AutoWeek articles from September 2008

AutoWeek archives from September 2008

PASSION ON PARADE.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER You could say it was more of the samemore than a million spectators watching 40,000 classic and specialty cars parading along Woodward Avenue, America's No. 1 cruising strip. But with an economy in disarray and...

2008 Hyundai Accent SE.(News)
September 1, 2008... 2008 Hyundai Accent SE IN FLEET: July 24-28 AS-TESTED PRICE: $15,280 DRIVETRAIN: 1.6-liter I4; FWD, five-speed manual OUTPUT: 110 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 106 lb-ft @ 4,500 rpm CURB WEIGHT: 2,496 lb FUEL ECONOMY (EPA/AW):...

DRIVERS LOG.(News)(Accent)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... VAUGHN: In these gas-sucking times, the mighty Accent is starting to look like the way of the future: an efficiently engineered four-banger (with continuously variable valve timing) mated to a five-speed manual pulling around less than 2,500...

MARKET; 1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport Coupe.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: DAVE KINNEY Mecum Auction Des Moines, Iowa July 26, 2008 Super Wildcat V8 with dual four-barrel carbs, 360 hp. Brown with tan vinyl top and light saddle leather. Inferior-quality respray, evenly applied. Good chrome;...

ANONYMOUS LUXURY; 1976 BRISTOL 411 SERIES 5.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: GEORGE P. BLUMBERG NICELY UNDERSTATed, never underrated is the motto of Bristol Cars, now in its 62nd year of producing vehicles it describes as "Great Britain's most exclusive luxury car. Exclusive, indeed. Bristol produces an...

RESULTS.(News)
September 1, 2008... TRACK: VALENCIA 3.367-MILE STREET CIRCUIT DATE: AUG. 24 1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 57 laps at 120.535 mph avg. speed; 2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes, 57; 3. Robert Kubica, BMW-Sauber, 57; 4. Heikki Kovalainen,...

RESULTS.(News)
September 1, 2008... TRACK: INFINEON RACEWAY 2.303-MILE ROAD COURSE DATE: AUG. 24 1. Helio Castroneves, 80 laps at 100.254 mph avg. speed; 2., 80; 3. Tony Kanaan, 80; 4. Dan Wheldon, 80; 5. Danica Patrick, 80; 6. E. J. Viso, 80; 7. Vitor Meira, 80; 8....

BORREGO ON IN; RIGHT SUV, WRONG TIME; NO PROBLEM, KIA SAYS.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: MARK VAUGHN It would be hard to pick a time worse than now to launch another midsize SUV, but don't tell Kia. "Four-dollar gas plus SUV is an equation that doesn't necessarily add up, said Kia's vice president of sales, Tom...

SPECS.(News)
September 1, 2008... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $26,995 DRIVETRAIN: 3.8-liter, 276-hp, 267-lb-ft V6; 4WD, five-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT: 4,460 lb 0-60 MPH: 11 sec (est) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 19 mpg 292602

Acres (and Acres and Acres) of Cars; CONCORSO ITALIANO.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Among the honored marques at this year's Concorso Italiano were "45 Years of Lamborghini and "The Cars of Marcello Gandini. How would anyone know? Gandini designs have been at every Concorso since the "Celebration of...

A Well-Rounded Pebble; PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Jon and Mary Shirley are our kind of Pebble winners. Before work got under way on the year-and-a-half restoration of their 1938 Alfa 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta, they drove itall over. That included the 8C Tour in...

SHEETROCK SURVIVORS; DRYWALL MAKES A RICH CANVAS FOR VANISHED CARS AND MEMORABILIA.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: PHIL BERG Peter Wollons still mourns his beloved red 1933 Ford coupe hot rod. "It was spectacular, he says of the painstakingly restored, modified rod he drove for two years until it was stolen in 1984 in Los Angeles. Busy cops...

TWO-WHEEL LOWDOWN; 2008 DUCATI 848 SUPERBIKE.(News)(Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Byline: GEORGE P. BLUMBERG Ducati bridges the gap with a lighter, more powerful entry-level superbike. 849-cc, 134-hp, liquid-cooled L-twin; 370- lb dry weight; quarter-mile in 10.49 sec @ 132.76 mph. COMPETITIVE SET > Aprilia...

Too Great Expectations.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Dutch Mandel CALL ME JADED, BUT WHEN A car works well for the first three months, six months or year of its life in my garage, I think it's commendable. In fact, I talk it up. Heck, nearly four yearstouch woodafter buying my...

