Automotive

2018 Indy 500 Notebook: Part 9: Moving On

2018 Indy 500 Notebook: Part 9: Moving On Tony Borroz opens up what has been dubbed “The 2018 Indy 500 Notebook” for an unedited look at The Greatest Spectacle In Racing. The 2018 Indy 500 Notebook is an unfiltered look and what makes the Indy 500 so alluring in the first place. The series concludes with this final installment, Part 9: “Moving On.”
The prologue can be found here.
Part 2: “Hey Hinchcliffe, Wanna Race? Then Go Faster!” here.
Part 3: “Carb Day” here.
Part 4: “By This Time Tomorrow” here.
Part 5: “On The Fly – Before The Green Flag” here.
Part 6: “On The Fly – Everything That Matters” here.
Part 7: “A Modest Proposal: The EV 500” here.
Part 8: “Letters” here.
The Indianapolis 500, as big as it is, is a thing of the past. Or at least now it is. The dust has barely settled and the teams have all moved on to the next round, a double-header race set on the beautiful Belle Isle Park in Detroit, with Will Power riding a wave of considerable momentum. At this point, I’d say Power is now the favorite to win the series championship, but this whole thing is far from over.
Power always seemed like he was running closer to an emotional edge than most other racers in the series. His last race, or few races, always seem to affect what’s coming next more with Power than with his competitors. That’s why winning this year’s 500 will have such a big impact going forward for him, both this season and in years to come. After chalking up a big win at Indy – two, actually, since you should also count his win on the Indy road course – Power will most likely be able to parlay that into enough wins, places, and shows to notch up another championship.
His joy at winning The 500 seemed like more than that, more than just elation at (finally) winning one of the crown jewels in all of racing. Along with all the screaming, gesticulating, furtive twitching and such, Power displayed a sense of relief that was almost worrying in its intensity. It became easy to stitch together a bunch of stuff in Power’s past with his Victory Circle response.
With his victory this year, Will Power became the first Australian to win the Indianapolis 500. Photo: IMS LLC.
Call Me Will
Up until winning Indy, you could see that it was Bugging him with a capital B; I mean Bugging him the way not settling the score with Moby Dick was starting to bug Ahab. We’re all complex creatures, we humans, and some of us are very complex indeed. Will Power seems to fall into that latter half of humanity. Having a certain level of drive and determination is part and parcel of being a racer at this level. Roger Penske or Michael Andretti or Josef Newgarden didn’t get to where they are because they had nothing else better to do. You don’t back into anything at this level. So having a certain amount of dogged determination to “succeed” is to be expected.
But, like anything else in life, it’s when you get on the other side of that power curve of determination that I start to worry. Captain Ahab is not a heroic figure. There is nothing fine and noble and valiant at attaining your goals at the cost of your humanity. I’m not saying that Power was going full Ahab here, but I am saying that his palpable sense of relief at finally winning worried me that he was edging closer to that.
Cats In The Cradle
I’ve seen it before, and far too many times at literally every level of this sport. I’ve seen drivers so blindly determined to win that they slowly lose everything along the way. Racing, as an activity, is riddled with broken relationships, snapped bones, burned out friendships, twisted frames, destroyed families. Some disabilities are not physical. Some drivers (and team owners) become so fixated, so focused on Winning, that literally nothing else matters to them.
Normal, healthy relationships with their spouses or children or close friends? They can be jettisoned with nary a backward glance if they are in the way of “winning.” Not winning can be the worst thing in the world. Not winning can Cost You, and you won’t know what the final bill is until it’s far too late in your life to be able to truly pay it.
And that’s why, in retrospect, I’m as relieved as Will Power over his 2018 Indy 500 win. Looking back, I can see how Power could have let missing another 500 win affect him. It would gnaw at him, and the pressure would mount, and build, and, like 90 percent of the other racers out there, he would have responded the only way racers know how: work harder, try harder, sacrifice more, risk more. When you buy into the mindset that your racing results define who you are as a human being, then results are all that matter.
Will Power in disbelief after winning the 102nd Indianapolis 500. Photo: Karl Zemlin.
Changing Places
That is, obviously, seriously unhealthy. Eventually, the results have got to stop. Eventually, the spotlight fades and the applause dies down and you are left with time on your hands. And if you’re one of those people who don’t know how to balance out all aspects of your life, even the big aspects of your life, like being a racing champion, then that time can stretch out before you like a yawning chasm. You can turn into one of those irascible old jerks at the local bar; one of the “remember-whens” and “I used to . . .” people.
No, Will Power finally winning The 500 wasn’t his “cure” for that. It never is. But what it hopefully will do for Mr. Will Power is give him some peace. Now that he has ticked off the “Win Indy 500” box, maybe he can get some perspective. Now, maybe he will realize he’s working, not from a place of accomplishment (although he surely is working from that as well), but from a place of peace and calm and quiet and he can move on and live a more balanced life.
Sure, this will make him a much stronger racer, especially in the short term, but eventually this will also make him a much stronger person, and we are all better off knowing that.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. His forthcoming new book The Future In Front of Me, The Past Behind Me will be available soon. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.

