The PCA (Porsche Club of America, as opposed to the SPCA) has a relatively strong presence in my locale of Raleigh, NC. Maybe it’s because Raleigh is one of those booming up-and-coming towns, but when there is an “exotic car show”, the turnout is always impressive. I’ll begin with this little gem of a picture:
One of the most common themes of the American automotive marketplace is that, compared to most the rest of the world, we really get the shaft when it comes to automobile selection. This is because carmakers tend to make cars designed for the “stereotypical American mindset,” that is to say, cars for fat people who don’t like corners or clutches. It’s quite painful to see the rest of the world get sweet small cars, awesome rear-wheel-drive sedans, and many other things while we’re (for the most part) stuck with the stale leftovers. Here’s a few cars I think should be brought in - and a few cars that I think should just go ahead and pack their things.
One of the most rewarding experiences you can have while driving a car is attacking a truly challenging piece of tarmac. At least, that’s my opinion. Some people get their jollies from heads-up drag races. That’s interesting once; then the result is the same every time if your technique is any good. Revs up, drop clutch, spin tires lightly, hold till redline, clutch and shift, rinse, repeat, snore. Great, your Mustang runs 13.1 seconds in the quarter mile.
But a good road is different every time you go down it. On a long curvy piece of tarmac, there is an infinite number of permutations as to how you can take it, what line to follow, how late to brake and which gears to use. On a truly good road, a better driver in a slower car will beat a mediocre driver in a more capable car every time. That’s why I love a good road. Plus, lateral g-forces are more fun that frontal.
The question then becomes: what exactly is the best conveyance to fling yourself down that favorite backroad like your hair’s on fire? The answer: there is no answer. Like the cat-skinning question (as an aside: who would want to skin a cat? That’s just mean. I love cats) there are many answers.
When a manufacturer releases their latest and greatest innovation on society, they usually pump it up with great fanfare, a huge advertising budget, and all the hoopala they can possibly drum up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it’s completely unnecessary (VW sold out the entire US allotment of 5,000 first-generation R32’s without spending a dime on advertising), and sometimes it just doesn’t make a difference to the fact that the car they’re selling is complete, unmitigated crap. Hey, it happens. Just ask Ford:
This is the beginning of another new series called Uncommon Q-Ships. It’s meant to highlight some of the performance cars that are mostly forgotten now, cars that are surprisingly quick but mainly anonymous. These were the cars that the smart sports-car buyers got back in the day to fly under the radar. It’s a favorite genre of mine and hopefully this series will jog your collective memories.
My first nomination would be the Aero version of the old Saab 9000. The 9000 was Saab’s first effort at a full-on Luxury car, and it was co-developed along with three other cars to keep costs down: The Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma, and Lancia Thema. This is why unlike all other modern-era Saabs, the 9000 had the key where it normally goes. Beyond that, though, it was all Saab: a 5 door full-size hatchback/sedan that came with turbo power. The original engine was Saab’s 2.0L 16v Turbo straight-four, with 175 horsepower. This is a first-generation 9000 with a nice set of wheels. Classy shape.
These days, Saab is mainly known by the public for being… well, somewhat odd. Turbocharged engines, gauges that shut off, ignition switch near the handbrake and shifter, hatchbacks, etc are the norm for Saab. But today’s Saab is a far cry from the old days when SAAB (all caps) was it’s own brand, not a General Motors satellite. Back then, Saab was known for practical technological innovations. They were the first brand to introduce a turbocharged car for normal people and really bring it mainstream; the 99 Turbo back in 1978 really turned the world on it’s ear.
They lead the field in other innovations, of course. APC (Automatic Performance Control) in 1980 was the world’s first automatic knock sensor which allowed a turbocharged car to be run on whatever gas you so chose without engine damage. Trionic in 1991 used a 32-bit processor to run many parameters of engine management and adapt them real-time to world conditions. Their cars have always been on the leading edge of smart thinking - at least until GM bought them. But before all that, SAABS (Svenska Aeroplan AB) was basically a shed full of ex-airplane engineers who decided to make cars instead. So of course, they did things their own way. The resulting cars were like nothing else on the road. The first bodies were hand-formed over molds with hammers. But perhaps the most fascinating thing about those ancient SAABS were the motors.
Here are a few more photos from Worthersee that didn’t really fit in the main post. There were some really neat cars there, to be sure
The automotive industry in the US is facing it’s toughest challenge yet. The price of gasoline in this country has been on an extremely rapid rise in the last three or four years, to the point where people are either tired of filling up their tanks, or unable to afford the luxury. Sales of America’s top automotive product, the pickup truck, have been in the tank for a good time now. Ford announced their new business plan this past week which includes a massive cutback on truck production and a big push on cars. Makes sense to me. When I started driving about 4 years ago, the price of regular unleaded gas was $1.77. Yesterday, it hit $4.00 per gallon. I for one have pretty much had enough. I don’t drive for the fun of it nearly as much as I used to - my car takes 93 octane gas at a rate of about 28mpg on the highway and 22 or 23mpg around town. While I don’t have it as bad as most people, I simply can’t afford to put 50-60 dollars of gas in my tank a few times a week. I just don’t have the money.
So I’ve decided what my next automotive purchase is going to be, when funds allow:
Since it’s introduction in 1996, the Audi A4 has been a key player in the entry-level luxury car market. For a while, Audi was merely happy playing second-fiddle to BMW’s sublime 3-series. That’s not a bad market position to be in, when you’re just coming off of a massive PR scare involving 5000’s that like to run people over of their own accord. Well, actually, mainly due to driver error. But that’s another story for another day.
But with the introduction of the updated (B6 chassis) A4 in 2002, Audi went after the big dog full-force. The new A4 was larger, more refined, more luxurious, and faster - including the 4.2L V8-powered S4.
Saturday, the car show was held at the Helendorf Inn at the heart of Helen. Despite using three separate lots, the show soon overflowed and cars were double and triple parked, with the main lot four cars deep. There was a wide variety of cars on display, from vintage slammed aircooled rides to the latest and greatest MKV GTI’s and R32’s. Old school, new school, or no school at all, it was present and accounted for. Here are a few of the highlights.
