AutoWeek articles from August 2004

AutoWeek archives from August 2004

THE COLLECTION GROWS; The Gilmore Car Museum welcomes three new additions.(Revs)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Byline: ANDREW LUU Make a pilgrimage to the home state of the Motor City and one place the enthusiast road map will point you to is the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners on Michigan's western side. If the museum's 90-acre showcase of...

AW Spies.(News)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
August 2, 2004... We've already seen a few spy shots of the next-generation BMW 3 Series-look for lots of photos and a complete dossier in an upcoming issue-but we really liked these snaps taken by California reader Bernard Wang. Wang spied this heavily...

DARIO'S DAY; Franchitti takes Milwaukee.(Motorsports)
August 2, 2004... Byline: CURT CAVIN The former runner-up in the open-wheel series we longingly remember as CART, Dario Franchitti has essentially been the overlooked driver at Andretti Green Racing. Finally, it was his day in the Indy Racing League. ...

THAT OL' SPONSORSHIP THING; Why NASCAR won't let Crown Royal in.(Motorsports)
August 2, 2004... Byline: AL PEARCE Geoff Smith scans the motorsports landscape and wonders. He sees Crown Royal embraced as the title sponsor of IROC. He sees six NASCAR drivers wearing Crown Royal colors in IROC races that are carried on network TV. He...

RIGHT BACK IN THE GAME; Newman-Haas fumbles; Tracy recovers.(Motorsports)
August 2, 2004... Byline: BILL McGUIRE Paul Tracy has no intention of going quietly. Though his hopes for defending his first Champ Car title had faded in recent weeks, at Vancouver he demonstrated the fight is far from over. Tracy qualified on the pole...

BIOLOGICAL DRIVE; One man's quest to put corn in your car.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Barring a major meteor strike, by the time you read this, Australian Shaun Murphy will have completed his eight-month, 16,000-mile circumnavigation of the United States, completely gasoline-free. Murphy is trying to...

Owners say...(Auto File)
August 2, 2004... The Malibu feels tight, quick and nimble and has plenty of room. The amazingly comfortable interior is GM's best effort in this class in years and has many thoughtful details. In almost 800 miles the only issues have been a front-end alignment...

SPECS & DATA.(Auto File)
August 2, 2004... MANUFACTURER INFO Chevrolet Motor Division General Motors Corp. 100 Renaissance Center Detroit MI 48265-1000 Customer assistance: (800) 222-1020 Internet address: chevrolet.com Country of origin: United States...

Drivers Log.(News)
August 2, 2004... 2004 Hyundai Accent GT Date in fleet: July 14-28 As-tested price: $11,937 Powertrain: 1.6-liter I4; fwd, five-speed manual Output: 103 hp @ 5800 rpm, 106 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm Curb weight: 2280 pounds WILSON: Hyundais always seem to be like...

Events.(Calendar)(Car Show)(Calendar)
August 2, 2004... Sept. 29-Oct. 3 Fall Carlisle Carlisle, Pa. Visit carsatcarlisle.com or call (717) 243-7855 for more on this 30th annual collector car show. Oct. 1-3 Lonestar Nationals Fort Worth, Texas At the Texas Motor...

Paper Vroom.(Column)(Column)
August 2, 2004... Byline: Kevin A. Wilson We call this an auto enthusiast magazine, with some pride in our focus on the reader who is passionate about cars and driving, as opposed to being merely interested. If you go back to the origins of the term...

AIR BULL! Lamborghini launches the open-top Murcielago and ignites the summertime afterburners.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: MATT DAVIS How fitting that just prior to our mid-July drive of Lamborghini's latest model, the news wires trumpeted the six-day tally of gored tourists at the annual running of the bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain. Yep,...

TV - Aug. 6-8.(News)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 2, 2004... Friday, Aug. 6 Speed GT Championship from Portland, Ore., 2 p.m., Speed Classic Adelaide from Adelaide, Australia, 4 p.m., Speed Trackside at Indianapolis, 7 p.m., Speed (L) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Midyear Review, 8 p.m.,...

IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD MAXX; When you want to stand out, the quirky Malibu wagon fits the bill.(Auto File)
August 2, 2004... The Chevrolet Malibu has been in the lineup for years, doing simply okay. But now the company is switching things around a bit. With the 2004 Malibu Maxx, released late last year, Chevy is trying to put a little juice into the midsize...

