Automotive

Letter From The UK: A Day With The Porsche GT3 RS

Letter From The UK: A Day With The Porsche GT3 RS Happiness is a state of mind. It can take many forms. It may be a first love, the thrill of a winter storm, a sunny beach at dawn or just waking up in the morning and finding you are still alive. A while back, this writer found yet another way to feel truly happy thanks to the Lizard Green car you see in the images; a vehicle that can take driving to new, dizzying heights and thrust the them into another dimension of time and space: the Porsche GT3 RS.
That’s why this writer is happy.
Happy because he recently spent a day behind the narrow leather steering wheel (with a Lizard Green colour-matched “top-dead-centre” marker, natch) of the Porsche GT3 RS. He would have been even happier had his beloved wife chosen to come along for the ride. Sadly, she declined, saying, “I’m not getting into that green thing with you driving.”
Sometimes, love can hurt a man.
Thus the loving caresses were saved for the GT3 and the ride paid me back in many ways. This car is superb and made extra special by the Porsche as featured being a one-off example; a Porsche employee was allowed to specify it to his precise instructions. Ultimately it is bound for Porsche’s heritage fleet. Happiness, then, is a 4.0-liter, naturally aspirated flat six, grumbling and barking and screaming behind you delivering plentiful, precise power delivery and an evocative soundtrack via an increased rev range.
Geoff Maxted’s Porsche GT3 RS outside the Porsche offices in Berkshire, England. Photo: DriveWrite Automotive.
No Ordinary Car
The Porsche 911 does not change over the years, it evolves. Just when you think it can’t get any better, it does. Somehow the Porsche team always seem to find that little extra something.
One of the few 911’s without turbocharging these days, the GT3 RS still lays down an explosive 513 bhp, whisking you from zero to 62 mph in just 3.2 seconds. That’s from a standing start of course; it’s the in-gear acceleration that really counts and it is majestic. From 50 mph to 75 takes just 1.8 seconds, flicking quickly through the sport-tuned, seven-speed PDK short-ratio gearbox. It happens faster than you can say it. It is necessary to remember that this car is, essentially, a racing car that just happens to be road-legal.
Remember the days of the wayward rear end of a 911? Oversteer at best and heading for a disaster in the trees at worst? Not anymore; at least not with this car. The Porsche GT3 RS utilises rear-wheel steering, specially re-calibrated for the job. It works extraordinarily well. Adaptive engine mounts, an electronically controlled locking differential with torque vectoring, and more aerodynamic trickery that you can imagine all work together in conjunction with the massive tyres to provide unimaginable grip.
In the dry, anyway.
Devil In The Details
The steering is enormously precise. You simply cannot miss your apex. Front end traction going into corners makes the car feel totally flat and stable; there’s nothing twitchy going on. On the way out the shove from the rear is immense, yet the car is so well setup it does not induce fear and apprehension.
Always, the GT3 is whispering in your ear like a little devil: “Go on. You can do this.”
Fortunately, although at extra cost (This is Porsche remember. Everything you want is an optional extra.), you can choose huge Porsche Ceramic Composite brakes. Since the car as tested costs around $180,000 the supplement won’t really cause a ripple in your bank balance and, seriously, you really do want these brakes. The modulation is superb; no grabbing or snatching or fading even under heavy pressure. This car can stop as quickly as it gets to a top speed of 193 mph.
Oh, and crucially there’s a button that turns the volume of the titanium twin sport exhaust up to VERY LOUD.
Photo: DriveWrite Automotive.
Inside The Cockpit
One of the most surprising aspects of this ultimate sports car is the ride. The Porsche GT3 RS is quite amiable when pottering about. Sure, it’s firm and the occupants can feel the bigger blemishes of the road surface, but on a smooth road all is serene. Everything is kept in order by an adjustable chassis and Porsche’s Active Suspension Management, the variable dampers being sport-tuned.
The fixed-back carbon-fibre seats, and the steering wheel, have ample adjustment although there are no rear seats in this version, the better to accommodate the scaffold-like roll bar, because, well, you just never know. There is an adequate storage pit for weekend luggage under the front hood as usual. If you can live with the noise long-term then this is a motor you could use every day.
The Bearable Lightness of Driving
Rather than supplementing with forced induction, Porsche have chosen to follow the mantra of the late, great Colin Chapman of Lotus fame who said, “First, add lightness.” It still holds true today. The bonnet, front wings, and engine compartment lid are all manufactured in carbon fiber. There are no interior door handles, just straps: that’s a few grams shaved off right there.
The weight saving continues throughout the vehicle but not at the expense of comfort and the model shown had all the technological modern conveniences you would expect in any one of those run-of-the-mill, ordinary prestige cars.
Photo: DriveWrite Automotive.
The Happiness
It is no exaggeration to say this was the best drive I have ever had. It is truly impressive how Porsche’s designers and engineers have fettled every aspect of the car, every component working in harmony with all others. It’s a symphony on wheels played by Iron Maiden. It’s a fairground ride fashioned by gods. It is, in truth, automotive Nirvana.
This is not the sort of car this writer usually drives; expensive cars, yes, fast cars certainly, but never something that could be taken to a track as is and immediately break records. The drive was sublime.
I never once felt out of my depth and the throttle responds gently to the lightest of pressure which means none of those sudden, panicky “hurtling forward” experiences.
The Awesomeness
After spending some time getting used to the car and how it responded to inputs, the opportunity finally occurred to properly put the boot in. Warp speed: See traffic disappear in the rearview mirror; see hedgerows blur and the road rush toward you. Catch brief glimpses of pale faces as you flash past other cars, suddenly speeding way above the national limit, accidentally and briefly, obviously.
It was an experience that will live on in my motoring memory.
Being a reserved and distinguished Englishman who wears a Panama hat I am not given to exclaimed, excited verbal outbursts or automotive hyperbole, so deploying the word “awesome” is not usually in my lexicon, but as the Porsche GT3 RS is the finest driver’s car ever made, I will make an exception.
Awesome!
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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Inside The Street Legal Race Cars From Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus

Inside The Street Legal Race Cars From Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus

Remember Cameron Glickenhaus? He was that rich, but seemingly very nice guy that, a while back, took a Ferrari 458 Italia, re-bodied and tweaked it here and there and made what he called a “continuation” of the Ferrari P4 prototype racers from the 60s. Yeah, it wasn’t nearly as pretty as the P4 (what is?) but it was very, very quick and Ferrari was cool with him making and racing it. Turns out that Mr. Glickenhaus hasn’t even thought of slowing down, let alone stopping his fiddling with high-powered cars.
Minor Miracles & Model Lineups
His racing outfit, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (rolls of the tongue, don’t it), has been out there ever since, pounding around the world’s race tracks, and doing okay. They have, like a lot of us, a slight obsession with the Nurburgring, and always compete in the 24 hour endurance race there every year. Anyway, seems that Glickenhaus, both the guy and the team, wasn’t content with that, oh no. Seems like they wanted to put their race cars into series production and, I hope you’re sitting down, even make a road legal version. So they asked the U.S. Government if that would be okay and The Government said yes!
To make this minor miracle all the more sweeter, Glickenhaus will be making not one, but three series production cars; two of them will be road legal. No, they will not be cheap. No, they will not be making many, but who cares at this point? Gearheads can dream, can’t we?
Photo: Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus LLC.
SCG003S Stradale
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (also known simply as SCG) will manufacture the SCG003S, SCG003CS, and SCG003C. The SCG003S is the Stradale, the SCG003CS is the Competizione Stradale, and the SCG003C is the full-blown Competizione. The preliminary specs for each are knee-weakening in what they portend.
Take the “basic” (and I am using that word very loosely) SCG003S Stradale. It is a fully trimmed, road legal GT hypercar. The SCG003S is powered by a twin turbo 4.4 liter reverse flow V8 engine, putting out more than 750 horsepower and more than 590 ft-lbs. of torque. That grunt is put to the pavement through a 7-speed electro-hydraulically actuated dual disk clutch gearbox, complete with paddle shifters. All of this resides within a carbon fiber chassis and the whole shee-bang tips the scales at less than 2,866 pounds. The suspension is a front and rear double wishbone push rod and rocker operated setup with adjustable dampers – just what you’d expect from a racing team.
Stop? Oh yeah pal, this thing will stop like you threw out an anchor thanks to Brembo carbo-ceramic discs.
The performance specs are just as mind-reeling as the overall design. Zero to 60 mph in less than 2.9 seconds. Speed tops out at more than 217 mph (which Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus charmingly lists under the engineering term “VMax”). The skid-pad number is a gray-out inducing 2.0Gs plus, and the aero downforce is rated as being greater than 1,550 lbs. at 155 mph. In other words, this thing is going to go, turn, and stop unlike any other road car out there. The performance numbers are closer to something you’ll find atop the podium at Le Mans or Sebring.
Photo: Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus LLC.

SCG003CS Competizione Stradale
For those of you that find the SCG003S lacking in “oomph” and overall performance, the SCG003CS Competizione Stradale is your ride. Then again, if you are one of those people, I’d want to check and see if you have a pulse, because you just might be dead if the SCG003S isn’t enough. The Competizione Stradale will be trimmed closer to the outright racing version, the Competition Model SCG003C.
However, the SCG003CS will still be fully road legal with similar specifications to the SCG003S. In case you want to lay your eyes SCG003S, the first road registered example will be displayed at The Quail Motorsports Gathering on August 18th, part of the Monterey Vintage Races, which you should really attend if you ever get the chance.
SCG003C
Although sadly it is not road legal, it is still a full-blown race car you can buy. And this is not some half-thought out ride that would make Porsche and Ferrari laugh with derision, oh no. The SCG003C took the pole and finished first in class at the 2017 24 Hours of Nurburgring, running a 6:33 lap on the Nordschleife. That lap is within sight of Niki Lauda’s outright record. Let that sink in for a while. Put your feet up. Slowly shake your head. Now do you get it?
Photo: Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus LLC.
Pricing & Availability
The Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus S, CS, and C will be priced at 2 million in American dollars and will be rolling out of the works in New York. 2018 production will consist of 4 to 6 cars; the 2019 run will be about 8 to 10 cars. SCG notes: “we will likely sell out our productive capacity very soon.” I bet they will. I will be getting one, and so will management here at this publication. That only leaves another one to three left for the rest of you plebes, so call now.
“SCG may also develop other models and is considering offers to raise additional capital to fund this development, as well as additional racing and the building of a second U.S. manufacturing facility capable of producing 100 cars per year,” reads a statement from the company.
Thank goodness they’re making these things in such small numbers and asking so much money for them. Any less and Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus wouldn’t be able to weed out the nutzos and ya-yas. If they made these things by the dozens and cut the price in half, it would be like handing out bazookas at a daycare. You’d get flaming rubble within seconds. At best.
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.
Photo: Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus LLC.
Photos & Source: Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus LLC.

