A car for the senses and a sensation for the driver: New car test: 2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC and Gran Cabrio Sport “My Maserati does 185 …” and you probably can sing along to the “Life’s Been Good” hit by Joe Walsh. That was from his wild and crazy days when he could afford to lose his license. And the reworked 2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC is the fastest and most powerful car in the Maserati...
Mark Maynard on cars
2013 Volkswagen CC first look
Volkswagen of America released photos of the redesigned 2013 Volkswagen CC four-door coupe, which will have its public debut during media days at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Nov. 16 and 17. It will go on sale in the U.S. this spring. The midcycle “refresh” includes new front and rear styling and more standard equipment, including Bi-Xenon headlights with the Adaptive Front Lighting System and LED taillights. The CC debuted four years ago and nearly...
Porsche 930 Turbo: stolen 23 years ago, recovered by Customs
Alert officers of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection saved a long-stolen 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo from being shipped from Long Beach to the Netherlands. The CBP announced Oct. 25 that the Outbound Enforcement Team at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport discovered the car in a container to be exported to the Netherlands. In a check of the Vehicle Identification Number, it was learned the vehicle was reported stolen Las Vegas in Nov. 1988. Nevada...
Plug-in hybrid: Toyota Prius to start at $32,760
The Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, with a new lithium-ion battery, is now available in two models for ordering in 14 launch states, with deliveries beginning in spring, 2012. The base model has a starting price of $32,760 and the Prius Plug-in Advanced starts at $40,285, including the $760 freight charge from Japan. Both models are expected to qualify for a federal tax credit of approximately $2,500. The plug-in model is based on the third-generation Prius...
New car test: Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec – 429 hp bargain sport sedan
The 429-hp, Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec sedan is a halo model with global aspirations, but this car is no angel. The 5.0 R-Spec has a tuned suspension that feels like BMW; it has the commanding substance of Mercedes-Benz; and the millimeter-tight assembly for which Lexus is known. To these positive similarities, the Genesis adds a big, booming presence that is unique to this car. It is a collection of advanced Hyundai engineering, of which only...
1936 Chevy assembly line: When men were men and machines couldn’t function without them
Reader Greg Gieselman onpassed this link for a video of a 1936 car-assembly line. He said it “is certainly a history lesson in only a few minutes about where these things we find so important came from years ago.” Ergonomcs? We don’t need no stinkin’ ergonomics in the 1936 workplace! http://veh.cl/31v
Hail ICON! Bosch storm blades are a wiper revolution
Windshield wipers have been a final frontier in automotive advancement until the fairly recent innovation of the flat-blade, beam-type blades. The age-old, steel-frame architecture with a thin strip of rubber grows wobbly and ratchety in short time, giving a streaky sweep. Bosch has raised the level of clarity in inclement weather with its ICON wiper blades that have tensioned, internal steel springs and no external joints or brackets. That’s not entirely unique in these flat...
New-car test: 2012 Nissan Versa – virtues and a couple of vices for a song
The once subcompact Nissan Versa sedan has been re-engineered on a larger platform and restyled with enough interior capacity to push it into the compact class – but with subcompact pricing. With starting prices ranging from $11,750 to around $18,000, Versa now has more appeal, ranging from misers to young families. It has incredible back seat room and a trunk for elephants.
Get a grip on paint scratch repair: ScratchPro
I’m a great believer in the Rule of 5. A car-enthusiast friend says he won’t attempt a big repair job – car or home – unless he’ll be doing at least five similar repairs. Because, he says, the first job he’ll screw up, the second will be better and by the fifth, he will have become a passable expert. That’s how I feel about trying to make repairs to paint – and most other automotive...
New car test: Chrysler 300 SRT8 – the tire-smoking BIG Hemi
New car test: Chrysler 300 SRT8 with the big, tire-smoking Hemi gives a big-guns salute that will make American sedan drivers sit a little taller in the seat. This 470-horsepower, “big” Hemi, 6.4 liter V-8 is a likeable, over-the-top show of force – with luxury finesse. It will smoke the rear tires like a drag car, launch to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds and get 23 mpg on the highway on the daily...
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