AutoWeek articles from March 2004

AutoWeek archives from March 2004

CUTE UTE.(News)
March 1, 2004... Byline: WES RAYNAL When BMW's new X3 arrived at our doorstep a while back, we weren't really sure what to expect. Would it be a small, truck-like X5? Or perhaps more a svelte, slick handler, like a tallish 3 Series could potentially be?...

JAY'S ADDICTION.
March 1, 2004... The cars we'd all buy if we could all buy cars As fun as the Roadmaster was to drive, it was merely the most recent addition to the Big Dog Garage. Before our drive, Jay Leno took us through several concrete buildings that house his...

No Traction, No Action.(Tire failure.)(Column)
March 1, 2004... Byline: rich Ceppos The street in front of our house goes up a hill. Well, in southeastern Michigan we call this innocuous incline a hill, but in parts of the country where they really have hills, its gentle pitch wouldn't bear talking...

GOOD 'NUFF.(News Briefs.)
March 1, 2004... Byline: CAROLYN PAVIA-RAUCHMAN Once we get going, there's really nothing to complain about At the halfway point in our relationship with the Volvo XC90, we are of two minds. Some of the time we appreciate the luxury sport/util- ity...

Better Motoring through Wires?(Column)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Matt Davis The Geneva motor show is fast upon us: a very expensive town with maybe six hotel rooms, all costing about a grand a night. But we love it because it is squeaky-clean Switzerland, it is the unofficial finale to each...

350Z will race.
March 1, 2004... Brack on the mend Kenny Brack is officially on his way to recovering from multiple injuries suffered last October at Texas Motor Speedway. He recently shed his crutches and is walking without their aid. The 1998 IRL champion and 1999...

Flash.(News Briefs.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Le Mans update The Audi Le Mans quattro (Cover Story, Feb. 16) is still officially a concept, but if it is made, the production version should have V8 power instead of the concept's 610-hp 5.0-liter V10. The 4.2-liter V8 would also get a...

TOYOTA SHOWS TRIATHLON.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Toyota will show the Motor Triathlon concept at the Geneva Motor Show (page 5). The Japanese automaker's European design studio created the car, which is powered by four in-wheel electric motors running off a fuel cell stack. Geneva show-goers...

But Wait ther's more.(BWTM)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ]]]] Sign the End of the Auto World Is Nigh Motor Music, a partnership between NASCAR and Cherry Lane Music Publishing, unveiled NASCAR's theme song, Thunder, whose aim is to "convey the thrills, excitement and drama of NASCAR racing.''...

Detroit Iron in Superleggera Clothing.
March 1, 2004... Byline: BILL McGUIRE In Detroit, the city of gray flannel and gray iron, Frank Spring must have cut quite a figure. The son of a wealthy San Francisco land baron and a doting Parisian mother, Spring was raised in Europe. Worldly and...

PICTURES IN MOTION.(Automotive photo exhibit.)
March 1, 2004... The Great Automotive Photographers Exhibit presented by Chrysler will be part of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island in Florida, March 12-14. Six top automotive photographers will be featured as they...

OWNERS SAy...(Auto File)
March 1, 2004... We traded in a 2001 Mercedes S500 that, although a beautiful car, was in the shop 17 times in the three years we owned it. As former A6 owners, we appreciated Audi's reliability and cost-free all-inclusive maintenance. We are thrilled with the...

Fast Poll.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Audi's Le Mans is a beautiful design and a worthy tribute to its R8 racing program. Keeping it out of the exotic car ranks will make it an exceptional, practical road car. The price and performance of the Le Mans will let it compete and...

Flash.(briefs)
March 1, 2004... For real? There is another new open-wheel series about to begin, if reports out of Dubai can be believed: Organizers of a new series called A1 Grand Prix series, a Dubai-based motorsport venture, claim the series will be launched in Dubai...

Results.(Racing)
March 1, 2004... North Carolina Speedway 1.017-mile oval Feb. 22 1. Matt Kenseth, Ford, 393 laps at 112.016 mph avg. speed; 2. Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 393; 3. Jamie McMurray, Dodge, 393; 4. Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 393; 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.,...