Flash.(Briefs)
August 2, 2004... What gives, pops? Michael Andretti usually is on the same wavelength with his famous father Mario, who won the Formula One world championship in 1978. Not this time. Mario recently made noise about the family (those two plus Michael's...

LEHTO AND WERNER TAKE PORTLAND.(Competition)
August 2, 2004... JJ Lehto and Marco Werner set an American Le Mans Series record with their fourth straight overall victory, taking the Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway. Their Champion Racing Audi R8 spun twice after contact with...

No Torque, More Power.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: MATT DAVIS During a fitting of the all-conquering and record-setting Lotus 119c "streamliner'' at this year's Goodwood Festival soapbox race, a woman's voice on the hand-held radio said, "Well, cut off his feet!'' That was clearly...

But Wait, There's More...(BWTM)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Dealer notification from the Twilight Zone Westbury Toyota is in desperate need to acquire several pre-owned 1993 Mercury Sables in order to fulfill special used-vehicle requests. Our records indicate you own one of these vehicles and our...

Flash.(Briefs)
August 2, 2004... Ford GT power for Panoz? Nobody's saying much about it, but don't be surprised if a carbon fiber-bodied Panoz now in development ends up with the Ford GT's supercharged 5.4-liter V8 as its powerplant. Word is Panoz is working on a deal to...

Fast Poll.(News)
August 2, 2004... Enthusiasts say the Porsche 997 is a great sports car, but disagree as to whether the 911 should evolve into a more modern design or retain its traditional design cues. After seeing the images of the new 997, all I could think about was...

NOT YOUR GRANDPAPPY'S SUBURBAN; 2006 Chevy HHR: a throwback to post-World War II ute.(News)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER Chevrolet's second stab at the retro-cute market arrives next year in the form of the 2006 HHR. These HHR spy shots arrived at about the same time as sales figures for the far more expensive SSR pickup revealed that...

I Wanna Be Like Mike; Ferrari's flagship road car gets even more of the racing good stuff.(News)
August 2, 2004... Byline: NATALIE NEFF When simply driving like a Formula One car isn't enough, now you can stop like one, too. Ferrari has made its Ceramic Composite Material (CCM) brakes available on its flagship front-engine V12 car, the 575M...

Letters.
August 2, 2004... Happy retirement, Al Dutch, I enjoyed your June 19 column on Al Unser Jr. I thought your column about Al two years ago was pretty harsh because you wanted him to leave the sport in shame. I wrote you back then to criticize your column and...

Ignorance is BLIS.(News)
August 9, 2004... Byline: NATALIE NEFF In its never-ending pursuit to build the world's safest cars, Volvo has developed the Blind Spot Information System-BLIS, for short. The camera-based system signals the presence of a car in either side-rear blind spot...

COUPE REVIEW.(News)(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... We've covered Porsche's plans for the next-generation Boxster convertible in considerable detail (July 5, May 10), but it has been almost a year since last we spied a prototype of the roadster's hardtop cousin (Aug. 11, 2003)-and quite a bit...

But Wait, There's More...(BWTM)(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... So that's why Lucas got its eclectic electric reputation... Steve Haywood, chief program engineer on the Land Rover LR3, was animated while talking about the all-new vehicle. He noted thusly, "Engineers, and particularly British engineers,...

On this date.(News)(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Mark it down: Aug. 4, 2004. That's the date Ford made good on its Ford GT promises by delivering the first production GT for public sale (chassis No. 10-the first nine were reserved for internal use) to retired Microsoft executive Jon Shirley....

THE ULTIMATE COUNTRY SQUIRE; New shooting brake is the granddaddy of wagons.(News)
August 9, 2004... Byline: MATT DAVIS No, this isn't the first time there has been a powerful Aston Martin shooting brake, but it is the first shooting brake made in Italy and based on the V12 Vanquish. Given the generally clumsy look of most modified luxury...

In the Beginning There Was Jet.(News)(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... It was a young Giorgio Giugiaro, then at Bertone, who created the original Jet concept based on a DB4 GT in 1961. The aero coupe was shown at the Geneva and Turin salons of that year, but sadly it was never produced. This study, which sits on...