TV; SEPT. 5-7.(News)(Diary entry)
September 1, 2008... FRIDAY, SEPT. 5 * Formula One practice from Belgium, 8 a.m., Speed (L) * NASCAR Nationwide Series final practice from Richmond, Va., 10 a.m., ESPN2 (L) * American Le Mans Series from Detroit, noon, Speed * NASCAR Nationwide...

HOP ON THE BUS; VW TAPS CHRYSLER, AND THE ROUTAN IS NO MICROBUS.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: JIM HENRY The problem with the 2009 Volkswagen Routan isn't so much what it is as what it's not. What it is is VW's restyled version of the newest-generation Chrysler minivan, introduced last year. What it's not is a VW...

SPECS.(News)
September 1, 2008... ON SALE: September BASE PRICE: $25,390 DRIVETRAIN: 3.8-liter V6, 197 hp, 230 lb-ft; FWD, six-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT: 4,507 lb 0-60 MPH: 10.2 sec FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 19 mpg 292603

CAN LOOKS KILL (SALES)? ACURA MAY FIND OUT WITH ITS NEW TL.(News)(American Honda Motor Company Inc. Acura)(Financial report)
September 1, 2008... Byline: DON KLEIN With a grille that looks like the face of a stoned Pokemon character and a rear end that defies summary description, the exterior of the new Acura TLs (there are two: the base model and the SH-AWD, which replaces the...

SPECS.(News)
September 1, 2008... ON SALE: September BASE PRICE: $34,000 (est) DRIVETRAIN: 3.5-liter, 280-hp V6 @ 6,200 rpm 254 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm; FWD, five-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT: 3,708 lb 0-60 MPH: N/A FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 22 mpg

PEBBLE BEACH MEMOIRS.(News)(Mercedes Formula One driver Jochen Mass received Mercedes Star Driver award )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... NASCAR MEETS EURO FASHION Mercedes Formula One and endurance driver Jochen Mass received the Mercedes Star Driver award during Pebble Beach weekend. In accepting the honor, he relayed a story about putting on a pair of silver Adidas...

A Cadillac Kind of Guy.(News)
September 1, 2008... Michigan's Flint Journal reports that Joseph Macko, an 84-year-old GM retiree, has driven a new Cadillac every year since 1955. He picked up his 54th new Caddy from Al Serra Auto Plaza on Aug. 14. Macko has worked with the same salesman for 22...

THANKS, CAPTAIN.(News)
September 1, 2008... Enrique Bernoldi's car was no threat to win the IndyCar race at Kentucky Speedway, but an incident on pit road didn't help matters. The car was being carried to the paddock after stalling on-track when the rope holding it three feet in the air...

EXTRA.(News)
September 1, 2008... CORVETTE TO GT2 Corvette Racing appears increasingly likely to move from the GT1 class to GT2 as early as the middle of next season. A proposal is on the table that would see the existing Corvette C6.R GT1 car race in the American Le Mans...

COMPETITION.(News)(competitions of automobile driver Joe Gibbs )
September 1, 2008... GIBBS PAYS PRICE NASCAR suspended seven Joe Gibbs Racing crew members in the "dyno-cheating scandal after the recent Nationwide Series race in Michigan ("NASCAR Busts Joe Gibbs Racing, AW, Aug. 25). Nationwide crew chiefs Dave Rogers and...

THE RUNDOWN; FELIPE MASSA CLOSES ON LEWIS HAMILTON IN SPAIN.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: NIGEL ROEBUCK Felipe Massa lost what would have been a dominant win in the Hungarian Grand Prix ("Twisted Fate, AW, Aug. 11) when his engine expired with three laps to go. So, when teammate Kimi Raikkonen's engine did the same in...

Wide-Open Spaces.(News)(Viewpoint essay)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Cory Farley FROM ANY NUMBER OF PEAKS in Nevada, my adopted home, you can look across 30,000 square miles. For those who imagine themselves to be the center of the universe, that can be humbling. "It's quite alarmingly spacious,...

Sweet Motorcycle Montage in Hershey.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: JOHN F. KATZ How is a room full of motor-cycles like a box of chocolates? No, not because it's in Hershey, Pa. But Geoff Ringle, business development manager for the Antique Motorcycle Club of America (AMCA), describes his club's...

