Automotive

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 5: Female Perspective

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 5: Female Perspective Tony Borroz is attending the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.

Dale Coyne stands in stark contrast to the wisdom of Leo Durocher. He is as nice and personable as nine out of ten Midwesterners you meet, but he rarely finishes last. He is tall and perpetually grinning, seeming tubbier on TV than he is in person. He has a big round Irish face dominated by a huge smile and frequent nodding when he listens. He listens a lot, intently, to whomever is talking to him, whether it’s some awestruck kid or upset racer in his employ.
He comes across as the just the sort of boss you’d want: Fair as the day is long, but tough as an anvil.
Coyne is from Minooka, Illinois, and no, that’s not a joke name. It’s sort of south and west of Chicago, kind of by Joliet (ancestral home of Jake Blues). Minooka is, by sheer coincidence, the home of Nick Offerman, the actor that plays Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation. In some odd way, Dale seems as if he could be Ron Swanson’s fun friend; the jovial Yin to Swanson’s brooding Yang.
Steadfast Vision
Dale Coyne has been racing since the early 80s and has that air about him of forgetting more about racing than you will ever know. He is, to accurately use the term, a fixture in the series. Dale can do more with a nickel than Chip Ganassi can do with a Ben Franklin. And that is yet another charming facet of Dale Coyne, the racer.
He always can put a team together. He’s money conscious, yes, but no more so than any other team owner. I recall him saying one of the reasons he got out of the first gen IRL, and back into CART, is that at the time, the IRL was all ovals. “There are no small wrecks on ovals,” he said. “Whenever one of my guys wreck, the entire car is totaled, gone, a complete write-off. I just can’t afford to wreck that many cars.”
Another thing Dale has a knack for that everyone in the series admires: He’s a fantastic talent scout. He has this funny ability to find drivers, seemingly out of nowhere and largely unsung, that turn out to be either great talents or fantastic journeymen teammates. Dominic Dobson, Randy Lewis, Buddy Lazier, Paul Tracy, Roberto Moreno, Memo Gidley, Alex Barron, Ryan Dalziel, Cristiano da Matta, Katherine Legge, Bruno Junqueira, Justin Wilson, and Conor Daly all got their start in big time American racing with Dale Coyne. He’s like Sam Phillips at Sun Records, minus Elvis Presley but plus Paul Tracy.
Sebastien Bourdais. Photo: INDYCAR.

Female Touch
This year he’s running Sebastien Bourdais (who sadly crashed out in qualifying), James Davidson (Bourdais replacement), Ed Jones, and Pippa Mann. Davidson is some sort of crazed miracle worker, jumping into Bourdais car with only half an hour of practice under his seat before starting the 500. Ed Jones is, like 86% of Dale’s past drivers, a young up and comer. Pippa Mann, on the other hand, is no stranger to the speedway. She shows up every year and beats about a third of the field in qualifying with little to no practice.
This delights me to no end because it upsets the sclerotic old dinosaurs who grumble out horse manure about “women can’t” and other such chauvinistic crap that should have ended decades ago. My fondest wish is to be sitting in the stands when a woman finally wins the 500, and be sitting right next to one of these dingbats. Watching him faint will be the cherry on top.
Pippa Mann. Photo: INDYCAR.
Calm & Collected
Dale is married to, and I am not making this up, Gail Coyne. She’s as sweet as he is. Short, blond, nods while listening and, even better, is responsible for Sonny’s Barbeque (Dale’s main sponsor for most of this season). I’m not sure if she owns it, runs it, bought or whatever, but she understands barbecue, that’s for sure.
“Have you ever been to Florida,” she asks rhetorically. “Barbecue is like a religion to those people.”
“Like a religion to those people,” I jokingly respond, “shoot, it’s like a religion to me!”
She laughs as we dive deep into the sociology of soul food and barbecue specifically.
Whenever she talks, Dale listens attentively, and vice versa. They make a great couple, Dale and Gail do. They both radiate the same vibe: comfort and confidence. It must be a huge tension reliever to be a driver in that environment. No matter how tense things get, there’s Dale, all calm and cool with a seemingly bottomless well of experience. Even the way he stands seems to say, “don’t worry, I can handle this.”
Dale seems happy and content, because, in a certain way, he already “won.” He’s doing what he loves, has a great life, and Gail by his side. If that’s not winning, I don’t know what is, Leo Durocher’s opinion not withstanding.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: INDYCAR.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-5-female-perspective/

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 4: Hang Ten

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 4: Hang Ten Tony Borroz is attending the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.

