CEC wheels presents their first bi-coastal (yes, both in Los Angeles, CA and Coral Gables, FL) BMW meet for all enthusiasts on May 21, 2011 at both CEC Los Angeles Tuning Centers.

What:
CEC first Bi-coastal BMW Event

When:
Saturday, May 21st, 2011
10-12PM

Where:
West Coast:
CEC Los Angeles Tuning Center
10349 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310.203.3900

and

East Coast:
CEC Miami Tuning Center
305 South Dixie Hwy
Coral Gables, FL 33133
305-446-7778

West Coast: Join the CEC crew for some coffee and pastries at their L.A. Tuning Center followed by a cruise down PCH to Neptunes Net in Malibu for lunch!

First 25 RSVPs will receive an exclusive AC Schnitzer poster
RSVP with vincent@cec or email v.santos@cecwheels.com

East Coast: Join the CEC crew for some coffee and pastries at their Miami Tuning Center followed by a Miami Rally drive to the Miami Children's Museum then to the McCarthur Causeway and then off to the Key Biscayne for lunch!

First 25 RSVPs will receive an exclusive AC Schnitzer poster
RSVP with vincent@cec or email j.greenway@cecwheels.com

*RAFFLE - Enter to win a genuine AC Schnitzer spring kit valued at $600!

For more information, visit - www.cecwheels.com/events

 Anderson Silva: stunt driver

Just finished driving a pair of Mercedes SLS coupes, one of which was fitted with a bunch of Brabus bits. We were short a driver so James Hickerson, our long-time test engineer, made a call to Anderson Silva’s camp and the UFC champion met us in the serpentine canyons of San Bernardino County.

A genuine down-to-earth guy, Silva manned one of the muscled Mercs and drove for several hours while we snapped both action and still photography.

Hard to believe such a nice guy knocks people out for a living.

Read all about it in the July issue of european car magazine (should be hitting the stands in a few days).

Les Bidrawn

 National Landmark Needs Salt Replenishment Program

 A number of prominent organizations have formed the “Save the Salt Coalition” to protect the Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF) from continued deterioration due to salt brine removal from potash mining. The Coalition is now working with government officials, mine operators and others to develop a permanent program to replenish the salt.

Founding members of the Coalition include the Bonneville Nationals (BNI), Save the Salt Foundation, Source Interlink Media, Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), SEMA Action Network (SAN) and Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (USFRA). Doug Evans, Executive Vice President, Source Interlink Media, has been named Chairman of the “Save the Salt Coalition.”

“The Bonneville Salt Flats is an essential element of American motorsports heritage,” said Evans. “Since 1949, Hot Rod Magazine has covered the August speed trials and worked with government officials to permit continued racing. The legacy of land speed racing covers every imaginable type of vehicle, from hot rods to jet cars, electric cars and motorcycles. These efforts are a proving ground for new technological achievements in power plants, composite materials and aerodynamics.”

The BSF is a unique geological formation that is also central to the history of motorsports and the industries that support motorsports. Scores of world land speed records have been set on the densely-packed remnants of a huge prehistoric lake. The area is so flat, it is possible to see the curvature of the earth. The BSF has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern.

Decades of salt removal by an adjoining potash mining operation have damaged the BSF. Between 1963 and 1982, an estimated 11 million tons of salt was withdrawn. By the mid-1990s, the historic raceway had lost over 18 inches of salt crust. Originally 96,000 acres in size, the BSF has been reduced to about 30,000 acres and those lands are threatened unless the salt removed to extract potash is then returned to the BSF. The potash operation is located on federal lands leased by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The Coalition is seeking to protect the BSF and permit continued mining. One solution is to pump brine water back onto the salt flats during the winter and spring, when the basin is naturally covered with water. As the water evaporates during the summer months, the salt flats will increase in thickness and hardness, and the underground aquifer supporting the salt crust will be replenished. A five-year test program begun in 1997 demonstrated that the solution will work. The Coalition is now seeking an equivalent, permanent program.

For more information, please visit the “Save the Salt Coalition” website at www.savethesalt.org.

SEMA Secures U.S. Senate Resolution Designating July 8th As "Collector Car Appreciation Day"

Lawmakers Acknowledge Importance of Collection and Restoration of Historic and Classic Cars

Washington, D.C. (April 15, 2011) -- The United States Senate passed Senate Resolution 154 (S. Res. 154) at the request of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and its Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) and Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Councils designating July 8, 2011 as “Collector Car Appreciation Day.”  The date marks the second commemoration in what will become an annual event to celebrate and raise awareness of the vital role automotive restoration and collection plays in American society.

S. Res. 154 was sponsored by Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus members Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC).  Senators Tester and Burr have been strong advocates for the automotive hobby in Washington, and S. Res. 154 reaffirms their understanding of the cultural importance of collector cars.  The Caucus is an informal, non-partisan group that pays tribute to America’s ever growing love affair with the car and motorsports.  The Caucus recognizes the integral role collector cars have played in fostering our nation’s appreciation for motorsports.  

“Last year, the United States Senate helped launch the first national Collector Car Appreciation Day at our request,” said SEMA Vice President of Government Affairs Steve McDonald. “As a result, thousands of Americans gathered at car cruises, parades and other events to celebrate our nation’s automotive heritage. SEMA’s commitment to preserving and promoting the automotive restoration industry through its projects and programs is evident in this special day.  We look forward to even more celebrations this July 8 and in the years to come.”

In recognition of the day, collectors and enthusiasts will be hosting events across the country.  ARMO Chairman Laura Bergan said, “On July 8, 2011, collectors and enthusiasts will host hundreds of events across the country.  We will proudly partner with individuals, car clubs and businesses as they organize car cruises, club gatherings and other educational events to celebrate the day.”

Rick Love, HRIA chairman-elect said, “The industry endeavors to preserve our nation’s automotive heritage while providing well-paying, high-skilled jobs nationwide.  Collector Car Appreciation Day is a singular tribute to this industry and the millions of hobbyists it supports.”

SEMA will maintain a list of scheduled events to commemorate America’s time-tested love affair with the automobile.  Individuals, car clubs and business owners interested in publicizing events should contact Ashley Ailsworth, SEMA Research and State Affairs Manager at ashleya@sema.org or 202-783-6007 x. 39.

Introduction letter from Mike Dingell--the new Director of the SEMA Action Network (SAN).

 Dear Fellow Car Enthusiast:

It is with great pleasure, and a sense of excitement, that I write to introduce myself as the new Director of the SEMA Action Network (SAN).  

As a lifelong gearhead with roots tracing back to the Motor City, I am very proud to take on the responsibility of leading America’s premier automotive enthusiast network in the battle to protect our cherished heritage.  In an era of increasing governmental involvement in the hobby, it is imperative that we remain organized and stand together.  We must continue to ensure that lawmakers, both on Capitol Hill and in state houses across the nation, hear our voices loudly and proudly.  We will not stand idly and allow America’s automotive traditions to be legislated out of existence.  In addition, we will promote pro-active policies that benefit the hobby.  As I assume the mantle of this great organization, that is my pledge to you.

I come to this job abundantly aware that the fight to defend the hobby from aggressive regulation may not be easy, but it is a necessary one.  For 14 years, the SAN has staved off attacks from forces seeking to create obstacles to our responsible enjoyment of this hobby and made strides towards ensuring its future.  Continue to stay informed.  Respectfully let your legislators know where you stand on the issues.  Most importantly, spread the word.  Let your friends, family, and fellow enthusiasts know the vital importance of SAN’s mission and to join the cause.  As always, joining the SAN at  http://www.semasan.com/san/join.aspx  is FREE and carries no obligations.  
 
I look forward to meeting each of you at events across the country and working together towards the preservation of our hobby.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at miked@sema.org.  

Very Respectfully,
Mike Dingell

Every September my pop and I get together for dove season at the Colorado River at the California-Arizona border.

