The Garage: Your daily dose of automotive news, reviews and motorsports coverage
I always knew that actor Verne Troyer, who will forever be known as Mini Me from the Austin Powers movies was cool, but until I discovered his massive collection of web videos, I had no idea how active he is in today’s media. I also didn’t know that he was totally into cars and food, two of my greatest passions!
In this recent episode of his web series, Troyer takes delivery of his new Tesla, a Verne sized roadster!
The highlight has to be when he drifts the little red rocket around his garage.
On a gorgeous, sunny (but hot) Thursday, IMPA hosted the 2nd Annual Spring Brake event. Held at the beautiful Bear Mountain State Park on the Hudson River in Rockland County, NY, we could not have asked for a nicer day or better location.ÂÂ
What is Spring Brake? It is an opportunity for IMPA (International Motor Press Association) members to meet, and sample a wide variety of cars from numerous manufacturers. This year there were over 50 cars on hand. The range of cars on hand was amazing. For price, everything from a Kia Rio to a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Sports cars, sport sedans, muscle cars, hybrids, diesels, you name it. Although hardly representative of every car available today, to walk the lot of the cars assembled offered a unique look of what makes up the current automotive landscape.ÂÂ
Arriving at the Bear Mountain Inn at 8am, the cars themselves were still arriving. Cars were being directed to stand together with their respective manufacturers, a crew of people were detailing the cars. Perhaps the most stunning arrival was the quietest: The Tesla Roadster. Nothing to hear but the sound of rolling tires as it drove into the lot. BMW also brought in two Mini E’s (the electric Mini), but I’d like the readers of The Garage to know that the Tesla arrived on its own. The Mini E’s arrived on a flatbed (but I did hear about a generator request for the Tesla).
The event consisted of driving any car, of our choice, around a pre-determined course around the park. The roads surrounding the park are tight and twisty, with some short stretches. Drivers had the option of taking a scenic two mile drive to the top of the mountain and back, return to the park, or a blast on the Palisades Parkway that would also lead you back.
I drove as many cars as possible, as many types as possible. While I hardly had enough time to do a proper review of any of the cars, in the coming days I will offer my driving impressions of the vehicles I did drive. It’s an experience I look forward to sharing with you.
But I won’t keep you wondering. I did drive the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. But it wasn’t my favorite car of the day. Stay tuned to find out!
There has been a lot of buzz lately about the Tesla Roadster. Even Los Jalops are keeping their eyes peeled for them, especially when the passenger is from the competition. Earlier this month, the folks at Mahalo sent the super sweet Veronica Belmont out to Tesla to check out the roadster for real. With a 0-60 time in the 4 second range, Miss Belmont had a hard time keeping her camera steady. On the practical side, we also get to see a bit of the real world side of the Tesla, like what kind of apparatus owners will need to mount in their garage.
Thanks to bro in law Scott for the tip
Meet the Aptera, an 850 LB, 330 mpg concept car that should be available soon from manufacturer Accelerated Composites. Powered by a 12 hp diesel and a 25 hp DC motor, this hybrid features a CVT transmission and will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in a respectable 11 seconds. Make no mistake though, this thing is no Tesla on the road.
Time will tell if the public is ready for the look of the space age composite body.
Source Gizmodo
Think the Tesla looks like a massaged Lotus Elise? Well, there is a good reason for it. The car was designed by Lotus staff for Tesla, based on the Elise. Teslas developed the advanced Lithium Ion batteries that allow the car to travel up to 250 miles without a charge. A newspaper in Norfolk UK is reporting the Lotus has signed an agreement with Tesla to produce the Tesla Roadster at the Lotus plant in Hethel.
