Review Your Cars

It never fails; the 3rd weekend in August is special for a reason and Sunday in particular. Its one thing to see incredible factory production cars, quite another to see examples of greatness from decades or even a century ago that will never be produced again. Cars you've never heard of, never knew existed, and now never can afford. Just to see them up close is a special treat. This year is the 60th annual event and it has raised over 14 million dollars for local, national and international charities. www.pebblebeachconcours.net/ Buy tickets before the show to avoid the same-day mark-up and lines. When you arrive, be sure to park near the posted bus stops and not in a location where there just happens to be cars. Otherwise, it's a long walk to the next stop. Traffic management is pretty good, even arriving late works out well. Be sure to wear walking shoes and even when overcast you can get a sunburn. The paintwork is flawless, the curves R-rated, the bright work perfectly ref...

Recovering from the miserable airport facility a couple years ago, Friday August 13th, 2010 was the second year at the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey, CA. As always, there’s a little bit of magic in the air when you have so many exotic cars in one location. Throw in some sunshine, food, excellent vendors and a sprinkling of celebrities and it makes you want to lay down on grass and wiggle a little just like a dog. Okay, maybe that’s just me. Always a recommendation is to go ahead and enter your car in the corral, assuming it’s not an Italian make. There are usually two reasons for this and this year now four reasons. First, it’s a bargain. It covers the cost of two people for the price of one. Second, you can’t beat the parking. Anytime you can picnic at your car in the middle of a car show on a golf course, do it. The more important reasons became apparent this weekend. The traffic back-up from eastbound Highway 68 was nearly five miles long and it took an hour. Make sure you have...

Hi Rob, Great articles and photos, thanks so much , I have a 1994 BMW 318is. It gets great gas mileage and would love to get even better mileage . The rear end (3rd) member locked up when I first got the car, so I found a deal on a 325 axles and rear end , put it in never changed any gears do you know if the 325 is different than the 318is both were manual transmissions. Should I leave well enough alone ? Thanks, FAN Hello Fan and thank you! I found this excellent website that lists a LOT of BMW gear ratios, perhaps all of them: http://www.bokchoys.com/differential/GearRatios.htm It seems that you now have a less-aggressive final drive ratio of 3.15 vs. 3.45. So if you like your mileage and the acceleration is adequate, I would leave it alone and congratulate yourself on a fuel saving modification. I wouldn't suggest trying anything numerically lower than 3.15 such as the 2.93, even if you can find it. My concern would be inadequate acceleration with the 4-cylinder engine. This wou...

Brandon from Brandon, FL writes: I am always in the market for a new ride I like the Accord. But I really enjoy a Crossover-SUV with the higher up feeling. But there are none that are in my price range so for the past year I've been stuck. But with my warranty now up I am back to searching for a good weekend deal in the paper. What do you think of the Toyota FJ Cruiser, black on black with dual exhaust? It has a good sporty look to it. I also am not really worried about gas I don't drive much at all. My current ride gets about 16/21 mpg city/highway. Brandon, The Toyota FJ is a nice beefy, ride. Toyota reliability and distinctive, retro styling are nice touches. In fact, my sister really wants one! It definitely has off-road intentions so that part might be wasted in your neck of the woods. There is nothing wrong with that if gas consumption isn't a concern. I suggest two things though. If you tend have rear seat passengers or cargo, try climbing in and out and see what you...

A friend of mine who is a very knowledgeable and frequent contributor to the automotive forums recently had the opportunity to rent a new 2011 Mustang GT with the 6-speed automatic. Read below for his fascinating findings and analysis: ____________ Well, I drove (the hell out of) my first 5.0 GT Mustang today. VERY enlightening. Here is what I learned - tips that anybody running mid 12's on up better heed! CLIFFS NOTES : Race an auto 5.0 from a 25-30mph roll. Preferably 25mph in case he has the optional 3.73 gears. They have a nasty lag from WOT to pulling: 1 1/2 to 2 seconds from pedal slamming to shift nannies off and howling with full power. You want a legit race? Make him manually shift it and hold the gear. If you don't pull him below 70mph, you WILL NOT walk it down. Period. BE WARNED: all kinds of computer nanny interference means a tuned (de-nannied), CAI and catback auto is gonna be one helluva lot faster than a stock one. Conditions: Victorville, California elevation ...