And every year I try and borrow some kind of all-wheel-drive machine to take with us. We’ve taken everything from a Range Rover Supercharged to a Porsche Cayenne to a Saab 9-2X. This year it was the Mercedes ML 350 Bluetec.
Yeah, you might simultaneously think of soccer moms driving their brood around Orange County when you think of a Mercedes ML. I had initially asked for a Gelandewagen, but the Bluetec was a brand-new addition to the press fleet and Mercedes PR seemed really excited about putting it out on the road forthwith. So I agreed to take it instead.
And as it turns out, while definitely not flossing the same macho mystique as a G-Class, the ML turned out to be a pretty good hunting rig. We don’t do any real hardcore off-roading, but the car was up to whatever we threw at it.
On the way out, with my foot in the gas, I averaged 22.3 mpg—and that included city driving prior to departure from O.C. and in and around Blythe, Calif., where we make our hunting home base. The ML’s economy computer indicated an overall average of 24-25 mpg for the trip.
On the way back, with the cruise control locked between 65 and 70 mph, the Bluetec returned 26.7. And it dawned on me that I would have probably burned between one and two hundred dollars in extra fuel had I been driving a G 550 or G 55 AMG. So thank goodness for Bluetec.
Why are Americans seemingly so resistant to the clean diesel phenomenon? Although sales are looking more resilient, our overall reluctance to buying diesel-burning cars is still keeping some of the best diesel-burners away from U.S. shores.
For example, Europeans have access to a G 350 Bluetec, which should return similar economy figures to the ML 350. Maybe a little less because of its brick-like aerodynamics. But I would have still been saving gas while still rolling around looking like a military badass.

One year on and the 2010 Porsche Panamera sports sedan/hatchback is an official sales success, selling 22,518 across the globe. Sales in the United States number 6,188, with 890 of those in Los Angeles and 760 in New York.

The most popular model, at 9,394 examples bought (base price: $93,800), is the Panamera 4S. This model has all-wheel drive and a 400-horsepower V8. Coming in second is the highest-performance model, the 500-hp Panamera Turbo (from $132,600), with 6,171 units shifted. And third in line, having found 4,563 owners (who have shelled out at least $89,800 a pop), is the Panamera S, like the 4S but with rear-wheel drive. Favorite exterior colors are basalt black metallic, carrara (yes, that’s the spelling, like the marble) white and carbon grey metallic.

As yet another controversial move for Porsche, the Panamera met with a similar initial resistance in the car world as the Cayenne SUV, which has become the company’s best-selling vehicle in the U.S. Once again the public have voted with their wallets, at least that section with big enough wallets. Diehard Porsche-philes who think the company should just make sports cars could try looking at it this way: if business is good, then Porsche still can afford to make the 911 and Cayman S, still go racing, and then make crazy-wonderful cars like the 918 Spyder hybrid-powered supercar. We all win in the end.

The Panamera has even reached sufficient critical mass to warrant an appearance or three in the HBO series Entourage that pokes fun at the behind-the-scenes machinations of Hollywood, and where characters frequently tool around in Ferraris, Aston Martins and Maseratis.

So, of course, when I see the Yahoo front-page headline “There is a new rule for oil changes!” I had to click on it.  The link takes you to a NY Times article nested under the large headline of “the 3,000-Mile Oil Change is Pretty Much History.”

While I applaud this well intentioned author for her use of numerous perspectives (Honda, Pennzoil, Jiffy Lube etc), she quotes ridiculous claims such as the 3,000 mile guideline is “no longer true for any car bought in the last seven or eight years.” The writer recommended checking the owner’s manual and calculating the oil change interval based on the vehicle manufacturers recommendation.  What she failed to mention (or did not realize) that this recommendation is based on said owner using the proper factory oil filter and correct spec and weight oil.

The problem is that most consumers don’t get their oil changes done at the dealer who specializes in that specific vehicle. They go for the cheap change either doing it themselves or at their local quick lube where more often than not, the proper materials are not used. Instead of a synthetic refill, a cheaper conventional oil is put in along with a generic oil filter that doesn’t have the proper filtration media and pressure valves.  The advice to follow the owner’s manual recommendations should come with a caveat to use the recommended parts as well. 

While the writer intentions are admirable- the devil is in the details and without all of the information using her article and the owner’s manual as a guide can lead to engine damage and possibly the voiding your vehicles’ warranty. 

She tells readers to question the next mechanic to slap “on a sticker that gives the next change date in 3,000 miles.” I feel sorry for that poor mechanic, since the oil actually could need changing based on the products they used during the service verses the 10,000 mile recommendation from the vehicle manufacturer.

Over the past few months it seems like more and more journalists have decided to try their hand at writing automotive related articles. While most are well researched and often quote good information sources, these puff pieces tend to mislead consumers or else just leave them more confused than enlightened. 

OE Approved Car Oils -The Slick Truth

I don’t know about you, but I’ve waiting what seems like a very long time to get my dormant European sports car back out on the road for the season. You lucky folk, living in the southern USA, can either skip down to the next Blog, or hang in and hear all about the excitement that occurs at this time every year, plus or minus a couple of weeks. 

 The winter in North America was extra harsh this year in the snow belts and beyond, thus creating even more anticipation and excitement for driving something with high quality road feel and intoxicating zip. The old 4X4, junkie winter beater, or the wife’s wagon just loses its charm half way through winter. For the car guy, or gal, the first real signs of Spring are the days getting slowly but surely longer, coming with it some additional sunshine. Snow and ice build up on lawns and at the side of the road begins to melt into the soil and melt water flows into the drains. Next are the sights and sounds of other sports cars back on the road, which can be frustrating if the snow and ice in your neighborhood is still too dicey to allow you to venture out of your driveway.

While the snow and ice are melting there a plenty of other “sports car” things you can get up to in order to grow that excitement further. One can spend hours planning your mods for the year on the internet: wheels, tires, brakes, suspension, and power upgrades, the world is your oyster, no matter what model you drive, these days. Or perhaps, you are in the market for a new ride this year, with plans to take delivery when the roads are up to snuff. The downside of this “indoor activity” is the fact that you will have to apply to “The Tower” to get funded for such expenditures, if your spouse or significant other has equal control of the purse strings. It can be tough, but you’ll pull through.

A little Spring cleaning of your pride and joy in the driveway on a nice sunny day is great to get the juices flowing, too. Running your hands over that fine machine, will further build the excitement. Check the fluids, tire pressures, and maintenance schedule, this all part of the “snowbelt car guy” ritual. Then, something amazing happens, it might not happen for a couple of weeks, but the snow is finally off the streets and highways, …its time. Yes, its time to jump in and go for that first drive of the year. Maybe you are sneaking in an early one before winter’s last blast…..it doesn’t matter, you’ve waited a long time for this “fix”.

There is something special, almost magical, about that first drive of the season in your trusty sports car. Not quite the first drive ever feeling, but very close, and the fact that you know it happens every year is truly something to look forward to.

Anyway, new snow is in the forecast for tomorrow, the roads are currently clear, so I’m definitely out of here……

Every month a new manufacturer seems to roll out the new “King” stats… “385hp”…”472hp”… 563hp”… “628hp” they proclaim!  And we petrol headed enthusiasts ga-ga en masse.  It has always been said too much HP is never enough.

What’s next?  Seems we are mere hours away on any / every given day for the next proclamation to be proclimated “746hp!”… “819hp!!”… “952hp!!!

Then what?

“1,384hp”?

“2,297hp”??

“8,312hp”???

Geesh. I never thought I would ever find my enthusinutter self synapse’ing these thoughts – nope. But I do. I am. I will.

Sure the latest greatest EuroOldsmoBuick (insert: Audi/BMW/Mercedes/Porsche/etc) doles out a quadzillion horsepower, only to be supplanted a coupla hours later by the next up-and-comer rockin’ out a quadzillion-and-two horsepower.

