Car Lust

RIP, Isuzu

As Rob the SVX Guy mentioned in another post today, Isuzu will leave the U.S. passenger car market at the end of the month. Isuzu will continue to provide parts and service for cars already on the road and will still be in the U.S. market with its thriving commercial truck business. But, for the first time since 1981, Isuzu will no longer be an option on the new car market.

This news isn't a surprise; Isuzu announced its withdrawal last year, and the writing was on the wall well before then. As Rob has pointed out, Isuzu hasn't been particularly relevant for some time, so it's difficult to get too exercised about its demise here. After all, the Isuzu name basically died here when it was relegated to use only on rebadged GM SUVs.

Still, I will miss Isuzu. It's never nice to lose a brand, and Isuzu gave us some memorable moments over the years. Here are the things I'll remember about Isuzu:

11/29/08 Roundup

Gorgeous Panamera

About a week ago, Autoblog put up a post highlighting the official photos of the new four-door Porsche Panamera. The idea of a Porsche sedan hasn't exactly excited Porsche purists already disillusioned by the existence of a Porsche SUV, and that's understandable. For my part, I have to admit that I'm about as eager to see a Porsche sedan as I am to see a Jeep sedan or a Lamborghini sedan. I'm sure Porsche can produce a fine sedan, but what's the point?

Well, imagine Porsche-istas' outrage when the official photos revealed that the Panamera is a five-door hatchback. The horror! I, of course, am delighted. Rather than just another fast, anonymous sedan in a world filled with fast, anonymous sedans, now the Panamera has a purpose. Sport wagons are cool; five-door sport hatchbacks are cooler. A Porsche five-door hatchback, swaddled in leather and wood, with (dare I dream) folding rear seats? Be still my beating heart.

10 Cars That Damaged GM's Reputation

Popular Mechanics recently released a list of 10 cars that they felt damaged GM's reputation. It's hard to argue about most of their choices, but since we've already established ourselves as a vanguard of poor taste and questionable automotive judgment, I felt it was important that we briefly review our feelings on some of these cars and remind everyone that, yet again, we have no taste or shame.

The End of an Era

As of last Friday, the Zastava automotive plant in Serbia closed its doors and ceased production; the Zastava plant was best-known for producing the Yugo, which went out of production earlier this month.

The Yugo is best-known as one of the great automotive punch lines of all time, the subject of innumerable jokes, and one of the last truly awful cars available in America. Perhaps others are better-informed than me, but I was shocked to discover it was still in production.

Some will cackle at this news, but I'm a bit saddened. Whether you consider the Yugo an object of lust or disgust, all can agree that it was a unique little car that spiced up our lives with its very presence. I think it was a sharp-looking little car, and a throwback to simple, blunt-object cars like the Citroen 2CV and Volkswagen Bug.

And, if nothing else, the Yugo was useful for purposes of context--it made everything else look just a little bit better.

--Chris H.

11/19/08 Roundup

Minivans Uber Alles

We spend most of our time here at Car Lust discussing and lusting after old cars, but when the topic turns to new cars there are two recurring themes:

1. As much as we love older cars, they can't compete with the technology of modern cars. Modern cars are good at everything and, compared with older cars, are almost without compromise.
2. Minivans are awesome--and don't even bother pretending they aren't.

Bailout Challenge

We periodically run challenges here at Car Lust--for example, we have challenged readers to identify the most interesting used car available for less than $5,000 (challenge, results), the most interesting used car for less than $25,000 (challenge, results), and the best first car for a teenager (challenge, results). This time I'm going to take a slightly different tack.

My boss and I were discussing the potential bailout for the struggling American automotive industry this morning, and we agreed that if the automakers are going to request help from taxpayers, the taxpayers should have the right to make that help contingent on the automakers changing how they do business. After all, it makes little sense to throw billions of taxpayer dollars into what appears at the moment to be a broken business model.

So, assuming you could present a list of take-it-or-leave-it conditions to the automakers, what would they be? Silly, serious, semi-serious--it doesn't matter, I want to hear your suggestions. I would only ask that the discussion not get partisan--remember the comment guidelines and be respectful of each other, or I will need to shut down comments and suspend the challenge.

My thoughts in the comments section.

--Chris H.

AutoWeek No Longer Weekly

Some sad news, as seen in Autoblog--AutoWeek is no longer a weekly publication. This news obviously prompts lots of naming-themed humor, but Autoblog's headline sums it up pretty nicely:

"AutoWeek going bi-weekly, won't change name to AutoBiWeekly"

Crain Communications, AutoWeek's publisher, is obviously spinning this as a positive--and there is real potential that this could be a good thing. While the awkwardness about the name illustrates the peril of naming your publication by its distribution schedule, AutoWeek's character has always been defined by its publishing cycle. It never had the in-depth car reviews and testing that, say, Car and Driver did--though the AutoFile content was an interesting take on the idea.

GO VOTE!

Seriously.   If you have a severe case of carlust, chances are you live in the country that made the automobile what it is today.   Get out and vote.

The 57 Chevy with it's insanely patriotic paintjob is about as "rah rah America!" as I could manage, and was found in a gallery of pictures from the Carlisle GM Nationals in 2007.   Whoever owns it, props!  That's pretty ridiculous.

Cheers!

- Rob the SVX guy

The Parade of Trabants - this Sunday

Car Lust readers in the Washington, D.C. area with an interest in one of history's more unusual and interesting bad cars might want to visit the International Spy Museum this coming Sunday, November 9, for the "Parade of Trabants."