50 YEARS OF THE GULLWING.(News)(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Byline: KEN ROSS When Mercedes-Benz unveiled its 300SL in February 1954 at the International Motor Sports Show in New York, a crowning automotive achievement was born. Conceived as a purpose-built racer, the 300SL was put into...

Drivers Log.(News)
August 9, 2004... 2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Date in fleet: July 16-30 As-tested price: $46,895 Powertrain: 3.2-liter supercharged V6; rwd, five-speed automatic Output: 330 hp @ 6100 rpm, 310 lb-ft @ 3500-4800 rpm Curb weight: 3240 pounds WILSON: If...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
August 9, 2004... VW beats M-B, provokes double takes How embarrassing for Mercedes to have the S-Class break down before finishing the DoubleTake comparison test (July 26). First Mercedes loses quality because it's busy trying to make small cars. Then...

CARRYOUT CARS; Former Subaru distributor may import cheap transportation from China.(News)(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Byline: LARRY EDSALL At age 75, David Shelburg isn't ready to be put out to pasture, although he enjoys occasional trips back to his family's homestead in Iowa where he drives the 1947 Frazer he bought as a youngster when he was working...

Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
August 9, 2004... Oct. 6-9 AACA Eastern Division National Fall Meet Hershey, Pa. For details on this Antique Automobile Club of America event call (717) 534-1910 or visit aaca.org. Oct. 8-10 NSRA Southeast Street Rod Nationals Tampa,...

Fast Poll.(News)(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... The controversies of this racing season lead enthusiasts to believe many of the same issues will still be around for 2005. The IRL made a big mistake by changing the engine formula midseason, but Honda got it right out of the box, and will...

VIVE L'AERO! Petersen Museum celebrates the age of the teardrop.(Revs)
August 9, 2004... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Consider the shape that a drop of water or, if you want to be a romantic, a tear makes as it falls. Now apply that shape to four fenders, a hood, cowl and tail of a car. That image is featured at French Curves: The...

IS MORE SEAT TIME GOOD? What do car owners think about their investments driving other race cars?(Motorsports)
August 9, 2004... Byline: AL PEARCE Even now, almost three weeks after, the videotape from Infineon Raceway remains unsettling. It shows Nextel Cup star Dale Earnhardt Jr. dazed and slumped forward as fire engulfs the cockpit of his Corvette. He finally...

SO MUCH FOR LISTENING; Tony Kanaan has to settle for second place to Buddy Rice.(Motorsports)
August 9, 2004... Byline: CURT CAVIN There are bound to be these kinds of days, an irritated Tony Kanaan said. But that doesn't make them easier to accept. Kanaan was riding around the ultra-fast Michigan International Speedway last Sunday, enjoying a...

LEANER AND MEANER; The sixth-generation Corvette really delivers.
August 9, 2004... Byline: WES RAYNAL Virginia International Raceway is a hidden gem. Located in Alton, Virginia, it opened for business in 1957. Over the years the legends ran there-Penske, Donohue, Foyt and Shelby. The track fell into disrepair in the...

TV: Aug. 13-16.(News)(Calendar)
August 9, 2004... AutoWeek: 2005 Hummer H2 SUT, 2004 Honda S2000, Penske Racing Museum Sunday 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 p.m. Speed Channel * * * Friday, Aug. 13 Formula One practice from Hungary, 8 a.m., Speed (L) NASCAR Live from...

Flash.(Briefs)
August 9, 2004... Rahal to sports cars? Bobby Rahal is seeking to run Aston Martin's new GT racer (AW, July 26) in the American Le Mans Series. Rahal revealed he is in talks with Prodrive Engineering, which is masterminding Aston's re-entry into motorsports...

FERRARI TAKES SPA.(Competition)
August 9, 2004... Ferrari triumphed in the Spa 24 Hour endurance classic after a thrilling battle between two quite different Italian racing machines. The Belgian round of the FIA GT championship quickly distilled down to a fight between the Prodrive-built 550...

Flash.(Briefs)
August 9, 2004... Hand-built Z06 engines The brand spanking new General Motors Performance Build Center will tackle its first project by next summer-the hand-built LS7 V8 for the next-generation Corvette Z06. The center in Wixom, Michigan, can produce up to...

