The Truth About Cars » Features

TTAC does the 24 Hours of LeMons. And Dies. Again.

Sajeev Mehta — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:24:09 +0000

The weekend of October 24-25 was the third running of the 24 Hours of LeMons at Motorsport Ranch in Houston, TX. TTAC was there for the insanity. And it was the fourth time our LeMons race car, a 1972 Datsun 240Z hit the track. I was an honorary “penalty” judge this time ’round (props to [...]

The Candidate’s Choice

David Holzman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:51:00 +0000

For politicians, the sphere of the personal shrinks as that of the political swells, until for some, the personal all but disappears. Then, even the choice of car becomes political. During the recent elections, one car loomed so large in the fleets of presidential aspirants that the manufacturer actually touted it as “The Candidates’ Choice” [...]

How I Won/Lost/Failed to Understand the Cadillac CTS-V Challenge

Jack Baruth — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:53:50 +0000

With apologies to Douglas Adams: Stress and nervous tension are now serious social problems in all parts of the Galaxy, and it is in order that this situation should not in any way be exacerbated that the following facts will now be revealed in advance. I took my privately-owned 2009 Audi S5 to the CTS-V Challenge, intending [...]

Confessions Of A Reluctant Hoon

David Holzman — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:19:26 +0000

I am that oddball of pistonhedonism who has never lusted for speed. In fact, caution genes run in my family. To wit: my parents installed seatbelts in the ‘57 Chevy in 1960, eight years before they became mandatory in new cars. Our ‘65 404 was probably the first Peugeot station wagon in all of France to have rear shoulder belts. My father, an academic economist, showed the men at the factory how to install them. I didn't get tagged for speeding until I was just shy of 40, and that for doing all of 35 in Rock Creek Park. (Gail Wilensky, the Porsche driving head of Medicare under George H.W. Bush, was hitching a ride downtown with me in my then 16 year old Toyota Corolla with the busted window from a smash & grab, but that's another story.)

Editorial: TTAC’s Cap’n Mike Dices with Sabine Schmitz on the Nurburgring

Mike Solowiow — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:07:52 +0000

The Porsche GT3 RS with its wildly painted orange wheels was not going to let me past, despite my flashing headlights of protest. Why should he? I was in a mild-mannered Carrera S, devoid of any go fast wings or air ducts. I resigned myself to trying to gain momentum over him before we entered the Flugpatz, where the wider bit of road would provide a much safer passing zone and keep me from joining the purple Peugeot 206 we had just passed at Hatzenbach in the Armco barriers. I needn't wait so long, as in my mirror, four "angel-eye" rings glared at me from the nefarious BMW M5 'Ring Taxi. I put on my right-turn signal, let her pass, and then squeezed the accelerator in order to whip past the Orange Swedish Porker. Let the games begin, for I was on my 100th lap, and it was time for a joust with Sabine Schmitt in our Deutsche Chariots of Terror.

How I’d Beat Maximum Bob

Jack Baruth — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 11:47:25 +0000

It looks like the American taxpayer is going to be stuck with the bill for another unpopular struggle in the sand. This time, however, the “insurgents” don’t stand a chance. General Motors and Bob Lutz have cherrypicked the opponent for their CTS-V track showdown. Not only is Wes Siler a novice-level racetrack driver (and, I would add, a very charming fellow), the C63 AMG is far too short on power and tire to run head-to-head with Cadillac’s supersedan. Mr. Farago has informed me that General Motors will absolutely not permit TTAC to join the party. That’s a shame because I could win this race-that-isn’t. Here’s how.

Dead Celebrities and the Cars That Killed Them

Jim Sutherland — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:01:13 +0000

James Dean was a moderately talented actor. You could say he made his best career move behind the wheel of a Porsche. After his fatal accident, Dean's “live fast-die young” legend grew to Giant-size, propelling Byron's life (and death) to legendary status. As for the car [not shown], many came to believe that the "Lil' Bastard" was evil, citing both the actor's death and the death and injury experienced by those who came into contact with the car or bits thereof. Steven King and Snopes will fill in the blanks on that one. But the truth is that celebrities aren't that different from you and me. The basic causation for their car crashes is the same as it ever was: human error and a light dusting of equipment limitations or failure.