Spec & Datat.(Auto File)
March 1, 2004... MANUFACTURER INFO Audi of America 3800 Hamlin Road Auburn Hills MI 48326 Customer assistance: (800) 822-2834 Internet address: audiusa.com Country of origin: Germany Number of dealers: 280 (est.) sticker ...

SECOND-QUARTER.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Miles (quarter/total): 5472/15,384 Fuel mileage: 19.17 mpg Maintenance: 10,000-mile service ($78.98), clear and reset airbag code ($95) Readers: If you own one of the following vehicles, we'd like to hear from you: Mini Cooper,...

2004 BMW X3.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... As-tested price: $43,445 Powertrain: 3.0-liter, 225-hp, 214-lb-ft I6; awd, five-speed automatic Curb weight: 4067 pounds 0 to 60 mph: 7.9 seconds (mfr.) AW observed fuel mileage: 18 mpg

LENO'S First Love.
March 1, 2004... If you had it to do all over again, wouldn't you drop a crate motor in it? there may be bigger car collections in this world, more historically significant collections, more infinitesimally detailed and accurate, more complete in a single...

DIFFERENT RACE, DIFFERENT RESULTS; Many call Rockingham the real first race of the year.
March 1, 2004... Byline: AL PEARCE Remember how NASCAR opened its season Feb. 15 with the Daytona 500? It was in most of the papers and on radio and TV. Lots of Republicans trekked to Daytona Beach, including the president of the United States and...

Call the cavalry: Buick Velite.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER Buick gets in on the rear-wheel-drive joy at General Motors when its Velite concept makes its debut at the New York auto show in April. (Buick says the name is derived from a group of elite, fast-moving troops.)...

GENEVA EXPRESS: RAGTOP CORVETTE, BIMMER 5 WAGON, CHRYSLER SRT-6.
March 1, 2004... Byline: DINO DALLE CARBONARE, BOB GRITZINGER Now that the din has died down from the Detroit debut of Chevrolet's sixth-generation Corvette coupe, General Motors will re-stoke the fire with a drop-top version of its halo car in Geneva this...

events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... April 30-May 1 Nitro Nationals Nostalgia Drags Las Vegas Visit good-guys.com for additional information on this 16th annual competition. April 30-May 2 NSRA Street Rod Nationals South Knoxville, Tenn. Call (817)...

Drivers Log.(News)
March 1, 2004... 2004 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V Date in fleet: Feb. 3-17 As-tested price: $18,490 Powertrain: 2.5-liter I4; fwd, six-speed manual Output: 175 hp @ 6000 rpm, 180 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm Curb weight: 2710 pounds MPG (EPA combined/AW observed):...

TV.(Calendar)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... Friday, March 5 * Dream Car Garage, 7:30 a.m., Speed Channel (T) * Chop Cut Rebuild, 8 a.m., Speed (T) * Car Crazy, 8:30 a.m., Speed (T) * Formula One practice from Australia, 9 a.m., Speed (T) * Tuner Transformation, 10...

A8 IT GREAT.(Auto File)
March 1, 2004... Audi's flagship worthy of its place Not to start this Auto-File off on a negative note, but allow us to get the ugly stuff out of the way first: "Audi's Multi Media Inter-face ruins this car. I should have replaced my wife's Lexus LS...

But wait, There's more....(BWTM)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Photo With Caption (see print copy for photo.) Can you figure out which one belongs to her and which one is his? When auto reality shows hit MTV, we're either so far ahead of the curve or so far behind we can't tell which. Check out the...

2005 AUDI A8 L 6.0 QUATTRO.(News)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... ON SALE: Before calendar year-end BASE PRICE: $117,500 (est.) POWERTRAIN: 6.0-liter, 450-hp, 425-lb-ft (DIN) W12; awd, six-speed automatic with Tiptronic CURB WEIGHT: 4398 pounds 0 TO 62 MPH: 5.2 seconds (mfr.)

2005 CHRYSLER 300C.(News)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... ON SALE: April BASE PRICE: $32,995 (as tested, base 300 $23,595) POWERTRAIN: 5.7-liter, 340-hp, 390-lb-ft V8; rwd, five-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT: 4046 pounds 0 TO 60 MPH: 6.3 seconds (mfr.)