Competition is not the problem – heck that is rather healthy. Problem is, power goes upupup in direct proportion to sheer porkiness, netting no – um – net effect.   Today’s consumer expectation and federal mandatation have cars so entirely technoladen with gizmonetry that we are told we just hafta have, that we have regressed back to 1950s car weights and more. FartSensors and PerspirantOmeters and KamaSutra Transceivers – well if it’s on TV it MUST be true… throw it in add it on bolt it up! And this is progress? Yeah but its got 831hp!!!

Careful, we’re seemingly a couple years away from driving our living rooms… or worse yet – having our living rooms DRIVE US. Eeeeek. Sure power to weight ratios are cited and acknowledged – but – something is most certainly lost in the translation. Lost is spirit, lost is character, lost is SOUL. Drivers are more and more along for the ride in today’s cars, and the ride is more and more like a tour in a mobile home.

Colin Chapman was a pillar of genius – add lightness he ground breakingly proclaimed. Certainly it costs money to do such, yeah. Though, the R&D expense associated with implementing 18bajillion horsepower is astounding. R&D expense related to radical thinking for lighter materials and execution?

But… how much horsepower does THAT make??? :slaps forehead:

Give me a car that “only” makes 372hp (near Model-T type power in today’s game seemingly)… but shod around it a mere 2,800lbs. Well Tickle Me Elmo… now THAT is a HIT. But… where are the FartSensors et al???

oy – we are likely doomed

The quest for horsepower superiority has undeniably grown into a member-measuring contest – can 836hp write its output in the snow I wonder? Give me a balanced combo of power, weight, traction, and handling and let’s grab back ahold of that silly and long forgotten concept called *reality* – hi I’m reality… have we met???

Does 938hp really hook up? Without every electronanny known to man intervening, all the while decimating the tires to molten lava?  Do insurance companies even bother to insure a car with the specific output equivalent to the population of  Anacoco, Louisiana (866)?? How many miles will a 913hp daily driver last???

Shoot – listening to mesself… now I’ve gone and done it… “back when I was your age… I used to walk uphill to school. BOTH WAYS. In the SNOW!”  Crap... I’ve become an old man before even going Over The Hill.  Don’t care much though, as I’m right. Darn it – there I go again… our elders were always right, right?

But…aren’t I, maybe just maybe? Stop. Look. Listen. It is around you and is about to overcome you. Think weight not horsepower. Time to put the pencils back to paper, take 1+1 and come up with 3 or something. Ten quintillion horsepower is not the answer, despite the petroljunkie within each of us screaming out for ‘it’. Think about it…

Drivers education. For many- this consisted of a short course in high school and a quick read through the DMV handbook prior to taking the exam. The lessons learned deal more with rules of the road rather than driver’s etiquette and common sense. Recent trips to my local gas station has made it abundantly clear that not only have drivers forgotten the rules of the road but they also lack basic common curtsey and at times, rational thought.

Quick review: Driver’s etiquette consists of actions or behaviors regarding practices among members of a community. Proprieties of conduct involve such things as not speeding up and letting in a car in front of you when they have their blinker on etc. Courtesy should also be extended off the road. Such as in parking lots. People: when your car is parked and you are dawdling inside, and another car is waiting for your spot, give some signal that you are not leaving. Don’t leave the poor guy to wait there for 20 minutes clogging up the aisle and teeing off all the other drivers behind them.

Drivers etiquette became an issue for me while driving the long-term Bmw 335d. A stealthy diesel that neither sounds like one or is demarcated clearly as such. Small variances from the normal fuel-powered 335 lie in a tiny d instead of i and a small urea flap – mostly ones that will remain unnoticeable by the normal driver. Most gas stations do not have a dedicated diesel pump. In fact, these elusive green handles are usually in a shared tank with the regular and premium fuels. Invariably, when I need to fill up (a relatively rare occasion) I will pull into a nearly deserted gas station and of course the only two stations are occupied by people filling up a non-diesel car. As I wait patiently behind them, they will usually stand and stare at me with either a blank face or with a dirty look and probably wonder why I can just go and fill up at any one of the other empty stations. Without rolling down the window and yelling at them ‘I have a diesel you idiot!’ I just have to wait, seething and stewing, as they finish fueling, take 10 minutes to fiddle with something inside and then decide to clean out their trunk or spend 15 minutes washing their windshield.

The lesson in etiquette to be learned today is that if you do not own a diesel car please be aware that others do and use a different pump if one is available. While a complete list of rules of automotive conduct (RAC) will be too long, here are just some of the infractions I have noticed today.

1.) When another driver has their blinker on and wants to merge into your lane, do not speed up. Unless of course they are blowing noxius fumes from the tail pipe, have crap hanging or tied precariously to the back, or are a slowing moving Prius.

2.) At the gas station, know what side your gas tank is on and use the appropriate pump – do not try and yank the hose over the roof of your car to try to fit the nozzle in.

3.) When a car purposely parks in the very far corner of a parking lot to avoid others cars, do not park 2 inches from their car especially when the parking lot isn’t full

4.) The Fast lane is not for cruising – if you are not going faster than the car to the right of you, get out of the fast lane

5.) If you are not exiting or just entering the freeway – do not drive in the right-hand lane, and especially don’t drive continuously in the right-most lane at 45 mph (take the streets)

6.) Don’t bright me because your headlights suck, it’s called xenon- get used to it

 I just brought our long-term A5 back from its second routine service. It was nothing major—oil change, tire rotation and pressure check… the most complicated thing was changing out the pollen filters on the ventilation (A/C) system.

 Total cost for all this? A hair over $300.
I won’t weigh in either way on the total cost, because let’s face it, it is what it is. You spent $40,000 on the car, so you aren’t going to not get it serviced.
I guess if you wanted to do it on the cheap you could take it to the Zippy Lube down the street, but c’mon… you spent $40,000 on the car. Are you really going to trust a crosseyed 16-year-old Vo-Tech student to put the proper amount and kind of oil or adequate (spec) tire pressures into or on your much-loved Audi? If it was my 40 grand, I’d answer with a resounding “Hell no.”
No, if you really want to ensure that you’re doing all you can to keep your Euro in top shape and ensure its longevity, you need to follow the recommended service schedule and you need to take it to a reputable service outlet. I like the dealer, because if they screw something up you’ve got some recourse. Some of the more reputable performance tuners offer vehicle service and maintenance, and you might get a break over dealer rates, but we’re still not exactly talking Zippy Lube money.
What’s the point? The point is, before you buy the car of your dreams, take a minute to look past the sticker price and your monthly payment and imagine what kind of money you’ll be spending to service said car for the next two or three years, or replacing wear items like brake rotors, tires, clutch plates, shock absorbers. Or, for that matter, the cost of fueling said car for a year (a manufacturer estimate is readily on your monroney label or window sticker).
For example, I’d love to buy a new M3. But even if I committed to a thousand-dollar car payment for the next five years, I’m not totally sure I could afford to fuel the sucker for driving it on a regular basis. And paying $1,000 a month for a car you only drive on the weekends or the odd afternoon off is just, well, ludicrous.
It’s true that most aging cars depreciate with time, but their maintenance costs don’t. These days you can have a 996 911 for between 20 and 30 grand, a third or less of its original cost. Sounds great, until it’s time to replace the UHP Contis or those cross-drilled brake rotors. Or get the oil changed for that matter.
I have a young cousin who’s considering buying a used Boxster as a second car. He figures he’ll spend 15 or 16 grand—a wholly attainable goal. But as we’ve established, the out-the-door price is only telling part of the story. No doubt he’ll want to get it serviced right away, fix any niggling gremlins such a $15k Porsche might have contracted, possibly even buy a new set of summer tires for it. Those considerations right there could add another one or two thousand to the bottom line.
That’s not to say he couldn’t make it happen; he’s a smart kid with a good job and he’s been saving his money. It’s just that in the performance car world, even if you’re on the used market, the reality is this: The window sticker is only skin deep.

 Set the way-back machine to the 1950s. We had unleashed the power of the atom and stood in awe of the god-like results. Atomic energy would be the fuel of the future, running everything from toasters to trains. It was a sexy new science full of potential.

