Cars

You Don’t Want To See This In Your Rear View Mirror

January 28, 2011 By Kurt Ernst 3 Comments

Meet Chevy’s newest cop car, the Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle (PPV). Basically a rebadged and heavily modified Holden Commodore, the Caprice features the conventional front engine, rear drive layout that police agencies have come to know and love. It’s also got a bulletproof 355 horsepower, 6.0 liter, pushrod V8 under the hood, which should hold up under the harshest of conditions. For many agencies, low tech is preferable over things like twin turbo setups and cylinder de-activating V8s, so expect traditional police agencies to flock to the new Caprice PPV. I’m posting this video as a public service; since the car won’t be sold in civilian trim (at least not yet), I’m giving you a chance to learn what it looks like before you’re on the receiving end of a ticket. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cars, On Road Tagged With: Caprice, chevy, Holden, Police Cars

2011 Indy Pace Car To Be Drop-Top Camaro SS

January 21, 2011 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

Image: © GM Corp.

The pace car for the 1969 Indy 500 was a white Camaro convertible with orange stripes. I can’t say that I remember watching the race (although I’m sure my dad had it on TV), but I remember seeing images of that white and orange pace car. I photographed one at last year’s Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach, and I remember thinking how stunning the car was in person. It somehow just looked right, as if every proportion and styling trick was done to highlight just that car. Even the “reverse creamsicle” paint job looked good, although I can’t imagine many cars pulling that off. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cars, On Road Tagged With: Camaro Convertible, Cars, chevrolet, chevy, Indy 500, Indy Pace Car

Found On Hemmings: A 1973 Corvette Sports Wagon

January 7, 2011 By Kurt Ernst 1 Comment

Now here’s something you don’t see every day: a 1973 Corvette converted to a Sports Wagon body style. The seller alleges it’s one of 10 ever made, but stops short of telling us who the body was made by or who performed the conversion. Even Hemming’s own Dan Strohl, guru of all things vintage, can only speculate that it was a Chuck Miller conversion kit. Judging from the pictures I’ve been able to find of the Chuck Miller Sport Wagon Corvettes, I’m in agreement with Dan. Sure, the Sport Wagon conversion gave you more storage space, but it didn’t help improve the Stingray’s looks.

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Filed Under: Cars, On Road Tagged With: Cars, Corvette

My Favorite Car Of 2010

December 31, 2010 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

A Citroen 2CV? Um, no. Photo: Michael Tettinger

As an automotive journalist, I drive a lot of cars. Most are good, very few are bad, and even fewer count as exceptional. In a time when nobody builds a bad car any more, it’s really tough for a vehicle to stand out. Even raw horsepower isn’t enough these days, since 400 horsepower luxury, sport and muscle cars are commonplace. You know you’re jaded when a 330 horsepower sport sedan doesn’t do it for you anymore, because it feels just a little down on power. Still, most of us live in the real world, where it’s necessary to balance performance against practicality and cost. What good is a 556 horsepower coupe that most of us can’t afford, and that has no usable back seat? What good is a car that’s reasonable to commute in, but utterly useless for the occasional autocross or high performance driving event? Can you really afford insurance and gas for a V8 muscle car? These are all things to consider when buying a car, but I don’t generally factor in any of them when they toss me a new set of keys each week. For me, it comes down to this: which cars can I relate to the best, and which car would I most like to park in my garage? Which car would I be willing to make sacrifices to own?

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Filed Under: Cars, On Road Tagged With: Cars, Ford, Ford Mustang, new cars

New Ford Focus To Offer Torque Vectoring Control

December 30, 2010 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

The 2012 Ford Focus ST: me want. Image: Ford Motor Company

Torque Vectoring Control: even if you have no idea what it means, those words sound like they’ll make your car go faster. In the case of the 2012 Ford Focus, Torque Vectoring Control will indeed make your car go faster through the corners and will increase your confidence behind the wheel. Torque Vectoring uses the car’s brakes to simulate the effects of a limited slip differential, without the added weight or cost.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cars, On Road Tagged With: 2012 Ford Focus, Cars, Ford, new cars

All Hail the King! The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

December 29, 2010 By Gary Boix Leave a Comment

The World Record Edition Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Photo: Bugatti

The beauty of the supercar world is that it’s an engine of perpetual change. Every time some company builds the ‘world’s fastest supercar’, some other company tries to make one that’s faster. It’s an awesome cycle that is both infinite and beneficial. It breathes life to humankind’s imagination in a form that is not only tangible, but also useful and lasting. There are very few things in this world that have as much impact on our daily lives as a car does; even ones that most of us can’t afford.
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Filed Under: Cars, On Road Tagged With: Bugatti, Cars, SSC Ultimate Aero, Super Sport, Supercar, Track, Veyron

Ford Takes Auto Personalization To The Next Level

December 27, 2010 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

Well that's... interesting. Image: Ford Motor Company

A buddy of mine just had the wheels of his truck powder-coated in black. The result looks much more trick than the factory silver paint, and this prompted a question from my friend: “Why don’t manufacturers allow customers to choose things like custom painted wheels?” I tried to explain the intricacies of the manufacturing process, since I come from a product development background. I explained that it wouldn’t be cost effective for manufacturers to stock wheels in ten different shades of color, as it would increase production costs and (potentially) slow down the assembly process. My friend, on the other hand, wasn’t buying any of my counter-arguments. “If you give the buyer exactly what they want,” he pressed on, “they’d be more likely to buy and would be willing to spend more money.”

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Filed Under: Cars, On Road Tagged With: Cars, Customizing, Ford

Suzuki Takes On Audi, Mercedes and Acura

December 24, 2010 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

Suzuki launched their Kizashi sedan to critical acclaim in early 2010. I had one as a press fleet car, and it was a perfectly nice alternative to a Volkswagen Jetta. In fact, if you would have put me behind the wheel blindfolded, I’d have probably guessed it was a 2010 VW Jetta. Until I actually started driving it, because as good as the Kizashi is, it still needs some serious refinement. Steering is disturbingly light at speeds below 40 miles per hour, but gets reasonable once you come up to speed. The engine puts out 185 horsepower, but doesn’t feel anywhere near that powerful thanks to a heavy flywheel and oddly tall gearing. Dial in some steering feel, use a flywheel made of a material other than depleted uranium and tighten the spacing of the six speed manual gearbox, and the Kizashi would be a truly impressive effort.

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Filed Under: Cars, On Road Tagged With: Cars, Commercials, Kizashi, Suzuki

Mini Connected: Distracted Driving At Its Finest

December 23, 2010 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

Are you not causing enough accidents and road rage by simply talking and texting on your cell phone while driving? Do you want to take it to the next level, to find out if bullets really do deflect upwards through auto glass? Then head on down to your nearest Mini dealer, and snap up a Mini Cooper with the “Mini Connected” feature. Because nothing ensures your safety behind the wheel of a compact car like using a joystick to type out search terms as you drive with enthusiasm. What’s the worst that could happen?

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cars, On Road, Soap Box Tagged With: Cars, Commercials, distractions, Mini Cooper

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