AutoWeek articles from April 2009

AutoWeek archives from April 2009

2009 TATA NANO.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... ON SALE: July (in India) BASE PRICE: $2,200 DRIVETRAIN: 624-cc, 35-hp, 35.4-lb-ft two-cylinder; RWD, four-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 1,397 lb 0-62 MPH: 32.6 sec (est) FUEL ECONOMY : 51 mpg (est)

RESULTS.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... TRACK: MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY 0.526-MILE OVAL DATE: MARCH 9 1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 500 laps at 75.938 mph avg. speed; 2. Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 500; 3. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 500; 4. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 500; 5. Clint...

SAILING AGAINST THE BREEZE(WAY).(NEWS)(Ford Motor Co. Lincoln-Mercury Div.)
April 6, 2009... Byline: JOHN F. KATZ IN 1963, MERCURY RE-discovered performance. The base-level six-cylinder engine that the full-size Merc shared with Ford, along with the 292-cid and 352-cid V8s, were dropped, so power choices started with a 250-hp 390....

DIAMONDS IN THE DESERT; 1961 ALFA WINS CONCOURS AT PALM SPRINGS GOLF CLUB.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: JAY ENGEL Nestled at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains, the second-annual Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance in Palm Springs, Calif., hosted 140 vintage, classic and special-interest street and race cars. The event took place...

THE WIRE.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... NASCAR is paying close attention as the National Football League discusses additional games that might extend its season. The Super Bowl is usually held the last weekend in January, before any stock-car activity at Daytona International...

BUSCH OWNS BRISTOL.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Al Pearce NASCAR fans have mixed feelings about Kyle Busch, but even the most hard-hearted must acknowledge that the 23-year-old Las Vegas native is one of Sprint Cup's very best. He showed that again by dominating the Food City...

Postscript with Jenson Button.(NEWS)(Interview)
April 6, 2009... AutoWeek: Tell us about the impact of this race. Jenson Button: It's been a good day. You'd think that in front it would be easy, but it's not; it's still a tough race for me. We came away with victory, and I've got to say congratulations...

Street-Racing Stupidity.(NEWS)(Honda Motor Company Ltd.)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Corey Farley Whispering toward Sacra-mento the other day at 70 mph, I was rocked by a Honda Accord passing at 110. That's a guess. He was going a lot faster than I was, though. I held my course. If you're going to be a...

GT2: FERRARI GETS LUCKY.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Gary Watkins Ferrari and Risi Competizione were fortunate to regain their Sebring GT2 crown, as two Porsches with the pace to beat the F430 GT driven by Jaime Melo, Pierre Kaffer and Mika Salo were out of the running early. That...

Panoz Plans Prototype Return.(NEWS)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Gary Watkins Panoz claimed an encouraging GT2 podium behind the Risi- and AF Corse-run Ferraris at Sebring. At this time next year, it hopes once again to challenge for overall wins in the ALMS. Series owner Don Panoz confirmed...

CARS WANTED.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: MAC MORRISON Recession notwithstanding, the 12 Hours of Sebring was not a doom-and-gloom event, despite a smaller grid (26 cars vs. 33 in 2008) and various concerns leading up to the race. Attendance exceeded 164,000 over four...

MARKET.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: DAVE KINNEY 1969 Shelby GT500 Convertible RM Auctions Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Feb. 6-8, 2009 V8, 428 cid; automatic. Dark green with white vinyl and white vinyl top. Looks original; claimed less than 18,000 miles...

DRIVING & DRIVING; TAKE A GOLF ROAD TRIP IN ALABAMA.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: ROGER HART For some, Spring Break means lounging on the beach. For others, the last thing they want is sandif it's the kind you find in a golf-course bunker. A Spring Break golfing trip can be therapeutic for hackers who have...

2 tickets to paradise; A 2010 FORD MUSTANG, FOUR DAYS, TWO COLLEGE KIDS-IT'S A SPRING BREAK FANTASY COME TRUE.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: TRAVIS BRAUN YOU'RE DAYDREAMING IN A COLlege classroom, and the cell phone rings you to your senses. AutoWeek editors offer a 2010 Ford Mustang convertible for a drive to Panama City Beach, Fla., over the weekend. Pinch yourself....