 No energy is truly free. In regards to nuclear power, it was far too costly to comprehend. Drop that atomic toaster and ruin the neighborhood, crash a nuclear train and annihilate a city. That we still use nuclear energy is testament to its potential. That we utilize it in such select,  highly controlled conditions is testament to our technical adolescence.

I see the same thing happening with electric cars. It's a sexy new science with heaps of potential. Is it really?  In truth, electric cars have been around longer that atomic energy, a lot longer. Electric cars ain't new at all. Why all the sudden interest?

If the premise of being able to plug in a car and then drive for the next 8 hours sounds too good to be true, it's because it is. We lack the technical language necessary to make that happen. Battery science has progressed slowly compared to other technologies. We are stuck trying to cram tons of energy into a small space. And then you need to be able to restore that energy multiple times. And what happens if the battery cell fails or is damaged? Have you ever seen a 2200 mah li-po battery (about the size of a Snickers bar) punctured ? It releases its energy with hand grenade-like force. I'd hate to see one let loose in a car.

I'm not against electric cars at all. I simply think there are more efficient power plants out there, technologies we could utilize right now.

 Several years ago I attended a 3 day racing school at Road Atlanta.

  In the school I remember the reaction of my instructor while I was driving an Audi A4 with overinflated tires around a wet skid pad. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”, he was surprised because rookie’s like me were not supposed to be able to balance, or invoke understeer and oversteer, precisely at the instructors command right out of the shoot. I replied, “actually, I haven’t done this particular exercise before, but I have driven vehicles on snow and ice since I learned to drive20 years ago”. Therefore, it seems one can by repetition, and almost unknowingly, pick up skills to drive at the race track by regularly driving in wet slushy, snow covered, and icy conditions.

A reduced traction scenario is ideal for learning car control at much lower speeds, hence the reason for overinflated tires and a wet skid pad at my racing school. But those of us in the more wintery areas of North America should take the challenge of the winter driving season as a car control refresher. Of course, many drivers also demonstrate their severe lack of skill in this season as well by tobagganning down hills, or flying off the road for no apparent reason. You know who you are! Maybe this is the real reason why I have decided to stand on my soapbox.

Here are some things everyone can do to help improve your winter driving skills:

• Take a winter driving school (and take your significant other or teenage kids a long too, if possible), here you can learn it all in a day or two from your local car club or auto manufacturer running schools in your area. Note that this is unbelievably fun too!

• Practice your skills in a safe and secluded area: try braking in a straight line, also gently braking while turning (trail braking), and recovering from understeer or oversteer conditions. Practise makes perfect! After some repetition you will eventually get the hang of it. Over time you will develop a light smooth touch on all controls and be able to feel traction and weight transfer through the steering and by the seat-of-the-pants.

• Think vision: look ahead to where you want to go...not where you are currently heading (ahhhh...crunch!). Also, look ahead to look for hazards on the road in the far distance.

Additional Winter Tips:

• Test the traction conditions with a little brake test in your quiet neighbourhood area before hitting the busy streets.

• Too much speed is the great “no-no” of winter driving. Know when it is time to slow down, also remember the Tortoise and the Hare, “slow and steady wins the race”. Winter driving is really a game of survival, one just wants to make through the season in one piece!

• Keep all windows clear of ice, snow, and interior humidity. Makes sense....but some of us are in too much of a rush, aren’t we?

• Just like at the track....check your ego at the gate. Once well practised in winter driving skills you still never become invincible as the laws of physics can take the wheel from you at any time if you are not fully concentrating on the job at hand. This is the point when you become a passenger on a toboggan with no control and you are just along for the ride. Time to assume the “crash” position, especially those driving AWD vehicles with the fabled infinite grip option.

Winter is officially here on December 21st at 5:47 pm (UTC – Universal Coordinate Time), so let the learning begin!

I wish you all a safe and happy Holiday Season, and take care driving out there no matter what conditions Mother Nature (or your Mother in-law) throws at you.

Cheers! Doug N

 A few weeks ago we got a book in the mail called “Why We Feel Road Rage… and Why It’s Your Fault!” by a guy named David Allan. In it, he writes exhaustively about the stupid and annoying habits people tend to have while driving.

 “Exhaustively” might not be exactly the right word, but the large-format paperback is more than 220 pages long. Granted, it’s also filled with diagrams and illustrations, so it isn’t all prose. But Allan clearly has a beef with the American driving public at large.
I don’t blame him, because I’ve got the same beef. Americans on the whole aren’t very good drivers. Allan essentially breaks the human race into two people “types”: Type A, and Type F. You can probably figure out what both of those letters represent. The Fs, Allan argues, can be subsequently be classified as one of three sub-classes: morons, who are basically just clueless nitwits; twits, who are essentially just inherently inconsiderate; and jerks, whose sole mission in life is to intentionally piss people off.
I don’t really agree with the Two Type system, because I don’t things are quite that black and white. I really think the root of the problem is that Americans on the whole simply weren’t taught how to drive. I really think it comes down to a lack of training and discipline. I do not think American driver-licensing programs are out to teach people how to really drive, well and efficiently; as with so many other bureaucratic government programs, this one is just out to make a buck. Therefore the training is very cursory, not at all as in-depth as it should be, and as a result invariably turns out unenlightened, substandard drivers.
If you want a good illustration of just how bad our driving is, check out Germany sometime. Germans have got to be the best and most disciplined drivers on the planet. Most German autobahnen are only two or three lanes wide, and yet I’ve never been stuck in slow-moving traffic in Germany. Contrast that with a highway like the Golden State Freeway, Interstate 5, which in places is up to five or six lanes wide in both directions and has the potential to be one of the most nightmarish drives you’ll ever face.
See, the Germans employ a rather foreign concept known as lane discipline, in which the leftmost lanes—especially the very leftmost lane—is used only for passing. Slower traffic stays right, and if a fast-moving vehicle comes up on you as you’re in a lefthand lane, for whatever reason, you get the hell out of the way the second it’s safe to do so.
Lane discipline is just one example of Germany’s utterly efficient driving philosophy. Then again, acquiring a driver license in Germany is an arduous and expensive process. As with so many other things, we as Americans are simply spoiled by a cursory licensing process and relatively cheap fees. But the more drivers the system can churn out, however inadequately trained, the more those fees add up. Not to mention a deplorable unfamiliarity with the vehicle code—which our licensing process by and large affords American drivers—leaves you vulnerable to citation by various law enforcement agencies. And then the fees REALLY start to add up.
Conspiracy theory? I don’t think it’s really all that far-fetched.
In the meantime, if you need some humorous bathroom reading material, check out Dave Allan’s book at www.roadragebook.com.

It’s Just Not Right, I tell ya.

Welp, its long awaited arrival finally culminated in a Paulling - I've been DBS'd.  It was intended that I bomb down to my bud’s Fri. night in the 930 for some gratuitous pics with it but the all-day steady drizzle drizzled that angle.  Ah well.  So door to door @ Alumibitch WOT in the rain didn’t exactly suck. 

I arrive to behold Greyness, nearly black hole-like in light absorbsion.  Tungsten Silver mit Graphite wheels welcome, defy, mock, and stupify me.  OhohOHHHHHHHH, this is niiiiiiiiice.  Aston Martin DBS means carboncarbon, here there EVERYwhere.  Front wings, hood, mirror posts, front splitters, rear diffuser, door sills - all woven in splenditude.

Before me jaw can regain composure from the floor it’s fired up and gunned afront of me - a V12 F1esque « bellows from the twin bombs in the rear.  OH man.  It’s blowing my clothes around on my body and I’m 15’ back - yeowzer.

This is an iconic auto with which you just want to fondle like a pair of Penultimate Funbags - you can caress, fingerbang, oogle and ah _end_lessly over every square decimeter of this thing.  It REEKS detail in every cranny, and I’m gazing blankly at everything and nothing  - desperately lost with marvel in awe inspiring spell binding logic defying amazement.  It’s that impressive, yes.

