AutoWeek articles from February 2009

AutoWeek archives from February 2009

LONG-TERM FLEET STREET.(NEWS)(automobile industry)
February 9, 2009... 1 Subaru Forester GRITZINGER: Among my first uses of our long-term Forester was to strap kayaks to its roof and fill its cargo hold with gear for a day at the lake. Note to self: Next time, fill the cargo area first, because once kayaks...

CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITES.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... DRIVER: Kyle Busch CAR: No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing OUTLOOK: Busch finished 10th in the 2008 championship. After a spectacular regular season (eight wins in 26 starts), he and crew chief Steve Addington fell apart during the...

2010 FORD TAURUS HITTING THE HIGHLIGHTS; FORD DESIGN VP PETER HORBURY TAKES US ON A TOUR OF THE NEW FLAGSHIP AND TELLS US WHY ITS STYLE WILL LEAD THE TURNAROUND.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... It's one thing for us to say why AutoWeek editors chose the new Ford Taurus as the Most Significant vehicle from the 2009 North American International Auto Show. It's another to hear from the man charged with making Ford's American cars...

TV Feb. 13-15, 20-22.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... FRIDAY, FEB. 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup practice from Daytona Beach, Fla., 1:30 p.m. (L) and midnight, Speed NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying from Daytona Beach, Fla., 3 p.m., ESPN2 (L) NASCAR Now, 6 p.m., ESPN2 (L) NCWTS...

SEASON PREVIEW; NHRA.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... RETURN OF THE INDEPENDENTS With only eight fully funded teams in Top Fuel, conventional 16-car fields often will be filled on many stops by low-bucks, self-funded groups looking to have fun and collect the $10,000 first-round loser money....

RISK MAKER; Ford had to take chances with the Taurus-starting day one-if the company was going to survive.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: DUTCH MANDEL History will show how close, in the early part of this century, the family-owned Ford Motor Co. came to extinction. Its vision was foundering, its reputation was tarnished, and the likelihood that it would pull out of...

GAS IN THE TANK; NASCAR IS NOT RECESSION-PROOF NOR IS IT PANICKED.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: CURT CAVIN Millions of Americans have soured at the sight of their recent 401(k) statements, but what they do about it is the key. While some panic, others show patience and plan to persevere in the strained market. The same...

60TH GRAND NATIONAL ROADSTER SHOW; Everything old is new again-and chrome-plated.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: MARK VAUGHN THE "SPORTS-CAR-INFLUENCED HOT rod of Harry Willett took top honors at the 60th Grand National Roadster Show on Jan. 25, beating out a typically strong field of 14 cars at one of the most prestigious car shows in the...

FROM MONTE CARLO TO SLIGO; LOEB PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF, WINNING THE WRC OPENER IN IRELAND.(NEWS)(Viewpoint essay)
February 9, 2009... Byline: ANTHONY PEACOCK The opening round of the World Rally Championship had a somewhat unfamiliar look to it, but in the end, there was a familiar name at the top. For the first time in its 30-year history, the WRC season opened...

DOLLARS & SENSE.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... ORIGINAL LIST PRICE: N/A CURRENT MARKET VALUE: $2.5 million (est) Source: Keith Martin, Sports Car Market

SPECS.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... ON SALE: Now (Europe) BASE PRICE: $20,000 (est) DRIVETRAIN: 1.4-liter, 155-hp, 170-lb-ft turbocharged I4; FWD, six-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 2,524 lb 0-62 MPH: 8.0 sec FUEL ECONOMY: 36 mpg

SPECS.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... ON SALE: March BASE PRICE: $57,650 DRIVETRAIN: 3.4-liter, 310-hp, 266-lb-ft H6; RWD, six-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 2,987 lb 0-60 MPH: 5.0 sec (mfr) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 26 mpg (est)

SPECS.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... ON SALE: Fall BASE PRICE: $52,000 (est) DRIVETRAIN: 3.5-liter, 321-hp, 354-lb-ft V6; 4WD, two-mode electric-hybrid transmission CURB WEIGHT: 5,013 lb 0-60 MPH: 7.5 sec (est) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 23 mpg

SECOND QUARTER.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... AS-TESTED PRICE: $41,990 MILES DRIVEN (QUARTER/YEAR): 9,334.2/19,342.9 FUEL ECONOMY (QUARTER/YEAR): 20.1 mpg/20.1 mpg FUEL COST (QUARTER/YEAR): $1,873.21/$3,715.52 DAYS OUT OF SERVICE (QUARTER/YEAR): None/none MAINTENANCE:...