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How Formula 1 Teams Move About The Planet

How Formula 1 Teams Move About The Planet

There’s an old phrase in military colleges: “amateurs think about tactics, professionals think about logistics.” I’ve been around racing my entire life and, by and large, Grand Prix has been at the top of the heap for me. So I have known, for a very long time, that these teams have gotten larger and larger over time, and that the races have gotten much more far flung. Ergo, I know, on some level, that moving all the people and materiel from one track to the next is a real hassle, but now that I’ve delved into a recent ingenious infographic, courtesy of our friends at Storage Centres in the United Kingdom, I realize this is far from a hassle.
This is a logistical nightmare for any given Formula 1 team to contemplate, let alone envisage on a week in, week out basis. Now realize there are ten F1 teams. It’s like coordinating the Normandy landings every couple of weeks. This is how they do it.
Packing Frenzy
For simplicity’s sake here, let’s just say we’re looking at this process from the end of any given race. All the cars finished, there were no accidents, and nothing was destroyed.
First, the teams start to pack up everything except the cars. The cars are kept in parc ferme conditions, that is, impounded, so they can pass through tech inspection to make sure no one cheated (no lightweight cars or something goofy like hydrazine in the fuel). While the cars are being checked over by the race stewards, everything else is being packed up, most of it into these totally cool anvil-like flight cases you see rock bands use on tour. Jacks, laptops, spares, spares, spares (racing teams carry spare everything) alignment plates, crew helmets, the lot.
By the time the cars roll out of parc ferme about three hours later, most, if not all of the accouterments are crated and ready to move.
They start unbolting everything – okay, most things – into smaller, more easily wrapped and transported bits and pieces. So, the front and rear wings, for instance, get pulled and inspected for any race related damage or fatigue issues, then swathed in bubble wrap to protect their delicate aero surfaces. The mirrors are pulled off as are the wheels and tires – the tires are given back to Pirelli to be examined, checked for flaws, wear damage, and the like, then recycled or, in some cases, sold after the season to collectors (I had a pair of Damon Hill’s tires from the Canadian GP for many years, they made a great coffee table base). The steering wheel is pulled, checked, then placed in its own flight case. I know that seems excessive, but a modern F1 steering wheel runs you around $55,000, so you don’t want to screw it up.
As the car gets broken down further, you get to what’s known as “integral parts.” That’s another way of saying “very important and expensive parts,” and is also a way of saying “the stuff the FIA (the sport’s governing body) watches very closely.” This includes stuff like brakes, suspension pieces, the engine and gearbox, and finally, down to the chassis itself.
Photo: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.

Expensive Endeavors
As a way to keep costs down, the FIA limits the number of engines and gearboxes a team can use during the year. I know, it seems kind of silly, you say. “How many engines can a team go through?” you might ask. The answer to that, as it turns out, is as many as they can buy. And since F1 teams have suitcases full of money, you’d be amazed at what they will spend it on, given the chance. Even a small team these days has a yearly budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars. You can imagine what Ferrari or Mercedes-Benz or McLaren spend.
Before rules like this were put in place, teams were known to run special “qualifying engines” for that extra little advantage. They were referred to as “grenade engines” because they were good for three, maybe four laps at full song before blowing up like, well, just like a grenade. They cost $250,000 each. So what? We’ve got a budget of two million dollars a day (that’s no exaggeration), who cares what they cost? Put another one in, let’s make another run for the pole. Before the FIA cracked down on this, there was talk of some teams making entire cars just for qualifying. Cars that were right on the edge of what the composite tubs and structures could withstand. They would only survive for around 10 laps max before they were thrown away. Multiply that by the numbers of drivers on the grid (in today’s case, that would be 20) and you could see where operating costs would grow so high that even NASA would shake their head.
Photo: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.

Careful Movements
The brakes are completely disassembled and inspected. The pads and discs are checked and analyzed for wear and stress before being junked (they last for one race, and cost about $100,000 per corner X 4 corners X 2 cars per team X 10 teams X 20 races = The GDP of Burundi). All the fluids from the car are drained, checked for particulate content, then recycled. The suspension: A-arms, bell crank bits, wheel tethers that hold the wheel/tires to the car in the event of an accident, are completely taken down to the individual components. Everything is inspected. If it’s damaged, it’s junked. Foam spacers are inserted into the A-arms to prevent them from expanding and contracting while being flown to the next race.
Material engineers (and top teams have more than one, I assure you) want to keep the usage cycles to a minimum. The engine and gearbox are separated, drained of all the oil, fluid, and gunk. They are inspected for signs of wear leading to possible failure, put under FIA seal, and loaded into their individual flight cases. The chassis, although not taken down to the bear tub, is pretty well stripped down, then wrapped in its own, custom tailored Lycra cover for protection. Carbon fiber, although very strong, is susceptible to puncture damage, so an inattentive swing of a mechanic’s arm with a screwdriver can trash the whole thing.
Photo: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.
Logistics & Assembly
Once everything is disassembled, packed, and crated, the teams turn their stuff over to DHL, F1’s logistics partner for getting it from this track to the next. For DHL, this requires transporting 600 tons of materiel, nine days worth of planning, 240 employees, and 100 trucks just to move the stuff to the airport.
Once at the airfield, the parts are loaded onto different planes. One plane gets the critical parts – the cars themselves, engines, gearboxes, IT rack-mounted gear, electronics, things along those lines – and some of the non-critical parts are loaded onto those cargo modules you sometimes see at airports. From the ramp at the next location, it takes DHL around 4 hours to get all the gear through customs and to the next track using 30 freight containers that amount to, on average, about 30 tons of stuff per team. Remember, there are 10 teams.
The non-critical stuff – fuel, marketing swag, work benches, tool carts etc. – gets shipped in 40-foot containers, 4 per team via sea routes or over-the-road. This works out to around 1,000 tons of stuff per team. If a team needs something fast, DHL can overnight it directly to the pit garages, anywhere in the world.
Once teams show up at the new track, it is, as the U.S. Army would put it: “assembly is the reverse of disassembly.” Up to 40 mechanics per team are there just to see stuff unloaded and put in its proper place in the garage while other mechanics start bolting stuff back together again. All the while, car parts and components are checked, checked, checked, and checked again. The last thing a team wants is for a “bad” piece – something beyond its useful life or something damaged – to make it onto a car and break, possibly costing the team a win or injuring the driver.
See? Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy! The handy graphic below from Storage Centres explains more.
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.
How F1 Teams Move Across The Globe In 48 Hours by Storage Centres.

