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Archives for May 2012

New Details on Chysler/Jeep/Dodge’s Future

May 31, 2012 by Tom Williams Leave a Comment

What a ride it’s been at Chrysler these past few years. Neglected by parent Daimler and subsequent owner Cerberus, Chrysler was on the brink of collapse and on their knees in front of the US Congress begging for a bailout. Ironically, Fiat, a company who fled the US in the early 1980’s turned out to be Chrysler’s savior. And so far, the results have been encouraging. The bottom-feeder Dodge Avenger has been enormously improved. SRT is reviving the almighty Viper. The highly anticipated Dodge Dart with full Alfa Romeo DNA intact will be hitting showrooms soon.

There is no question that Chrysler had a myriad of problems, and it appears that Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is still at work at revamping the beleaguered company. According to a post from Autoblog, Marchionne confirmed the Jeep Compass will be killed off in 2014.  In spite of its 2011 redesign which modeled itself after the Grand Cherokee, Jeep’s attempt at targeting young urban types-especially females appears to have fizzled. The more successful Patriot, which shares the same mechanicals to the Compass has sold far better, with more traditional Jeep styling, but it is unclear what the future of the Patriot is. Still, these cars are dinosaurs, based on the now extinct Dodge Caliber which was mercifully let go in favor of the upcoming Dart.

The next casualty is the Chrysler Town & Country minivan. The Dodge Grand Caravan remains, which makes sense since the Caravan was the first minivan. Ever. Kudos to Sergio Marchionne for telling Chrysler it makes no sense selling the exact same car under two brands. Brand engineering is what nearly ruined the American auto industry, so killing off the Town & Country makes perfect sense to me.

In other related news, it appears there will be an SRT high performance version of the Dodge Dart that will sit above the Dart R/T. No word yet on what will sit under the hood. In sum, I find the news from Chrysler encouraging as failing and redundant cars are cut off, and under the control of Fiat they definitely appear to be a more focused company. The future looks bright.

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Shutter Speed: Returning Home

May 31, 2012 by Allan De La Plante 2 Comments

It was Tuesday before I could get a flight home. I had planned to stay over for Monaco. By then Gilles had been home several days and was lying-in-state in the vestibule of the local arena in Berthierville. The lines to view his body just went on and on. He was dressed in a white, what I thought was a driver’s suit, but I have heard conflicting reports since. When I went to pay my respects, there were so many people there I almost turned for home. I was undergoing such a range of emotions I had never felt so intensely before. I wanted to comfort the family, but was not sure it was just me I wanted to comfort. Gaston was in hospital under heavy sedation. He had lost the son he never had. He and Gilles were closer than a Father and son. Like many Fathers, Gaston had pulled Gilles out of many of life’s ditches. I drove directly to Berthierville from the airport. After paying my respects I headed for home in Ottawa. I had seen my friend for the last time.

I am still in a fog about most of that week. I am not sure if it was the Thursday that the funeral was held, but I drove to Berthierville with my good friend David Morgan-Kirby, an avid race fan and sometimes journalist who, like I, had watched the rise of Gilles from Formula Fords to Formula One. He had taken the time to interview Gilles when he was in the lower ranks and still would get a good reception from him even though Gilles was now at the top of his game. David and I and my wife at the time sat in the loft to the right of the chequered flag draped coffin. We were within fifty feet of Jody when he gave the eulogy. David, a stoic Englishman was rock solid. My wife was a blithering mess. I was just stunned. In less than a week I had done the final negotiation for our Grand Prix book, received a significant advance against royalties, ventured overseas and returned home broken, but I was in better shape than my friend who was now the centre of a different type of attention.

