Automotive

Letter From The UK: The Glory of Speed

Letter From The UK: The Glory of Speed

As we huddle pitifully in the wind and rain of our tiny Islands, we gaze enviously across the pond at the wondrous and varied car shows available, so it seems, on a daily basis, across all regions of the USA. To us, the likes of Wayne Carini and Chip Foose are simply mythical figures to be glimpsed occasionally on a digital TV channel. From time to time though, the sun does put in an appearance on the British Isles and we are always slightly surprised when it especially does so at our greatest annual car show, the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Peaks of Performance
Every year around this time, many thousands of car enthusiasts descend upon legendary Goodwood in West Sussex for the Festival of Speed. This hardy annual never fails to disappoint the fans with an exciting concoction of exotic supercars, historic racing machines, the latest crop of regular road and concept cars, and much more besides. Even former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone showed up to surprisingly popular acclaim.
The theme for the 2017 Festival of Speed was “Peaks of Performance – Motorsport’s Game-Changers.” As the years pass, the organizers try to find a new way of exploring the thrilling past, present, and future of the automotive scene. In many ways this year was just the same as it always was, but they do try and put a fresh slant on the proceedings. It always seems to work. We auto fans just can’t get enough.
Audi R8 V10 plus Coupe.
Jaguar Project 8 Dream Car
Of particular interest this time, manufacturers showed racing and road-going machines that were faster than ever before, like the BAC Mono and the glorious Project 8 Jaguar. Making its global dynamic debut among the most powerful and extreme performance cars in the world at the Goodwood show, the new Jaguar XE SV Project 8 claimed the hotly-contested Michelin Supercar Paddock Showstopper Trophy – just four days after the jaw-dropping car was officially unveiled.
As the only four-door car in the Michelin Supercar Run, the Jaguar faced formidable competition in the power-packed paddock, but voters hosted by Michelin singled out the Project 8 as one of the six most popular cars of the weekend, qualifying it for the overall Showstopper Final on the last day of the show.
The Project 8 exclusively features the most highly tuned version of Jaguar Land Rover’s five-liter Supercharged V8 petrol powertrain. The 592 bhp (600PS) engine has a Titanium Variable Active Exhaust and is complemented by Jaguar’s all-wheel drive system. Additionally, this beast features motorsport-derived aerodynamics and carbon fiber panels to deliver a 200 mph top speed and a 0-60 time of a scant 3.3 seconds, making Project 8 the fastest accelerating Jaguar yet.
Jaguar XE SV Project 8.

Limited Edition
Crucially, and you’ll have to take this writer’s word for it at least until you can find a YouTube video, it sounds as aggressive as you would expect; the growling V8 accompanied by the glorious old-school whine of a huge supercharger. Outstanding aural delights!
To ensure exclusivity, no more than 300 examples of the Project 8 will be hand-built at SVO’s (Special Vehicle Operations) Technical Center in Coventry and priced from £149,995 in the UK. If you want one (and you really do), you’ll need to move fast because this magnificent motor won’t be available for long.
All You Desire
Red cars from Ferrari ran amok to celebrate the 70th birthday of the marque. All the famous sports cars and racers that Goodwood usually commands were there, but this time a display of V12-engined F1 cars created an operatic sound all their own. Their extraordinary exhaust notes are so different from today’s race cars that sound like digital lawn mowers in comparison.
The new and blisteringly quick track-only Aston Martin Vantage AMR Pro made history at the Festival of Speed when it became the first vehicle to tackle the legendary hill climb using re-refined engine oil. Recycled or re-refined motor oil is nothing new, of course, but this is different. This landmark was made possible by a new active oil management system from Nexcel, part of the Castrol Group. Oil and filter change in ninety seconds anyone?
BAC Mono.
Memorable Conclusions
As ever, the Goodwood Festival of Speed did not disappoint the throngs who braved the inevitable long and tiresome car park queues to get in. Sports cars like the BAC Mono (which won its class), Audi R8, and the exquisite French Alpine were all at full chat on the track. With the hill climb and rally exhibitions, the supercars, and the also-rans; all the sights and sounds of the vibrant world of cars coupled with the roar of the engines and the smell of the crowd, once again, by doing the same thing brilliantly well, the show did not disappoint. With tired legs and weary ears, the multitudes went home happy.
Geoff Maxted is a motoring writer, photographer, and author of our Letter From The UK series. Follow his work on Twitter: @DriveWrite

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2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS: The Ultimate 911?