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2019 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid: A Mini Starfleet Shuttle

2019 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid: A Mini Starfleet Shuttle The 2019 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid is sitting in showrooms as you read this, and although the term “sport” rankles, the addition of 31 ponies in the horsepower column and a nearly 37 percent higher city fuel economy rating does make it worth considering. Of course it’s loaded with enough tech and safety features to feel like a Starfleet shuttle and, unfortunately, has a price to match.
Well, okay, it starts at $53,795, which isn’t that bad, so it’s only an unfortunate price if you have a tendency to covet sports cars in that price range (like me).
Performance Layout
The hybrid drivetrain in the new MDX is a variation of the hybrid drive system found in the latest NSX, which is a good idea. The foundation is a 3.0-liter, i-VTEC V6 engine coupled to a three-motor Sport Hybrid Super Handling-All Wheel Drive system. Super Handling-All Wheel Drive is Acura’s (nee Honda’s) trademark for their four wheel drive layout, and although it’s gruesomely cloying, we’re going to have to get used to it.
Photo: Honda North America.
How It Works
The MDX’s electric SH-AWD system operates independently of the gasoline engine. There are two rear-mounted electric motors that direct torque to the rear wheels. When you’re cornering, the system delivers positive torque to the outside rear wheel, to aid with turn-in and grip. Acura’s system simultaneously applies regenerative braking to the inside rear wheel to further enhance this.
The entire system output of the drivetrain adds up to 321 peak horsepower and 289 lb-ft. of torque, impressive, and, even more impressively, it adds up to a combined fuel economy rating of 27 mpg. I say that’s impressive because this SUV has to be on the porky side (Acura gives no weight figures).
The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is standard and is closely related to the NSX’s nine-speed DCT. The MDX’s 7DCT can operate automatically or manually via steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Photo: Honda North America.
Safety & Security
Naturally, since this is every inch the modern Japanese SUV, the 2019 MDX includes the AcuraWatch suite of advanced safety technologies: Collision Mitigation Braking System with Forward Collision Warning, Lane Keeping Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, and Road Departure Mitigation with Lane Departure Warning.
There’s also Vehicle Stability Assist with traction control, Blind Spot Information, and a Rear Cross Traffic Monitor.
And if all that is still not enough to keep you out of trouble, Acura’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure should keep you safer than houses in the event of a big thump.
Photo: Honda North America.
Extra Stuff
Besides all the safety and hybrid frosting on this Acura’s cake, there’s some nips and tucks, bits and bobs to make the new MDX Sport Hybrid stand out from its past brethren. There is high-contrast seat and door panel stitching, which seems to be a growing fashion trend these days. There is a new interior wood treatment and both the driver and front passenger seats get four-way power lumbar control.
New exterior colors are also available.
Pricing
Like I said, the 2019 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid starts at $53,795. That’s for the “base” model, dubbed the Technology Package. The top of the line MDX Sport Hybrid is called the Advance Package, and that one starts at $60,545. No, nether of those prices is exactly bargain basement, but you do get a lot of stuff – tech, drivetrain and safety – for your cash.
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 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid Gallery

Photos & Source: Honda North America.

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2018 Lexus ES 300h Review

2018 Lexus ES 300h Review There are some cars that are ideal for those business trips and meetings, and the 2018 Lexus ES 300h is one of the best. The Lexus ES falls into the luxury class and it offers the amenities both owner and client will appreciate. Over the weekend, we test drove the 2018 Lexus ES 300h sedan, which came equipped with a plethora of options to make life a whole lot more comfortable.
What’s New For 2018
The Lexus ES 300h receives no major changes for 2018, although some tweaks are expected for 2019.
Features & Options
The 2018 Lexus ES 300h comes standard with 17-inch, five-spoke wheels, LED lighting, a sunroof, heated mirrors, keyless entry and ignition, adaptive cruise control, a forward collision warning system with automatic braking, and lane departure warning and mitigation. Also standard are dual-zone automatic climate controls, eight-way power front seats, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a rearview camera.
On the infotainment front, the ES 300h comes with a driver information display, an eight-inch central display screen, Siri Eyes Free (iPhone voice control integration), and an eight-speaker sound system with a CD player, USB port, and satellite and HD radio.
The Navigation package ($2,615) added the mouselike Remote Touch interface, navigation, voice controls, a second USB port, and the Enform suite of smartphone-connected apps and concierge services. A 15-speaker Mark Levinson surround-sound audio system is also included.
The Ultra Luxury package ($3,000) included heated and ventilated front seats, a driver seat-cushion extender, driver and passenger-seat memory settings, upgraded leather upholstery, power door sunshades, and ambient lighting. Total MSRP including destination: $51,129.

