Índice para February 2016 em Automobile

A FEW IMPROMPTU OFF-ROAD excursions and a hardcore metal-bending experiment or two notwithstanding, I’m pretty sure the scariest thing that ever happened to me in a car occurred in one that wasn’t moving. And it explains why—while some examine tires and oil levels before setting off—I always make sure first thing I know how to get out. The year was 1975, and it was a chilly Friday afternoon in winter. As was our wont, a few long-haired compadres and I ambled (or “trucked” in the argot of the day) to kick off another mindless party weekend by hanging out at our friend’s house, a convenient block away from the New Jersey high school from which we would soon graduate. Let’s call our friend Jack (not his real name). We were…

As the sun sets behind mountains at Palm Springs airport, fading light reflects in the windshields of 165 examples of the NSX, one of the largest-ever gatherings of this car. This is NSXPO, an annual event organized by the NSX Club of America. But instead of doddering old guys talking about old times, these NSX enthusiasts are younger, multicultural, male and female. Many remember the original NSX as the first mid-engine supercar that proved reliable and easy to drive. Fewer recall it also introduced leading-edge technology that made the contemporary Ferrari 348 and Lamborghini Diablo seem like farm machinery: a highrevving DOHC V-6 with variable valve timing and lift, throttle-bywire, all-aluminum chassis and bodywork, aluminum suspension pieces, and four-channel ABS, not to mention track tuning by Formula 1 champion Ayrton…

Our first beer of the evening is a small European one, but it will certainly be the last because already our mind is playing tricks. We’re sitting at a dinner table with Mark Vinnels, McLaren Automotive’s director of new vehicle programs. We’re at the launch of the new 570S and talking development targets, rival cars, and all the usual stuff. The 570S is McLaren’s new Sport Series car to join the established Super Series (650S and 675LT) and Ultimate Series (P1 and P1 GTR). To you and us, this means it is a Porsche 911 Turbo S or Audi R8 competitor, but Vinnels doesn’t seem to want to talk acceleration figures or lateral g. He’s all about the subjective, the involvement. The 570S represents the new McLaren, then, one with…

For every gaggle of Toyota Prius owners who flaunt the car’s electrified mobility, a discerning few enthusiasts search for an involving but discreet hybrid driving experience. For these cognoscenti, there’s the 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron. Even here in Palo Alto, abounding in brainiacs and Greenpeace proselytizers, few recognize this new Audi as a plug-in hybrid, a distant relative of Audi’s Le Mans-winning R18 prototypes. The A3 e-tron, the first Audi production car to wear the e-tron label, combines an advanced powertrain with the refined goodness of a rather nondescript four-door hatchback. This means no one looking at you will be able to guess how much you donated to National Public Radio, how many kale fronds go into your smoothies, or what your favorite yoga pose is. The only visual…

Let us pour one out for Pontiac. Think not of the fecklessly managed, watered-down brand that withered away in 2009. Remember instead a time when Pontiac became the nation’s third best-selling automotive brand, a leader in innovation, style, and performance. Remember instead the Pontiac Fiero, the company’s most ambitious and subversive car, which illustrates both what Pontiac stood for and where it all went wrong. Pontiac had long pined for a two-seat sports car, only to be rejected by GM management on the grounds that such a car would compete too closely with the Corvette. But as fuel efficiency became a compelling issue in the late 1970s, engineer Hulki Aldikacti successfully pitched management a plastic-body, mid-engine two-seater. The key was that it wasn’t a sports car, but a cute little…

A Ignition JAGUAR DESIGN KIDS / FUTURE LUXURY / TOKYO SHOW / CUMBERFORD / ST. ANTOINE / KITMAN / LETTERS Last summer, Jaguar sponsored an ambitious project with two Californian design schools: the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. The automaker gave each a different design brief. Art Center students were to imagine a new Jaguar sports car for 15 years in the future, something approximately the same size as an F-Type or a Ferrari 488 GTB. The brief used descriptive phrases appealing to enthusiasts: “A proper driver’s car.” “Indulgent, involving, and rewarding.” “Nothing that drives itself or goes off road(!).” For the Academy of Art, the country’s largest private design school, the brief was slightly different, and students had…