2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS: The Ultimate 911?

There’s no way to sugarcoat this. There’s no “yeah, but” equivocations surrounding the new 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS. It’s the 911 of all 911s. It’s the top kick; the king of the mountain. All other 911s, from the various GTs to the RS and RSR; the 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS is now the 911.
The 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS is the fastest and most powerful street-legal 911 ever. It recently took its introductory bows at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. Before this thing even hits the road or the race track, its numbers are just staggering.
More Power, Less Weight
The GT2 RS is powered by a twin-turbo flat-six engine that puts out 700 horsepower and 553 lb-ft. of torque. That’s 80 horsepower and 37 lb-ft. of torque more when compared to the previous 911 GT2 RS. As with all Porsches, the engine’s the thing, and the 2018 911 GT2 RS is certainly no exception. The 3.8-liter flat six is based on the plant from the current 911 Turbo S. The GT2 RS mill gets larger turbochargers with a new design that sprays water on the intercoolers when the intake air temperature reaches a certain threshold for optimum cooling at peak loads. The new GT2 RS can accelerate from zero to 60 in 2.7 seconds, topping out at 211 miles per hour; it tips the scales at the curb at 3,241 pounds.
The exhaust system is made of lightweight titanium and weighs 15 pounds less than the system used in the 911 Turbo. The front luggage compartment lid is made from carbon fiber and the roof panel is made from magnesium.
If you want to shave another 40 pounds from the vehicle, there’s the optional Weissach package that includes magnesium wheels and even more carbon fiber. The roof and anti-roll bars are made of carbon fiber, as are the end links on both axles. If you opt for the Weissach Package, you’ll see the carbon fiber weave of the luggage compartment lid and the roof are left largely exposed. The Weissach package will cost you an additional $31,000.
According to Porsche, the customized GT seven-speed double-clutch Doppelkupplung (PDK) transmission in the new GT2 RS enables maximum efficiency with uninterrupted torque transfer. Photo: Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
Handling & Aerodynamics
The new 911 GT2 RS has grip for days, thanks to its race-bred chassis and the fact Porsche developed a rear axle steering system, plus a stability management system tuned for “spirited” driving. There are air intakes and outlets all over the place and, of course, a big honking rear wing. The air intakes on the rear quarter panel, along with other parts of the rear, are made from carbon fiber reinforced plastic.
The wheels and tires are massive with 265/35/ZR20 tires up front and 325/30/ZR21 tires out back. Stopping is accomplished via the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes, which are standard.
Interior Treatments
The interior of the 911 GT2 RS is a red Alcantara with black leather and carbon fiber. The Full Bucket Seats have carbon fiber reinforced backrests and offer a high level of comfort and lateral support. The GT2 RS has Porsche Communication Management, the central control unit for audio, navigation, and communication. Porsche’s Connect Plus and Track Precision app are standard. These techno goodies enable a detailed recording, display, and analysis of driving data on your smartphone.
Porsche’s Chrono Package is optional and expands the PCM functions to display, save, and evaluate lap times. The Chrono Package includes a stopwatch on the dashboard with an analog and digital display. Finally, the Porsche Track Precision app is used in conjunction with an infrared transmitter placed at the side of the track; the lap trigger receiver enables drivers to record lap times with a higher level of precision. Fancy, no?
The 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS will reach U.S. dealers in early 2018. It will cost you *gulp* $293,200. Yes, that is a lot of crust. But c’mon, the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS is worth every penny.
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.
2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Gallery

Photos & Source: Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

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Hagerty Providing Specialized Insurance For The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