Interior Highlights
Stepping into the ES 300h reveals a comfortable cabin with lots of leather and wood. It’s a great place to escape the noisy outside world. Just crank up the premium audio system and the world seems like a much nicer place. It’s easy to be pampered with the heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel, and 10-way power driver’s seat.
The power trunk closer is especially convenient for business owners who need the trunk to carry important papers or equipment. Just push the button and the trunk opens or latches to make life a little easier while on the move. Owners who use this ES 300h for hauling clients will have very happy customers.
There is ample room and plenty of comfort for rear passengers to enjoy the ride. If the sun gets too hot, just pull up the side window shades, and the driver can even raise the rear window shade with the touch of a button. The ES 300 cabin is extra quiet while driving, allowing conversations to be had with ease.

Engine & Fuel Mileage Specs
The 2018 Lexus ES 300h is powered by a 156 horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, along with electric motors and a 245-volt NiMH battery pack. Combined output is 200 horsepower. The combo sends power to the front wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).
EPA fuel mileage estimates are 40/39 city/highway and 40 combined mpg.
Driving Dynamics
As we drove the 2018 Lexus ES 300h around town this weekend, we didn’t even notice it was a hybrid. The luxury sedan shifts seamlessly between electric and gasoline power. While driving through stop-and-go traffic in Denver, the Lexus ES 300h will run in electric-only mode. Gentler rates of zero to 25 mph can be achieved on battery power alone.
If you are late for an appointment, the zero to 60 time is just one second slower than the ES 350 gas. Plus, with the hybrid’s fuel stingy technology, you won’t have to spend an arm and a leg at the gas pump either.
Conclusion
Whether you use the 2018 Lexus ES 300h for business or pleasure, it’s a comfortable place take clients to lunch, or the family on an all day excursion. The cabin is spacious, especially for passengers seated in the back and there’s plenty of premium level options that will shout success to your clients. The ride quality is smooth and tranquil and passengers won’t be exhausted at the end of a long day on the road
Denis Flierl has invested over 25 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. Follow his work on Twitter: @CarReviewGuy
2018 Lexus ES 300h Gallery

2018 Lexus ES 300h Official Site.
Photos: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

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Clean Trail Grant Program Advocates Conservation, Benefits Off-Road Clubs

Clean Trail Grant Program Advocates Conservation, Benefits Off-Road Clubs

Off-road going types really enjoy the great outdoors. Many of the Jeep enthusiasts I know can’t wait to get out of the office on a Friday afternoon. They have pictures of Moab on their desktop or a Wranger poster in their cubicle; they even have a Jeep hat or coat draped over their chair. Our friends at ExtremeTerrain are like this – they eat, sleep, and breath the off-road lifestyle, so much so, they turned their passion into a profession. Over the years, we have gotten to know the team at ExtremeTerrain by working with them in various capacities during that time.
The Pennsylvania company provides aftermarket Jeep Wrangler parts for the off-road enthusiast. While Jeep parts and accessories are their passion, so is the conservation and protection of our nation’s great trails.
Restoration & Improvement
ExtremeTerrain is accepting applications for their Clean Trail Grant Program, an initiative advocating the responsible use of recreational trails. The Clean Trail Grant Program provides eligible groups the opportunity to have their next trail improvement project funded, be it clean up, restoration, or expansion. To date, ExtremeTerrain has approved over 22 grants for trail improvement projects, totaling nearly $10,000. This year, an additional 10 grants have been approved with more expected.
Eligibility & Requirements
Various Wrangler outfits, 4×4 groups, and Off-Highway Vehicle Organizations (OHV) are eligible, provided five or more members are currently active. Publicly and privately owned off-road trails are eligible to apply as well. The Clean Trail Grant money can be used for purchasing the tools associated with trail cleaning, restoration, and expansion; promotional materials to recruit volunteers, food for said volunteers, and to cover over miscellaneous expenses.
“We you can get the tools you need to clean, restore, or expand your local trails, helping to maintain the trail system and improve it for future off-roaders,” reads a statement from ExtremeTerrain.
Recent Clean Trail Grant winners and participants include The OffRoad Misfits, Onslow County North Carolina Boy Scouts, Dauntless Jeepers, and the Kentucky Off-Roaders. The grant money for these individual entities was used for a range of things, from dumpster rental and cleaning supplies, to purchasing a camera to catch litter bugs in the act. Along with the grant money, industrial strength trash bags for garbage and debris removal were provided.
Those interested in applying can do so by filling out a brief questionnaire. The Clean Trail Grant Program was established in 2015.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.
Cover Photo: FCA US LLC.

