When I set out to write this article, my main focus was to offer a comparison between Toyota’s legendary AE86 and Mazda’s game changing Roadster. However, the more I tried to pinpoint just why these lightweight FRs are so great, the more I realized why today’s successors just aren’t. Keep reading my fellow ADDers, you will enjoy the article, or your money back!
The words “practical” and “powerful” a rarely friends. The same way “playmate” goes with “PTA meeting.” But this week we got something that is able to mesh those two words together. It’s the American offering to the uber wagen market. An offering from Cadillac that has enough power and performance to not only run down Europe’s best family haulers, but some of the world’s best sports cars as well.
It’s the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. After driving it around L.A. for a week, we needed to see what it could really do. So we took it to the El Mirage dry lake bed, one of the greatest places in the U.S., where speed limits do not exist. How else will you find out if a car can make Dora the Explorer horrifying? We wanted to see not only how fast the CTS-V could go, but how it would contend against it’s cousin, a C6 Corvette. Make the jump to see what happened when we took away tarmac, and speed limits.
“What car is that?”
“It’s a Hyundai Sonata.” I replied to the gas station attendant in who-cares-unless-you-like-meth-and-cow-shit, CA. I’d find myself explaining this car several more times on my two day trip to Santa Cruz. No one expects their eyebrows to get raised by a Hyundai. I didn’t. Make the jump for the full review.
You know those crazy super-fans, that buy anything that was ever touched by their idol? The people that buy a pen that was held by Janis Joplin, or the stained underwear that was allegedly shat in by Bon Jovi? I wonder if there’s people like that for the hosts of every car fan’s favorite ongoing porno, Top Gear? If so, this car will be snatched up in a second. Of course, the super-fan will also have to have a job, and a good one. Jeremy Clarkson’s Gallardo Spyder, is up for sale, for the sum of $146,000. At least this is something you can use, unlike a Star Wars toy signed by Mark Hamil that’s still in the original box.
I guess between his Ford GT and Mercedes CLK 63 AMG Black Series he has enough excitement. Plus, I think that somehow those are less flamboyant. Or maybe it’s because Clarkson knew that as long as he owned the Gallardo, he could never date Kristin Scott Thomas. Yeah, I’m sure Ms. Thomas will steam the windows of her G whiz when she sees his Ford GT.
In 1992 Nintendo released a game called Super Mario Kart. It would go on to be accountable for 68% of the world’s procrastinating, 15% of drunken bets made in freshman dorms and even Bill Gates admitted it was really really fun. 2 Years ago a Frenchman (or as we call him, Freedom-man) named Remi Gaillard posted a video on youtube of him playing Mario Kart, real-streets in a shifter-kart style. He took his kart onto the streets of Paris, and the video now has over 35,000,000 views.
Four days ago Remi uploaded a new video, no doubt in an effort to give men something to smile about amidst the stress-test that is Valentine’s day. Remi is back, with his kart, bananas and awesome fake mustache. Of course, like any good video game sequel, there had to be some updates and changes to the original. So Remi added a shopping mall level. I hope the next version has Bowser in it.
As many of you may or may not know, Matt is about to embark on a 5 week road trip called the Focus Rally. I know, we all miss him. His laugh, his jokes, his musk… While that means TST videos will be on hold, you can still get plenty of Matt over at the Focus Rally website, where they’ll be streaming videos daily.
Before he left, he was contacted by a reporter from the World Famous KROQ. They wanted to talk to him about the SPEED pilot, and find what the direction is, what it means, and how it all came to be. So while we eagerly wait for Matt’s triumphant return, and more of the videos we love to watch (and make), check out his interview with KROQ.
Text and Photos submitted by TST reader Nick Busato
Porsche 911 GT3 RS, F430 Scuderia, Corvette ZR1 and the M3 GTS are all names that will induce any automotive enthusiast’s mouth to water uncontrollably. Based on already ludicrously quick road cars, these thoroughbreds are seen as the ultimate track day toys. It seems to be an easy formula for any car manufacturer to follow; strip out unneeded bits, toss on some Brembos, coilovers and sticky tires, massage some more power out of the engine and for added bonus points put an “R” in the car’s badging. These are the speed machines that occupy the prised poster space of many car fanatics’ bedroom walls. If these cars are seen as the superior versions to their more limp wristed counterparts then surely an even more race bred car would be that much more illustrious.
Enter the realm of the American Le Mans Series GT2 class where you will find the dreamiest racing versions of road going sports cars. While other series like DTM, Nascar and Grand-Am may have fairly recognizable body shapes the cars actually share very little if any parts with their production counterparts. In contrast, the ALMS GT2 cars are based on their respective production variants and must use the same chassis and primary bodywork. What you are left with is a car with no comprises made in the interest of comfort, they have a single purpose: to go fast.
Let the record show this review is written by me, Zack Klapman, and NOT Matt Farah. It may seem silly to have a review on Matt’s site for a show he’s on. Some people might assume it will be positive because he’s paying me to plug his new venture. Trust me and my Wells Fargo bank account balance, he’s not. I’m not doing this to kiss his ass, get a date with his sister, a ride in his Vette or the seemingly unobtainable accolade of shaving his scrotum (the car blogger equivalent of being in Bill Gates’ will). None of those things are happening.
The show is going to be good. Very good. There’s going to be car porn in it, so that means that every fan of this site and anyone with some amount of gas in their DNA will watch it. I can’t tell you what I saw, but when the clip ended I was pissed, because it was so good and exciting I wanted to see more. There’s going to be fast cars, exotics, junkers, economy cars, everything. It’s visually on par with anything out there.
