Automotive Blogger

This past weekend I had the chance to take in my first full NASCAR Nextel Cup race of the season (in between NCAA basketball), and it just so happens it was also the debut of the much anticipated “Car of Tomorrow”. Hearing the name “Car of Tomorrow” I expected to see a futuristic looking race car with updated suspension and lots of technological breakthroughs, but instead what I saw was a car that looked slightly more stock than the old NASCAR and sported a pronounced rear wing and front chin spoiler/air splitter. From what I’ve heard and read the “Car of Tomorrow” is was mostly modified with safety in mind. The car is less aerodynamic but has more down force, meaning lower speeds and more grip. I believe it is also slightly larger with a more central driver’s location providing better protection. During the race one of the commentators (Darrell Waltrip I believe) said that the car would be better named “the Car of Yesterday” as it reminded him of the golden age of NASCAR when the cars were closer to street vehicles.


The legend, Darrell Waltrip

Ironically the online spoof newspaper The Onion wrote a piece in their latest edition about “the Car of Yesterday”, but I don’t think it is quite what Waltrip had in mind.

Here is an excerpt from the article:
CHARLOTTE, NC—Only days after its long-anticipated, much-criticized Car of Tomorrow debuted to overwhelmingly negative reviews at the Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR responded to the wishes of competitors and fans alike by introducing the stylishly retro, technologically retrograde NEXTEL Cup Car of Yesterday.
Enlarge Image NASCAR Introduces

“This is exactly what everyone from race teams to race fans wanted all along—a real American racecar,” said Robby Gordon, standing in front of the Jim Beam ‘77 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme he will drive for the rest of the season. “To hell with things like spoilers, adjustable suspensions, disc brakes, shoulder belts, all that junk. People want to see us racing the cars they drive every day, and anyone who’s seen the parking lot at a NASCAR race will tell you that’s what the Car of Yesterday gives them.”

Check out the rest of the article here: The Onion
While The Onion can occasionally be to smart-ass for their own good, this article gave me a good chuckle, and it is nice to see them commenting on motor sports for a change. As for the actual car of tomorrow, the first race made it seem like there will be less carnage on the track with this new race car, which is a bad thing for most NASCAR fans. But safety is always good, and the race was still hotly contested, so hopefully the rest of the season will remain a closely fought contest.

-Bill Mertz

The Onion, NASCAR, Nextel Cup, racing, motorsports, motor sports, Darrell Waltrip, Car of Tomorrow, Car of Yesterday, spoof, auto

X5 Le Mans

Today a good friend of mine sent me two great video clips, both involving incredibly fast soccer mom type rides, a BMW X5 and a Renault Espace. We didn’t get the Espace here in the US, but let me assure you that this little minivan is a total mom-mobile.

Let’s start with the BMW. The first video is in German, so frankly I don’t know what’s going on. But what I did make out with my broken Deutsche is that we are looking at a special BMW X5 Le Mans which sedan racing legend Hans Stuck has generously agreed to thrash around for our benefit. This X5 is clearly far from stock, as you can tell by the throaty and aggressive exhaust note. Under the hood lies a mammoth 6.0 liter twelve cylinder engine (the same engine which won Le Mans for BMW in 1995) that puts out a remarkable 700 horsepower and 531 lbs-ft of torque. This is enough grunt to push the crossover SUV from 0-60 mph in less than five seconds with a top speed approaching 180 mph. More than enough performance to tote the kids around don’t you think? So what does this behemoth look like in the hands of racing hero?

While the X5 Le Mans is wild, it looks like a librarian next to the Renault Espace F1. This bizarre creation was born in mid-1990 in order to celebrate the 10 year partnership between Renault and Matra. To build the car Matra took the drive train directly out of their 1994 Championship winning Williams/Renault Formula One car. The 820 hp 3.5 liter V10 and sequential gearbox were mounted mid-ship inside a modified Renault Espace minivan. The stock Espace had its floor pans cut out to accept a new carbon body structure containing the high-tech driveline. The minivan also received updated brakes, automatic attitude control and a special aero package to keep it from flying off the road. The result was a shocking vehicle that was stupid-fast, looked weird and cost a lot of money. Who wouldn’t want one?


