By Ben Schaffer

Bulletproof Automotive

Here’s some pics. Nothing original, but why not post them anyway? That's how I feel so here they are. Click on the pics for really really hi-res. Two more pics after the jump.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

The Ram dominates Showroom Showdown. It beat the F-150 a few months back and then this week it delivered a smackdown to the Titan. Hmmm, maybe I should pit the Silverado vs. the Tundra, and then have the winner of that match up go up against the Ram. What do you think? Who would be the king of full sized trucks on CarDomain?

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Tony Swan of Car and Driver, who ran the Nissan GT-R in this year's One Lap of America, has apparently gotten a lot of static about finishing "only" 11th in the overall standings and feels understandably prevailed upon to justify the much-hyped supercar's performance. But oddly, the article that appears for this purpose on the Car and Driver website mostly just comes across as a load of whiny diapers. Though he blames everything from tires to computer technology, much of the apologia centers on the "fateful" autocross challenge at BeaveRun, where Tony got confused and went off course, resulting in a DNF and a minor tantrum by the driver, who reportedly stormed off in a huff, gunning the GT-R through a paddock populated by spectators. Probably not his proudest moment, but in the ensuing drama, it nonetheless became the spearhead for a movement to award a bunch of "bonus points" to those who failed to negotiate the autocross course successfully. Fortunately, common sense eventually prevailed, with the organizers confirming that a DNF is a DNF and that it wasn't in the spirit of the event to compensate teams for poor performance. Seems perfectly reasonable, though Tony apparently has a different sense of how it all went down. It's clear that he's endeavoring to be candid and honest about what happened, but having a GT-R fall on its face in multiple events turns out to be not the easiest thing to explain away. Read Tony's article here to decide for yourself if he gives a satisfactory defense of the GT-R's finish.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

John has gone off to Florida again. This time his sister is graduating. Or something like that. So anyway, you're stuck with my version of the news for the next two days.

• New pics of of the 2010 Nissan Cube have surfaced. Looks cool in a dorky kind of way. Jalopnik.
• The convertible CTS Coupe is a no go. I think GM is high. Can we get a petition going? Autoblog.
• The Volt prototype is already going 40 miles in electric-only mode, and all signs are pointing to GM actually hitting their 2010 launch goal. Motor Authority.
• Some jackass rear ended Drew Barrymore and then tried to get away. Barrymore chased down the driver, got the license plate and turned it over to the cops. Nice work! UGO.

By Rob

Editor-in-Chief

Given the fact that the next-generation Titan will be built by Chrysler, I thought this would be a humorous match up. The Ram defeated the F-150 in the last full-size pickup showroom showdown, but I know there are a lot of Nissan fans on CarDomain, too. So, which would you choose, the 2008 Nissan Titan or the 2008 Dodge Ram?

By John Coyle

Editor

Lots of stuff is happening today, so I'm going to skip my standard blathering and cut to the chase. You're welcome. Here's the news:

• Everyone knows Aussies love their beer, but this situation still seems a little extreme. For the record, it's probably a good idea to belt children in, even if than means the case of beer has to take its chances. ABC Australia via Winding Road
• Nissan is riding waves of positive press due to the GTR, but it hasn't forgotten about the rest of its stable. A semi-official pic of the new 370Z has surfaced, and it looks pretty slick. Hey, it might not  have Godzilla's performance, but you'll probably be able to pick one up for less than double the sticker price. CarScoop
• Ford is recalling another 650,000 vehicles, but don't worry, the reason behind it is just a tiny little problem with the brakes. Maybe the Blue Oval should try making quality job one? Automotive News
• Aston Martin's Rapide has been caught lapping the Ring, and it looks—and sounds—pretty sexy. I still don't know if it's as hot as Maserati's Quattroporte, but if I had to choose between the two, I don't think I'd throw a fit. World Car Fans

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Roland Gallagher arrived late in the afternoon with his 240, which he had worked on through the night to complete in time for the demo. I'm not sure we captured any video of this car, but we definitely got some great photos, including some killer action shots. More after the jump.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Drifting is all about personal style. I'm no drifting expert, so I can't really describe Victor's style, other than to say he is smooth. And consistent. He was agrressive as hell on every corner, but I don't think I saw him spin out once. Victor built his '89 Nissan 240SX coupe with the help of his dad, and has definitely been getting noticed in the Northwest drift scene over the last couple of years. Here's a quick video of Victor coming up and then coming back down the S curves at Pacific Raceways. Our videographer did a ride-along with Victor, so expect to see some cool footage from inside his 240 once we're finished with the editing. I also did a short interview with Victor, so provided the audio came out ok (over the drag racing behind us) we'll have that as well. I've got a ton more pics of Victor and his car after the jump.

By Ben Schaffer

Bulletproof Automotive

I'm all for functional aerodynamics, but am I the only person noticing just how ridiculously long these front underboards are protruding from the nose of the car? I feel like just in the past six months the average front underboard has doubled in its length forward. It's a massive trend in racing in Japan right now and with each step further outwards I feel like we’re returning to the super silouette inspired 1980s Bosozoku style. I’m a reader of Auto Otaku’s blog and I've been seeing a lot of cars on there with underboards/diffusers even longer than this one. I think it's cool in a very hardcore way, but damn if they arent growing bigger by the second. I feel like I'm going to start seeing new generation sports cars on the street done up by their owners to mimic this trend and then we'll have in a sense a modern sports car Bosozoku style comeback. I honestly don’t know if thats a good thing or not. Looks and functions great on cars like this Super GT Z33 and on time attack cars, but on the street it could become a bad joke if it gets out of hand. One more pic after the jump.

By Rob

Editor-in-Chief

This is the second Showroom Showdown that has been too close to call. The last one was the Accord Coupe vs. the Altima Coupe in February. No matter how you look at it, these affordable RWD coupes will be game changers. Finally, another generation will be exposed to some RWD goodness. We will be following both vehicles' development closely in the CarDomain blog. I can't wait to see how they turn out.    

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

There's a 2009 GTR along on this year's One Lap, driven by Tony Swan of Car & Driver Magazine. They'll be giving full coverage of the event, but not until their September issue hits the shelves late this summer. My understanding is that the car is basically stock—the decision to run it on One Lap was kind of last-minute, and the idea is to show what the GTR can do in its factory form. The car is doing pretty well, though Toby says it's a handful in the rain on its factory Bridgestone Potenza RE070's: it pretty much fell on its face at Texas World Speedway. He lucked out today at VIR though, where a downpour was promised but only a sparse few raindrops fell during his run.

By Rob

Editor-in-Chief

Yes, both cars are about two years out, and details on each are still a bit sketchy. But we know a lack of information has never stopped you guys from having an opinion! Nissan is claiming they will have their car in the showroom first, and of course, they already have a strong following from the 240. But don't count out Subaru, who is developing their car jointly with Toyota. So, which cool, affordable RWD coupe would you choose: the Silvia or the Subie?

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Ok, I think most of the Bosozoku stuff is silly, but I really like this 240. I especially dig the license plate. Two more pics after the jump, and you can see some more So Cal Bosozoku rides in this VWVortex thread.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Nissan is planning to bring back an affordable RWD coupe and beat the joint Toyota/Subaru effort to the showrooms by a good six months. Based on the next Z-car platform, this new Silvia is expected to powered by a NA 2.0 liter, with possible 1.6 or 1.8 turbo variants. More at 7tune.com.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

In April, Chrysler and Nissan announced that the next version of the Nissan Titan pickup will be based on the Ram 1500 and built in Chrysler's plant in Saltillo, Mexico. Since then, more