Thursday, January 31, 2013

Fuel Cell Technology Advances Even Further!

The 2012 Honda FCX. Image Courtesy of Honda.

Anyone who has enough common sense can see that running cars on fossil fuels is a practice that needs to be phased out. The big debate that's raging in the automotive industry right now is what's the best way to wean us off our use of fossil fuels. There are people who tout biodiesel as a great alternative, mostly because the tech is pretty well-developed and could be implemented quickly. A growing faction of the auto industry is putting their weight behind electric cars, especially with the recent success of the Tesla Model S.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Entertaining Video of the Day: Guy in a Honda Has a Cargasm Over Three C7 Corvettes

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Photo courtesy General Motors.

The new C7 Corvette is picking up quite a bit of interest, both inside and outside the automotive world. Anyone who knows the difference between a wrench and their stick shift can tell a new generation of Corvette is a big deal.

And the C7 is a big deal, with numerous improvements over the C6. Of course, most people don't worry too much about what's under the skin of the new 'Vette, getting all hot and bothered over those new chiseled looks.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Denim, Denim, and a C7 Corvette Test Drive

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Photo courtesy General Motors.

Some guys get all the breaks. When it comes to the automotive world, that guy often seems to be Jay Leno -- yes, the comedian. There's a good reason why he gets so many perks in the automotive world. Have you see the guy's garage? He has one of the most amazing car collections in the world and a huge following of gearheads and even casual car appreciators. Every car company with a marketing team that has any sense knows this, so they grab any chance they can get to put Mr. Leno behind the wheel of one of their hot new cars.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The Fiat 500 Is Like a Go-Kart!

2012 Fiat 500 Abarth. Photo credit Chrysler Group International LLC.

My first taste for car racing came to me the first time I climbed behind the wheel of a go-kart at the ripe old age of ten. I still enjoy kart racing, partly because the simplicity of the machine provides you feeling extremely connected with the track.

For anyone who has driven a Fiat 500 knows it is about as close as you can get to a street-legal kart. The car is small, handles tight and provides some punchy acceleration. The higher-performance Abarth gives a driver even more thrills and chills.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Car Saftey Technology

Mercedes-Benz wrong-way alert technology

To me, car safety technology is one of the most important features I look at when vehicle shopping.

Since my wife and baby were in a car accident several years ago, where the other driver shot out into traffic without looking both right and left, I've become a huge safety advocate. The car they were driving was totaled when the other car t-boned it, setting off the front airbags (it was a while ago, so no side curtain or side seat airbags). The car was not equipped with a sensor in the front passenger seat, so the airbag on that side deployed. Stupidly, the airbag was positioned so it smashed into the windshield, sending the glass spraying throughout the cabin of the car.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Porsche 917/20 "Pink Pig"


I'm a huge Porsche fan for many reasons. Anyone who knows about Porsche's very accomplished racing program's history will at least recognize the 917/20, a race car that is lovingly referred to as  the "Pink Pig." The car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1970.

Monday, January 14, 2013

The C7 Corvette is Born!

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

Unless you've been living in a cave, then you know that General Motors has been cooking up the new generation Corvette, which was revealed this past Sunday evening. It's easily one of the most anticipated model releases of the year, bringing quite a bit of pressure for the huge automaker that has been lambasted by media outlets and the public in general for its reliance on a government bailout (and not to mention a sleuth of sub-par vehicles such as the horribly regrettable Chevy Aveo).