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FCA Expands Partnership With Waymo For Greater Autonomous Mobility

FCA Expands Partnership With Waymo For Greater Autonomous Mobility FCA US LLC and Waymo are expanding their partnership further, this time with an agreement to add up to 62,000 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to Waymo’s self-driving fleet. Vehicle deliveries are expected late this year, and both companies are discussing the use of Waymo’s self-driving technology, including potentially licensing it, in a FCA-manufactured vehicle available to retail customers.
Innovation & Accessibility
Earlier this year, FCA US LLC delivered 500 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to Waymo to boost the tech company’s autonomous driving program. To date, FCA has delivered 600 Pacifica Hybrid minivans to Waymo.
“FCA is committed to bringing self-driving technology to our customers in a manner that is safe, efficient, and realistic,” said Sergio Marchionne, Chief Executive Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. “Strategic partnerships, such as the one we have with Waymo, will help to drive innovative technology to the forefront.”
“Waymo’s goal from day one has been to build the world’s most experienced driver and give people access to self-driving technology that will make our roads safer,” added Waymo CEO John Krafcik.
Photo: FCA US LLC.
Future Goals
One of the goals for FCA and Waymo was to develop an autonomous vehicle for mass production. The partnership paired FCA and Waymo engineers together who devised ways to implement Waymo’s automated technology into the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. Leaders from both companies say leveraging each other’s strengths, experiences, and resources is critical for the successful and safe implementation of autonomous driving.
FCA and Waymo engineers have continued working together to support Waymo’s expansion, and to advance the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid with autonomous technology. Waymo’s self-driving system includes a powerful hardware and software suite honed over 6 million miles of on-road testing.
Later this year, Waymo will launch a self-driving transportation service, allowing the public to use Waymo’s app to request a vehicle.
“We’re excited to deepen our relationship with FCA that will support the launch of our driverless service, and explore future products that support Waymo’s mission,” Krafcik said.
The Automoblog Staff contributed to this report and can be reached anytime.
Photos & Source: FCA US LLC.

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SoftBank Vision Fund To Invest Over 2 Billion In GM Cruise

SoftBank Vision Fund To Invest Over 2 Billion In GM Cruise The SoftBank Vision Fund will invest $2.25 billion in GM Cruise Holdings LLC, a move aimed at strengthening the company’s plans to commercialize and scale autonomous vehicle technology. General Motors will also invest $1.1 billion in GM Cruise upon closing of the SoftBank Vision Fund transaction.
“Our Cruise and GM teams together have made tremendous progress over the last two years,” explained GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “Teaming up with SoftBank adds an additional strong partner as we pursue our vision of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion.”
Increased Flexibility
The SoftBank Vision Fund’s first tranche of $900 million will come at the closing of the transaction. The second installment of $1.35 billion (with regulatory approval) will be completed by the Vision Fund when the Cruise AV vehicles are ready for commercial deployment. The SoftBank Vision Fund will then own a near 20 percent equity stake in GM Cruise. Officials say the relationship will allow increased flexibility with respect to capital allocation.
“We’re excited to be joining forces with a tech leader who shares our belief that AV technology will change the world,” said GM President Dan Ammann. “We look forward to partnering with SoftBank as we work toward deploying this technology safely and in massive scale.”
“GM has made significant progress toward realizing the dream of completely automated driving to dramatically reduce fatalities, emissions, and congestion,” added Michael Ronen, Managing Partner, SoftBank Investment Advisers. “The GM Cruise approach of a fully integrated hardware and software stack gives it a unique competitive advantage.”
General Motors President Dan Ammann (left) and GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra (right) give SoftBank Investment Advisers Managing Partner Michael Ronen a closer look at the Cruise AV on Wednesday, May 30th, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Photo: Steve Fecht for General Motors.
The GM and SoftBank Vision Fund investments are expected to provide the necessary capital to reach commercialization at scale, beginning already next year. Earlier this year, GM filed a Safety Petition with the Department of Transportation for its fourth-generation self-driving Cruise AV. The petition says the Cruise AV would be the first production-ready vehicle to operate safely with no driver, steering wheel, pedals, or manual controls.
“We are very impressed by the advances made by the Cruise and GM teams, and are thrilled to help them lead a historic transformation of the automobile industry,” Ronen said.
The Automoblog Staff contributed to this report and can be reached anytime.
Photos & Source: General Motors.

