AutoWeek back issues from July 2007:
Off the straight and narrow path.(News)
Jul 02, 2007 ... No, it's not a new design for an F1 course, nor is it alien crop circles. A wheat field was destroyed by a driver under the influence of cocaine who panicked and tried to evade several police cars and a helicopter on a chase ...
VIPER JR. In these days of corporate takeovers and private equity firms, the Demon could be exactly what Dodge needs.(News)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: Wes Raynal Nine a.m. on a gorgeous, sunny spring morning in Southeast Michigan, perfect convertible weather. Lo and behold, we have one. And not just any convertible but one we've never driven, the Dodge Demon, a car that has been called everything from a nice Miata ...
CORPORATE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY; Juan Pablo Montoya outlasts NASCAR's best.(Competitions of car racing)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: MARK VAUGHN So many strong drivers put on so many great performances at Infineon Raceway at Sears Point that you could point to just about any of them as one of the season's best. But it came down to whose crew chief could figure out how much gas was in the other guy's ...
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES; The IRL puts on a wild one in Iowa.(Competitions of car racing)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: CURT CAVIN The Indy Racing League and its fans will remember June 24, 2007, for a long time, although Dario Franchitti's win might be lost to most. Instead, memories of Iowa Speedway's first major event will include those of people standing three and four ...
Extra.(Briefs)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Costly kart Lewis Hamilton finally made a mistake. The F1 rookie sensation sold one of his racing karts for charity-and crashed it while demonstrating it to its new owner. The kart sold on eBay for $84,000 and was to have been handed over to the auction's winner in Brunswick ...
BMW BRUSHES UP 6 SERIES; 2008 model gets minor restyling, simpler iDrive.(News)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: GREG KABLE Four years after the 6 Series reintroduction, BMW is revising the coupe and convertible for 2008. Styling changes are subtle-so subtle that only those intimately familiar with the current model likely will notice differences in the car when it goes ...
RACE REPORT.(Competitions of car racing)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Make no mistake, Paul Tracy knows he wasn't supposed to win the Grand Prix of Cleveland, not after crashing with rookie Graham Rahal, which required a pit stop and a new front wing on his car, then crashing with Bruno Junqueira, which required another pit stop, another new front wing. ...
PATIENCE AND THE ROOKIE; Graham Rahal is only 18 but shows maturity beyond his years.(Competitions of car racing)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH For those who wonder why Champ Car rookie Graham Rahal hasn't won a race, his father, ex-champion Bobby Rahal, has one word: patience. That's also a word he uses a lot with Graham. "He wants to win now, and you want a driver to be that way,'' ...
THE SECRET LIFE OF TOLY ARUTUNOFF.(Revs)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL BERG James Thurber's character Walter Mitty actually wanted to become Anatoly Arutunoff, we believe. "Toly'' raced with Bob Bondurant, Phil Hill, Richie Ginther, Dan Gurney, Ak Miller and Carroll Shelby back when cars slid, drivers were visible, and an ...
The Color of Success.(Column)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: Dutch Mandel America's stick-and-ball sports public was recently introduced to Briton Lewis Hamilton courtesy of ESPN. Car guys have known him, but I was still interested to see how it played out on TV. Hamilton shared the screen with golfer Tiger Woods, and I wondered ...
Letters.
Jul 02, 2007 ... Barrett-Jackson Responds Contrary to the comments in the article "Acreage Angst'' (Revs, June 25), Barrett-Jackson's application for a 12-acre parcel of land in Scottsdale was not a subversive attempt to ruin a competitor. We applied to lease the parcel which is just over three ...
SMOKIN' DEALS.(prices of Toyota Motor Corp.)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Toyota sweetens the deal on its capable full-size truck yet again, while Lincoln offers huge rebates on its posh pickup. A compact and a crossover also get into the act with healthy incentives. CROSSOVER 2007 Chrysler Pacifica MSRP: $25,190; $2,000 to ...
UNDER THE HOOD.(Briefs)
Jul 02, 2007 ... WIN A DATE WITH A SUPERMODEL! AutoWeek editors want you to spend a day and an evening with a supermodel-the breathtakingly beautiful, sensual, sexy and sleek Audi R8. We're looking for someone who will treat this car with respect, who knows how to have a good time and who yearns ...
AUDI ASSAULT; Product push-15 models by 2015-starts with 2009 Q5.(News)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: GREG KABLE Audi's Q5 sport/utility vehicle is at the heart of an ambitious new model plan known internally as "Route 15''-adding as many as 15 models to the German carmaker's ranks by 2015. Set for North American sale by the end of 2008 and starting at about ...
FERRARI READIES NEW F430.(News)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Ferrari is well on its way to developing a successor to the mid-engined F430. Test mules tucked under F430 Challenge Stradale bodywork (top left) are racking up miles on the Fiorano test track, as well as on the winding mountain roads around the company's Maranello headquarters. ...
