AutoWeek articles from August 2005

AutoWeek archives from August 2005

THE UNEXPECTED; Fernando Alonso stretches his points lead.(Motorsports)
August 1, 2005... Byline: NIGEL ROEBUCK "To finish first, you first have to finish.'' McLaren boss Ron Dennis is fond of quoting that racing cliche, and last Sunday it might well have kept him awake. For the third time this year Kimi Raikkonen's...

AN EXCELLENT EXELERO; Maybach's excessive two-seater certainly won't be built. Probably. Surely not, no? We drive it anyway.(Maybach Exelero)(product information of Maybach)
August 1, 2005... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Batman. That's what you think when you see the Maybach Exelero in all its dark-bodied, four-wheeled fury. "Ja, that's what everyone says,'' said the Mercedes technician prepping the car for our drive. "Batman.''...

Summer road trips.(Model T Yosemite Tour )
August 1, 2005... Byline: Mark Vaughn It's August already, you have vacation time you will wind up desperately trying to use in the last two weeks of December, so why are you still sitting there? Here are three options to get you off that couch, or out of...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2005... Rich Ceppos' column in the July 18 issue should have credited Tom Kearns, Dave Lyon and Scott Wassell with the principal design work on the Cadillac CTS.

Safetyfast; Volvo takes on Corvette, Porsche, Viper & Cadillac. Are these guys crazy or what?(services of Bob Miller)
August 1, 2005... Byline: RICH CEPPOS "Safety Fast'' was once the corporate rallying cry and advertising slogan of MG cars dating back to the late 1920s. That the spidery sports cars from Morris Garages were neither particularly fast nor outstandingly safe...

Events.(Calendar)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... Sept. 30-Oct. 2 Goodguys Lone Star Nationals Fort Worth, Texas For information on this classic rod event call (925) 838-9876 or visit good-guys.com. Sept. 30-Oct. 2 Mopar Super Weekend Topeka, Kan. For details...

AW goings-on.(News)
August 1, 2005... * Online: Mille Miglia and Maybach Exelero extras * On the town: Look for AutoWeek at 4th Annual Corvettes at MIS July 30-31; AutoWeek executives and editors judging at Meadow Brook Concours Aug. 7, Pebble Beach Concours Aug. 21; AutoWeek...

But Wait, There's More...(BWTM)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... HAUTE COUTURE! And you thought floating on an inner tube down a river counted as a clever re-purposing. Richmond, Virginia-based Passchal is pitching environmentally conscious handbags using recycled truck and tractor tire inner tubes...

New Porsche hits the track.(LMP2 )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Porsche's new LMP2 car began track testing ahead of its debut in October's Petit Le Mans enduro at Road Atlanta. The newly named RS Spyder signals the German manufacturer's return to top-line sports car racing. Porsche ran the car at Estoril in...

Taking the Show to the Troops.(OWoF, traveling roadshow for military personnel)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Dutch Mandel As you read this, please realize this is not a political column. It is a column that comes from the heart. As the war in Iraq continues, the convoy for Operation Wheels of Freedom is packing up its gear and heading...

Market.(Mecum Auctions)(1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: KEITH MARTIN Mecum Auctions Rockford, Ill. May 26 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe White with blue vinyl interior. Rare Ram Air V option. 400-cid V8, four-barrel carburetor, four-speed. Engine detailed. New...

WAY-BACK MACHINES; Racing around France like they did 100 years ago.(vintage cars, automobile racing)
August 1, 2005... Byline: LARRY EDSALL With vehicles as old as an 1897 Leon Bollee tandem seater, and with motorists and many spectators wearing period clothing, the centennial celebration of the final Gordon Bennett Cup race provided a time warp to the...

TELEVISION: Aug. 5-7.(News)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... Friday, Aug. 5 USAR Pro Cup Series from Kenly, N.C., noon, Speed Championship Off-Road Racing from Antigo, Wis., 2 p.m., Speed Trackside at Indianapolis, 7 p.m., Speed (L) NASCAR Live from Indianapolis, 8 p.m., Speed (L) ...

Owners say...(Auto File)(Escape Hybrid car)
August 1, 2005... I needed something bigger to fit a new child and his stuff while staying away from the pump as much as possible. The Ford Escape Hybrid offers the most legroom and headroom of all the vehicles I looked at. On top of that, we're getting great...

