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Detroit, 2:06 PM
Wed Nov 25
25 posts in the last 24 hours
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01:36 PM
It is about humanity, and everything wonderful we have created.
An insane, over-engineered, leather-wrapped rocket, an unruly, redneck sledgehammer, a protein-fueled, space-age-material'd Spitfire of the roads, a Skynet-beating, neck-breaking robot for the Nurburgring, a sometimes sensible, sometimes crazy nausea machine for four, a near-flawless precision crafted German with a sense of fun and such a wonderful aura that Bangle is almost forgiven, a much-maligned and often forgotten boy-in-the-corner-of-the-classroom who does everything the hard way but somehow, somehow, still matches the rest of the class, a baby cut off from the umbilical cord of homologation, but grew into a world-beating athlete with a big mouth to eat up everything it catches up to, and finally, two reminders from yesteryears to Detroit and Stuttgart and Turin and Tokyo that Iacocca and Chapman were two of the brightest of all humans.
01:33 PM
01:24 PM
Like when you find out a suicide bomber only was able to kill himself.
01:00 PM
12:48 PM
The Evo? Nope. The Bugatti? I really hope they all go into the lake. Any BMW? Not a chance. Same goes for the Vette, the Lotus, the Mazda, and I owned a VW once, and never again.
The only car even remotely thankful for would be the Mustang, and I owned a Fox Bodied Mustang, and I have serious doubts as to whether I would own another 'Stang.
12:57 PM
01:13 PM
The only reason I agree with these cars is the fact that they're keeping the "Driver's car" spirit alive.
There seems to be one for everyone up there.
Extremely expensive and fast?
Veyron
High revving japanese drifter?
RX-8
European handling machine?
Exige
Extremely lightweight and pure?
Caterham Seven
American Pony/Muscle car?
Mustang
American Sports brute?
Corvette
Sports Sedan?
BMW
Techno monster?
GT-R
AWD Rallyist?
Mitsu Evo
Hot Hatch?
GTI
I think the only category that's not covered is the pure luxury, but most of those buyers ride in the back...
Just curious, what new cars would you be thankful for?
01:46 PM
I'm thankful for the Sprinter Van, because Mercedes decided to take it away from the Dodge Dealers, and now I can make my margins again.
I'm thankful to Chrysler for all their engineering they put into the Gas Turbine, a powerplant that should be revived because it will run on anything (Gas, LPG, Diesel, Alcohol, Jack Daniels, Perfume, Methane) with controlled emissions.
I'm thankful to Ford for finally bringing in a practical Commercial Vehicle (The Transit Connect), as well as the 2013 Transit (Sprinter Sized) van, which will replace the 20 year old Econoline. (On that note, Dodge will bring in a couple of Iveco Vans, and a Fiat to compete with the Transit Connect, and Mercedes is thinking about bringing in the Vanio)
I'm thankful for some really great economy cars coming down the pike, like the Fiesta, the Cruz, and maybe a couple of Fiat or Alfa Romeo models.
I'm thankful that America still has a love affair with the full sized Pickup.
I'm thankful that the entire Detroit Auto Industry didn't actually implode.
Is that enough for you?
02:04 PM
Looks like a good list. I probably wouldn't have put so many vans on my list, but I will definitely agree with the Fiesta and Fiats that are coming down the pipe.
What America really needs is a honestly fun and quality made small vehicle, especially from the American companies.
12:37 PM
GTR: "Because it is everything wrong with Japan's car industry. Because it is also everything right."
Mustang: "It is an argument for and against everything we stand for..."
Let me guess: Your favorite TV show was Kung Fu, your nickname in high school was "Stoner," and you never could figure out what was so funny about The Sphinx in Mystery Men.
12:45 PM
(What can I say? I like things that contradict themselves. And my nickname in high school was something unprintable.)
12:45 PM
01:32 PM
12:37 PM
All fine choices, Sam. But I have to nominate my favorite British cottage built piece of insanity....the F1-67.
12:34 PM
12:43 PM
12:34 PM
Special Editions
Special Special Editions
Limited Editions
Unlimited Editions
01:20 PM
There's nothing wrong with a special edition if they actually do something to it. The current GT/CS is kind of lame though.
(Proud owner of a 2004 Mach 1)
01:31 PM
12:33 PM
12:18 PM
12:14 PM
Two reasons. One, they're handy, and can go anywhere. Two, they illustrate no matter how bad you think your current ride is, it could both be worse and have payments being made.
12:13 PM
12:18 PM
12:11 PM
As far as understanding the Veyron goes, do or do not. There is no try. And I do not. Nor do I like it. At all. I would have replaced it with the sexy curves of the Aston Martin DBS.
I would have replaced the EVO with the Chevy Cobalt SS Sedan. No car with such an obnoxiously crappy and boring interior should be that much fun. It's quicker, faster, and handles just as well as the GTI, and is quite literally awesomeness in a tin can.
Finally, I would have ditched the GT-R in favor of the 2004-2006 GTO. A throwback to the good old days of Capitalist America, it does not try to drive you. It begs you to drive it, and drive it hard. And no matter how hard you wail on it, it always asks for more. All of the atomic sex bomb attitude in a wrapper that can put a highway patrol officer to sleep.
I am grateful for those three cars.
12:21 PM
12:27 PM
The Veyron, on the other hand, was intended to cap off a decade of ostentatiousness. I suppose it did a good job of it, but still.
#tips
12:33 PM
Whatever the case, they're both impractical, prohibitively expensive to the producer and consumer, capable of producing a sonic boom without a Street Fighter II cartridge, and annoying to people and pelicans who live near them.
Finally saw my first Concorde at Dulles recently. Bad. Ass.
12:40 PM
Concordes are damned impressive, and seeing them fly was awesome. They are very graceful, elegant aircraft. And they were designed with slide rules, not CAD. That, to me, makes them all the more impressive.
12:48 PM
12:53 PM
@Neener: That's the point. The GTO was like Adriana Lima dressed in nun's outfit. Boring on the outside, but once you get past that, no amount of praying for salvation would excuse you from the sins you committed with it.
#tips
01:09 PM
11:04 AM