2010 FORD MUSTANG GT; NEW LOOK, MORE MUSCLE.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Travis Braun During our Spring Break Excellent Adventure, we more than tripled the miles on the 2010 Ford Mustang GT convertible's odometer, spending more time in it during the four-day trip than we spent sleeping and eating...

5 THINGS TO DO IN PANAMA CITY.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Travis Braun DINE: When you sleep until noon after a night of partying and your stomach is growling, Pineapple Willy's is the place to go. Located on Pier 99, it offers a panoramic view of the beach, its famous Jack Daniel's BBQ...

Auto Show Specials.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Two auto shows in April will mark the start of a pause for the summer. In New York, we're looking to see Nissan's 370Z convertible, the high-performance Mercedes-Benz E-class coupe and a new concept from Scion. Two weeks later, Shanghai hosts...

WIN A TRIP TO LE MANS FOR THE 24 HOURS.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... This is the trip of a lifetime: Fly to Paris. Be a VIP guest of the American Le Mans Series. Stay in a chateau. Meet the drivers. Visit teams in their garages. See Le Grand Parade des Pilotes. Plus, enter for a chance to win a $2,500 Lowe's...

UNDER THE HOOD.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Blue Oyster Blogger Rock fans will want to go to autoweek.com for coverage of the New York auto show. Again this year, our friend Eric Bloom from Blue Oyster Cult will be working the room and filing reports from the Javits Center, just for...

WEB ALERT.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... MAKE YOUR LIST: The best tracks, pony cars, cars you forgot were still on sale? Come to autoweek.com for lists of what's cool or crazy in the auto world. Debate our choices, and even come up with your own lists.

RAGTOP REVIVAL; AUDI'S NEW CONVERTIBLES ARE A BUNCH OF SOFTIES.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: ROGER HART When Audi's line of A5 and S5 convertibles hits these shores in October, they will feature something most other luxury cabriolets don't have: an old-fashioned soft top. Competing luxury marques, such as BMW, Lexus,...

DROP YOUR TOPS! Here are 40 more convertibles to choose from for 2009.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Aston Martin DB9 Base Price: $199,400 Engine: 6.0-liter V12, 470 hp Aston Martin V8 Vantage Base Price: $135,550 Engine: 4.7-liter V8, 420 hp Audi A4 Base Price: $40,750 Engine: 2.0-liter ...

TV.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... SATURDAY, APRIL 11 NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying from Nashville, Tenn., 11 a.m., ESPN2 (L) NASCAR Nationwide Series from Nashville, Tenn., 4 p.m., ESPN (L) SUNDAY, APRIL 12 NHRA from Las Vegas, 10 a.m., ESPN2 ...

PURRING ALONG; SO FAR, SO GOOD WITH JAGUAR'S SUPER XF.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER Three months and near- ly 10,000 miles into our yearlong evaluation of Jaguar's 2009 XF Supercharged, the big cat is purring along perfectly. Almost. We've noticed a few minor electrical glitches, all of which...

REMEMBER WHEN?(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Adam Cooper > The Australian Grand Prix moved to Melbourne in March 1996 from Adelaide, and the inaugural race may be best remembered for the first-lap crash that saw Martin Brundle's Jordan-Peugeot somersault to destruction. But...

ORANGE WITH ENVY; INFINITI'S NEW DROP-TOP HAS DISTINCT APPEAL.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: MARK VAUGHN WE'RE CRUISING THROUGH BEVERLY Hills, Calif., in the new 2009 Infiniti G37 convertible, top down, sunny day, following a beautiful Ferrari 360 Modena. Up next to us pulls a 40-ish woman with hair so orange it could be...

LONG-TERM UPDATE.(NEWS)(automobiles)
April 6, 2009... Chrysler Town & Country With more than 20,000 miles on the clock in six months of service, the transmission still shifts a bit abruptly, but it fared well on a long cross-country trek, kicking down or holding the proper gear as needed. In...