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2020 Dodge Charger: When The Widebody Comes To Town

2020 Dodge Charger: When The Widebody Comes To Town Given already to the Dodge Challenger, the Charger now receives the brand’s Widebody treatments.
More than just looks, the Charger Widebody boasts of number of performance and tech upgrades.
Pricing has not been announced for the new muscle cars, although the order books open this fall.
You can’t say Mopar is inconsistent. Essentially the philosophy of Dodge in the modern era – any time post-1960 or so – is simple: What’s the biggest, highest horsepower engine we got? Put it in everything! Whatever vehicles the company is producing, said engines will eventually make it into everything. For example, the Dodge Durango SRT. With the bigger engines, come bigger cars, like the Challenger’s Widebody treatments two years ago. And now here we are with the 2020 Dodge Charger getting a Widebody upgrade of its own.
Here Is The. Point.
Thus spoke Zarathustra: “Designed and Engineered to Push the Boundaries of What a Four-door Family Sedan Can Be, the New 2020 Dodge Charger … ” Yeah, blah, blah, blah, here’s the deal: Supercharged, 6.2 Hemi Hellcat V8, 707 horsepower, 650 lb-ft. of torque. Sure, sure, you can argue “But the BMW M5 this!” or “The AMG that!” or whatever you want, but I’ll see you at the end of The Strip, Klaus. No, not by a country mile is the Dodge Charger as refined, or as good all-around, as those built by Germans (and a good slice of Japanese or the British), but to FCA’s way of thinking, that’s kind of beside the point.
The Point here was one they figured out back when Brian Jones was leaving The Stones. The Point is quarter mile performance is everything. Acceleration. Torque. Tire-smoking, explosive, head-snapping, retina-detaching acceleration. So we’re not going to talk about nav systems and infotainment packages and leather dye colors. That stuff is beside The Point.
2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody. Photo: FCA US LLC.
2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody
The Widebody package is standard on Charger SRT Hellcat and available for the Charger Scat Pack. If you get the Widebody, which you should, the fender flares add 3.5 inches of width. Dodge says this makes for “an even more aggressive, planted stance.” Gee, ya think? At any rate, thanks to the humongoid flares, you have lots of room for the wider, 20 by 11-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli 305/35ZR20 tires. Sure, you might think that’s kind of overkill, but I direct your attention back to that torque figure of 650 lb-ft.
Also, those big wheels give you plenty of room for stuff like the Brembo two-piece front brake rotors (15.4 inches) with six-piston calipers. Stopping distance is now four feet shorter (107 feet) from 60 to 0 mph (and you’re going to need that, let’s face it). The 6.2 supercharged Hemi and TorqueFlite 8HP90 eight-speed automatic send the Hellcat Widebody to a top speed of 196 mph. 60 mph comes up in just 3.6 seconds with a quarter-mile time of 10.96 seconds. In case you are interested, the new Charger Hellcat Widebody pulls .96 g on the skidpad.
Naturally the Widebody’s suspension gets special tuning all around. Front spring rates increase to provide a jump in stiffness of 32 percent, versus the existing Charger Hellcat. Larger sway bars enter the picture, expanding from 32 mm to 34 mm in front and from 19 mm to 22 mm out back. An SRT-tuned, Bilstein three-mode adaptive suspension and a new electric power steering system are also on deck.
Hellcat Widebody Performance Tech
On top of all this, there are four race-inspired tech goodies standard for 2020. Race Cooldown keeps cooling the supercharger/charge air cooler after the engine is shut off so things don’t overcook. Line Lock, an old school personal favorite, engages only the front brakes so you can do burnouts. Launch Control handles tire slip for more consistent straight-line acceleration. (To me, this is cheating, but that’s another story.) And then Launch Assist, via the wheel speed sensors, modifies torque (in milliseconds) to prevent driveline-damaging wheel hop during launch.
2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody. Photo: FCA US LLC.
Related: Black is the new black: meet the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Octane Edition.
2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody
Now with the 2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody – which might be your best choice in a performance versus cost equation – you get the 6.4 392 Hemi, which puts out 485 horsepower. The engine is mated to a TorqueFlite 8HP70 eight-speed automatic. All the aforementioned suspension bits and performance-enhancing mistresses; including Launch Control, Launch Assist, and Line Lock – all of it is still there with the Scat Pack Widebody.
Versus the “normal” Scat Pack, the Widebody stops three feet shorter. Acceleration improves too, with the Widebody Scat Pack hitting 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, the quarter-mile in 12.4 seconds at 111 mph, and a .98 g lateral grip figure on the skidpad. The Widebody Scat Pack also runs 1.3 seconds faster on a 2.1-mile road course, equal to eight car lengths per lap.
Standard wheels are these 20 by 11-inch, split-five spoke deals with a low-gloss granite finish. Optional are the 20-inchers in Carbon Black. Pirelli 305/35ZR20 all-season performance tires are standard; three-season tires are optional.
Photo: FCA US LLC.
Ordering & Availability
So look, you’ve got a family, you need a sedan, you might (might!) want to consider the Charger. With the Widebody Scat Pack. Or the Hellcat if you are a greased-stained gearhead with only a partial amount of sanity like myself. The order books for the Widebody Chargers open this fall, with deliveries expected early next year.
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. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.
Photos & Source: FCA US LLC.

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The Evolution of Automotives: Part 2: Thowbacks, Dream Machines, And Pretty Girls

The Evolution of Automotives: Part 2: Thowbacks, Dream Machines, And Pretty Girls

