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http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/2019-aston-martin-vantage-2019-aston-martin-vantage-for-sale/2019 Aston Martin Vantage -- 2019 Aston Martin Vantage for sale!
Jaguar Calls On Oxford Dictionary To Update The Word “Car” (But That’s Not How It Works)
Right up front, first sentence from Jag is this in their press release: “Jaguar is calling for the Oxford English Dictionary and Oxford Dictionaries to update their online definition of the word ‘car’”
Outdated & Unsustainable
One could make jokes about how Jaguar had a rough go trying to understand concepts like “electrical-reliability” and “less pieces make for better engineering,” but why would I do that? As I stare at my keyboard, I can still see the scars on my knuckles that friggin’ Jags put there. Nope, no chip on my shoulder here. No, my beef is how Jaguar is calling for the OED to update their definition of the word.
“A lot of time and thought is put into the name of any new vehicle or technology to ensure it is consumer-friendly, so it’s surprising to see that the definition of the car is a little outdated,” said David Browne, Head of the Jaguar Land Rover naming committee. “We are therefore inviting the Oxford English Dictionary and the Oxford Dictionaries to update its online classification to reflect the shift from traditional internal combustion engines towards more sustainable powertrains.”
See, that’s not how dictionaries work.
2019 Jaguar I-PACE. Photo: Jaguar Land Rover.
Surveying The Landscape
This is a common mistake for people arguing over what words mean. Eventually, someone will say, “But it says in the dictionary that . . .” As if dictionaries are written by a committee of people who sit around debating and then, deciding what a given word means, pass this knowledge, ex cathedra, down from their ivory tower for us to follow.
That is actually the exact opposite of the way dictionaries are written. I know this because I have a degree in it. Dictionaries are written like this: A dictionary publishing company sends teams out to survey people. And by that, I mean they go out into the world and listen to how people are talking. They hang out in bars and restaurants and schools and groceries stores; they listen and observe our everyday conversations. And then write down copious amounts of notes; not just on which words are used, but how they are used.
Dictionaries are, by and large, books that document how given words are popularly used. That’s why, when you look at a dictionary entry, there are those numbers before each definition. Those are the rank order, in terms of usage, of how something is used in everyday conversation.
So, when you look up the word “car” (the subject of Jaguar’s beef) you get this from Merriam-Webster:
Definition of Car
1: a vehicle moving on wheels: such as
a: archaic: CARRIAGE, CHARIOT
b: a vehicle designed to move on rails (as of a railroad). The train has 20 cars.
c: AUTOMOBILE. Traveled to Boston by car.
2: the passenger compartment of an elevator.
3: the part of an airship or balloon that carries the passengers and cargo.
Times Change, Words Do Too
This means people use “car” in reference to a vehicle moving on wheels, much more frequently than to describe the part of an airship or balloon. Now, here’s the real interesting thing and why Jaguar is all bass ackwards about this. The definition of a word changes over time in relation to how people use it. If Jaguar wants the Oxford English Dictionary to change their definition of car, they must get people to change the way they use that word.
Try this: go and find an old dictionary, something written from the 1930s, and look up the word gay. Look up the word faggot. And my favorite, look up the word computer. In the parlance of the time, those words meant happy and joyful; a bundle of sticks for burning; and a person employed to perform artillery calculations.
Related: How words actually enter the Oxford English Dictionary.
In Due Time
They say the I-PACE, Jaguar’s all-electric SUV, isn’t defined as a “car,” yet it can carry people; and it does have two front and two rear wheels. The OED defines a car as: “a road vehicle powered by a motor (usually an internal combustion engine) designed to carry a driver and a small number of passengers, and usually having two front and two rear wheels, esp. for private, commercial, or leisure use.”
The most current, or second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was published in 1989. There were no electric cars back then. Yes, they are working on a new, up-to-date OED they hope to complete by (and I’m not joking here) 2037. Writing the definitive reference book for the English language is not something you do overnight. The current OED provides the meaning, history, and pronunciation of some 600,000 words. By the time the third edition comes out, I’m sure the common-usage definition of “car” will fit the I-PACE.
2019 Jaguar I-PACE chassis layout. Photo: Jaguar Land Rover.
Ramble On
But hey, want to know something really cool about the Oxford English Dictionary? Guess who wrote it? And by “wrote it” I mean who was the editor in charge of putting together the full-on, twenty volume, 21,730 page, 137.72 lbs. Oxford English Dictionary? J.R.R. Tolkien. The guy that wrote The Lord of the Rings; made up two kinds of Elvish; the language of the Dwarves, the language of the Orcs, and the language of Mordor out of whole cloth. That guy.
The Lord of the Rings was for kids, the Oxford English Dictionary was his job. If you have a spare $1,000 and 20 linear feet of reinforced shelf space, I highly recommend you get the set. Jaguar could have used it, no?
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.
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http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/jaguar-calls-on-oxford-dictionary-to-update-the-word-car-but-thats-not-how-it-works/2020 Mustang Shelby GT500: More Muscle For America’s Supercar
Engineers developed an advanced transmission to handle the GT500’s horsepower.
Zero to 60 in the mid-three-second range and equally-impressive quarter-mile times.
I’ll never forget my first encounter with a Shelby GT500. I was driving along at a gingerly pace when everything came to a halt. Apparently, the Shelby GT500 up ahead was trying to execute a three-point turn on a two-lane road. The car in front – who refused to be bothered by all the commotion – went ahead and passed the Shelby. I, on the other hand, applied the brakes and signaled the Shelby driver to go ahead.
