Michelin
The Guide to Road Racing, Part 7: Getting Started in Autocross
We’ve been having such a great time working toward our SCCA Competition License running in the Spec Miata class races that we almost forgot that there’s still plenty of cool events you can do with daily driver. As the weather warms up, autocross events are popping up around the country, so we decided to take the Winding Road Challenger out to the autocross for a closer look at this very fun and accessible way to get involved in road racing.
Classic: The History of the Citroën DS
Over five decades after its introduction, the Citroën DS is remembered as one of the most influential cars ever to come out of Europe. It’s not the rarest or the most expensive Citroën ever built but it left an indelible mark on the automaker’s history.
WR TV: 2010 Volkswagen GTI at Gingerman Raceway – POV Track Test
With spring approaching and temperatures starting to rise a bit, the beginning of track season is starting to take shape. A few months ago when the weather was a bit kinder in Michigan, Multimedia Editor Chris Amos took his 2010 GTI out to Gingerman Raceway to put the MK6 through its paces. As the winter starts to thaw and we get ready for more track days, here’s a look at some fast laps around the course, as well as a rundown of the current setup Chris is using on his GTI.
Video: First Customer-Owned 2014 Corvette Runs Quarter Mile
The video comes from Hennessey, but the production C7 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray you see here is bone stock. And, yes, even unmodified, it is blistering fast.
Video: Ferrari Teases 458 Speciale
Ferrari is teasing its 458 Speciale ahead of its Frankfurt debut in September. Upgrades to the powertrain, aerodynamics, and other aspects of the car take its performance beyond that of the standard 458 Italia.
Preview: Hennessey HPE700 Chevrolet Corvette
Chomping at the bit to drive the new Stingray? Yeah, we are too. Hennessey Performance, though, apparently can’t sit still and wait, and has gone ahead and announced its HPE700 Corvette, slated to debut before Chevrolet can come out with its hi-po Corvette ZR1.
Captured: Spania GTA Spano Drives Goodwood
The Spanish supercar called the Spania GTA Spano took to the hill climb race at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We’ve seen static shots of the car before, in black, so to see the car in motion out on the course in bright yellow paint is a welcome sight.
Preview: Vuhl 05
Coming to America in the near future, the Vuhl 05 has been revealed. It is a lightweight, two-seat track car made to compete with the likes of the Ariel Atom, KTM X-Bow, and BAC Mono.
Preview: Koenigsegg Agera S
Swedish carmaker Koenigsegg has released details about its newest member of the Agera line, the Agera S. With lightweight carbon fiber construction and massive performance figures, it slots in nicely under the Agera R, and runs on regular gasoline.
Long-Term Car: The Mini’s Snow Tires Get Tested
Finally, we’d have a proper test of our Michelin Primacy Alpin winter tires. I pulled out of work to dry weather on that Friday afternoon, and made it home in record time (people, hearing there was snow on the way, must have ditched work early to avoid a slow-go on the way home). I parked the car, and waited.
Chicago 2012: Kia Track’ster Concept
Okay, silly name aside, everything about this Kia concept sounds awesome. For a start, it’s a Kia Soul minus two doors, which is pretty cool on its own. This thing looks like a second-gen RenaultSport Megane crossed with a Range Rover Evoque, only funkier. Despite the elimination of the back portals, the Track’ster’s wheelbase is almost a full inch longer than a standard Soul. It’s also five inches wider than the standard car, as well.
Long-Term Car: Our Mini Gets Its Snow Shoes
As Editor-In-Chief Miersma mentioned in the first impressions of our long-term 2012 Mini Cooper S Coupe, winter rubber will be a must-have for our loaner. Having arrived with a set of Continental ContiProContacts, we certainly weren’t prepared to tackle even the mild winter we’ve had so far, so the quest began to find a suitable set of snow shoes.
Comparison Test: 2012 BMW X5M vs. 2012 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon
There are a lot of things that make these cars match up well, in spite of the price. The BMW X5M and Cadillac CTS-V Wagon are very powerful. They both represent their respective brands’ ultimate fusion of performance and utility. Each is impressive in its ability to get our heart pounding and put a smile on our face. But one of these haulers is clearly the more engaging, more thrilling driver’s vehicle.
Tire Tech: Cooper Zeon RS3-S and RS3-A
Ultimately we felt a lot more confident driving on the Coopers, which showed through in the lap times—we were about five seconds faster on average on the RS3-S tires.
Video: Ferrari 599XX Break Seven-Minute Barrier On The ‘Ring.
It’s Friday, which means it’s almost time to break out the video game paddles and take on the Nürburgring from the comfort of our couch. To help us with our line, Ferrari has generously posted this video of the 599XX breaking the seven-minute barrier for a production-derived car. The time: 6 minutes, 58.16 seconds.
List: What We Got For Christmas…And Really Liked
If you know the right places to look, here’s never a shortage of cool, automotive-themed gifts to give and receive.
While the major gifting holidays are past, consider the following as a recommendations list for the rest of 2010.
First Look: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Is What We’ve Been Waiting For
While the tagline of “The Caddy That Zigs” may not have worked too well for the all-but-forgotten Catera sedan from the late 1990s, we think it will be a very appropriate description for this hot little number. Cadillac just recently unveiled the new CTS Coupe bodystyle, and only one month after the two-door’s official debut, we now have a much-anticipated V-badged variant, set to go on sale in the summer of 2010.
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