Same Hymn, Different Chord.(Column)(Column)
August 9, 2004... Byline: Dutch Mandel A Page-One, above-the-fold headline in the local Sunday paper shouted to sleepy-eyed readers that the government wanted to take a different tack in the War on Traffic Deaths. The article suggested the feds would shift...

IT'S NOT A MUSEUM; The new Heritage Center quacks like a duck, but it doesn't yet waddle like one.(News)(General Motors Heritage Center)
August 9, 2004... Byline: KEVIN A. WILSON General Motors may have been late waking up to the value of its own significant history, but with its centennial looming in 2008, the company is gathering its resources for a mighty blowout. And it's about time it...

KENNY BROWN A3 AVIATOR; Flying in style.(Special Report)
August 16, 2004... Byline: NATALIE NEFF Kenny Brown knows a little something about performance. Anyone who has driven one of his tuner cars-say, the 475-hp Ford Mustang Cobra S or 450-hp supercharged Mercury Marauder S-can bear witness to that. But the...

Extreme SUT; SMA FOX 360 HUMMER H2 SUT.(Special Report)
August 16, 2004... Byline: DUTCH MANDEL Jason Plotke doesn't allow fortune to pass. So when GM officials, who had watched Plotke's company, SMA, do aftermarket wizardry with the Hummer H1, GM sought out some H2 magic. But first SMA had an engineering...

Fast Poll.(News)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Despite the Murcielago Roadster's unmistakable looks and formidable 580-hp V12, many enthusiasts say that isn't enough to justify the Lamborghini's $320,000 price tag. The Murcielago looks like a drop-top stealth fighter: funky, edgy and...

STRAIGHT-LINE SCREAMER; Viper-powered Ram tops the pickup field. For now.(Auto File)
August 16, 2004... In the land of big bad trucks, the 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 is the biggest and baddest of all. No, it won't climb rocks with the Hummers, or ford streams with the F-150s, or tow like a Silverado. But pick a straight line-anywhere, anytime-and it...

TAKING THE TUBE TO THE RACE.(Revs)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Byline: BILL McGUIRE Few things can top attending a car race, as the colors, sounds and excitement just can't be captured on the tube. But sometimes it's better to stay home and watch on TV, since at a race so much action takes place...

AW Spies.(News)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Ford's plan for a major overhaul of the midsize Explorer looks to be on hold until at least the 2007 model year, judging by this reader shot of an Explorer with camouflage hiding just a restyled front end, grille and rear fascia. AutoWeek...

Owners say...(Auto File)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... I have about 1200 miles on my Ram and I love it. The six-speed is a blast. I find it easy to drive. Anybody can take it on a cross-country road trip or run down the quarter-mile without a problem. It also handles very well for its size. People...

On Borrowed Time; WAVARMADA.(Special Report)
August 16, 2004... Byline: MARK VAUGHN If you could live your own little Walter Mitty racing fantasy, who would you be? Schumacher? Fangio? How about John Morton in the 1971-72 Trans-Am? Chris Horn would probably pick Morton. Horn owns two Datsun 510s,...

It's a Dodgesubishi; MITSUBISHI SPORT TRUCK CONCEPT.(Special Report)
August 16, 2004... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Remember all those Mitsubishi truck tailgates where the owners spelled out different words with the letters M-I-T-S-U-B-I-S-H-I? Some were rude, but our favorite was "IT'S SUSHI.'' Well, when the all-new Mitsubishi...

Da Shop; NON-STOCK FOR SHAQ.(Special Report)
August 16, 2004... Byline: MARK VAUGHN On the day we visited the place that builds his cars, the big man was not in. Those in his inner circle, not his innermost inner circle but the one close enough to build his cars, call Shaquille O'Neal simply,...

The Happy Traveller.(Escape Roads)
August 16, 2004... Byline: ERIC TEGLER In postwar Britain the ubiquitous Morris Minor was a model of functionality, perfect for navigating narrow U.K. roads, serving the Royal Mail and the average bloke with equal aplomb. So successful was this Alec...