GETTING A BOOST; INDYCAR WANTS TURBOCHARGED ENGINES IN 2011.(News)(Indy Racing League)
September 1, 2008... TURBOCHARGED ENgines will return to IndyCar racing when the next wave of equipment is introduced in 2011, although series officials are not ready to say whether the new powerplants will feature four or six cylinders. A decision is to be made...

Photo caption.(News)
September 1, 2008... Castroneves (leading) had a perfect weekend and did exactly what he needed to, qualifying on pole, leading the most laps and winning the race.

STILL ALIVE; Helio Castroneves wins in Sonoma and keeps the championship going.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: CURT CAVIN REMEMBER HOW SCOTT Dixon was recently anointed the IndyCar Series champion-in-waiting? Remember when Ryan Briscoe, not Helio Castroneves, was the Team Penske driver winning races? Remember when everything...

RESULTS.(News)
September 1, 2008... TRACK: BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY 0.533-MILE OVAL DATE: AUG. 23 1. Carl Edwards, Ford, 500 laps at 91.581 mph avg. speed; 2. Kyle Busch, Toyota, 500; 3. Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 500; 4. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 500; 5. Jeff Gordon,...

RACE REPORT.(News)
September 1, 2008... THE BUMP-AND-RUN HAS BEEN around since NASCAR's first Cup race in 1949. It happens dozens of times every weekend, notably on short, unforgiving bullrings such as Bristol Motor Speedway. Most drivers accept it as part of doing business,...

QUICK TURNAROUND; WITH A CARL EDWARDS WIN, KYLE BUSCH LOOKS BEATABLE.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: AL PEARCE Only a month ago, Kyle Busch had a hammerlock on this year's Sprint Cup. He entered the dog days of August with four poles, seven wins and six other top-10s in 20 starts. He held a 253-point lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr....

SPECS.(News)
September 1, 2008... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $15,220 DRIVETRAIN: 1.5-liter, 117-hp, 106-lb-ft I4; FWD, five-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 2,489 lb 0-60 MPH: 9.3 sec (est) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 29 mpg

RIGHT TIMING; HONDA ROLLS OUT IMPROVED "09 FIT.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: JONATHAN WONG The new Honda Fit has been on sale in Japan since the end of last year, but don't complain about the United States having to wait until now to get the new car. After all, the first Fit was in production for the better...

SPECS.(News)
September 1, 2008... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $21,995 DRIVETRAIN: 3.5-liter, 250-hp, 250-lb-ft V6; RWD, four-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT: 3,720 lb 0-60 MPH: 7.8 sec (mfr) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA) : 21 mpg

UP TO THE CHALLENGE? WITH LOWER-POWERED CHALLENGERS, DODGE HOPES TO FIND TRACTION IN A GAS-SIPPING MARKET.(News)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Byline: NATALIE NEFF By now, many of the folks most nostalgic for Mopar's muscle-car heyday already have snapped up the SRT version of the Dodge Challenger ("That "70s Show, AW, May 5), with its ground-pounding 425-hp, 6.1-liter Hemi V8....

CRUZE COMPACT COMING TO U.S.(News)
September 1, 2008... The Chevrolet Cruze, General Motors' mid-2010 replacement for the Cobalt compact, will make its world debut at the Paris motor show in October. The car's appearance is based heavily on Chevy's new global design language, as seen on the...

NEW MAN FOR MCLAREN; AMERICAN-BORN DESIGN WHIZ TO WORK HIS MAGIC ON FERRARI FIGHTER.(News)(McLaren Automotive Ltd.)(Frank Stephenson )
September 1, 2008... Byline: JULIAN RENDELL AND GREG KABLE The arrival of former Fiat and Ferrari designer Frank Stephenson at McLaren Automotive in England starts a significant new chapter in the development of a family of supercars that will carry on the...

SPECS.(News)
September 1, 2008... ON SALE: Spring 2009 BASE PRICE: $22,000 (est.) DRIVETRAIN: 3.6-liter, 300-hp, 273-lb-ft V6; RWD, six-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT: 3,751 lb 0-60 MPH: 6.1 sec (mfr) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 21 mpg (est)

CAMARO CURE; V6 model is fun and fuel-efficient.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: GREG MIGLIORE If you're sick of high gas prices, one remedy may be the V6 version of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. With 300 horses and sports-car handlingand a sticker likely to start at about $22,000the V6 remake of Chevy's 1960s...