Ok, so now we’ve hooked the the car geek audience. Since car nerds like us are as easy to please as the first time a 15 year old boy gets to put his Hogwart wand in a wizard’s sleeve I want to spend most of this review on what makes people lift Top Gear UK onto Everest but waffle over TGA; chemistry.
Not lets-put-drano-in-a-glass-with-those-bath-salts-and-drink-it chemistry. I’m talking about the hosts. Adam, Matt, John and Dan just have it. They’re funny, quick-witted, they follow each other’s lead, they have comedic timing, and whether they’re in agreement or not watching them talk is captivating. For example, at a field taping last week, Matt and Adam were discussing two cars. The banter between them was so good, so funny, and such a perfect game of verbal tennis that halfway through I asked a producer, “Did they write this whole segment?”
No they did not. Off the cuff. Out of nowhere. Improv. And it wasn’t just good the way Discovery probably films a speckled tree frog breathing for 20 seconds and says “Ok! We got it. Let’s move on.” It was bent over, bite-your-hand-because-they’re filming outright hilarious. I have probably watched and listened to thousands of hours of stand-up comedy in my life. I watch TV and movies with a different intent than the normal person. I’m constantly judging the writing and jokes of anything that comes through my ears. Basically, I’m kind of snob. So if the jokes sucked, or were old or too simple or too obvious, I wouldn’t be saying this. These weren’t cheesy Motor Week jokes that are safe for children 2 and up. It’s Adam being Adam, Matt being Matt, guys being unscripted, un-censored guys. They are funny.
And it’s not just Matt and Adam. Dan Neil, as proper/educated/professional/orthodontist-looking he may be, he’s great to watch. He doesn’t pile on the jokes with a snow-blower like Adam, but rather inserts moments of smart, snarky levity in between knowledgeable expositions that have everyone leaning in. I watch him as if if I look hard enough and listen intently enough, I will possess his power of knowledge. He’s an award winning writer, but he knows how to formulate and condense thoughts in his mind at lightening speed, and deliver them in a manner that is anything but dry. He is the yin to Matt and Adam’s sarcastic, shit-talking, comically-infused but still informative yang.
Then there’s John Salley. When I learned he was on the cast, my eyebrows furrowed. I said, “Does he know anything about cars?” The response was, “No, not really.” “Hm. So why is he on the show?” I thought the panel needed to be saturated with knowledge, like a group of automotive Wikipedia-i. I was wrong, he’s great. He may not know cars, but he adds a balance to the show you don’t think you need but quickly realize is essential. He’s a Garmin GPS; you got along fine without one for years, but now that you see it you know it’s essential.
John Salley is funny, he’s sharp, and even though he’s often the target of Carolla’s scathing wit, he adds something to the show I didn’t think it needed; normalcy. If you don’t click your mouse button to Zonda renderings, you can look at John having fun, and see that this show isn’t only for guys with SCCA Championship trophies.
The show will really be for everyone. I’ve seen some of the car footage, and it looks great. It will keep all of us youtube-drift-footage hunters happy. And after attending the studio taping yesterday, I know it will have mass appeal. Adam’s jokes are just common analogies, and in this arena they’re just fed by car topics. But as Matt has said, he’s king of tangents. So if they’re discussing cylinder heads from 1992 Le Baron (they didn’t) and you don’t know what that means, wait 5 seconds. The punchline will be as close to the topic as Matt is to buying a smart car.
What this all adds up to is a connection and repoire that other TV shows will envy. All the guys work great together. Hour after hour went by yesterday with the audience, crew, and even security guards busting up in raucous laughter. No one got bored, no one got tired, and everyone left charged up and excited, wanting to see more. “The Car Show” will not be Top Gear, and it’s not trying to be. In fact, it’s not trying to be anything. What it is is a bunch of smart, clever, really funny guys who know cars. You know how you and your friends sit for hours talking about new models, discontinued loves or the next hyper-car from Tanzania? This is that. It’s like a porno with dialogue by Louis CK. I think it’s going to be great, and I can’t wait til everyone else gets to see it. I love Top Gear, but it never made me laugh like The Car Show.
-Zack K
This past weekend I went to Lake Tahoe, and during the 4 days I had there a theory I have had for years was nailed down with depleted-uranium nails driven onto a board made from magnetic diamonds and covered in amber; 99% of the SUVs on the road are unnecessary.
There is no better place to witness and understand the uselessness of the SUV than Lake Tahoe in the middle of winter. You see, over the holiday weeks that span Christmas and New Years, everyone who’s ever been drawn to the snow, be it a hardcore 50-year ski veteran or a family of 4 from San Diego taking their first ski trip, is there. That means the diversity of the vehicles on Highway 80 heading over the mountains is as diverse as the LGBT support group at an international Hostel in New York. For better or worse, the highway going over the pass is a smattering of lifted trucks, pathetic chain-shodden Prius, rusting 4x4s, AWD cars and way too many idiots from the bay who put 22s on their 4wd truck, forcing them to put chains on. The equivalent of buying a tiger to look badass but having it de-clawed and it’s teeth flattened. You’re quite the pimp until someone breaks into your house and leaves with all your money and a new rug.
Some say “nothing good happens after 2am.” I don’t know what time it was when an OmniAuto reader took these pictures, but I doubt it was during normal commuting hours. Like a Corleone, if you want to move a body and keep it quiet, you do it late at night. What we have here is one of the most anticipated cars from one of the biggest “families” of Italia; Lamborghini’s successor the retired Murcielago. Make the jump to see all the spy shots.
LP670-SV. Raw. Pure. Perfection.
YouTube / Facebook / Jason Thorgalsen Photography