Letters.(News)(Letter to the Editor)
March 8, 2004... A cat will save Mercury If customers are going to notice Mercury's revival, the division needs to do it with its signature nameplate, the Cougar. It should be based on the new Mustang, sharing the same powertrain but with independent rear...

TRUCK WITH A CAPITAL T.(Column)
March 8, 2004... Byline: MIKE COVELLO As a traveling area manager for Ferrari North America, Bill Thomas sees all kinds of exotic and one-of-a-kind vehicles on a daily basis. At his French-town, New Jersey-area drive-in, guys show off their hot rods,...

Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
March 8, 2004... May 7-8 Cars, Stars and Guitars Motorhead Festival Las Vegas Call (702) 259-1975 or visit carstarsguitars.org for more information. May 7-8 GMC/Chevy Truckin' Nationals Truck Show Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Check out...

TOPLESS IN THE ALPS; Geneva show boasts a bevy of hot convertibles.
March 8, 2004... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER We've already touched on a trio of drop-tops debuting at the Geneva motor show-Corvette convertible, AW, March 1; Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG, AW, Feb. 23; Mini convertible, AW, Feb. 16. That was just the beginning of a...

Results.(Racing)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Pomona Raceway 0.25-mile drag strip Feb. 29 TOP FUEL Tony Schumacher, ET 4.659, 243.55 mph, over Doug Kalitta, ET no time, mechanical FUNNY CAR Jerry Toliver, Toyota, ET 4.821, 319.29 mph, over Gary Densham, Ford,...

Invite That Hemi to the Ball.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Kevin Wilson Since we've got the Chrysler 300C on the cover, let's talk about this Hemi thing. It's more than 50 years since Chrysler invented the trademark, one at least as powerful as the technology. The word is just shorthand...

Flash.(News Briefs.)
March 8, 2004... Designer doings We heard there might be some major churning in the automotive design world in and around the Geneva show (AW, Feb. 2), but no one expected this. General Motors European design leader Martin Smith is leaving for a similar...

2004 MAZDASPEED MIATA.(News)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... On sale: Now Base price: $25,500 Powertrain: 1.8-liter, 178-hp, 166-lb-ft turbocharged I4; rwd, six-speed manual Curb weight: 2529 pounds 0 to 60 mph: 7.1 seconds (est.)

Flash.(Competitions.)
March 8, 2004... Grand-Am puts a lid on it No more constructors will be allowed to build cars for the Daytona Prototype class, the Grand American Road Racing Association has revealed. Series bosses have decided to bar the entry of any chassis builders...

Driver's Log.(Trucks.)
March 8, 2004... 2004 GMC Canyon Crew Cab SLE Z71 Date in fleet: Feb. 18-23 As-tested price: $30,385 Powertrain: 3.5-liter I5; 4wd, four-speed automatic Output: 220 hp @ 5600 rpm, 225 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm Curb weight: 4093 pounds BLAHNIK: I was excited to...

AutoWeek's fast five.(Interview)
March 8, 2004... AutoWeek's Fast Five: Ed Welburn As design director for General Motors North America, Ed Welburn oversees hundreds of designers shaping the future of vehicles from the world's largest car company. Welburn fielded questions during his appearance...

Fast Poll.(Nascar.)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... In theory, the NASCAR playoff format should pave the way for a dramatic finale. But only time will tell if it actually boosts the excitement or becomes just a miscalculated marketing gimmick. The playoff championship scenario could be...

STANDS FOR WHY.(Audi A L6.0.)
March 8, 2004... Byline: J.P. VETTRAINO Westbound on the A1, inside the Bavarian border from Salzburg, Austria: Thick Alpen snow sparkles as it falls, but it also feeds the icy sludge building on the autobahn and aggravates a dangerous situation, even in...

Results.(Racing)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Homestead-Miami Speedway 1.5-mile oval Feb. 29 1. Sam Hornish Jr., Dallara-Toyota, 200 laps at 151.094 mph avg. speed; 2. Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Toyota, 200; 3. Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200; 4. Tora Takagi, Dallara-Toyota,...

