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racing helmets, Top 10
The 10 Best Auto Racing Helmets

The 10 Best Auto Racing Helmets

Whether you are road racing, doing a track day, running autocross, driving circle track or participating in High-Performance Driver Education, you need a helmet.

By Christopher Smith | September 22, 2022
art
French Artist Fills Potholes Across Europe with Mosaics
French Artist Fills Potholes Across Europe with Mosaics

An anonymous artist known as Ememem, has been filling in street and sidewalk divots with striking geometric mosaics — colorful bursts of beauty amid the asphalt.

By Christopher Smith | September 23, 2022
sponsorship
By a Racer, For Racers: Finding Target Brands for Sponsorship
By a Racer, For Racers: Finding Target Brands for Sponsorship

For young racers looking to make the step into racing professionally, a singular topic is always at the forefront: sponsorship.  Current Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup challenger Aidan Fassnacht dives deep into the prospect of finding funding to secure a racing seat; the first of a four part series - By a Racer, For Racers.

By Christopher Smith | September 27, 2022

Features

Features
Keepers: Acura Integra Type-R

Hold on a second you V-8 guys and gals. This isn’t some stickered up import left over from the set of The Fast and The Furious. In fact, it’s not really stickered up at all, save for the blazing red Rs plastered on both rear quarter panels and the back hatch. These red emblems weren’t purchased at local parts stores, however; they were installed at the factory, along with a host of engine and suspension upgrades that turned the Integra into a true performance legend.

By Christopher Smith | January 27, 2010
Features
An Open Letter Regarding The Viper

Dear Mr. Gilles,

We were overjoyed to hear you say that the Viper will not disappear down the snake hole next year. After recently putting plenty of miles on a 2009 Viper, we felt compelled to contact you. We hope you’re still open to suggestions regarding the 2011 model.

By Rex Roy | January 21, 2010
Features
Keepers: 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS—Community

As one might expect, a niche car like the Impala SS does indeed have its share of die-hard followers. They’re not quite as robust or widespread as many of the communities featured in previous Keepers profiles, but they’re the ones responsible for not only keeping the B-Body Impala SS alive, but sustaining a surprisingly healthy aftermarket for this limited-production vehicle. Of course, it helps having a design shared with the Caprice sedan and an engine shared with the Camaro/Firebird, but Impala-specific aftermarket goodies such as HID headlamps and manual transmission conversions are a testament to just how dedicated these enthusiasts can get when it comes to Impala SS passion. Don’t tell these guys it’s just a big, old-person sedan, because they know the truth, and one visit to ImpalaSSForum.com can make a believer out of anyone.

By Christopher Smith | January 17, 2010
Features
Ask It: 2010 Ford Transit Connect

If you’ve ever read Winding Road before, you know that we love functional vehicles. We’ve fawned over the Dodge Sprinter for many years, and after our first drive of the 2010 Ford Transit Connect, we were really excited to get one into the test fleet.

By Winding Road Staff | January 15, 2010
Features
Keepers: 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS—Shopping

When it comes to collector cars, the last year of a particular model run is usually the one people want, and the sixth-generation Impala SS is no different. 1996 is the only year for the floor-shifted automatic, as well as a standard gauge cluster and tachometer which replaced the digital units from 1994 and 1995.

By Christopher Smith | January 11, 2010
Features
Keepers: 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS

Lest you think the Winding Road team is all about turbos and corner-carving, here’s a shout out to the muscle loving, bigger-is-better crowd and their definitive late-model flagship, the 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS. Lord Vader, your car is now a Keeper.

By Christopher Smith | January 07, 2010
Features
Ask It: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS On Winter Tires

When you think of snowy, slushy, wintry driving, a Chevrolet Camaro isn’t necessarily the first vehicle that comes to mind. Naturally, when General Motors offered us the opportunity to test a Camaro SS outfitted with Pierlli Scorpion Ice & Snow tires in the middle of January, we accepted the challenge.

