This week, my intern has been on vacation. So not only have I been tasked with fetching my own tea, I’ve also been processing event photos, which is about as fun as poking yourself in the eye with a fork. Anyway, here’s the news:

• After an uber-creepy sex video involving F1 boss Max Mosley surfaced, everyone thought he was done for. But not only did he survive a vote of confidence from the F1 teams back in June, he just won a lawsuit against the paper that broke the story. Wow. World Car Fans
• Since he’s turning 18, Nick Hogan is going to be is being transfered to adult jail. That means he can stop complaining about being lonely and start wishing he was just lonely. TMZ
• Even though the company saw sales rise last quarter—the gas crunch hasn’t been bad for everyone—Hyundai actually made less money. And nope, I don’t understand how that works either. Detroit News
• The Ferrari California is almost ready for its closeup. While the official debut isn’t set to take place until the Paris Motor Show in October, Michael Schumacher has signed off on the finished product, calling it, "surprisingly sporty and fun to drive under any kind of conditions." Motor Authority
• Last quarter, Ma Mopar lost 431 million bucks. And while that sounds like a lot of money, it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the amazing amount of cash Ford hemorrhaged, but still, it’s not good news. Freep

Our buddies at Road & Track sent me this funky photo of the new Ferrari California (what’s with the weird building in the background?). And Jalopnik has a video of the convertible hardtop in action. It’s hard to not like a Ferrari, but this one leaves me feeling kind of cold. I was hoping Ferrari would come out with a modern and quasi-affordable version of the 246 Dino. Instead we get an Italian Corvette, priced about the same as the F430. So why not just get a F430? Is this car for the boulevard cruising crowd? More pics and a full story at Road & Track.

When pics of Ferrari’s new California were released a couple of weeks ago , none of the initial shots showed the new stallion with the top up. Fortunately, Maranello has rectified this situation. These new pics show not only how the convertible hard-top complements the rest of the body, but also offer a glimpse of what it looks like mid-change. Check out those pics after the jump, and for some video clips of the California’s silky smooth lines—and some awesome audio of its V8—head over to the official site. 

Continue reading "Ferrari California With the Top Up" »

On this day way back in 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris, completing the first solo flight across the Atlantic. Roughly 11 years later, after informing authorities he was planning to fly from New York to Long Beach, one of his mechanics would also cross the Atlantic. He said the different flight path was due to a "navigational error." Cheers to you, Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan. Here’s the news:

• Lexus has announced that it’s new supercar, the LF-A, will be priced over 225 grand. It’s not ugly, and it’ll probably be pretty quick, but 225 grand? Seriously? Even after vicious dealer mark-ups, the GT-R will be a $100,000 cheaper, and anyway, "Lamborghini" sounds a hell of a lot cooler than "Lexus." Inside Line via Autoblog
• A Senate committee which has a title longer than this post has just voted to allow California to enact its own emission standards. The Bush administration had opposed allowing the Golden State that right, saying that limiting emissions there could have "positive consequences for the environment." Detroit News
• After coming to an agreement with the local UAW, the General is set to have the Malibu production running at full speed again. But how long before another strike impacts American company? Auto Week
• Alfa-Romeo is set to return to the States—the goal is said to be 2010—and now Fiat is contemplating coming back to America. But who will it partner with? My money is on Ma Mopar. Motor Authority

The automotive press has been dying to see exactly what Ferrari’s 2009 California will look like, and today, the first official photos were released. As expected, Maranello’s new bambino will be a 2+2 powered by a 460 horsepower, 4.3L V8, and will feature the marque’s first retractable hardtop. Is it just me, or does the fancy roof system seem a little out of place on a Prancing Horse? I’m not hating, I’m just saying. Two more pics and the full press release after the jump.

