Straightline
Carnival of Cars
August 23, 2008
Mazda looks like the big winner in The Truth About Cars' 2008 edition of the 10 Best Cars. I have to admit that I am a bit surprised that the Chevy Malibu isn't among the winners. Sometimes good news travels slowly.
Meanwhile over at the GM corral, the across-the-board budget cuts are slicing deeply into the advertising budget just when, according to AUTOEXTREMIST Peter DeLorenzo, highly targeted, big-block events are becoming hyper-important to the task of focusing public attention on the fact that GM is turning out some genuinely great models.
On the other hand, Corvette Blog has another reason to be thankful you live in America, even if, like yours truly, you really can't afford a new Vette.
You may have heard that Tony Stewart has a new race team set to go for the 2009 NASCAR season, with Ryan Newman on the driver roster. But will Newman be chauffeuring the #4, no, the #39 car? FastMachines.com has the inside dope on the numbers circus.
Street Skating, it's the newest deadly craze involving wheels and people with sub-rational IQs. 4 Drivers Only has the video and more details. Coming soon to the obituary page in a newspaper on a newstand close to you.
Peering past The View Through the Windshield, Joe Sherlock spies the new Lincoln MKS and comes away repeating something about "luxiocrity." He'll explain what that means just as soon as you click on over.
Want to stumble upon something really good automotive-wise? Hemmings Auto Blog is raving about a feature that makes getting lots of traffic for your blog "ridiculously easy."
And from the video file comes this: What do you think went through the mind of the guy driving the semi featured by The Auto Prophet?
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis is among the lucky few selected by Honda for an extended test drive of the Clarity fuel cell vehicle. Cool huh. Lori Hindman at Mother Proof isn't so sure.
Dorri at if It's Got An Engine is going all copy editorish on Car & Driver's Csaba Csere.
Uh oh, big trouble in Smart-land. Next Auto says bad paint could require a roof-ectomy. If that's even half as painful as it sounds .....

WHAT I'M DRIVING THIS WEEK: Jaguar XF
Remember the first time you saw a Jag XKE in person? If you're like me, it was memorable because of the sheer sensuality of its shape. "That's what speed looks Iike," I recall thinking to myself. There are hints of such beauty here and there in the new XF's attractive lines, and it certainly has an abundance of speed, thanks to the 420 horses on tap from the supercharged 4.2 liter V-8.
But all during my week in a lovely silver XF something kept bugging me. No matter how pleasurable was the daily drive between my home in distant rural Maryland and the Examiner newsroom in downtown D.C. the car just didn't feel right. At one point, I thought I had it - Where's that cursed L-shaped shift pattern that plagued Jags for so many years? Wait a minute, you doofus, you cursed those things all those years, right?
Well, it hit me yesterday - The shifter is a darn rotary dial in the center console that could easily be mistaken for that infernal BMW iDrive. That's it, this Jag is so advanced, so stuffed full of techno-geegaws that there's no room left for genuine soul, for the uncompromising beauty of lusciously curved sheet metal and tearing-sheet sixes at full song. The XF is a Jag the way BMW would do it if the Germans owned the Brit classic. BMW makes great Bimmers, but Jags are supposed to be ... Jags.
See ya next week!
- Permalink | Comments (3)
- Posted by: Mark Tapscott August 23, 2008, 6:19 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars, Jaguar
August 9, 2008
Is the Smart Car ugly? The Auto Prophet thinks so, having spent some time walking around one and spying mis-aligned seams, ill-fitting plastic panels and such. Good for urbanites only was my conclusion after the first five minutes of a week-long test.
This would be funny if it weren't so gruesomely tragic. Njection has details on a guy who lost his head with his Aston.Note that's "with," not over.
Remember the TV sitcom "Then Came Bronson," on NBC long, long ago? Steve Parker, Motoring Journalist, does. Check out his report from Sturgis for the details, including a history of that epic event and info on the new V-Rod.
And here's another quick trip down memory lane - Gary Grant at The Garage Blog has a shot of a 70s vintage sports racer outbraking a Spridget into a corner at Lakeland Raceway in Florida. What is that contraption behind the windscreen?
Speaking of contraptions, you'll find lots of them at Auto Motto. Start with the Deco Liner & Deco Scoot.
How ya doin'? Bob Hoover of the blog by the same name reports the pain is fading, the radiation treatment is done and the chemo is about to commence. It's good to hear good news from you, Bob.
I've never understood why automotive applications of Heads-Up Display technology hasn't caught on it a major way here. Top Speed's Myles Kornblatt reports on a new application that might change things for the better.
Eric Peters at EPA points to his nominees for the five worst traffic laws. Here's the sixth - the Slower Traffic Keep Right statute that never gets enforced!
You could win a Corvette ZR1 - Corvette Blog has the details. And it's for a great cause.
Barack Obama has been talking about a $4 billion aid program for Detroit, but Dan Riehl of The Fast Report says the industry's lobbysts are talking up a $40 billion - yes, as in $40 billion - in tax dollars for survival.
Ever feel like you're stuck behind the eight-ball? My Texas buddy Kay Bell at Don't Mess With Taxes has more info on Eight Obsessions than you probably ever dreamed could exist. The auto link? The V-8?

