Rams Eye The Track Guy

A while ago, Motor Trend held a comparison between a 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (with the ZR1 High Performance Package) and a 2013 SRT Viper GTS (full post: 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 vs 2013 SRT Viper GTS ). The soon-to-be out of production Corvette ZR1 didn't only beat the new SRT Viper GTS, but it also took the title of the fastest production car on Laguna Seca - yes, the outgoing ZR1 broke the lap time record for production cars around Laguna Seca. To make matters worse for the SRT team, the last record holder was a Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR. Ralph Gilles, the president and CEO of SRT, wasn't happy to say the least. Enter the SRT Viper Time Attack - a more hardcore track-ready version of the new SRT Viper (although not as hardcore as an ACR which is still in the works). The Viper TA uses lightweight matte-black Sidewinder II wheels wrapped in sticky R-compound goodness - Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires. They then dial in "significant negative camber" at all 4 cor...

Cadillac's lineup just keeps getting better. According to Car and Driver, the next generation Escalade is going to get a unique interior, worthy of a $70,000 vehicle. Although the interior in the current Escalade does not look identical to its more humble roots - the Chevrolet Tahoe - and uses more premium materials, they do share a lot of parts and resemblance. It will get a unique instrument panel and centre stack along with unique control knobs and other "design elements." The treatment doesn't apply to just the Cadillac. The GMC Yukon will also get its unique interior which means that each full size SUV will have its unique interior. Different interior materials will also be used to further differentiate the 3 SUV's - with the Escalade probably getting the most premium materials. According to Mark Reuss, GM's North America president, the next Escalade's cabin will be a significant improvement over the current generation's. Thi...

The Toyota Corolla, one of the most boring and bland vehicles on the market, has long been the best selling car in the world. However, according to Polk, after a survey of world new car registration data, the Ford Focus has dethroned the Toyota Corolla as the #1 best selling car in the world in 2012 (full post: Report: Ford Focus is World's Best-Selling car in 2012 ). Is that a sign of good things to come? In comparisons and test drive reviews, the Ford Focus is usually praised for its handling - something the Toyota Corolla can't claim. The sales success of the Ford Focus could simply mean good pricing and/or better packaging and options that appealed to more people. However, there is the possibility that people (finally) got tired of driving cars that are designed to simply take you from point A to point B. If that's the case, this could be a sign of good things to come - people Focus-ing on the driving experience aspect of driving and not just minimum functio...

I went to get a car wash today and I was very unimpressed with the results. I don't like to use automatic car washes. Touchless car washes usually don't clean that well and I worry about scratches at ones that uses brushes. However, we went on a long trip yesterday and there was a lot of dirt and some bird droppings on the car and I couldn't wash it myself. I don't like to leave these sitting on the car so I decided to go for a car wash. I know touchless car washes leave a little behind but today was even worse. There were bird droppings left on the door sills and above the handles. On the back, there was dirt left right under the taillight, along the entire length, and it's the same case at the other taillight and under the spoiler. I'm not really suggesting that this specific car wash (Esso) is bad. I can't clean everything off the car easily while I'm washing it and I can't expect a touchless car wash to clean as ...

Well, it didn't take long for the SRT team to notice the Camaro Z/28 and respond. At the New York Auto Show, SRT boss Ralph Gilles told Motor Trend that SRT will soon have an answer for the Camaro Z/28. Ralph Gilles said that the Barracuda, the car that is supposed to eventually replace the Challenger, is not that far along so the answer will have to be a variant of the Challenger. No details were given so we're left to speculate as to what upgrades the Challenger will get. There is one possibility.. and that's an SRT10 Challenger. It has been shown that there's room for a V10 under the hood of the Challenger. The 2011 Dodge Challenger V10 Drag Pack takes a Dodge Challenger and stuffs Mopar's 512 cubic-inch (8.4 litre) V10 crate engine along with a 2-speed automatic transmission and suspension, chassis and interior modifications to prep it for drag racing (for more info, visit: V10 Dodge Challenger revealed: 2011 Mopar Challenger V-10 Drag Pak ). An SRT...

