I've never understood why Britain became the most virulently anti-speed nation in the world. After all, we're talking about the island of TVRs, Mad Caterhams and Stirling Moss. Maybe Old Blighty's regrettable love for the security camera metastasized into speed cameras. In any case, Britons have long taken to venting their surveillance-repressed ids on the French autoroutes. Not that France doesn't have cameras, they just haven't applied cross-border enforcement. Yet. And once on French soil, even the 80mph speed limit isn't enough to satisfy what the Times calls "British speed freaks." In response to a French request for help with the menace, the UK now sends bobbies to help bust speeders around northern French ports. To some effect. "In a four-hour period last weekend, on the A26 motorway near Saint-Omer , a Franco-British patrol stopped 30 cars for breaking the 130km/h (80mph) limit. All but two were from Britain." According to at least one gendarme, Brits just tend to go wild whenever they escape their island home. "The mentality of letting go across the Channel seems to be the same one that makes les Anglais get drunk as soon as they leave their country."

Following his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama became the celebrity he still claims he isn't.  Mobbed wherever he went, Obama's staff urged him to give up driving and jogging for security reasons.  Soon afterwards, sold his beloved 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and got used to being driven around. Black on black leather with 87,000 miles, the Jeep was purchased by Liz Murphy of Naperville, IL.  She was given the original title and told that it might be worth something someday.  Obama's office declined to return her calls asking for his autograph on the dashboard, but she's hoping to cash in on the former Obamamobile after the November presidential election via eBay.  Although its value isn't sinking as we speak, appraisers haven't given much extra value to this ex-celebrity Jeep as he didn't own it while in high office. It might be worth lots someday, 3 to 4 decades from, assuming that Obama wins the presidency and does a good job.  In the meantime, Ms. Murphy's SUV has a worn-down spot on the steering wheel just left of 12 o'clock to remind her of the previous owner's tenacious grip.

Our buddies at Autoblog have strapped on their brave pants, speculating that Toyota's LF-A supercar is DO-A. And there's plenty of evidence to back up their suspicion. There's no production date (not even 2010!), and a $225k price point that won't even pay off development costs. After an uncharacteristically unreliable 24 Hours of Nurburgring race, ToMoCo has opted for a soon-to-be-canceled SC430 silhouette on to its Super GT racer. Plus, Nurburgring testing crews and rival test drivers tell Autoblog that the LF-A is doomed to eternal test-bed status. All of which confirms that Toyota is no longer capable of producing quality performance cars. And reflects Lexus's shift in focus from performance to hybrid luxury. Meanwhile, Car Magazine reports that Honda's hybrid Open Study Model (OSM) will replace the elderly S2000 as Honda's mainline roadster. And they're not talking just styling cues either: the next S2000 will be a hybrid. Unfortunately, details are being held for Car's forthcoming print issue, so we still don't yet know exactly what flavor the hybrid will come in. If Honda's too-good-for-this-life Accord Hybrid is anything to go on, it could be something special.

In this edition of "what I learned during Robert's week off", warning and banning commenters. This is neither as much fun as you'd think nor is it something I'm particularly fond of. In the name of keeping it as a clean fight (and clean site), we've got to edit, delete, warn, and sometimes altogether toss people. At times, it's easy to identify what kind of comments have to go. But it's even still not easy to write the person and tell them they're way out of line. Other times, it's not an easy call. What constitutes flaming, especially flaming the site or other commenters broadly? What we try to do is encourage a lively debate and intervene as little as possible. But the shades of gray are always challenging. So we live and learn, and I thank all the B&B for constantly participating in the discussion on posts and for challenging us to make sure our structured free-speech is as robust as possible. Meanwhile, Jonny the Loverman and I talk about high performance cars and also about the Challenger SRT8.

Let's say you manage a fleet of vehicles, and your bosses want it updated. "Make it cleaner," they say, "more efficient." There any number of hucksters (and their hard-won tax breaks) out there who will try to convince you that ethanol is cheaper and sends the right PR message. What they won't tell you (until it's too late) is that converting to E85 costs money and reduces efficiency. Converting to hybrids will come with a sphincter-clenching price tag, if you can even find enough Priora for sale. So what's a fleet manager to do? Invest in education. A Ford-sponsored study at Green Car Congress shows that lessons in eco-driving techniques can bring down fleet fuel economy by as much as 26 percent. That's right folks, an automaker-sponsored study shows that you can save gas without necessarily buying some gimmicky product they're hocking! That 26 percent average reduction came after four days of testing by 48 drivers. Individually, efficiency improved between 6 to 50 percent with instruction. Screw the overhyped technical innovations; this is the real game-changer. Too bad Detroit can't put it in a bottle and sell it. But since they don't have any Priora to sell, this may just have to do.