What I'm Driving This Week: Mini Cooper Clubman
If ultra-space utilization efficiency and driving fun are priorities, the extended length Mini Clubman makes a lot of sense. The cabin is big enough to be comfortable for most folks and the exterior is small enough to allow using parking spaces that are off-limits to Corollas, Cobalts, etc. The S is quicker but the standard-issue Clubman is still fun to run hard and mileage stays in the 25 mpg+ range. One critique - the instrumentation can be maddening without a lengthy orientation session in the multiple manuals.
That's it for this week. Don't miss your apexes!
- Permalink | Comments (1)
- Posted by: Mark Tapscott August 9, 2008, 7:46 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
July 26, 2008
The Carnival of Cars is back! Re-designing and re-launching The Washington Examiner sucked all the cyber-air out of this scribe for the past six weeks. But that's done, so we're back on the road and cruisin' for the horizon.
This is rich - Autoblog reports that Obama is signing on to a proposal for $4 billion in new federal aid for Detroit. Does he think nobody outside of the Motor City remembers the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles?
Ford's announcement earlier this week of major product changes - like bringing to the states six models from Ford of Europe - draws some heavy praise from AUTOEXTREMIST Peter M. DeLorenzo, who sees in CEO Alan Mulally a vision that can make Dearborn the Big Three's best hope for the future. And Michelle Krebs has a lengthy post at Auto Observer with all the details on the Blue Oval shakeup.
Having problems with your satellite radio? Steve Parker says it's about to get even worse, thanks to the FCC.
Say goodbye to your suburban oasis and hello to the new "Eco-Town." Translated from enviro-bureaucratese, it means we're soon to be told we must go back to the crowded, dirty, crime-infested, corruption-ridden Big City. But, hey, the polar bears will love us for it. 4 Drivers Only has details.
Taking your Rover - no, the one with four legs, not the TC - with you to the mall in the summertime? AskPatty.com has some solid ideas for making sure things don't get over-heated.
The Auto Prophet isn't impressed with those retro IP features on the new Camaro. But he's got a great idea for an accelerometer. He's an engineer, too, so listen up.
Frank Williams of The Truth About Cars was tooling around with his wife recently in an Audi Q7 and found Route 75 in the Blue Ridge Mountains area of Georgia. It was so much fun, Frank was inspired to post a "favorite roads" invitation. Check out the comments for a great road nearby you may not know about.
Want to avoid getting clipped next time you have to get an insurance company estimate for collision repairs? Auto Muse reports that one major insurer has agreed to instruct its estimators not to specify clips.
Dorri at If It's Got An Engine updates a post from a year ago asking whether the electric vehicles of the future were ready for prime-time. Dorri is a man of great caution on this topic, including on the Volt.

WHAT I'M DRIVING: BMW 135i Coupe
It looked dinky at first but, boy, did it grow on me fast! I first drove a 2002 in 1974 and it was quite a revelation for a kid weaned on Road Runners and SS396s. What I love most about the 135i Coupe is the perfect match between the 3.0 liter turbo six's rev range and the six-speed stick shift. And the balanced handling. And the way you feel the 135i's next move in the seat of your pants. This truly is a driver's car. Uh, excuse me, a driver with a lot of disposable income. Why does it have to cost 42 big ones? Isn't that about 10 times the sticker of a 2002 in the old days?
That's it for this week, friends and cyber-neighbors. See ya next week!
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott July 26, 2008, 4:07 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
May 18, 2008
You know it's a completely new world when GM execs start doing blog posts about the glories of turbo four cylinders as power for performance cars like the Camaro.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott May 18, 2008, 1:26 PM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
May 9, 2008
Do you know your vehicle's footprint? Did you even know your vehicle has a footprint? Your government knows. And Auto Prophet explains it all. Even provides a convenient graph to illustrate. Hint: It has nothing to do with your tires' contact patch.
Now here's a creative approach to combining the beauty of art and the audacity of autos - The Garage Blog's artist Paul Chenard is offering some genuinely impressive pieces, including a gorgeous interpretation of a Maserati V-12 in Italian racing red. You wouldn't have that in any other color .... would you?
Is there any hope for Pontiac? Peter DeLorenzo is the AUTOEXTREMIST and he is utterly skeptical. Even with the superb G8.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott May 9, 2008, 6:16 PM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
May 4, 2008
Now that Nissan's awesome GT-R has set a new record for fastest 'Ring lap ever by a production vehicle, how long before we see a wave of pro racers coincidentally at the fabled German public circuit driving perfectly prepped factory samples?
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott May 4, 2008, 3:55 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
May 3, 2008