To me, there are three high holy days on the racing calendar. The first is the Italian Grand Prix. Much like Eskimos having many words for snow, the Italians have their own singular word for racing fan: TIfosi. And Monza, the home of the Italian Grand Prix, is our cathedral where we worship.
The greatest drivers in the world have raced here, and every year the grand prix is a fine Italian opera played out at over 200 miles an hour.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is next. Held close to the summer solstice every year, it started out as a twice around the clock endurance grind, but now is more like a sprint race for maniacs. This is where sports car racing was perfected. This is where, up until the late 60s, street legal two seaters from Jaguar and Ferrari and Ford and Porsche slugged it out to see who was best over public roads, come rain or shine, day or night, every year.
The last high holy day is the Indy 500. The race is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway located in the small Midwestern town of Speedway, Indiana. It seems rather simple at first. The track resembles an enormous cafeteria tray, essentially a rounded off rectangle. It is very wide, very smooth, and slightly banked. There are only four turns and all of them are left handers, how hard can it be? As it were, it is very hard largely due to one thing: Speed.
Aerial view of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Hurricane Force
A modern Formula 1 car, trimmed out and on a high-speed track like Spa or Monza can hit a top speed of 215 or so. A modern sports prototype at Le Mans can do about the same. A modern Indy car averages over 225 during the race. Averages. The corner entry speeds this year were flickering into the high 230s. The best analogy I have for high speed oval racing – a thing, bizarrely enough, invented by the Italians (okay, Romans) and made famous in the movie Ben Hur – is, curiously, big wave surfing.
Think of surfing, and most people see a place like Banzai Pipeline or Oahu’s North Shore. Pipeline is very Grand Prix like. Technical and fast, with waves in the 20 foot range, breaking directly over a bed of razor sharp coral. Getting it wrong means getting munched in a very spectacular and public way. Racing at Indy is like Waimea Bay. The waves are huge and powerful. Easily over 30 feet and as any surfer will tell you, the bigger the wave is, the faster it travels. If you even catch the wave at Waimea, which means enduring a fear inducing 20 foot elevator drop; you then have to make the bottom turn; a simple graceful arc to your right, or you get eaten alive by literally tons of ocean that cleans you off your board and, if you’re lucky, drives you straight down into the bottom and rolls and tumbles and smashes you for, potentially, the last 50 yards of your life.
Brian Kalama, full-blooded Hawaiian, son of the great Buffalo Kalama, lifeguard at Makaha, and famed big wave surfer put it this way: “the problem with big wave surfing is that when something goes wrong, it goes real wrong, real fast.” And that, in a nutshell, from a completely different walk of life, in 18 words, is racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: “the problem with racing at Indy is that when something goes wrong, it goes real wrong, real fast.”
Photo: INDYCAR.

Risky Roulette
The corner entry speeds, not to mention the cornering speeds themselves, are so high, the smallest mistake – being off line by inches, say, or brushing a competitor no harder than two shopping carts bumping – can lead to appalling consequences. Sebastien Bourdais, who I mentioned in an earlier chapter, was off by no more than 18 inches, the distance between your knife and fork on the dinner table, and that was enough to send him into the outside wall like a horizontally thrown lawn dart at 230 miles per hour.
Racing at Indy is so simple, it should be easy, but the speeds are so high that making a 90 degree left turn is like rolling the dice against the devil himself. Now add 32 other speed-crazed mutants with a competitive streak that would make a test pilot blush, very large right feet, and even larger, er, attachments, and the equation of simply keeping up, let alone winning, is magnified ten-thousand fold.
Head Case
This is all done in cars with open wheels and open cockpits whose main structural components are cloth and glue. The buffeting from the wind in traffic is enough to spin you halfway to Oz and back. The levels of grip at the limit are only slightly better than those found on roads outside Anchorage in February. And all the while your head – you know, the part where your brain is kept, the part where all that is you is; all thoughts, all hopes, all dreams, all memories; where all of your fondest desires and deepest fears live – are hanging out in a 230+ mile an hour breeze just waiting to get clocked by someone else’s wheel or tire or shrapnel from a crash that never even involved you in the first place.
That is the Indy 500.
2016 Indianapolis 500 winner, Alexander Rossi. Photo: INDYCAR.
Raw & Relentless
That is just what is at stake, and it will go on for two-hundred laps, turn after turn, for over three hours without respite or let up. There are no time outs. There is no halftime break. There is only the green flag then 500 miles between you and fame and victory and a long drink of cold milk on a fine May afternoon in the middle of Indiana farmland. It is a simple stage with simple rules where all that is True and Good in us vie against all that is False and Poor. This is the Indy 500. And it is Pure and it is Righteous. Hallelujah!
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: INDYCAR.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-4-hang-ten/

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer Tony Borroz is attending the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.