There is no greater condemnation of an industry's lack of competitive spirit than seeing its executives hanging around political conventions. Their sudden interest in the future direction of America sends a single resounding message: we have failed on our merits and our misery demands company. And while Detroit snuggles up to Obama, courtesy of McCain's semi-stand against a D2.8 bailout, the E85 lobby gets to represent the failures of America's auto and energy businesses at the Republican convention in Minneapolis. Of course, it helps that Minnesota is a standard-bearer for ethanol, bringing countless millions in pork to the land of a thousand lakes. But the mere presence of E85-backers at the RNC convention isn't enough to hammer home the ugly, thoughtless greed of the corn-juice movement. Domesticfuel.com reports that the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest has purchased a number of pro-ethanol TV spots and billboards aimed specifically at the Donkey do. "Addicted to Oil?" asks a sign on the St. Paul skyway. The query that really begs an answer here is "what the hell is a respiratory health advocacy group doing schilling for agribusiness?" Meanwhile, yesterday's E85BOTD poster child POET has given the University of South Dakota a $3.9m grant to study cellulosic ethanol. First, why not just build another plant, considering POET's first cellulosic ethanol plant in Scotland cost $4m? Second, will this research grant simply provide academic fodder for the corn farming lobby's campaigns? And third, why didn't POET ask the government to fund this grant? Is ethanol finally learning to stand on its own? Don't count on it.

Tropical Storm Gustav, which some experts say will be the worst Gulf of Mexico hurricane since Katrina, is projected to hit the Louisiana Gulf Coast early next week. After the Katrina fiasco, you can count on three things: 1. Residents of New Orleans will evacuate when they're told to; 2. FEMA will be on full alert; and 3. Gasoline prices will go up. Bloomberg reports Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc and ConocoPhillips are already cutting production and evacuating workers from their off-shore platforms along the Louisiana coast. If Gustav follows the predicted path (there's a 70-75 percent likelihood it will), it could halt production of 1.2m barrels of crude per day. Crude oil for October delivery has already gone up 1.5 percent; overall, oil has gained 3.3 percent since Gustav formed on August 25. The price of natural gas for September delivery also went up, with a 4.9 gain so far. Even if Gustav changes course, it could still affect prices because 42 percent of U.S. refining capacity is located along the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coasts. Hold onto your wallets, folks. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

If I had a shotgun, I would be in jail right now. Since Chrysler LLC refuses to acknowledge TTAC's existence and won't give us access to their press cars (unlike Audi, Bentley, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and a lot of others), we have to bug dealers for test drives. Seeing dealerships in the greater Oklahoma City Metro area receiving Dodge Challenger SE's (the V6 4-speed auto-only versions), I went a-hunting. Fowler Dodge: "you cannot drive a Challenger until you sign the paperwork to buy one, even the $25,000 model, because people want NO miles on them, as they are collectors items." David Stanley Dodge possessed no less than six Challenger SEs. They flat-out refused a test drive, demanding a sizeable deposit for the "collectible model." Mark Heitz Dodge scoffed and refused to even open up the their car. Bob Moore Dodge in Edmond roped theirs off (I'm pretty sure I saw an SRT8 in an inflatable bubble). ALL of the Challengers I encountered had at least a $5K markup on the windshield (some disguised as a "chrome" package). Meanwhile, the base $25k model is already finding its way into the rental fleets (check out your local Thrifty– they might have one already). The behavior of dealers like these is a big reason Chrysler finds itself in such trouble. Time after time, they insult the customer with ridiculous markups, patronizing sales tactics and flat-out deceit. Jackie Cooper BMW will let you take out a $75,000 BMW M3, Mercedes of Oklahoma threw me the keys to an SL55 and Porsche of Edmond called me to tell me about their new Boxster S. Dodge dealers, I hate to break it to you, but your $25,000 Challenger SE, while good-looking IS NOT THAT SPECIAL. It's a $25k Mustang competitor. Let as many people as you can drive them, price them right and maybe, just maybe, you won't have them stacking up on your lots in three months.

Say what you want about Detroit, it still has some class. The media may already be counting the bailout billions, but the once-big three will be waiting until after Labor Day to visit Washington, hat in hand. Per Emily Post's corporate welfare etiquette, natch. The Wall Street Journal also reports that the Detroit three will speak with a single voice during upcoming meetings with federal loan officers. As in no screwing over Chrysler for a better deal. Of course that means the projected $50b will have to be split three ways. And then there's that damn CAFE ramp-up to worry about. In fact, Detroit insiders are already saying that 2011 compliance alone could take up the whole $50b. Why, it's almost as if Detroit might need even more money! But with political season in full swing and the economy emerging as a major issue, Detroit knows it has only to ask. Posturing representatives will hand out loans for the electoral feel-good, and before you know it there'll be a Volt in every pot. And billions of dollars in taxpayer liability for three spectacularly failing enterprises.