Z4 AND THEN SOME; FIRST DRIVE IN BMW'S NEW HARDTOP ROADSTER.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: WES RAYNAL SEVERAL NEW DROP-TOPS CONSIDerably brightened January's drab and snowy North American International Show in Detroit. The Mini Cooper convertible, the Volkswagen BlueSport concept and the Kia Soulster concept all helped...

2-WHEEL LOWDOWN 2010 HONDA FURY.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Barry Winfield > With the 2010 Fury, Honda sets out to prove that it can build a better chopper than the various small fabrication shops made famous by the TV series American Chopper. The design combines the flavor of one-off...

GOING COASTAL; FLORIDA MAN FILLS FOUR GARAGES.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: PHIL BERG "Men love to bring their wives to my place, Chris Koch says. "They tell them, "You think I'm sick, wait till you see this guy.' Koch lives in and around four garages on the east coast of Florida. He created his...

POWER TO PERFORM; The 2010 Camaro SS is a blast-now, if only it could ignite a corporate recovery.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: J. P. VETTRAINO The driver slyly turned off the traction electronics, loaded revs at the stop sign and dumped the clutch as he started a left turn. Skillfully, smoothly, with a single stroke of countersteer and then correction, he...

Humanitarian Mission for Returning Vets.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Dutch Mandel If you subscribe to the idea that goodwill begins at home, then we do a disservice to returning servicemen and servicewomen who die behind the wheel of a car or riding a motorcycle. Veterans lose their lives this...

REAL GENIUS; Brawn, Button and Barrichello stick it to the big-timers.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: ADAM COOPER The Australian Grand Prix signaled the start of a new world order in Formula One, as Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello completed an extraordinary clean sweep for the Brawn GP team. Just 23 days after the...

Freshly Squeezed; NEW AUDI WINS 12 HOURS OF SEBRING, WILL BE HARD TO STOP AT LE MANS.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: GARY WATKINS AUDI TURNED UP AT Sebring International Raceway for the American Le Mans Series season opener with a brand-new car, the R15 TDI, and narrowly beat Peugeot's proven contender. So the German manufacturer, which now...

THE WIRE.(NEWS)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Bruno Senna, 25-year-old nephew of late Formula One star Ayrton Senna, will drive for the French Oreca prototype team in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 2008 GP2 Series runner-up will also contest the first two rounds of the Le Mans Series in...

Great Shades.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... In time for the glint and shimmer of spring, here are some of the hottest new sunglasses on the market.

2009 LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP560-4 SPYDER.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $225,100 DRIVETRAIN: 5.2-liter, 560-hp, 398-lb-ft V10; AWD, six-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 3,417 lb 0-62 MPH: 4.0 sec (mfr) FUEL ECONOMY: 15 mpg (mfr)

FAST FIVE MICHAEL ANDRETTI.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Michael Andretti, CART's 1991 champion, is one of the most decorated individuals in Indy-car racing, and his postdriving career includes roles as a co-owner of Andretti Green Racing, the father of Marco Andretti and the promoter of races in St....

Spyder, Man! LAMBORGHINI WEAVES MAGIC INTO A NEW GALLARDO CONVERTIBLE.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: MICHAEL TAYLOR A CORNER LIKE THIS would have worried the old Gallardo Spyder and would have worried the driver a lot more. It's a piece of extreme engineering that demands a piece of extreme machinery. The Spyder's 560 hp punches...

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... 1 The Shoals, Muscle Shoals, 36 holes 2 Hampton Cove, Huntsville, 36 holes 3 Oxmoor Valley, Birmingham, 36 holes 4 Silver Lakes, Anniston/Gadsden, 27 holes 5 Ross Bridge, Hoover, 18 holes 6 Capitol Hill, Prattville, 54...