Bread & Circuses; AT ARIZONA AUCTIONS, RATIONAL REALISM REPLACES IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: MARK VAUGHN THE COLLECTOR-CAR MARKET HAS not crashed and burned, but it has hit a heck of a speed bump. Sales at four of the five Phoenix auctions last month were down, with the companies offering various interpretations of how...

IF WE ONLY HAD THE CASH; What we would have bought.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Barrett-Jackson 1929 Ford Tri-Motor We've flown two of these and can attest that while you'll want to keep your private jet if you need to get anywhere fast, the lift is unsurpassed. Russo and Steele ...

CarLife.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Barrett-Jackson TOTAL SALES: $60.6 million TOP SELLERS: 1929 Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor Airplane, $1.21 million; 1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible "Production #1, $660,000. Gooding & Co. TOTAL SALES: $32.4 million TOP...

FEATURES.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... SINGLE-SIDED SWINGARM FACILITATES EASY WHEEL REMOVAL HIGH-MOUNTED EXHAUST FOR THAT DIRT-BIKE LOOK BIG SEAT PROMISES LONG-DISTANCE COMFORT

Market.(NEWS)(automotive auctions)(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Byline: DAVE KINNEY 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer Two-Door Hardtop RM Auctions, Hershey, Pa. Oct. 10, 2008 Super Red Ram V8, 270 cid, 193 hp; two-speed PowerFlite automatic transmission. Tritone purple, gray accent, white top...

BIG BLUE; Mercedes ML450 hybrid aims to be large and in charge.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: ROGER HART Call it a case of going big or going home. This fall, Mercedes-Benz aims to launch a two-mode gasoline-electric hybrid sport-ute that its engineers say will top fuel-economy charts for large SUVs. That's a big claim,...

FIAT TO THE FORE; Can "Fix It Again Tony' repair Chrysler's fortunes?(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: MICHAEL TAYLOR THE LAST TIME THE FIAT NAME MADE BIG HEADLINES in the United States, the Italian automaker was collecting $2 billion from General Motors in a divorce settlement following a rocky five-year relationship. GM owned 20...

AND WHAT ARE YOUR LOTTERY NUMBERS, DAVE?(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Former Champ Car World Series PR man David Higdon was on a layover at the Charlotte, N.C., airport when he saw reports of U.S. Airways Flight 1549's crash into the Hudson River. "My life flashed in front of me, Higdon said. He dug into his bag...

PRESS RELEASE.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... "Watching TV Can Be Good For You! Throw away the Driver's Ed Test Bookjust watch the DVD! Our Take: Watch The Fast and the Furious and learn how to street-race! Win the Daytona 500 by viewing Talladega Nights! Become a flying ace by...

WHO'S THE U-BOAT COMMANDER?(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... The Detroit Free Press reports that a man in Port Huron, Mich., put a 1994 Buick into icy waters after he drove it onto the frozen Black River and accidentally locked the keys inside. Heat from the enginewhich was still runningeventually melted...

HYPERVENTILATING HYPERLINKS.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... The flying car is here! Um, yeah, that's not quite what we had in mind: http://tinyurl.com/9ae85q How drunk are you? Ask your iPod: http://tinyurl.com/a6vymq

HE SAID IT.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... "We don't need to pay more. We've got to give [teams] less. In what I call the good old days, all we had to do was have a chat with the people who had all the money . . . but now they come along, and they've got lawyers and masseurs, and they...

ALONSO TARGETS TITLE.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Fernando Alonso says that Renault must target the championship in 2009, following two frustrating seasons, despite a disappointing first outing with Renault's new R29 in Portugal. Alonso won titles with the team in "05 and "06, before his...