Editorial: Q & A with Spyker Founder Victor Muller

Paul Grusche — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:26:36 +0000

Victor Muller stands about six foot four, with dashing gray hair and glasses. He exudes the energy of a kid after five bags of Pop Rocks. Why shouldn't he? Muller's the co-founder of Spyker, one of the sexiest car companies to hit the scene since Lamborghini launched the Miura. Never mind that many collectors consider Spyker's first gen cars beautifully crafted automobiles with all the chassis rigidity of a tin can. Spyker is the very definition of a boutique automaker, including the fact that they haven't show a profit for nine years. If you want old school supercar exclusivity, Muller's your man.

Editorial: A Cautionary Tale for Labor Day

Ingvar Hallstrom — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:00:25 +0000

This is a tale from my youth, a very confusing period of my life, including the habit of drinking myself into a drunken stupor just for the fun of it, reckless driving of Jack Baruthian proportions, and generally excessive wanton behavior. In short, a day in the life of an average college kid, knee-deep in a period of sturm-und-drang. I was young, I was stupid and I had a death wish none of this world. I usually spent more time at the local café than in school, and I was out partying five days a week. I was twenty years old, I went to college, I had an apartment of my own, and I was the proud owner of a car, minus the driving license.

Ask the Best and Brightest Special Ed: Five Cars for Labor Day

Robert Farago — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:08:46 +0000

kbb.com presents a top ten automotive list that is to PR what plastic worms are to bass: completely contrived and intermittently irresistible. "Ten Great Cars for 10 Different Jobs" is about vague and non-threatening a compendium as I've ever encountered in this genre. And you can't fault them for adding the word "Different" "Ten Great Cars for the Same Damn Job" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Oh look! There's a Ford F-150! Quel surprise! Only this is the Raptor version for bounty hunters who don't find their man inside a bar or roach-infested apartment, and want to tear the miscreant into pieces and eat him, presumably. "The kbb.com list is sure to provide thought-provoking transportation options for those in various lines of work." Me, I'm only in one line of work: automotive truth telling. Well, that and comedy. And you're in this with me, you bastards. So make the jump for five more ideas for career-appropriate whips. Correct us if we're wrong. (As if.) As always, we welcome your suggestions.

Editorial: The Last Silver Arrow

Stephan Wilkinson — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:16:05 +0000

On September 1, the Collier Collection of Naples, Florida, brought to Lime Rock its 1939 Mercedes-Benz W 154 Grand Prix car. (Yes, Collier's is a collection, not a museum. Don't bother looking for a website; visitors by invitation only.) The word from Lime Rock's PR person: this would be the first time the engine had ever been started on a racetrack in 69 years and 363 days, having last run in anger at a minor street race in Yugoslavia on September 3, 1939, two days after the start of World War II. Two ringers from Stuttgart had been sent to Connecticut to help with this historic ignition, as had the British restorer who'd rebuilt the engine. The Collier guys also planned to run the car on the track briefly, which, it was said, would also be a 70-year first.

Editorial: How GM Tried to Win Me Over, Part Two

Darwin Hatheway — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:04:06 +0000

Like many American car buyers, I place reliability near the top of my "must have" list. Over on GM's FastLane blog, I told GM they'd conquer [some] Toyota and Honda customers when the American automaker's ten-year-old cars offered the same service as ten-year-old Toyotas and Hondas. Truth be told, New GM may not HAVE ten years. So it's no surprise that they tried to wow me with tail fins and technology. When the speeches finally ended in the Proving Ground auditorium, I was invited to sample New GM in the "now." Our PR handlers gave us a quick safety talk (don’t do anything stupid, obey the traffic wardens) and turned us loose.

Editorial: TTAC’s Guide to Car Dealer Lingo

Robert Farago — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:05:44 +0000

Regular readers will recall that this site's denizens helped radio personality, car dealer and fellow commentator John Wolfe name his new CBS radio show. In exchange, Wolfe promised that he'd give me a guest shot. And . . . he's given us permission to rip this glossary of dealer jargon from his "Real Deal" website. While you peruse the perfidy, I'm thinking turnabout is fair play. How about TTAC's Best and Brightest invent some of its own terms for what car dealers do to us? Yeah, yeah, some dealers, not all dealers. Suggestions below please.

Editorial: Now That’s a Car!

Jim Sutherland — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:15:56 +0000

The August 6, 2009 issue of the Edmonton Journal ran a story about the hormonal boost for young males provided by high end performance vehicles. A Concordia University study determined that “endowing [yes, endowing] the men with a vehicle few people could afford tripped an endocrinological response-measured using saliva samples---mimicking the one elicited during competition for female mates.” As a guy who used to be young, I could have saved the academics a few bucks. Of course hot cars raise testosterone levels. That's a fundamental part of a guy’s reason for life. It's the selfish gene on wheels: hot cars > better babes > better babies. But all is not exactly as it seems . . .

Editorial: In Praise of . . . Tom McCahill

Jim Sutherland — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:29:45 +0000

There are many great reasons to be happy to be a Baby Boomer. We may be getting old but we misspent our youth in some great decades. We had the iconic cars and lots of drive-ins for a custom fit with an increasingly relaxed moral code. We only had AM radio, but it played some of the best music ever heard in a car. But mostly we (or at least I) had Tom McCahill.

Editorial: General Motors Death Watch 256: Clutch Players

Robert Farago — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:48:01 +0000

The mainstream media tends to fumble the metaphorical football on the symbolic goal line. With fewer than twenty-four hours left before General Motors files for Chapter 11, the MSM is set to go back, Jack, and do it again. Instead of excoriating GM's management for not taking in more money than they spent, they're parsing the American automaker's bankruptcy as a "sign of the times." Leading this electronic charge of the heat without light brigade: P. J. O'Rourke. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, O'Rourke paints GM's dissolution as confirmation that America's love affair with the automobile is, finally, dead. Rubbish.

Editorial: Malcolm Bricklin: “Holy Crap! How the Hell Did it Ever Come to This?”

Robert Farago — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:55:58 +0000

Malcolm "Call Me Malcolm" Bricklin and I had our little chin wag this morning. As expected, the serial entrepreneur dominated the initial conversation. Less predictably, Bricklin began by bludgeoning me with Google-sourced biographical data. "I know about the Subaru [flying vagina] thing," Bricklin pronounced. "You've got balls. I assume you're not just saying all this stuff to be controversial." After admitting his own insanity, Bricklin started recounting the entire history of the Yugo. His no-word-allowed-in-edgewise tale included the Cadillac Allante's inhibiting effect on X1/9 production and Henry Kissinger's contribution to the car that launched a thousand jokes. At some point, I interrupted Bricklin to ask about his latest venture: hydrogen. Turns out I got it wrong. Bricklin isn't proposing a societal switch to hydrogen fuel. He's got one of those 100mpg carburetor things. Only his creates "hydrogen-on-demand."

Maximum Street Speed Explained, Part IV

Jack Baruth — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:57:35 +0000

“To live outside the law,” Dylan sang, “you must be honest.” And so we come to the final part of a series that has offended some and delighted others. Just to provide some value to the querulous quislings of quaint quotidian travel, I’ll pass along one tip for the highway cell-phone snitch. Most highway patrol operations discount singular drunk-driving phone-ins, but they are not permitted to ignore reports of brandished firearms. Don’t like the speeder who just blew by? Call him in for waving a gun. Use a prepaid phone for this, as most cops have little patience for being used in this fashion. Some would say that snitching is bad; didn’t our mothers tell us not be little snitches? Still, you know what’s best for others, so go ahead and make that call.

Maximum Street Speed Explained, Part III

Jack Baruth — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:45:39 +0000

It was just another day at the “Tail Of The Dragon” for the group of experienced sportbikers clustering around the Robbinsville, NC gas station. Fresh from multiple high-speed runs down the famed road, they were reliving their victories when a long-haired old man in some girly convertible asked them to “show him the fast way through.”