2010 AUDI S5 CABRIOLET.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... ON SALE: October BASE PRICE: $59,000 (est) DRIVETRAIN: 3.0-liter, 333-hp, 325-lb-ft V6; AWD, seven-speed semiautomatic CURB WEIGHT: 4,134 lb 0-62 MPH: 5.6 sec (mfr) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 20 mpg (est)

First Quarter.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged AS-TESTED PRICE: $66,675 MILES DRIVEN: 9,354 FUEL ECONOMY: 21.9 mpg FUEL COST: $1,397.66 DAYS OUT OF SERVICE: None MAINTENANCE: Install winter tires ($236)

2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $30,995 DRIVETRAIN: 6.2-liter, 426-hp, 420-lb-ft V8; RWD, six-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 3,860 lb 0-60 MPH: 4.7 sec FUEL ECONOMY: 20 mpg (est)

2010 BMW Z4.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... ON SALE: May 9 BASE PRICE: $52,475 DRIVETRAIN: 3.0-liter, 300-hp, 300-lb-ft I6; RWD, seven-speed semiautomatic CURB WEIGHT: 3,494 lb 0-60 MPH: 5.0 sec (est) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): N/A

WELL, MY DAD SAID IT WAS OK . . .(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Reuters reports that an airplane with 80 passengers aboard nearly crashed upon landing at Legazpi airport in the central Philippinesbecause a man was teaching his girlfriend to drive on the airport's runway. The plane touched down momentarily...

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE...(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Press Release That Made Us Say, In Other Breaking News, Tires Are Made of Rubber: "Automotive Loyalty Suffers with Model Termination, According to Polk

Who Needs Fast and Furious?(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... There's no reason to put your life and license on the line racing illegally on your local streets when you can do it safely at home. We have two copies of EA's "Need for Speed Undercover in Xbox 360 format that we'll give to two lucky BWTM...

SOCIETY NOTES: TOE-TAPPIN' DEPT.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... A grizzled insider, upon seeing the face of the Marek Reichmann-designed Aston Martin Lagonda sport-utility vehicle concept: "It's got the grille of a 13-year-old High School Musical-loving girl with brand-new orthodontic headgear.

HYPERVENTILATING HYPERLINKS.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... What would Jesus drive? http://tinyurl.com/dzbakz OXYMORON OF THE WEEK Oversized, pimped-out scooters http://tinyurl.com/cg32af

2010 FORD MUSTANG GT CONVERTIBLE.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $33,845 DRIVETRAIN: 4.6-liter, 315-hp, 325-lb-ft V8; RWD, five-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 3,649 lb (mfr est) 0-60 MPH: N/A FUEL ECONOMY (EPA/AW): 19/23 mpg

The Next F1; MCLAREN PLANS REPLACEMENT FOR LEGENDARY SUPERCAR.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: MICHAEL TAYLOR Formula One powerhouse McLaren secretly has begun work on a replacement for its legendary F1 supercar, while it also gears up to become a mainstream sports-car maker. McLaren's Technology Center in Woking,...

FLASH.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... IN GENERAL Right or wrong, Rick Wagoner is out as General Motors chairman and CEO, replaced by Fritz Henderson, president and COO. Wagoner resigned on March 29 under pressure from the Obama administration, as a condition of additional...

2009 INFINITI G37 CONVERTIBLE.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... ON SALE: June 19 BASE PRICE: $40,000-$50,000 (mfr est) DRIVETRAIN: 3.7-liter, 325-hp V6; RWD, six-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 4,095 lb 0-60 MPH: 6.5-7.0 sec (est) FUEL ECONOMY: N/A

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE . . . PRIZE PACK!(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Send us a rant or a rave, and if yours is featured in the April 20 issue, you will win a copy of the new BWTM compilation and a T-shirt. Deadline is April 9. Include "BWTM in the subject line or header of your letter.

RESULTS.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... TRACK: ALBERT PARK CIRCUIT 3.295-MILE ROAD COURSE DATE: MARCH 29 1. Jenson Button, Brawn-Mercedes, 58 laps at 121.648 mph avg. speed; 2. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn-Mercedes, 58; 3. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes, 58; 4. Timo...

RESULTS.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... TRACK: SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY 3.7-MILE ROAD COURSE DATE: MARCH 21 LMP1 1. A. McNish/D. Capello/ T. Kristensen, Audi R15 TDI, 383 laps at 117.986 mph avg. speed; 2. F. Montagny/ S. Sarrazin/S. Bourdais, Peugeot 908 HDi,...

Opening Panamera's Box; LOOKS MAY NOT BE EVERYTHING, BUT THEY DO COUNT FOR A LOT- ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE A PORSCHE.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: GREG KABLE & NATALIE NEFF There's no mistaking it for anything but a Porsche, but with four doors and four full seats, the Panamera is like no previous Porsche. Styled by a team of in-house designers under the direction of...