Truth & Beauty.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... The American Le Mans Series winter test at Sebring, Fla., on Jan. 26 gave photographer Rick Dole's camera a chance to ride shotgun along with David Brabham driving Patron Highcroft Racing's Acura ARX-02a LMP1 prototype. Brabham will be back...

FIT TO BE TRIED; Honda's new small car begins a year of AW duty.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: DALE JEWETT Honda's timing couldn't have been better last fall as it launched the redesigned Fit, with gasoline prices hanging in the $3-a-gallon range and big pickups and SUVs piled up like cords of wood at car lots. ...

Porsche Power; BRUMOS RACING WINS THE ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH JUAN PABLO MONTOYA IS A MAN OF many talents, but one we perhaps were not aware of before the 47th-annual Rolex 24 at Daytona was his ability to bring down a room. After his Chip Ganassi-owned Riley-Lexus...

ALFA ADDICTION; UNDERGROUND GARAGE SHOWS SYMPTOMS OF A SERIOUS CASE.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: PHIL BERG AT A RALLY IN ARGENTINA IN 1965, Bernardo Martinez's ears could discern subtle pitch changes in an Alfa Romeo GTA coupe's exhaust that pleased him more than the Fiats that were the reigning champs. When the little Alfa...

THE 24 HOURS OF . . . ROY?(NEWS)(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH While the 47th-annual Rolex 24 at Daytona went down on the speedway, the 24 Hours of Roy Ogletree was under way in the infield, as the burly, redheaded 44-year-old ran nonstop on his personal watercraft around...

All Bikes-and More; 10,000 motorcycles gleam in the Arizona sun.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: LARRY EDSALL RON ADLER WANTED THAT SCHWINN Stingray bicycle so bad. His mother said the family couldn't afford one, but she was willing to take the money Ron got from collecting soda bottles and put a copy-cat bike on layaway at...

YES, WE CAN; The Sprint Cup chase continues despite fears about the Detroit Three.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: AL PEARCE in case the recession and seemingly daily announcements about professional racing's troubles have caused you to forget, there will still be a 2009 NASCAR season. The stock-car tour kicks off with the Budweiser Shootout at...

EXTRA.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... RAPIDE ARRIVAL Aston Martin's 180-mph supersedan, the Rapide, will make its world debut this fall, either at Frankfurt or at Los Angeles. In the meantime, the British carmaker is satiating fans with photos of its four-door four-seater...

What Global Crisis? Performance premieres pack Geneva show.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: JULIAN RENDELL Bentley will unveil a hot Continental, its fastest production car ever, at the 2009 Geneva motor show in March, but this one comes with an eco twist. The revised Continental's 6.0-liter, twin-turbo W12 is...

BIG ACURA, BIG RUBBER.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... The lid came off of Acura's new LMP1 prototype in more ways than one at Sebring, Jan. 26-28. The world got to see the ARX-02a up close for the first time at its official unveiling, and rivals got a clear sense of just how quick it will be. ...

LIGHT THE FIRES; Everything you need to know as NHRA prepares for blastoff.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: ROB GEIGER AFTER FIVE YEARS OF TONY Schumacher dominating Top Fuel, the category's all-time leader in championships (six, the past five of them in a row) and national-event wins (56) will be seriously tested in 2009, and his main...

THE ITALIAN CONNECTION.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: MICHAEL TAYLOR A Chrysler-Fiat hookup will inject some top-notch global cars into the U.S. market. We won't get all of the goodies, but we don't necessarily want everything. Here's the rundown. WHAT WE GET Fiat...

World's Greatest Video Game?(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: NIGEL ROEBUCK At the launch of the new McLaren-Mercedes MP4-24 Formula One car, company chairman Ron Dennis spoke about the season to come and about procedural changes necessitated by new rules and the credit crunchone consequence...

RUNNING IN CIRCLES; Echoing in Eternity.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: AL PEARCE To hear some people talk, the next big thing after the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15 is the October unveiling of the new NASCAR Hall of Fame's inaugural class. Debates are raging on Web sites, blogs and message boards about the...

FAST FIVE; Buddy Rice.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... AutoWeek: You had a very special weekend in Daytona, winning the Rolex 24 with Brumos Racing (see page 61). You're unemployed as an IndyCar Series driver. Does this win help your career? BUDDY RICE: I think it helps my career, but at the...