SUPERSTAR IN THE MAKING? Sam Hornish Jr. does what no other Penske driver has ever done, winning his first race with the team.(Racing)
March 8, 2004... Byline: CURT CAVIN The rest of the IRL collectively groaned "uh oh.'' Watching Sam Hornish Jr. win the season-opening race for Team Penske, the most successful operation in Indy car history, could not have been pleasant for the 18...

FOURTEEN AND COUNTING.(Competition)
March 8, 2004... The off-and-on Champ Car race in St. Petersburg, Florida, is off again, with finality. New series owner Open Wheel Racing Series had hoped to gain rights to the race and move it from its original February date to mid-May. "Unfortunately,...

A BELL RINGER; MazdaSpeed's second product makes even the Miata more fun.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Best conditions for try- ing out your new MazdaSpeed Miata? How about rain-dampened pavement, plenty of potholes, a narrow two-lane mountain road in the Malibu hills, oncoming monster SUV traffic with high-beams on full...

Sailing Large (part 1 of 2); Chrysler launches a flagship under American colors.
March 8, 2004... Palm Springs, California, has more than its share of Rolls-Royces and Bentleys on the roads, more than its share of people who have accumulated wealth over a lifetime and landed here in retirement. A Mercedes-Benz S600 just means a few more...

Sailing Large (part 2 of 2); Chrysler launches a flagship under American colors.
March 8, 2004... Just as the Crossfire owes some of its goodness to the outgoing Mercedes SLK/CLK platform, the 300 (and its Dodge sibling, Magnum) must give a nod in the direction of the recently replaced Mercedes E-Class. One of the transmissions (the...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
March 8, 2004... Although we were told otherwise by one Chrysler representative, the 120-inch wheelbase on the new 300 (page 24) is not the longest since the 1930s. Chryslers, especially Imperials through the '60s and into the '70s, boasted much longer...

spied!(News)
March 15, 2004... Porsche's next-generation 911 coupe-codenamed 997-came into range of our spy shooter's lens during testing in Germany. The car is expected to go on sale in the United States late this year. For the full report, turn to page 4. For a gallery of...

Flash.(briefs)(Saturn Kappa)
March 15, 2004... Saturn's Solstice okayed General Motors' Saturn division will get its own version of a low-cost Kappa-platform rear-drive small sports car- the same chassis under the approved Pontiac Solstice roadster coming to market in fall 2005 as an...

YOUNGER GUN.(News)
March 15, 2004... Byline: BILL McGUIRE Is Kasey Kahne NASCAR's next star? Kasey Kahne can no longer recall the precise moment he first decided he was going to be a race car driver. "Really, it's all I ever wanted to do,'' says the 23-year-old. "My dad...

SWISS SQUEEZE (Part 1 of 2 ).
March 15, 2004... Byline: DUTCH MANDEL, ROGER HART, BOB GRITZINGER, MATT DAVIS So many people, so many cars, what's not to like? Everything we've come to know about the annual Geneva Auto Salon at the Palexpo Center stayed true to form. More than any...

Results.(News)
March 15, 2004... Las Vegas Motor Speedway 1.5-mile oval March 7 1. Matt Kenseth, Ford, 267 laps at 128.790 mph avg. speed; 2. Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 267; 3. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 267; 4. Jamie McMurray, Dodge, 267; 5. Mark Martin, Ford, 267; 6....

Race Report.(News)
March 15, 2004... Matt Kenseth won only one race last year on his way to winning the Winston Cup title, encouraging critics to charge he backed into his championship. This year, he has already topped his 2003 record by scoring two wins in the first three races....

Results.(News)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... Albert Park 3.295-mile road course March 7 1. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 58 laps at 136.087 mph avg. speed; 2. Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, 58; 3. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 58; 4. Ralf Schumacher, Williams-BMW, 58; 5. Juan Pablo...

Fast Five.(News)(Interview)
March 15, 2004... Byline: MIKE DUFF AutoWeek's Fast Five: Ian Callum With both the Aston Martin DB7 and DB9 listed under his "significant achievements,'' Ian Callum has a resume that most car designers would envy. Now he is Jaguar's director of design,...