Hagerty Providing Specialized Insurance For The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the strongest, most powerful, most utterly insane street legal car yet. Naturally, Dodge made the car, the automaker who believes more horsepower is the answer to all of life’s foibles, big and small. Hagerty, an insurance company for enthusiast cars, trucks, and motorcycles, will offer specialized policies for the forthcoming Demon. Hagerty, who also supplies insurance for tractors, automotive tools, spare parts, and automobilia, says owners will have specialized coverage so they can enjoy their new performance machine.
Impressive Stats
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the first-ever production car to do a front-wheel lift, as certified by Guinness World Records. It’s the world’s fastest quarter-mile production car with an elapsed time (ET) of 9.65 seconds at 140 mph, as certified by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). It also registers the highest g-force (1.8 g) ever recorded at launch in a production car. The 6.2-liter Hemi V8 features a deep-skirt cast iron block, aluminum alloy heads, and the now famous hemispherical combustion chambers. Running on 100 octane fuel, expect 840 horsepower (6,300 rpm) and 770 lb-ft. of torque (4,500 rpm).
In other words, it’s totally nuts, but maybe nuts isn’t so bad?
“We are living in the golden age of automotive performance, and the Demon is the latest example that speaks directly to the hearts of enthusiasts,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO, Hagerty. “The insurance industry had a hand in ending the first great muscle car era, and we’re here to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.”
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. Photo: FCA US LLC.
Bold Coverage
Hagerty’s coverage will be the same Guaranteed Value policy provided to all vehicles that qualify for the program. Unlike traditional policies for the less-inspired grocery-getters us lemmings drive, the vehicle’s value is established when the policy is issued. This eliminates any negotiation on value should the vehicle experience a total covered loss. Dodge named Hagerty as the official insurance provider of the Challenger SRT Demon in April; the car is expected in dealerships this fall.
“We didn’t build the Demon to be a halo car that never sees the light of day,” commented Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America.
Hagerty established a dedicated hotline for Demon owners: 844-840-8733. Those who wish to utilize the interwebs for further inquiry can visit Hagerty’s website and look for the “Quote Now” tab. Either way, a policy is waiting if you have raised your hand and said “yep, that’s the Challenger for me.”
“We want to make sure that Demon owners have access to the insurance they need to get these cars out on the street,” Kuniskis added.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. Photo: FCA US LLC.
Photos & Source: FCA US LLC, Hagerty.

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Letter From The UK: Being A Motor Man

Letter From The UK: Being A Motor Man It’s all about the rightness of things, do you see? This dilemma that people of the male persuasion have to deal with because all men believe they are in the right. If, and I know you’ll find this hard to grasp, they are wrong it is always on a silly technicality, and that basically their wrongness is actually based on a solid grounding of rightness.
If others can’t see that, well, that’s their problem isn’t it?
Men Make The Best Drivers
Take driving. We all believe we are good drivers and if others think we are not, then they’re wrong and they are obviously acolytes of that pious, self-righteous, anti-car lobby of witless dullards who wouldn’t know driving skill if it jumped up and bit them. This sort of challenge to man’s inherent driving superiority is like a red rag to a bull.
We’ll show them.
Here in the UK there exists another group of people – for the sake of argument we’ll call “women” – who insist on referring to we mature fellows as “boy racers.” This is missing the point. If you want to enrage a bull you wave a red flag at it and it all kicks off. It can be like that in marriages too although the flag is optional. Mostly it’s just bull.
Traditionally and historically, men have done the driving and women the criticizing; that’s the natural order of things. This is the point: Over the last few decades more and more of the distaff side have taken to the wheel and yet we, the blokes, are still the ones at fault.
It just isn’t fair. Or right.

Or Is It?
It’s a hard truth to swallow, but perhaps – only perhaps mark you – the “boy racer” tag has something to it. Car makers are at fault of course for making all those great vehicles over the decades. The rot really set in at the tail end of the 1950s here in Great Britain when the Mini first became available. Acne-afflicted adenoidal youths discovered the sheer chuck-ability of the tiny wheeled wonder and drove accordingly, and it sort of stuck with them.
We up-specified them, fitted sporting cylinder heads, a Cherry Bomb exhaust, doubled the number of carburetors, and the rest is history.
The “boy racers” of yesteryear have grown up now and purchased Porsches and powerful BMWs believing that road conditions have never changed and their own reflexes are as they always were, back in those blossoming years of lusting flush and not in any way dulled by age or infirmity. This is why, when someone adjacent on the road drives badly we become incensed and determined to prove we can do it better. The rules say we should turn the other cheek and report the miscreant to the authorities; but this is not the manly way.