Do you know the name of this car? If you do, you're the winner. Well, you don't actually win anything. However, you can tell your buddies you know more about cars than them. Wait, you already do that - just for fun then...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody May 3, 2008, 4:26 PM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars, Classic Cars, Hatchbacks, Wagons
April 26, 2008
They're popping champagne corks in Dearborn this week for the first time in a long while, thanks to news the Blue Oval bunch turned a $100 million profit for the first quarter of 08. Maybe the fly-boy Mulally knows what he is doing, after all.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott April 26, 2008, 3:00 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
April 5, 2008
If you live in Chattanooga, Lubbock, Dallas, Springfield (Missouri), Union City (California) or Nashville, you may have noticed the yellow lights in some intersection seem a wee bit shorter. The National Motorist Association blog reports its not your imagination.
Want to get something well and truly exciting between your legs? Eric Peters suggests a ride on the latest Boss Hog, with its 425 horsepower LS2 hooked to a two-speed tranny...
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott April 5, 2008, 5:46 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
March 22, 2008
Remember those wonderful times in your childhood when the family piled into the big sedan or station wagon and headed to Disneyland or Grandmas or the beach? Judging by the prevalence of urban scooting squares and EVs at this week's New York Auto Show, the day is not far off when such road trips will be just memories.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott March 22, 2008, 2:03 PM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
March 15, 2008
You know it's a strange week when the boss sends everybody in the company an email ordering them to use two weeks of their vacation time in July. It's even stranger when he says the company wide siesta is for "efficiency." This is the "New Chrysler."
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott March 15, 2008, 5:25 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
March 8, 2008
Experts predicted this week that gas will hit four bucks a gallon this spring, so interest in things like electric vehicles and others with alternative powertrains continues to grow.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott March 8, 2008, 7:02 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
March 1, 2008
Now that the Indy Racing League and Champ Cars have reunited (finally!), open-wheel racing should get a major shot-in-the-arm, right? Yes, but an even bigger boost will come when Danica Patrick wins her first race.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott March 1, 2008, 6:46 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
February 23, 2008
For years, critics have blasted GM for its culture of politically correct corporate conformity. Then along comes Maximum Bob Lutz to speak his mind on the Global Warming fraud and the same critics go ape.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott February 23, 2008, 12:14 PM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
February 10, 2008
Technically, "Genesis" means the beginning of something but this was the week we found out that things are different at Chrysler where "Project Genesis" signifies the end for an as-yet-undetermined group of existing models and the dealers who have been valiantly trying to sell them.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott February 10, 2008, 5:24 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
February 2, 2008
Could it be a sign of things to come? Everybody else saw their sales decline in January but not GM. Read on, however, for the really good news ....
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott February 2, 2008, 6:57 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
January 26, 2008
Hopes for the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle got a charge this week when the 10,000th person signed up on the non-GM "waiting list" of buyers on a blog maintained by Dr. Lyle Dennis.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott January 26, 2008, 7:06 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
January 12, 2008
Chrysler and Nissan announced a deal this week whereby the latter will build small cars for the former to peddle in South America. Reminds me of MacArthur - old members of the Big Three don't die, they just fade away into the global market. So let's hit the road, shall we?
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott January 12, 2008, 10:44 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
January 5, 2008
Happy New Year, friends, neighbors, vague acquaintances and complete strangers! We're barely into 2008 and already the effects are being seen in Detroit of that 40 percent hike in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott January 5, 2008, 7:59 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
December 23, 2007
Christmas is a mere hours away so it only stands to reason that Santa would deliver something nice for car fanatics, right? How about renewed talk - with sideways confirmation - that a mid-engine Corvette remains a possibility?
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott December 23, 2007, 6:35 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
December 15, 2007
If you must know, it's true, I am the only automotive journalist on the planet who didn't drive the Nissan GT-R this week. Okay? Now, can we get on with this week's drive around the auto blog block?
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott December 15, 2007, 6:15 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
December 8, 2007
Congress took major steps this week toward crippling what's left of Detroit's Big Three automakers as the House of Representatives passed a 40 percent hike of the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and the Senate prepared to follow suit. Japanese and German liquor retailers reported record champagne sales. So let's jump in our cyber SUV and enjoy this week's drive around the auto blog block, while we still can.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott December 8, 2007, 8:45 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
December 1, 2007
Former GM chairman Roger Smith and stunt man Evil Kneivel crossed over that big Snake River in the sky this week, so how about we head out on this week's drive around the auto blog block and look for something a little cheerier to talk about in the land of automotive living.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott December 1, 2007, 8:14 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
November 17, 2007
Ford fired a new Bullit out in San Francisco this week and early reviews suggest the special edition Mustang is a bullseye, so how about we get loaded and hit the road for this week's drive around the auto blog block to see what we can see!
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott November 17, 2007, 7:31 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
November 10, 2007
Things got even crazier over in F1 Land this week, what with charges now being leveled that Renault spied on McClaren, which of course previously spied on Ferrari. Geez, at this rate, the next thing we'll hear is that Jim Dunne for all these years has actually been on Yugo's payroll! How about let's set out for this week's drive around the auto blog block and see if we can find something even more fascinating, shall we?
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott November 10, 2007, 7:28 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
September 29, 2007
Well, that UAW strike against GM was over faster than you can drive through a one-light town in the middle of the Mojave, but then that's good news, so let's hit the road for this week's drive around the auto blog block, shall we?
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott September 29, 2007, 6:53 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
September 12, 2007

