Índex per August 2017 a Automobile

IS FOR CROSS OVER 2017 Jaguar Introduction SCOFFIF YOU must at the notion of a Jaguar crossover, but keep in mind that without one—as with certain other onceniche luxury or sports-car marques—the storied British brand might have been on its way to a permanent cat nap. The F-Pace hit the market in May 2016 and sold north of 10,000 vehicles by year’s end. Indeed, in only eight months the F-Pace helped Jaguar more than double its sales compared with 2015. So demand existed out of the gate, but there are those who wonder how much identity Jaguar is sacrificing in the name of sales targets. (There were similar reactions in 2002 when Porsche launched the Cayenne SUV, and that worked out just fine.) But these are crossover-crazed times, and Jaguar…

THE APOLLOGT AND DEVINC BB 6190 APOLLO GT IT HAS AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AND AN INSATIABLE URGE TO VENTURE OFF IN NEW DIRECTIONS ON ITS OWN INITIATIVE. DRIVING IT MAKES ME WONDER HOW ANYONE SURVIVED THE 1960S. BUD BOURASSA, I’m about to learn, is a man prone to understatement. “The Devin is like driving a skateboard,” he tells me. “It’s very quick and really responsive.” As for the Apollo GT, “You have to be pretty attentive. It’s a fun car to drive, but it takes concentration.” In retrospect, I should have taken him more seriously. Bourassa is a car collector from Scottsdale, Arizona, and he’s agreed to let me drive two of the rarest American cars in his collection. His Devin C is one of about 25 made, and it…

“ THE GYPSY ROSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF LOWRIDER HISTORY. BUT TODAY IT’S PART OF AMERICAN HISTORY, TOO.” AS THE LAST embers of daylight burn away on a warm April evening, a crowd bubbles around a large glass case commanding a prime spot on the National Mall—the Air and Space Museum on one side, the National Gallery of Art on the other, in the background the Capitol’s dome gleaming marble-white under a wash of flood lamps. Amid the onlookers, a solidly built, middle-aged Latino in a Los Angeles Dodgers jersey and baseball cap steps forward. Behind him, family members and his fiancee clasp their palms in anticipation, their eyes bright with tears. This stage has been nearly a year in the setting, a wave of inspired ideas and…

May 13, 2017 NEWPORT PAGNELL, ENGLAND ASTON MARTIN’S NEWPORT PAGNELL WORKS FACILITY—ONE OF THE OLDEST AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURING SITES IN THE WORLD, ACCORDING TO ASTON MARTIN—PLAYED HOST TO THE 18TH ANNUAL BONHAMS ASTON MARTIN SALE, WHICH FEATURES ASTON CARS AND AUTOMOBILIA EXCLUSIVELY. ALTHOUGH THE LAST CAR BUILT HERE ROLLED OFF THE LINE IN 2007, PRODUCTION WILL SOON COMMENCE AGAIN WITH THE NEO-CLASSIC DB4 GT CONTINUATION SERIES. UNTIL THEN, THERE WERE PLENTY OF CLASSIC ASTON MARTINS AVAILABLE AT THE BONHAMS EVENT. ONE OF OUR favorites of the day was Lot 240, a 2004 V-12 Vanquish that was among the last cars to be built at the Newport Pagnell factory. This particular car shows only around 6,000 miles of use and has been given a few of the Vanquish S model’s cosmetic upgrades,…

HP HORACIO PAGANI HASN’T forgotten what it was like to be a young car enthusiast stranded half a world away in Argentina, desperate to work at one of the supercar makers of Italy’s Motor Valley. So now that he builds supercars of his own in the very same valley, his attitude to access is egalitarian. His cars cost millions, yet for about $37 anyone can book a tour of his new factory, and unlike Ferrari’s policy you don’t have to be a customer. As I arrive, a small group of tourists is being shown around. They’re busy photographing the carbon-fiber washbasins in the bathrooms. They’re also among the first ever admitted, and I’m the first journalist. Pagani, 61, isn’t an architect, but he designed the place himself with the same…

THE EXPERIENCE FEELS QUITE LIKE DRIVING A RACE CAR BEFORE YOU EVER HIT THE THROTTLE. SO IT’S EYE-OPENING AT SPEED TO FIND THE GT ISN'T REMOTELY INTIMIDATING. THE TEAM BEHIND the 2017 Ford GT has faced one particular question, even internally, since the program began secretly in late 2013, which explains the half smirk on Dave Pericak’s face. It also accounts for why Ford Performance’s global director has polished his go-to response, as many successful Fortune 500-level executives do, into an adagio of Teflon diplomacy. “It’s hard to answer: Did we do a race car first, or did we do a road car first?” he says. “We didn’t do any one first. We did them at the same time. We had to because the clock was ticking. I know a…