After it was all over Gilles’ body was taken to Montreal to be cremated. Joanne would then take the ashes back to Monaco. We followed the black Cadillac to Montreal on our return to Ottawa. I thought of the ‘Red Cadillac’ on this drive. David and I reminisced about all we had seen. There was a lot of laughter and tears on that drive. We got seriously drunk that night. [Read more…]

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2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, unlikely road tripper

May 30, 2012 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

When I was just a little guy in the early Seventies, the neighbourhood kids used to love popping in to my Dad’s garage in Don Mills. There was always a some race car or another in there, along with a super cool, Meyers Manx dune buggy. I was fully aware of the coolness I was surrounded by, but a guy down the street drove a bright yellow Jeep CJ-5. He was always driving around with the top down with the tunes blaring and I so wanted to go for a ride. Years later, my Wife and I almost bought a new YJ when they first appeared on the market but the nonexistent back seat caused us to make a more practical choice. The “Jeep Thing” just wouldn’t fit our lifestyle.
[Read more…]

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Gearing up to go riding

May 29, 2012 by Gary Grant 2 Comments

As part of an upcoming series for my column at Wheels.ca, I am about to learn how to ride a motorcycle. That’s right, a dyed in the wool automotive fanatic is going to ride. I fit the demographic perfectly: A forty something guy who feels the need to get out on the open road. Except for one thing: I am no particular fan of bikes. Sure, I appreciate the mechanical aspect of them and I LOVE shooting them trackside, but I have never really had any interest in riding them. So why am I going through this?

Traditionally, the age group that was most likely to be killed or injured on a bike was a male in his twenties. These days, as the bike hobby explodes with an influx of middle aged men and women, that number has changed. These days, the group that is most likely to damage themselves is…well, me. I am planning to get my M license as a complete newbie and will post my adventure for all to see.

The first step to doing this right was to enroll in a motorcycle training course. Remember, I know very little about bikes. I am set up to take a riding school with the Rider Training Institute in a couple of weeks. RTI is one of the most respected riding schools in Southern Ontario, so I feel comfortable placing my future in their hands.
[Read more…]

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Lapping Mosport with Pro 6 Cycle

NASCAR – Kahne Takes The Checkered Flag in Charlotte For His First Win in the #5

May 28, 2012 by Jay Tomchuk Leave a Comment

Kasey Kahne takes a celebration drink after winning the Coca~Cola 600 at Charlotte Motorspeedway

600 grueling miles in almost 90 degree heat, saving equipment until the end, making changes to keep up with the track as the sun goes down, and strategy to gain track position at just the right time. Kasey Kahne had all that working for him. Kenny Francis made all the right changes to his car and stayed ahead of the track, while Kasey took care of his car, keeping it off the wall, saving his brakes, and finding the speed he needed right at the best time to find it, in the final 25 laps.

After a rough start to the 2012 season Kahne has had a solid run for the last 6 weeks finishing top 10.  He never gave up despite the string of DNF’s early on, he kept any complaints he may have had to himself, and forged on.  The end result of that patience it seems is a win at one of NASCAR’s marquee races.

“I never doubted myself,” said Kahne.  “I was upset at some of the things that may have happened. I made a huge mistake at Phoenix and hit the wall there, but other than that, we were solid — we were fast.

“It was just a matter of getting past those [six] weeks and moving on and putting some solid races together.”

“I think the biggest thing for myself was just to figure out the cars, figure out how they drove,” Kahne said. “It’s been a little bit different for me. We’ve had speed. Even the last five, six races, we’ve been in the top 10, but not near as fast as Jimmie Johnson or a couple of those guys who have been winning races.”I just knew for myself, I needed to step up. Our team is solid. Our car is solid. Mr. Hendrick gives us everything we need to win races and run up front. [Sunday] night we were able to put it all together.”

Denny Hamlin did everything he could to chase down Kahne, even coming to within a second of him after the final restart, but Kahne could not be caught as he just kept pulling away right up to the checkered flag.

“As the track cooled off, it freed up for us — the car got better,” Hamlin said. “Ultimately, it gave us a shot to win. … The first 10 laps of the last run, we got to them [Kahne], but we wore our front tires trying to get around them.

“Everything was executed great [Sunday], the pit calls, getting on and off pit road, the pit crew themselves. We had a very, very solid day.”

Greg Biffle had been the dominant car all day, leading 204 laps, and looking like the car to beat, until Kahne got by and never looked back.

“It’s so frustrating,” Biffle said of his fourth place finish after having the event’s dominant car. “You’re driving your heart out, you’re wondering, ‘Am I doing something wrong? Come on, come on.’ You’re doing all you can do, but the car won’t do what you want it to do. You just take what it gives you, otherwise you wreck it. And I just about wrecked it a half a dozen times trying to get forward.”

Other notable finishers were Carl Edwards who charged from the back of the field towards the front gaining more than 20 positions to finish in in the top ten in 9th place.  Dale Earnhardt Jr also did well, running in the top 15 for most of the race and climbing to as high as second on a call by his Crew Chief, Steve Latarte, to stay out on 12 lap tires when the leaders came in to the pits.  The gained track position was what he needed to stay inside the top 10 to finish in 6th place.  Good enough to stay within 18 points of the points leader Greg Biffle in 4th place overall.

 

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NASCAR – Aric Almirola Leads the Field for NASCAR’s Longest Race of the Year.

May 27, 2012 by Jay Tomchuk Leave a Comment

Aric Almirola accepting the Coor Light Pole award for setting the pace at the Coca ~ Cola 600 in Charlotte.

It’s a grueling 600 miles of racing.  A marathon of endurance that starts in the heat of the day and finishes under the lights at night.  A true test of both driver and crew chief as the driver holds on to his car, that hopefully his crew chief has made the right changes on throughout the day to keep it under him, and that together they have kept it together to be in the right place at the end.

Aric Almirola will lead the field to start the Coca~Cola 600 this afternoon in Charlotte North Carolina.  This is the first time the #43 car has held the pole in Charlotte since Richard Petty drove it there himself, 46 years ago.  That fact however does not put a damper on the spirit or the smile of “The King”.

The fame of the #43 car is not lost on the young Almirola.  He knows how iconic this car and number are in the sport.

“It’s been a huge honor for me from Day 1 to be able to come to this organization,” Almirola said. “I’m not just driving for Richard Petty Motorsports. I’m driving the 43 car, probably the most iconic car in the history of our sport.

“For him [Petty] to allow me to do that, for him to ask me to do that, it’s just really special, and it’s a big honor to put that 43 car back on top of the board. To see it over there in Victory Lane and get our picture taken and all that stuff is really cool. I know it’s only qualifying — we want to be able to do that after the race — but it’s a start.”

“We’re happy with our car,” Almirola said. “Our [Ford] is pretty fast. I’m happy with the balance of our car, and it’s so hot right now that I don’t know that we’ll learn a whole lot, so we worked on some things trying to maximize getting on and off pit road and getting ready for [Sunday] night.”

“I think the speed in our cars has always been there, it’s just about executing, and that’s the one thing Mike has really focused on is just execution — trying to get all of the little parts and pieces and things,” he said. “He’s said it from day one that he’s gotten [here] that it’s about executing. Everybody is so good, and our competition is so tough, that if you don’t execute all the little small things, they’ll jump up and bite you. So I feel like as far as speed has gone, we’ve had really fast race cars, it’s just about executing all the little things.”

Marcos Ambrose will start 2nd in todays race.

To make things even better for the RPM team, Almirola’s teammate, Aussie Marcos Ambrose will start beside him on the front row in the #9 Dewalt Tools Ford. Ambrose was asked about where he sits for the start of the race after Saturday’s practice in the 90 degree temperatures.  Although by race time the temperatures will be different and the track will be a completely different animal Ambrose seemed to be confident that he will perform well.

“We’re not proving anything, and we’re not going to race in these conditions,” Ambrose said. “This place always feels the worst in the heat of the day. We had a really good Saturday night [in the All-Star Race] and we had a good qualifying session and good first practice [Saturday] morning, so we don’t need to be getting ourselves off base. It would be nice to feel like you’re at the top of the time sheet going into [Sunday] night’s race, but I think if you’re on top of [Saturday’s] sheet, you’re probably not going to be that good when the sun goes down.”