Drivers Log.(2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2005... 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT Date in fleet: July 5-19 As-tested price: $27,964 Powertrain: 3.8-liter V6; fwd, six-speed manual Output: 263 hp @ 5750 rpm, 260 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm Curb weight: 3472 lbs Fuel mileage (EPA combined/AW observed):...

THE PERFECT COMPROMISE? Escape from excess.(Auto File)(Ford Escape Hybrid)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2005... Is the Ford Escape Hybrid an automotive oxymoron? Here you have an SUV-something Americans just can't seem to get enough of-that silences the critics of automotive excess with an environmentally friendly powertrain. Sort of like having your...

A New Religion; Italy's Mille Miglia is not so much a vintage car tour as it is a life-changing experience.(News)
August 1, 2005... Byline: DUTCH MANDEL If you hit the lottery jackpot, Italy's Mille Miglia is the ultimate prize. You will share passion, emotion and anxiety with the spectators who line the country roads to cheer you on. Complete 1000 miles after three...

Fast Poll.(News)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Readers consider Mercedes-Benz's new R-Class a fancy minivan, and they snarl at its Pacifica-like lines. The R-Class is nothing more than a luxury minivan. When Mercedes realizes this, it can fire its marketing department and sell these to...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Bangle still bungling Rich Ceppos (July 18) says the jury is still out on the Bangle butt. I say bull. If you ignore the exteriors, the new BMWs are probably better in every way than the cars they replace, but these terrific vehicles are...

That Mediterranean Air.(Southern Europe, air pollution)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Matt Davis Recently I had the honor of being asked to share my thoughts on the future of mass-produced greener vehicles in Europe. There were experts from the German, American and British markets on hand, and they spoke well on the...

LITTLE TALK, LOTS OF ACTION; Sam Hornish closes the championship gap.(Motorsports)(Sam Hornish Jr., Indy Racing League)
August 1, 2005... Byline: CURT CAVIN Sam Hornish Jr. might be the quietest driver in racing, certainly among those in the Indy Racing League. But after his record-extending 14th victory in the series Sunday at Milwaukee, Hornish was chattier than Team...

ROUSH CROWD POUNDS POCONO; Expect the beatings to continue.(Motorsports)(Vaughn, Mark)
August 1, 2005... Byline: BILL McGUIRE For all its achievements in NASCAR, including two Cup champion- ships in the past two years, Roush Racing has not tasted quite the same success at Pocono. Hard to believe, but while Jack Roush's outfit often runs well...

Defining horsepower.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Mark Vaughn The Society of Automotive Engineers has tightened standards for measuring horsepower, and the results are now showing up on spec charts across America. That's good if you're building Corvette Z06s, which went from 500...

Designer drawing.(News)(automobile designers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Remember that new exotic promised a few months ago by former Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker (April 11)? Here's our first look at the Tramonto from Fisker Coachbuild, a limited-edition 610-hp roadster capable of 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds....

SPECS & DATA.(Auto File)(Ford Motor Co.)
August 1, 2005... MANUFACTURER INFO Ford Motor Co. The American Road Dearborn MI 48121 Customer assistance: (800) 392-3673 Internet address: fordvehicles.com Country of origin: United States Number of dealers: 3500 (est.) ...

Getting Racy 100 Years Ago.(Escape Roads)(Gordon Bennett Cups)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: LARRY EDSALL French driver Leon Thery won the last two Gordon Bennett Cups, in 1904 and 1905, driving a Richard-Brasier racer. Brothers and Parisian bicycle builders George and Max Richard built their first prototype motorcars...

WORLD'S FASTEST HHR.(SoCal Speed Shop)
August 1, 2005... While it remains to be seen how quickly HHRs will fly off showroom floors, this particular HHR will undoubtedly move pretty fast. The SoCal Speed Shop has chopped, channeled, slammed and sauteed this version to run up to 250 mph at the...

HONDA BUILDS A BETTER CIVIC; Still no double wishbones but a CRX is coming in two years.(News)(2006 Honda Civic)
August 1, 2005... Byline: MARK VAUGHN The new 2006 Honda Civic, due this fall, is more fun to drive than the car it replaces, our spies tell us, and there will even be a return of the racer's favorite CRX badge in 2007. That's not bad news, is it? ...

THEIR FINEST DAY; Trying Jenkinson's seat alongside Moss 50 years after Mercedes' epic Mille Miglia victory.(Denis Jenkinson, Stirling Moss )(Interview)
August 1, 2005... Byline: PETE LYONS The Mille Miglia is the only race that ever frightened him, Stirling Moss says. "I was frightened because I knew I didn't know the circuit. A thousand miles; there's no way you can learn it...'' So he turned to a...

