Search results for: porsche
First Look: 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible
With 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque on tap, the ZL1 Convertible will probably be a very fast car. In fact, Chevy went to the trouble of listing some of the cars that the ZL1 will overpower, including the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, the Mercedes-Bezn SL63 AMG, the Aston Martin DB9 Volante, and of course, crosstown rival, the 550-horsepower Shelby GT500. Gauntlet, thrown down.
The Hot List: Volume 10
Every week we sift through a truly amazing amount of “stuff” in the dozen or so hours we spend online—you know, the time spent not driving sweet cars. A lot of the cool stuff we find has to do specifically with new cars, naturally, but there’s also a huge amount of awesomeness that doesn’t completely fit in the normal Winding Road world. Once, we were in the habit of simply reading, watching, or talking amongst ourselves about this web detritus, but recently we thought it might be a good idea to start sharing it with you all. Thus, The Hot List.
Frankfurt 2011: Frankfurt Auto Show Wrap-Up
As quickly as it began, the first media day of the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show is over. This year’s show featured no shortage of concept cars, including one designed by a racecar driver. As for production metal, there seemed to be something for everyone: exotics, hybrids, station wagons, SUVs, GTs, and sports cars were all well represented at this years show.
Driven: 2012 Shelby GT350 Convertible 624HP
Fleet manager Brandon Turkus was the lucky duck that got the first Winding Road ride in the Shelby GT350 this time around. He drove down to Ford HQ in Dearborn, Michigan to pick the monster convertible up, and returned to Ypsilanti with a face-bursting smile on his mug.
Driven: 2012 BMW 650i Coupe
The BMW 6-Series is an oddly seductive car. Back in the day (the late ‘70s and ‘80s), BMW shipped the first E24 edition of the 6, and a beauty it was. BMW understood that many a driver wanted something more svelte and mature than a sports car. And BMW understood that such drivers wanted a car that drove well, but struck a balance between luxury and dynamics. BMW was emerging as the king of this balance, and the 6er became one of the iconic members of BMW’s rise in brand desirability and strength. This phase of the 6 was mostly seduction and very little oddity other than the peculiar balance of attributes that the car offered.
Driven: 2012 BMW Z4 sDrive28i
BMW, the self-proclaimed maker of “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” has set some tough standards for their new 2.0-liter engine. That’s good because, frankly, a four-banger replacing one of the most revered sixes in history needs some credibility-building. We have our own standards, so we set off down the Pacific Coast Highway, one of our favorite winding roads, to see what this new engine could do.
Driven: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
It was a relief to see the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle in person, and to see that it, in fact, lived up to its name, forsaking the cartoonish architecture of the last-gen “New” Beetle. With its flatter, longer roof, lowered stance, and upright windshield, we actually felt the instinctual urge to slug the nearest person in the arm. Some of the amassed Bugs were sporting retro wheels—and they actually looked great! Looking at the group of 2012 Beetles in the Volkswagen headquarters parking lot, we found it easy to recall some of our favorite driving experiences on the rainy, meandering coastal highway of central Oregon in our friend Luke Frels’s 1974 Beetle. Clearly, this new car was doing what it was meant to do, which is inspire an emotional response to the vehicle—a wholly welcome psychological manipulation.
Quick Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG
This car is a work of art. It’s really understated for a machine with a $150K-plus price tag, making it a perfect vehicle for the driver who has the money to spend on a car like this, but isn’t looking to necessarily flaunt their wealth. And you can’t go wrong with that engine, either. This car is fast and smooth. And, while it may look like just another Mercedes to the casual passerby, it’s unforgettable to any person who takes it for a ride.
The Complete Winding Road Video Catalog
In case you haven’t noticed yet, we here at Winding Road are trying like mad to get back into the swing of regular video production. Newly minted Multimedia Editor Chris Amos and the rest of the guys are all working towards bringing you new moving pictures each week.
Ferrari Unveils 458 Italia Grand Am Racer
Ferrari already has several racing versions of its sublime 458 Italia. That hasn’t stopped the Maranello, Italy based manufacturer from launching one more for the American Grand Am racing series.
2011 Winding Road Involvement Index Awards
Involvement matters. That’s the heart of the sermon we’ve been preaching for the last six years now. To drive fast is fun, to go around a corner neatly is admirable, to be luxurious is lovely; but to do all of those things and more in a way that enhances the driver/machine relationship is special indeed. When we first started Winding Road, we made it clear that we wanted to have a conversation with readers about the vehicles that we found to be exciting, not because they measured well, but because they inveigled many of our senses most of the time we were driving.