Setting The Stage
Obviously mesmerized by what I was seeing, the Shelby made quite a noise as it lazily made the turn. The driver – who rolled the window down as he completed the turn – gave me a friendly honk, a smiling nod, and stepped on the gas. As he did, I caught the exhaust pipes which exited right under the driver’s door. It was an aftermarket titanium system with a sound I can only describe as mighty loud.
I was 25 in my moderately-flashy, Japanese sports coupe. I’m telling you, seeing this powerful muscle car making a three-point turn ironically became a turning point (no pun intended) in my own life. That moment deepened my passion for the motor car. And if I can’t have them, then I should probably just write about ‘em for passion’s sake.
So here we are with the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500. I can only assume more power, more ludicrous numbers, more noise, and record-breaking performance. At least, that’s what I thought when I first saw it; and boy, oh boy I was right!
2020 Mustang Shelby GT500. Photo: Ford Motor Company.
2020 Mustang Shelby GT500: More Powerful Than The Ford GT
I didn’t find this surprising at all the more I examined the specs. However, part of me never expected to see the day when a Mustang would out-power a GT, but here we are, as ridiculous as it seems. Although they are two very different vehicles, the GT supercar settles for a 647 horsepower version of Ford’s turbocharged EcoBoost V6. By comparison, the 2020 Shelby GT 500 comes with a supercharged, 5.2-liter V8 mill producing 760 horsepower and a staggering 625 lb-ft. of torque.
When you think the same motor only churns out 526 horsepower in the Shelby GT350 and 350R, the figures are mind-boggling, to say the least. In many ways, the new Shelby GT500 is heading into the stratosphere. And we’re not even talking about banging heads with a McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini, or some other supercar. The new Shelby GT500 is still a Mustang, which means it’s the same car you take to the grocery store as well as to the track.
Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a 3.73:1 Torsen limited-slip differential. In addition, the 2020 Shelby GT500 features an independent rear suspension, larger half shafts, and a carbon-fiber driveshaft to reduce what Ford calls torsional distortion and rotational mass. And with 760 horses stampeding in full force, the 2020 Shelby GT500 is officially the most powerful car Ford has produced in all its 116 years of existence.
2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 under the hood. Photo: Ford Motor Company.
High-Tech Automatic Transmission
Still mourning the loss of a proper stick in today’s cars? I am too, but we have to man up and move on! It makes more sense to give a car like the new Chevy Corvette Stingray a standard dual-clutch automatic. The same logic applies here. The good news is, automatic transmissions are not the slush boxes of yore. Today, they actually improve performance by executing shifts much faster than a human can. Or should we say, more effectively than a human can.
“Contrary to popular belief, fast shifts do not always equate to better road performance,” explained Pat Morgan, Ford Performance Powertrain Manager. “In every driving situation, we emulated what professional drivers do; whether it’s a smooth, precise heel-and-toe shift of a professional track driver or a much more forceful power shift like drag racers.”
Ford did their homework and decided to mate a Tremec TR-9070 DCT seven-speed dual-clutch automatic to the new Shelby GT500. “Effortlessly handling the 760 horsepower is our segment-first, Tremec dual-clutch transmission, with an advanced control system that enhances GT500’s five drive modes to deliver a driving experience once reserved only for exotic supercars,” said Ed Krenz, Ford Performance Chief Program Engineer. “The range of brute-force drag acceleration, seamless road shifts, and amazingly smooth shifts on the track further highlights how the soul of the Shelby GT500 is elevated in our most advanced Mustang ever.”
Related: The 2019 Mustang Bullitt is a true sleeper! Here is our full review.
80 Milliseconds Flat
The Tremec TR-9070 DCT utilizes a novel wet clutch system with five friction plates in the odd-gear pack, across 155 square inches of surface area. Meanwhile, the even-gear pack has six friction plates providing 136 square inches of surface area. Combined with seven non-sequential helical forward gears with triple cone synchronizers, the system can easily match the engine’s torque curve for stupendously fast and effective shifts. In fact, the system engages the gears in 80 milliseconds in Sport mode.
“In many ways, this is like having two transmissions in one,” Morgan said. “On one hand, it enables performance at the outer reaches of straight-line quickness with minimal torque interruption, yet provides an incredible amount of finesse and control in track environments for maximum stability and predictability at the limits of lateral acceleration.”
2020 Shelby GT500 transmission. Photo: Ford Motor Company.
Zero To 100 & Back Again
Ford says every driving mode in the new Shelby GT500 alters the personality and on-road behavior of the vehicle. For instance, going from normal to track mode changes the throttle response and gear selections. The system also changes the dampening, stability control, exhaust sound, and even the instrument panel.
Others newsworthy features include an rpm-selectable launch control with electronic line lock; available carbon fiber wheels and bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires; and the largest front brakes of any domestic sports coupe. With 16.5-inch front rotors, Ford says the new Shelby GT500 achieves zero to 100 mph, and back to zero again in a scant 10.6 seconds.
Related: “Obsessed with speed his whole life. . .” the history of the Shelby Mustang.
2020 Mustang Shelby GT500: Don’t Forget The Engine!
To better cool the incoming air, Ford’s engineers inverted a 2.65-liter roots-type supercharger, with an air-to-liquid inter-cooler, and tucked it away in the engine’s valley. Ford says this design also lowers the 5.2-liter V8’s center of gravity. To optimize performance, the aluminum alloy block features wire-arc cylinder liners and high-flow aluminum cylinder heads; plus larger forged connecting rods. Beneath that, a structural oil pan features an active baffle system to keep oil where it’s needed.