Brazil, it is said, is “the country of the future.” But given its messed-up economy and corrupt politics, cynics say “it always will be.” As someone who got disastrously involved with its supposed brilliant future 55 years ago, I’m inclined to think the cynics may be right even though the country now makes some of the world’s best airplanes, which it couldn’t do in 1961. During my six decades in the automobile business, people have constantly said something similar about electric cars: “They’re the future and always will be.” I’m not so sure about that, though. Electric cars are no longer fantasy and far from gutless wonders. The Tesla Model S is the best sedan I’ve ever driven, and it has gotten much better since my stint with Tesla chief…

LOVELY” MIGHT VERY WELL SUMMARIZE THE driving experience of the new 2016 Camaro (“Driven,” December 2015), but the same adjective certainly doesn’t apply to the styling. Te rear end and spoiler are atrocious, and the Camry-esque lower grille does nothing for me either. And does the cutline of the hood remind anyone else of a toilet seat? Te new Camaro might be a huge improvement over the previous generation, but it puzzles me as to why GM would bother to regurgitate the styling of the 1969 Camaro yet again when it could have knocked the ball out of the park with a more inspired design. Modern version of the split-bumper ’70-’73 Camaro anyone? DAVE VOTH Via Internet MADE IN DETROIT Detroit has its mojo back. First the Camaro Z/28 uses…

We’ve had something of a love/hate relationship with the current-generation BMW 3 Series since it debuted for the 2012 model year. We tested a 328i Luxury Line model as a Four Seasons car and appreciated the power and pace from its turbocharged 2.0-liter fourbanger. But we couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing, that this 3 Series was lacking the magical fun-to-drive quotient that has traditionally secured its status as the gold standard of the compact sport sedan class. Then we drove a Sport Line variant of the 328i equipped with BMW’s optional Adaptive M suspension. Now this was more like it. The steering and chassis response, the grip, the controlled ride—they were all present and accounted for. We simply did it wrong. The correct option boxes were left…

New 675LT proves 570S is no one-off in engagement TOWCESTER, ENGLAND THE SPECS ON SALE: Now (sold out) PRICE: $353,600 ENGINE: 3.8L twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8/666 hp @7,100 rpm, 516 lb-f @5,500-6,500 rpm TRANSMISSION: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic LAYOUT: 2-door, 2-passenger, mid-engine, RWD coupe EPA MILEAGE: 16/22 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H: 179.0 x 75.2 x 46.8 in WEIGHT: 2,950 lb (est) 0-60 MPH: 2.8 sec (est) TOP SPEED: 205 mph The McLaren 675LT (for Longtail, a nod to McLaren’s Le Mans-winning F1 GTR) doesn’t so much up the ante from the 650S as tear down the formula and reinvent it with tighter focus and a touch of unadulterated fun. The car the 675LT is based on, the 650S, is dizzyingly fast, supremely controlled, and covers ground at a…

Not long ago, these two tarmac-peelers were powered by naturally aspirated engines. But increasingly stringent regulations for air emissions have led to widespread adoption of turbocharging. It’s not even 9 a.m., and we already have our first shouting match. Faint growls start down in the valley and then can be heard growing louder through the esses up the hill, the stereophonic sonata building to a crescendo as the two German baritones appear over the brow—and abruptly end their duet just before the pavement expires where a new bridge is being built. The street music composed by the 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe sounds so familiar and yet somewhat different, like the voice of your son after puberty. The 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera S still plays a version of that catchy…

The main talking point I get before testing Audi’s 2016 R8 LMS race car is that it’s been developed from the ground up in concert with the roadgoing R8 supercar. So I’m not expecting insanity, just a gutted version of the production model with lots of safety gear and some extra performance goodies. Shortly after passing Road Atlanta’s front gate, though, I hear downshifts that crackle like high-velocity rifle shots. A sleek-butchunky silver machine flashes into view between stands of pine trees on the downhill stretch toward Turn 12. It powers onto the front straight, leaving the wail of what sounds like a full-tilt V-10 race engine in its wake. And I suddenly understand why I was ordered to bring a fire suit and Nomex undies. “This is a proper…

1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast Sold at $3,025,000 S/N 6049 SA DARK BLUE OVER RED leather interior. 400-hp, SOHC 5.0-liter V-12; four-speed manual transmission with overdrive. As shown at Gooding & Co.; left-hand drive. The paint and brightwork are in excellent show condition. The interior and wood trim are also in excellent condition, with no wear or problems noted. Offered with custom-crafted luggage meant to fit the rear parcel shelf behind the front passenger seats and a full, vintage Ferrari tool kit. THE STORY BEHIND THE SALE: One of the last Ferraris of the company’s coachbuilt era, when short production runs of exclusive cars were offered to carefully selected clients. This car with its iconic Pininfarina-designed body was revealed at the 1964 Geneva auto show then built in two series between…

