As a VW owner and enthusiast, I am familiar with the concept of improving a car through aftermarket modifications. There is quite a large percentage of Volkswagens on the road with at least something done to them. It’s because VW’s (and of course, Audis) respond particularly well to small modifications. I’m sure this is largely due to the ubiquitous 1.8L 20-valve Turbo engine (commonly known as the One-Eight Tee. Natch.)
Spotted this gem while I was sitting outside my local Starbucks today, sipping on a cold beverage. This is, apparently, a prototype for the upcoming “Short Bus” edition Mustang Cobra.
Rumor has it that it’s powered by a twin-charged Honda F20C from the S2000, has all-wheel-drive from the Subaru WRX STi Type RA Spec C 5.9 Cummins Type-R LSD R1 Turbo, and that each door comes complete with a poorly made vinyl silhoutte of an utterly retarded Horse on the side. This will be a serious performance car - Lotus had better watch it’s puny little back. Those Elise’s are going to be littering the sides of the road, doors blown clear off, like so many dead leaves during the cold nights of Autumn…
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 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.
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:
