It’s a funny thing that one notices when lapping in a little convertible. 100 miles per hour in the MINI Cooper S Convertible feels much faster than 135 does in the Shelby GT500.

My pit lane notes from the IMPA test days at Pocono Raceway are pretty simple when it comes to the lidless MINI.

Ditto Cooper S, just slower
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From my pit lane notes: Snap. Crackle. Pop. Whoosh.

One of the problems with writing part time is that it can be hard to stay on top of all the latest and greatest news from every manufacturer. There really is just too much information on a daily basis. As a result, sometimes I get thrown a curve ball and it takes me by surprise. Suffice it to say, the 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT-4 was the surprise of the day at the IMPA Test Days at Pocono Raceway. I hadn’t heard so much as a peep about its’ existence.

As the day progressed, I had noticed this Caliber on the grid, looking mean with it’s lower stance than normal. it wears some subtle add on aero bits and a not so subtle hood scoop. It wasn’t until I heard the thing launch that I realized that this was no gussied up grocery getter. The SRT-4 is quite loud and sounds mean.
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As regular readers know, I have a bit of a thing for Nissan’s modern Zed car. The car is just so good, that its’ joy to drive under almost all conditions. Equally happy on windy roads as it is in the snow (with winter boots of course) it is truly a world class all around sports car. When I saw the Nismo model sitting there waiting for me, I just had to give it a go. I mean, what could be better than taking a world class sports car, stiffening the chassis, beefing up the suspension and a bunch of other track tested bits and bites?

The 350Z Nismo wears a Super GT inspired body kit that gets mixed reviews. The more reserved among us (read fuddy duddies) feel the skirts and step ladder wing are a bit over the top, while others seem to thing designers could have gone a bit farther with the wing. Either way, there is no mistaking that this is missile is destined for track usage.
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I’ve always been a firm believer that first impressions are an important indication of what’s to come. The first impression the 2008 Saturn Sky Turbo was a bright and bubbly one that promised lots of fun. From a branding standpoint, there didn’t appear to be any logos indicating that this was the Redline model, other than the turbo badge on the aft flank. Sliding behind the wheel, I found the cockpit more suited to a round guy than the standard of the class, Mazda’s MX-5. The interior is actually as hip looking as the outside and was comfy to boot.
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The previous generation Sentra SER Spec-V was a bit of an odd little beast. Stiffly sprung and with bags of horsepower through the front wheels, it was a torque steering nightmare. The fit and finish inside and out was haphazard at best. Overall, it felt like some tuner had gone wild adding performance bits to a basic Sentra and had built a car that handled like it was on rails and went like a scared cat, but really wasn’t a very nice car otherwise.
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It is such a shame that cameras don’t catch the colour orange in all it’s glory cause this MINI Cooper S wears a coat that is eyeball searing shade of dayglo. Fortunately this little shoebox won’t be mistaken for a pylon any time soon. This thing is quick!

I’m somewhat ashamed to say that this was my first ever drive in a modern MINI and it’s already in its’ second generation. Why? Well, the opportunity just never presented itself. Over the past few cars I’ve heard terms like rollerskate, go kart, formula car applied to the MINI and I was eager to get on with MINI experience.
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Looking up and down the pit lane at Pocono Raceway, it was tough to make a choice for my first drive of the day. I wanted a platform that I was comfortable in and I wanted a front driver. Something from the Nissan world made sense and I took note that the 350Z convertible was available, but that would have gone against my plan of spending the morning with front wheel drive cars. Sitting there all alone, was the 2008 Altima Coupe 2.5S. Perfect. Not too much power in a family of cars that I’m familiar with.
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Day two of the International Motor Press Association’s Test Days takes us to Pocono Raceway, where the real fun begins. Not that off roading isn’t fun, but it’s a whole different type of session once the adrenalin kicks in.

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s been 15 years since I’ve driven on a track. Also, I’ve never done any competitive driving in a rear wheel drive car, unless you count a single autocross in my 1975 Fiat 124 coupe way back in high school. In other words, I was more than a little nervous and had put together a plan to prevent me from embarrassing myself. Also, it would be pretty bad for one of the new guys to bend some tin the first time out! My plan was to begin with a low horsepower, front wheel drive of some sort, possibly a platform that I’m used to so I could comfortably get back into the swing of things. As the day progressed, I would move to the faster machinery and then the rear drivers in the afternoon. Ultimately my plan worked, but that wasn’t without a bit of excitement on the first lap.
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Having never visited a NASCAR style speedway before, I wasn’t quite prepared for the massiveness that is Pocono Raceway. I had been to The Glen years ago after the NASCAR renovation, but that facility is nowhere near the size of the big tri-oval at Pocono. The grandstands must be close to a half a kilometer long!
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Just a couple more hours until we load up and head to the Pocono Mountains for the annual International Motor Press Association’s Test Days. Two days of automotive debauchery testing! What better way to end the summer? First off, tomorrow afternoon will be spent assessing the capabilities of a selection of trucks and SUV’s in the woods around Split Rock Resort. Friday will be spent exploring the banks of Pocono Raceway.

So fear not loyal readers, while there might be some big gaps in posting over the next couple of days, I promise to deliver the goods on every vehicle tested!