Flash.(Briefs)(Kasey Kahne suit Ford Motor Co. )(David Richards will participate in World Rally Championship and Champ Car)(Lola Cars International offers B06/10 LMP1 )
August 1, 2005... Ford vs. Kahne continued Attorneys for Kasey Kahne asked a federal judge in Detroit to dismiss a breach-of-contract suit brought by Ford Motor Co. last year. The automaker alleges when the NASCAR driver signed with Dodge team owner Ray...

Flash.(automobile industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Seeing Solstices If you see Pontiac Solstice roadsters on the road, you shouldn't be surprised. Despite reports of possible delays to this fall, the first production cars rolled off the line the week of July 18, headed to dealerships about...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 8, 2005... Our July 18 story on the R-Class should have said the Nissan dealer mentioned owns a dealership near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Our Aug. 1 story on the 1955 Mille Miglia should have said Stirling Moss was the second non-Italian driver to win the...

SOARING AHEAD OF ITS TIME.(Eagle, automobile)
August 8, 2005... Byline: BOB TOMAINE Good luck, like money, was often scarce at American Motors, making the Eagle an especially sad ending for the company. AMC launched the Eagle in 1980 by converting its midsize Concord into a 4wd line philosophically...

Events.(automobile industry)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 8, 2005... Oct. 2-9 Cruisin' the Coast Biloxi, Miss. Benefits the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Call (888) 808-1188 or visit cruisinthecoast.com for details. Oct. 4-8 Muscle Car 1000 Newport Beach, Calif. Call (714) 470-6400 or...

TV: Aug. 12-14.(automobile racing, television programs)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Friday, Aug. 12 NASCAR Live from Watkins Glen, N.Y., 5 p.m., Speed (L) Trackside at Watkins Glen, N.Y., 7 p.m., Speed (L) NASCAR Nextel Cup final practice from Watkins Glen, N.Y., 8 p.m., Speed (SD) Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car...

Hordes of the 'Ring.(Nurburgring, automobile race track)
August 8, 2005... Byline: Richard S. Chang I used to think the best part of Best Motoring DVDs were the track battles: five laps of insane fender-to-fender action in real, fresh-from-the-box exotic cars. Stuff you'd never see on Motor Week or even Fifth...

Letters; The Sales Leaders, And How They Do It.(Letter to the Editor)
August 8, 2005... Toyota will dominate Regarding J. Waddell's July 18 letter stating, "Until it learns to appeal to the passionate instead of just the practical, domination of the American market will elude Toyota.'' On the contrary, Toyota (followed...

Market.(1963 Chevrolet Corvette split-window coupe, car auctions )(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Byline: KEITH MARTIN Mecum Auctions Rockford, Ill. May 26 1963 Chevrolet Corvette split-window coupe Silver with black vinyl leather. 327-cid 300-hp V8, automatic, a/c. Awarded Bloomington Silver Survivor certificate....

SWEDISH HAULER; Saab gets sporty with 9-3 SportCombi.(News)
August 8, 2005... Byline: ROGER HART Minivans and sport/utes might have been the death knell for station wagons in the United States, but the European manufacturers are thankfully keeping the wagon alive. While many baby boomers recoil at the thought of...

Fast Poll.(News)(Letter to the Editor)
August 8, 2005... Readers believe the new MX-5 will keep Mazda on top of the roadster niche, but acknowledge the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky as legitimate contenders. The Miata will remain at the top, though the Sky and Solstice are great cars. Mazda...

ALL THINGS SAAB; The faithful pay homage in the company's hometown.(Saab Festival '05)
August 8, 2005... Byline: ROGER HART Rolf Jensen readily admits he comes by his obsession honestly. "I was born into this,'' he says, dressed in a bright blue firesuit and standing next to his gleaming white Saab Sport 63. Jensen was waiting his turn to...

WHAT'S IN A NAME? We set out on a yearlong exploration of the Discovery replacement, the LR3.(Land Rover LR3)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 8, 2005... Byline: ROGER HART Land Rover has a decades-old reputation for building durable, rugged off-road vehicles. The name itself conjures up images of African safaris and Scottish hunting trips, of runs up snow-covered mountain passes or along...