The supercharged 5.2-liter V8 is built by hand for the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500. Photo: Ford Motor Company.
Pricing & Availability
Ford has yet to release the MSRP for the 2020 Shelby GT500. We reckon it will start around $70,000 before options. First deliveries begin later this year, and I cannot wait to finally take one for a drive, especially in Sport mode.
“Every aspect of the Shelby GT500 driving experience changes with the mode – be that the throttle responsiveness and snap of the shifts you feel in the seat of your pants, or the ‘pop and burble’ of the exhaust in performance modes,” Morgan said. “It’s a full, multi-sensory visceral experience.”
Alvin Reyes is the Associate Editor of Automoblog. He studied civil aviation, aeronautics, and accountancy in his younger years and is still very much smitten to his former Lancer GSR and Galant SS. He also likes fried chicken, music, and herbal medicine.
2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 Gallery
Photos & Source: Ford Motor Company.
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http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/2020-mustang-shelby-gt500-more-muscle-for-americas-supercar/Bricks And Bones: Chapter 12: A Slight Return: An Epilogue
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.
Chapter 5: Female Perspective here.
Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard here.
Chapter 7: Speedway Legends here.
Chapter 8: Barrel Roll here.
Chapter 9: A Wide Face here.
Chapter 10: Among The Fans here.
Chapter 11: After The Storm here.
It is Tuesday and the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 is now two days gone. Healey and I return to our car after taking in The Speedway’s museum and a quick, impromptu chat with Donald Davidson, the “professor emeritus” of Speedway history. We get in and amble slowly through the infield roads. The vast track complex is largely empty. All cars gone. All huge shiny team transporters long on the road to Detroit for the next race. Track vehicles neatly parked. Motorhomes, the private sanctuaries of drivers, mostly gone except for a half dozen or so.
Chance Encounter
We wander back toward Gasoline Alley, Bill’s car idling along at a slightly-better-than-walking pace. A weary, strung out security guard half-heartedly waves us through a check point. The complex of garages are all shuttered behind steel roll-up doors . . . except for one. By who knows what reasoning, the remnants of Dale Coyne’s team are still there, doing a final load-out and catching up with spares for the race. We park and get out to say hello, and there, to my absolute and honest wonder is Sebastien Bourdais. He’s sitting/leaning on the back of a golf cart, talking with various team members as they walk by carrying the bits and pieces that make up a modern day racing team.
Sebastien seems none the worse for wear, despite sitting at an odd angle and orientation – no doubt due to the fact that ten days ago, he slammed into a wall in excess of 225 mph at an impact of 100 Gs, breaking his hip and fracturing his pelvis in seven places.
He’s actually rather chatty, although he seems slightly restless and agitated. When asked how he’s feeling he answers in a bit of a world-weary way, partially due to this being the 2,459th time he’s answered these same questions, but such questions are reminders he will not be racing for quite some time; weeks, months, who knows. Although talkative as is his usual self, he’s also a bit slow to answer. He is no doubt on enough painkillers to knock even Keith Richards on his ass.
Sebastien Bourdais looks on during qualifying at the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Photo: Joe Skibinski.
Quiet Reflection
We chat a bit more then take off, winding our way out through the track. We leave via the north entrance, slowly tooling by the lined up jet-driers and safety cars, and the garages and storage sheds necessary for putting on The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
We return home, to the leafy, tree-lined street of suburban middle America and I pause and look down the street as Bill goes inside. I think of Sebastien Bourdais, a man who shouldn’t even be here. A man of uncommon talent and bravery and skill. I think of concepts like “luck” and “risk” and “mortality.” But mainly I think of the racers. I think of Sebastien Bourdais.
I think of Sebastien Bourdais. I think of Sebastien Bourdais. I think of my friend/acquaintance/guy I met. I think of a man who should be dead. I think of a man who, but for the grace of God or Fate or Luck is still alive. I think of Sebastien Bourdais.
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.
This series, Bricks And Bones, in its entirety can be found here.
Cover Photo: David Yowe.
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http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-12-a-slight-return-an-epilogue/Bricks And Bones: Chapter 11: After The Storm
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.
Chapter 5: Female Perspective here.
Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard here.
Chapter 7: Speedway Legends here.
Chapter 8: Barrel Roll here.
Chapter 9: A Wide Face here.
Chapter 10: Among The Fans here.
It’s mid-morning in Speedway, Indiana and I walk outside into the bright Memorial Day sunshine. It is as perfect and sunny as a small town Midwest spring day can get. Leafy green trees line the block. White clapboard houses. White picket fences. Carefully maintained yards and house-proud dwellings line the block, stretching out as far as one can see. Birds tweeting and chirping. All that’s missing is a toe-headed paperboy with a crewcut.
This would be postcard middle America to a tee. Pleasantville in 3D Technicolor.
Nothing that would make it remarkable in the least, but if I were to walk ten yards to my left, there it would be. A half-mile to the east is Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A low, glowering eminence grise whose presence can be felt, night and day. It glows through your consciousness, like a power source just into the infrared. But here, right now, there is nothing but a quiet holiday morning. Yesterday, and I mean less than 24 hours ago, the scene was utterly different.