AHEAD OF THE GAME.(Audi's transmissions.)
March 15, 2004... Byline: MAC MORRISON Audi's trick DSG is the best F1-type transmission yet We've seen the future, and it is good. Audi's 2004 TT 3.2 quattro boasts V6 power (a TT first), revised suspension and subtle yet aggressive bodywork changes,...

2004 AUDI TT 3.2 QUATTRO.(News)
March 15, 2004... As-tested price: $44,190 Powertrain: 3.2-liter, 250-hp, 236-lb-ft V6; awd, six-speed twin-clutch electrohydraulic manual Curb weight: 3351 pounds 0 to 60 mph: 6.4 seconds (mfr.)

GASOLINE ALLEY TOURS.(News)
March 15, 2004... The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame will offer behind- the-scenes tours of the speedway beginning April 30. The 90-minute tour will include stops at Gasoline Alley, victory platform and the Yard of Bricks start/finish line. Four tours...

Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
March 15, 2004... May 14 Track Day Long Pond, Pa. Check out cartct.com for details on this Pocono International Raceway event. May 14-16 Cayuga Dragway 50th Anniversary Fisherville, Ontario Call (905) 772-1800 ext. 50 or visit...

TV.(Calendar)(Calendar)
March 15, 2004... Friday, March 19 * Formula One practice from Malaysia, 1 a.m., Speed Channel (L) * Formula One practice from Malaysia, 9 a.m., Speed * NASCAR Live from Darlington, S.C., 1 p.m., Speed (L) * NASCAR Busch Series qualifying from...

Letters.
March 15, 2004... Two top stars: Leno and... his Buick A '55 Buick Roadmaster (Cover Story, March 1) with 620 hp, and it handles and stops. Amazing. Tailgating a Porsche. What a hoot. This article gave me a Walter Mitty half-hour. Jay, don't ever feel...

Flash.(Competition)
March 15, 2004... Louie Unser dies Louie Unser, chief mechanic on two of his brothers' cars when they made their debuts in the Indy 500, died March 2 in Anaheim, California. He was 71. Unser was the twin brother of Jerry Unser, who in 1958 became the first...

A Ruf Day at a Southern California Tradition.
March 15, 2004... Byline: PATRICK C. PATERNIE Nearly a decade ago Peter Dunkel agreed to let fellow Porsche 356 fanatics use his company's parking lot for their annual swap meet. Over the years the swap meet expanded to include the storage yard out back and...

Thinking Outside the Birdcage; Maserati fires up the supercar show season with its sexy, homologation special MC12.
March 15, 2004... Byline: MATT DAVIS Talking with Frank Stephenson, the Ferrari-Maserati head of GT and concept design on the phone before the Geneva show, his exhilaration is obvious. So is the pressure. It is a scant five days before the press conference...

SEASON PREMIER.(Competition)
March 15, 2004... The new Champ Car World Series is being unveiled as this issue of AutoWeek went to press, with a preseason event for fans and media at the Long Beach, California, convention center. With a couple of exceptions, this "Season Premier'' is shaping...

But Wait, There's More...(BWTM)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... [[[[ Overheard on the Rue de Geneve-Chris Bangle, while gazing upon the Maserati MC12: "Yeah, it looks just like a Mini.'' Frank Stephenson, the American designer of BMW's Mini and of this Maser: "On super steroids, maybe.'' ...

Fast Poll.(News)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... When cost is not a factor, enthusiasts have no problem deciding what they like. The first choices for their dream garages can be as diverse as they are magnificent. The Le Mans-winning '65 Ferrari 275 LM and '69 Ford GT40 would be a solid...

Driver's Log.(News)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 15, 2004... 2004 Cadillac SRX Date in fleet: Feb. 25-March 3 As-tested price: $48,975 Powertrain: 3.6-liter V6; awd, five-speed automatic Output: 260 hp @ 6500 rpm, 255 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm Curb weight: 4320 pounds HART: A couple of things surprised...