Drivers Log.(2005 Mercedes-Benz SL600)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 8, 2005... 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL600 Date in fleet: July 12-26 As-tested price: $133,890 Powertrain: 5.5-liter turbocharged V12; rwd, five-speed automatic Output: 493 hp @ 5000 rpm, 590 lb-ft @ 1800-3500 rpm Curb weight: 4429 lbs fuel mileage (EPA...

GETTING CLOSER; Kimi Raikkonen's win is a step toward the crown.(Formula 1, automobile racing)
August 8, 2005... Byline: Alan Henry McLaren-Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen rekindled his bid for the Formula One world championship with a commanding win in the Hungarian Grand Prix, slicing 10 points out of Fernando Alonso's 36-point lead. The Spaniard...

BRYAN'S TURN; Herta gets his first IRL win in '05.(Indy Racing League, Bryan Herta)
August 8, 2005... Byline: CURT CAVIN Bryan Herta is the most experienced of Michael Andretti's four IRL drivers, having piloted the big cars since he first worked for A.J. Foyt in the 1994 CART season. But the quietly popular veteran has essentially...

A FEW BUMPS IN THE ROAD; Bourdais survives in San Jose.(Sebastien Bourdais, Champ Car racing)
August 8, 2005... Byline: BILL McGUIRE To envision where Champ Car is headed, note this year there is no date on the schedule for the series to visit Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. The open-wheel road race series will continue to make its annual visit to...

Hands-On Mentality.(used truck, remodeling)
August 8, 2005... Byline: Kevin A. Wilson Lately everything looks like a project. House. Boat. Self. So of course you need tools. One of the best is a pickup. While it's no challenge for a car journalist to borrow such a thing, it was getting so that...

Flash.(automobile industry)
August 8, 2005... Truth be told Cadillac's performance 2006 STS-V stands to gain considerably from new power-testing procedures instituted by the Society of Automotive Engineers (Aug. 1). STS-V, which goes on sale this fall, had been expected to produce...

PANAMERA FLAGSHIP GETS GO-AHEAD; Porsche confirms fourth model.(News)
August 8, 2005... Byline: GREG KABLE, BOB GRITZINGER After several years of deliberation Porsche has confirmed plans to build a new four-door sports sedan, the Panamera. Conceived as a "four-door coupe'' in the mold of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Bentley Flying...

Flash.(Briefs)
August 8, 2005... Could it be? Paul Tracy received permission from his Champ Car team owner Jerry Forsythe to give NASCAR a try, on a one-time basis, that is. Richard Chil-dress, who has courted Tracy for some time, plans to test the 2003 Champ Car champion...

WILL PENSKE SIGN WITH CHEVY?(Roger Penske, Chevrolet )
August 8, 2005... Roger Penske insists he is only exploring his options regarding Indy car engines for the future, but he admitted last weekend at Michigan International Speedway that he recently met with officials from General Motors. Penske declined to...

GTO REGENERATION.(Pontiac GTO)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER What you see in this illustration is a fairly close rendition of what we can expect when the next-generation Pontiac GTO hits the market in 2008. We say "fairly close'' because we've seen the super-secret spy photos...

AW Goings-On.(News)
August 8, 2005... Online: Audi Q7 photos On the town: Look for AutoWeek executives and editors judging at Pebble Beach Concours Aug. 21; AutoWeek at The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, Aug. 19; driving a Dearborn Deuce in the Woodward Dream Cruise, Aug. 20...

THE FIRST SAAB.(Revs)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Byline: Roger Hart The folks at Saab like to talk about the company's airplane heritage, with good reason. For several decades Saab made cars and planes (and trucks, too). But airplanes came first. The long runway and airport in the shadow...

Cancel the Funeral; Lexus breathes new life into its second-gen IS sports sedan.(Lexus IS 250, Lexus IS 350)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 8, 2005... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER If you've spent any time ensconced in the isolation for which Lexus is famous, we don't have to remind you it can be a desensitizing-dare we say, deathlike?-experience. Between the coffin-caliber appointments and the...

But Wait, There's More...(automobile industry)
August 8, 2005... "When the call comes, it's like the Pope calling you to the Vatican.'' -Former head Ferrari designer Frank Stephenson, on Maranello's original offer to join the company THEN... "The president of the company calls and says, `You...

Flash.(motorsports)
August 15, 2005... Herbert is back Former Formula One driver and Le Mans winner Johnny Herbert has returned to Grand Prix racing as Jordan Grand Prix's sporting-relations manager. Herbert, 41, the reigning Le Mans Endurance Series champion, accepted an offer...