The Reason Why
You see, the problem for chaps is that they routinely suffer from an illness called Machismo. Characteristics of this terrible disease include a feeling of dominance, fierceness, and bravado and really you should feel sorry for them when so afflicted, bless them. Not wrong, right; just misunderstood. It is a well known medical fact, for example, that driving fast cars actually does make men more virile and attractive so it’s no wonder there’s trouble.
So men will continue to labor under the misnomer of “boy racer” and this is likely to only be changed by something radical like death by old age. This is because it never leaves you. The great and legendary British motor-racing Knight Of The Realm, Sir Stirling Moss himself, is on record saying he got into motor racing because it was dangerous. It’s the buzz! It’s the charge! There’s nothing we can do about it.
The final word lies in a famous expression: “When I was a boy I drove as a boy. Now that I am a man I’ll drive how the heck I like.”
From memory this may not be exactly the correct quote, but I’m probably right.
Geoff Maxted is a motoring writer, photographer, and author of our Letter From The UK series. Follow his work on Twitter: @DriveWrite

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EcoBoost Ford Mustang Debuts Line-Lock Feature (Video)

EcoBoost Ford Mustang Debuts Line-Lock Feature (Video)

Previously, Ford only put a line-lock on the V8 Mustang GT, but now they’ve added it to the EcoBoost range of Mustangs for 2018. We’ll get to why that’s a stupidly-cool idea in a moment, but for right now, check out the headline Ford wrote: “Ford Unleashes Line-Lock on Mustang EcoBoost, Debuts Industry-First Cluster Animation of Wheel Burning Rubber.” Cluster-what? Thankfully, they are referring to the instrument cluster that has all this “golly-gee-whiz” stuff that, for some reason, comes with the line-lock feature.
Powerful Contraptions
Okay, I shouldn’t have to explain this, but just in case you don’t know: a line-lock is a gizmo from the drag strips of the world that allows you to apply and lock the front brakes of your car while allowing the rear wheels to turn. This – in case you’re asking the patently stupid question of “why ya’ wanna do that?” – is so you can spin the rear tires and get lots of heat in them. More heat means more grip at launch during a drag race, means a quicker ET (and don’t make me explain to you what an ET is). It also allows you to do way boss burn outs at the drive-in, the high school parking lot, in front your girlfriend (chicks dig it, honest), in front of unseen cops, and in front of your girlfriend’s house after she dumps you for being an unrepentant chuckle-head who cares more about your car than your relationship.
2018 Mustang design sketch. Photo: Ford Motor Company.
Electric Avenue
FoMoCo says their electronic line-lock, which you could only get on the V8-powered Mustang GT, is a “track-exclusive feature,” which I don’t understand at all. I’m betting the lawyers made them put that in there. As I’m reading all this, there’s no way you couldn’t use this feature anywhere your fool-heart desires. What Ford means to say is “please use it only at the track. Please?” But of course you won’t, will you? So anyway, it’s now percolated down-range into the 2.3-liter EcoBoost Mustangs, whether they’ve got the 10-speed SelectShift automatic or the six-speed manual transmission.
Thankfully, Ford’s new line-lock is an electronic affair, unlike the days of old where they were bias-adjust levers or knobs or, in some cases, just a pull cable heading up to the front wheels. Drag racers are, by and large, a bag of mixed nuts just smart enough not to kill themselves. Most of the time. To make that truly “most of the time,” Ford’s line-lock leverages state-of-the-art software that allows amateur racers to achieve more consistent run times, particularly those competing in bracket racing. Grudge draggers, this is aimed squarely at you.
This new electric line-lock is operated via steering wheel-mounted thumb switches. A driver, let’s say it’s you, toggles through a menu displayed on the instrument cluster to activate the electronic line-lock. Once you’ve turned it on, the system builds pressure on the front brake calipers. Another button press holds that pressure for up to 15 seconds. During that 15 seconds, you nail the throttle, spin the rear wheels, they build up heat, and abracadabra, the car stays in place.
Photo: Ford Motor Company.

Animated Behavior
Speaking of that menu/instrument cluster stuff, if your new Mustang is equipped with the available 12-inch, all-digital instrument display, you get lots of flashing lights and cheesy animation and stuff along those lines. Ford says drivers will see an “industry-first, video-game-like animation of a spinning alloy wheel kicking up a cloud of smoke to indicate when the electronic line-lock feature is activated.” What you will not see is “Big Daddy” Don Garlits kicking at you with his club foot (don’t ask how it got that way) for being such an infantile grommet. I realize Ford had to do something to let you know the line-lock was engaged, but I suppose a light that said “Line-Lock ENGAGED” was just expecting too much.
Obviously, what you do with your line-lock equipped Mustang is between you and your conscience, your insurance agent, your local police and/or sheriff’s office, and your girlfriend. We here at 1 Automoblog Towers can neither encourage, condone, or accept any sort of untoward behavior. We just know what we’ve done in the past, witnessed in the past, or seen other people get busted for in the past. You have been warned.
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.