Richard Petty was tickled pink that his #43 car was on the pole again, and that his team swept the front row for the start of the Coca ~ Cola 600.

Team Owner Richard Petty could not be more proud of the accomplishments of his driver, and feels that they will easily prove themselves on the track in more than just the way they qualified.

“Even though it’s just qualifying,” the seven-time champion said, “it’s still a big deal for us.”

“If everything lines up, then you can wind up being a winner,” Petty said. “The best thing to do is be up front all the time, and eventually you’re going to win some races. Our problem from time to time has not been how good we run, it’s how good we finish. We have not been as consistent as what we’re supposed to be. If we were more consistent, then we would be up front a lot more.”

 

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Gumball 3000 Rally Begins in New York City

May 26, 2012 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

As I type, 150 brightly colored, wrapped and logo’ed cars, SUVs and anything in between are arriving in Toronto on the first day of the Gumball 3000 cross-country rally. The festive exotic-heavy field of participants lined up Thursday night in New York City’s Times Square in spite of fog, rain and and huge crowds. Tightly packed, the cars filled up two New York City blocks. [Read more…]

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Dean Martin’s Car for Sale!

May 21, 2012 by Tom Williams 2 Comments

Think back on the 1960’s culture, and one’s first thoughts might focus on the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and the hippie movement. The decade started out on a different note. The Rat Pack, with Frank Sinatra as ‘Chairman of the Board’ started the 60’s with the feel-good momentum from the 1950’s, with over the top swagger and impeccable style. Dean Martin was Sinatra’s right hand man with a successful career in music with a hit parade of singles. Being in the Rat Pack was elite, and Dean Martin was one of the main acts.

Jalopnik reported that you can own a piece of said Rat Pack premiere member Dean Martin’s car. It is no ordinary car, as befitting a man at the very height of his career and ruling the Strip in Las Vegas. The car in question is a 1962 Ghia L6.4. The Ghia married Italian coachwork with American power. A true grand tourer, the Ghia is powered by a Chrysler 383 with 335hp paired to a three-speed automatic. Only 26 L6.4s were built, and each one was bespoke to the buyers wishes.

Dean Martin’s Ghia was sent to world renowned car customizer George Barris for subtle modification, to, um, separate it from the 25 other Ghia L6.4s built. It would just be awkward to come across the same Ghia, as Frank Sinatra owned one himself. Dean Martin’s car is completely original, and has never been restored, yet appears to be in excellent condition. This Ghia is for sale by Hyman Limited for a cool $199,500USD. If you were curious as to what exclusivity and coolness cost, there is your answer.

If it were me, I’d slide onto the gorgeous leather black seat with a fantastic patina, grip the Nardi wood steering wheel with a fine cigar, my lovely wife at my side and whisk ourselves down to Atlantic City, since there is nothing cooler than hitting Dino’s AC haunts in his own car.

 

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American Car Dealers Finally Getting That Service Counts?

May 20, 2012 by Tom Williams 1 Comment

As East Coast Editor here at The Garage, I spend a good amount of time reading other auto blogs and magazines. I came across a post from Autoblog where Viper mastermind Ralph Gilles indicated that Dodge/Chrysler dealers would need to be certified to sell the Viper. There’s been plenty of hype surrounding the 2013 Viper, but what many may not realize is this is NOT a Dodge. Rather, the car will be sold as the SRT Viper, a brand all its own. And not just any Dodge or Chrysler dealer will be able to sell it.

Back in 1997 when I had just started as an auto journalist, I was fortunate to be loaned a stunning black Dodge Viper RT/10. During my loan of the Viper, I drove to the local Dodge dealership, where a client of my father’s worked as a salesperson. On arrival, the car was swarmed by Dodge salesmen, and I was happy to offer a test drive to my father’s client. On the test drive, I was intrigued at what I was told. According to him, no one ever saw any Viper the dealership sold. He continued, explaining Vipers were delivered and presented to customers after hours with no sales staff around, just the dealer principles. After dropping him off, I was stunned a Dodge salesman had never so much as seen one of the cars of the very brand he made a living selling.

