’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...

REVOLOGY CARS: MODERN VINTAGE MUSTANGS!

Posted on May 10, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Licensed by Ford and Shelby, ‘new’ old Mustangs with potent powertrains bring back the golden era of Motown Muscle. Dan Scanlan checks them out for CGC. It’s a Ponycar-lover’s dream team - a 450-horsepower ‘66 Shelby Mustang GT350 in proper white with blue stripes and, and a 430-horsepower ‘66 Mustang GT convertible in that right shade of blue. But while this pair looks period, they are “brand new” ’66 Mustangs produced by Revology Cars, a three-year-old Orlando, FL company started by Tom S...

2017 NY AUTO SHOW: MUSCLE IN MANHATTAN!

Posted on May 9, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Not all the “horsepower” was on the main floor of the recent NY Auto Show. Hiding in plain sight were some examples of modern influence on standard bearers from the golden era of kick-ass performance. There was plenty of Musclecar and Supercar activity on the main floor of the New York International Auto Show at Javits Center, but I sent roving reporter Joel Wasserman on a mission to find some good old fashioned vintage Chevys and Corvettes. Mission accomplished! Quentin Carbone's Benchmark ...

’17 BMW X4 M40i: HEAD-TURNING TOURER!

Posted on May 9, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Love it or hate it, this coupe-bodied SUV is big on style and speed, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. Sport-utes are supposed to be squarish and boxy, right? All the better for cramming squarish boxes in to. But to a certain sliver of the car buying population, square and boxy has about as much sex appeal as a U-Haul moving truck. These folks want their SUVs to look more like sports coupes, because coupes are sexy, right? To heck with practicality! The good damen und herren at BMW heard...

’18 CAMARO ZL1 1LE: TRACK ATTACK!

Posted on May 8, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Chevrolet has established a new performance benchmark with the ‘18 Camaro ZL1 1LE — the most track-capable Camaro ever. “The track-focused 1LE package offers progressive levels of performance across the Camaro lineup, from the V6 1LE to the SS 1LE,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “But with the new ZL1 1LE, the progression takes a quantum leap — this is the ultimate track-day Camaro.” In preliminary testing, the new ZL1 1LE was 3 seconds faster than the standard ZL1 Coupe aro...

SUPER CUP: CHANNELING THE HOOTERS PRO CUP SERIES!

Posted on May 7, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Super Cup is what all-American short track stock car racing once was, and in 2001 the Hooters ProCup Series was on top of the world, blogs Stephen Cox. Brian Vickers was graduating to NASCAR after a three-year Pro Cup career. Joey Logano would join Hooters a few seasons later. Every short track superstar in the eastern half of the country knew that Hooters was the place to be. Johnny Rumley, Bobby Gill, Jay Fogleman, Jeff Agnew, Michael Ritch all knew that the money, prestige and the path to th...

’17 CORVETTE GRAND SPORT: INDY 500 PACE CAR!

Posted on May 6, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Track-honed model is 14th Corvette to pace the iconic race. The Corvette Grand Sport is the official pace car for the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and will lead drivers to the green flag on May 28 at the 101st running of the legendary race. It marks the 14th time a Corvette has served as the official pace car, starting in 1978, and the 28th time a Chevy has led the field, dating back to 1948. The first Chevrolet Indy 500 pace car was a '48 Fleetmaster Six convertible. No other vehicle has paced th...

‘17 Mercedes-Benz S65 Cab: Sunshine Superstar!

Posted on May 5, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Silky-smooth V12 power is what distinguishes Mercedes-Benz’ magnificent AMG S65 Cabriolet, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. The last concern on anyone’s mind, as they’re about charge $247,900 to their AMEX Centurion for the supreme pleasure of owning a ‘17 Mercedes-Benz AMG S65 Cabriolet, is being nickel-and-dimed. After all, they will already have rationalized the somewhat puzzling decision to blow an extra $77,195 over the sticker price of the visually-identical S63 Cabriolet, to s...

AUTO SHOW: I LOVE NEW YORK!

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

From Manhattan to Buffalo to Saratoga Springs and beyond, many people are surprised to learn that New York State was once home to over 100 different automobile manufacturers. The 2017 New York International Automobile Show is celebrating New York State's automobile heritage with a special exhibition, curated by the Saratoga Automobile Museum. Here are just some of the vehicles - manufactured or raced in New York - on display at NYIAS at the Javits Center in Manhattan. ...