AutoWeek back issues from February 2007:
The Circle of Life Goes On . . . Alas.(Column)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: Richard S. Chang A few weeks ago, while many eyes were glued on Detroit, I was reading about Blackpool, England, where the TVR factory closed down for good after nearly 60 years of churning out amazing sports cars. Most people wouldn't care about this small carmaker's ...
Letters.(Letter to the editor)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Expand Caddy's fleet Wouldn't Cadillac get a bigger share of the compact luxury market from the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class, Audi A4, etc., if Caddy also made coupe, convertible and estate versions of the CTS in the U.S. market? That could start a trend, and since minivans ...
The Anti-Crossover; The Saab SportCombi is a good non-ute.(Auto File)(Product/service evaluation)
Feb 05, 2007 ... The fact that minivans, sport/utility vehicles and crossovers have been multiplying like rabbits over the past decade might help to explain why station wagons have been on the decline in the United States, at least from U.S. automakers. Luckily for wagon lovers, European manufacturers are ...
Under the Big, big top.(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... The nine-story-high, 1800-foot-long, 350,000-square-foot tent-the largest clear-span tent in North America-on the grounds of WestWorld in Scottsdale, Arizona, was the setting for the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car ...
Despite sales swoon, happy days are here again; Auctions signal surge of interest in '50s comfort cars.(News)
Feb 05, 2007; ... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER, ROGER HART A rare JANUARY snowfall in Phoenix foreshadowed cooling sales across the Arizona auction scene this year. Russo and Steele, RM and Silver auctions all saw sales drop by about $1 million compared with 2006, and Barrett-Jackson's total ...
Drivers Log.(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... 2007 Toyota Camry SE Date in fleet: Nov. 13-22 As-tested price: $30,854 Drivetrain: 3.5-liter V6; fwd, six-speed automatic Output: 268 hp @ 6200 rpm, 248 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm Curb weight: 3483 lbs Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 25/23.1 mpg WONG: This SE trim does a lot to perk ...
O SAY, CAN YOU C? Sharply styled luxury sedan set to fend off rivals.(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: GREG KABLE, KEVIN A. WILSON The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been re-invented seven years after its predecessor was introduced. The third-generation C-Class sedan was unveiled Jan. 18 at a gala presentation in Stuttgart, where it could stand alone in the spotlight, out of ...
Flash.(Briefs)
Feb 05, 2007 ... And about time, too Ford might begin selling some products from Ford of Europe in the States, according to CEO Alan Mulally, who adds that he wants to create a lineup of cars and trucks that can be sold globally. Ford is looking at the S-Max crossover, the Mondeo ...
A Night at the Museum.(Column)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: Kevin A. Wilson The night before the unveiling of the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class in Stuttgart (page 17), we stopped by the Classic Center near Fellbach for a visit to the "holy halls,'' those buildings where the company stores many of its most precious treasures. I ...
Plays Well By Itself; The Audi R8 is a superbly balanced, classically styled, high-powered sports car. Even in this rarefied community, it has no peers.
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: Dutch Mandel What is a supercar, and how do you qualify it? Is that moniker bestowed because of the money spent, its performance or the expectation of exclusivity? Do all these determine supercar status? For now, we make that decision, and while there are ...
HURLEY'S LAST HURRAH? NOT QUITE; 58-year-old Hurley Haywood isn't ready to give up his seat.(Motorsports)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH Barely four hours into the 45th Rolex 24 at Daytona, Hurley Haywood is in his bus, getting his right hand taped up. His shifting hand is already blistered. "You shift a lot out there,'' he says. How many times Haywood has shifted gears at ...
YOU'RE OUTTA HERE; Old-cars guru gets the boot from Barrett-Jackson.(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER Longtime AutoWeek collector-car expert Keith Martin is still shaking his head over being summarily stripped of his press credential and ejected from the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Jan. 17, allegedly for making ...
AND IN THIS CORNER...(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: Wes Raynal While Audi engineers were developing the flagship R8, they were also hard at work on another two-seater, this one at the opposite end of the lineup, the TT Roadster. Like the second-generation TT Coupe (Audi TT, Take II, June 19, 2006), the ...