The refreshed look of the Camaro that's supposed to keep it hot until the next generation is good for sales. The car looks sharper and the rear ends digs deep into Chevy's heritage - the 1967 Chevrolet Impala.. but what's bound to get a lot of people talking is the beast of a machine that is the Camaro Z/28. Chevy means business with this car. No matter how you look at it, this car screams track-ready performance. On the outside, a larger front splitter and rear spoiler replace the ones used on the run-of-the-mill SS. Flared wheel arches with nearly flush wheels show that the front and rear tracks have been widened. Lightweight 19" wheels are wrapped in massive 305-series tires and larger brake rotors and callipers are clearly visible. But there are even more changes under all the visible upgrades. There has been rumours towards the end of last year that the 7.0 litre LS7 V8 used in the Corvette Z06 will find its way under the hood of a Camaro. "Le...

More luxury, more innovation, more power and higher efficiency. The new Cadillac CTS brings a lot to the table. The car used to be slightly smaller than other midsize luxury cars and slightly more expensive than compact luxury cars. This allowed it to compete in two segments but it was a temporary solution until Cadillac has a proper compact entry. The ATS is now comfortably competing in the compact luxury segment. Since its release, it has accomplished as much as becoming the handling benchmark and growing sales every month it has been on sale except for January of this year. The car is now larger and more expensive to more directly compete with midsize luxury offerings like the BMW 5-series and Mercedes Benz E-class. On the outside, the design is clearly an evolution of the current CTS. The current edgy design has been rounded off a la the ATS. The headlights and fog lights look a lot like those used on the ATS with longitudinal LED's running along the length...

I thought I had seen a design team screw up when I saw the Aston Martin Rapide S (full post: Aston Martin Rapide S - What were they thinking? ) but this is something else.. besides the grille, this looks nothing like a Jeep should look. The profile looks far better. I can easily see resemblance to the Grand Cherokee, which is a very good thing since it looks great, but those headlights just ruin the front for me. Apparently it was designed to look contemporary in 2019, when it becomes due for a redesign. Why? Shouldn't it look contemporary now? It WILL be redesigned in 2019. People's tastes evolve along with car design. If we've learned anything from the history of car design, if a design is too far ahead of people's tastes, it is usually not very well received. The interior looks good and a definite upgrade over the current Compass and Patriot. It will still be offered in front-wheel drive and all wheel drive configurations and with two engine cho...

That gaping grille.. I can hardly notice any other detail about the car in any picture showing the front, which is just wrong for an Aston Martin. Besides the fact that it's ugly, Aston Martin's designs always flow without being "fluid" and busy. At first glance, you see the car as a whole - a beautiful piece of design. This just isn't the case here. The rest of the car flows very nicely, as it should for an Aston. I wish I could talk to an Aston Martin design engineer. What were they thinking? Performance isn't very strong either, for what it is. Many people are upset about the numbers. 4.7 s 0-60 mph and 13.1 s @ 111 mph isn't slow (full post: Aston Martin Rapide S Test) but it is far from impressive these days, especially for a $200,000+ exotic super sedan.. with a 5.9 litre V12 engine.. but it doesn't really bother me. This is not the point of an Aston Martin, especially a sedan. Let's face it, owners of this car are not going to ...

The first detail about the 2015 Golf GTI (Mk VII/Mk 7) that caught my attention was the available torque sensing limited slip differential. The differential will be offered as part of a performance package that adds horsepower and bigger brakes along with the upgraded differential. The brake-based limited slip differential has been an area of criticism with the current GTI so this should be a great upgrade. However, torque has increased significantly to 258 lb-ft (although power gets only a small bump to 210 hp). Although the Golf GTI has been low on power compared to turbocharged FWD hot hatches and compact sedans, it always has been well balanced and composed. Will the extra torque spoil the balance of the GTI? The Mazda Mazdaspeed3 uses a torque sensing limited slip differential but the front end is still nervous and torque steer is just about the worst in the class. I doubt the GTI will be that bad but will it be worse than the outgoing model? Will this move force Ford ...