ONLY AT AUTOWEEK.COM>.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... SHOWTIME IN CHICAGO Will a new high-performance Ford Taurus blow into the Chicago auto show as rumored? What do other automakers have to brag about? We'll be in the Windy City to capture all of the unveilings, photos and news from...

Bet on Hornaday.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: AL PEARCE After 14 years with backing from Sears's Craftsman brand, NASCAR's truck series has a new sponsorCamping Worldand plenty of off-track concerns. Some examples: In late January, former champion Mike Skinner still did not...

CUP RINGERS FAVORED.(NEWS)(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Byline: AL PEARCE It won't take long to separate pretenders from contenders in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series. At last count, only a handful of fully funded drivers expect to contest the entire 35-race schedule, which begins Feb....

SHO-TIME IN CHICAGO?(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... A performance version of the Ford Taurus is alive and well, with speculation centering on an unveiling at the upcoming Chicago auto show. Ford has confirmed that its new flagship sedan will get a twin-turbo, 3.5-liter, 350-hp, 350-lb-ft...

Teddy Mayer, former McLaren boss, dead at 73.(NEWS)(Obituary)
February 9, 2009... Byline: ADAM COOPER Former McLaren Formula One boss Teddy Mayer, the man who rescued the team after the death of its founder, Bruce McLaren, died at the age of 73. Born Edward Everett Mayer, he was the son of a World War I flying ace...

SPECS & DATA.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... PRICING & OPTIONS Base (includes $670 delivery): $18,580 As-tested price: $18,580 Options: None DIMENSIONS Wheelbase (in): 98.4 Length/width/height (in): 161.6/66.7/60.0 Curb weight/GVWR (lb): 2,534/3,638 ...

MiTo TK? THE LATEST FROM ALFA WOULD BE A FUN RIDE IN THE U.S. MARKET.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: JULIAN RENDELL Alfa Romeo's return to the United States has gone through more twists and turns than an Alpino pass. And the recent tie-up between Fiat and Chrysler brings the added promise that Alfa can finally get a sales toehold...

The Big Red Stick.(NEWS)(Dodge Challenger R/T)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Steve Thompson Teddy Roosevelt's advice to "speak softly and carry a big stick came to define him in a uniquely American way. And one could easily describe the exhaust note of the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T as speaking softly, while...

2-WHEEL LOWDOWN; 2009 MOTO GUZZI STELVIO 1200 4V.(NEWS)(Brief article)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Barry Winfield BASE PRICE: $14,990 ON SALE: Now COMPETITIVE SET: BMW R1200 GS, KTM 990 Adventure, Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom Powered by an eight-valve V-twin producing 105 hp and 90 lb-ft of torque, the Stelvio goes up...

THE ARGENTINE'S ALFA; 1953 ALFA ROMEO 6C 3000 CM.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: JAN TEGLER By the early 1950s, Juan Manuel Fangio's reputation was well established. Alfa Romeo, with multiple Le Mans, Mille Miglia and Grand Prix wins under its belt, was more renowned. They joined forces in 1950 and conquered...

What Porsche Does Best; 2009 BOXSTER IS GOOD-REALLY GOOD.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: GREG KABLE The facelifted 2009 Porsche Boxster is the perfect foil to the bleak news hanging over the global auto industry. This is Porsche doing what it does best: building sports cars to a standard that leaves rivals wondering...

Boy, Wonder? Teen sensation Joey Logano prepares for his full-season assault on Sprint Cup.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH SAY, JOEY LOGANO, YOU'RE 18 and about to become the youngest driver ever to race in the Daytona 500. At what point did you think you wanted to race for the rest of your life? "Always. When I was three years...

More Than an Appliance; Our Chrysler Town & Country is a fine long-distance workhorse.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: NATALIE NEFF Ferrying four six-foot-plusers on a father-son bonding trip to Colorado and back marked the "Norge's second quarter in our keep, as our intrepid leader eagerly volunteered to spend 4,000 miles and two weeks behind the...

Ice, Ice, Baby!(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... Byline: Natalie Neff The tinkling greeted me as I walked from the garage, the bubbling sounds of a brook muffled at first by the snow but reaching my ear fully as I approached the house. Unfortunately, this brook did not spring from some...