It’s Thursday, cold and threatening with rain. The immense track is largely quiet, just spots of activity here and there. We wander through Gasoline Alley, all the garages quietly busy with preparations for something happening soon enough. For the first time in a long time, I get a smell of ethanol, sickly sweet, decaying flowers; it makes me inhale deeper.
Apart from Pippa Mann, all long blond hair and a bright smile that seems to be saying “I’m quicker than most of the boys here,” none of the drivers are around.
Until I get to the last garages, and there’s Ed Carpenter.
Hometown Hero
You can tell what Ed Carpenter looked like when he was say, 12: just like he looks now, only shorter. He’s one of those guys that always looks like a kid, and if he didn’t have a day’s growth of beard, you’d think he was a college sophomore. Healey knows him, so we walk right in, and I get introduced and shake. His hands are warm and papery and he clamps down like a flesh covered vice. It’s a hazard of the profession. All race car drivers have a grip strength somewhere right around the bite force of a crocodile.
Carpenter is one of these odd throw-backs to what drivers were like 50 or 60 years ago. He is a local kid, born and raised in Speedway. He has the affect of a Mercury astronaut; quiet, personable, and gives you a feeling that you don’t have to scratch that deep to find a bottomless well of self confidence behind the wheel of a car. His smile is huge and genuine, and sort of reminds me of Mark Donohue; like an honest talking schoolboy who excelled at getting away with practical jokes. Carpenter is the nephew of the Georges (a branch of the track owning Hullman family) so yeah, that did give him a leg up, and opened more than a few doors. But that will only get you so far in the racing business. Sooner or later, you will have to produce, and Ed Carpenter did.
By his own admission, he’s not very competitive on road courses, so he’s turned into a high speed oval specialist. Indeed during qualifying he was the fastest Chevy powered car out there, qualifying 2nd over all.
Photo: Ed Carpenter Racing.
Fine & Dandy
“How’s the car,” Healey asks, the implication being that he is surrounded by Hondas, and the next Chevy is his teammate J.R. Hildebrand four spots back; then even more Hondas and then the first of the mighty Penske-Chevrolet runners, Will Power in ninth.
“Oh good. We’re fine,” he said, and that’s what stops me hard. It’s the way he said “we’re fine,” that I notice. It was a simple and declarative statement, sort of like the response to his favorite color. I have noticed, over the years, there is one kind of driver to watch out for at the Indy 500. Usually, amidst all the hub-bub and noise, among all the racers that are going fast and being interviewed on TV, there will always be a few racers, and usually just one, up there at the front of the pack: head down, quietly going about their business, clocking lap after lap after lap, and doing it quickly.
And with that simple “we’re fine,” I realized Ed Carpenter is that racer.
Photo: Ed Carpenter Racing.

Potential Happenings
I watch him and Healey chatting away as I think to myself, “shoot, this guy’s gonna win the whole thing, isn’t he?” There are no sure things in racing. Never. And although I would not bet, or say unequivocally that Ed Carpenter is going to win this thing, he is suddenly very much in my consciousness. Carpenter could win the Indy 500. He could do it, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: Ed Carpenter Racing.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-3-the-quiet-racer/

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire Tony Borroz is attending the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.