Unfurl the flushmount door handle, cracking the-near cantlileving door presents an overt odiferous waft like unsealing a fresh vacuum bag of the finest Columbian coffee.  Insert me keister into stitched Alcantara yumminess. 

Grab hold the $3500 “key” FOB (I think that was the price, it might have been more) that looks like some sort of executive office mantle piece or one of the Crystals that power Superman’s Ice Cavern - it’s tip clear and illuminated and awesome.  Bask in the specter of the key's now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t routine into the glorious Piano Black centerstack - a pyro striking a match to a well doused pile of dry timber must feel this same endorphine surge. 

Note the *ridiculously* absurd phallic shifter, a rather enormously girthed, ergonomic and highly polished aluminum mass.  Quickly appreciate the shifter’s placement affording shoulder blade stays-put shifts / hand in LeMans-esque proximity to the wheel.  Cool.

Remember now for a sec here:  It’s 10:00pm, ‘raining’ fog…  oh, and for good measure butofcourse the streets are lined with Autumn’s finest collection of greasy brown leaves.

“You taking her for a rip or what!?” is *barked* at me before I’ve even remotely mentally inhaled all of what I want / could / should before considering such a bark.

Is he nutz?

Am I??

Is “no” an answer???

650mi says the odo, he suggests 'break-in' was dictated to be “as the car will live its driven life”.  Hey works for me.  Slide it into R and immediately note the light clutch.  Scratch that.  The *DEVOID* clutch.  Might as well be electro or servo or hail mary or Zen operated as - there is _zero_ pedalgrab feel.  None nada zilch zippo none.  Least I don’t stall, it’s actually surprisingly easy - which had me begging the question how long before you'll be replacing clutches here.  Note the absence of any chicklychic flappypaddle box  - uh uh.

Barely audible is a mutterance to the extent of valuation and the costs of many people’s houses, it’s quickly a distant din as I troll down the driveway smiling a Cheshire yet nervous smile.

Stats for the slippywetstuff expensive not overly thought out not particularly bright excursion:  5.9L V12, 510hp / 420tq, 3737lbs.  6spd thru 3.71 limited slip transaxle.  15.7” carbon ceramic Brembo’s, as seen on the likes of F430 - stuffed under 20x11(R) shod with 245F / 295R.  $266k base.  Perfect combo for a slick evening full of limited visibility - why not.

Ensuring the color stitched banner on the top-center of the wheel is “up”… the car is straight and the hammer is dropped.  The counterclockwise tach sweep quickly results in some rear wheel tramp - UPSHIFT.  Repeat 2nd, UPSHIFT.  Wow it’s greasy out WOW this is beyond cool.  Thank goodness for Electro Nannies yeah.

Tits AND nipples I dare say!

A quick run around the block, I can’t help but feel deprived - if that’s somehow possible?  Nonexistent are the opp’s to exploit even a microgram of LeMans bred British potential.  A few miles and it’s tucked safely away and all too soon.

More oogling, pics, drool, staring, senseless self mumbling, and a beverage or 2 later and it’s demanded and I quote - “dude! why don’t you RIP it down and up again real quick - and I want to HEAR it.  Oh yeah and this time no On Board Nannies.  And ensure a WOT holeshot out of the culdesac - my bud lives down there and is trying to sleep” (hey it’s past midnight).

Um er uhhhhhhhhhhh… okiedokie?

JNR?

Mostmostmost certainly.

Down and up, I oblige as respectfully as I can while executing resplendent tire shred and astonishing holepuckerage.  Muwhahahahahaa, why not.  Few fries short of a Happy Meal he is - or I am - or both.  Or something, and stuff, and like things - I think.  I remind mesself, the dry opp will present sometime soon enough soon enough.

As unusual a month has passed since we closed the gate 8/29 on yet another impossibly amazing //SFest and I've found mesself reflecting back on all things Awesome.  Eight Augusts ago I assembled 20+ urS cars and ~ 30+ 'other' cars in my unassuming yard here in sunny CT, delivering //SFest unto the world - and it was Awesome.  Seven successive successful events later and //SFest grew and evolved and adapted and impressed - but - one constant remained:  Awesome!

'You all' are sobeyond Awesome for making //SFest what it is.  Yeah sure I 'made' it I 'make' it.  Sure.  But you folks come from here and far - 20 states in all and 3 Canadian provinces to date - to Coventry Motorcar for the 3rd time now hosting //SFest.  And this year, you came despite an apocalyptic forecast of doom and gloom of galactic proportions, yet we persevered and proved Awesomeness can overcome perceived adversity.  Now, we've always promised we would forever strive to provide you all with something 'new' each year.  Welp we've not yet done rain so we figured what the hey and gave that a whirl.  The 20x40 Big Top provided shelter, yet out in the midst of the mist //SFest was in top gear hitting full stride despite steady 9-2 rain.  Smiles and laughter permeated and resonated and infected, //SFesters know how to //Fest regardless and the sky lifted early afternoon allowing the rest of the event to thaw unfettered.  Awesome!

"Rain be damned!" denounced the owners of the Aston Martin DBS, GT3MkII, Cayenne TT, 500E, and one of the 30 black interior'd e28 ///M5s imported - why not? 

And the white '78 Carrera 3.0 Martini Targa failed to go undrooled upon, being one of well ONE Targa made of 8 total Carreras with 'that' disco crazed LSD induced Fuhrmann seated interior. 

Being an Audi gig afterall, hard to miss the dozens upon dozens (squared) of urS4/6s outlining the scene with many new faces behind the wheels joining the stalwart eight-timers.  More D2 //S8s than I've ever seen assembled, then pairs of RS6s and V8s, an //S5, some B5 //S4s, and heck a black B7 //S4 cabby with the top down flashing it's taunting red gut in mockery of the cloudcover.  Rainbegone!  Awesome!  And privileged we are to honor all //Sdom mit some urQs, 200tqa20v's, oh and an um er 10sec eS2, lions and tigers and bears - oh my!

Multiple rounds firing up the 6' grille throughout the day and apparent miles of banquet tables of eats ensured major mangia for all.  Raffle conclusion featured an uberRoast of Chicagoan //Fester Bill Mahoney for having driven as many //SFest miles as, um, 5 LeMans races/32 Indy 500s… heck in 5more //Fests he'll have *circumferenced the Earth*. 

Dusk saw our staple //SFest Outdoor Theater projected up under the ceiling of the tent, warmed by the glow of a serene fire.  Rows and rows of longtime internet friends co-mingled, strengthening the bonds that are honed daily on the Lists and Forums.  Awesome!

*None* of this - mind you - would be at all possible... without the continued support of a wide array of most generous sponsors.  These kind folks ensured our raffle was overflowed to the hilt allowing winner winner chicken dinner to be exclamated among many-a-Fester.  The bounty was surreal, with gift certificates, parts kits, mods, Audi corporate schwag, clothes, tuning sessions, you name it our sponsors provided it YOU WON IT.  Considering such, please take the time to acknowledge this generosity and go out of your way to purchase your wares from those who make it all possible:  Coventry Motorcar, EFI Express, Apikol, Custom Auto Craft, Foreign Autopart, Quattrroworld, German Auto Parts, Detailers Domain, iBiquity Digital, The Original California Car Duster, Swift Performance Automotive, Audi of America, 034 Motorsport, Kryptonite Locks, Hamburg Technic, McBoost.com, Sports Car Workshop, Skydogs Kites, Danbury Audi Parts, Hoffman Audi New London, Where's Weldo, and SPEC.

//SFest is the bestfest and there is only one.  Those Who Have Fested - Know.  Full event pics can be found at http://www.sfest.com/gallery.html. 

From the staffers that organize 'this' all, we are all looking forward to //SFest'10 (already rumored to be //SFest2010 an Enthusinut Odyssey)…  stay tooned to www.sfest.com for further word, and prepare to brace yourselfs for once again Awesomeness. 

Festivus Maximus.