ON-SITE ATTENDANCE.(NEWS)
February 9, 2009... The NHRA will operate a "Fan Relief program that offers $20 general-admission tickets to events run at tracks owned by the sanctioning body in Pomona, Calif.; Gainesville, Fla.; Atlanta, and Indianapolis. Also, children younger than 12 will be...

CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITES.(List)
February 9, 2009... TOP FUEL DRIVER: Larry Dixon CAR: Alan Johnson Al Anabi Racing dragster OUTLOOK: Best driver in class + best-ever crew chief Alan Johnson = 2009 championship. DRIVER: Tony Schumacher CAR: U.S. Army dragster OUTLOOK:...

COMPETITION; FORMULA ONE.
February 9, 2009... FEW ANSWERS IN TESTS Poor weather and the use of different venues made it impossible to gauge the potential of key 2009 F1 contenders when they ran for the first time. McLaren-Mercedes, Toyota, Renault and Williams F1 appeared at...

PRO FILE; Mike Conway.
February 9, 2009... A driver who's good enough for 2007 Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen figures to be good enough for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Mike Conway, 25, is D&R's new driver for the upcoming IndyCar season. The Brit has two significant ties to...

THE WIRE.
February 9, 2009... AUTO RACING FACES REAL CHALLENGES in this strained economy, and Rahal Letterman Racing might be the first team to leave the IndyCar Series. Team boss Bobby Rahal hoped to have the U.S. ethanol industry return as its primary sponsor, but...

FAST FIVE; Ricky Carmichael.
February 9, 2009... In the motocross world, 29-year-old Ricky Carmichael is called the GOAT, Greatest of All Time. Now, he is working on a stock-car career. He mixed motocross and stock cars in 2007, running at local tracks in Florida near his home under the...

THE WIRE.
February 9, 2009... SPRINT CUP: English statesman and novelist Benjamin Disraeli classified all deception as "lies, damned lies and statistics." NASCAR is using statistics-but not necessarily lies-to bolster its argument that the Sprint Cup Series is alive...

LOOKS THAT KILL.
February 9, 2009... This Gulf-liveried LMP1 prototype is no everyday Lola T08/60. The bodywork is the result of expertise from Prodrive's Aston Martin styling and the Aston Martin Racing division. The first Aston to race in the top division of Le Mans in 20...

AUTOWEEK TRIVIA QUIZ ANSWERS.
February 9, 2009... - You've waited long enough to find out how much brain capacity you have devoted to what some unenlightened souls might call "useless knowledge." So, go ahead and dig out your Dec. 22, 2008, issue and flip to page 54 to review our annual trivia...

WINTER WARRIORS; Three all-wheel-drive luxury sedans weather the storms.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... Byline: KEVIN A. WILSON YOU CAN COUNT ON challenging weather during the Detroit auto show. This year didn't disappoint, with deeper snow and longer periods of near-zero temperatures than normal. Our misery was offset by...

Market.(NEWS)(Brief article)
February 23, 2009... Byline: DAVE KINNEY 1929 Ford Model A Roadster Pickup Silver Auctions Las Vegas Oct. 10-11, 2008 Inline four-cylinder engine, manual transmission. Green, black fenders, black vinyl. Black vinyl top. Full restoration, now...

MORE FROM GENEVA: BMW 5-SERIES GT CONCEPT.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... BMW's desire to compete in every conceivable luxury-market niche moves up a gear with the unveiling of the 5-series GT, a car known until now by its working title, the Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS). Although BMW will be billing the...

The Call for a National Energy Policy.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... Byline: Dutch Mandel Before the empty moving van departed 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, newly anointed President Barack Obama in one proclamation sent shivers down the spines of environmentalists and automakers alike: Individual states should...

BY THE NUMBERS.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... 400 Cars in Porsche's collection 80 Cars on display in new museum 20 Cars on display in old museum 200,000 Visitors expected annually 80,000 Visitors annually at old museum 75 Employees 8 Adult admission, in euros...