I was fully intending to write a story on a completely different subject, but St. Elmo’s got in the way. I am, in all honesty, slightly tipsy as I write this. St. Elmo’s is a place that encourages such things. Besides, as Ernest Hemingway famously said, “write drunk, edit sober.”
In 1902, a restaurant and bar opened up in downtown Indianapolis called St. Elmo’s. It is one of those places with overdone booths, lots of paneling, and a mosaic tile floor in front of the enormous bar.
During prohibition the place had to have been a speakeasy. It’s right out of central casting in that respect, and so is the entire staff. Over-dressed in stiff formal shirts, they all seem comfortable and unflappable. Our waiter, Brett, is a comic book good looking fellow – graying at the temples, 1,000 watt smile, consistently personable – and a fantastic waiter.
Wall of Fame
Why, you might ask, am I wasting your precious time and management’s delicate space in this publication talking about a restaurant? Because St. Elmo’s, since time immemorial, has been the place to eat if you are a driver, team owner, or a rich mechanic. The walls (which should be outfitted with mirrors so the hoi polloi of Indianapolis can watch themselves while they are eating) are lined with pictures of famous drivers and of the track from days gone by.
“There’s Mario,” I think to myself, noticing a four-by-four foot formal portrait. Autographed, of course. Foyt, Unser, Unser (again), Unser (little Al), Vukovich, and more black and white shots of the starting field than I can count. I see a few of the newer drivers’ shots here and there. Lyn St. James, former Indy 500 racer comes strolling in. Unnoticed by the gathering crowd, she draws my attention like a magnet. Shorter than I expected, she’s still frighteningly cute and charismatic and capable of driving a car 50% faster than I will ever be able to; everything a boy like me would like.
Bill Healey and I are sitting at our table in the bar section, chatting with Brett before he puts our order in.
Bill, with the casual ease of one local to another asks, “anyone been in?”
“Anyone” in this case, meaning drivers or recognizable team personnel.
“Oh sure,” Brett said. “Mario was in just a little while ago,” he continues, looking around as if he’s wondering where one of the most prominent people in the history of auto racing had wandered off too. When I mention Bill is an old friend of Mario’s (Andretti bought Bill’s grandparent’s home in ’65 when he moved to Speedway from Nazareth, Pennsylvania) Brett goes all agog. They start trading stories for a few before Brett goes and puts our order in.
Soon he returns with Elmo’s signature dish: Shrimp cocktail.
The Signature “Elmo Cola” is a local favorite. A glass-bottled Coke or Diet Coke is mixed with the St. Elmo exclusive “Infusion,” made with Maker’s Mark Bourbon, imported Italian Luxardo Maraschino Cherries, and Madagascar Vanilla Beans. It’s served with the restaurant’s famous Drunken Cherries. The Infusion can be ordered straight up, on the rocks, as a Manhattan, or an Old Fashioned. Photo: St. Elmo Steak House.

Savory Sensations
Yes, St. Elmo’s is a steak place. A very, very good steak place as it turns out, but they are, for some unexplained reason, known far and wide for their shrimp cocktail. I am not a big fan of shrimp in general, or shrimp cocktail for that matter, but hey, this is what the restaurant in Indy that all the drivers go to is known for, so of course I’m going to try it.
“This is Kosher, right,” I ask Brett as he approaches with a chilled silver bowl.
“Kosher as can be!” he says without missing a beat, adding a face imploding wink that is all dimple and smiles. As he sets the bowl of four shrimp drowning in cocktail sauce down, I notice he is not wearing a wedding ring. A given percentage of the women in Indy must have dated this guy, I think to myself, with an inward sigh known only to those of us who are not cartoonishly handsome.
“Gentleman, you have been warned,” Brett said before turning smartly and moving away.
Moment of Truth
He is, of course, referring to the cocktail sauce itself. It is famously high octane stuff. I can see chunks of horseradish floating within. I spear a shrimp, set it on the small side plate, and chop off a chunk with the absurdly tiny shrimp cocktail fork provided. “Wow,” I think to myself, “pretty good.” I immediately segment off another chunk.
Before I have completely swallowed it, my eyes tear slightly, and I feel my pupils snap closed to the size of pinheads. My sinuses feel like a domed NFL stadium with the doors open; light, airy, with a slight breeze entering from the south/southwest. Briefly I can see through time. It’s like shrimp flavored with napalm and sugar. Without hesitation I eat the rest of shrimp #1 and move directly onto #2. It goes without saying the steak was fantastic. Shoot, the baked potato was fantastic. And don’t get me started on the bread.
Brett comes and goes from time to time. We chat. Where are we sitting (meaning at the track for the race)? How many races has Healey gone too (all of them his entire live since he was a baby)? Where am I from (the middle of the desert)?
“Come back anytime,” Brett said, and he either means it or is so good at his job he can lie with complete conviction.
Inside the 1933 Lounge at St Elmo Steakhouse, 127 S. Illinois St., Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: St Elmo Steakhouse.
Quintessential Indy
I pick up the check. I owe Healey. He’s bought me so many dinners over time, that alone should be enough. But Bill is also responsible for lining things up for getting me into the 500 itself. Bill knows people. When your grandparents sell their house on 16th to a young Italian racer in 1965, you know people. When your uncle has a place two houses down, also on 16th, and was a track guard during World War II, you know people. When your lifelong friends with Clint Brawner, you know people. When A.J. Watson calls you out in a crowd at the supermarket, and comes up to shake your hand, you know people. When the house I am currently sitting in and writing this is within 2 blocks of 16th and Georgetown Road, you know people.
You also know that when you come to the races, and someone asks, “where should we go for dinner,” that St. Elmo’s is, and always will be, the answer.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: St. Elmo Steak House.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-2-st-elmos-fire/