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2019 Acura RDX Hits Dealerships: A Brief Walk Around

2019 Acura RDX Hits Dealerships: A Brief Walk Around The 2019 Acura RDX, which debuted at the New York International Auto Show earlier this year, has landed on the showfloor. This new RDX is the product of an extensive overhaul, being designed and built under Acura’s Precision Crafted Performance mantra. The 2019 RDX features a VTEC Turbo engine, 10-speed transmission, and an available torque vectoring all-wheel drive system.
The A-Spec variant is there for those who want a bit more flash and flare.
Design & Technology
The 2019 RDX is the first to fully encompass Acura’s new exterior and interior design language – diehard fans may remember the Acura Precision Concept and Acura Precision Cockpit – it is, in essence, a combining of those two elements. Acura opted for a more athletic stance, achieved by the longer wheelbase, shortened front overhang, and overall wider track. The brand’s signature diamond pentagon grille is seen as are the NSX-inspired front air curtains.
Authentic brushed aluminum, stainless steel, and Olive Ash wood accents grace the inside to compliment the sport seats and panoramic moonroof. Opt for the Technology Package and the Advance Package and receive a literal boatload of amenities: 16-way power adjustable heated and ventilated front seats, a 10.5-inch full-color heads-up display, birds-eye view camera, and a 16-channel, 710-watt premium audio system among others.
On-board 4GLTE Wi-Fi enables a variety of cloud-based services like emergency roadside assistance, remote locking/unlocking, stolen vehicle tracking, and geofencing. Acura’s True Touchpad Interface combines conventional touchscreen and remote-based approaches from its perch atop the center console.
Photo: Honda North America.
Power & Performance
Every cake has icing and the 2019 Acura RDX is no exception. The icing here is the direct-injected and turbocharged engine under the hood. The 2.0-liter, 16-valve powerplant with its patented DOHC VTEC valvetrain creates 272 horsepower and 280 lb-ft. of torque. It’s mated to the segment’s only 10-speed automatic transmission and delivers a whopping 40 percent more low-end torque than the outgoing V6.
Where the RDX cake really gets sweet is with Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, an available torque vectoring system often written as “SH-AWD.” It’s not the most creative name but we give Acura props for being blunt. SH-AWD does exactly what it says: makes the handling superb.
This next-generation SH-AWD system ups rear-wheel torque capacity 40 percent over the prior model. Now, up to 70 percent of the available torque can be distributed to the rear wheels, and up to 100 percent of that torque can be distributed to either the right-rear or left-rear wheel. This will give drivers a feeling of stability, security, and control.
Available drive modes include Snow, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+, each one changing up the overall dynamics of the vehicle to suit differing road conditions. The drive modes utilize the Drive-by-Wire throttle, transmission, electric power steering, traction and sound control, and if equipped, the SH-AWD system accordingly.
Photo: Honda North America.
Pricing & Manufacturing
The 2019 Acura RDX is available now with a starting MSRP of $38,295. The new RDX was designed at the Acura Design Studio in Los Angeles, California, developed in Raymond, Ohio, and is manufactured in East Liberty, Ohio.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan. He studies mechanical engineering at Wayne State University, serves on the Board of Directors for the Ally Jolie Baldwin Foundation, and is a loyal Detroit Lions fan.
2019 Acura RDX Gallery

Photos & Source: Honda North America.