Still Ticking After All These Years; 35TH ROLEX MONTEREY HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE RACES.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: PATRICK C. PATERNIE STEVEN J. EARLE DIDN'T invent vintage auto racing in August 1974, but he put it on the mapat Laguna Seca Raceway, that is, a few miles inland from the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, which itself began as an...

MONTEREY AUCTIONS; The Vintage Market Is Just Fine, Thank You.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: DAVE KINNEY Record foreclosures in the housing markets. Gasoline prices $1 more per gallon than the same week last year. A nervous stock market and a hotly contested presidential election. Although it sounds like a formula for...

THE QUAIL; Easing Into the Pebble Beach Grind.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: DALE JEWETT Now in its sixth year, "The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering might just be the classic-car-show equivalent of Major League Baseball's spring training. Two days before the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the 3,000...

AW TRUTH & BEAUTY; NO, REALLY, THE SHARK'S NAME IS BERNIE.
September 1, 2008... Williams-Toyota driver Nico Rosberg looks happy and relieved to be on this side of the wall at the enormous aquarium in Valencia, Spain. Rosberg visited the facility in advance of the European Grand Prix. Our story on that event starts on page...

TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT.(American Honda Motor Company Inc. Acura)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Don Klein If the standard eight-speaker, 276-watt, AM/FM, six-disc CD changer, XM satellite, Bluetooth audio with USB port, AUX connectivity and hands-free wireless telephone system don't float your boat, you can opt for Acura's...

NEW DEAL FOR WHELDON.
September 1, 2008... Dan Wheldon expects to remain with Chip Ganassi's IndyCar team. The 2005 series champion said that his agent and team officials are discussing a new contract. Wheldon did not sound offended by the fact that Ganassi had dangled his job to 2004...

REVS.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... HAPPY FEET There are four points where a driver connects with a car (five if you count the seat of the pants). And if those points are cool, comfortable and not fatigued, the driver will be more connected to the carand in better control....

RESULTS.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... TRACK: O'REILLY RACEWAY PARK 1,000-FOOT DRAG STRIP (Top Fuel, Funny Car), 0.25-MILE (Pro Stock) DATE: SEPT. 1 Top Fuel Tony Schumacher, ET 3.916, 309.13 mph, over Doug Kalitta, ET 4.036, 299.86 mph Funny Car Robert...

GM PLUGS INTO HYBRID PICKUPS; But don't look for green models until mid-'09.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: NATALIE NEFF Falling truck sales haven't stopped General Motors from expanding its popular pickup lines. In this case, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra will get hybrid variants, much as their stablemate sport-utility...

RESULTS.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... TRACK: RACEWAY AT BELLE ISLE 2.07-MILE ROAD COURSE DATE: AUG. 30 1. F. Montagny/J. Rossiter, Acura ARX-01b, 104 laps at 98.551 mph avg. speed (LMP2 winner); 2. D. Brabham/S. Sharp, Acura ARX-01b, 104; 3. G. de Ferran/S. Pagenaud,...

WHERE'S THE HYBRID? "09 DODGE RAM WON'T GET ONE FOR A WHILE.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: J. P. VETTRAINO AND BOB GRITZINGER The new 2009 Dodge Ram pick-up is loaded with genuine improvements, starting with aerodynamic and powertrain efficiencies that increase fuel economy 5 percent on average. What it doesn't have, at...

RESULTS.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... TRACK: RACEWAY AT BELLE ISLE 2.07-MILE ROAD COURSE DATE: AUG. 31 1. Justin Wilson, 87 laps at 89.911 mph avg. speed; 2. Helio Castroneves, 87; 3. Tony Kanaan, 87; 4. Oriol Servia, 87; 5. Scott Dixon, 87; 6. Ryan Hunter-Reay, 87;...

THE D IS FOR DETAILS AND DIESEL.(NEWS)(BMW AG)(2009 3-series 335d)
September 8, 2008... Byline: GREG KABLE BMW says it incorporated 2,500 changes in its facelifted 2009 3-series, but the biggest change for the U.S. market is the arrival of a diesel model, the 335d. While each of the steel body panels, apart from the newly...

SPECS.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $22,170 DRIVETRAIN: 3.7-liter, 215-hp, 235-lb-ft V6; RWD, four-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT: 4,525 lb 0-60 MPH: N/A FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 17 mpg

Old Guy in a Vette.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... IN THE MID-1960S, WHEN I WAS a teenager, it used to gall me that the best cars were only available to the old guys with the money. How could they appreciate those Corvettes and Porsches and Ferraris the way we so-cool young guys could? In an...