Stock Renault Espace and the Espace F1

The Espace F1’s stats are impressive. With a top speed of nearly 190 mph this Renault can accelerate from 0-60 in under 2.8 seconds. It can run from 0 to 167 back down to 0 in only 1,968 feet (not much more than a quarter mile) and it can pull up to 2g in cornering. Oh and there are four bucket seats and plenty of room for luggage. But on-paper performance does not do this special vehicle justice. Take a look (and listen) at the Espace F1 on the track:

This is the caption I received with the clip:
Short documentary about the Renault Espace F1 broadcasted in 1995 on French channel M6. Quick summary of what the narrator says:

Alain Prost at the end declares: “I always wanted to bring with me in a two-seater Formula 1 some journalists, specially the ones I don’t like.”

Good stuff.

-Bill Mertz

BMW, X5, X5 Le Mans, Le Mans, LeMans, Renault, Espace, Espace F1, Matra, Alain Prost, Formula One, V10, racing, soccer mom, minivan, SUV, crossover

Most of us remember the Ford Explorer/Firestone tire travesty that marred both companies’ reputations nearly a decade ago. Explorers equipped with Firestone’s ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT models were reporting an alarming amount of tire failures, usually coming in the form of a blowout. Worse than that the blowouts often caused the Explorers to roll over and seriously injure or kill the occupants. There was some debate as to whether the tires or vehicle was at fault for the resulting rollovers and injuries/deaths, but both companies received massive amounts of negative press over this controversy. Today I read an interesting press release from Safety Research & Strategies, Inc. and Quality Control Systems Corp that brought up some interesting allegations related to this disaster.

Here is the text in full:

Quality Control Systems Corp. today filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in federal District Court to obtain secret data about deaths and injuries held by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). R.A. Whitfield, the company’s director, said that the public needs access to the Early Warning Reports collected under the Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act to better understand why so many deaths and injuries related to tire failures in the Ford Explorer have continued long after the well-known tire recalls that affected the vehicle.

In the meantime, the death toll in Ford Explorer, tire-related crashes rose in 2005, at the rate of about one death per week, and other potential safety problems loom without public knowledge.

It’s interesting to know that the Explorer/Firestone related accidents are still occurring with some frequency, and I will be curious to see how this debate over public knowledge plays out in our courts.

-Bill Mertz

Firestone, Bridgestone, Ford, Explorer, rollover, accident, recall, NHTSA, court, lawsuit

Shopping for insurance is right up there with giving myself a catheter on my list of “things I enjoy doing�. But recently the insurance policy on my scooter more than doubled, so I had to take the plunge and start hunting for some new coverage.

When I first bought my Lambretta scooter, the cost of a years worth of insurance coverage was only a few dollars more than the yearly registration. I believe it was around $70 dollars or so to insure it for the year with the minimum amount of coverage through Progressive. This lasted for a couple of years, until the insurance company decided to pull the old switch-a-roo. Apparently the company was getting hit with a lot of claims from people who owned collector motorcycles, and it was costing them too much in payout to keep up the super low rates, or at least that is what they told me. So the following year the insurance cost went up to around $205 for the year (again for minimum coverage). While this is ultra cheap compared to car insurance it was a massive price hike over what I previously paid.

When you get in a wreck, it’s nice to have insurance

My agent, who was an extremely nice guy, hunted around a couple of different places but couldn’t find me any better offers. So after hearing good things from a friend, and seeing the flood of adverts on the television I went to GEICO’s website to see if their rates would indeed save me a bunch of money. I filled out a simple online form and got a quote of $93 to insure my scooter, with the bare minimum coverage, for the year. Now that was more like it. After seeing the great price I went ahead and completed the transaction online. There was one mix up involving an accident, which GEICO thought was on my record but was actually on a relatives’ record, that would have bumped up the premium a few bucks. A brief phone call with an extremely helpful agent cleared it right up, and I quickly got a confirmation email for my original rate, signed and online contract and was in business.

I am in no way affiliated with GEICO, have never used them before, and I think their ads are exceedingly annoying, but I must say I’m extremely pleased with their rates and customer service so far. The experience was so painless I might switch my cars over as well. I don’t mean to sound like a lame commercial, but if you need cheap and quick coverage for scooter, definitely give GEICO a look. The one note I should insert is that I have read that GEICO partially uses your education level and job status to determine your rates. So your Harvard diploma may help you out more than your superb driving.