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2018 Indy 500 Notebook: Part 8: Letters

2018 Indy 500 Notebook: Part 8: Letters Tony Borroz opens up what has been dubbed “The 2018 Indy 500 Notebook” for an unedited look at The Greatest Spectacle In Racing. This new series will span the days leading up to and after the 102nd Indianapolis 500. The 2018 Indy 500 Notebook is an unfiltered look and what makes the Indy 500 so alluring in the first place.
The prologue can be found here.
Part 2: “Hey Hinchcliffe, Wanna Race? Then Go Faster!” here.
Part 3: “Carb Day” here.
Part 4: “By This Time Tomorrow” here.
Part 5: “On The Fly – Before The Green Flag” here.
Part 6: “On The Fly – Everything That Matters” here.
Part 7: “A Modest Proposal: The EV 500” here.
One of the things about being a car guy, and I’m sure this comes as no surprise, is that you become the de facto font of all car knowledge at the office, the bar-b-que or wherever. Once this year’s Indy 500 was over, I got a few emails from an old friend of mine, Blaine. We were in punk bands together and have worked off and on in the intervening years on video games and museum designs and a bunch of fun stuff. Blaine’s a great guy, but not what one would call a gearhead. Here’s what he asked:
“TB what was one of the most surprising things about this race, and what was one of the best things?”
Well, it was kind of unsurprising if you gave it some thought.
Hot & Heavy
The known parameters going in were this: completely new aero package that had never been run at these sustained speeds before AND had never been run in traffic. There weren’t many rookies, so that’s a blessing, but really, everyone was very pragmatic for the first 2/3 of the race. On top of the new aero questions, it was also hot as blazes – high 80s – so everything was going to be loose. And that follows through to most of the accidents.
Most people went out by themselves, usually in turns Two or Four; the back end would step out, the better drivers might have half-caught it, but eventually the whole thing let go and spun into one or more walls.
And one of the best things was actually two things.
The first was Alexander Rossi passing two and three-wide on the outside. That was impressive.
And the other was seeing Will Power win the thing. He seemed so relieved. I know this was his 10th try, and in retrospect, I can see it was weighing on him, like an incomplete mark on his school records.
Will Power upon winning the 102nd Indianapolis 500. Photo: Karl Zemlin.
Maybe It’s Time We Shake Up The Monaco Grand Prix?
“TB what do you think about this article? The comments of course are pretty funny, but in the serious world what do you think?”
Okay, here is an immutable fact: Monaco is a terrible place to have a car race. I don’t just mean currently, I mean it has always been a terrible venue to go racing.
That’s what makes it work, the complete batshit craziness of it all.
When he got out of his car after practicing for the first time, then-rookie Nelson Piquet was asked, “Well, what’s it like?”
“What’s it like? It’s like flying a helicopter around your goddamned living room, that’s what it’s like!”
But I get their point . . . did you know they used to race the same car at Indy that they raced on tracks like high school running tracks (1/4 mile crushed clay)? They don’t do that anymore, do they? No, they don’t, and with good reason.
What should they do at Monaco? You got me.

Indy 500 Car Leaves Pits On Fire But Extinguishes It With Speed
One more from Blaine: “The guy on the right with the fuel line is awfully casual about BEING ON FUCKING FIRE!”
Oh yeah, Zach Veach.
He could be a real problem, and I mean a problem of prodigy-esque proportions.
He’s 23-years-old, stands less than 5 foot 4, weighs around 140, and looks like a child:
Zach Veach, Twitter.
Boy Wonder
He is preternaturally fast, has tons of mechanical sympathy, and is as cool under pressure as Neil Armstrong. I am not fucking kidding.
If I was racing against him, I’d be worried.
One of these days I want to go to The 500 with someone who knows absolutely nothing about it. Somehow it makes me notice things I’d otherwise take for granted.
Part 9: “Moving On” concludes the 2018 Indy 500 Notebook and can be found here.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. His forthcoming new book The Future In Front of Me, The Past Behind Me will be available soon. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.

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2018 Indy 500 Notebook: Part 7: A Modest Proposal: The EV 500