Automoblog’s Katie Kapro examines how imaginative thinking and creative risks have influenced the modern automobile in this three-part miniseries. Part one of this series here.
Every vehicle is made up of certain fundamental elements — the engine, tires, frame, and even a windshield if you want to get really fancy. These things are to a car what the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth are to the human face. They exist to serve a utilitarian purpose to be sure, but their variations from one “model” to another is the stuff of individuality and intrigue.
It’s what keeps the road, and the world, interesting.
Automotive styling over the years has taken some wild twists and turns. From the awkward, lady-only Dodges of the 1950s to the deja-vu inducing Chevrolets of the late 1990s, time has proven that some styling choices stand the test of time better than others.
Assumptions Gone Awry
There are three kinds of car: one built to be a utilitarian workhorse, one built for speed, and one built to be, for lack of a better word, sexy. Ford pretty much cornered the utilitarian market with the Model T tractor adaptation back in the day, while ever-increasing speed has been an aspiration of car manufacturers for as long as wheels have been attached to axles. In terms of design, the more utilitarian the vehicle, the chunkier its styling. The faster it needs to go, the lower, sleeker, and more reptilian it becomes. It’s the sexy cars though which historically get automotive marketers and stylists into trouble.
Essentially, the problem they’ve run into is one of poor assumptions. Trying to tap into a group identity is a challenging enough endeavor on its own, but when your audience is a giant swath of humanity, aka all drivers everywhere, the opportunity for falling flat on your face is pretty high.
Take for example the failure that was the Dodge La Femme. The automotive stylists of the 1950s created it thinking it would be a woman’s dream: Regal Orchid finish, loop pile carpeting, and of course built-in purses for those lady passengers who just never could remember to grab them when they ran to the grocery store for that gallon of milk they oh-so-absent-mindedly also forgot. Insert era-appropriate giggle and eyelash flutter. Trying to understand what women wanted in a vehicle was just too large a task for the time, and it’s not simply the fault of a few misguided designers.
Photo: FCA US LLC.

Practical Over Pretty
The La Femme is representative of the times. Not only did chauvinism run rampant in the 50s, but the design engineers still had a lot to learn about customers. They had just begun to understand the importance of asking their target audience questions about what they wanted and taking their responses into consideration when styling the newest model. But what they had yet to figure out was how to translate that information and find the underlying desire and need behind their customer’s responses.
When a woman in the 50s said, I want a practical car, she meant a vehicle with a mechanically sound engine and reliable tires. Radial tires — tires with cords arranged in the direction of travel — were the newest rage and safety feature in USA-made cars of the era. A female driver in the 1950s wanted something to get her around safely. Not something to hold her makeup. If the car designers of the age hadn’t fallen prey to their own assumptions and really understood the underlying desires of their customers, they probably wouldn’t have made the mistake of creating a purse on wheels.
The back page of the brochure of the 1956 Dodge La Femme. The La Femme package was offered in 1955 and 1956 and was marketed toward female buyers. It was painted pink and white and came with a makeup bag and umbrella. Photo: FCA US LLC.
The Throwback
Tapping into the emotion that a car evokes, when done in just the right way, can be a powerful design tactic. It’s called the throwback. The Chevy Silverado, when launched in 1999, was a truck built for comfort and personal use. It was capable of hauling big loads and navigating rough terrain, but also had a cushy interior suitable for passengers and long trips. The Silverado was far from the first truck to try and meet the needs of comfort-seeking drivers. In fact, the first was Chevy’s Advance Design half-ton pickup, the first completely redesigned GM vehicle to hit the market after World War II.
Owners of pre-WWII pickups asked for a roomier, more comfortable cab. Not only did they get it, which of course led to increased truck sales for Chevrolet, but the style lines of models like the 1955 Task Force became synonymous with post-WWII prosperity, hard work, and security. It’s no coincidence the design of these particular trucks has made a comeback in the last several decades. The design of Chevy trucks has come to represent nostalgia for more prosperous times in the U.S. and our collective aspirations for the future.
In terms of design choices, the throwback works because it raises a vehicle to the emotional plane. Drivers inherently trust a vehicle that looks like a reliable truck of the past.
1955 Chevrolet 3300 Series Standard Pickup. Photo: GM Media Archive.

The Dream Machine
The final play in the vehicle design and styling game is to give drivers a car that feeds their desire for speed and imagination — aka every concept car ever. Speeding head-first into the future is as invigorating as it is inspiring, and as technology continues to advance, there are fewer limitations than ever before.
One might think the future dream machine is a driverless car, and perhaps it is for a certain segment of the population, but for people who truly love driving there’s no reason to be hemmed-in by gravity. Instead, they can set their sights on the sleekest and most aerodynamic vehicle of all: a flying car. There will be some kinks to work out before flying cars are commonplace — like figuring out how one goes about insuring a flying vehicle and how exactly to bring the price tag down from the multi-millions — but those logistics can be saved for another day. For now, a driver’s greatest dreams are often a reality thanks to today’s technology; all that’s left is to imagine zipping through the sky in a vehicle that would put even the sleekest sports car to shame.
Vehicle design is for the bold of spirit. It takes vision and creativity to reach into the emotional past and future for design inspiration. Not every attempt will be a success, but hey, it’s what keeps the road, and the world, interesting.
Katie Kapro spent her childhood handing her dad tools under his Datsun. She loves thinking about the social aspects of motoring, and dreaming about the future of automotives. Follow her work on Twitter: @kapro101
Cover Photo: FCA US LLC.