-Bill Mertz

GEICO, car insurance, auto insurance, insurance, scooters, Lambretta, rates, classic, vintage

I haven’t posted a video in awhile, but yesterday one fell in my lap that was absolutely stunning. I’ve always loved a good commercial, and this one certainly ranks as one of the best I have ever seen. Director Antoine Bardou-Jacquet is a member of, Partizan, a collective of directors from around the world who produce some of the coolest, films, music videos, and television spots imaginable. Antoine really out did himself with this one. Featuring stunning background scenery, amazing live action car shots (or at least they appear to be) and some of the best sound ever to be heard in any commercial, this Shell Oil ad is a masterpiece.

Enjoy:

-Bill Mertz

Shell, Ferrari, Partizan, Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, race cars, grand prix, Italy

Recently I wrote a story about women in motorsports; more specifically it was about attractive women in motorsports. Today, it was announced that one of those women is heading to the Indy 500 for the first time. Milka Duno, the first woman in history to win a major international sportscar race in North America, announced that she will be competing in the 2007 IndyCar Series with SAMAX Motorsport and Citgo Racing. This means she will become the first Latina to compete in the famed Indianapolis 500, which is part of the ‘07 schedule.

Duno, who is a Florida native, has been extremely successful on the track running in the Rolex Grand Am series where she scored three wins, seven podium appearances, 10 top-five finishes and 26 top-10 finishes since her 2004 rookie season. Just this year she finished second at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona giving her the record for the highest finish ever by a female driver in the 45-year history of the race.

While the jump to open wheel racing won’t be simple, Duno has high hopes that her new team’s experience will help to smooth the transition. SAMAX Motorsport’s IndyCar crew members have a fair amount of first hand IndyCar know-how. Team manager John Cummiskey has three Indy 500 wins under his belt and was involved in a second place effort with lead engineer Steve Challis in 2002.

It will be interesting to see how she progresses in the series, especially competing against so many other budding stars.

-Bill Mertz

Milka Duno, Latina, Indy, Indy 500, Indianapolis, Indy car, racing, Grand Am, Rolex, Daytona, Citgo, SAMAX, motorsport, Florida, attractive, women

Usually when I read the words “crossover” or “SUV” in a press release there is a good chance that I won’t be reading to the end. But something has me excited about ZAP’s new electric crossover SUV concept, the ZAP-X. I don’t know if it’s the fact that they partnered up with Lotus on the design or if it’s the fact that the sketches make the ZAP-X look much more like a wagon than an SUV. Either way, the new concept is undeniably cool and extremely forward thinking.


ZAP’s electric Xebra sedan

ZAP is perhaps best known for making tiny electric “city cars” such as the Zebra that are efficient, easy to park and maneuver and just fast enough to get around the city in. Fairly recently they announced that they were working on a high-performance crossover SUV electric car concept called ZAP-X in conjunction with Lotus Engineering. The small wagon/SUV design will contain in hub electric motors that give the car all wheel drive and can provide up to 644 horsepower with a top speed in the area of 155 mph. The performance advantage of electric motors over internal combustion is that they can develop full torque at 0 rpm, meaning the ZAP-X should also be a rocket off the line. Using a lightweight aluminum chassis and components matched with a highly advanced battery system, engineers hope that the ZAP-X will be able to attain a range of 350 miles with a recharging time of only 10 minutes.

CEO Steve Schneider is extremely enthusiastic about the project, “we believe that the ZAP-X will become the most advanced, most practical and most appealing flagship electric vehicle to date and will revolutionize the industry providing the driver with the enjoyment of a sports car and the practicality of an SUV.” If the sketches and on paper stats are any indication, I would say Steve has a good point.

No word as to when this vehicle will be a running prototype but it’s good to know that people are still designing and building cool vehicles that can be fast, efficient and environmentally friendly.