Extreme Class; Mercedes unveils 2010 E63 AMG.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER Mercedes-Benz's AMG performance division chief, Volker Mornhinweg, offers this procedure for those who want to get the most out of the all-new 2010 E63 AMG: Step 1. Fully depress brake pedal. Step 2. Shift...

SILVER SUNDAY; Johnson wins at Martinsville on the 25th anniversary of Hendrick's first Cup victory.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: AL PEARCE Team owner Rick Hendrick scored his first Cup Series win in April 1984 at Martinsville Speedway in his beloved southern Virginia. It came from legendary crew chief Harry Hyde and upstart driver Geoffrey Bodine, whom the...

No British show in 2010.(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... > Britain's motor show, which last summer was gaining international stature after moving to the Excel Center in London, is off for 2010 and faces an uncertain future. The even-year show would return in 2012, but by then, the venueand most of...

Cash for Clunkers; German program a huge success, but is it ready for prime time in America?(NEWS)
April 6, 2009... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER & GREG KABLE One proposed solution to prop up new-car sales in the United States involves paying bonuses to owners of older vehicles who send their cars to the scrapyard and buy new ones. Proponents say that not...

DIFFUSER DEBACLE.
April 6, 2009... - The controversy over the double diffuser designs used in Melbourne by Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams F1 should be resolved at an FIA Court of Appeal hearing in Paris on April 14. Those teams exploited a loophole to create more efficient...

CASTRONEVES STILL IN COURT.
April 6, 2009... Helio Castroneves's federal tax-evasion trial continued in Miami as AutoWeek went to press. The two-time Indy 500 winner owes $2.3 million in unpaid taxes stemming from unreported income and improper deductions during a period from 1999 to...

THE WIRE.(Indianapolis 500 (Automobile race))(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Lloyd Ruby, considered the greatest Indy 500 competitor never to win the MayClassic, died on March 23 in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was 81. Indy Racing League officials said they could add as many as two races to the2010 season, one likely in...

SCOREBOARD.(Tony chumacher, Kevin Harvick and Mike Skinner have been awarded)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... NHRA: At Houston Raceway Park on March 29, Top Fuel champ Tony chumacher won for the first time this year. He beat teammate Cory McClenathan, 3.881 seconds at 314.75 mph to 3.880 seconds at 313.66 mph. Ashley Force Hood (Ford Mustang) won the...

CHAMPION'S TIMELINE.(NEWS)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... Feb. 26, 1974 Is born in Haguenau, Alsace, France. 1977-89 Wins Alsace gymnastics championship four times; places fifth in all-France championship. 1992 Writes off parents' car at age 18. Plans career as electrician. 1998 Enters...

TALKING POINTS.(Sebastien Loeb)(Interview)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... AutoWeek: Did you ever imagine you would win this much? Sebastien Loeb: I think it was impos-sible to imagine that. I took every rally one at a time and wanted to do my best. Finally, one day, we beat [Sainz's] record. AW: Which wins stand out...

ELECTRIC VETERANS; The people who made the EV1 happen are still revolutionizing the auto industry.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... Byline: KEVIN A. WILSON Ten years afterward, critics of General Motors often cite the cancellation of the EV1 electric-car program as evidence of the company's failure. The car itself, launched in California and parts of Arizona in 1996...

2-WHEEL LOWDOWN; OHM XU700 ELECTRIC BICYCLE.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... Byline: Mark Vaughn This is one of the best electric bicycles available. You can pedal it almost as easily as a standard cycle, since it weighs just 52 pounds. It has as much power as we ever needed. But the $3,450 price is a zinger. ...

Land Rover retools its lineup.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... Byline: JULIAN RENDELL Land Rover went through a golden period a few years back and knocked out three vital new models in a significant range expansion. Now those modelsthe Range Rover, the Range Rover Sport and the LR3are in line for...

Plug-in Puzzlers; LIMITED PARKING COULD HAMPER RECHARGING.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... Byline: JULIAN RENDELL General Motors' Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid undoubtedly will break the mold when it goes on sale in 2010. But owners of the European version, the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera (on sale in late 2011)or Volt owners who live...