Ford Mustang Tops Classic Car Searches

Ford Mustang Tops Classic Car Searches

If you had to guess, what would you say the most searched for classic car is? Chevy Camaro? Dodge Challenger? If you said Ford Mustang, then you are absolutely right. According to a report by ClassicCars.com, the Ford Mustang is the most searched for car in the United States.
The Mustang ranked first in 13 states, followed by the Chevy Impala which ranked highest in seven states. The Chevy Camaro came in third in five different states while the Chevy Corvette, Dodge Charger, and Ford Thunderbird were top in three states.
By The Numbers
Overall, domestic cars recorded the highest searches in 49 states, with Ford and Chevrolet evenly split, ranking first in 20 states. While muscle cars accounted for the bulk of the searches, there were a few exceptions. In West Virginia, the most searched for vehicle was Chevy 3100, and in Oklahoma, a Ford F1, proving trucks in those states are highly sought after. The Mercedes-Benz 250SE was the most popular in Connecticut, while the Buick Skylark was the most searched for in Maine. Among European models overall, the Volkswagen Bus was highest with 240,656 unique searches in 2016, while the Datsun 280Z led the Japanese models at 157,265 unique searches.
By comparison, Mustang registered 3,736,942 unique searches in 2016.
“Owning pristine collector vehicles – particularly domestic performance and muscle cars – continues to be a passion for many Americans, from the most seasoned collectors to enthusiasts making their first purchase,” said Roger Falcione, President and CEO of ClassicCars.com.
Silver Screen Machines
The reasons why classic American cars are so highly sought after are numerous, but Falcione has a theory.
“Two vehicles on our list – the Ford Fairlane and Dodge Charger – play prominent roles in The Fate of the Furious, which recently topped $1 billion box office sales worldwide,” he said. “That can attest to the international interest in American performance and muscle cars.”
ClassicCars.com is continually building its presence as a respected source of collector car news, information, and data, with an unparalleled selection of for-sale vehicles. According to the site, there are 330,000 daily searches and three million unique monthly visitors.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.

Graphic & Source: ClassicCars.com.
Cover Photo: Ford Motor Company.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/ford-mustang-tops-classic-car-searches/

2017 Lexus IS 350 AWD Review

2017 Lexus IS 350 AWD Review

The Lexus IS 350 hasn’t had a major overhaul since its introduction in 2014, but the car is still relevant in the small luxury sedan segment. For 2017, it gets a few exterior and interior tweaks before its major makeover in two years. It still has a very comfortable cabin, superior ride quality, and all-weather capability.
This week, we drove the 2017 Lexus IS 350 V6. It had full-time all-wheel drive, the F Sport package, and other luxury items that made it extra comfy.
What’s New For 2017
The front end gets revised styling consisting of a new grille, headlights (LEDs), and air intakes, while the back of the sedan gets upgraded with different taillights and exhaust tips. The IS 350 comes with additional standard safety features, including forward collision warning and mitigation. A few minor cabin tweaks finish up the changes.
Standard Features
The 2017 Lexus IS 350 AWD ($43,535) comes standard with a six-speed automatic transmission, two gears less than other models. Other standard equipment includes keyless entry and ignition, dual-zone climate control, a sunroof, premium vinyl upholstery, a 10-speaker stereo system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking.
Optional Packages
Our tester came with the optional Navigation/Mark Levinson premium audio package ($2,835) with 5.1 surround; 835 Watts and 15 speakers. An F Sport package ($2,715) included unique exterior and cabin trim, 18-inch F Sport 5-spoke wheels wrapped in all-season tires, heated and ventilated seats with unique trim, adaptive variable suspension, and a backup camera. It also came with a blind spot monitor with rear traffic alert ($600) and a heated outside review mirror.
Total MSRP including destination: $51,515.