PICTURE THE 18TH fairway at Pebble Beach in mid- August, and you don’t think of golfers trying to keep their Titleists out of Monterey Bay’s picturesque, kelpstrewn waters. Instead, your mind is likely on rows and rows of precious metal: race-winning Ferraris from the 1950s; pre-war, custom-bodied Packards, Talbot Lagos, and Bugattis; and maybe a smattering of unrestored preservation cars, wearing their factory-original checked lacquer paint and pitted brightwork like a badge of honor. But this year, there’s a twist. Two automotive one-offs known as the XR-6 “Tex” Smith Roadster and The Reactor are crashing the highfalutin Pebble party. They’re part of the larger American Dream Cars of the 1960s special class, open to vehicles designed and built in America in the ’60s, thanks to dreams of individuals as opposed…

PERUSING THE PENINSULA MONTEREY CAR WEEK, as it has become commonly known, is an automotive experience unlike any other in the world. With events held all over California’s beautiful Monterey Peninsula, it has blossomed from a relatively low-key weekend into a shiny, manufacturer-sponsored multiday extravaganza. Anchored by the granddaddy event since 1950—the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance—Monterey Car Week is a bucket-list affair for enthusiasts of all stripes, especially so for fans of classic cars, and it gets bigger and more impressive every year. There have been a few downsides to the growth, namely the ever-burgeoning crowds and ballooning ticket prices that have made several Monterey events difficult to attend for some. On the plus side, the number of low-cost options designed to fit virtually any budget has grown as…

Most carmakers only allow their own cars to be parked in front of HQ, and most car company bosses usually avoid mentioning the competition. Not Pagani. His personal parking space outside his new factory is as likely to be occupied by his Porsche 918 or Ferrari TdF as one of his own cars. He doesn’t conceal his lifelong enthusiasm for the other supercar makers just because he competes with them. HORACIO PAGANI ON THE: PORSCHE 918: “Porsche is the reference point when it comes to sports cars. It is the sports-car maker. Ferrari is iconic, incredible, legendary. But at the technical and engineering level, Porsche is the greatest—beyond a doubt. I own a 918. I bought it because I like Porsche GT cars, even though I don’t like hybrids. But…

KINDRED SPIRITS Today, The XR-6 and The Reactor are recognized not only for their advancement in automotive concepts and design but also for being shockingly well-built in an era where show cars were just that—built to show, not to drive. Although both are now undergoing some sympathetic mechanical refurbishment prior to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, show rules state each vehicle must drive onto that famed 18th fairway under its own power. Winfield will be there, likely placing The Reactor on the grass himself. And somehow we suspect that LeRoi “Tex” Smith, who died in 2015, will be there in his own way, if only to witness the reaction of the blue blazer crowd. The car was displayed in Oakland that year. Also at the show, Smith ran into California-based…

While Bourassa went looking for the Apollo, his Devin C found him. “This was Bill Devin’s car,” Bourassa explains. “I have pictures of it racing at Riverside. All of the famous racers we know, from Stirling Moss to Dan Gurney, they raced against it. Bill Devin painted it gold so it wouldn’t be confused with Max Balchowsky’s yellow car, Ol’ Yeller. “Bill Devin was approached by Andy Granatelli, who was in the process of developing the McCullough supercharger. He wanted to mount it on the Devin. The supercharger wouldn’t fit in the engine compartment, so they cut a hole in the back fender. He ran something like 120 mph.” The car clocked an 11.94-second quarter mile at 117 mph and also ran 167 mph at Bonneville, though it was never…

THE VIEW FROM INSIDE What has the year to date taught us about the market? THE EXPERTS GORD DUFF GLOBAL HEAD OF AUCTIONS, RM SOTHEBY’S: As was a developing trend in 2016, cars that have regularly traded hands and/or were mass-produced are continuing to experience a market correction. There’s no reason for alarm, however; this just shows the market is stabilizing and maturing. The rate of return for such vehicles over the last five years was extraordinary and, as a result, unsustainable. The challenge for auction houses is to ensure sellers have realistic expectations and entries are priced correctly for today’s market. ANGUS DYKMAN AUTOMOBILE SPECIALIST, GOODING & COMPANY: We are definitely seeing a market shift, which is healthy for the collector-car market as a whole. Buyers are being more…

THE ART OF AERODYNAMICS HAS COME A LONG WAY IN RECENT YEARS. DECADES AGO, DEVELOPERS WOULD JUST STICK WINGS ON REAR ENDS AND SEE WHAT HAPPENED. TODAY THE PROCESS IS FAR MORE COMPLEX. AERODYNAMIC ENGINEERING INVOLVES COUNTLESS HOURS OF WIND-TUNNEL TESTING AND ADVANCED COMPUTER SIMULATIONS. BUT IF AERODYNAMICS IS NOW SO ADVANCED, WHY ARE THERE STILL CARS LIKE THE HONDA CIVIC TYPE R, COVERED IN GAUDY ADORNMENTS, WHEN OTHERS SUCH AS FERRARI’S 488 GTB DON’T FEATURE ANYTHING NEARLY AS OBVIOUS? GETTING DOWN WITH FORCE TO UNDERSTAND HOW aero works, look to the skies. The same principles that keep aircraft aloft are used to stick cars to the ground. The curved profile of an airplane’s wing deflects airflow, forcing some air over the top and some under the bottom. Because the…