-Paul Krasusky and the //SFest //Staff

A late evening 930 blast over to my bud’s has me contemplating ‘Then’ via boosted revs thru the 4spd.  Then was ‘Now’ when the 930 debuted in late ’74, but Now was redefined with the ’04 arrival of the elemental supercar experience – back to basics with the 996GT3.  Six years later and ‘NOW!’ redefines redefinition and the 997GT3 awaits my invocation, sitting seductively in a willing friend’s… um… garage.  Yeah, garage that’s it.

It is sitting in all its Nordic Gold awesomeness amongst its lineage, silent and loud simultaneous.  The eye bounces fender flare to rear wing to front diffuser to alloy wheel – 930 to 996GT3 to 997GT3 – while the mind struggles to process the spectacle.  When your shrink tells you to Go To Your Happy Place *this* is what he means.

Oogling and ahhing, comparing and contrasting, it is interesting to note how different such similar things can be.  The 997 displays its PhD in Technical Sophistication, relegating the 996 afront it diminutive.  Nineteen inch centerlocks over Carbon Ceramics, the wheel arches and flares and wings and ducts stretch your pupils into realization of the 997’s substantiality.

Electroluminescent door sills welcome me as I slip me lucky keister into painted seatbacks fronted with Alcantara that then reaches everywhere in the cockpit broken only by carbon fiber.  Fire it up he says, back to back to back is the way to ponder these mmmkay?  Whattapal, whattapalwhattapal.

The 3.8 cracks to life with a display of unbridled eagerness.  Not audible enough?  Depress the shenanigan button in the lower left center console, engine noise is replaced by exhaust baritone.  I quickly determine the ‘normal’ mode to be quite abnormal, struggling to imagine anyone of sound mind electing effectively no sound.  The 996 clatters to life singing its rasp song through Fabspeed headers and cans.  BRAP!

Reverse lights light, squared… he’ll warm the 997 up while I ride gun as another pair of friends hop into the 996, and we troll out in tandem into blackness illuminated by steering-sensitive 997 bixenons.  The transitional response of the lights appear much more proactive than the reactive ///M5 units I’d previously experienced, which were more like bad stripper teets swinging in the breeze proving more a distraction than anything else.  These are surprisingly tauntingly effective – go figure – I’d always assumed ‘those things’ to be rather Lexus.  Nope, not here.

Oil temps are found and heat fills tread, a stop sign sees a Chinese Fire Drill in the 997 – shoot it has been ½ a lifetime since I’d done one of those.  A quick acclimation of the controls, I engage first and we’re off.  Quite surprised I am at the ease of driving here – clutch takeup is a sinch and upshifts snick snak’d with mechanical precision.  Until I employed a revmatched downshift – yikes that throttle is eeeeger, the tach seemingly electromagnified upward… have to be reeeeeeeal deliberate there I do. 

OK then I’ll just scrub some speed with the brak……ooops!  Sensitive suckers them PCCB’s are, nil pedal travel means nose meets windshield and fast.  More of Deliberate, Danielsan, Deliberate – gotchya.  Sport setting selected on the shock button to the left of the exhaust switch provides absence of body roll, steering feedback proving zero play.  The chassis seems hunkered into the tarmac with every rotation of the Pirellis, confidence is bestowed and how.  Odo of a few shy of 1k means we’re still under dealer suggested 1,200mi break-in… means nono to, er, ‘proper’ exploitation of ze 8400rpm Red and the accompanying banshee wail I’m yearning for.  Matters not, the getup and GO issues addictive primordial amusement and I’m more than entertained.

Time to swap ho’s and another Chinese Fire Drill but this time with a run back to the 996.

Strapping into the 996 with GT2 Halos, size and quality realizations are near overwhelming with obviousness.  This thing’s small in comparison inside, dash and switchgear seeming nearly antiquated somehow.  Progress has been made, times have achanged.  23k trackmiles later and this one’s ready to astonish tho.   I quickly dive into the nether regions of the tach, 8200 redline invoking resplendent goosebumps, giggles, and puckerage.  Yeahbaby.

Immediate and blatant is how much the JZW suspension acting thru Fikse’s here has comPLETELY ironed out a ‘pedestrian’ 996GT3s inherent I’m Gonna Kill You bob ‘n dive ‘n squat ‘n tug ‘n weave.  White Knuckles need not apply in this iteration, a refreshing relief from the DE I’d done in a stocker a couple years back @ Lime Rock.  Set up OE, while it wouldn’t actually kill you it did pretty much feel like it would with every stab of the throttle with every bump in the road with every steering input.  Somehow the 997s steering response has demoted the 996s otherwise astounding feel to ‘loose’ – go figure.  The soundtrack is quite different, the 3.8 more deep and mellow with a downlow hit…  435horse pounds you hard.  Here the 381hp is more brass than bass, the horsies felt more than the torques.

Miles are ingested, I’m basking in each 997 downshift and throttle stab in front of me.  I could do this all night, but nope wee hours have me bombing home in the 930 and coming full circle back to ‘Then’.  Then doesn’t exactly suck, but 'NOW!' is a wholenother experience – capable and visceral and refined and smooth and gnarly and badass, wrapped up nicely in a superlative package.  Sign here:_________________.

full pics can be found:  http://picasaweb.google.com/pkrasusky/997GT3#

 I was exactly seven minutes early for work on Monday morning, and I as walked past the office kitchen I was informed by another minion that “old man Bidrawn” was already looking for me.

“This can’t be good” I thought, quickly tossing my work bag on to my desk. His nose was already completely out of joint when I told him last week that I had taken delivery of most every European Car Guy’s “Holy Grail” of sportscars, the 2010 Porsche GT3, this example to be the subject of European Car Magazine’s next exciting project car series. “Mr. Crusty’s” (as we affectionately refer to him) grumpiness during the world economic downturn seemed to increase proportionally to the market index decrease, and with his retirement looming, he had evolved over the past several months to somewhere between completely fowl and borderline nasty; I was not looking forward to this Monday morning encounter. I popped my head around the corner of his open office door, to check if he was alive, and sure enough he was there gazing of his 11th floor corner office window. I rapped loudly on his door and he turned quickly with jerk, muttering some vulgar curse under his breath in the process. Once he got me in to focus and remembered who I was, he began bellowing instructions at near the top of his “rev limit”. When the “fog” had cleared after his full 3 minute rant, I politely excused myself to the solitude of my office to decipher and digest his rather loud and characteristically vague instructions.

Reading completely between the lines, he had insisted that I use my new GT3 to create some fresh edit for the magazine; fair enough we had already discussed this last week. However, with times being tough, internal cash and sponsors tight, he had insisted that I should get the job done anyway, and I had better make it “bloody good”. The problem here is the lack of cash flow. After selling off every piece and vehicle of every current car project that I had in my possession on eBay, as well going to “the Tower” (the wife!) for additional funding and trading, my birthday, Christmas, and future car modification funds for the next 20+ years, I’m afraid I had blown my budget all in a oner.

With no spare cash, an extremely aware wife, and a rather ornery boss to please, I have to get creative. Where do I find “free” money? Then it struck me. I remembered that eBay was giving away “cash” for special car guy projects in their Video Contest to Find the Ultimate Automotive Enthusiast. The top prize in each of 4 different categories are $2500 eBay Motors Gift Certificates. All you need to do is create a video explaining why your current vehicle project is so unque and submit it before the deadline on August 31st, 2009. Check it out at http://www.motorsmaster.ebaymotors.com .  

Somehow I've found me slimyself trading cars for a few daze, my //S8 for another //Scar - seems fair and otherwise insignificant but...

BUT

...the trade is for a 1997 //S6Plus Avant - *the* only one in North America no less.  Trade for a few?  If you insist...

Being the first product of Audi's newly formed special interests arm Quattro GmbH, the //S6Plus is not insignificant.  While an //S4 4.2 Avant had been produced since the car's debut in the early '90s, a Plus it was not with a 'mere' 290 neigh.  While 290 'there' came @  5800, 326 'here' wails out @ 6500.  And although Mr. Torquey remains even @ 295 for each, the Plus twists it up for your amusement by 3500 vs. 4k.  Produced for '97 only and effectively that chassis' Swan Song, 952 were assembled - 855 being Avants - and a total of 0 imported to North America.