Photos, Video & Source: Ford Motor Company.

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Volvo Expands Autonomous Driving Team

Volvo Expands Autonomous Driving Team

With all deference to Elon Musk, DARPA, and the boffins at Google and Uber, if anyone is going to make this elf-driving car stuff work safely, it’ll probably be Volvo. Volvo, who is slowly shedding their boxy but practical image, still retains its foundational impression: Safety. And one of the public’s greatest concerns about self-driving cars is just that: safety.
“Flip a switch, and you can drive me to work, right?” It’s that appended “right” that everyone focuses on. The idea of a self-driving car sounds pretty cool, but the reality of making it work and making buyers believe in it, is something else entirely.
Serious Players
The concern, in short, breaks down like this: I want to get in my new car and get from here to there using the new self-driving feature, but what if . . . what if a kid runs out in front of my car? What if the car sees an idling truck as a threat and swerves into oncoming traffic? What if the computer software has to choose between saving my life in the driver’s seat over a crosswalk full of people or an oncoming, out of control school bus? These are the Gordian Knots of software that give people like Musk et al., numerous fits and nightmares trying to figure it all out.
Enter Volvo, Autoliv, and NVIDIA.
Volvo needs no real introduction to any of the gearheads out there. Autoliv is a automotive safety systems company that develops and manufactures safety bits and bobs for all major automotive manufacturers in the world. They raked in over $10 billion in sales in 2016 alone. Autoliv is also the exact opposite of a really good name for a Swedish death metal band, Autodeath (or, perhaps Autodeth). Any of you kids out there that are into black and white makeup, hoarse vocals, and crunchy guitars, you can have that one on me as a freebie.
Photo: Volvo Car Group.
Level 4 & Beyond?
NVIDIA is, of course, the people that invented the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) back in 1999, and really cranked the visuals on gaming up to eleven. As far as we – and Volvo and Autoliv – are concerned, NVIDIA did something interesting recently when it flipped the GPU around. They turned it from an high-res output device into something that, combined with deep learning and modern AI developments, can take visual information in, allowing digital systems to perceive and understand the world around them. This new trait could come in real handy for stuff like robots and self-driving cars.
So, Volvo, Autoliv, and NVIDIA will work together with Zenuity (a newly-formed joint venture for Volvo and Autoliv) to advance self-driving car tech. Volvo says they will have Level 4 autonomous cars for sale by 2021. Volvo & c. will use NVIDIA’s Artificial Intelligence platform as the underpinning for their software development. Volvo, Autoliv, Zenuity, and NVIDIA will be working to develop systems that utilize deep learning (a subset of artificial intelligence) to do things like recognize objects in the environment, anticipate potential threats, and navigate safely around obstacles, including pedestrians.
The system can compare real-time situational awareness with a high-definition map of known streets and the general environment. This would enable a car to plan a safe route and drive accurately along it and adjust to changing circumstances. The system would also perform other analytical functions such as stitching camera inputs together to create a complete surround-view of the car. Zenuity will be the outfit responsible for the self-driving software; Autoliv will then be able to sell this software to OEMs, since they have established sales, marketing, and distribution networks already in place. Smart, no?
Photo: Volvo Car Group.

Acceptance & Application
Honestly, self-driving cars don’t bother me, as a sports car owning gearhead, all that much. Would I seek out and buy a self-driving car because of that feature? Probably not. It might be handy, but overall it doesn’t interest me too much. Now, a self-driving RV, that would be cool. Sure, like any oil-soaked gearhead out there, I have a reflexive dislike of RVs, but imagine this scenario: I’ve got tickets to a race at Sears Point in Sonoma. All I got to do is hop in my (rented) self-driving RV, call up my destination on a map, and hit the “go” button. Whoosh! Off goes the RV with me in it. Lounging in the back. Making a sandwich. Working on that latest article I’m on deadline for and management is getting anxious about. See? A self-driving RV could come in real handy in a situation like that. Volvo should partner with Winnebago or Airstream and make that happen. That would be cool.
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.
Photos & Source: Volvo Car Group.