Cordiality & Chow
The streets, even these residential streets nominally on the periphery of The Scene, were swarmed with people. Walking ten yards to my left, which is north, would have given a better picture. A mass of humanity all moving in one direction: towards the Speedway. And 98 percent of them are dragging coolers, hauling backpacks, carrying this and that, and all of them, all 100 percent, are jabbering and jibbering and talking and screaming and chatting and debating and conferring. And the closer you got to the track, the more intense it was. The place was awash in soda and beer and hotdogs and corndogs and deep fried turkey legs the size of a Cro-Magnon’s club.
Burgers, fries, nachos, greasy pizza slices the size of a snow shovel blade, chow-mien(?!), more burgers, more corndogs; food enough to feed an army. And everywhere you looked, the mass of humanity was dressed in shorts and t-shirts and tank tops, blaring nationalist slogans or team allegiances or declarations of wanton consumption of drink and substances. And all of them talking and burping and babbling and farting and guffawing and snorting and prattling and sweet Buddha there’s a lot of them.
Normally the attendance of the Indy 500 is around three to five hundred thousand. That is roughly the number of kids that showed up at friggin’ Woodstock and this happens every year, year in, year out. And these people, these bright, perennially cheerful, down home Midwest salt of the Earth folk welcome them in. It is a stunning display of hospitality right out of some old testament parable. “Need to park your car? Why, here’s a spot on our lawn. That’ll be $20.00.” The streets are lined with cars, the yards are packed with them too. The front yards and delightful screened in porches are full of people talking and eating and drinking. And the roads, always the roads are packed with a moving mass of humanity, going onward, ever onward toward The Track.
Fans gather in droves inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo: Walter Kuhn.
Picturesque Arrays
But that was yesterday. Short hours ago. Not even a full day. And now, not a speck of lawn is taken up by a vehicle. There is no trash to be seen anywhere, and I mean that: no trash. Later Healey and I do a bit of a driving tour, and the scene can only be described as stunning, and only in the context of what it was like the day before.
There was a huge parking lot the size of a shopping mall. Now it is a green, grassy field. Scores of port-a-potties are now neatly stacked on trailers, all patiently idling in line, waiting to merge with traffic. All souvenir booths are shuttered. Food stands of the most common and mass-produced eats imaginable are locked down and boarded up. The garbage cans, packed to overflowing yesterday are gone, completely gone. All refuse vanished as if on the whim of an invisible wind-god.
And the track, good Lord the track itself: a scattering of people here and there on the outside, but no signs of the throng of humanity that once was. The inside is eerie in its striking lack of people and its neatness. Here and there, maybe a total of 150 people where there were once hundreds of thousands. They walk and sweep and pick up the bits of leftover trash that has so far gone unaccounted for.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway the morning of the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Photo: Chris Owens.
Tranquil Territory
And the trash! It has all been collected up, piece by piece, and stuffed into rust-colored garbage bags, and the bags, tens of thousands of them, all neatly lined up at the end of each row of seats. The aluminum white horizontal stands against the strong rust of the vertically arranged garbage bags is like a Christo installation piece.
The contrast between what The Speedway brings, invites; desires even, with what the town is now shocks in the extreme.
Yes, this is Speedway, both in name and deed, but the vast majority of the year it is just a simple, small Midwestern town almost drowning in its own unpretentious charm. And now, not even a day after such noise and speed and riotous behavior, Speedway, Indiana is nothing but silence and slowness and subdued conduct. It is back to as it was. Again it is Pleasantville. It is deepest, whitest American. The heart of paleness close by the banks of the Wabash.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: Shawn Gritzmacher.
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http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-11-after-the-storm/Bricks And Bones: Chapter 10: Among The Fans
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.
Chapter 5: Female Perspective here.
Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard here.
Chapter 7: Speedway Legends here.
Chapter 8: Barrel Roll here.
Chapter 9: A Wide Face here.
Journalists are, as a group, pretty jaded and jaundiced about the world around them. Whatever their specialty, whatever little slice of the world they cover, it’s usually done so with barely concealed condescension and detachment. This is actually something you are more or less taught in college newswriting classes. Maintaining a sense of detachment is how a journalist stays objective.
American journalists have this fetish about being objective. But this fetishized objectiveness is the beginning of being jaded in progressively darker shades of green; jaundiced in ever-yellowing hues.
By The Book
Sportswriters, although they can and are encouraged to be fans of the sports they cover, are particularly focused on being objective. Just the facts ma’am. Hits. Runs. Strikes. Passes. Touchdowns. Scores. Statistics. Always tons and tons and tons of statistics. Especially for American sportswriters.
So there we all were, some 150 or so journalists in various shades of jaded experience about two-thirds of the way through the 2017 Indy 500. Assiduously watching, taking notes, scribbling passages, hammering on keys. We were covering the event. Get it all down, stitch it together, write a lead-in graph or two, a nice summation and, bada-boom, bada-bing, you’ve met your deadline, kept your Managing Editor happy, and lived to write another day.
Sixpence Suspense
A few times during the race this professional detachment fell away. Most notably during Dixon’s colossal accident, but most of the time the press area was quiet mumbles and typing, with the occasional four sentence conversations. It was in this setting, on a late race restart, all professionalism fell away from every one of us in that room in an instant. A pack of cars, indeed the second pack of cars behind the lead group, were all blasting down the back straight on the first green flag lap after a protracted caution period. All of a sudden, for reasons that were never clear, this pack of cars, the entire pack, all saw a passing opportunity. Someone checked up, or slowed or something, then the pack, and I mean the entire pack fanned out two – no three – no four – no SIX-wide.
