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Our man Baruth has driven both the re-refreshed Taurus and the new Taurus SHO. I’ve got one word for his report: embargo. And another: Monday. Yes, TTAC now “respects” long-lead product-related embargoes. In other words, if a car maker invites us to test drive a new product, we’ll agree to stay schtum until they decide it’s OK to publish our review. Or the embargo breaks down. Galled as I am at our own collusion, I’m reversing our stance on the buff-book-protecting manufacturer–media conspiracy of silence for two reasons. First, it will have no impact on the content of our reviews. (We will always reveal the manufacturer’s contribution to our reviews.) Second, you WANT us on that junket. You NEED us on that junket.
Despite a brewing public revolt over the issue of photo radar, the Arizona State Legislature may be circling the wagons in an effort to defend lucrative automated ticketing programs. The Senate Public Safety and Human Services Committee voted 4-2 on Wednesday to increase the pressure on motorists by adding points to the drivers’ licenses of anyone receiving a freeway camera ticket, instead of offering relief by banishing the machines from the highways, as some had expected. A statewide signature drive to ban photo ticketing continues to pressure lawmakers, but influential lobbyists in the statehouse have won the first battle.
The court battle over the formation of Treasury-funded Vehicle Acquisition Holdings, LLC (a.k.a. New GM) will soon be joined. On June 30, Federal Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber will begin to assess the range of challenges to the government’s plans. Bloomberg reveals the quadruple threat facing the General Motors “reinvention.”
For about the price of a loaded BMW 335i, you can grab the ultimate evolution of the non-Ferrari Dino and its flying buttress styling. Your Shit Economy (YSE) Car of the Week: the Ferrari F355 Spider. Supercar? No, super-toy. Which means most pre-adored examples will likely have low mileage. Warning: as RF will tell you, the F355’s purchase price is only the price of entry; budget $3K a year for routine service, and $5K for leaks, rattles, malfunctions and/or rust (yes, rust). And set aside another $5K for REAL surprises. (To be on the safe side, double it.) As with any used car, have an independent, model-specific mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase. Drum roll please . . . For those of you who would be born again with that V8 screaming behind your head, this F355 drop top is yours for $48,599. Sure there are cheaper Ferraris out there, and this particular example could be a mechanical nest of vipers. But to quote Bob Dylan, true love tends to forget. Alternatively, insanity is its own reward.
TTAC commentator carguy can’t leave well enough alone as he prepares to boldly go where no factory warranty will go with him:
I have a question that I would like some feedback on from the TTAC best and brightest. I am about to take delivery of a BMW 335i and am contemplating some mods for the engine (after all, 300hp seems like a waste when you have a 3-liter six and two turbos). My question is two fold:
1. Should I run the engine in and then get the mod or should I run the engine in with the mod in place?
2. I was considering a Dinan stage 1 or 2. Any feedback from TTAC readers on this mod or any other would be much appreciated.
What do you do if you’re an overlarge organization fighting a losing battle for market share in a down market, with high fixed costs and a stultified bureaucracy, facing more nimble competitors? If you’re Time magazine, you interview Chrysler-controlling Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne. And if you’re Sergio facing a similar situation for Chrysler, you tell the troops that an Apple a day keeps the Sebrings away. “Since he took over as chief executive of Italy’s Fiat in 2004, the chain-smoking Canadian-Italian has used Apple as a model, focusing on the way Steve Jobs transformed it from an also-ran computer company into a global icon of cool. He encourages Fiat managers to take a close look at Apple’s branding prowess and even asks them to benchmark their activities against the company. His biggest success at Fiat is the 500 — a tiny, very cool 21st century version of a 52-year-old Italian icon once driven by movie stars such as Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren — which Marchionne calls ‘our iPod.'”
On Friday evening, a wild rumor whirred via the wires. It started at Germany’s usually well informed Manager Magazin, then spread to Reuters and Bloomberg: Daimler may be taking a stake in its Stuttgart neighbor, Porsche. Through Porsche, Daimler would own a part of Volkswagen.
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P.J. O’Rourke reads from his new book Driving Like Crazy at the Cato Institute (hat tip: Chris Moody).
The Freep reports that Chrysler will cancel a planned two-week furlough for workers this summer. “The company found savings in the [bankruptcy] process that rendered the furloughs unnecessary,” say Chrysler spokesfolks. “It’s another reason why it’s good news to have bankruptcy in our rear-view mirror.” The canceled furlough will cost $32 million. But is saving money during bankruptcy a reason to not save money outside of bankruptcy? Or is there still no sense of urgency to pay back those taxpayer “loans”?
$86K for an Aveo? Only in Florida . . .
GM Prius, Buick woes, car personality and the Task Force on Auto Advertising all get what’s coming to them on the continually-improving TTAC daily podcast. Meanwhile, we’ve got to give away a copy of the Taschenwörterbuch der Kraftfahrzeugtechnik (German-English technical dictionary), so give us your favorite German automotive phrase in the comments section. We’ll pick our favorite, and the lucky winner will be able to impress their local Porsche club with their new-found understanding of compound, car-related words.
When the Presidential Task Force on Automobiles (PTFOA) fired GM CEO Rick Wagoner, it should have ended any debate whether or not the Obama Administration was in complete control of the soon-to-be-nationalized American automaker. And yet the president and his minions continue to assert that the PTFOA’s ongoing interventions within GM’s administration jibe with their preposterous proclamations about a “hands-off” non-managment, management approach. Although the PTFOA left themselves a supertanker-sized loophole—we’ll only mess with “macro” decisions about GM’s corporate governance—evidence mounts that the 25-member government quango is, as the Brits would say, well in there mate. The latest proof of life arrives via our good friends at Autoline AfterHours. On John McElroy’s vidcast, GM’s VP of sales, service and marketing for North America offered fresh insight into the joys of federal ownership.
Freedom. It’s a blessing and a bitch. As graduates of the 21st century, the average Jane and Joe are loaded with expectations aplenty. Cell phones, computers, and iPods® are a given these days. Credit cards? Perhaps only for gas and groceries. But that’s on the list also. The expenses of the young are laden with a thousand cuts of consumerism. But none of them compare to the cost of a car. So, what should all the members of the family do? Think. Think. Think.
While GM works to convince its paymasters that it’s becoming a leaner organization—as opposed to, say, smaller—rest assured that TTAC is about as lean as you can get without chipping a bone. Full-time staff: myself and the ever-dependable Edward Niedermeyer. The rest of TTAC’s team consists of unpaid volunteers: writers and thinkers whose desire to tell the truth about cars supersedes the need for cold, hard cash. Of course, this description also encompasses you, our Best and Brightest. So thanks again for being the heart and soul of the site. And thanks for your e-mails (now to farago@ttac.com). I’ve received hundreds of tips, links and pieces of insider info. And that was just this week. Seriously. I try to answer every email, but stuff slips through the cracks. For that I apologize. And issue a global thank you for all your help (even as I finally delete ancient emails). Please remember I’m inundated, not indifferent. If it’s really important, multiple pings are encouraged. Meanwhile, thank you for your understanding.
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