BRAZILIAN CHA-CHA: Massa in for Barrichello.(Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello, Formula 1 racing)
August 15, 2005... Felipe Massa will replace his Brazilian compatriot Rubens Barrichello in the No. 2 role at Ferrari at the end of this season. It seems Barrichello, 33, has had enough as Michael Schumacher's stooge. After six seasons at Maranello he will...

Driver Training Feedback, Part II.(Column)
August 15, 2005... Byline: Steve Thompson In my June 6 column I presented a few of the 113 responses from my challenge to AutoWeek readers to send me ideas for how to improve driver training. That column sparked another slew of responses-some to the original...

HEADING YOUR WAY; Compass, Patriot launch Jeep in new directions.(DaimlerChrysler Corp.)
August 15, 2005... Along with the official but not surprising news that it will produce the Dodge Caliber seen in concept form at the Geneva show this spring (replacing the Neon that dies in '06), DaimlerChrysler's U.S. division unveiled two entry-level Jeeps...

Events.(Calendar)
August 15, 2005... Oct. 8-9 Branson Car Show Extravaganza Branson, Mo. Call (417) 332-2277 or head over to carsplusclassics.com for event details. Oct. 8-9 CAROC Fall Challenge Elkhart Lake, Wis. Log onto caroc.com or call (815)...

WHEN 500 HORSES JUST AREN'T ENOUGH.(News)
August 15, 2005... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH Napoleon Bonaparte, at five-foot-six, was just an inch shorter than Tom Cruise. But it's been suggested his comparatively diminutive size made him strive extra hard to be taken seriously. (Unlike Cruise, for whom...

2008 JAGUAR S-TYPE; More than one way to skin a cat.(News)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... Byline: JULIAN RENDELL The next-generation Jaguar S-Type will be heavily reengineered, featuring a lightweight aluminum body but not an all-aluminum chassis like the XJ sedan and new XK coupe. Observers thought the next S-Type would be...

Fast Poll.(News)(Letter to the Editor)
August 15, 2005... Maybach's over-the-top Exelero divides readers, with some cheering the sinister hot rod and others jeering its portly weight and extreme styling. The Exelero is exhibitionistic in concept, exaggerated in size, excessive in bulk, extraneous...

Market.(Bonhams Auction )(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... Byline: KEITH MARTIN Bonhams Auction at Goodwood Chichester, Sussex, England June 24 1992 Jaguar C-Type replica by Proteus All-alloy re-creation of the 1951 Le Mans winner. Suspension from Mk 2 Jag saloon. 3.4-liter...

Day Tripping in Memphis; Rock 'n' rollin' and feeling the blues.(American Dream Safari Co. )
August 15, 2005... Byline: MARK ELIAS Cool music and cool cars go hand in hand, and Tad Pierson's American Dream Safari Co. (americandreamsafari.com) in Memphis, Tennessee, doles out heaping helpings of both. Pierson, whose company offers music-oriented...

HAPPY 25TH (TIMES FOUR).(Audi S4 25Quattro, anniversary edition car)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... Audi's tribute to the 25th anniversary of quattro all-wheel drive is a V8-powered, limited-edition S4 25quattro. It debuts Aug. 19 at A Motorsports Gathering at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, California. All cars come with Avus Silver paint,...

TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO VAN HAS GONE BEFORE.(Sportsmobile, recreational vehicle)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 15, 2005... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Tired of camping in RV parks that feel more like the infield of a NASCAR race than they do the great outdoors? Time to get out of town with a Sportsmobile 4x4 van. Sportsmobile has been converting vans into...

Keep On Truckin'.(demand for trucks)(Column)
August 15, 2005... Byline: Rich Ceppos America has finally had it with trucks. Or so the media pundits, car-industry seers and nightly news talking heads would have us believe. Oil is going for 50, 60 bucks a barrel. Gas prices have soared. Hybrids and...

LUXO GRUDGE MATCH; Infiniti's FM-platform sedan matches wits with the enormous electronic brain of the Lexus GS.(2006 Lexus GS 430, 2006 Infiniti M45 Sport)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 15, 2005... The polite thing to say here is that one of the cars in this comparison makes an excellent commuter and long-distance autobahner, while the other is a surprising amount of fun to drive at the track. But that's only three-quarters of the...