Everyone, and I mean literally every one of us in the top level of the pressroom switched in that instant from being jaded, jaundiced reporters, and reverted back to what got us into this business in the first place: Race fans. Collectively we had been around racing long enough to know what was up, what was down, and what happens when things go sideways. And what we were now looking at was directly on the edge of going very, very sideways.
From the outside wall to the infield grass, six cars were now running side by side at 230 miles an hour. The biggest gap between any two cars was maybe the width of your palm. The slightest was the thickness of your hand. As the cars fanned out, we, the assembled press, all started screaming, and I mean screaming the exact same thing: “NO! No, no, NO, no, no, no, nononoNONONOOOOO!!!!”
Race fans watch the action at the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Photo: Chris Owens.
Instant Fans
We knew what we were going to see next. This was bad. This was toddler wandering into a running machine shop bad. This was bad to the point of taking us out of journalism entirely. There were too many cars, too much speed, and a quickly diminishing amount of space . . . and then, cooler heads prevailed. It was as if all six drivers realized what they were doing and, in a snap, sorted it out.
Marco backed out of the throttle. Another car dropped left and back. Alonso (you knew Alonso was going to be in the middle of this) somehow found more speed, gained a car length, and moved right. It was over in a second, maybe a second and a half, maybe two. But in that brief span of time, we journalists were reduced to being just fans at the track, watching the race, having a blast.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: Chris Owens.
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http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/bricks-and-bones-chapter-10-among-the-fans/2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray: The Right Design (Still Looks Like A Vette)
With an LT2 Small Block V8, the new Stingray is the fastest entry-level Vette ever.
Prior to its on-sale date, the performance car will embark on a cross-country tour.
In a bunch of ways, how a Corvette looks is more important than nearly anything else about the car. Corvette fans are amazingly picky about this, and if it doesn’t “look like a Vette” they would most likely riot. Moving the engine from the front to the middle causes all sorts of design re-dos and re-thinks, so GM had to pull off a huge task here. And it looks like they succeeded with the 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray.
If anything, the Vette’s biggest design failing (and it’s not much of one) is that it looks like a mid-engine supercar. But given the demands of engineering, packaging, and aerodynamics, that was bound to happen anyway.
2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray: Bold & Futuristic
Chevy says the 2020 Corvette Stingray is a “bold, futuristic expression with mid-engine exotic proportions, but it is still unmistakably Corvette.” And they’re right. The front end, the tail, and even the overall stance all say Vette to my eyes. It just looks like a Vette with the greenhouse moved further forward. Chevy also says it’s “lean and muscular, with an athletic sculptural shape conveying a sense of motion and power from every angle.” I’m not going to argue with that either. The description is, however, kind of childish and outré and lacking in the subtle elegance and grace you’d find in Italian supercars. But alas, not everyone is Pininfarina.
Still, the 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray looks pretty durn good.
With the engine truly being the focal point for the car’s design, it sits like a jewel in a showcase, visible through the large rear hatch window. No, not an innovation, but a nice design touch nonetheless. Chevy paid close attention to the details, even the very appearance of every wire, tube, bolt, and fastener. The overall level of craftsmanship is way up.
2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray. Photo: Chevrolet.
Noteworthy Touches
Some other noteworthy design features include the low profile headlamps; the completely-hidden door, hood, and hatch releases (a nice touch); and the massive side air intakes for cooling and aerodynamic performance. The large rear hatch, with its seven air vents, showcases the LT2 Small Block V8. The quad exhaust tips are pushed to the Vette’s outboard ends. Finally, the LED taillamps have “animated” turn signals.
Although the canopy of the 2020 Corvette Stingray is pushed farther forward, the rest of the car, such as the face, maintains the traditional Corvette signature. There’s also that classic horizontal crease and the familiar positioning of the headlamps. Designers were even able to create 12.6 cubic feet of cargo volume with the dual trunks, enough for some luggage or two sets of golf clubs
Related: The 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray is the everyday supercar.
2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray: Interior Layout
The interior also gets the treatment with a cockpit that has traveled forward by 16.5 inches. Corvette designers wanted something that would simultaneously envelop the driver, while still conveying the exterior’s high-performance character. The climate controls, for example, are vertical while the vents are razor-thin to minimize the overall height of the instrument panel. The steering wheel is a squared-off, two-spoke, small-diameter job that gives drivers a better view of the 12-inch reconfigurable cluster display. Some people dislike it, but it looks okay to me.
And a big round of applause for how the bean counters were kept at bay, as the build quality appears exceptionally high as does the number of premium materials. All the leather is hand-wrapped and hand cut-and-sewn with thick-press stitching. Real metal, not plastic adorns the interior. The speaker grilles, for example, for the Bose audio system are stainless steel; the trim on the GT2 and Competition Sport Seats is real carbon fiber. And you get your choice of either real aluminum or real carbon fiber for the console and door trim plates.
2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray interior layout. Photo: Chevrolet.
Jump In, Sit Down, Hang On!
And finally, your butt. You get to plant it in one of three seat options. The GT1 seat emphasizes comfort while providing good support for those performance driving situations. It features Mulan leather and an optional two-way lumbar support and wing adjustment. GT2 seats (a first for Corvette) have a racing-inspired look with Chevy’s dual density foam to help add comfort to any longer road trips you plan to take. Carbon fiber trim is included along with a Napa leather insert, Mulan leather bolsters, two-way lumbar support and wing adjustment, plus heating and ventilation.