Market.(1968 Shelby GT500 KR convertible)(Brief article)
Feb 05, 2007; ... Byline: KEITH MARTIN The Worldwide Group Hilton Head, S.C. Nov. 11, 2006 1968 Shelby GT500 KR convertible 428-cid V8, four-barrel, four-speed. Yellow with black leather interior. Thick paint over okay panel fit, trunk lid high on the ...
SIMPLE FORMULA; A veteran and two rookies triumph at Daytona.(Motorsports)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: GARY WATKINS This was not the closest-ever finish at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, but the run to the checkered flag was one of the most exciting in the race's history. The top three cars were nose-to-tail with just three hours left, and at one time or another over the next ...
Flash.(Briefs)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Drivers confirmed The RuSport Champ Car team re-signed driver Justin Wilson to a multiyear contract. Wilson finished second to Sebastien Bourdais in the 2006 championship, scoring 11 top-10s, with seven podium finishes, two poles and one win. Neel Jani, 23, a native ...
FORD QUITS CHAMP CAR.(Competition)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Ford, affiliated with Champ Car for decades, is severing ties with the open-wheel series. The official announcement from Steve Johnson, Champ Car president, sounded benign. "Today's decision was made from a business standpoint on both sides and in no way should tarnish the long ...
VW GOES BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD; Passat coupe, other products under review.(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: GREG KABLE The future is hazy for Volkswagen's heavily touted Passat-based four-door coupe, the first victim of new chairman Martin Winterkorn's fresh management regime. The four-door ("Four-door `coupe' group grows,'' Feb. 6, 2006), originally planned to debut at a ...
GOING LIKE 80.(biography of Denise McCluggage )(Biography)
Feb 05, 2007 ... When this magazine was founded in 1958 under the title Competition Press, one of the first staffers to sign on was a young New York Herald Tribune sports writer named Denise McCluggage. A native Kansan who'd written for the San Francisco Chronicle, she'd taken to the slopes of Vermont and ...
The 'French Mercedes'.(Escape Roads)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: BOB TOMAINE In the late 1970s and early 1980s, few Americans considering a European six-cylinder sedan noticed that the Peugeot 604 was on the list of possible choices. Peugeot's U.S. presence was quiet enough that many could not pronounce its name, despite ...
TV: Feb. 9 - 11.(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Friday, Feb. 9 NASCAR Live from Daytona Beach, Fla., 2 p.m., Speed (L) Bud Shootout practice from Daytona Beach, Fla., 4 p.m., Speed (L) NASCAR Live from Daytona Beach, Fla., 5 p.m., Speed (L) Bud Shootout practice from Daytona Beach, Fla., 6:30 ...
DVD REVIEW: HOOKED ON DRIVING.(Revs)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: MAC MORRISON Experienced track day drivers know there is more to the hobby than barreling through a circuit's gates, throwing on a helmet and hitting the tarmac. But newbies and those who don't know where or how to start will appreciate Hooked on Driving, a 50-minute DVD ...
SMOKIN' DEALS.(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Incentives on a hybrid? Yup, Toyota jumps into the fray with low-interest financing. Whatever will the tree-huggers do? For the latest deals available on cars, trucks and sport/utility vehicles, go to www.autoweek.com/incentives. Programs might vary by region and ...
AutoWeek.(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Chicago Kickoff. The dust has barely settled from the Detroit auto show last month, and we're already gearing up for the 2007 Chicago auto show. For the best preview, point your browser to autoweek.com/Chicago. Press days start Feb. 7, and we'll be there to bring you photos, news and blogs ...
NEW CHAMP CAR TESTS.(Competition)(Brief article)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Champ Car hopes that early testing of the new Panoz DP01 Champ Car is an accurate indicator of the season that lies ahead. After two days of a three-day test at Sebring International Raceway, just one second separated the top 10 drivers. PKV Racing's Oriol Servia set the fastest time of ...
But Wait, There's More....(BWTM)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Hyperventilating Hyperlink http://tinyurl.com/ya4wkh So sheiks feel at home The Peninsula Hong Kong hotel took delivery of 14 new Rolls-Royce Phantoms-the largest single order ever for the car. The custom Phantoms include a "cool box" for chilled hand ...
Ooooh La La; A growing love affair with French cars.(Revs)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: BOB TOMAINE Jim and Pam Schlick have nine Peugeots and estimate that they've owned 30, which helps to explain the annual gathering of French cars at their Langhorne, Pennsylvania, home. The infatuation began in 1960s Iowa, when the then-16-year-old Pam's driver's ...