The Trabant is a pathetic little vehicle produced in the late, unlamented East Germany as "Scientific Socialism's" answer to the Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle. The "Trabi" was powered by a smoky, gutless two-stroke engine, and featured body panels made of a plastic-like material ("Duroplast") fashioned from industrial waste.

It was the sort of consumer product only a police state could produce and sell. The Trabant was a relatively primitive vehicle in 1959 when it was introduced, and there were no meaningful changes in the design over the next thirty years. It cost the equivalent of a year's salary, but since it was the only car available in East Germany, a customer who didn't have the proper "connections" with the Communist Party (or enough bribe money!) could be on the waiting list for up to twelve years before getting the opportunity to purchase one. Used Trabis actually sold at a premium over new, because you could take immediate delivery!

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, many East Germans simply abandoned their Trabis in the West. Since then, they have become something of a collector's item--a cheap collector's item, mind you--for much the same reason that homely little dogs occasionally get adopted from the pound.

The Parade of Trabants will take place on F Street, NW just outside the Museum from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and is free to the public. While you are there, you may want to check out the Museum itself, which is one of the most fascinating I have ever seen. (There is an admission charge for the Museum.) The permanent exhibit includes a few items of particular interest to car buffs: a couple of Trabants, and the Aston Martin DB5 that James Bond drove in Goldfinger and Thunderball.

Alles klar, Herr Kommissar?

--Comrade Cookie the Dog's Owner

Phil Hill--Loss of a Great

Sad news today, as reported by Jalopnik--Phil Hill has died today at the age of 81. Hill was the first American to win the Formula 1 World Championship, taking the title in 1961 at the wheel of the gorgeous shark-nose Ferrari 156. Hill also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times and was as stellar a sports car driver as an open-wheel racer.

Hill was as known for his classy personality as his driving skill, and he brought his unique insight to the pages of Road & Track as a journalist for several decades. A legend and a gentleman, Hill will be dearly missed.

--Chris H.

Hydrogen Power - No Hot Air

Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. Can Hydrogen-powered powered vehicles kick butt in dry lake racing?  If what I saw during Speed Week 2008 at the Bonneville salt flats is any indication, the answer is yes. Last week Ohio State's Center for Automotive Research entered Streamliner No. 2016, the Buckeye Bullet 2, and made history. The car was--you guessed it--hydrogen fuel cell powered. What about filling stations you ask? Filling stations are not an issue at Bonneville. There are none, for hydrogen or any other fuel. The closest thing I saw was a man holding a red can of racing fuel.

The team of engineering students worked most of the week to get their car in shape and make a successful run. There were several days of runs with no recorded times; this is not unusual, given that technical problems and blown engines are as common as salt at Bonneville. On Friday the team had real success. On three runs they consistently crossed the 200-mph barrier. Their best exit speed was 286.476 mph. The team easily entered the 200-mph club and was a scant 13.5 mph away from the 300-mph barrier, a great achievement for any car or team.

Still Better Than The Hindenberg

We have seen the future of hydrogen-powered vehicles, and the future is ... well, not now. This Reuters story reports on a 13-day cross-country drive completed by hydrogen-powered cars from nine different automakers. At first glance, this is a pretty encouraging story--hey, maybe hydrogen-powered cars are right around the corner! After all, if nine cars can drive from coast to coast on hydrogen, not only is that a great test of the in-car technology, but it's a testament to improvements in the much larger and thornier issue of fuel availability and distribution.

Well, no. The smoking gun is in the second paragraph--hydrogen filling stations are so scarce that the cars rode across much of the country on flatbed trucks, including one stretch from Missouri to New Mexico. If the object is to achieve zero emissions and infinite fuel efficiency on the back of a truck, well, a 1976 Chevy Impala would work just fine. Actually, unobtainum-powered cars of my own invention would get the same results too.

If the message is that cars can successfully run on hydrogen but the technology is impractical until we have an established hydrogen distribution infrastructure, well, thanks for the memo. In related news, the sun rose in the east this morning and is slated to set in the west this evening. The single biggest practical barrier to any alternative fuel, including hydrogen, is widespread availability of that fuel, so this empty PR exercise really didn't accomplish much other than reinforce that barrier and provide some easy punchlines. Anyway, Gizmodo already nailed the snark angle, so I'll leave it at that.

--Chris H.

The Car Lust Lifestyle

Today I'd like to introduce you to someone who gets it.  Someone who has an irrational passion for a vehicle, and isn't afraid to show it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: James F. Jones.

Budget Capping Comes to Formula One in 2009

On the newswire this week, from Reuters, comes news that Formula One teams will face a spending cap starting next year. The FIA President, Max Mosley, has sent a letter to all team principals illustrating his intent that the cap would apply to all costs "other than engines, drivers and expenditure exclusively for promotion and marketing."

Although there has been talk of capping for several years now, many in the industry and fans alike believed that the other cost cutting measures - engine changes, standard ECU - would be enough. Details on the level of the cap are still to be revealed.

-- Darren

Top Gear on PS3

 

The popular BBC motoring show Top Gear will be featured in the upcoming PlayStation 3 game Gran Turismo 5 when it is released in summer 2008. Players will be able to imagine themselves as the show’s anonymous test track driver “The Stig” while driving the hundreds of available cars around the Top Gear test track that is a central feature of the program. In addition to the test track, forty episodes of the show itself will also be available for download on a new dedicated Gran Turismo TV channel that operates over the PlayStation 3’s online network.

 

Picture of “The Stig” courtesy of Wikipedia.