DAZED AND CONFUSED IN DETROIT; JUSTIN WILSON WINS AS INDYCAR'S TITLE CONTENDERS GO HOME UNHAPPY.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: CURT CAVIN The IndyCar Series championship will go down to the final race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 7. But it might have already been decided by a controversial on-track maneuver. In a season that has seen Graham Rahal...

WITNESSING PERFECTION; JIMMIE JOHNSON REVIVES HIS HOPES FOR A THIRD CONSECUTIVE TITLE.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: PETE LYONS FOR FANS OF 42 other drivers, the Pepsi 500 must have been hard to watch. But it was a great night for Jimmie Johnson boosters. Starting from a convincing pole position, the No. 48 Chevrolet driver stayed out front...

SENDING A MESSAGE; ANDRETTI GREEN RACING WINS IN DETROIT, BUT ITS ALMS FUTURE IS UNDECIDED.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: CURT CAVIN MICHAEL ANDRETTI insists that his American Le Mans Series team did not send a psychological statement to Acura, but the Detroit Sports Car Challenge that played out on the tight and challenging Belle Isle street circuit...

WHELDON OUT, FRANCHITTI RETURNS.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... So much for Dan Wheldon's expectation to remain with Chip Ganassi's IndyCar Series team (Competition, Sept. 1). As AutoWeek went to press, word had just come down that Wheldon will leave Ganassi at season's end and will be replaced by 2007...

COACH IN A BOX; ELECTRONIC UNIT MENTORS YOUNG DRIVERS.(NEWS)(Tiwi)
September 8, 2008... Byline: KAW What, yet another black box that uses GPS to let parents monitor their teen drivers? Yes, but the new Tiwi from Inthinc boasts several key differences. First, it's a smart computer that talks to the driver, mentoring much the...

EXTRA.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... SHOOTOUT CHANGES NASCAR's 2009 Budweiser Shootout, scheduled for Feb. 7 at Daytona International Speedway, will have a new format. The nonpoints race will have 24 cars, six each (based on final owner points) from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and...

HELLO, GREATNESS; TONY SCHUMACHER SETS RECORDS AT THE U.S. NATIONALSBY ROB GEIGER.(NEWS0)
September 8, 2008... For the better part of three days, the rest of the NHRA's Top Fuel class was able to dream big. Five-time and reigning series champion Tony Schumacher arrived in Indianapolis for the 54th-annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals as the center of...

Cruz Pedregon Wins Shootout, $100K.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: RG Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon left the U.S. Nationals with the year's biggest cash payout, the $100,000 top prize for winning the U.S. Smoke-less Showdown on Aug. 31. The Shootout invites the eight drivers with the best average...

LITTLE BIG CAR; DOES SIZE MATTER? NOT WITH THIS MINI.(NEWS)(John Cooper Works Ltd.)
September 8, 2008... Byline: NATALIE NEFF We worked the car into a giddy rhythm, rowing through the gears, dancing on the pedals and flicking the steering wheel in an almost choreographed sequence, the cadence dictated by the hairpins that wiggle their way...

TV SEPT. 12 - 14.(NEWS)(Diary entry)
September 8, 2008... FRIDAY, SEPT. 12 * Formula One practice from Italy, 8 a.m., Speed (L) * NASCAR Sprint Cup practice from Loudon, N.H., noon, ESPN2 (L) * Speed GT Championship from Detroit, noon, Speed * Racing Across America, 1 p.m., Speed ...

FOCUS ON TEEN DRIVERS BEARS FRUIT; Death rates are still too high, but innovators are stepping up.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: KEVIN A. WILSON Alerted that car crashes are the leading cause of death and injury among young people, Americans are stepping up to address the issue. While governments, regulators and insurers focus on making...

MARKET.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: DAVE KINNEY 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Mecum Auction Des Moines, Iowa July 26, 2008 Hemi, 6.1 liters, automatic transmission. Hemi orange pearl coat with black leather. As new, 85 miles on odometer. No nicks,...

Can You Buy Safety?(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... MORE THAN 90 PERCENT OF car crashes can be attributed to driver error, yet most of what we spend as a society on traffic safety goes into cars. But what are we buying? Is it safety? When considering the problem that teen drivers are more...