With the new SRT brand, that will change. Mr. Gilles wants a Viper in the showroom. He wants a dedicated technician who knows the Viper front to back. And, most importantly, a sales staff who knows not only about the Viper, but understands the buyer. If you’re selling Dodge Avengers,  Mr. Gilles understands that does not automatically qualify you to sell an SRT Viper, and that makes perfect sense to me.

And it is high time American automakers understand how to sell and service their clientele, an area they have been deficient in when it comes to a car outside their comfort zone. In the 1970’s, Buick salesmen were selling German Opals, and how did that go? A guy shilling Buick Century’s and LeSabre’s is not going to know how to talk to a buyer who wanted what was know as a mini-Corvette, the Opal GT. Ford repeated the same mistake in the 1980’s with Merkur, putting European sport sedans on a showroom floor filled with salespeople accustomed to people selling Crown Victorias. It didn’t work.

At this year’s New York International Auto Show, Lincoln revealed the production version of their new 2013 MKZ. While the car looked impressive, Lincoln spent more time not talking about their new car, but how they were overhauling their dealerships, and improving how they cater to their customers. It was like a light bulb had finally lit up. Gee, a luxury car buyer stays at luxury resorts, eats at gourmet restaurants, and expects a high standard of service. Why wouldn’t they expect similar service for a purchase as significant as a luxury car? Toyota knew this from the get go when they debuted Lexus in 1989. It is almost unbelievable it took Lincoln 23 years to come to the same conclusion.

Better late than never, I suppose. But all signs point to an awakening of where the actual car buyer lays down his hard earned cash-the dealership. As a car journalist, I only see the car. It is you, the reader, that does the shopping and makes the deal, and interacts with your local dealer. Even in my own town, I can see the changes. Our Lincoln dealer just completely overhauled their showroom. A longtime Chevy dealer who had a decent reputation but was looking shabby was pressured to renovate, and the owner sold it and closed its doors.

To sum, I find it encouraging that SRT and Lincoln are understanding they need specialists to sell their products. For all the flash that surrounds high-end cars, the end goal is still selling cars, and to do so, you need the right people and environment to cater to your customer. With the Viper and Lincoln, you cannot sell cars where Big Macs are the main seller while you are attempting to sell filet mignon. With SRT’s and Lincoln’s adjustment in how they sell their cars, I can only see success.

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Lexus Discontinues HS250h

May 17, 2012 by Tom Williams Leave a Comment

There is little doubt that Lexus stands as one of the premier Japanese luxury automakers, and can boast a long list of successful cars, crossovers and SUVs. However, even with the best of intentions, not every car can be a smashing success, and in this case, the HS250h was such an example. The HS was not Lexus’ first foray into selling a hybrid car, but while prior Lexus hybrids were built to offer hybrid technology as an added level of performance with decent fuel economy, the HS250h took a different tact. This was a straight up hybrid, no different from a plain Jane Prius.

The HS250h debuted as a 2010, and sold 10,663 cars in the US, far short of Lexus expectations. If that wasn’t bad enough, 2011 saw sales go into a free fall, dropping to 2,864 cars, a staggering 73 percent drop. In a report from Inside Line, Lexus halted production of the HS250h in January 2012. And no wonder, with a paltry 591 cars sold as of the end of April. With no action on the dealer showroom floor, Lexus never even attempted a hail Mary to revive the HS, and let the car quietly die.

The funny thing is, I actually liked the HS250h. The Garage reviewed one shortly after its introduction. I got what the HS was meant to be, and found it to be a handsome, comfortable car. Lexus is about to roll out the all-new ES series, which will have a hybrid version, but when asked, the ES hybrid is not a replacement for the HS. I say why not-the HS failed as a premium hybrid sedan, and with the ES Hybrid, an HS replacement would only cannibalize sales.

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