Secondhand Gems: Lottery Win Cars
It has been a long, brutal winter. Spring thus far hasn’t been much better, with most folks still dealing with cold, or wicked storms, or record flooding, or a combination of all three. This might be a good time to look at good secondhand off-roaders, machines that can chase storms and cross swollen rivers without giving up the fight. Or perhaps we should examine bulletproof German sedans, the ones with tank-like body structures and bank vault solidity that can weather winddriven debris while massaging your backside. And with fuel at an all-time high, this might be a good time to talk the finer points of good used hybrids.
Driven: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
The Angeles Crest Highway was a beautiful way to get from Los Angeles to Willow Springs raceway, and a great venue to display the handling prowess of the all-new 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. The scenic mountain curves tested the grip of the P295 Pirellis, and no matter how hard we pushed it, the rubber never broke loose at any corner. Tossing the wheel back and forth, the Jeep responded quickly, with easy transitions and amazingly little body roll. Having those comfortable bolstered seats to hold our torso in place didn’t hurt either. In the tighter corners (and, later, navigating the paddock area of the big track at Willow), the Grand Cherokee felt a lot smaller than expected, thanks to a decent 37.1-foot turning circle. On top of all this, the steering wheel (shared across the 2012 SRT lineup) is thick and nicely shaped for aggressive driving, and wrapped in nice leather—the cherry on top of a good steering experience.
Base Versus Loaded: 2011 Volkswagen Golf GTI
After toying around with various configurators for previous Base Versus Loaded pieces, many of which allow users to tack on enough options to nearly double the price of the base vehicle, it’s refreshing to be able to load up a car for just a few thousand dollars. Such is the case with the Volkswagen GTI.
Singer 911 To Get Cosworth Power
If you haven’t yet heard about Singer Vehicle Design, you might be doing yourself a favor by checking them out. The very young company is doing some incredibly cool remanufacturing of air-cooled Porsche 911s, creating stunning carbon fiber bodywork in the mold of 1960’s and 70s era cars to wrap 964 911 engines and running gear. Essentially creating 911s that offer all of the appeal of classic era Porsches, but with the performance and technology that new sports car buyers expect and demand.
Friday Video: Nissan 370Z With Akrapovič Exhaust
Akrapovič Exhaust Systems Technology has some darned tasty videos that help to show off the sound of their products. We like them for the aural experience, of course, but also for the beautiful scenery, photography, and choice of automobiles being caned for the camera. This video features a Nissan 370Z with Akrapovič exhaust.
List: Ten Great 24 Hours Of Le Mans Cars
This weekend marks one of Winding Road’s favorite summer traditions, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This legendary endurance race will see entries from Peugeot, Audi, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Chevrolet, and Porsche among others. While we wait for the green flag to drop, we decided to look back on some of the cars that have won overall in the past. This list is hardly comprehensive though, so feel free to chime in in the comments section with your favorite cars that have conquered Le Mans.
Driven: 2011 Lotus Evora S
Lotus is different. And, if we’re completely honest about it, Lotus is mostly better, too. Not better as a manufacturer, or as a “brand,” or as a cultural force; though the company could probably make interesting claims on all three of those fronts as well. No, Lotus is better at building engaging, high-performing, exactly-as-you’d-build-it-yourself-if-you-could sports cars.
Comparison Test: 2011 Mazdaspeed3 vs. 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata vs. 2011 Mazda RX-8
A weird thing happened the other day. We were messing around and looking at car discounts and deals online, when we stumbled upon the AOL Autos Best Deal tool. (No, AOL didn’t pay us to write this part; we just genuinely think they’ve got a cool thing going here.) The online tool allows you to search for “best deal” by showing cars in your area that are being offered for the most money off of the baseline MSRP. At the time, we’d just booked a one-week loan of a Mazda RX-8, so we took a look at what discounts were available for the car (one we’ve always been pretty fond of).
Quick Guide To Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
The Nissan Leaf will make its motorsports debut later this month at the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado Springs on June 26. It will be competing in the Electric division (a new and relatively small division). With the evolution of the PPIHC taking place before our very eyes, we thought it a good opportunity to review the various divisions that will be competing this year.
CarTronics: Mapping The Landscape Of Premium In-Car Audio
The advent of the Winding Road Comfort Index has had some interesting results here in our Ypsilanti office. In addition to causing us take a different approach to our time in test vehicles (we’ve seriously never lavished so much time on getting into and out of the back seats of cars), the Comfort Index has made us listen a little differently.