Finally there is the Competition Sport seat option. This is for the serious, track-focused driver. You know, us gearheads! There are more aggressive bolsters, full-on Napa leather, heating and ventilation, and carbon fiber trim on the headrest.
Torsional rigidity improves with the 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray, allowing for better performance be it on the track or open road. Photo: Chevrolet.
Corvette Visualizer
Production of the 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray begins at Bowling Green Assembly later this year. Additional pricing and packaging information will be available closer to launch. When it hits the market, the new Stingray will come in 12 exterior colors; offer six interior color themes and seat belt colors, with two optional stitching packages. If you simply cannot wait, a new digital tool, the Corvette Visualizer, lets you design your dream mid-engine Vette in vivid detail.
Nationwide Tour
The 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray will embark on a cross-country dealership tour leading up to its on-sale date. Corvette specialists, along with the vehicle and numerous other displays, will stop at over 125 dealerships nationwide, as well as major consumer events.
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.
2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray Gallery
Photos & Source: Chevrolet.
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http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/2020-chevy-corvette-stingray-the-right-design-still-looks-like-a-vette/New Interactive Game Highlights The Dangers of Distracted Driving
Kwik Fit’s interactive Driven To Distraction game shows just how dangerous it can be.
The new game tests your traffic and safety knowledge, along with your reaction time.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving accounted for 3,166 deaths in the United States in 2017. Distracted driving is anything that takes your attention from the road, although it’s most commonly associated with smartphone usage. NHTSA finds that sending or reading a text takes approximately five seconds, enough to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph. With the average speed limits of U.S. states being well over 55 mph, it makes distracted driving all that more dangerous.
A new, interactive game from Kwik Fit, a leading automotive service provider in the United Kingdom, highlights the dangers of distracted driving. Like in the U.S., distracted driving is also a concern in the UK. The Department for Transport finds the number of vehicle fatalities caused by smartphone usage is on the rise. Officials and safety advocates describe the latest statistics as a wake-up call.
Disclosure: This article is sponsored by and done in collaboration with Kwik Fit. For more information, please review our advertising guidelines.
Driven To Distraction
Kwik Fit’s Driven To Distraction game tests your road knowledge and your reaction time. The object is to read a text message in the form of a question, and respond with the correct answer; all while looking out for STOP signs. There are three levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard with the car moving quicker and the questions becoming increasingly harder with each level. The questions deal with the rules of the road, and although they are not more than a sentence long, it’s easy to miss the STOP signs. Kwik Fit developed the game to bring attention to the dangers of distracted driving.
Kwik Fit’s Driven To Distraction game tests your knowledge of the road while also testing your reaction time.
Tougher Than We Realized
The question “What should the left-hand lane of a motorway be used for?” we did not answer fast enough, despite it being a relatively easy one. In fact, we could hardly read the multiple choice answers! We quickly clicked our mouse when we caught the STOP sign, avoiding the question entirely. However, we were still 0.190 seconds slower while using the phone, despite abandoning the question. According to Kwik Fit’s Driven To Distraction game, at 30 mph, this would have taken us nearly nine additional feet to stop. That may not sound like a lot, but it can be the difference between life and death.
At one point, we missed the STOP sign by more than three seconds because of looking at the phone. As a result, we traveled over 150 feet past where we needed to stop! We’ve included the screenshot below.
Related: Distracted driving kills and it’s a worldwide problem.
How To Play
Begin by concentrating as the car is moving; when you see the STOP sign, click on the screen. On the next round, a phone will appear obstructing your view. A question about road safety and/or traffic laws will come up; read it carefully and select the right answer. Try to get as many correct as you can, but click the mouse when you see a STOP sign.
Kwik Fit’s Driven To Distraction game records your time on reach round. You can play with your friends at the office to see who has the best reaction times. On your way home, remember to buckle up and drive defensively. Place your phone in the center console or out of reach so don’t look at it while driving.
About Kwik Fit
Kwik Fit opened their first location in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1971 and now operate over 600 service centers across the UK, including Northern Ireland. The company offers an extensive range of automotive parts and repairs, including tires, brakes, exhaust work, MOT testing, and air conditioning recharges. Kwik Fit is one of the UK’s top tire suppliers, carrying some of the world’s most recognizable brands like Pirelli, Goodyear, Michelin, Continental, and Dunlop. Kwik Fit’s Master Technicians are highly-skilled, and complete one of the most in-depth and comprehensive training programs in the industry.
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http://carsecret.atspace.eu/blog/new-interactive-game-highlights-the-dangers-of-distracted-driving/CARCHEX vs. Endurance Extended Warranty (2019 Review)
We compare CARCHEX vs. Endurance and their available plans.
Why buy an extended warranty? An extended warranty can increase resale value and save you thousands in repair costs.
We recommend CARCHEX for extended auto warranties.
When it comes to customer service, CARCHEX has a higher customer satisfaction rating than its competitor, Endurance.
Affiliate disclosure: Automoblog and its partners may be compensated when you purchase the products below.
Should you choose CARCHEX or an Endurance warranty for your car, and why does it matter?
According to a study by AAA, the average annual cost of owning and operating a vehicle in 2018 was $8,849. That price includes insurance, repairs, maintenance, and even depreciation. When you buy a new (or used) car, you’re thinking primarily about the best deal at that moment. However, it’s important to consider the increasing annual costs as the car ages and accrues miles. An extended auto warranty can cover the cost of expensive repairs once the manufacturer’s warranty expires, but choosing the right provider can make all the difference.