Sunday, June 27th was the forty-fourth annual Palo Alto Concours D’elegance . It was another scorching hot event just like last year, covered in my column from July 3rd, 2009 . And again, for $20 prior to the show date, it’s a bargain. Besides that, seeing five street cars I’ve never seen in person is very memorable as well. In my opinion the hot sunshine made the colors even more vibrant. This year Cadillac and Mercedes Benz were the featured marques which is a great combination. There is a tremendous amount of history between the two, but there were standouts past and present. The Gullwing Mercedes are timeless classics. 1930’s era V-16 Cadillacs have a certain magic about them as do many Concours quality cars from that era. And yes, the first view in person of the new SLS was a treat. It seems small compared to the McLaren parked next to it and the rear styling is a little weak in my opinion. There were dealers and manufacturers that had their own cars on display too. Sure enough, t...

Click here for Part 1: Background and Interior Impressions Driving The Beast: It whirs and clicks. “Mechanical” is the description that comes to mind over and over. You hear the whirring of the engine and robotic clicks of the dual clutch transmission behind you. I found it pretty cool, conveying its operations although the owner was talking about adding sound insulation. Almost mind blowing was the way it rockets out of turns with no drama. It was simply uncanny and obscene how early and how hard it could accelerate right after the apex. No hint of oversteer or drift. At full throttle in the less aggressive drive mode setting, the shifts feel like it’s from an automatic transmission. It’s very large yet the impression given in the turns is that it cannot be rocked when parked if you push it from the side. It’s as if the suspension tolerances are so tight that there is no slop in lateral movement. The ride is quite firm in the sport mode and the pogo effect can be faintly detected but ...

Click here for Part 2 of 2: Driving the Beast There were quite a few surprises driving the awesome and controversial Nissan GT-R. Having the opportunity to drive one on a twisty mountain road favored by motorcyclists was a thrill. It’s very “mechanical”, quite large and my impression more of a competitor to the Audi R8 than the Porsche 911 Twin Turbo. Background: This 2010 model has about 2000 miles on it. The MSRP was over $80,000. It features a 6-speed dual clutch paddle-shift rear transaxle. The 3.8 liter twin-turbo V-6 produces 485 hp at 6400rpm and 434 ft. lbs of torque at 3200 rpm. Known for consistent deep 3-second 0-60mph blasts and high 11-second quarter mile times, the biggest controversy was the factory reported Nurburgring time of 7:29, beating far lighter, 600 hp plus cars like the Porsche Carrera GT and Pagani Zonda F. The owner has had some notable cars in the past and is no stranger to track days. Cars like a track prepped Acura NSX, two E46 BMW M3s, and an ’04 Porsche ...

I saw your article on lifted trucks online. I am about to buy a great used truck, but it is lifted.. and I don't really want it to be. Any ideas on where or how is the best way to lower it again and what that would cost? - Adam from L.A. Hello Adam, I had this question asked once before. You can reference my answer from September 23rd, 2009 in the link here . There are other reasons besides the safety, mileage and courtesy factors. It allows easier access to contents in the truck bed and interior. Also being able to park in your own garage or a public parking garage is nice. Finally, females in skirts and dresses tend not to like climbing in and out of them and that can be critical... _____ Have a question about cars you would like answered? Want to know about performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc? Reach me here: AskRobAboutCars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!

The Ford GT500 is now the car it always should have been. A weight loss of 146 lbs as tested by Car & Driver is the biggest reason. A brief review of the revised 2010 gave positive feedback for the revised interior but weight was still my concern. By all accounts in the media the 2010 suspension was much improved vs. the previous year. The big news now is an aluminum engine block, saving 102lbs vs. the iron mill. This also contributes to a better front/rear weight distribution for improved handling and braking. At 3751lbs it's still pretty heavy for a 107.1" wheelbase and not very aerodynamic, but what muscle car is? As mentioned, Ford made improvements to the solid rear axle ( SRA ). I can't say this ideal for handling like a rear independent suspension (IRS), but it is better for the dragstrip . Although the rear seats are hardly usable, it does offer that degree of practicality a Corvette cannot. Also, it now raises the bar for Chevrolet to come out with the Z/28 C...