For more info on ZAP check out their website: http://www.zapworld.com

Also check out this interview with Steve Schneider in Popular Science: Interview

-Bill Mertz

electric car, alternative fuel, ZAP, ZAP-X, Lotus, SUV, crossover, efficient, emissions, concept

The idea of building a car that can fly is not a new one (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). In fact it has been done many times before. However the out come is usually some bulky inefficient creation that is equally horrible at flying and driving. The flying Pinto, which crashed on its maiden voyage, comes to mind. However, if you could make a flying car that flies well, drives well, doesn’t slurp fuel at an alarming rate and is affordable, then you would have something amazing on your hands.

John Bakker, a Dutch visionary and entrepreneur thinks he has created that perfect flying vehicle. Working in conjunction with groups like the Dutch Aerospace Laboratory, Bakker has spent years developing his flying car concept which he calls the PAL-V (Personal Air Land Vehicle). Realistically the PAL-V is years from coming to market, but Bakker has high hopes that when it does it will revolutionize transportation, providing safe and fast transit through countries with underdeveloped infrastructure and helping with problems like traffic congestion in overly developed countries.

Utilizing the space between the ground and the 4000 foot floor for commercial air space the PAL-V will be able to fly at low altitude, which according to Bakker is the last unclaimed space. When on the ground the sleek three wheeled vehicle is said to be as comfortable as a luxury car and as nimble as a motorcycle, thanks in part to a unique system which allows the PAL-V to lean over as it turns. With the propeller neatly folded and hidden away it isn’t bulky like flying cars of the past. And with power coming from a highly efficient environmentally certified car engine the PAL-V has the potential to be both economic and green friendly. The motor can uses multiple fuels including standard petrol, bio-diesel and bio-ethanol.

Bakker is currently in the process of building the first working prototype to demonstrate that the technology is safe, affordable, and just feasible. He is looking for additional investors to speed the PAL-V’s march to production. Any takers?

I really like this concept, except that when I imagine a world full of affordable flying cars I can’t help but think of how many people are terrible drivers and still take to the roads. Imagine the damage that those same people could do in flying cars. What a nightmare. No doubt there will be numerous government regulations and a strict licensing process before you could legally own and fly one of these things, which would help calm some of my fears. But it seems like road rage and stupid driving would be much worse in the skies.

In America it’s Chitty Chitty Bling Bling, out here it’s Chitty Chitty Bling Bang!

-Bill Mertz

PAL-V, flying, car, flying car, chitty chitty bang bang, pinto, Bakker, Dutch, green, bio-diesel, bio-ethanol, ethanol

This weekend I had the opportunity to drive Pontiac’s beefed up Solstice, the GXP. To give a little background, I’ve previously drove the regular Solstice when it first came out as well as the Saturn Sky, which shares a platform and drive train with the Solstice. The normal Solstice was a pretty terrible car for numerous reasons. The Sky, while a drastic improvement over the Solstice, still didn’t ignite a fire inside me. So when I buckled into the new turbo charged Solstice GXP I had pretty low expectations, which turned out to be a good thing.

As the old saying goes, I’ve got some good news and some bad news, so let me start out with the good. One of the major flaws with the naturally aspirated Solstice is under the hood. While the jumbo 2.4 liter Ecotec four cylinder puts out over 170 horsepower, it is buzzy, unpleasant to rev and at times feels like a truck motor. The GXP is a vast improvement in this area. The 2.0 liter turbocharged four banger puts out an impressive 260 horsepower and delivers in a smooth, flexible and most importantly fun manner. It has a broad power band with turbo boost kicking in pretty high in the rev range for some good old pin you to your seat acceleration. But the GXP also packs plenty of low end torque to pull the car briskly out of up hill corners. My biggest complaint with the engine would have to be the noisy blow off valve that seems to operate even when the digital boost gauge reads 0 psi.


Possibly the best part of the GXP is the turbocharged power plant.

The cars handling characteristics are also a leap ahead of the regular Solstice that I drove awhile back. Taking a page from the Saturn Sky’s revalved shocks, the Solstice GXP absorbs bumps in a much less jarring manner but still manages to feel sporty and keep the tires planted on the ground. Although the car feels a bit chunky on the suspension at times, it can be driven quickly down a back road without difficulty. The rubbery/numb steering feel and the dialed in under-steer are the car’s biggest handling draw backs.