ROLLS -ROYCE ROLLS -ROYCE will soon debut an all-new, all-aluminum modular architecture developed from scratch that will underpin each of its future models. The lightweight, adaptable componentry will debut on the second-generation Phantom, which we should see next year. The Phantom will again have standard- and extended-wheelbase versions, and the overall body design is said to be more modern and more imposing. Expect a taller radiator grille, a more sculptured front end with rectangular headlamps, more striking signature C-pillars, and slightly less formal flanks with a longer and more naturally flowing lower character line. The price of the sedan will stay about the same, and the BMW-sourced V-12 will still be the only available engine. Rolls is also considering the establishment of a specialty operation to make one-off models—the Coachbuilt…

Our list of questions ran off a notebook page. We know what to expect from a new Porsche or Ferrari mid-engine coupe, but we couldn’t say the same of one from Acura. Its parent, Honda Motor Company, hasn’t taken a stab at such a sports car since it first released the NSX 25 years ago, and the new, 2017 version has no direct connection to that model other than its name. The original was quick, inspirational, and offered a midengine sports car to many who could never afford a Ferrari. We’ve heard whispers of an NSX successor ever since production of the last model ended in 2005. This NSX started with a Japanese-led Acura team using a naturally aspirated engine before finally morphing into a turbocharged hybrid developed largely by…

When BMW brought the X1 to the U.S. in 2013, it felt like a return to form for the purveyors of “Ultimate Driving Machines.” A “less is more” approach meant the X1 avoided the complication and bloat of other recent BMWs, lending it a simpler, more connected driving experience. But buyers didn’t seem to care all that much for the X1’s playful, fun-to-drive character, and a sizable chunk of the 68,000 or so first-gen X1 owners instead complained about its lack of cargo space and its low, carlike seating position. The consensus was that the X1 felt more like a lifted hatchback than a compact crossover. So, you could guess, the latest X1 is bigger, rides higher, and holds more stuff. The driving position is more commanding than before, the…

Ah, purism. Who doesn’t want life to be authentic, emotional? In car land, that supposedly means a manual transmission, no electronic aids, and unfiltered high-revving engines. Ferrari was propelled by this minimalistic no-frills philosophy for about two-thirds of the marque’s history; it wasn’t until the addition of a Formula 1-style transmission for the F355 in the late 1990s that a shy bird called progress began nesting in Maranello. High technology since then has played an ever-bigger part. As examples, consider the 360 Modena’s aluminum spaceframe, the FF’s all-wheel drive, the LaFerrari’s hybrid boost, and most recently the 488’s state-of-the-art turbo power—now available in Spider form. The direct route from Forli in the middle of Italy to Cesenatico on the Adriatic coast wends its way through a spectacular no man’s land…

I always assumed the Osmond family owned Utah, but it turns out the state mostly belongs to a headliner even better-known for garish pants: Uncle Sam. Roughly twothirds of Utah is federally held; the state gave up millions of acres more than a century ago in order to join the Union (though it expected eventually to get them back). Just who rightfully owns Utah’s land today is a fiercely debated issue, and it’s easy to see why both sides are so testy. Utah was probably the original inspiration for the word “awesome.” The Beehive State is big (at 85,000 square miles, it’s America’s 13th largest) and roomy (only 33rd in population). The rugged, mountainous terrain inspired one tourism board slogan: “Utah: Life Elevated.” The Osmonds and millions of similarly devoted…

We’re hooligans at heart. You probably are too. Think of the feeling you get in your stomach when you’re bombing down your favorite back road or slicing through traffic on the freeway or doing a burnout in a parking lot. Cars that encourage this sort of behavior put a smile on our face, and when we first drove the Ford Fiesta ST we grinned from ear to ear. Its ever-eager personality hooked us immediately, and we knew we needed a Four Seasons test to spend more time with this hot-hatch firecracker. To create the ST, Ford fitted its prosaic, $15,000 Fiesta subcompact with a 197-hp, 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, a fantastic six-speed manual transmission—the only transmission available, amen—and a taut, track-ready suspension, all as standard equipment. This Performance Blue car came…