AIMING FOR THE MIDDLE; Dodge Avenger shoots for a slice of the midsize pie.(News)(Product/service evaluation)
Feb 12, 2007; ... Byline: Roger Hart Building a car to challenge the perennial midsize sales-leader juggernauts from Toyota and Honda is a daunting task for any automaker. Camry and Accord, respectively, have been at the top of the best-selling-car list for the past decade, and with both ...
Flash.(Briefs)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Hamilton leads test McLaren-Mercedes F1 rookie Lewis Hamilton drove at the Valencia circuit in Spain a week after wrecking one of the team's new MP4-22 chassis there and wound up with the fastest lap time over four days of testing. Fernando Alonso, Hamilton's ...
TV: Feb. 16-18.(News)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Friday, Feb. 16 * American Muscle Car, 9:30 a.m., Speed * NHRA Winternationals, Pomona, Calif., 11 a.m., ESPN Classic * NASCAR Live from Daytona Beach, Fla., 1 p.m., Speed (L) * NASCAR Nextel Cup practice from Daytona Beach, Fla., 1:30 p.m., ...
STUNNER; Mercedes-Benz floats the Ocean Drive concept to gauge response.(News)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: WES RAYNAL, ROGER HART What happened to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class? For the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, it morphed into the Ocean Drive, a one-off that Mercedes says was built in the tradition of large luxury convertibles. ...
SHOW STOPPERS; New diecasts honor four automotive icons.(Revs)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: JAY ENGEL Amid the hoopla surrounding all the auto shows and auctions at this time of year, two top-notch diecast manufacturers are rolling out significant hardware of their own. Both Danbury Mint and CMC Classical Models have produced models of automotive icons that ...
Drivers Log.(News)
Feb 12, 2007 ... 2007 Audi S8 Date in fleet: Jan. 18-Feb. 2 As-tested price: $110,920 Drivetrain: 5.2-liter V10; awd, six-speed automatic Output: 450 hp @ 7000 rpm, 398 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm Curb weight: 4586 lbs Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 17/13.4 mpg RAYNAL: It was snowing, not the best time ...
GUNNING FOR TWO; While Toyota debuts in Nextel Cup, it is already well established in the Craftsman Truck Series.(Motorsports)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: Al Pearce It took three years for Toyota Racing Development to help the parent company win its first NASCAR manufacturers' championship. It shouldn't take nearly that long for Toyota to win its second. If things go as expected, Tundras again will dominate the ...
THE NEXT GENERATION; NASCAR's young guns have a monopoly on winning.(Motorsports)
Feb 12, 2007; ... Byline: AL PEARCE The "greening'' of stock car racing is in full bloom. In a sport that once celebrated the patience and cunning that came with experience, it's now kids-relatively speaking-who rule. For the first time in NASCAR's 57-year history, nobody in his 40s won a Nextel ...
HOPING AGAINST A REPEAT; The Busch Series once again plays host to Nextel Cup heavies.(Motorsports)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: AL PEARCE At first glance, there is nothing to indicate that this Busch Series season will be any different from 2006, when Nextel Cup drivers pushed everybody around. Full-time Cup drivers from huge, megabuck Cup teams won 33 of the 35 races. Thank you, David Gilliland, ...
THIS YEAR, YOU MAY NOT RECOGNIZE THE PLACE; You wanted change? You got change.(Motorsports)(drag racing and race car drivers)
Feb 12, 2007; ... Byline: BILL STEPHENS The NHRA has never been a series of perpetual change and constant rules tinkering. Change has taken place but usually at the same evolutionary pace as the flatworm. For many drag-racing "lifers,'' that pace has been way too slow. But in 2007, ...
Letters.(Letter to the editor)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Interception reception The "new'' Interceptor concept is a warmed-over version of the 2002 Lincoln Continental concept. This illustrates how slow and tentative Ford is to go from interesting concepts to production and why it's so far in the red. Had this come out in 2003, it ...
CHICAGO SIGHTINGS.(News)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: JONATHAN WONG Pontiac's G8 is high on our list of must-sees at the Chicago show, which opens to the public Feb. 9-18. Here are a few other debuts worth spying. Toyota takes the wraps off its bigger next-generation 2008 Highlander, which rides on an all-new ...