Interior Highlights
The 2017 Lexus IS 350 has the upscale cabin you would expect from the luxury division of Toyota. The quality of materials and fit and finish is right up to snuff with the best luxury sedans in the world. Its design is a strength in this segment, and it’s much less business-like than the European competition. The cabin has the visual effect of making you think you’re in a car costing two times the price.
The cabin is on the smallish side, so it can feel a bit cramped for larger adults. The IS 350 will technically seat five adults, but having three in the back will need to be for short trips. The F Sport seats are comfortable for commuting, but could use more bolstering for longer trips. The 7.0-inch infotainment screen contains the Lexus app suite, called Enform, but Lexus uses the mouse type controller for navigating the infotainment screen. It’s still not a favorite of ours.
The trunk is 13.8 cubic feet, more than the Mercedes-Benz C-Class but less than the top-selling BMW 3-Series.

Engine & Fuel Mileage Specs
The 2017 Lexus IS 350 AWD is powered by a smooth, 3.5-liter direct and port injected V6 engine, making 306 horsepower and 277 lb-ft. of torque. It comes mated with a 6-speed automatic transmission (two gears less than the turbo model) and steering wheel paddle shifters for driving enthusiasts.
EPA fuel mileage estimates are 19/26 mpg city/highway, and 21 combined.
Driving Dynamics
The 3.5-liter V6 is ultra smooth and with its 306 horsepower and 277 lb-ft. of torque, it’s respectably powerful. We took it up I-70 into the higher elevations west of Denver and it had enough power to have some fun. We used the steering wheel paddle shifters to manually row the 6-speed automatic, and it bumps up the fun-to-drive meter considerably.
The IS 350 with the F Sport package also improves the driving dynamics, and we had an enjoyable time throwing this luxury sedan around a mountain curve or two. The F Sport package brings an adjustable suspension and a sharper throttle and transmission when you put it in Sport+ mode. It unlocks the car’s potential, and makes the 6-speed automatic shift quicker. With its full-time AWD, the IS 350 is all-weather capable, making it a year-round commuter too. We would consider the IS 350 a capable sports sedan, but it’s not a true performance sedan like its German counterparts.
Conclusion
The 2017 Lexus IS 350 has a lot going for it with its upscale cabin, standard safety features, and smooth V6 engine. The IS 350 delivers a quiet, comfortable, and luxurious sedan experience. Though AWD models give up two gears in the transmission to their rear-wheel drive counterparts, it does broaden the sedan’s appeal for those who live where things often get slick.
Denis Flierl has invested over 25 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. Follow his work on Twitter: @CarReviewGuy
2017 Lexus IS 350 Gallery

We trust TrueCar.com to give us the best, up to date, and TRUE pricing of what people are really paying for their cars. Check them out for more research on this car:

2017 Lexus IS 350 Official Site.
Photos: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/2017-lexus-is-350-awd-review/