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Airbag Recalls: Quick Facts & How To Check Your Car

Airbag Recalls: Quick Facts & How To Check Your Car With the summer travel season in full swing, have your car checked for safety recalls.
The Takata airbag recall continues to affect vehicle owners across the United States.
Free resources are available for you to view any and all safety recalls on your car.
When was the last time you checked your vehicle for safety recalls? If you can’t remember, now is a good time, especially with the summer travel season in full swing. A recent AAA Travel survey finds nearly 100 million Americans – four in 10 U.S. adults – are planning a family vacation this year. With regard to summer road trips specifically, 68 percent of all travelers say they will embark on a summer getaway. If you are planning a trip, we want to help keep you safe. Taking care of any outstanding recalls – especially airbag recalls – before you embark is always a good idea.
Even if you are not hitting the road this summer, it’s still a good idea to check. Here is what you need to know.
What Are “Open” Safety Recalls?
A recall originates when a manufacturer or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines that a certain vehicular component poses a safety risk or fails to meet minimum standards. “Open” is in reference to an incomplete or outstanding recall. By law, automakers must address these recalls by replacing the part for free. The United States Code for Motor Vehicle Safety (Title 49, Chapter 301) defines motor vehicle safety as something that should protect the public against the unreasonable risk of accidents (i.e. death or injury) due to the design, construction, or performance of a motor vehicle.
More than 53 million vehicles – approximately one in five – have open safety recalls.
Automakers send letters to original vehicle owners within 60 days notifying them of the defect and how to get it fixed. However, the National Safety Council says the recall repair rate is just 44 percent for vehicles five to 10 years old. Within that time frame, an owner may have moved, or sold or traded the vehicle in question. As a result, current owners may not be aware of such recalls; still others know but perceive it as unimportant.
For these reasons, NHTSA recommends updating your vehicle registration and mailing address, and taking the necessary actions regarding safety recalls.
According to the National Safety Council, 42 million vehicles have unaddressed airbag recalls.
Airbags Among The Highest Number of Recalls
Of the 53 million vehicles with open recalls, a staggering 42 million have unaddressed issues pertaining to Takata airbags. If these airbags deploy, occupants are at risk of injury or death from metal fragments acting as projectiles. According to NHTSA and as detailed by Consumer Reports, the Takata airbags in question use an ammonium nitrate-based propellant absent a drying agent. Heat and humidity over time can cause these airbags to improperly inflate and explode upon deployment; thus spaying metal fragments into the cabin.
Based on NHTSA’s findings, there have been at least 24 deaths and 300 injuries globally.
Vehicles manufactured by BMW, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota are among those affected. Last year, Consumer Reports noted that U.S. lawmakers were frustrated by the lack of progress with regard to the issue. Officials expect another round of Takata airbag recalls, which may span the next couple years. NHTSA describes the Takata airbag recall as the largest and most complex in U.S. history.
Some Affected More Than Others
Airbag Recall, an organization that champions awareness about airbag safety recalls, says vehicle owners in North Carolina and Hawaii are at risk. Their first report finds more than 600,000 North Carolina residents are driving a vehicle with defective airbags. In Hawaii, more than 70,000 residents own a vehicle with open airbag recalls. According to the law offices of Newsome Melton in Orlando, Florida, the Sunshine State is the most impacted by the recall, affecting 1.3 million vehicles statewide.
Nationally, the recall campaign encompasses tens of millions of vehicles from 19 manufacturers, and over 200 models and model years; although some vehicles are more susceptible than others.

What You Can Do To Stay Safe
Have your mechanic or service advisor check when you take your car in for routine service. They can look for open recalls while you are there and possibly even fix them the same day. Get in a habit of checking for safety recalls each time you get your oil changed.
NHTSA’s Safercar.gov website and corresponding mobile apps allow you to look up recalls by VIN number. The mobile apps will send recall alerts as they happen; or you can sign up to receive e-mail updates regarding recall notices. The National Safety Council’s Check To Protect program is another valuable resource for vehicle owners. Supported by automakers, safety advocates, and industry leaders, CheckToProtect.org is free and instantly checks for open safety and airbag recalls.
Sources: Airbag Recall, Consumer Reports, National Safety Council, NHTSA.