We compare CARCHEX vs. Endurance – two of the leading providers of extended warranties – including their coverage, cost, and customer service, to show you why we recommend CARCHEX plans for your vehicle.
To get a free, customized quote, call 866-254-0205 or visit the CARCHEX website.
Is An Extended Car Warranty Really Worth It?
Before you even start comparing providers, you may be wondering about the benefits of having an extended warranty. The answer to this question depends on your vehicle and your driving habits. Is your car an ultra-reliable brand? Do you expect to put more than 100,000 miles on your vehicle? Does your vehicle’s manufacturer offer a shorter warranty than you expected?
Here are a few reasons why an extended warranty is a good option:
An extended warranty can increase your car’s resale value and give you peace of mind.
Extended warranty companies help you in the event of a breakdown, so you don’t have to negotiate price or repairs with the mechanic on your own.
Manufacturer warranties don’t last forever. In fact, many only last three years or 36,000 miles. An extended warranty continues your coverage sometimes up to 10 years.
Vehicles are lasting longer and going greater distances, meaning you may be more likely to need a major, costly repair. A service contract can save you thousands on replacement parts.
There is an added benefit to choosing a third-party warranty company. Edmunds explains:
“The only benefit to getting an extended warranty as you purchase a car is the ability to wrap the warranty’s cost into your financing. But unless you’ve shopped in advance and can negotiate a lower price for the extended warranty on the spot, this route could cost you more in the long run.”
Head-to-Head Comparison: Endurance & CARCHEX
Two key players in the industry, Endurance and CARCHEX, have provided vehicle service contracts for over 10 years. While they both offer extended car warranties, an Endurance warranty and a CARCHEX warranty are different in terms of coverage and benefits.
Let’s break it down.
Endurance Warranty Overview
Who is Endurance?
Endurance offers five levels of coverage, from powertrain to exclusionary coverage.
All Endurance plans come with Endurance Elite Membership.
Endurance handles all claims, so you only communicate with one company.
Endurance has relatively positive reviews, though it is not BBB accredited.
Plans
Endurance offers five coverage plans:
Secure: The Secure plan covers powertrain components, including the engine, drivetrain, and transmission. It is the most basic and affordable plan.
Select Premier: This plan is a step up from the Secure plan with additional coverage for cooling system components, fuel delivery systems, and electrical components. This plan is best for high-mileage vehicles.
Secure Plus: Slightly more comprehensive than Select Premier, this plan also covers steering components. It has a short waiting period of 30 days or 1,000 miles.
Superior: With the highest stated component coverage, the Superior Plan covers almost all vehicle system components, except for seals and gaskets.
Supreme: The Supreme plan is a “bumper-to-bumper” or exclusionary plan, meaning the service contract only lists items that are excluded from coverage. This is the most extensive plan and therefore the most expensive.
While Endurance offers coverage up to 200,000 miles under certain plans, some coverage information and terms are not readily available or easy to find on their website. Though sample contracts are available for each plan, customers may find it difficult to obtain important information.
Additional Benefits
Endurance warranties include additional “coverage” for drivers under their Endurance Elite Membership, a one-year program that comes with all plans and includes:
Key locator.
ID theft protection.
Key fob replacement.
Endurance Protect app.
24/7 roadside assistance.
Up to two annually replaced tires.
Repair finance loans up to $5,000.
$250 in member rewards with partnered merchants.
Live personal concierge for reservations, directions, emergencies, etc.
Exclusions
Like many extended warranties, Endurance coverage excludes repairs and replacements due to wear and tear, neglect, weather, and accidents.
Most car warranties don’t cover damage done by weather or other environmental elements, such as snow or salt.
Cost
One of the advantages of having an Endurance extended warranty is that all processes are handled by Endurance itself. Unlike some other providers, Endurance doesn’t simply promote plans offered by other companies.
Unfortunately, this means only one contract is available under each level of coverage: an Endurance contract. This can limit your competitive pricing options. Currently, a deductible with Endurance is typically between $100 – $200.
Endurance Reviews
Endurance has an overall positive reputation among third-party warranty companies, but the company’s BBB (Better Business Bureau) rating is not the highest among its competitors. They have a current BBB rating of B+.
This is what one Endurance customer said on Trustpilot:
“My issues have been resolved with Endurance. Initially the process was stressful, but ultimately they resolved my vehicle’s damages and fully covered the repairs for both parts and labor.” – Daniel R.
The majority were pleased with the service, though some customers complained they could not immediately download their policy or had to wait longer periods for reimbursement.
Quick Facts
Started in 2006.
Coverage up to 20 years or 200,000 miles.
Official name is Endurance Warranty Services, LLC.
Located at 400 Skokie Boulevard, Suite 105, Northbrook, IL 60062-7937.
Pros:
Excellent coverage.
Directly handles claims.
Long terms for high-mileage vehicles.
Cons:
Higher number of complaints from customers.
Fewer contract options (in other words, fewer pricing options).
CARCHEX Warranty Overview
Who is CARCHEX?
CARCHEX is endorsed by many reputable companies, including Edmunds, CARFAX, Kelley Blue Book, and more.
The company is BBB accredited and has the highest satisfaction rating among competitors, including Endurance.
CARCHEX offers five coverage levels, including powertrain and bumper-to-bumper coverage, from several plan providers.
All plans are insured, so you know repairs will be paid.