2019 Genesis G70: Korean Sport Sedan Goes Head-to-Head with Established German Marquees

2019 Genesis G70: Korean Sport Sedan Goes Head-to-Head with Established German Marquees Many people say the sport sedan is dead but Hyundai’s luxury subsidiary Genesis thinks otherwise. The 2019 Genesis G70 is the third and final sedan in the Genesis lineup, yet the third of six brand new models that are slated to debut by 2021.
But unlike the flagship G90 and midsize G80, the 2019 Genesis G70 is bred and engineered to deliver a sportier and more athletic driving feel. I found this interesting since the 2019 Genesis G70 has a longer wheelbase (111.6-inches) than the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Overall length is also on the larger end of the scale compared to the German marquees at 184.5-inches. This tells me the 2019 Genesis G70 will offer driver-focused performance without ruffling your tail feathers.
The Proof is in the Pudding
The new Genesis G70 was engineered by design and is equipped with the stiffest body structures in its class, according to the automaker.
“The foundation for any kind of car that performs well dynamically is an incredibly rigid platform,” said Albert Biermann, President and Head of Vehicle Performance, Hyundai Motor Group. “That translates not only to performance, but how it feels down the road as well as safety achievement levels.”
The strategic use of aluminum for the hood and strut tower reinforcement bars enables the G70 to have a lower center of gravity. The car also benefits from an integrated frame that drastically reduces the number of physical parts needed to reinforce the chassis.
“The proof is in how G70 handles on a spirited drive, whether that’s early on a Sunday morning on a hilly, country road or on a daily commute to the office,” Biermann continued. “We used high-strength steel, aerospace-grade adhesives, and strategic lightening with aluminum to create the ideal balance of stiffness and competitiveness.”
The result of all this is telepathic steering, sportier handling, and better driving dynamics. The rigid body structure and longer wheelbase also equates to a smoother ride.
Photo: Genesis Motor America, LLC.
Exterior Design
Genesis designed the 2019 G70 under the company’s Athletic Elegance ethos. The new saloon has the widest overall stance and lowest overall height in the segment. The kinetic form factor of the exterior panels was enough to return a sleek and aerodynamic 0.28 coefficient of drag. If you slap on the more aggressive 19-inch wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 summer tires, the coefficient of drag is still a slippery 0.29.
So far, it seems Genesis created a recipe for a truly scintillating dish. Stiff and rigid chassis? Check. Aerodynamic body design? Check. So, what’s next?
Power to the People
The 2019 Genesis G70 can be configured with a 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected 4-cylinder gasoline motor with 252 horsepower and 260 lb-ft. of torque. This engine benefits from a smaller turbine wheel, motor-driven intake variable valve timing system, and a two-stage relief oil pump to improve low end torque and engine power.
The crème of the crop is the 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged and direct-injected V6 motor that churns out 365 horsepower and 376 lb-ft. of torque. Curiously enough, both motors can be found in the Kia Stinger. The V6 motor is equipped with a single scroll, twin turbo system, integrated exhaust manifold cylinder head, a dual-stage variable oil pump, and the Mid Position Lock Continuously Variable Valve Train system (MPL CVVT) to improve engine response and efficiency.
Photo: Genesis Motor America, LLC.
Transmission Tech
Transferring power to the rear wheels is the standard eight-speed automatic with rev-matching and gear-holding technology. All-wheel drive is an option for either engine. A mechanical limited-slip differential is standard on the 3.3 (rear-wheel drive) and optional on the 2.0 (also rear-wheel drive).
What’s interesting is the availability of a six-speed manual transmission on the 2.0 turbo, rear-wheel drive. If you choose the manual, your G70 will also come with high-performance Brembo brakes, higher horsepower output (255 versus 252 for the automatic variant), a special exhaust, and additional weight reduction features.
Other go-fast and performance-enhancing goodies include launch control, a rack-mounted and motor-driven power steering system, and Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control so you can attack corners like Mika Hakkinen on steroids.
Availability
What we have here is an exciting and equally luxurious sports saloon that will give the Alfa Romeo Giulia, BMW 3-Series, and Audi A4 a serious run for the money. You can expect the 2019 Genesis G70 to arrive at U.S. dealerships this summer.
Alvin Reyes is the Associate Editor of Automoblog. He studied civil aviation, aeronautics, and accountancy in his younger years and is still very much smitten to his former Lancer GSR and Galant SS. He also likes fried chicken, music, and herbal medicine.
2019 Genesis G70 Gallery

Photos & Source: Genesis Motor America, LLC.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/2019-genesis-g70-korean-sport-sedan-goes-head-to-head-with-established-german-marquees/