FANGIO WOULD HAVE APPROVED; Automatic Tranny Retains Sportiness.(News)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: PATRICK C. PATERNIE No one would complain about a trip to Monte Carlo, but it did seem like a long way to go to test-drive a new automatic transmission. Even if that transmission is attached to the latest Maserati Quattroporte and this year celebrates 50 years since a ...
THE GOODGUYS' GOOD GUY; Gary Meadors keeps the hot rod flame burning.(News)(Interview)
Feb 12, 2007; ... Byline: PATRICK C. PATERNIE You can tell a lot about a person by the car he drives. For our interview near the main gate of the Del Mar, California, fairgrounds, Gary Meadors pulled up behind the wheel of a swoopy, white-over-lipstick-red, Hemi-powered 1957 DeSoto Fireflite ...
JIGSAW PUZZLE; With so many new pieces in play, Nextel Cup is tough to call.(Motorsports)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: AL PEARCE Other than its eight-race debut in 1949, NASCAR arguably has never headed into a season with this many compelling story lines: a new manufacturer that many fans simply don't like; a new points system that still doesn't reward winning enough; a new and radically ...
Got What It Takes to Change the World?(Column)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: Dutch Mandel I watch with furrowed brow the latest television commercial hawking Allstate Insurance. Actor Dennis Haysbert points to distracted drivers and says that multitasking behind the wheel causes accidents and policyholders get a discount if they drive ...
SURPRISE, SURPRISE; 2007 Kia Rondo packs 'em in.(News)(Product/service evaluation)
Feb 12, 2007; ... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER It's a short walk from one end of the 2007 Kia Rondo to the other, which makes it all the more surprising when you look in the rear window and see a third row. What's that? Seven seats? In this little thing? This is no big ...
ASTON ON THE BLOCK; Ambitious growth plans are backdrop to billions in bids.(News)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: JULIAN RENDELL Even as Ford sorts through bidders interested in buying its Aston Martin subsidiary, those close to the action say the luxury-car company is eyeing an ambitious hike in production to 10,000 cars, possibly as soon as a year after it completes its spinoff ...
CHICAGO COUP; G8 heralds return of the rear-drive Pontiac sedan.(News)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER Ronald Reagan was president the last time Pontiac sold a rear-wheel-drive Grand Prix. The spiritual successor to General Motors' performance sedan from the past arrives this week at the Chicago auto show, in the form of the 2008 Pontiac G8. Due ...
But Wait, There's More...(BWTM)
Feb 12, 2007 ... HEEEEEEEEEEERE'S DUTCH AND K.C.! AutoWeek editor/associate publisher Dutch Mandel and associate publisher K.C. Crain recently stopped by Jay Leno's garage to talk cars with the late-night king. Check out their chats in the videos section at www.jaylenosgarage.com. ...
IRL EYES DAYTONA.(Competition)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Indy cars at Daytona International Speedway might not be as significant as when NASCAR started eyeing a potential event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the early '90s, but running at DIS is causing a bit of a stir. Granted, the two-day test Jan. 31-Feb. 1 took place on ...
A Car for the Discriminating Few.(Escape Roads)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: LEIGH DORRINGTON The American Motor Car Company of Indianapolis offered the unusual choice of a conventionally sprung chassis or an innovative "underslung'' setup beginning in 1907. The latter placed the frame rails under the front and rear axles to move the mass of the ...
Market.(Escape Roads)(classic 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda)(Brief article)
Feb 12, 2007; ... Byline: KEITH MARTIN RM Auctions Biltmore Resort, Phoenix Jan. 19, 2007 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda convertible 426-cid Hemi V8, 2x4-bbl, four-speed. Blue with blue vinyl interior and white vinyl top. Panel gaps as factory, body straight ....
AutoWeek.(Briefs)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Chicago Shakedown The 2007 Chicago auto show is under way, and our embedded reporters are sending live information from the floor. Be the first to see live shots of the Pontiac G8, Nissan's SUV offerings and the Saturn Astra. Look for photos, blogs and the latest news stories at ...
Smokin' Deals.(Incentives)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Last week, we saw incentives on hybrids with the Toyota Prius. There are even more this time around. For the latest deals on available cars, trucks and sport/utility vehicles, go to: www.autoweek.com/incentives Programs might vary by region and model HOT ...