The last plus I will give to the Solstice is its external styling with the top down. The Solstice, Sky and Solstice GXP are all good looking cars. They have some great lines that are unique in the current car market, and I think the average Joe would have to call the car attractive. With the top down the rear head rest fairings actually look sporty, not cheesy, and the smooth, rounded front end of the Solstice has a distinct vintage car flavour. With the top up the car looses a lot of its aesthetic appeal, but since it is a rag top designed to be driven with the roof folded away and hidden underneath the rear skin, I’ll chalk it up to “no one looks great first thing in the morning”.

Now for the bad. When the Solstice first came out its ergonomics and interior design were horrible. The cockpit was cramped, despite the cars bulbous size, with little room (even by little car standards) for storage. Things like rolling up windows and using the parking brake became awkward Yoga exercises using motions that you never knew you could do before. Cup holders interfered with elbows, windows couldn’t be rolled down unless you reached across your body with the inside hand, and storage compartments were scarce and uncomfortable to use. I’m sorry to say that the GXP is more of the same. A tacky interior with cheap materials in a poorly designed layout makes the Solstice GXP downright unpleasant to drive daily. The trunk holds next to nothing, which actually doesn’t bother me so much in a two seat roadster, but the fact that the trunk is sharing room with the top is annoying at times. With the top up, you have to disconnect and reconnect the top when opening and closing the trunk. With the top down you have to lift the top a bit if you plan on stowing anything larger than a juice box back there.

What really disappoints on the Pontiac are all the little things that don’t work right. The fuel gauge sometimes comes up tot he quarter tank mark, then goes up a bit more a few minutes later, but some times it will hover in the same place. When you pop the trunk to fold out the top (which is a several step process) the rear struts don’t hold the deck lid up like they are supposed to, meaning you have to hold it yourself and unfurl the top, and this is a new car. And speaking of the top, right out of the box it doesn’t fit or lineup well and when it is up the wind noise is pretty intense. One of the best and most poignant moments was when a fellow writer went to story his hooded sweatshirt in the trunk of the car. With the top down he popped the trunk with the remote key fob and the trunk lid strained to open due to its lack luster gas struts. After stuffing his sweatshirt under the top in the back he tried to close the trunk, but it was interfering with the top, so he slammed it a bit, which succeeded in closing the trunk, but set off the car alarm. It is these small details that really kill the GXP. It really makes you wonder why you would choose this car over the other two seat competitors who seemed to have worked these little bugs out.

While I would never buy one of these cars, I did have a decent time driving GXP on the local back roads. With the sun out and the top down the powerful roadster was definitely fun. But when compared to other cars in its class it simply comes up short. Too little too late.

-Bill Mertz

Pontiac, Solstice, Solstice GXP, GXP, Saturn, Saturn Sky, Sky, Sky Redline, roadster, two-seater, convertible, sports car, fun, muscle car

I just read a press release regarding anti-defamation suit from the famous classic car auction company Barrett-Jackson. The lawsuit, which was filed on March 15th in a U.S. District Court, was entered in response to a disgruntled consignor who was unhappy with some facet of the auction process or the result of the auction itself. According the release, “the consignor, apparently unhappy with the $300,000 sale price of his vehicle, placed chains and locks on the vehicle after it crossed the auction block and was sold, while it sat in the area where featured auction cars were displayed”.

The press release which was issued by Barrett-Jackson continues, “he posted multiple notices on the vehicle claiming that the sale was void due to claimed ‘auction irregularities,’ and published other false and defamatory statements about Barrett-Jackson in view of the company’s customers and the thousands of patrons attending the event”. Apparently the consignor was upset enough to launch an online smear campaign against Barrett-Jackson with “numerous defamatory rumors and untrue statements being published to websites and online chat rooms viewed by the company’s core customer base”. The press release refers to one particular “untrue, derogatory and defamatory ‘article’” which was published on more than 20 “automotive-related online ‘blogs’ and discussion boards frequented by thousands of classic car enthusiasts around the world”.

As an automotive blogger I know first hand that there is a definite lack of quality control when it comes to online gossip. However, I’m hesitant to jump in the Barrett-Jackson corner for two reasons. The first is that I have worked in classic car consignment and it is a shady business full of misdirection, deception and occasionally out right lies. Even if Barrett-Jackson is massive company with a long standing reputation, they are still part of that line of work (just like not trusting politicians).