Continue reading "Ferrari California Revealed!" »

Frankly, we can’t exactly blame California for having some of the strictest emissions laws in the country—when your major cities are that obscenely overpopulated, you kind of have to. But now, the Golden State is going after cars built prior to 1976, which have historically been exempt from its strict emissions testing, largely because these cars didn’t yet have much in the way of modern emission-control equipment—it wouldn’t make any sense to test them using today’s standards. Polluters though they might be, here’s why even these antiquated hulks don’t spew out as much smog as a modern commuter car: they represent only a tiny sliver of the automotive population, and they’re almost never daily drivers—how many people do you know who drive a ’59 Cadillac to work, anyway? We’re talking about cars that are more than three decades old, that are largely gas-guzzling V8s, and are likely as not to have personality tics, such as a low tolerance for idling in traffic for extended periods. In other words, no one in their right mind would use them for everyday driving; these are the pampered rides that are saved for car shows and sunny-day cruisin’, and over the course of a year they probably put out less total C02 than a Corolla. The proposed legislation, which would impose emissions tests that pre-’76 cars would be unable to pass, simply amounts to another way to persecute enthusiasts over their infrequently-driven hobby cars. And the Hot Rod Blog makes the point that legislation that first gains traction in California rarely stays in California—you don’t need to look much further back than the national smoking ban to prove that.

Of course this is by no means the first time that Cali has pushed car-unfriendly legislation, and lawmakers probably think that the current climate of anxiety about gas prices and pollution will make the public more prone to scapegoating older cars. Wanna prove ‘em wrong? Express your opposition to S.B. 1549 to the California Senate Transportation and Housing Committee through the SEMA site.

Via TTAC

By Jen

Editor

Despite an overnight drenching, on-and-off showers throughout the morning, and groundwater burbling up through seams in the track, NASCAR went ahead with the Auto Club 500 yesterday, and the results were pretty sub-par. Denny Hamlin went into the wall early on, then later No. 5 driver Casey Mears got loose after hitting a wet patch, taking out two other cars and slamming the wall before getting plowed by former Indy driver Sam Hornish Jr., who pushed the No. 5 car onto its roof while his own engine exploded into flames. The cars lined up with their rain covers on under the red flag while FOX switched between the soggy scene and an endless procession of regular programming, making for one of the most obnoxious viewer experiences in recent motorsports history. They didn’t even call postponement until nearly 11pm! The race is scheduled to resume on FOX now, but a lot of us are at work and can’t watch it. Someone let me know what’s happening!

Editorial is split on GPS systems—Jen even returned the unit she got for Christmas—but I dig them. I like how they’ll compute average speed and distance traveled, and it’s cool to set them to talk like a foxy English chick. But while the new systems are really accurate, they aren’t autopilot devices, and they will expect you pay attention to the road. Unfortunately, California computer consultant Bai Bo was mistaken about the capabilities of his GPS, and followed its directions straight into the path of a speeding locomotive. Bo’s car was destroyed in the subsequent collision, but he did manage to escape with his life. The state of his pride has not be released.

Nissan and Chrysler are talking about cooperating to make cars. If I were Nissan, I might wait for Chrysler to sort out its turnaround a little better first:

• I’m all about making cars run on biofuels. It makes sense. I’m not sure I can get behind racing a biofueled boat around the world. Don’t they have sails for that? I also don’t care that it is also a great way to lose weight (you really just have to read the whole article): Autoblog Green 
• Jaguar and Land Rover will soon be owned by the company that also makes the $2,500 car. Now I just need to find a Tata emblem to affix to John’s Jag: Motor Authority 
• I know the EPA doesn’t think it can just rule that California can’t set its own emissions standards and expect that the freakin’ Terminator isn’t going to come after them: Leftlane News

I just figured out sick days don’t carry over into the new year, so I was ill yesterday. Here’s the news:

• The Publisher of Automotive News says if Detroit doesn’t expand COBO hall, they risk losing the North American International Auto Show. Just what Detroit needs: Freep
• Car-based portable toilets? Ketchup on your tie doesn’t seem so bad now: LA Times
• A company in California was just busted for issuing fake tickets to cars parked in free lots. If there was ever a case for the death penalty, this is it: SF Times
• Thieves in Georgia just got an unexpected Christmas gift. Instead of having to scope out cars loaded with packages, the cops are now doing it for them. As Chief Wiggum would say, "that’s some nice aiding and abetting boys!" Rockdale Citizen via BoingBoing