 Hotchkis Track Day proves "After" is much better than "Before" | |
Mar 12, 2010 - 10:20 AM - by Haltech |
Filed under: Aftermarket, Classics, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet
 Autoblog attends Hotchkis track day - Click above for high-res image gallery
Suspension tuner John Hotchkis, principle of Hotchkis Sport Suspension and apparently at peace with the fact that we broke his precious E-Max, invited yours truly out to the Streets of Willow to pound some more hard fought miles into the amazing yellow 1971 Dodge Challenger. Actually, a whole bunch of people were on hand to do the pounding, and not just on the E-Max. Hotchkis was putting on a before-and-after clinic to showcase (and show off) a couple of its suspension packages. Not only was the mighty, heavily tweaked E-Max on hand, but the Hotchkis gang brought along a fairly stock 1970 Challenger, a rented Chevrolet Camaro SS and a Camaro SS that had been given the full Hotchkis suspension treatment.
The Plan: Put each car in the more-than-capable hands of John's brother, Mark Hotchkis, a former Indy Lights driver who also happens to campaign a Porsche 962 in vintage races. Each car would be put through a series of tests (slalom, skid pad and a lap of the track itself) revealing numerically just how much better the new Hotchkis suspension pieces worked. They also brought a few of us journalist types along to not only see viva la difference, but share our impressions with the world/you guys. But before we get to the results...
Gallery: Autoblog attends Hotchkis Track Day
    
Photos by Jonny Lieberman / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc. and Dan Khan Continue reading Hotchkis Track Day proves "After" is much better than "Before"
... [Read More] |  
0 Replies | 1 Views | | | Rumormill: Next Lexus IS to re-gain wagon variant? | |
Mar 12, 2010 - 9:50 AM - by Haltech |
Filed under: Wagon, Lexus, Rumormill, Luxury
Some of you will remember that from 2001 to 2005, Lexus sold a wagon variant of the IS, dubbed SportCross. Unfortunately, relatively dismal sales numbers didn't really make a business case for keeping that car alive, and Lexus canned it when the second-generation IS debuted in 2006. However, all hope of seeing a SportCross redux has not been lost - Autocar is reporting that the third-generation IS, set to arrive in 2011, could spawn a wagon variant once again.
Now, let's be realistic. If Lexus does build an IS SportCross again, it probably won't make it to American soil. Why? In Europe, wagons are hot sellers, with the BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant leading the pack. Lexus even admits that not offering a wagon in Europe has hurt overall sales of the car. Mercedes-Benz made a similar decision with the current-generation C-Class to only offer the wagon version in Europe, while in previous years, the C-Class Estate could be found at American dealerships as well.
[Source: Autocar]Rumormill: Next Lexus IS to re-gain wagon variant? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
 
More... | |
0 Replies | 1 Views | |
| | | Report: Geely may need to come up with $1.4B to fix damaged Volvo after purchase | |
Mar 12, 2010 - 8:40 AM - by Haltech |
Filed under: Ford, Volvo, UAW/Unions, Geely
 It's going to cost up to $2 billion for Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. to take ownership of Volvo, but according to a new report out of BusinessWeek, that lofty figure is just the cost of entry. Volvo union members and the board have apparently told the Chinese automaker that it will need at least $1.4 billion to repair the storied Swedish automaker.
Union head Glenn Magnusson reportedly says the money will be needed for the next year's product development, marketing, production and distribution. Magnusson tells BW that Geely has yet to demonstrate that it has the financials to sustain Volvo, adding "we haven't seen anything yet and we're not satisfied."
Further, Volvo board member Magnus Sundemo feels $1.4 billion may be a little low, adding that Geely will need to invest "at least as much as they're paying to buy us." One reason Volvo insiders feel the company will need plenty of cash is to satisfy Geely's desire to build up Volvo in China, with the goal of assembling 200,000 vehicles per year in The Land of the Great Wall.
Ford Motor Company and Geely, who have been in talks seemingly forever, are looking to get a deal done by the end of March. Regulatory filings are expected to draw out the process of officially handing over ownership of the Swedish automaker to June 30 at the earliest.
[Source: BusinessWeek]Report: Geely may need to come up with $1.4B to fix damaged Volvo after purchase originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
 ... [Read More] | |
0 Replies | 2 Views | |
| Report: Former NHTSA head Claybrook blasts relationship between safety agency and automakers | |
Mar 12, 2010 - 8:40 AM - by Haltech |
Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Toyota
One of the most interesting sidebars that came out of Toyota's recent recall woes and the subsequent Congressional hearings on the subject was the Japanese automaker's relationship with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Actually, the interesting part of the relationship with the regulatory body had more to do with the fact that Toyota hired former NHTSA employees who subsequently negotiated terms of safety investigations with former co-workers.
While current federal law prohibits an employee of the Executive branch from leaving a government post to represent a matter in the private sector in said employee's previous official area of responsibility, at least one former NHTSA executive feels tougher standards are in order. ABC News reports that Joan Claybrook (in pink, above), who ran NHTSA during the Carter administration, feels that the Obama administration needs to crack down on her former department because it's become too cozy with the auto industry it is tasked with overseeing.
In a prepared statement before her testimony in front of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, Claybrook said automakers including Toyota treat NHTSA "with contempt." But while some of her testimony will center on Toyota's dealings with the government agency, the former safety boss says she has found a total of 40 former NHTSA or Department of Transportation employees who currently work in the auto industry. Claybrook says all three domestic automakers as well as BMW, Honda, Suzuki and various trade associations all have ex-NHTSA or DOT employees on staff.
[Source: ABC News | Image: Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty]
Report: Former NHTSA head Claybrook blasts relationship between safety agency and automakers originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
 ... [Read More] | |
0 Replies | 2 Views | | | Report: Nissan's head U.S. designer, Bruce Campbell to retire at end of March | |
Mar 12, 2010 - 8:00 AM - by Haltech |
Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Nissan, Design/Style
 Nissan 370Z Roadster by Bruce Campbell - click above for high-res image gallery
 When we first met Nissan's vice president-design for North America Bruce Campbell, we were amused by his name. Hey, we've seen Evil Dead II at least fifty times. But after a few minutes of conversation with Nissan's highest-ranking U.S. designer, we were deeply impressed by his humor, ideas about design ("The Corvette looks fast standing still, the 370Z looks fast at speed") and his soft-spoken grace. Sadly, Mr. Campbell is disembarking from the Nissan ship after more than thirty years at sea, reports Wards Auto.
Campbell's career reads like a Nissan greatest design hits list, having worked on the (still fab looking) "Hardbody" trucks, the third-generation Maxima, the Xterra and more recently, the new latest Maxima, the Rogue and the 370Z. Going back to our conversation, Bruce explained to us that the 350Z was designed only as a coupe, and that the 350Z Roadster looked odd because it was an afterthought. From the start, the 370Z was designed to be both a coupe and a convertible. We think he did well. We also think that his successor and current European design chief Alfonso Albaisa has some pretty big shoes to fill.
Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster
    
... [Read More] | |
0 Replies | 4 Views | |
MazdaSpeed Forums
» Mazdaspeed Product Reviews
Can we please ban those? It's getting to the point where it's crashing my browser every time I try to scroll and each person has an animated gif rolling in their avatar or sig, or both.