THE LATEST BIGFOOT MONSTER TRUCK IS ALSO BIG BUSINESS.(News)
August 15, 2005... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Dave Harkey never gave us a business card, but if he had it probably would read: Name, Dave Harkey. Occupation, Man. That's not "man'' in the modern, touchy-feely, I'm-here-for-you,...

ECO RV-IN'- RV CAMPING WITHOUT GENERATORS!(EarthRoamer, portable power unit)
August 15, 2005... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Want to be able to watch DVDs on the flat-screen TV in your RV even after civilization ends? Imagine zapping a microwave burrito despite the loss of the entire conventional power grid and even outside the reach of handy...

SCOOP! MINI SUMMER TREAT: BYE-BYE BONBONS, HELLO DIBS!(Dibs Mini Cooper S)
August 15, 2005... Byline: MARK VAUGHN The big news here, perhaps bigger than anything else in this issue, is the Dreyer's/Edy's brand of bonbons is being phased out. Yes, bonbons, the date of last resort for countless single women on Friday nights, the...

PROTECTING TURF; Ford spends big to sell fewer Explorers.
August 15, 2005... Byline: J.P. VETTRAINO Ford's marketing staff expresses so much enthusiasm for the 2006 Explorer that its collective voice sounds like a carnival barker, even if it's delivering a fairly convincing pitch. More, more, more! More power,...

Traffic reports for the rest of us.(Pioneer AVIC N2 )(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 15, 2005... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Finally, live traffic updates routed through your navigation system and available from the aftermarket! Before the Pioneer AVIC N2 (pioneerelectronics.com), you had to know people at Highway Patrol, the State...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
August 15, 2005... Special cars, special prices About your long-term Porsche 911 Carrera S story (July 25): The base price is about $80,000 and better seats cost $3,000 extra? Porsche doesn't properly equip the car at this price level? Worse: the gall to...

BACK HOME AGAIN; Tony Stewart gets what he calls his biggest win.(Motorsports)(Biography)
August 15, 2005... Byline: CURT CAVIN Think you know what Sunday's win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway meant to Tony Stewart? Think again. Few truly do. Stewart became obsessed with pursuing a win on his home track through a lifetime of influence. His...

BOG DAY AFTERNOON, Long-arm adventures.(rock crawling)
August 15, 2005... Byline: RICHARD S. CHANG At 3:30 p.m. we reached a trail Roy Fero would later call a "cow patch'': a steep, roller coaster drop of dry mud the color of walnuts rising up just as high on the other side, maybe 60 feet, crest to bottom....

Motorama Elegance.(1953 General Motors Motorama, Parisienne landau, vintage car)
August 15, 2005... Byline: BROOKS BRIERLEY The Pontiac name is not typically associated with formal body styles, but one exception was a spectacular dream car created for the 1953 General Motors Motorama. The Parisienne's two-door landau body style-sometimes...

YA GOTTA HAVE ART; Art Center's Car Classic turns five.(automobile show)
August 15, 2005... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Would a car show put on by a car design school be any different from, say, Pebble Beach? Maybe, maybe not. "In any car show, the important thing is always design,'' said former Ferrari stylist Frank Stephenson, now...

VW TEASES US FROM AFAR WITH NEXT-GEN GOLF R32.(Volkswagen AG)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER Take a long, loving look at Volkswagen's latest rocket, the next R32 based on the fifth-generation Golf. Don't get too excited, though, because the chance to buy one in the United States anytime soon falls between...

Flash.(automobile industry)(Brief Article)
August 15, 2005... First Solstice delivered Some 136 folks from around the country took delivery of their Pontiac Solstice roadsters Aug. 5 at General Motors' world headquarters in Detroit. Clark and Shelly Brinton of Boise, Idaho, were the lucky recipients...

BERNIE'S BOY WONDER; Is this 18-year-old California high school student the most influential American in F1?(Bernie Ecclestone, Michael Heyward)
August 15, 2005... Byline: PATRICK C. PATERNIE Bernie Ecclestone is counting on a young man from California to steer Formula One to success in America. And it's not whom you think. At 22, American F1-hopeful Scott Speed is a geezer compared with...

AW goings-on.
August 15, 2005... * Online: More VW R32 and Audi S4 25quattro photos * On the town: Look for AutoWeek executives and editors judging at Pebble Beach Concours Aug. 21; AutoWeek at The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, Aug. 19; driving a Dearborn Deuce in the...