Plans
With terms ranging from five to 10 years, CARCHEX offers five coverage levels with several plan options under each tier:
Bronze: Bronze powertrain coverage cuts the cost of repairs on your engine, drivetrain, transmission, and cooling system. This is the most basic and affordable coverage plan.
Silver: This coverage plan includes the powertrain, fuel delivery system, air conditioning, and electrical components.
Gold: This plan is best for vehicles with more than 60,000 miles. It covers all components under the Bronze and Silver plans, as well as steering and braking components.
Platinum: Like Endurance’s Superior plan, this plan is the one with the highest stated component coverage. It also includes coverage for heating/cooling, advanced electrical components, and suspension.
Titanium: This is CARCHEX’s exclusionary coverage plan, and therefore it is the most comprehensive and expensive option.
In addition to the components stated above, CARCHEX Care Gold, Platinum, and Titanium plans offer seal and gasket coverage.
Their website provides sample contracts and makes it easy to find terms and information for each contract.
Additional Benefits
CARCHEX offers the following “coverage” for all of its customers:
Key lock-out service.
Battery jump service.
24/7 roadside assistance.
Rental car reimbursement.
Towing and wrecker services.
Emergency gas delivery service.
Limited trip interruption reimbursement for hotels, food, etc.
Exclusions
Coverage plans limit repairs and replacements in a similar manner to Endurance. Damages caused by wear and tear, weather, neglect, and accidents are excluded from coverage. In addition, CARCHEX plans do not cover replacements for tires, brake pads, windshield wiper blades, and other routine maintenance items.
Cost
Though CARCHEX is not the direct provider, it has a larger number of available contracts to choose from based on the number of reputable providers it markets. Therefore, you have more competitive pricing options.
The cost of an extended warranty will depend on the model and year of the car, as well as your current mileage. CARCHEX plan deductibles can range from $0 to about $200, which can be less expensive than Endurance.
CARCHEX Reviews
With 20 years of experience in the industry, CARCHEX has mastered customer service, thanks to their easy claims process, direct payments to repair facilities, and prompt responses from specialists. They are BBB accredited with a current BBB ranking of A+.
Here’s what one CARCHEX customer said about their service on Trustpilot:
“My alternator went out on my 2011 Nissan Maxima. I called CARCHEX to set up a claim within minutes they told me it was covered under warranty. CARCHEX saved me a lot of money!” – Jackema W.
The majority of CARCHEX customers were satisfied with their service and the claims process, especially the low pressure to buy.
Quick Facts
Started in 1999.
Coverage up to 10 years.
Located at 118 Shawan Road, Suite 210, Hunt Valley, MD 21030-1318.
Pros:
Greater number of available contracts.
Bumper-to-bumper coverage available.
Higher customer satisfaction and fewer complaints.
Cons:
Company does not handle all processes directly (claims are handled by contract providers).
An extended auto warranty can cover the cost of expensive repairs, but choosing the right provider can make all the difference.
Endurance vs. CARCHEX: Our Pick
Sometimes your vehicle fails regardless of how well you take care of it. Brandon Grade, Service Advisor at Findlay Toyota in Las Vegas, states, “Regular maintenance and inspections can help a problem be caught before a catastrophic failure happens. But I don’t believe you are going to be able to prevent a window motor failure, regardless of how well you maintain your car.” In cases like this, you need an extended car warranty.
When it comes to Endurance vs. CARCHEX extended warranties, we believe CARCHEX is your best bet for affordable protection, easy claims procedures, and no-nonsense customer service.
A Direct Competitor Comparison
When choosing the best extended warranty provider for your specific vehicle, there are several factors you should take into account:
Competitive prices.
Ease and convenience.
Plan flexibility and customization.
Transparency (understanding the fine print).
Both companies offer high-level service, but it’s the details that matter. It’s a close race, but you can see for yourself with this head-to-head comparison of Endurance vs CARCHEX.
Endurance
CARCHEX
Coverage Levels
5
5
Contracts Available
5
16
Deductibles
$100 – $200
$0 – $200
BBB Rating
B+
A+
BBB Complaints
428
86
Years of Experience
13
20
Accepted Repair Sites
30,000+
30,000+
Transferable Plans
Yes
Yes
Cancellable Plans
Yes
Yes
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Yes
Yes
Endorsements
Courtney Hanson, Katie Osbourne, and Vehicle Protection Association
CARFAX, SiriusXM, RepairPal, DMV.org, CarAdvise, AutoBlog, Zubie, Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds.com, and more
Our Top 5 Reasons For Choosing CARCHEX
With a more transparent site and easy-to-navigate plans, you know exactly what you’re getting with a CARCHEX extended warranty.
Endurance extended warranty plans and CARCHEX extended warranty plans have very similar coverage, but CARCHEX offers the most customizable plans and options, including windshield repair options and more.
CARCHEX offers deductibles as low as $0, as well as convenient payment plan options. With more contracts, you have more options and flexibility.
Reputation is important. With multiple endorsements and a long history in the industry, you can trust CARCHEX to meet your standards.
Getting a quote is easy and instant. A representative is ready and available to help.
Protect Your Car: Receive a CARCHEX Quote
Your car isn’t getting any younger. To find the most affordable prices and the best level of coverage for your specific vehicle, speak with a CARCHEX expert. A specialist will contact you promptly to discuss plan options without the pushiness of other warranty companies.
Call 866-254-0205 or visit the CARCHEX website to get a free, customized quote.
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