Chrysler Eliminates Turn Signals From Its Vehicles

Michael Posner — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:43:10 +0000

As it struggles to find its way through bankruptcy, Chrysler Corp. has announced its most recent cut back. The automaker is eliminating turn signals from its vehicles. In a written statement, a Chrysler spokesperson said that with turn signal usage falling below 10 percent, slicing the cost from each car (estimated at $22) would save the Fiat division over $44 million a production year (based on sales of over two million cars in 2007). “Our studies of vehicle equipment usage found that sixty-five percent of drivers were unaware that their cars actually had a turn signal device," the press release revealed. "Of the thirty-five percent that were aware of the devices, only half even knew how to use them.” To counter safety advocates' criticism of the equipment deletion, and bolster its case for a NHTSA waiver, Chrysler released the results of a driver survey.

Maximum Street Speed Explained, Part II

Jack Baruth — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:18:45 +0000

The über-wealthy have many fascinating ways to speed on America’s highways, from night-vision goggles to convenient spotter planes overhead. But those of us who toil in the middle class have to earn our velocity by hard graft. Freeway speeding is the crack cocaine of fast-road driving---cheap, easy, addictive, and deadly---and nighttime freeway speeding is both more glamorous and annoying than its daytime counterpart.

Editorial: The Truth About the Nürburgring Nordschleife

Mike Solowiow — Wed, 20 May 2009 10:39:19 +0000

I realized I was airborne when my steering inputs had no effect on the direction of my Carrera. At the point the ass-engine configured rocketship started its atmospheric re-entry, several things went through my mind. If the rear-end breaks loose, do I keep my foot down? What happens if I lose it? Am I going to crash? When the rear tires made contact with terra-nurburg, and I was able to counter steer in a brilliant fashion (what really happened was Porsche Active Stability Management once again made me a driving god), all thoughts of impaling my Porker into the Armco ceased,. Once again, I was driving the dream and having the time of my life on the most legendary driving circuit in the world, the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Editorial: Reproduction Lamborghini Jota OK With Me. Except That It Isn’t

Robert Farago — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:39:31 +0000

Once upon a time, I commissioned Guy Broad Jaguar to build an XK120 from the chassis up. From the breakaway steering column to the oversized (though Jag-sourced) six, it was my idea of what an XK should be. She was built with as many upgraded repro parts as possible, by non-union labor. Before I could fettle the machine for something akin to drivability, I spun her on black ice and took out a small English village. (Come back Colleen, all is forgiven.) By the time the car was re-re-built, divorce had claimed my most beautiful asset. But I'll never forget the consternation the car caused amongst the cognoscenti.

Chrysler 300 Convert Pt. 2

Jonny Lieberman — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:35:32 +0000

The brutal sun finally started setting as I headed up the Grapevine. Since my plan was to go for broke, I had opened the taps. According to the speedometer, I was pushing 75 mph. It had only been 50 miles since Bakersfield, but with the gas leak and increased RPM I decided I needed to refuel one more time before making the big downhill home to Los Angeles. This of course meant engaging in my own personal stupidest act of 2008: adding gas with the engine still running. I found a nice, empty looking station near Gorman. Long story short, I'm still here. And the drive into LA turned out to be cathartic.

Chrysler 300 Convert

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:32:17 +0000

My Czech buddy "Bob" asked me to go on up somewhere north of Fresno and grab a 1969 Chrysler 300 Convertible for him. Low pay and the distinct possibility of bloody knuckles? Yes! Yes despite the fact I really dislike the whole middle man thing. In fact, just like the 1981 Corvette, the seller of this Chrysler "needed" the money in cash because he'd heard about internet scams involving the Czech Republic. Never mind the fact that I-- a good patriotic American-- would be handing him a cashier's check from BofA. Nope, must be dead presidents, and in the flesh so to speak. So, with forty $100 bills burning my pocket, I hopped a plane up to Oakland where Jalopnik's Murilee Martin picked me up.