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Stock Market Or Cars? Where To Invest? The Data Might Surprise You

Stock Market Or Cars? Where To Invest? The Data Might Surprise You Rarely, if ever, have cars been an “investment” in my life. For myself and countless other gearheads around the world, cars are not a way to make money, they are a perfectly efficient way to lose money. This is not to say classic cars cannot make money in the long run . . . just that 99.99999% of the time, they end up costing you bread, not earning it. If you’re going to invest, the stock market seems more likely.
Now, it seems, some people would beg to differ.
Cash For Classics
According to Kwik-Lift, manufacturers of high-strength steel home and repair shop maintenance lifts, “investing” money in certain cars is actually a good thing. Kwik-Lift says their data “proves” investing in a classic or soon-to-be classic car can offer a better return than putting money into the stock market.
Kwik-Lift bases this on five of the most expensive vehicles Barrett-Jackson sold in January. Kwik-Lift compared those sale values with what the same amount of cash would have gotten you compared with the return from the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index. Kwik-Lift concluded that their study “verified that collector cars are indeed a solid investment.”
And it’s not just Kwik-Lift. I recently read that a German investment firm said more or less the same thing about “investing” in classic 911s. And yes, while the German’s article does jive with what Kwik-Lift is saying, it’s also worth noting that used 911 prices added another zero in the past few years, which should skew the Germans dataset a little, one would think.
What it also does is put “reasonable” 911s out of reach for average guys like me, which totally bums me out. But that’s another story.
Will the 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS be a classic one day? Is it worth buying now in the hopes it will increase in value in 50 years? Photo: Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
Critical Questions
I can hear my investment banker friends laughing all the way out here in the boonies. There’s a bunch of things here that would get you laughed out of an Econ 101 class at the local community college.
First off, they’re using numbers from Barrett-Jackson, an auction company. Auctions are obviously very volatile sales environments, so their sales values are always taken with a grain of salt. Two: “sold in January 2018.” A one month sample size? Three: “five of the most expensive vehicles Barrett-Jackson sold.” Five cars? And only the most expensive? Again, too small a sample and you’ve already pre-skewed it.
Four: “these results were calculated by using a dollar amount invested into Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index . . . and comparing it to the same dollar amount to purchase a vehicle.” What dollar amount? Compared to the S&P when? Over which time period? For how long?
Essentially, what Kwik-Lift did was take the cars in question, see what they sold for new from the dealer back in the day, see what B-J auctioned them for, and calculated the percentage gain over the years. Compare that directly against what Standard & Poor’s would have done over the same period of time, and abracadabra, a 1968 L88 Corvette is a “good investment.”
But here’s the thing: of course it looks like a better investment than the stock market in hindsight. In hindsight.
1968 Chevrolet Corvette Sport Coupe. Photo: GM Media Archive.
Money Talks
Back in 1950, Jackson Pollock painted Lavender Mist, an enormous abstract expressionist painting that hung in Peggy Guggenheim’s gallery for months with a price tag of $10,000. It finally sold, off the books, for around eight grand (if I’m remembering this right). And yeah, eight-large could have bought you a house back then, but still, do you know how much a Pollock of this caliber goes for today?
Hundreds of millions of dollars. Hundreds.
The point being, sure, you could have made a lot of money buying low back in the day and selling (very) high in the present day on something that is currently very desirable. But how do you know what you can buy today that will be seriously valued 50 years from now? You can’t, that’s the answer to that question.
Which is why serious investors, people who invest money for a living, people who own banks, for example, do not put their money in big block Corvettes, short wheelbase 911s or abstract paintings hanging in galleries in Manhattan. You know where they put their money? In banks. In the stock market. In the Standard & Poor’s 500. In real estate. That’s where you invest money, not in cars. You don’t make money with cars, you spend money on cars.
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

Cover Photo: 1970 Pontiac GTO by Darwin Holmstrom, from the book Pontiac GTO 50 Years also authored by Holmstrom.