Secondly, Sports Car Market’s own Keith Martin was recently tossed out of a Barrett-Jackson event for supposedly talking bad about the company for pushing the prices of muscle cars up and recommending rival auctions amongst other things. He may have deserved to get tossed even know he denies the actions, but I know people who know Keith, and while he does have a bit of mouth on him, he is a pretty straight talker and tends to tell it like it is. I trust his word more than the Barrett-Jackson, and think that throwing a journalist and auction specialist out of your auction because he is a being critical is a bit fascist.

That being said I will keep an open mind and reserve judgment on this particular news item until I hear the out come of the case (years from now no doubt).

Copies of the lawsuit can be obtained by contacting the clerk of the U.S. District Court in Phoenix or at: http://www.azd.uscourts.gov/.
-Bill Mertz

Barrett-Jackson, Sports Car Market, SCM, classic, vintage, car auction, race car, muscle car, Keith Martin, lawsuit

Recently it came to my attention through my extensive “car guy” connections that there is a bill running through the California legislature that might impact the automotive community. A.B. 616 was introduced in the California Assembly by Assemblyman Dave Jones. Part of the proposed bill would require annual smog check inspections for vehicles 15-years old and older. It would also require that funds generated through the additional inspection fees be deposited into an account which can be used to scrap older cars. Cars built before 1976 would still remain exempt from smog checks, and presumably cars newer than 15 years old would only need them every couple of years as is the law today. The bill has been referred to the Assembly Transportation Committee.

Click for full text of the Assembly Bill as it was introduced:

I haven’t had time to analyze the wording of this Bill too much; however a politically minded vintage car enthusiast that I know sent an interesting response to one of the email lists I subscribe to. He shall remain nameless to protect his identity but this is what he had to say about AB 616:

Hello.
As a California citizen and auto enthusiast, I am concerned about your
support of AB 616. I think that the current smog laws do not take many environmental
concerns into account and AB 616 is a great example of this. Between 60% and 80% of the pollution an automobile will ever make in its operational lifetime is created in the manufacturing process, according to the Society of Automotive Engineers. It is therefore preferable from an
environmental point of view to keep the old cars on the road rather than manufacturing new ones, as the environmental impact of the older vehicles has already been absorbed by the planet.
If you do a bit of research on the manufacture of the batteries for Toyota hybrids, you will find an area of Canada that looks like the surface of the moon because of the plant that makes the batteries. Moving pollution around so that no one notices is not a good solution to the problem.
Other possible solutions might include: simplifying the process of smog checks to look at tail pipe emissions only, which would take some of the financial burden off of the consumer, reduce the temptation to ‘cheat’, and possibly allow for some innovations that may further reduce pollution; having the state pay for engine rebuilds/swaps and tune ups for cars over a certain age, which would cost about the same as enforcing the current program but would create jobs (and tax revenue from those jobs) and foster a cooperative rather than antagonistic relationship between consumers and the state, and probably be far more effective environmentally; sponsor a bill that creates a really good public transportation system state wide in order to reduce reliance on personal motor vehicles, which would again create jobs
and reduce pollution; propose a law that taxes vehicles based on their fuel consumption in order to encourage fuel efficiency to be a factor on the purchase of new vehicles.

Public service means a lot. I hope that you and your fellow public servants are up to the full implications of that task. We do not need any more band aid solutions to our problems. We as a society need real solutions that look at causality that may not be simple or obvious, and
solve the systemic problems we have instead of the symptoms that are so easy to get on a soap box about. Band aids are for crisis symptoms, real work prevents crisis from occurring.
Thank you for your time.

