By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Neither one of these Japanese heavyweights was made for drag racing, and there’s obviously a huge—like 315K—price difference. It would have been more fun to watch them duke it out on a road course, but this is still an interesting match-up. I got big kick out of the narrator, who said that the LFA’s brakes are “powerful enough to stop the rotation of the earth.” That’s pretty good stuff.

Lexus LFA vs. Nissan GT-R Drag Race

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I’ve subscribed to Road & Track all my life, but tend to only read Car and Driver, Motor Trend and Automobile at airports or in doctor or dentist waiting rooms. Looks like Car and Driver is getting some minor tweaks with Eddie Alterman at the helm. Anyway, I’m curious, which is your favorite generic car mag?

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By Chris Borrelli

Chris Borrelli

Motor Trend has recently put the biggest of the big dogs head-to-head. MT put the Dodge Challenger SRT8, the Chevy Camaro Hennessey HPE550, and Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 in an all out comparo. You may remember a similar comparo back in March, but there was so much controversy with that one that MT did this one all out with the top level of all three vehicles.

Drum Roll please…………… Third place goes to the Dodge Challenger SRT8, second place goes to the Chevy Camaro Hennessey HPE550, and first place is the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500! Full article at Motor Trend

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Ok, I apologize. I was reading TTAC again. This time Farago was going off on Motor Trend writer Arthur St. Antoine cause the guy doesn’t own a car. Antoine’s excuse is that “there are too many test cars, too little time.” Look, I’m not gonna out anyone, but there are tons of automotive writers who don’t own cars. Honestly, this was a bit of a shock to me when I first got into this business. I mean, having access to tons of free test cars should mean that you have an even better excuse to own more weird, cool and unpractical cars.

But is that important to you guys? Do you like to know what a writer drives when you’re reading their stuff? I know I do. In fact, it’s usually the first question I ask when reaching out to a potential blogger. Heck, the car usually starts the conversation—it did with Jen, Mike and Kathy. I like to know what the writer’s bias is—and most of the writers in the CarDomain blog are very up front about the kinds of cars they like and dislike.

Peter Egan is my favorite automotive writer, and I think his best essays are the ones where he talks about working on his personal cars. And how many cars does David Freiburger own? Ten? Fifteen? I trust what that guy has to say. So I guess I’m kind of with Farago on this one (Farago owns a Boxter—does he seem like a typical Porsche guy or what?). Heck, I’m embarrassed that I only own three cars (and only one of them is cool, unless you think my 1988 Volvo is cool). I want more. More old Mopars. A 2005+ Mustang. A 1974 Alfa GTV. Etc…

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Ok, so Motor Trend picked the Camaro as the overall winner in their pony car comparo. But they refused to pick a winner in the style category. So which car do you think looks the best? Vote in our poll and then let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Motor Trend just published the first 2010 pony car comparison I’ve seen. So how’d they stack up?

1. Chevrolet Camaro SS
2. Ford Mustang GT
3. Dodge Challenger R/T

From the article:

Considering all the ways GM could easily have got this car wrong, it’s nothing short of a triumph how unquestionably the company got it right. The Camaro might trail the Mustang in handling sharpness, and there’s no doubt it finishes last for cabin and trunk volume, but, well, you don’t pick your pony for the size of its saddlebags. Graced with massive power, excellent efficiency, unfailing refinement, and show-stopping looks, the Camaro SS nails every essential for its segment.

Full article at Motor Trend

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

In the grand scheme of things, Jay Leno is probably the luckiest car guy I can think of. He’s used a career in stand-up comedy to finance a collection of over 150 cars and motorcycles, most of which get driven on a regualr basis. All of us here at CarDomain have been bitten by the car bug at some point. While some people’s bugs arrive in the form of a ’69 Camaro, a ’67 Mustang, or in my case a ’70 Buick LeSabre, Jay Leno’s bug bit him in the spring of 1959 in the shape of a 1954 Jaguar XK120. I’ve been fortunate enough that the car that started my addiction still sits in my garage at home, but Jay hadn’t seen his dream car in 49 years. As luck would have it, not only was the car exactly where he last saw it, but the man who owned it then still owns it now–so Jay was able to arrange to see it one more time. So my question to you is this: What car started you on the path to automotive fanaticism… and where is it now? If you want to know more about Jay’s dream car reunion check out the full story over at Motor Trend.

Man, everyone is hating on the Avenger. After I rented one last week, I started reading around a bit. It hasn’t been pretty. Just check out this recent Motor Trend test–The Familial and Frugal: Four-cylinder Midsize Sedan Comparison Test. With ten cars tested, the Avenger finished dead last. Motor Trend summed it up as follows: "Drum brakes, four-speed transmission, cheap plastics, and sailboat steering make this a frightful drive. Gaps between last and first don’t get any wider than this." Yeah, ok, drum brakes in back are kinda weak, but is it really that bad? Let’s take a closer look.   

First of all, the winner of the test (the VW Passat) was the most expensive car ($29,333 as tested, vs. $21,500 for the Avenger). It also got the worst mileage and only takes premium fuel. Hmmm… What was the name of the test again? I thought it had the word "frugal" in the title. Let’s see, if you’re looking for a family hauler, I’m thinking you’d look at price (the Avenger was the cheapest in the test), safety (the Avenger is second only to the Accord acording to the IIHS), warranty (the Avenger is the only one to come with the lifetime powertrain warranty), gas mileage (the Avenger had the 4th best observed gas mileage in the test) and resale value (which is probably gonna suck thanks to articles like this one in Motor Trend). The Avenger wasn’t the only car to get stomped in this test, though. The much-hyped Chevy Malibu only managed eighth place. What’s up with that?

In other news, Chrysler is going to "fight back" against all this criticism by upping the trim level on the Avenger and Sebring. Hey, that’ll show them!

Two kids street racing caused a serious wreck outside Seattle last night. One driver was taken to the hospital, and the other was taken to jail. Remember, take it to the track. Here’s the news:   

• Israel is joining Sweden in the effort to get off oil. Renault is signed up to help, and they’re shooting for 2020. Paging responsible American leadership: Motor Trend
• It’s been too long since BMW has made a drop-dead sexy car, but their Gran Turismo project could be a perfect apology. Just look at the concept it’s based on: Winding Road
• Will our power grid be able to handle the demand if larger numbers of drivers switch to plug-in hybrids? Um, maybe: CNet
• PETA is giving Chevy props for a new ad where a flex-fuel Silverado is described as vegetarian.    Automotive News
• While McLaren paid a $100 dollar fine for spying on Ferrari last year, their drivers were allowed to finish the season. In the future, that won’t happen: BBC News

In its February issue, Motor Trend confirms that GM will be bringing a version of the Holden Ute to the US market. It will be known in the States as the Pontiac G8 ST ("Sport Truck"), and is due to become available this fall. The ST will be available with either a V6 or a V8, and unfortunately at this point, only a 6-speed automatic. A special edition with a 6-speed manual is rumored to be in the works. Another potential Aussie import that has enjoyed significantly less fanfare is the "SW," which, you guessed it, stands for "Sport Wagon." GM has confirmed that it will not be offering a Pontiac G8 SW on the domestic market, amidst dwindling interest in wagons among US buyers. Solid details on the US Ute are still far and few between at this point, but that wont stop me from staking out the local Pontiac dealership come September!