Penny-Wise and Car-Foolish.(Column)
March 15, 2004... Byline: Dutch Mandel We all have ways in which to grieve. For me, writing provides catharsis. My sister Olivia, The Human Resources Maven, hater of all things automotive, surprised me the other day as we neared the second anniversary of...

SWISS SQUEEZE (Part 2 of 2 ).
March 15, 2004... Byline: DUTCH MANDEL, ROGER HART, BOB GRITZINGER, MATT DAVIS Fiat Trepiuno Concept Europeans love micro cars, and the Fiat Trepiuno had the Italians in a tizzy. The car's most striking feature? The "skydome,'' a large sunroof connected...

JUMPING SHIP.(Competitions.)
March 22, 2004... There was a moment last week when it appeared the Open Wheel Racing Series was on the verge of implosion, and it all started with Adrian Fernandez. The veteran driver who led CART's exploding popularity in Mexico dropped a bomb March 11 when he...

Flash.(News Briefs.)
March 22, 2004... Preparing for Indy Tony George stirred the IRL faithful by saying he might one day reduce the number of starting spots in the Indy 500 if participation doesn't improve soon. He said the traditional 33, the minimum used by event organizers...

Fast Poll.(People)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... America has a real contender in the performance luxury sedan market with the Chrysler 300C. Time will tell how its power and refinement compare to the standards set by BMW, Mercedes and Lexus. Luxury and performance can now be used together...

Revs.(Review)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... OLD-TIME RACING Motor Racing Legends, a European race series for sports cars from the 1920s and '30s, will run four events in its inaugural year. The new series will be made up of four rounds at Donington Park, May 1-3; the Nurburgring,...

A PONY PICKUP? With its sport suspension, the Colorado is a truck even a tuner could love.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: LARRY EDSALL If you believe the midsize Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck should be shopped against the Nissan Frontier, Dodge Dakota or Toyota Tacoma, Chevy officials would like you to think otherwise. Equip a rear-wheel-drive 2004...

THE COMEBACK; After a nasty Vegas race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. triumphs.(Competition)
March 22, 2004... Byline: AL PEARCE Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not been doing this for long, but he has mastered the art of saying the right thing at the right time. After doing well in the first two races, his team stunk up Vegas. Then rallying to win the next...

AutoWeek's Fast Five with Markko Martin.(Competition)(Interview)
March 22, 2004... AutoWeek's Fast Five with Markko Martin As lead driver for the Ford RS World Rally team, the 28-year-old Estonian's astonishing pace has never been in doubt. We caught up with him before the start of the Corona Rally Mexico, an event he went on...

Results.(Competition)
March 22, 2004... Rally Mexico March 12-14 1. Markko Martin, Ford Focus RS WRC 03, 4h 6m 46.2s; 2. Francois Duval, Ford Focus RS WRC 03, +42.5s; 3. Carlos Sainz, Citroen Xsara, +1m 20.9s; 4. Petter Solberg, Subaru Impreza WRC 2004, +3m 14.7s; 5. Mikko...

WHAT M5? BRING ON THE M6!(News)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... BMW's performance offensive includes hot version of soon-to-debut 6 Series One of the surprises of the Geneva motor show earlier this month was the BMW M5 concept, a 500-hp beast with a V10 derived from the engine used in the Williams-BMW...

Results.(Competition)
March 22, 2004... Atlanta Motor Speedway 1.54-mile oval March 14 1. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 325 laps at 158.679 mph avg. speed; 2. Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge, 325; 3. Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 325; 4. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 325; 5. Ryan Newman,...

Flash.(Briefs)
March 22, 2004... It's no Mini We're not sure how they explain the Mini, but BMW blamed the alleged U.S. aversion to hatchbacks for the German automaker's position that the entry-level 1 Series won't come to the United States until a sedan or coupe body...

We spy... what? OUR SPIES BAG FUTURE BENZES.(News)
March 22, 2004... Byline: MAC MORRISON ]]]]]] Thanks to a camera- toting AutoWeek reader and one of our intrepid spy snappers, we bring you these photos of Mercedes-Benz's new, er, hmmm. What exactly are we looking at? Our best-educated guess says this...