OUTING THE IN-HOUSE TUNERS.(News)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... With this issue of AutoWeek chock full of tuned trucks and sport/utility vehicles, we'd be remiss if we didn't take a peek at future tuners still in development at the major manufacturers. Here is a handful our spies have spotted in recent...

BUTTON RETURNS TO WILLIAMS.(Competition)
August 16, 2004... BAR-Honda's Jenson Button will join Mark Webber at BMW WilliamsF1 for 2005, returning to the team where he began his Grand Prix career in 2000. Button, 24, left Williams after one season to make way for Juan Pablo Montoya, who moves to McLaren...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
August 16, 2004... Kicking SSR when its sales are down I thought the Chevy HHR photo (News, Aug. 2) was the '06 PT Cruiser. Besides the rear view, it looks like the PT. But it may be the right idea, unlike its SSR predecessor that is priced way too high. Then...

Flash.(Briefs)
August 16, 2004... Not so fast Plans to open the American Le Mans Series to four-door cars (AW, July 26) have met with criticism from the teams the new cars would go up against. ALMS organizers want a new class similar in rules and performance to the GT...

C-PLUS-PLUS; Hotter hardware reprograms the Chrysler 300C SRT-8.(News)
August 16, 2004... Byline: KEVIN A. WILSON When the first Chrysler 300 was built in the 1950s the appendage of a letter to its numeric name denoted the gentleman's performance sedan, the one with the high-output engine and attendant upgrades. Today, too, the...

C'mon into the Clubhouse.(Column)(Column)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Rich Ceppos Whether you know it or not, you are a member of a club. If you subscribe to this magazine or if you were compelled to procure it by other, nefarious means in order to enjoy its priceless prose, you are by definition a...

MASSACRE IN THE WABASH TERRITORY; Jeff Gordon crushes the field and makes history with a fourth Brickyard Win.(Motorsports)
August 16, 2004... Byline: BILL McGUIRE To whatever extent the achievements can be compared, Jeff Gordon now joins an elite group: those drivers who have won four major events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With his dominating victory in the Brickyard...

DRIVING BLIND; Oh deer, here come the humans again.(News)
August 16, 2004... Byline: WILLIAM JEANES Those of you who recoil, pun intended, at turning Bambi and Thumper into precious memories, just turn the page. The rest of you can read on and learn about Texan Douglas Maund's modified Ford F-350. In the...

But Wait, There's More...(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... ** If you follow NBA basketball, you probably know one of Shaquille O'Neal's nicknames is "Big Diesel,''-'cuz he's the engine that drives the team. Shaq's car guy, Albert Pineda of Da Shop (page 26) made a personalized plate for Big Diesel's...

LUCKY FROM 13TH; Alex Tagliani wins his first Champ Car race.(Motorsports)(Column)
August 16, 2004... Byline: J.P. VETTRAINO Whoever coined the phrase about love and war might have included racing in the "all's fair'' category. Racing has rules, to be sure, but sometimes the rules work for you and sometimes they work against you. At the...

Not just for fun; ASC CHEVROLET SSR BLACKBIRD 425.(Special Report)
August 16, 2004... Byline: MIKE SUTTON As cool as Chevrolet's retro-cruiser might look, critics of the SSR point to its excess weight, saying it's under-powered and lacks the handling ability expected of a sport truck. American Specialty Cars, having worked...

Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
August 16, 2004... Oct. 14-17 Formula Car Festival Alton, Va. Call (404) 298-3323 or visit svra.com for more on this Virginia International Raceway event. Oct. 15-17 The Branson Auction Branson, Mo. Details on this collector car...

Drivers Log.(News)
August 16, 2004... 2004 Mercury Mountaineer Premier Date in fleet: July 7-21 As-tested price: $41,155 Powertrain: 4.6-liter V8; awd, five-speed automatic Output: 239 hp @ 4000 rpm, 282 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm Curb weight: 4523 pounds GRITZINGER: Mercury's...

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS; Roush Performance's Stage 3 F-150 takes the edge off the wait for the next SVT Lightning.(Special Vehicles Team (ford))
August 16, 2004... Byline: MAC MORRISON It's past midnight on a warm summer night and suburbia is fast asleep. Most of it, anyway. The mall rent-a-cop roves the parking lot in a light-bar-equipped Geo Tracker. First thought is: "No good,'' but just then he...