By Winding Road Staff | January 05, 2010
Features
Ask It: 2010 Audi A5 Coupe 2.0T

To properly ring in the New Year, we’ll be spending the week with a gorgeous Audi A5 Coupe, equipped with the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and a good-to-use six-speed manual transmission.

By Winding Road Staff | December 30, 2009
Features
Keepers: Saab 900 Turbo—Community

Saab the car company isn’t likely to be around much longer, but Saab the legend will live on indefinitely thanks to a healthy enthusiast community that works hard to keep these cars on the road. That community maintains a strong presence in cyberspace—as do most modern auto clubs—but also offers a more traditional owners club for Saab faithful to join.

By Christopher Smith | December 28, 2009
Features
Keepers: Saab 900 Turbo—Shopping

Shopping for niche machines like the 900 can be intimidating to the uninitiated, and for good reason. Unique vehicles invariably come with unique problems requiring expensive, hard-to-find parts, and if you’re not much of a mechanical master, finding someone to handle the repair can be the greatest challenge of all. Yes, the Saab 900 Turbo meets all the aforementioned criteria, but it can also be a reliable, million-mile survivor when maintained by knowledgeable hands. More on that to come.

By Christopher Smith | December 23, 2009
Features
Secondhand Gems: $10K Winter Second Cars

Many of us who choose to enjoy the fruits of dedicated performance vehicles also know the value of having a second vehicle on-hand. Those of us in four-season climates also understand the necessity of piloting something a bit more winter-friendly, if for no other reason than to keep our expensive, fair-weather ride out of the salt and slush.

By Christopher Smith | December 15, 2009
Features
Keepers: Saab 900 Turbo

Winding Road staffers are nothing if not hopelessly in love with quirky cars, probably because we’re quirky people. It should come as no surprise, then, that we pay homage to the King of Quirk, the Idol of Idiosyncrasy, the Pinnacle of Peculiarity, the … okay, you get the point. Straight from the land of Ikea, Dancing Queen, and the too-cool ice hotel (pun intended) comes the Saab 900 Turbo.

By Christopher Smith | December 14, 2009
Features
Keepers: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mark II—Community

There are but a handful of cars that truly enjoy a massive, worldwide enthusiast community, and the GTI is arguably at the top of that short list. It doesn’t matter where you are—Europe, Asia, Africa, North America; the GTI faithful are everywhere, driving the wheels off their little hatchbacks and loving every moment of it. As such, local and regional Volkswagen clubs are commonplace, and most of them have at least some sort of connection to a small online villa called VW Vortex.

By Christopher Smith | November 26, 2009
Features
Keepers: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mark II—Shopping

Locating a Mark II GTI in stock condition is about as difficult as eating chocolate pudding with chopsticks. The situation is further complicated by age; the newest Mark II GTI is still 17 years old, so when shopping for a GTI, standard used-car guidelines should be followed to the letter. The good news is that these cars are generally available in good condition for less than $5000, with “project cars” going for even less.

By Christopher Smith | November 21, 2009
Features
Keepers: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mark II

Browse through the pages of just about any history book on performance vehicles, and the term “hot hatch” will inevitably show up, usually in close proximity to the letters GTI. The formula is a familiar one—take a rather unassuming, practical car, add performance goodness, and simmer until frothy and delicious. Volkswagen followed this recipe back in 1976 with the Rabbit, turning the small, three-door hatchback into a pocket-rocket GTI. It wasn’t a terribly fast car, but it made all the right noises while offering ballet-dancer balance and super-glue grip. The term “hot hatch” was born, though six years would pass before that first-generation, Mark I GTI (renamed Golf for the domestic market) would hit U.S. shores. It was replaced just two years later by its slightly larger, slightly more powerful successor, the Golf GTI Mark II.