While I don’t agree totally agree with what he says, he makes many valid points. One thing that is a bit deceptive is the pollution statistic. I’m sure that the total pollution from a car manufactured now is less than it was 25 years ago, so the 60-80% from production might also be significantly less (as well as tail pipe pollution). However, I do agree that this is a Band Aid fix, and doesn’t deal with the core of the problem. The car hobbyist lobby has proven powerful in defeating this type of bill in the past; it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Bill Mertz

California, legislation, legislature, Assembly Bill 616, AB 616, smog laws, smog check, pollution, classic cars, vintage cars

50+ Lambrettas

This weekend was the 3rd Annual all Lambretta ride here in the Bay Area. Local Lambretta enthusiast and guru John Quintos created the ride as way for Lambretta owners to get together to share their love for Lambrettas, exchange information, ideas, tuning tips, and just to meet each other. Instead of creating an exclusive club, like many marque-specific groups do, Quintos wanted to keep it really informal, that’s why he calls it the LALO-Loose Association of Lambretta Owners-ride. It’s really not a club at all, it’s just a group of people who meet up every once in awhile to ride their Lambrettas and hang out, no more no less.

As is the case with most events I had a fair amount of prep to do to my Lambretta before I could ride it. The scooter needed a new clutch, some sort of custom air filter for the bigger aftermarket carburetor I am running, and an uprated rear shock/spring so I could ride two-up (my girlfriend on the back). Once I got the clutch parts it was a relatively straight forward job, but the air cleaner and shock required a little fabrication. For the air cleaner I took an old Weiand air filter that used to be on my MGB and modified it so that it could clamp onto my scooter’s carb. I really like this setup because it provides plenty of air flow but has a nice vintage look (since it came off of a 60’s British car).

R1 shock conversion, installed on the scoot

For the shock I decide to try out a conversion that has been gaining popularity in the Lambretta community. Step one is to get a remote reservoir rear shock from a Yamaha R1 or R6 sport bike. Because the spring in this unit is setup for the much heavier bike you need to order and fit a lower ratio spring. I went with a 215 lb spring of the same height and size as the stock Yamaha spring (which is closer to 500 lbs). There is also the matter of having custom bushings made to fit the Lambretta’s shock mount. Being the cheap guy that I am, I also decide to make a spring compressor instead of buying one. I used an old car scissor jack, cut it up into pieces and welded it back together so that it could compress the new Lambretta spring and let me put it onto the new shock. Making the compressor ended up being the most time consuming part, but now I have a custom tool that works great for the job.

Vintage Weiand air cleaner from my MGB

With the new shock fitted, a new air cleaner attached and a new clutch installed (the night before the ride no less), we assembled a group of five scooters over in the east bay, loaded them into pickups and trucked across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. The ride started on the water front where over 50 Lambretta’s gathered at the beginning. In a massive cloud of two-stroke smoke we raced all over the city, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and rode through the headlands than back into the city to the final destination, the bar/club at 330 Ritch. After a beautiful ride with some amazing weather, and no break downs for me, we kicked back and enjoyed free pizza and a few beers.

After putting a lot of labor into my scooter I was happy that the bike performed flawlessly. The new shock worked great, especially with two people on board, and the clutch didn’t complain at all. Lambretta owners are a fine bunch of people, and riding around San Francisco with them on 50 vintage Italian scooters in gorgeous weather was a great way to spend a Saturday.

Here are some more pics from the ride:

-Bill Mertz

Lambretta, Vespa, Scooter, vintage, classic, motorcycle, riding, San Francisco, LALO, two stroke

My first thought when seeing the Deronda sports car was that it looked like a mid-engine modern day Lotus Seven. In fact that description really isn’t a bad one. The car is a bare bones lightweight design, with a small but powerful four cylinder engine giving it excellent power to weight, advanced four wheel independent suspension, and looks that are more about function than style.

This week the Deronda is making its US debut in Sebring, Florida. Coming from across the pond in England the Deronda is being produced and sold in the US by Autosport Development in Trenton, Michigan. The company will only be assembling a limited number of these road legal race cars with a price of around $70,000.

The make up of the Deronda is quite impressive. A steel tubular space frame is at the center of it all with double side impact bars, a front crash structure and rear crash bars. For safety the car has double longitudinally braced rollover hoops, a foam filled gas tank, an external master cutoff switch, and an onboard fire suppression system. Suspension duties are handled by a double wishbone suspension that sports fully adjustable Ohlin springs and dampers. Power for the car comes from an Audi sourced 1.8 liter turbocharged four cylinder engine that delivers 250 brake horsepower and 300 pound feet of torque. The Deronda also comes with massive brakes, light weight wheels, performance tires and a fully adjustable pedal box to help tailor the car the specific needs of different sized customers.