AutoFile Needs You!(Auto File)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... We seek comments from owners of these vehicles: Lamborghini Gallardo, MazdaSpeed Miata, Audi S4, Infiniti QX56, BMW X3, Chrysler 300C, BMW 5 Series, Cadillac XLR. We need to know when you bought it, what you paid, your opinions and other...

Owners say...(Auto File)
August 16, 2004... I am extremely satisfied. The SSR has enough power to get me where I need to go and it really sticks in the corners. I use it as a daily driver and an autocrosser. I've had my share of problems, but a great service department has fixed...

Television: August 20-22.(News)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... AutoWeek: Volkswagen Beetle Alien Fest, 2004 Infiniti G35X, Triumph TR6 Sunday 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 p.m. Speed Channel * * * Friday, Aug. 20 USAR Pro Cup from South Boston, Va., 11 a.m., Speed NASCAR Busch...

Specs & Data.(Auto File)(Company Profile)
August 16, 2004... MANUFACTURER INFO Chevrolet Motor Division General Motors Corp. 100 Renaissance Center Detroit MI 48265-1000 Customer assistance: (800) 222-1020 Internet address: chevrolet.com Country of origin: United States...

Pulled Over in a Strange Land.(Column)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Matt Davis It didn't register until I heard several high-pitched beeps in my left ear. I was being pulled over by one of Italy's finest. You know the feeling that floods over you at that moment, when you either see the flashing...

PAY-PER-VIEW FROM THE BACK SEAT.(Special Report)
August 16, 2004... Byline: MIKE SUTTON Due to KVH Industries, satellite television is quickly becoming the latest accessory in rear-seat movie theaters. But it's KVH's new TracVision A5 system-featuring a patented low-profile, roof-mounted antenna-that makes...

DO OVER; Paint your car with ease, again and again and again...(News)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Byline: MIKE SUTTON Jaw-dropping custom paint is the best way to get your ride noticed, but what if you could have a different custom paint job every month? Enter Magic Colors' Remove It Permanent Paint System. Magic Colors paint is a...

Flash.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Our new and improved autoweek.com website is up and running. Read all about our latest endeavor in AutoWeek Publisher Rich Ceppos' column on page 12. Xtreme makeover At some as-yet-undefined point in the future, Chevrolet promises a...

Specs & Data.(Auto File)(Company Profile)
August 16, 2004... MANUFACTURER INFO DaimlerChrysler Corp. 1000 Chrysler Drive Auburn Hills MI 48326-2776 Customer assistance: (800) 423-6343 Internet address: dodge.com Country of origin: United States Number of dealers: 3000...

RINSPEED CHOPSTER; Would you like chopped Cayenne with that?(News)(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Rinspeed's first tuner project was a 1979 Volkswagen Golf, which got some nice chrome trim around the doors in a style that would have made any Bangkok cabdriver proud. In the ensuing 25 years its Porsche, BMW and...

SUPER SHOW, NOT MUCH GO; Chevy's SSR looks like a hot rod, but goes like a truck.(Auto File)
August 16, 2004... Chevrolet's SSR is an example of a concept that sizzled on the show floor but fizzles in reality. SSR (for Super Sport Roadster) wowed us at the 2000 Detroit show with its hot-rod looks, Corvette motor and a retro design that paid homage to the...

Tuner Trucks.(Special Report)(Brief Article)(Column)
August 16, 2004... Byline: AUTOWEEK STAFF Even as gasoline hovers around two bucks a gallon with prospects for another run-up looming, U.S. consumers haven't lost their love for trucks. The most recent figures show light truck sales are up yet again, 6...

Famed Duesenberg on the Block.(Revs)
August 16, 2004... Byline: BILL McGUIRE One of the most historically important Duesenbergs in existence was set to go on the auction block Aug. 15 at the Pebble Beach Concours. Gooding & Co. is handling the sale of the Duesenberg Special in which David Abbot...

Corrections/clarifications.(Briefs)
August 16, 2004... Our July 26 wrap-up story on the long-term test Volvo XC90 should have said the vehicle was the subject of three government-mandated safety recalls and nine manufacturer-ordered service campaigns. Dealership invoices for the work listed recalls...