For those of you who might believe that Americans have a monopoly on bad taste, we offer this collection of photos as evidence to the contrary. There are three different makers of such vehicles represented here at Frankfurt. We admit that we interviewed no one in preparing this report. And we promise that we never, ever will...
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- Posted by: Daniel Pund September 12, 2007, 5:09 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars, Frankfurt Auto Show
August 25, 2007
You know it's been a weird week when Chrysler proudly announces there will be less of it around in the future.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott August 25, 2007, 4:29 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
August 4, 2007
Chrysler is now officially an American company again, as the transfer from Daimler to Cerebrus Capital Management of New York became official this week. And if that's not big enough news for you, let's hit the road for this week's drive around the auto blog block, shall we?
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott August 4, 2007, 6:12 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
July 16, 2007

Mitsubishi's annual MOD (Mitsubishi Owner's Day) brought out more Evos and custom Lancers than we could count. The event also included aftermarket vendors, plenty of food and a dyno shootout.

For those who think the Lancer began life at about the same time as Play Station, a few Mitsu owner's offered proof to the contrary. Sold as the Dodge and Plymouth Colt in the US, MOD had several examples that had been restored to their former Mitsubishi glory...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody July 16, 2007, 6:21 PM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars, Mitsubishi
June 23, 2007
They voted in the U.S. Senate this week fo command the Earth to slow its spin about its axis in order to extend daylight hours ...oh, sorry, that was a vote to force cars and trucks to get better gas mileage. Next week: Senators change coal to gold and pay off the national debt!
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott June 23, 2007, 4:33 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
June 16, 2007
They dug up a brand new 1957 Plymouth Belvedere in a time capsule in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this week and Dale Jr. signed with The New York Yankees, I mean, Hendrick Motorsports, so it's probably not possible to have any more excitement. But let's try anyway, ok?
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott June 16, 2007, 5:09 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
May 19, 2007
Last week it was Dale Jr. leaving Daddy's race team, this week it's Chrysler being bought by a company named after the three-headed dog that guards hell in Greek mythology. What could possibly be next? Keep scrollin' to find out!
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott May 19, 2007, 6:02 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
May 5, 2007
"There's always more to the story" is a journalism maxim I learned long ago and this was the week GM proved it true, so let's hit the road for this week's drive around the auto blog block, shall we?
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott May 5, 2007, 4:06 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
April 28, 2007
You know you are living in an automotive golden age when the market is so rich with new models that there is a maxi Mini, which debuted this week on the other side of the Big Pond. There was also some news about Toyota overtaking GM in world auto sales. So let's hit the road and see what we find out there, shall we?
Over in Deetrot, The Auto Prophet had a near miss with a rolling accident looking for a place to happen and he's not happy about it...
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott April 28, 2007, 2:39 PM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars