Review Your Cars

The technical aspects of the Ferrari 458 production car are fascinating and surprising. There are multiple articles about the car but a summary is in order due to the sheer amount of notable achievements . There are very few cars with such innovation. Read further, you'll be surprised. The aluminum chassis (frame) is 20% stiffer in it's torsional rigidity (resistance to twist) than it's predecessor, the incredible F430. Also 8% stiffer in resistance to bending. This was done without any weight penalty despite the wheelbase growing 1.4". This means that the suspension is better able to do it's job without geometric compromises that it are not', and can't, be designed for. It also means greater stability than the F430 without a weight penalty. Among multiple aerodynamic enhancements, downforce is higher, up to 794lbs at 200mph and matches the weight distribution of 49% front and 51% rear. Road & Track states 58% rear. Odd. The benefit regardless like an u

Do you have a favorite exhaust or engine sound? A thunderous domestic V-8? The shriek of a Formula 1 car? The muted roar of a turbocharged powerplant? The big-rig huffing of a massive diesel? My favorite has to be the furious bark of the Global Motorsports Group exhaust installed on the already demonic sounding Porsche Carrera GT. I once heard an '04 CGT being driven after a clutch! replacement. Yes, clutch. The full-throttle howl reminded me of an air raid siren from hell. It was at once obscenely scary yet cool beyond words. This unique system adds 19hp and 16ft lbs of torque at the rear wheels on the dyno. What's another $6,400 on this beast. Click on the video and skip to the 54 second mark. It's THAT good. The mid-mounted 605hp V-10 in Porsche's supercar is a work of automotive art already. Unfortunately having only a 3 model-year run producing 1,270 units, it is quite rare. Some speculate disappointing sales due to it's $440,000 MSRP and not-q

When the interior of the car you're driving puts a smile on your face and you don't mind you could have another 140 horsepower, it's immensely satisfying. The Audi A5 is a luxury coupe that must be driven to be appreciated. Although not as aggressively styled as it's 354hp sibling, the S5, it has beautiful lines with some classy exterior touches. The headlight and tail light assemblies have LED accent lighting which is quite distinctive and the body lines are subtly aggressive. See the slideshow for some highlights of the exterior. Opening the hood, the 211hp 4-cylinder engine seems properly placed as opposed to past and current Audi models that appear to have too much mass in front of the wheels. Not that Audi's have flawed designs, its that the A5 engine bay with the 2.0 liter engine just looks "proper". See the slideshow for a comparison to the S5 with the V-8 engine hanging over the front axles. The trunk is roomy and nicely finished as well with hidd

As mentioned in my previous article here , one of the highlights of the show was the South Hall with numerous custom and modified cars, low riders, trucks, etc. There was even some live entertainment and dancing. __________ Have a question about cars you would like answered? Want to know about performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc? Ask me here: AskRobAboutCars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!

Observations made while photographing the cars and making comparisons. Easily done while being so accessible and in close proximity to each other. Click here for the review of the show. Click here for the slideshow of the South Hall featuring custom and modified cars _________________ Have a question about cars you would like answered? Want to know about performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc? Ask me here: askrobaboutcars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!

Mixed emotions is how I would describe the 2010 San Jose Auto Show. If it wasn't for club participation and the South Hall display of customs, it would have been downright dismal. Lack of manufacturer participation is the biggest reason. San Jose being a 3rd tier market in the auto show circuit with limited show space doesn't help either. It was a sea of drab colored SUVs, crossovers and trucks with no concept cars. Silver is a classy color, but this is a show so lets see some colors in the palettes. Unheard of was a used car section filling space on the main floor. What was missing was especially notable. Audi, Mercedes Benz , Nissan and Porsche were nowhere to be seen so listing them on the auto show program was in poor taste. I went two days and never noticed Infiniti despite the show map. There was no Dodge Viper or ACR (the fastest production car around the famous Nurburgring). Ford didn't have a GT500 or Mustang GT unless it was hidden behind some trucks. Lexus didn&