Rising from the Ashes; 1904 OLDS CURVED DASH RUNABOUT.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... Byline: BOB TOMAINE IF NOT FOR A FIRE, outside investors and one prototype, the Olds Curved Dash Runabout might have been just an interesting vehicle rather than a step in the mass production of affordable cars. Olds Motor Vehicle...

THE WIRE.(NEWS)(Brief article)
February 23, 2009... Helio Castroneves's federal tax-evasion case is still on schedule, according to his employer. "He's getting ready for March 2, Penske Racing owner Roger Penske said, referring to the expected start of the trial in U.S. District Court in...

CALLING ALL CARS.(automobile racing teams)(Brief article)
February 23, 2009... As of now, IndyCar boasts 17 confirmed entries for 2009, including four from Andretti Green, two apiece from Ganassi and Penske and one each from Vision, Foyt, Panther, KV Racing Technology, Dreyer & Reinbold, Newman/Haas/Lanigan, HVM, Luczo...

HIGH-MILE HIGHLIGHTS.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... Byline: KAW Top tips from folks who keep their cars over long distances: 1. Regular oil changes are just a start. Check the owner's manual for when to replace coolant, transmission and differential lubricants, brake and steering...

9 of the Top US Auto Detailers.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... BELLA MACCHINA Orlando, Fla. www.belladetailing.com ESOTERIC DETAIL Columbus, Ohio www.esotericdetail.com GRIOT'S GARAGE Tacoma, Wash. www.griotsgarage.com LUSTR AUTO DETAILING Chicago www.lustrdetail.com OTTMANN DETAILING...

SPECS.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... ON SALE: Spring 2010 BASE PRICE: $185,000 (est) DRIVETRAIN: 5.2-liter, 525-hp, 391-lb-ft V10; AWD, six-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 3,597 lb 0-62 MPH: 3.9 sec (mfr) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 14 mpg

Specs.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... 2009 AUDI A4 3.0 TDI IN FLEET: Jan. 15-23 AS-TESTED PRICE: $46,000 (est) DRIVETRAIN: 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6; AWD, six-speed manual OUTPUT: 237 hp @ 4,000 rpm, 369 lb-ft @ 1,500-3,000 rpm CURB WEIGHT: 3,649 lb FUEL...

FLASH.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... FERRARI'S LATEST Ferrari is moving ahead quickly with the F450, the replacement for the F430, and is planning a world premiere at the Frankfurt motor show in September. Known internally as the F142, the 4.5-liter, 500-hp V8 supercar will...

[WHERE ARE THEY NOW?] JIM RATHMANN.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... Jim Rathmann is the oldest living Indianapolis 500 winner, and he isn't interested in slowing down at 80 years old. At his home in Mel-bourne, Fla., with the picturesque Banana River in his backyard, Rathmann lives a champion's life. He...

- DAYTONA 500 BY THE NUMBERS.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... 0.20 second Closest finish (Kevin Harvick over Mark Martin in 2007) 0 Rainouts in 51 races 2 Drivers with both Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500 wins (Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt) 3 Pole-winning rookies (Loy Allen, Mike Skinner,...

KERS STILL IN LIMBO.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... Teams are still considering whether they will run with operational kinetic-energy-recovery systems at the first race of the season, in Australia on March 29. All say they need development time, and the limited testing schedule was disrupted...

TIPS FROM THE PROS: The detailers we spoke to had lots of tips. Here's a sampling.(NEWS)(Brief article)
February 23, 2009... * Research proper techniques and products. Learn the right way to wash, polish and wax without damaging your paint. * Use the two-bucket car-washing method. One bucket holds soapy water, and the other has clean water to rinse dirty wash...

PROFESSIONAL TLC; These Guys Turn Cars into Stars.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... Byline: JONATHAN WONG Properly maintaining your car's appearance is more than a simple wash and wax every so often, as we learned from Darren Buell and Barry Meguiar (see page 26). It's an in-depth and time-consuming process mastered over...

Essentials & Extras.(NEWS)
February 23, 2009... Dragonfiber Microfiber Basics, $35, www.properautocare.com EZ Detail Brush (for wheels), $22, www.detailedimage.com Mothers California Gold Clay Bar System, $20, https://store.mothers.com Porter Cable 7424 Variable Speed Polisher,...