I have the original June 1980 issue in a box in my basement, but Car and Driver just made their famous pot smoking and driving road test available in their archives. It’s still just as funny as I remember. Don’t try this at home!

Continue reading "Doping and Driving Don’t Mix, and C/D’s Got the Test Results to Prove It" »

Most enthusiasts are aware of the plight of the Cougar Ace, the container ship which listed before its cargo of 4700 brand-new Mazdas was unloaded. After months of planning—and the death of one of the engineers involved—the boat was eventually rescued, but by then, the fate of the cars was sealed. To insulate itself from the liability nightmare these zero-miles machines presented, the Mazda brass sentenced them all to the crusher. Car and Driver has the best shots we’ve seen of the disassembly line constructed to render them into scrap, so if you’ve ever wondered what a R-rated version of Cars would look like, head over and check them out.

When a Geo Metro sold on eBay for $7300, everyone—including Rob—had something to say about it. Sure, gas prices are high, but seven grand? For a 16-year old three-banger? That’s nuts! But what about paying a reasonable amount for one of these sub-sub-compacts and using it to relieve gas pains? Well, the guys over at Car and Driver have weighed in, and their answer isn’t no, it’s hell, no. From the obvious safety issues—you like your legs, right?—to the almost-certainly sketchy maintenance history, to the fuel-efficiency argument—you’ll have be on the gas constantly to avoid getting run over—this piece explains exactly why seeing a teenage crap-box as some kind of golden goose is misguided, and I got a big kick out of it. So if you have $7500 burning a hole in your pocket and a burly beef with Big Oil, do yourself a favor and read this first.      

Earlier this week I showed you some new spy shots of the 2010 Mustang. Well, the folks at Car and Driver just scored some great pics of a Shelby GT500 Convertible. These are the best shots I’ve seen yet of the new Mustang–they give a really good idea of what the new car will look like. See the full pics–front and rear shots–and get more details over at Car and Driver.

Nissan’s new Cube is headed for the US in 2009, and recently Car & Driver had a chance to take it for a spin. I didn’t realize that the new micro-box is a full 20" shorter than the Scion xB, the ride to which it’s often compared, and I was similarly in the dark about its ersatz 4wd, using an electric-assist system I’d first heard about on the Chevy Trax protoype last year. The normally FWD Cube has rear wheels that can be driven by an electric motor run by engine-powered generators. As Car & Driver points out, this represents a major power drag on the engine, so the Cube’s already modest horsepower is compromised during the "e-4WD" mode. More pics below the jump, and check out full driving impressions here!

Continue reading "Nissan Cube Has 4WD… Sorta" »

During the 1973-4  oil crisis, Car and Driver took a Pinto and modded it for improved fuel economy. By spending $11 on improving the aerodynamics, removing two of the four fan blades, and switching from bias ply to steel belted tires, they were able to improve the Pinto’s gas mileage by 25%. More at Ecomodder.

Car and Driver is running a list of what it calls "frugal" summer convertibles. Frankly, I’ve always had a fantasty of picking up a junkyard ragtop and running it for a summer or two, so I was stoked, but when I ran down the list what I found is that these nice new cars like the $29,680 VW Eos and the $38,475 Audi TT are really only "frugal" for those who have a lot of money to throw around in the first place. If you’re a little strapped, or maybe the type whose summer roadtrips would have to be cancelled to make the monthly car payment on a new convertible (not to mention the insurance premium), you might enjoy CarDomain’s alternate list of best junk convertibles for summer cruisin’. To keep costs down, we’ve made sure they’re all available as 4-cylinders, ensuring that you can drive all the way to the beach no matter what state you live in. They’re also all four-seaters so you can take all your cash-strapped deadbeat friends with you as well. Think of it as summer drop-top fun for the rest of us! See my faves below the jump, and don’t forget to add your own in the comments!

Continue reading "You Don't Have To Be Rich: Best Cheap Four-Banger Convertibles" »

The June 2008 issue of Car and Driver sports a rendering of the 2010 Mustang. They report that the revised version of the Mustang will be revealed at the LA Auto Show later this year. I for one am very nervous that Ford is going to screw up the Mustang. The Car and Driver rendering doesn’t look too bad, but it’s not that great, either. The front clip reminds me of the 2005 concept–it’s not as extreme as the Giugiaro concept shown in late 2006. Word has it that the interior will be greatly improved (which is good) and there is mention of a new new 6.2-liter SOHC V-8 producing 400+ hp. Anyway, if Ford screws this up this will keep the resale price of the 2005-2009 cars high, which will delay my plans to get a 2005 for a daily driver. So, fingers crossed…

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.

Yeah, it’s porky, but it’s damn quick… Does the quarter in 11.5 seconds at 124 mph. If you can’t wait for your May issue of Car and Driver, someone over at NAGTROC scanned in the full road test and converted it to a PDF.