Drivers Log.(News)

MORRISON: I drove this thing like a slot car, turning in, then just rotating it through and out of corners with a liberal application of throttle. Rather than on-the-edge powerslides (which are doable if you desire), the car's natural tendency is just to rotate through the apex, hook up and fire back down the road. Really impressive handling. Good brakes, too.

The shifter, though, didn't seem to respond well to anything other than fast-as-you-can downshifts with matched revs. Nothing I can't do, but it annoyed me when, from time to time, while driving along leisurely (I know, why was I doing that?) and going for a lower gear, the shifter would resist my command and feel as if it did not want to go into gear. It almost reminded me of a racing gearbox with straight-cut gears and no synchros, which won't let you downshift without blipping the throttle.

Like everyone else on staff who drove it, I received loads of attention in this car. On Saturday night, I was giving a friend a ride and happened to drive by the local car-enthusiast shop. I saw the owner standing outside with a few of the local car nuts who spend their summer weekends sitting on the roadside and watching traffic roll down Woodward Avenue. I pulled into the lot just to say hello, whereupon I was besieged by 20 wannabe paparazzi. Cell-phone cameras and digital cameras popped off as if someone were shooting the deciding free throw in the NBA finals. For some ...