After 5yrs & 80k in my former 22psi'd 6spd'd urS6, I'd garnered some steeped opinion on the mythos of 'this' car from the enthusiasts circles...

"It's not a turbo"

"It's just a C4 with a V8"

"It's not that special"

"So what"

...all resounded true - yep sure did

Until...  that is... I racked me some WOT time in it.  Muwhahahaaa.  JNR.

Here's a case where the whole is _entirely_ greater than the sum of the parts.  It just is.  One plus one equals 3 see.  Mmmya.

That svelte and now stalwart 4.2L motor completes the C4 chassis.  Especially being an Avant - the balance is just 'there'.  The color combo here - stellar and quintessential - silver over black gut with alcantara inserts and door cards, carbon fiber trim.  The wheels - fook I like those!  They really look kinda lame in pics, until they spoke to me the other night - freakin' gnarly lip'd awesomely spoked units with new 255 Pilot Sports - I likey.  Threetwentysix horse - pulls 7k+ redline with aplomb.  It's verymuch like a chipped i5t - results are the same just acheived through differing methods.  It sorta sounds like a badass schoolbus @ the drags - if that makes any sense… and somehow that turns out to be good thing.  Snicketysnick shifter is very unAudi in shortness, crispness, and weight, and grabs each gear with reward.  All 6 gears summon Groundhog Day deja vu powerband, with 3-6 being particularly giddy. The Rancho suspension while appearing maybe somewhat too high (tho not nearly as abysmal as a regular //Scar) is a great match to the power / chassis / experience.  The HP2 brakes surprsingly have decent feel and arrest quite effectively without the expected dive.  Fender flair lip extensions front and rear - neato.  Height adjustable Xenon lights...  circa 1997???  Schwing! All the blacked out trim - against the silver / black gut… just spectacular.

Again, each item = so the F what.  Stir them together and stand before it?  I wouldn't change a thing.  Nope.  Not one.  It's bonestock and it's downright cool.  And there's certainly some goofy mystique factor having the only one 'here'.  Entirely likeable entirely appealing.

My time exploiting its merrits and vetting the mythos ended and had me returning home in Alumibitch pondering the blur of what just happened.  Some daze, I find myself pinching my arm or thigh just in case.  This was one of those daze. 

Should you be entranced by the Siren Song of that Bitchgoddess Quattro and have interest in seeingtouchingfeeling Her firsthand, find Her joining us @ //SFest www.sfest.com 8/29 here in sunny CT...

 At least once a day I check the autotrader for BMW 2002s and VW Corrado VR6s. I don't know why. It's not like I've got cash gushing from my pockets or something. Still, I look for these cars and imagine all the stuff I'd do to make them perfect.

 I guess eBay has been looking at my browser history. There are hundreds of links to these cars and more than a few to the bits I'd need to make them right. Hey, at least it's not porno.

eBay has come up with what it calls the "Motor Master" contest. Basically, you make a video explaining why a certain Euro would make for an awesome project.

So I grabbed my long suffering man-servant Karl, a camera and went off in search of my dream car.  I am sooo going to win this thing. Of course, being the anal sumbitch he is, Karl deflates my fantasy. Something about "fine print" and associates of eBay not being eligible to participate. What a total buzz kill. I'm going to kick him a few times, just becasue.

Look, I (we) can't do this but you can. Just make a clever video on why your particular car would make for the ideal project vehicle. If your vid is chosen, european car will support its completion as an officially sponsored project car. This is in addition to the winnings from eBay. I figure there's at least 10K in goods here.

Get off your ass and do it. here's the link:

www.motorsmaster.ebaymotors.com

 Like everything else in the world, Run-Flat tires have both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is implied in the name: if you get a tire puncture the vehicle will remain stable giving you the time you need to safety get to the side of the road. The disadvantages are a rough ride, limited driving range before total tire failure, and the tire's high cost. The loud and jarring ride I can deal with, the cost is whatever, but it is the limited range that poses the greatest problem for me.

Over the weekend, a fellow ec co-worker and I took a long trip out to the middle of BFE (aka no-mans-land) to do a little canyon carving. About ½ way through the journey, his Audi A5 front tire had a total blowout from a 3 inch long slice completely through the rubber. This occurred on a on a two-lane road, with a mountain on one side and an overhang on the other. Lucky for him, Audi equips the A5with a spare tire and he was able to make the 200+ mile journey back to civilization. This got me thinking, the BMW 335d I was driving was equipped with run-flat tires that are good for only 50 miles after a puncture. So if I had the same problem I would have been stranded 150 miles from home. Sure I could have had the vehicle towed but at what expense? The closest city that I could have even possible got a tire was 80 miles away and since it was Saturday I would have been stranded there until Monday. Plus what if 50 miles would not have gotten me off the mountain road and I had to wait there for a tow?

I get the whole run-flat concept, it is a great safety feature, but BMW eliminating the spare tire just to save a little weight and manufacturing cost is just ridiculous. After this weekend, I feel that if I or my girlfriend decide to take a trip further that 50 miles from my house I would have to come up with a contingency plan in case of tire failure. Mental note: Get a AAA Premier membership with a 200 mile tow option. It would be great it BMW did offer a spare tire option for consumers who don’t mind adding a few pounds or spending a few bucks to save themselves a huge headache

While I wait for my new 2010 GT3 to arrive (only about 3 weeks to go now!), I have been scouring the web for more detailed technical information regarding all aspects of the car. 

Most European Car enthusiasts are already well aware of the engine displacement increase from 3.6 to 3.8 litres, and the increased power generated, up 20 bhp to 435bhp. They are also privy to the facts that the latest version of this legendary GT1 based dry sump powerplant will utilize a new VarioCam system to control the exhaust valves, and that it will redline at a scintillating 8500rpm. Some new engine technical tidbits now in the public domain are as follows:

 1) The engine is 2.2lbs lighter overall than the previous 3.6L GT3 engine.

 2) The engine elements re-worked for efficiency and reduced weight are: oil pumps, pistons, camshafts, exhaust system, A/C system, and the dual mass flywheel.

3) The steel cylinder liners, the same units used in the RSR race cars, are necessary due to the increased bore; they are 7.7 lbs heavier than those on the 3.6L.

4) The new intake and exhaust VarioCam system adds 4.4 lbs over the 3.6L.

5) All Cylinder head ports receive a factory polish procedure similar to the RSR race cars.

On the transmission side, a new short shifter linkage is standard along with a revised Getrag 6 speed transaxle incorporating stronger steel synchronizers. All gear ratios remain the same, but alternate ratios will now be available.

The suspension components are completely revised with new PASM damping calibration, spring rates are up 12% in front while the rear remains the same (now 45Nm and 105 Nm, respectively), sway bars are now the same units as on the GT2 (25mm front and 23 mm rear), new front axle roll center geometry (again, a la GT2), and the whole kit-and-caboodle weighs in at 2.6 lbs less than the set up on the previous model.

Reductions in unsprung weight include the sexy centerlock forged aluminum wheels and two piece brake rotors (fronts up from 350mm to 380mm, rears stay at 350mm), dropping 5.5 lbs and 5.2 lbs, respectively. The ceramic brake option reduces this figure again by a further 44 lbs, if your wallet will permit. All suspension alignment parameters have been altered as well to improve the contact patch and overall cornering grip.

Speaking of grip, the new GT3’s bodywork is not only designed to improve cooling to significantly the engine and brakes, it also increases downforce five times from 66 pounds at 186 mph to 220 pounds, and proportions it perfectly 88 pounds in front and 132 pounds in the rear for optimum high speed handling. This occurs at the expense of aerodynamic drag, which increases from 0.29 Cd to 0.32 Cd, hurting the top speed potential which is “only” 194 mph.