SCOREBOARD.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... A1 GP: At Portugal's Algarve Circuit, IndyCar Series driver Robert Doornbos won the sprint race for Team Netherlands. Adam Carroll (Ireland) was second, and Filipe Albuquerque (Portugal) was third. IndyCar's Marco Andretti finished 12th. In the...

SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM; ELECTRIC RACING GAINS POPULARITY.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH SHAWN WAGGONER ORGANIZED the Fourth Annual Battery Beach Burnout in Jupiter, Fla., and despite what you might infer from the event's name, racing was involved. "I grew up in Daytona Beach in the shadow of the...

PRO FILE SEBASTIEN LOEB; Meet the man some say is the world's greatest driver.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... Byline: JERRY WILLIAMS SEBASTIEN LOEB scored his 50th world championship win recently in Cyprus (Competition, March 23), a landmark followed by win No. 51 in Portugal on April 5. It took him only seven years, whereas the previous record...

Mosley Wants "World Engine'.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... The race is on to produce a single engine platform capable of sustaining Formula One, the World Rally Championship and perhaps the IndyCar Series as well, FIA president Max Mosley announced at the WRC Rally de Portugal during the weekend of...

WATERED DOWN; Button and Brawn GP win rain-shortened Malaysia race.
April 20, 2009... Byline: ADAM COOPER After just one victory in his first nine seasons, Jenson Button won on a rainy afternoon in Malaysia when all of the top runners hit trouble, kicking off 2009 with two dominant wins. Button crossed the finish line...

LEAD-OFF HITTER; IN ST. PETERSBURG, BRISCOE WINS THE FIRST RACE OF THE INDYCAR SEASON.
April 20, 2009... Byline: CURT CAVIN THE INDYCAR SERIES SEASON OPEN-er provided everything reality TV could ask for: heroes, villains and Danica Patrick in the middle of a mess. First things first: Ryan Briscoe won the Honda Grand Prix of St....

FRESH AIR IN TEXAS; JEFF GORDON ENDS THE LONGEST WINLESS STREAK OF HIS CAREER.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... Byline: AL PEARCE AMONG THE FIRST THINGS teams learned about NASCAR's twitchy Car of Tomorrow two years ago was its fondness for clean air. In crunch time, when the checkered flag is almost in sight, track position trumps everything. So it...

DOIN' THE HORBURY SHUFFLE.(Ford Motor Co.)(Peter Horbury)(Interview)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... Byline: ROGER HART Ford shuffled its design lineup, naming Moray Callum executive director for its Americas operations, replacing Peter Horbury, who is returning to Volvo. Horbury fills the slot vacated by Stephen Mattin, who left the...

RESULTS.(Texas Motor Speedway)
April 20, 2009... TRACK: TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY 1.5-MILE QUAD-OVAL DATE: APRIL 5 1. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 334 laps at 146.372 mph avg. speed; 2. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 334; 3. Greg Biffle, Ford, 334; 4. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 334; 5. Matt...

Re: Volt.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... Byline: Kevin A. Wilson DEAR WHITE HOUSE CAR CZARS: Couldn't help but notice in the March 30 report on General Motors by the federal automotive task force that you say: "While the Volt holds promise, it is currently projected to be...

TESLA'S SECOND ACT; Model S Hatchback Can Seat Seven.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Electric-car start-up Tesla rolled out its second automobile last week, the Model S hatchback. It looked like a BMW to some and like a late-model European Mazda 626 to others. But there it was, solid evidence that Tesla...

Goodwood Hosts Audi Birthday Party.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... Byline: JULIAN RENDELL Most of the surviving Auto Union Grand Prix race cars will star in Audi's centenary celebration at July's Goodwood Festival of Speed. > As many as six of the cars are expected at Lord March's automotive garden party,...

FLASH.(NEWS)
April 20, 2009... NO M3 FIGHTER Mercedes-Benz has decided not to replace its BMW M3-chasing CLK63 AMG. In a move that hints at a possible consolidation of its broad model lineup, the German carmaker says it does not plan to produce an AMG version of the...