Pushing for Awareness.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: KAW A major contributor to the reduction in drunk-driving deaths and injuries in the United States during the past 20 years was a widespread public-relations push to make the behavior socially unacceptable. There was a similar push...

For Extra Credit; Recommended reading.(NEWS)(Bibliography)
September 8, 2008... Byline: KAW Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us), by Tom Vanderbilt, Knopf, 416 pages, $25. The entire book is fascinating, but we can wholeheartedly recommend Traffic for a single chapter: "Why You're Not As...

WHERE'S THE F-150?(NEWS)(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... Byline: BG Ford had hoped to have its next market-crushing all-new F-150 pickup truck on sale by now. But with high fuel prices and a poor economy sending sales of trucks and sport-utility vehicles into a tailspin, Ford product planners...

NISSAN SWEATS THE SMALL STUFF.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER Don't look for big changes in the big trucks and sport-utilities in the Nissan showroom for 2009. The mighty Titan, the Armada and the Pathfinder are largely carryover for the coming year. With full-size-pickup...

THIS WEEK EXTRA.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... ASTON REVIVES LAGONDA Aston Martin plans to revive the Lagonda brand to build luxury cars. "We have now investigated and concluded that the revival of the Lagonda brand would allow us to develop cars which can have a different...

UNDER THE HOOD.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... TRES MAGNIFIQUE! > Before we know it, we'll be packing our bags and jetting off to Paris for the 2008 Mondial de l'Automobile. Don't forget on Oct. 2 to click over to autoweek.com, when we kick off our world-class coverage of all the hot cars...

SPECS.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $29,200 DRIVETRAIN: 1.6-liter, 208-hp, 192-lb-ft turbocharged I4; FWD, six-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 2,600 lb (est) 0-60 MPH: 6.2 sec (est) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 28 mpg

DRIVERS LOG.(NEWS)(Product/service evaluation)
September 8, 2008... GRITZINGER: With the XFE, you get low-rolling-resistance tires, an economy-calibrated engine and a fuel-saving 3.74:1 final-drive ratio, which GM says nets a 9 percent fuel-economy improvement. Otherwise, this is essentially the same car...

PARENTS BEWARE! WHEN YOUR KIDS STRAY, YOU MAY PAY.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: J. P. VETTRAINO If you think your son or your daughter has dem-onstrated enough skill and responsibility to drive your Corvette Z06 to the homecoming game, think again. Along with laws creating graduated-licensing programs...

2009 Chevrolet Cobalt XFE.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... IN FLEET: Aug. 11-25 AS-TESTED PRICE: $16,325 DRIVETRAIN: 2.2-liter I4; FWD, five-speed manual OUTPUT: 155 hp @ 6,100 rpm, 150 lb-ft @ 4,900 rpm CURB WEIGHT: 2,780 lb FUEL ECONOMY (EPA/AW): 29/32.0 mpg

PHIL HILL1927-2008.(NEWS)(Obituary)
September 8, 2008... Byline: DENISE MCCLUGGAGE Phil Hill died ON Aug. 28 in a Monterey, Calif., hospital as a result of respiratory problems complicated by Parkin-son's disease. He was 81. Whenever I say that my friend Phil Hill was one of the most...

SPECS.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... SPECS ON SALE: Mid-2009 BASE PRICE: N/A DRIVETRAIN: 6.0-liter, 332-hp, 367-lb-ft V8; RWD, two-mode electric hybrid transmission CURB WEIGHT: 5,641 lb 0-60 MPH: 9.0 sec (est) FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 21 mpg

OBITUARY > ED JUSTICE SR., 1921-2008.(NEWS)(Obituary)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... Ed Justice Sr., the last of the three famous brothers whose stickers rode on winning race cars around the world and whose automotive lubricants and additives rode inside many winning race engines and transmissions, died on Aug. 31 of kidney...

LETTERS.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... NASCAR IS STALLING NASCAR's problem of falling attendance is the fault of NASCAR alone ("Losing Speed? Aug. 25). Two years ago, it bet the bank on converting the races into multinational events and the fans into multinational sporting...

CANNONBALL'S CAR; 1920 TEMPLAR EXPERIMENTAL ROADSTER.(NEWS)
September 8, 2008... Byline: STEVE KASH 1920 TEMPLAR EXPERIMENTAL ROADSTER Flamboyantly professing that its product was the automo-tive heir to the Order of Knights Templar (formed in the 12th century during the Crusades), the Templar Motors Corp. was born...