Also, Porsche reports from the Nürburgring Nordschleife that their infamous test driver, Walter Rohrl, has lapped the “Ring” in the new GT3 in under 7:40 on an open track day with some traffic. This is 3 or 4 seconds faster than the 997 GT3 Mk1 and 7 seconds slower the 997 GT2. With such news, and all of these revisions to an already brilliant sports car, now I really can’t wait until mine arrives!

Be sure to check out the planned article series for the new GT3 on the pages of European Car Magazine in the coming months. It is sure to be a wild ride!

Elementary mathematical equation:  Fifteen 930s + Carolina Motorsports Park DE + WOT mountain caravan in and around Tail of the Dragon = Just Not Right.

Build It - And They Will Come....  the best events beat this drum.  2300mi added to my odo in 4 daze certainly says so.  I departed CT Thursday destined to join 15 fellow nutty 930 owners for turboPALOOZA 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Shredded 60mi of Skyline Drive in VA enroute, then met 7 guys @ Speedwerks http://www.speedwerksllc.com/index.html Friday to ingest their uberfacility, lined wall to wall to wall with outright Legends of the Sport of the most mindbendingnest degree - 934, (2) 935s, 962, (2) 907s - oh my!

The seven 930 caravan departs on the hour-long shenanigan run to another fabshop, Zuffenhaus http://www.eurowerks.us/defaultNew.html where 8 or so other maniacal owners await our arrival.  Coupla these 500rwhp beasts are running uncorked thru Zork tubes - 8 or so inches of pipe straight off the turbo.  The sounds and sights of a brace of 930s making fighterpilot lane changes as if stitched together struck awe amongst all we encountered.  Running toward the back of the ensemble proved the most entertaining seat in the house as you basked in the glory of whistles and whines and pops and shrieks and wails.  Serenity Now!  We arrive @ Zuff to assemble an array of awesomeness I've yet to behold in my enthusiast encounters.

Saturday dawn fuelstop and we're off to a DE @ Carolina Motorsports Park in SC - there's simply nothing like running hotlaps with a bunch of your comrades at arms, slicing and dicing it up out there, ribbing each other in the paddock, tightening bonds that have existed on forums but are only now being vetted face to face bumper to bumper for the first time.  

Instantly proven is outright coolness transcends the ownership experience and commonality of passion and humor is readily evident despite such diverse individuals.  Further proves my 'internet friends' are without question kindred brethren of the highest caliber to the furthest degree.

Sunrise Sunday has our gaggle of 930s heading west and into the NC mountains.  Via Fontana Dam and Cherohala Skyway, the Tail of the Dragon http://www.tailofthedragon.com is our Destiny.  One of life's automotive resume items needing to be filled now that der Nordschleife has been tackled, this is a must-do experience for annnnnny gamer - 318 curves in 11 miles, most strewn together in a delectable sequence of esses and switchbacks and compression bends and fully bermed turns - oh mamma YEAH! 

Traffic and Johnny L. are rather present throughout our mountainous voyage yet there are many a schoolgirl giddy inducing moments.  I find myself chuckling bwhahahaa out loud on numerous occasions as the 'ole warpig is hustled most righteously through late apex'd and trail brake'd madness. 

We conclude our schwaray on the NC Dragon terminus @ the Tree of Shame late day Sunday.  I let another hour pass as I decompress and fully embrace all of what we have just embarked upon over the past threeplus days – holding hands in a circle singing Kumbya Mylord nearly seems appropo - it's that moving.

Suddenly I find myself alone - all alone - on the Dragon, faced with northbound prospects.  Best bet?  Exodus via TN... which means...  ride it again yeah!  Sunset Sunday, a 930, and The Dragon... all to me ratbastid self...  muwahahahaa is all that can be exclamated.

Full pics if yer interested can be found http://picasaweb.google.com/pkrasusky/TurboPALOOZA2009#.

I knew my bud'd been alookin, I did.  But he's always alookin.  Welp, he gone and done it...  '09 Daytona Gray over Black / Silver with deviated stitching.  Carbon Fiber baby.  Got the call it'd landed hours prior and RUN out the door dinner in hand I went (on kitchen plate, mind you - literally).

4C19H, yeah that's the ticket.  D3S8 just seems too similar to my D2S8, see.  It ain't.  An enTIRELY different experience.  I kept reminding myself that my car is based upon a 1993 chassis and getting out of this 4C19H and into mine is akin to getting out of mine and into a car from 1977.

Parked next to mine it is an interesting paradigm shift.  Mine looking sleaker, more taught, more slung.  His looking neuvomodern, beefy, badass.  And them 20's relegate me meager 18s to looking like 15inchers.  Interesting tho, he was quick to remark how gnarly mine looked next to his, and how much lower / slung he thought it was - funny how much difference 2" of hub height off ground makes.  Then there are things like the running lights - LED clusters in the 'high beam' area that dim to a less bright setting when the headlights come on.  Oh and exit lighting when you get out and shut the door - the fog lights come on.  Quite new fangled fersure.

After only sitting in one @ the Streets of Tomorrow RS4 whisker poke yearses back - the first thing that came to mind was OH MY how much stuff there is around you that can (WILL) break.  Well, all 'that' was immediately confirmed once again fast forward to this time.  SCARY complicated these things are.  Waytoomuch gizmonatry going on here for my tastes - but hey I'd SUFFER!  B&O speaker grilles are seemingly hewn from billet, and 'ting' a deep ting when flicked.  Fit, finish, and materials execution in here is specatabular.

Keyless Go or whatever Audi calls it leaves keys in your pocket, kinda cool.  Hit the START button and summon up 10cyl of fury.  Drive by wire elicits OMG rev response.  WTF's this thing - a STREET BIKE?  Reciprocating innards made of antigravity?  Noweight flywheel possibly?  Goose REV goose REV... silly fun!  Man this thing sure emits *quite* the hooliganastic exhaust _bark!_... teee heee!  No secret what's goin on here nope.

Select Tip and paddles are your friend.  I like the dedicated paddle arrangement here vs. BMW's double-redundant system personally - lefty down righty up.  No throttle blippy on downshifts tho, that is a glaring omission IMnsHO - que sera sera.  Cut the wheel left @ the bottom of his driveway to depart... and...  "bling" - POOF appears an incandescentesque 'turning' light out left front yonder.  Without the turn signal on.  Eeerie.  It's like Kazoo from the Jetsons is there illuminating your way, takes some getting used to certainly.

We troll along for warm up and meander down the road as I take in the suspension transitions side to side, brake feel, etc. Both beyond good.  In swerving so, the steering wheel shudders - oh yeah that's the Lane Departure Warning googad thingamajig.  Wonder how it knows?  Cross the double yellow he tells me.  Nothing.  No, CROSS the double yellow he beckons again.  OK, there it is...  only... to immediately round the corner (nearly in other lane) to Johnny Law and a Click It Or Ticket checkpoint.  HaHA d'oh!  Turn left! he suggests...  car share's a tag mit one of his other junkers for time being it seems.  Phew, escape unscathed but boy I bet 'that' didn't look TOO obvious.

Backroad bliss here on out, it's WOT time (my favorite time).  WOT snarls a deep and agitated intake bark - addictive.  Thrust is immense and tach sweep a blur.  At or about the 5k orso range golllllllyyyy is there a huge burst 'o powah as I hurtle toward 7k.  Seven grand, 10cyl, and a thousand valves or there abouts - oh my.  Six speeds?  Scoff - I'll take 3 thanks!

Fun's over all too quick, no plate means no highway and we've both people to do things to see... hmmm... or something like that?  Return back to his cave.  His cave sucks - it's like looking into the future for me.  We've effectively got the same 'stuff', just his is uber and mine's, well - not:

Peekaboo! I dug this shot, unfor. the lighting didn't work as good as I'd hoped:

That's that, for now.  FULL Just Not Right 4C19H WOT run to follow - stay tooned for a D2/D3 chasedown and some proper compare / contrast fodder.  Should be, umm...  fun!

Paulie likey Paulie wanty.  Def. on 'the list' acoupla depreciative years down ze road yes...