JAGUAR LAND ROVER: FUTURE TECH!

Posted on May 30, 2017 by MartynL

The future is now at JLR’s Portland Tech Incubator. LISNR and Pilot Automotive Labs are the latest start-ups to join Jaguar Land Rover’s Portland Tech Incubator. It seeks to encourage, promote and support new automotive, mobility and connected car technologies that are being developed by start-ups. LISNR and PILOT bring new expertise to the Incubator team as their research will focus on transmission over audio and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and connected car services. Incubato...

MUSCLECARS 101: BACK IN THE DAY!

Posted on May 29, 2017May 29, 2017 by MartynL

Musclecar was barely part of enthusiast vernacular when iconic GTOs, Hemis and Camaros and Mustangs were new and prowled the streets. Today, it’s the only word used to define those ground-pounding Supercars and Ponycars. When Pontiac built the GTO in 1964 they jump-started Detroit’s performance car revolution; the Supercar was born. That same year, Ford gave us the Mustang. It became the quintessential Ponycar. It was Supercars and Ponycars, period. Musclecar was the catchall descriptor used ...

JAGUAR XE SV PROJECT 8: EXTREME PERFORMANCE!

Posted on May 26, 2017May 26, 2017 by MartynL

Project 8 delivers Supercar performance and dynamics in a four-door sedan. It’s the most powerful road legal Jaguar in history. Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) today announced it will produce the most powerful, agile and extreme performance Jaguar ever – the new Jaguar XE SV Project 8. Targeted for sale in 2018, the XE SV Project 8 will be the second Collectors’ Edition vehicle from SVO, following the successful launch of Jaguar F-TYPE Project 7 in 2014. The heart of the a...

NEWPORT CAR MUSEUM: THE ART OF THE CAR!

Posted on May 22, 2017May 22, 2017 by MartynL

A private collection of some 50 automobiles focuses on six decades of modern industrial automotive design and celebrates cars as works of art. The Newport Car Museum, Portsmouth, RI, officially opens its doors for the first time on June 1 and will surely become a “destination” for tourists as well as serious car enthusiasts when visiting New England. “We believe that the wonderfully talented industrial designers who flourished after World War II were not unlike the sculptors and artists of t...

VERN TARDEL’S SPOTTER’S GUIDE: VINTAGE FORDS!

Posted on May 21, 2017May 21, 2017 by MartynL

If you’re hot-rodding or restoring a 1927-’59 Ford, you need a copy of this handy guide. Vern Tardel, America’s premier traditional hot rod builder, has just released the first of a new series of Vintage Parts Directories for traditional Ford enthusiasts. This comprehensive 40-page booklet – Common 1927-’59 Ford Electrical Service Parts - is published with the goal of helping readers correctly identify parts they have, or ones that they need. Since the once common illustrated parts books h...

‘17 LINCOLN MKZ: WHAT A DIFFERENCE 400-HP MAKES!

Posted on May 17, 2017May 17, 2017 by MartynL

A feisty new twin-turbo V6 adds some spark to Lincoln’s mid-size luxe sedan, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. Not since Abe was in the White House has there been a Lincoln with this much power. For 2017, those artisans at the Lincoln Motor Company have endowed their stylish MKZ mid-size sedan with a honking 400-horsepower 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. That’s the equivalent of strapping an Exocet rocket to the back of a kid’s Radio Flyer wagon. Pedal-to-the-metal this new MKZ 3.0T AWD can ...

STEPHEN COX: CHASING THE NATIONAL SUPER CUP TITLE!

Posted on May 16, 2017May 16, 2017 by MartynL

Our racer-in-residence returns to Rohrbaugh Racing for the 2017 Super Cup Series. Rohrbaugh Racing will compete for the Super Cup Stock Car Series national championship this year with driver Stephen Cox. He returns to the seat following a successful 2016 campaign. A versatile veteran, Cox has three wins, four poles and nine top “fives” in his last eleven starts on both ovals and road courses. Driving for ARCA's Codie Rohrbaugh, Cox is expected to be among the favorites for the Super Cup Nort...

TECHRULES REN: THE ELECTRIC SUPERCAR!

Posted on May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Aerospace-inspired form by renowned designers Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro and featuring an innovative turbine range extender system, the first production Ren will break cover at one of the world’s most prestigious Concours. Techrules, the China-based automotive research and development company, will display its first production electric supercar, Ren, at the 2017 Concorso d’Eleganza at the Villa d’Este. Featuring a dramatic aerospace-inspired design, Ren delivers power and performance like ...

’17 FORD FOCUS RS: A HOT HATCH THAT HAULS!

Posted on May 14, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

It’s a very usable family hatch that hauls in a straight line, around curves, and to the store, blogs Dan Scanlan. A 2.3-liter EcoBoost Four delivering a whopping 350 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, also popular in the latest Mustang, powers Ford’s 3,460-pound econobox. It’s mated to a short-throw six-speed manual transmission with a delightfully responsive clutch that engages immediately but smoothly. There’s a center console button that controls the drivetrain. For daily use, just...

QUAIL MOTORCYCLE GATHERING: BEST OF THE BEST!

Posted on May 11, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Cool temperatures fail to lower motorcycle fever at the Quail and keep Jim Palam from delivering this photo report. Low temperatures, brisk winds and overcast skies did nothing to dampen the spirits of over 3,000 visitors to the 2017 Quail Motorcycle Gathering on May 6 at the beautiful Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, CA. Gordon McCall, motorsports director for the Quail Lodge, was once again the perfect ringleader for this 9th Annual gathering. It featured over 300 rare and historic b...