The auto industry's $50b bailout plan should, by all  accounts, be a fairly controversial issue. Detroit wants a re-do after chasing SUV profits off a cliff, but can't even guarantee that $50b will be enough. So why are industry pundits so unified in their support for the industry plan? To be fair, there is some opposition to the bailout plan among the chattering classes. Curiously it seems to be limited to John McCain, SUV-haters and everyone on Wall Street. Oh yeah, and TTAC. Meanwhile  every buff-book columnist and "car-guy" commentator worth his junket airfare is parroting the same two basic arguments. First: it's not a bailout. Second: America, Fuck Yeah.

ChyrCo's procurement Veep wants the company's suppliers to understand that they're part of the Chrysler family, which ain't goin' nowhere. Capice? (So wait for your God damn money, OK?) The Bradenton Herald spills the beans on Joe Campi's charm offensive. "On Friday, Campi said the 160 suppliers visited Chrysler's headquarters Thursday to hear from the automaker's chief financial officer, the second time in about a month that suppliers were brought in for such a presentation. 'We did a complete financial review, balance sheet, earnings performance, you name it, we covered it,' Campi said. 'Not too different from what I've seen in legit publicly traded companies. I think the mood was very upbeat.'" Or so they told Campi. Anyway, if that wasn't enough to quell suppliers' queasiness, Don Campi had a blunt message for all those "friends of ours." "I am not looking to kill suppliers," he asserted. "But there are some I can't save." Sam Giancana couldn't have said it better. 'Cause they would have thrown his ass in jail. 

The same suits who said GM's GMT900 SUVs were going to be the bomb have watched SUV sales implode. And so they've cut back on GMT900 SUV production as fast as they can; which hasn't been very fast 'cause how can it be what with the UAW and all. Meanwhile, the communities that depend on GMT900 production for jobs and tax revenue are saying, what the Hell are we going to do now? The answer is, of course, nothing. There's nothing they can do. But politicians have got to be seen to be doing something. So Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher of Ohio heard of GM's cutbacks in Moraine (1000 jobs lightly toasted) and did the right thing — at least as far as getting re-elected is concerned. Fisher offered GM $56m worth of tax credits and grants to "encourage" The General to crank-out SUVs that nobody wants to buy. "The proposed assistance announced Wednesday consists of a $54 million job retention tax credit," The Chicago Trib reports. "And a $2 million 'rapid outreach' grant." Rapid outreach? Is that like "rapid reach-around' without the "around?" Anyway, fat chance. Pony-up $25b to $50b like the feds and then we'll talk. The Trib says "a message seeking comment was left for GM." Can you imagine the response? "GM is fully committed to its Ohio work force. Sorry about the no-sales-due-to-gas-prices thing, but it's not our fault. Thanks for the offer. We'll get back to you on that. Expect to hear from us sometime around, say, never."

Honda decided to ship the new 2009 Fit to dealer lots a full one month before it was scheduled to do so. Why? Because they are selling them as fast as they can build them – or faster. The diminutive Honda hatchback is sold out through September, and Honda figured they might as well get a move on delivering Fits ASAP. And so begins the process of trying to buy a Fit. Welcome to "No, we're not doing test drives" and "It's a 2 month wait or longer" or the popular "We're going to need a credit card deposit." For people that want their own fun to drive 28/35 mpg car right now, there's already a 2009 Fit on eBay Motors, a Sport model (that's the higher trim level). Starting bid is at MSRP of $17,580, or you can buy it right now for $1000 over MSRP.

Many of us – and you – have posited that much like 1972, the time we're in now is the peak of the neo-muscle car era. Vehicles like the Camaro, Challenger, Charger, and Mustang are the best they've ever been. And yet, it seems like the writing is on the wall that they're going to enjoy short lived success – at best. But what about the luxury muscle cars: the AMG cars, the M cars, the Audi RS series. And now the Cadillac CTS-V has just been tested by Edmunds and yields astonishing performance numbers. Every iteration of these vehicles get more insane. In 1999, the M3 had 240 horsepower. Then 333. Then 414. The CTS-V went from 405 to 556. Are we really going to reach the point of 1000 horsepower family cars?  Yes, there are more rich people than ever, and many of them just don't care about gas being $4, or $6, or even $8 per gallon. At some point, the bubble is going to burst.

Automotive News [AN, sub] reports that Ford execs are prowling the halls at The Democratic National Convention, drumming-up support for "A Bailout Plan By Any Other Name Would Still Look So Green" low-interest federal loans. Leading the charge (in every sense of the word): Ford Purchasing Chief "Motown" Tony Brown and his company's duly elected representative, Debby Stabenow. So, guys, how much taxpayer money do The Blue Oval Boyz need to buy some more time to hide their incompetence, draw their million-dollar paychecks and help put Barack Obama in the White House; and why the Hell should hard-working Americans give it to them when there's a perfectly good private banking system in this country? (Just kidding about the second part, unfortunately.) "We're still dimensioning," Brown told AN. Stabenow was equally forthcoming. "Stabenow said she doesn't know what the total amount should be. She indicated it may be necessary to press for some this year and more next year. 'We need to do something now.'" What do you mean we, white woman?