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2019 Audi A8: A Bahn-Burner of The First Order

2019 Audi A8: A Bahn-Burner of The First Order I’ve always had a soft spot for the big Audi sedans, the A8 and especially the S8. Sure, in the styling department they have faltered from their original taut; understated designs have turned abhorrently generic, but they will still haul you from here to there with amazing speed, grip, and comfort. Now, the 2019 Audi A8 looks to up the game even more.
Audi says their new for 2019 A8 delivers a “modern, serene interior design, usable technology, seamless connectivity and cutting-edge driver assistance features” and who am I to doubt them.
Indeed, as a top-of-the-line luxo-barge, you’d expect a big German sedan, any big German sedan to be dripping with tech. And just as expected, the A8 does not under deliver.
Power & Performance
The most important parts, the powertrain and chassis, get only a scant mention. But what we do know is how the 2019 Audi A8 will launch with its new 3.0-liter V6 TFSI turbo engine, paired with a new 48-volt electric mild-hybrid drivetrain. Audi says the V6 makes 335 horsepower and 369 lb-ft. of torque.
Gearing is taken care of by an eight-speed tiptronic transmission. Naturally this is mated to a standard quattro all-wheel drive layout with a self-locking center differential. Other chassis and suspension features include adaptive air suspension, available predictive active suspension, and the available dynamic all-wheel steering system.
Comprised of 29 different frame materials and 14 cold and hot joining techniques, Audi says the A8 delivers an “intelligent material matrix” for better handling, comfort, and safety. Photo: Audi of America, Inc.
Interior Treatments
The interior of the 2019 Audi A8 is, of course, like a German-built UFO. The standard features include heated, 18-way power front seats with lumbar adjustments and memory, power tilt and telescopic steering column with memory, Velveeta and Nacho leather interior, er, sorry, that’s a Valetta Leather interior with Fine Nappa Extended Leather (whatever that is).
The optional air quality package includes an ionizer and aromatization; there is an optional “rear right passenger relaxation seat with heated massaging footrest,” plus aluminum-optic control buttons, and adjustable rear Matrix LED reading lights. Wait, there’s more . . . the smartphone-sized OLED touch remote can be used to customize rear seating and infotainment preferences including the Matrix reading lamps.
The front seats are now 22-way adjustable (with massage and ventilation). The steering wheel is heated, the windows are dual-pane acoustic glass, the front and rear door and center armrests are heated, while folding “productivity tables” are located in the center console.
2019 Audi A8 interior layout. Photo: Audi of America, Inc.
Technology Hub
Tech and connectivity? Buckle up Buckaroo. The Audi-standard MMI touch response is here, along with two touchscreens. The upper screen is a whopping 10.3-inches and the lower one is 8.6-inches. The driver can store up to seven individual profiles and the A8 has voice interaction with natural language processing. The map and navigation system is entirely new, and the HERE-powered setup learns drive routes over time so the system can make “smarter routing suggestions.”
The new myAudi app enables a greater range of smartphone-controlled vehicle selections. Also standard is the second generation Audi virtual cockpit with a large, 12.3-inch display. There’s an available full-color heads-up display and the Audi smartphone interface works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Available Bang & Olufsen Sound System comes with a Grateful Dead-level 23 speakers with Acoustic Lens Technology, 24-channel BeoCore amplifier, and a huge 1,920 watts worth of 5.1 Surround Sound. Righteous!
2019 Audi A8 on display at the 2018 New York International Auto Show. Photo: Audi of America, Inc
Safety & Security
The suite of driver assistance stuff reads like something from Mr. Spock’s office: The world’s first laser scanner in a production vehicle, improved sensors, and the zFAS central driver assistance computer that processes all of the sensor information. There is also Adaptive Cruise Assist, Intersection Assist, and Audi Pre Sense 360. More than just assisting you, if you do, ahem, get into an accident with your new Audi A8, the on-board emergency gizmos are there to help you out.
Emergency assist detects if you are unresponsive and brings the car to a stop in its lane, engages emergency hazard lights, and places an emergency SOS call.
Pricing & Availability
The 2019 Audi A8 with the 3.0-liter engine will go on sale this fall with a starting price of $83,800. According to Audi, a V8 engine will be available next summer. I can only surmise that, given the scant mentions of the drivetrain, it can only (hopefully) mean the upcoming S8 will be a real luxo-Bahn-burner of the first order.
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
2019 Audi A8 Gallery

Photos & Source: Audi of America, Inc.

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