2018 Indy 500 Notebook: Part 7: A Modest Proposal: The EV 500 Tony Borroz opens up what has been dubbed “The 2018 Indy 500 Notebook” for an unedited look at The Greatest Spectacle In Racing. This new series will span the days leading up to and after the 102nd Indianapolis 500. The 2018 Indy 500 Notebook is an unfiltered look and what makes the Indy 500 so alluring in the first place.
The prologue can be found here.
Part 2: “Hey Hinchcliffe, Wanna Race? Then Go Faster!” here.
Part 3: “Carb Day” here.
Part 4: “By This Time Tomorrow” here.
Part 5: “On The Fly – Before The Green Flag” here.
Part 6: “On The Fly – Everything That Matters” here.
Do you know why they have the Indianapolis 500 physically in Indianapolis? It’s because, back in the day, Indianapolis was pretty much right in the middle of where U.S. car manufacturing was concentrated. At that time, 1909, there were more than one-hundred independent automotive manufacturers within a certain radius of the middle of Indiana. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built as a test track and then it turned into a race track. And I think it is high time to use it as a test track and a race track simultaneously.
I think we should hold a 500 mile race for electric vehicles.
No. I’m serious.
Photo: IMS LLC.
You want people to drive EVs? Yes, yes we do. Then we have to make them more fun, we have to make them drive farther, and we have to let people know that. Racing is the best way to do both with one swing. Racing improves the breed, right? That being the case, then it’s obvious we should start racing electric vehicles. Yes, we already are. Yeah, I know, Formula E, but who cares? Sprint races on city streets where you have to swap cars due to battery drain? Yawn. They’re just trying to cram existing technology into an entertainment format.
I say go at it the other way around. We already have a pretty entertaining racing format, let’s just have EVs compete in that, it’s the best way to force the electric technology to be practical.
The spec we race under is this:
All EV drivetrain
No battery swapping
1st car to run 500 miles wins
Winner gets a great big pile of money
All EV Drivetrain
No hybrids. No internal combustion engines. It’s got to be batteries and electric motors; as many batteries as you want, as many motors as you want, but they have to be electric.
No Battery Swapping
None. The batteries you start with are the batteries you finish with. Period. You have to go the entire race distance with these batteries, charging and discharging, and recharging them over and over and over again. Figure out a way to do it. If you figure out a way to do that better than your competitors, you’ll win!
1st Car To Run 500 Miles Wins
Simple. No sliding scale, balance of power, index of efficiency type stuff. Just go out and race.
Winner Gets A Great Big Pile of Money
And I mean a great big pile of money. Millions. Many millions. Why? If you dangle a big enough prize out there, the big money will attract big teams and big manufacturers. You get manufacturer involvement, then the technical improvements you gain in racing (longer range batteries, faster recharge times, etc.) will make it into the everyday EVs we can buy.
Set the technological bar stratospherically high, and dare teams and car makers to beat it.
That’s what happened at the first Indy 500 mile race more than a century ago, and look at how it improved the cars we all drive today. Apply that same mindset to electric vehicles, and 10 years from now, we’ll have hot rod EVs to tool around in. Let’s make it happen.
Part 8: “Letters” is forthcoming.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. His forthcoming new book The Future In Front of Me, The Past Behind Me will be available soon. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.

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2009 Aston Martin Vantage V8 Convertible 2009 Aston Martin Vantage V8 Convertible Midnight Blue

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Automoblog Book Garage: Supercar Revolution