Weighing at only 1600 pounds the Deronda can scorch the tires and reach 60 mph in less than four seconds. Add to that the nimble handling and quick direction changes that only come with a sub-2000 pound car and you have one amazing package. Like the Lotus Seven the Deronda shines because of its lightweight minimalist approach. Even though it is light-years ahead of the Seven in terms of performance, how it delivers the performance is much the same. I look forward to seeing one of these on the road or track, and hopefully it will be dusting a car with twice the power and weight.

-Bill Mertz

Deronda, sports car, Lotus, Lotus 7, Lotus Seven, light weight, small, Formula One

Nearly a year ago Ford announced that it would begin exploring options for its Aston Martin brand. Now, in the midst of a massive restructuring effort, the Ford Motor Company says it has found a buyer for Aston Martin and announced the sale today.

The consortium of buyers is made up of three different parties: David Richards, founder and chairman of Prodrive, a leading motorsport and automotive technology company; John Sinders, an avid Aston Martin collector and a backer of Aston Martin Racing; and Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co, international investment companies headquartered in Kuwait.

A Ford era DB7 Zagato

The sale is expected to close during the second quarter with a selling price of around $925 million. As part of the transaction, Ford will retain a $77 million dollar investment in Aston Martin.
Fords chief executive and President Alan Mulally explained the sale as way for Ford to stay on track for its restructuring, “the sale of Aston Martin supports the key objectives of the company, to restructure to operate profitably at lower volumes and changed model mix and to speed the development of new products,” He went on to emphasize how the deal was helping out everyone involved, “from Aston Martin’s point of view, the sale will provide access to additional capital, which will allow Aston Martin to continue the growth it has experienced under Ford’s stewardship. Today’s announcement is good for Ford Motor Company, good for Aston Martin and good for the UK. We wish Aston Martin every possible success for the future.”

The Early Years: A beautiful DB2

This seems like a logical move on Ford’s part. Streamlining the company and putting the focus on cars for the masses seems like a pathway to success. As for Aston, I’m glad to see the brand stay alive, and it is nice that the new owners are enthusiasts as well as business men. Maybe this will help the company get back in touch with their small business roots. This is one deal where everyone could indeed come out a winner.

-Bill Mertz

FoMoCo, Ford Motor Company, Ford, Alan Mulally, Aston Martin, Aston, sale, Wall Street

This year marked the 77th passing of the Geneva International Motor Show. For the last several years Spyker Cars of Holland has used this as a platform to unveil some magnificent vehicles. Upholding this tradition, Spyker pulled the curtains off of a new Zagato bodied C12. The stunning Dutch car is powered by a 6 liter 500 horsepower W12 sourced from Volkswagen. With the addition of a supercharger this figure can be easily, if not expensively, bumped up to 650 horsepower. The standard 500 horse motor is powerful enough to propel the 3086 pound super car to 60 mph in only 3.8 seconds with a top speed approaching 200 miles per hour.

Rumor has it that this car is a bit piggish in the handling department. This is probably of little concern to the 24 customers who will get to drive this limited production vehicle, as it is much more rolling art than it is a race car. However if I was going to shell out 495,000 Euros before tax (that’s $649,341 for all of us Yanks) I would hope that the car could out corner most of the vehicles on the road. It would be pretty embarrassing to have a Honda Fit or a Toyota Tundra chase you down on a windy road in this thing.

Aesthetically the C12 Zagato pulls many styling cues from Spyker’s 2007 Formula One car, with air inlets, diffusers, ducts and small winglets shooting off in all directions. Certainly not an understated vehicle the C12 is still handsome in its all aluminum Zagato coachwork. In the past Zagato had a reputation for building lightweight and rounded bodies with questionable fit and finish. The C12 however looks taught and fast with few of Zagato’s signature design features. With a jet fighter appearance the C12 Zagato looks as unique as it is rare. There will undoubtedly be a couple of these cruising the streets of Monaco in the upcoming year.

The Alfa Romeo Sprint Zagato has classic Zagato lines.

-Bill Mertz

Spyker, Zagato, C12 Zagato, Dutch, Holland, Geneva, Auto Show, super car, sports car