Flash.(Briefs)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Don't Fear the Hemi Turns out the Foose Hemisfear that debuted at SEMA will not be Hemi-powered-and will not be called the Hemisfear. It appears Chip Foose (above) holds a copyright on the name for T-shirts and model cars but not for automobiles. Chrysler filed a copyright three ...
"SHOULDA, WOULDA, COULDA"; Things happen for a reason. Sometimes they don't happen for a reason, too.(Motorsports)(drag racing)
Feb 12, 2007; ... Byline: BILL STEPHENS Okay, it's time to argue. Ya know, the thing that drag-racing fans love to do the most. And believe us when we say we know how to get things going. Things that shouldn't have happened in 2006 but did Tony Schumacher Wins the Top Fuel ...
Things to know before heading to the track.(Motorsports)(visiting motor speedways)
Feb 12, 2007 ... At least, we think it's a hot dog . . . So, it's your first time at Martinsville Speedway? You've heard all about the picturesque little half-mile bullring in southern Virginia, including reviews of its famous Jesse Jones hot dogs. Go ahead, treat yourself. Your cardiologist ...
+WHAT TO WATCH OFF-TRACK.(Motorsports)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Welcome to the future Ray Evernham Motorsports now uses robots to help build its cars. The no-tolerance chassis rules for the Car of Tomorrow encouraged Evernham to buy robots for welding, thus freeing up "regular'' mechanics and builders to concentrate on other duties. ...
PRIVATE LABEL; Retired Ford engineers hand-build a Corvette-engined sports car.(Revs)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL BERG Gene Dickirson is not the slightest bit worried when people tell him they don't like the looks of his new car, the GDT Speedster that took him almost six years to hand-build. "Some people like the way it looks, some don't,'' says the retired Ford engineer of ...
Brand Loyal; Patriot caps off a Jeep porduct blitz.(News)
Feb 12, 2007 ... Byline: Roger Hart If you walked into a Jeep dealership in 2004, there were just three models to choose from: Grand Cherokee, Liberty and Wrangler. Today that number has more than doubled with the addition of the Commander, the four-door Wrangler, the Compass and the latest ...
Butt wait, there's more NASCAR.(News)
Feb 12, 2007 ... You think the anticipation of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season doesn't weigh heavy on the minds of these hard-core fans? Lined up at Daytona in early January (with sporadic track action for preseason testing), it's ...
Correction.(Correction notice)
Feb 19, 2007 ... Kevin A. Wilson's "Opposite Lock'' column on page 14 should say that the European Commission ...
AutoWeek.(autoweek.com)(Brief article)
Feb 19, 2007 ... Web Watch: Clips, quips and quick video trips on our award-winning site. Find bonus commentary, features, galleries & news. Once online, register for e-mail news blasts and contests only available at autoweek.com Exclusive Reads There are so many online-only articles ...
BMW AS BENCHMARK; Lutz gets his wish with debut of Pontiac G8 sedan.(News)
Feb 19, 2007 ... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER A few years back, when General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz suggested that Pontiac could become GM's version of an everyman's BMW, most enthusiasts passed it off as wishful thinking. But with the introduction of the Holden Commodore-based 2008 ...
Andretti tests again.(Competition)
Feb 19, 2007 ... Marco Andretti tested again for Honda F1 at the Jerez Circuit in Spain, after making his debut for the team late last year (Competition, Jan. 1). Andretti completed 74 laps with Honda's 2006 car in dry conditions on Feb. 7 and 62 laps on a wet track the next day. He finished the first day ...
ON TO THE SHOW; Robert Yates Racing bounces back to take the Daytona front row.(Motorsports)
Feb 19, 2007 ... Byline: Al Pearce Six months ago, Robert Yates was about done. He'd been racing for 40 years, the last 18 as owner of a Ford-based team accustomed to winning poles and races, a team good enough to win the 1999 Cup with Dale Jarrett. Until last spring, life was good. ...
But Wait, There's More...(BWTM)
Feb 19, 2007 ... "I've not answered that question 20 times just in the past hour.'' -Dieter Zetsche, surrounded by 600 journalists at the Mercedes-Benz C-Class unveiling, when asked how often he'd answered the Wolfgang Bernhard question Who says NASCAR and Kentucky Derby fans aren't ...