Automoblog Book Garage: Supercar Revolution Supercar Revolution chronicles the battle for performance supremacy among the world’s fastest cars.
Our Book Garage series showcases what every gearhead and enthusiast should have in their library.
What exactly is a sports car? Not that long ago, within my lifetime, that was an easy question to answer. Now things become much more hazy. We no longer have just sports cars because now we have to add “supercars” into that discussion; and, as of late, “hypercars” are all over the automotive world. A gorgeous book by John Lamm, Supercar Revolution, traces the history of when sports cars became supercars, then became hypercars. In essence, it chronicles the battle for performance supremacy among these high-dollar machines.
Supercar Revolution: The Fastest Cars of All Time
This is all Lamborghini’s fault. Being the young upstart company they were, back in 1967, engineering conservatism was not in their vocabulary. It was clear from a performance standpoint a mid-engine car was the way to go. Yet a decade or so since John Cooper and Jack Brabham drove that point home, the high-end sports car world was still replete with big, front engine, rear-wheel drive choices.
The Lamborghini Miura blew that notion into a cocked hat. While Ferrari’s Daytona (really called the 365 GTB/4) was the king of the mountain, the Miura was a clean sheet of paper; new idea from new minds. It was also, arguably, the first supercar. It is with this event, starting with the old chestnut retelling of Enzo and Ferruccio’s fight about how to build sports cars, that our book in question – Supercar Revolution: The Fastest Cars of All Time, written by John Lamm – starts.
Supercar Revolution: The Fastest Cars of All Time, page 10: Lamborghini Miura & Ferrari Daytona. Photo: John Lamm.
On The Prowl
Lambo’s shot across the bow of Ferrari, and any other traditionally-oriented car maker of the time, sent us on the path to where we find ourselves today: staring down the barrel of something as strange and beautiful and terrible as a La Ferrari or a Porsche 918 or a McLaren P1. These are not sports cars. These are not even supercars (book title notwithstanding). No, these are hypercars. Cars of such technological aspiration and execution; such physics-bending performance that it is almost insane they sell them to anyone with a licence and a good check.
But here they are, out on the street; our streets, rolling among us; looking side-to-side, waiting, waiting for that next gap in traffic, that next open stretch of road, that next green light.
Related: This book about the Monaco Grand Prix captures it perfectly.
Stunning Illustrations
And this is a point Supercar Revolution drives home, page after page, and photo after photo. While we’re on the subject: Dig these shots man! The photos within the 240 page book are gorgeous art shots of two types. Either they are in-studio photos set against a black limbo background; or they’re outdoor, in situ shots of staggeringly-beautiful cars poised on race tracks, or parked just so out in front of villas of olde, or gardens verdant, or race tracks beckoning. You’ve seen Top Gear, right? The BBC program is known (primarily) for two things: doing foolishly-entertaining stuff with cars, and two – really good photography. Supercar Revolution is like the second, only in still form.
The horrible expectation is that with both the subject matter and the glorious photography, evidenced by the cover’s fantastic, rain-dappled three-quarter shot of a La Ferrari, this would be a coffee table book. A book that looks great, but has all the written flair of a vacuum cleaner manual. But no! This is not the case! Supercar Revolution is rather wonderfully-written by Lamm, a longtime notable car scribe and photographer. He is an alumnus of Road & Track and Motor Trend, and has created other nicely-done books and special pieces found hither and yon.
Supercar Revolution: The Fastest Cars of All Time, page 137: McLaren F1. Photo: John Lamm.
Star Power
Indeed the R&T connection runs deep throughout Supercar Revolution. Not only does Lamm get his two cents in about high performance cars of the last 50 years, but he talks with a bunch of well-known gearheads, fellow writers, drivers, and outright racers. Jay Leno gives his opinion here and there, pipe-hitting champions like Phil Hill and Paul Frère are mentioned; René Dreyfus gets a shot. He even gives space to Jerry Wiegert, that half-huckster/hudry-gurdy man that gave (or said he was going to give) the world the Vector Aeromotive W2.
Pride of The Coffee Table
It’s a really good book, in both words and pictures, and the downsides are pretty minimal. One is how the cars covered get more frequent as time gets closer to our present day – but that just reflects how there are more super and hyper cars available now. Consider Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin; and boutique makers like Pagani, Bugatti, Saleen, and Ultima. The other miss is, apart from that gorgeous cover, the La Ferrari is not within the book itself. Sort of like writing a book about mountains and failing to mention Mount Everest.
But really, overall, Supercar Revolution is a great book. It will look good on your shelf or “left out” on your coffee table.
Supercar Revolution by John Lamm
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Motorbooks; 1 edition (November 13, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 076036334X
ISBN-13: 978-0760363348
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 1 x 11.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
Price at the time of this writing: from $21.22 (hardcover) on Amazon.
About The Author
John Lamm is an award-winning automotive journalist and photographer who covers sports and racing cars for Road & Track. After attending a road race at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, he decided to become an automotive journalist and began his career with Motor Trend magazine in Los Angeles. In 1975, he moved to Road & Track, where he remains editor-at-large to this day. Lamm has won the International Motor Press Association’s Ken Purdy Award and the Motor Press Guild’s Dean Batchelor Award.
Supercar Revolution Gallery

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2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road Double Cab Review