By Christopher Smith | November 16, 2009
Features
Keepers: Mustang SVT Cobra—Community

Mustang clubs are about as common as all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets. There are clubs for old Mustangs, new Mustangs, convertibles, specific models, specific colors (yes colors), and of course, clubs for the SVT faithful. The good news here is that yes, there is a Mustang club in your neck of the woods, wherever your woods happen to be. If, however, you want to associate only with the Cobra crowd, that may be a bit tougher unless you stick to internet chatting only. Most Mustang clubs—even the ones specializing in a particular Mustang genre—welcome all breeds of the horse, and that’s okay because Mustang fans generally love other Mustang fans, whether behind the wheel of a V-6, GT, or Cobra. There is a dark side however; drop an SVT badge on anything other than a bona-fide Cobra, and true Cobra owners will strike with great vengeance and furious anger. For these folks, the SVT badge is a sacred item, so if you’re thinking of sprucing up a V-6 or even a GT with Cobra badging, think again. At least if you want to be part of the Mustang crowd and have two working legs.

By Christopher Smith | November 01, 2009
Features
Keepers: Mustang SVT Cobra—Shopping

“The fix” are two words perpetually connected with the 1999 SVT Cobra. To make a somewhat confusing story very simple, it goes like this: Design flaws in the intake and exhaust caused the car to make less than the 320 horsepower advertised by Ford. Average losses were in the 30 horsepower range, but some folks claimed as many as 50 ponies were missing from their Cobra. The fallout caused Ford to stop Cobra production, issue a recall, and “fix” the cars already in circulation so they actually produced all 320 horsepower. All Cobra owners were notified of the problem and asked to deliver their cars to the nearest SVT dealer for service, which consisted of a new upper and lower intake manifold, new exhaust system, and a PCM reflash.

By Christopher Smith | October 26, 2009
Features
Keepers: Mustang SVT Cobra

When the concept of Keepers was bouncing around the NextAutos office, there was a tinge of trepidation about discussing Mustangs and Camaros. Aside from the fanatical, insanely-large following enjoyed by both cars, they’ve been covered, featured, mentioned, compared, discussed, reviewed, and otherwise overblown by just about every publication on the planet. As such, you’ll never likely never see a Mustang GT or Camaro Z28 in this neck of NextAutos cyberspace, but some of the specialty models do stand a chance, such as the 1999 and 2001 Mustang SVT Cobra.

By Christopher Smith | October 21, 2009
Features
Back To School: We Preview Aston Martin’s Performance Driving Course

The folks at Aston Martin invited us to preview the same courses that customers go through, and we gladly accepted. This would not only allow us to brush up on our dynamic driving skills, but it would give us the chance to spend some more time with the latest crop of Astons—the V8 Vantage, DB9, and DBS coupes.

By Steven J. Ewing | September 29, 2009
Features
Dinan S1 335i: Better Than an M3?

Taking the fabulous BMW 335i and trying to make it better than an M3 is a tempting but difficult exercise. Not only is the M3 a very good car, so is the 335i. If anyone has a chance to pull this off, it would be Dinan, the long-standing mega tuners of BMWs in the U.S.

By Tom Martin | September 28, 2009
Features
Keepers: Audi S4 B5-series—Community

Here’s where the frustration of dealing with recurring S4 mechanical maladies all but disappears. YouTube is full videos that feature turbo S4s committing various acts of horsepower heroics (like the Nurburgring vid posted above), and that’s due to the devout following of Audi owners on the whole. The unassuming styling of the S4 however, combined with the Biturbo’s ease of tuning make it an Audi favorite despite the car’s relatively short North American lifespan. As such, S4 owners have an extremely broad enthusiast community when it comes to technical help, aftermarket tuning, spare parts, or just friendly camaraderie. In fact, there are so many web sites in cyber land devoted to all things Audi that we could never hope to list them all, but we can offer a few suggestions on groups both big and small.

By Christopher Smith | September 22, 2009

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