars. No matter how hardcore you may be, I guarantee this site has at least one car you’ve never heard of.

Link: http://bringatrailer.com

17. You Drive What?

From the folks that brought you “People of WalMart” comes this vehicle themed site. You won’t find breaking news or thoughtful insight here; you will find images that will make you laugh out loud. Think of it as “How Not to Customize Cars 101”.

Link: www.youdrivewhat.com

18. Two Seats or Less

They comb the online classifieds looking for vintage sports cars and race cars, so you don’t have to. I can’t visit this site without finding a car I lust for.

Link: http://twoseatsorless.com

19. Bang Shift

Breaking news, auto related social commentary, hot rod builds, videos and pics: this site has something for every gear head.

Link: http://www.bangshift.com/blog.html

20. The Garage Blog

Breaking news, road tests and articles of interest to every kind of auto enthusiast. Quite a bit of content you won’t find elsewhere.

Link: http://thegarageblog.com/garage

21. Car Domain Blog

Owned by parent CarDomain, this site is both informative and entertaining. Where else can one find pictures of a Toyota Yaris with 20” wheels, on the same page as a program from the 1968 Manufacturer’s Funny Car Championships?

Link: blog.cardomain.com/

22. Kicking Tires

Part of the Cars.com world, Kicking Tires bills itself as the Blog for Car Buyers. As you’d expect, their focus is on news and information relating to current and upcoming model releases.

Link: blogs.cars.com/

23. Auto Spies

Spy shots, breaking news and car comparisons, with an emphasis on auto shows and industry events.

Link: http://www.autospies.com

24. Automotive Traveler

A website with more of a mature feel, you won’t find funny pictures of cars on 36″ chrome wheels here. What you will find is page after page of superior content, ranging from how-to guides to road trip advice. Don’t visit this site unless you’ve got time on your hands.

Link: www.automotivetraveler.com

25. Green Car Reports

If it relates to hybrids, fuel efficiency, electric cars or alternative fuels, you’ll find it here.

Link: www.greencarreports.com

Google’s new social networking service, Buzz has upset a lot of people who have inadvertently posted the list of the people they email and chat with most frequently on their profile. If you took the default options and didn’t opt-out or edit this list during profile creation, the list becomes part of your profile. Since who you email with frequently can often be private information (reporters and sources, doctors and patients, former significant others, etc), making this list public can create serious problems.

If you’re going to use Google Buzz, we recommend that you opt-out during profile creation. If you have already created a profile, change it to private immediately. Then go through the suggested list, and edit it as appropriate before making it public again. PC World has a helpful privacy checklist to help users understand the privacy implications of Google Buzz options.

Google has attempted to address some of these issues, making it easier to block people and hide the friend list. The underlying issue is that your email and chat contacts are not necessarily people you want to advertise as friends via a public social network. Since Google’s competitors make it hard to transfer list of social contacts to new services, Google attempted to jump start Buzz with lists drawn from its successful Gmail and Gchat services. While this may help Buzz grow and save users the time to type in all their contacts, it also has an inherent danger of inadvertent disclosure of private information. Google could significantly reduce this problem simply by making the list private by default, so users could opt-in after reviewing the suggested list.

Google might also consider allowing those who agreed to join Google Buzz without understanding its implications to opt-out fully. Currently, “turning off” Google Buzz merely suspends the viewing and public broadcasting of messages until you might want to re-connect your private email world and the public space again. Some Gmail users would prefer that those worlds stay strongly unconnected. They do not want a list of potential “followers” to gather, awaiting the moment that a user mistake or poor interface design inadvertently reveals private data to the world once again. Google is apparently considering separating Buzz from Gmail.

To put things in perspective, the Porsche 914 had roughly the same dimensions as the original Mazda Miata (OK, the 914 was two inches longer – I said roughly the same). Compared to the diminutive 914, the fire breathing, pushing-1,000-horsepower-chariot-of-the-gods Porsche 917 looks like a kids pedal car. It took huevos mas grande to drive this thing down the Mulsanne Straight at speeds approaching 200 mph.

Source: Jalopnik