GM Breaks Ground On New Parts Processing Facility In Burton, Michigan

GM Breaks Ground On New Parts Processing Facility In Burton, Michigan General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales recently broke ground on a new ACDelco and Genuine GM Parts processing center in Burton, Michigan. The site, a vacant 141-acre lot near the intersections of Genesee and Davison roads in the City of Burton, is GM’s single largest investment in a warehousing and logistics facility in the United States in nearly 40 years.
The processing center will see a $65 million investment from the automaker.
Forward Looking
When it opens early next year, the facility will serve as the main induction point in the United States for ACDelco and Genuine GM service parts. Once there, the parts will be unitized and packaged, ultimately ending up in service departments and dealerships around the country for use on a variety of GM and other vehicles.
The Burton facility will also mirror many of the objectives proposed in GM’s most recent sustainability report.
“GM is executing a focused and disciplined strategy to improve our core business and position the company for the future, guided by our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion,” explained Tim Turvey, GM Global Vice President, Customer Care and Aftersales. “Our new facility in Burton will help us deliver that future.”
Upward Expansion
At over a million square feet of floor space, the facility will be more than double the size of the GM’s existing parts processing center. Once completed, it will have 84 shipping and receiving docks, up from 35 at the current facility. Close to 700 hourly and salaried team members will make up the staff. After the closure of the existing center on Davison Road in Burton, employees will transfer to the new location.
NorthPoint Development will build the facility and lease it to GM for an initial term of 12.5 years.
“Projects like this only become a reality when you have great teamwork and true collaboration, like we have with the City of Burton, the UAW, and NorthPoint Development,” Turvey said.
The Automoblog Staff contributed to this report and can be reached anytime.
Photo & Source: General Motors.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/gm-breaks-ground-on-new-parts-processing-facility-in-burton-michigan/

Volvo Inaugurates First U.S. Manufacturing Plant, Doubles Down On Environmental Initiatives

Volvo Inaugurates First U.S. Manufacturing Plant, Doubles Down On Environmental Initiatives Volvo has inaugurated their first manufacturing plant in the United States, a new state-of-the-art production facility in Charleston, South Carolina. The plant is central for Volvo’s “Build Where You Sell” strategy, establishing a manufacturing presence in all three of the company’s major sales regions. Volvo says the new South Carolina facility nicely compliments the company’s three European plants – two manufacturing, one engine – plus three factories and an engine plant in China, and assembly plants in India and Malaysia.
“The opening of our first American factory is a very big deal,” said Anders Gustafsson, President and CEO, Volvo Car USA. “Our U.S. business is developing well, our cars have won prestigious awards, and the new South Carolina facility will be a big asset to both Volvo Cars and the community.”
Home Team
Volvo Cars is investing over a billion dollars in the South Carolina plant to create 4,000 new jobs during the coming years. The site includes an office building for up to 300 staff from R&D, purchasing, quality, and sales. Approximately 1,500 will be employed by the end of this year, just as production of the new S60 is beginning. The plant can produce 150,000 cars per year at full capacity.
“The Charleston plant establishes the U.S. as our third home market,” said Håkan Samuelsson, President and Chief Executive, Volvo Cars. “The sedan segment and the SPA platform’s proven ability to boost profitability offer significant growth opportunities for Volvo Cars in the U.S. and globally.”
Photo: Volvo Car Group.
Environmental Focus
Volvo also wants at least 25 percent of the plastic used in every new model to come via recycled material from 2025 onward. Volvo has already unveiled a specially-built version of the XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid that looks identical to the current model, but has several of its plastic components replaced with recycled materials.
The vehicle’s interior has a tunnel console made from renewable fibres, plastics from discarded fishing nets, and maritime ropes. The carpet contains fibers made from PET plastic bottles and a recycled cotton mix from clothing manufacturers’ off-cuts. The seats also use PET fibers from plastic bottles; seats from old Volvo cars were even re-purposed for sound-absorbing material.
“Environmental care is one of Volvo’s core values and we will continue to find new ways to bring this into our business,” Samuelsson said. “This car and our recycled plastics ambition are further examples of that commitment.”
This purpose-built XC60 contains a number of recycled components. Photo: Volvo Car Group.
Collaborative Effort
Volvo is urging suppliers to work closely with automakers to develop a more sustainable approach to manufacturing.
“We already work with some great, forward-thinking suppliers when it comes to sustainability,” explained Martina Buchhauser, Senior Vice President of Global Procurement, Volvo Cars. “However, we do need increased availability of recycled plastics if we are to make our ambition a reality.”
Volvo is also pushing for climate-neutral operations by 2025, and in January, the engine plant in Skövde, Sweden became the company’s first such facility.
“That is why we call on even more suppliers and new partners to join us in investing in recycled plastics and to help us realize our ambition,” Buchhauser added.
The Automoblog Staff contributed to this report and can be reached anytime.
Volvo’s South Carolina Plant Gallery

Photos & Source: Volvo Car Group.

Check out these Automotive tips

http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/volvo-inaugurates-first-u-s-manufacturing-plant-doubles-down-on-environmental-initiatives/