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2018 Honda Accord Gets Thorough Redesign

2018 Honda Accord Gets Thorough Redesign

The Honda Accord has, for many years, been many things. It’s affordable, reliable transportation for many people. It is a market leader and a vanguard as to what a large segment of car buyers want and expect, and therefore, if you’re smart and observant, a signal to other automakers as to what people will buy. But more than anything else, the Honda Accord is a virtual license to print money. It would have been more efficient if various governments from around the world had simply shipped Honda a bunch of printing presses from their mints, and cut out the middleman, so to speak.
So, when Honda gives the Accord a major redo, the world best pay attention.
Before digging into the 2018 Honda Accord, I should first go into what is not said in any of the Minato-based company’s press materials. Completely absent is any mention of the Honda Accord Coupe. And that is because, sadly, Honda will no longer produce a coupe version of the Accord. Yes, I know it’s hard out there for coupes. It’s a crowded market segment, and profit margins are blade thin, so pour one out for the Accord Coupe, because we won’t be seeing it on the road any time soon.
The Accord’s new body is lighter and more rigid, with 29 percent ultra-high-strength steel, the most extensive application of this weight-saving material in any current mass-produced Honda car. Pictured here is the 2018 Honda Accord Touring. Photo: Honda North America.
Styling & Design
The 2018 Honda Accord, coming this fall, is the tenth version of Honda’s bread and butter sedan. Indeed, the Accord is the best-selling midsize sedan in America, and given Honda’s conservative engineering and styling nature, they are not going to mess up a good thing. Honda’s designers and engineers took a “back to fundamentals” approach when it came to reimagining the gen-10 Accord. Overall, they went with proportions that give the 2018 Accord a “sporting and athletic appearance.” In other words, longer, lower, and wider, while trying to keep the lines, creases, and proportions taut.
The new Accord’s wheelbase is more than 2 inches longer, overall height has dropped more than half an inch, and the body is nearly half an inch wider. Similarly, the track has expanded, gaining 0.20 inches in front and 0.79 inches out back. The overall length, however, has dropped by 0.39 of an inch, so overhangs front and rear are less. There’s a lower, sportier seating position, while the greenhouse (windshield) is positioned farther back on the body to be more “sweeping.” The combined effect Honda wants is that of a more premium look, highlighted by shorter overhangs, a bolder front fascia, a long and low hood, and a visual center of gravity moved closer to the rear wheels.
Whether Accord buyers will find this appealing will be up to them. Honda has been known to miss the mark with styling in the past, so the jury is still out.
The front fascia sits more upright for 2018, highlighted by Honda’s now signature chrome wing front grille, positioned and flanked by available 9-lamp LED headlights and LED fog lights. Honda calls the hood “chiseled” with its raised center; the sides are deeply sculpted to give the 2018 Accord visual length. Honda also cleaned up the roof/body thanks to a new laser brazing process that creates a clean appearance without a garnish over the car’s rain channels. Out back, the whole “low and wide” thing keeps up with an upswept decklid, distinctive LED taillights, and integrated dual exhaust ports. Overall, this increased aerodynamic efficiency by approximately 3 percent.
Along with the first application of structural adhesives to the Accord, cabin quietness is further enhanced by a comprehensive sound-insulating package that includes full underbody covers (which also aid aerodynamics), front and rear fender and engine compartment insulators, alloy wheels with Honda-proprietary resonator technology, sound-absorbing carpet, acoustic laminated windshield glass – plus front door acoustic glass on EX and above trims – and a new, three-microphone Active Noise Control system. Photo: Honda North America.

Interior Treatments & Technology
Honda has used those new chassis and body hard-points to extract more room. Beneath the greenhouse that angles inward more dramatically, the seats have been moved slightly inward for better hip, shoulder, and head room. The longer wheelbase allows second row seats to be pushed rearward, giving almost 2 extra inches of rear leg room. Honda says there’s an extra 2.5 cubic feet of interior volume, and trunk space is up by nearly one cubic foot on the 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter Accords.
If you go for the Accord Hybrid, you’ll gain 3.2 cubic feet of trunk space for 2018.
The new soft-touch instrument panel features an ultra-thin profile and three-tier design that describes a continuous arc, from its outboard section through the side door sills. Honda says this is to give a sense of strength and visual continuity. So it goes. The “sport inspired” (gag) steering wheel is more contoured with deep-set thumb rests and available paddle shifters. Honda, an outfit always known for its knobs and switchgear, keeps up the tradition by paying lots of attention to the tactile and visual quality of surface materials throughout the cabin.
The 2018 Accord has an ultra-slim, 7-inch TFT driver’s meter and a new 8-inch Display Audio touchscreen with physical volume and tuning knobs. Of course it’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible with the next-gen HondaLink telematics which includes emergency roadside assistance, remote locking/unlocking and engine start, stolen vehicle tracking, remote diagnostics, geofencing, and speed tracking. Higher trim levels get a new 6-inch Heads-Up Display. There’s wireless device charging, automatic Bluetooth phone pairing, 4G LTE in-car Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi-enabled over-the-air system updates.
The 2018 Accord’s turbocharged engines utilize a host of new technologies, including high-efficiency low-inertia turbos, variable valve timing, low-pressure-loss air intake, and high-accuracy direct injection to deliver immediate response. Honda anticipates solid fuel economy ratings from the EPA with the new engines. Pictured here is the 2018 Honda Accord Touring. Photo: Honda North America.

Power & Performance
For those of us that care about things like engine specs, we’ll all be glad to hear the 2018 Accord gets three new powerplants: two turbocharged 4-cylinder engines and a two-motor hybrid powertrain setup. There’s a new, Honda-developed 10-speed automatic transmission for the 2.0-liter turbo mill, and an available 6-speed manual transmission for both turbocharged engines. Hooray!
The 1.5-liter plant puts out 192 horsepower and 192 lb-ft. of torque. The 2.0-liter produces 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft. of torque. Both of these plants are substantially up from the engines they replace – we’d buy the 2.0-liter, of course. Honda does not mention exactly when this fall the 2018 Accord will be in showrooms nor how much it will cost, but c’mon, it’s a Honda Accord; it’ll probably be right within your budget.
All variants of the 2018 Accord will be produced at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio plant.
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 Honda Accord Gallery

Photos & Source: Honda North America.

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