2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road Double Cab Review For those wanting to get off the beaten path and away from civilization, the Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road is a mid-size truck that will fit perfectly. Get the Tacoma Double Cab and you can take all your friends, and have room for extra gear on the excursion. If you just need a commuter truck, the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, or Honda Ridgeline will be a good enough alternative to a car.
This week, we’ve been driving the 2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road Double Cab.
What’s New For 2018
For 2018, all Tacomas gain Toyota Safety Sense P. This suite of safety features includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane departure alert, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control. The rest of the Tacoma is unchanged.
Features & Options
The 2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road Double Cab ($36,115) comes with a full rear seat, five foot bed, and turn signals in the mirror housings. There’s a 400-watt power outlet in the bed, and automatic transmission-equipped trucks gain smart entry, push-button start, and navigation via the Entune premium audio system’s seven-inch touchscreen.
TRD includes a color-keyed rear bumper, textured black fender flares, and the absence of the Sport’s hood scoop. Off-road performance changes are what set this trim apart, with knobby all-terrain tires on 16-inch alloy wheels, the deletion of the front air dam, extra skid plates, a lockable rear differential, Bilstein monotube shocks, and an advanced off-road traction control system with multiple terrain settings and crawl control.
The TRD Premium Off-Road package ($2,625) includes a moonroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated seats, leather upholstery, and JBL premium sound with integrated navigation.
This Tacoma tester also came with the Technology Package ($770) which included Rear Parking Assist, Blind Spot Monitor and Rear cross-traffic alert, and a front skid plate ($499). Total MSRP including destination: $41,267.

Interior Highlights
The cabin in the Tacoma is comfortable enough for longer trips to the back country, and with its heated seats, dual-zone climate control, and premium JBL audio, it’s an enjoyable place to spend time. Although, with the high floor and low roof, you need to watch your head getting into the cab. It can feel a bit cramped inside for taller drivers.
Our tester came with an attractive, all-black interior and lots of soft-touch materials throughout. It featured plenty of storage plus a convenient cell phone charging pad in front of the gear shifter. The front seats could use more adjustment capabilities as they offered minimal support, but the tilt/telescoping steering wheel makes it easier to find the right driving position.
The backup camera made things simple, especially with the longer cab as we navigated around. This model features a full-size rear seat (split 70/30) and flips up to reveal convenient under seat storage for valuables. The rear seat offers adequate room for two adults but would be cramped with three.

Engine, Off-Road & Fuel Mileage Specs
The Tacoma TRD Off-Road is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 with direct injection, making 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft. of torque. Our tester came mated to a six-speed automatic; off-road capability was enhanced by a Multi-Terrain Select system (taken from the 4Runner).
Drivers can set modes for mud, sand, rocks, and more, changing the throttle and braking. TRD Off-Road models include an automatic limited-slip rear differential and a locking rear differential for extra traction.
EPA-estimated fuel economy is 18/22 city/highway and 20 combined mpg for a 4X4 with the automatic transmission.

Driving Dynamics
We drove the new TRD Off-Road on an ideal trail just west of Denver near Morrison. It was a good place to test the Tacoma’s true capability. The road turns from pavement to dirt and then a trail appears – and that’s when our afternoon fun started. The Bilstein shocks handled the rough road with ease as we navigated up the mountain trail. The road turns uphill and a short steep climb required us to slip the Tacoma into low range. A turn of the range-select knob on the dash to 4Lo quickly puts the truck into low range, and an indicator lights up for confirmation.
An overhead knob reveals the Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control settings – each having five different settings depending on the terrain. We chose “3” on the Crawl Control option allowing us to remove our feet from the pedals. The Toyota Tacoma crawled up the steep hill and we steered it to the top without issue. We did it again going downhill with the same steady and effortless results. For those looking for a true off-road pickup, the Tacoma TRD Off-Road is an ideal candidate. It’s made to excel on primitive trails and rugged terrain.
How does the TRD Off-Road do on the highway and in the city? The ride is what you would expect from a vehicle with a serious off-road suspension. On the road and around town, the ride has the feel of a truck built to take on rugged terrain. It’s a focused vehicle, so it isn’t the smoothest, most comfortable option for the daily commute to town or when running errands.
The optional Parking Sensors, Blind Spot Monitor, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are musts with this longer Double Cab pickup. It saved us a number of times from getting hit when we couldn’t see traffic and obstacles around us.
Conclusion
The 2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road Double Cab is designed for adventure enthusiasts who want to get off the beaten path. Toyota’s reputation for durability and strong resale value put it at the top of the list in the mid-size truck segment. If you are transporting dirt bikes, 4-wheelers, snow machines; heading up the mountain to go skiing, or pulling a small camping trailer, this truck will meet your needs.
Denis Flierl has invested over 25 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. Follow his work on Twitter: @CarReviewGuy
2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road Double Cab Gallery

2018 Toyota Tacoma Official Site.
Photos: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TRD Sport models also shown).

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