TWO-WHEEL LOWDOWN.(Revs)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: GEORGE P. BLUMBERG 2007 PIAGGIO MP3 This scooter aims to change commuting. 250-cc, 22.5-hp, liquid-cooled single; 449-lb dry weight; 77-mph top speed (mfr) Competitive set: Conventional two-wheeled scooters, compact cars and motorcycles ...
But Wait, There's More...(BWTM)
Jul 02, 2007 ... This Week's Sign the Automotive Apocalypse Is Nigh Twelve Pittsburgh-area women posed almost naked, some with cars as props, for a charity calendar. So what, you ask? The women, according to the Associated Press, are all in their 70s and 80s. "One of the advantages of being old ...
Stepping Out in a Silver Streak Six.(Escape Roads)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: LINDA CLARK Named after its home city and a colorful Indian chief, Pontiac was launched in 1926. Embodying many features of pricier cars yet costing little more than the cheapest lines, Pontiac immediately won public favor and would become an upscale ...
TOP THIS! There's nothing better than a convertible muscle car.
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: MARK VAUGHN This is not the kind of thing General Motors just does well; it is what GM was made for. The Camaro convertible is so close to the perfect all-American car that it should be in a museum in a glass case marked "Muscle-car americus.'' Yet there it ...
Market.(product information of Ferrari Holdings PLC)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Byline: KEITH MARTIN 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO coupe RM Auctions Ferrari: "Leggenda e Passione'' Maranello, Italy, May 20 2855-cc, dual-overhead-cam, twin-turbocharged and intercooled, 400-hp V8; five-speed. Red with red and black leather ...
Drivers Log.(News)
Jul 02, 2007 ... MORRISON: I drove this thing like a slot car, turning in, then just rotating it through and out of corners with a liberal application of throttle. Rather than on-the-edge powerslides (which are doable if you desire), the car's natural tendency is just to rotate through the apex, hook up ...
TV: July 6 - 8.(Competition)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Friday, July 6 Formula One practice from Great Britain, 9 a.m., Speed (L) Car Crazy, 10:30 a.m., Speed NASCAR Live from Daytona Beach, Fla., noon, Speed (L) NASCAR Busch Series qualifying from Daytona Beach, Fla., 1 p.m., ESPN2 (L) ...
Extra.(Briefs)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Locked and loaded The wait for the Dodge Neon SRT4 replacement ends this September with the debut of the Caliber SRT4. Featuring a turbocharged and intercooled version of the global Chrysler 2.4-liter dohc inline-four with dual variable valve timing, the SRT4 engine ...
DOMINATING DRIVES AT MID-OHIO.(Competition)
Jul 02, 2007 ... Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty left Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with everything but the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype championship lead. The duo led practically every lap and scored a nearly 32-second win over points leader Scott Pruett. The Grand Touring class also saw a dominating performance ...
Wall climber.(News)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Motorcycle virtuoso Valentino Rossi of Italy, front, duels Casey Stoner of Australia during the MotoGP race of the Assen GP last week. Rossi won ...
Crazy Money at Auction.(Column)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: KC Crain A lot of folks gripe about the amounts some cars sell for at auction these days. Personally, I think it's great. Most people have heard about the spectacle that takes place in Arizona every year. Some may think it's slightly out of hand, but so what? ...
SPIED! MAXIMUM 911 GT2 PACKS 550-HP PUNCH.(News)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Easily recognizable by the missing foglights in the front bumper (as compared with the Porsche 911 Turbo) and the huge rear wing, as well as a simpler front spoiler, this is the 997-based Porsche 911 GT2. Many didn't expect Porsche actually to produce this model, but here it is ....
LONG-HAUL LONG-TERMER; Suburban takes on every challenge.(features of Chevrolet Suburban)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: WES RAYNAL, BOB GRITZINGER If our long-term Chevrolet Suburban has taught us anything in its first six months in our hands, it is this: Sometimes you find yourself in situations that require hauling huge piles of gear or a boatload of people, or both. In those cases, the ...
BIGGER AND BETTER; Conservative wins in an election year.(News)(Highlander Hybrid is back with new stuffs)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Didn't Toyota just introduce a new Highlander a couple of years ago? No, that was the 2004 "minor change,'' just a new engine and transmission. This is a new body, a better engine and some other stuff, so it's really new. In keeping with the ...
UNDER THE HOOD.(News)
Jul 09, 2007 ... WIN A DATE WITH A SUPERMODEL Yo, Spunky, get out of your Barcalounger, put on some pressed duds and make yourself look niiiice. Then sign up at autoweek.com/supermodel to win an opportunity behind the wheel of Audi's own R8 sex machine. All-American ride ...
TV: July 13 - 15.(Competition)
Jul 09, 2007 ... FRIday, July 13 NASCAR Live from Joliet, Ill., noon, Speed (L) NASCAR Nextel Cup practice from Joliet, Ill., 12:30 p.m., Speed (L) Survival of the Fastest, 3 p.m., Speed NASCAR Live from Joliet, Ill., 3:30 p.m., Speed (L) NASCAR ...
Bring on the beauty shots.(News)
Jul 09, 2007 ... We've already driven a pre-production Tiguan through the sands of Namibia ("Tiguan Tough,'' AW, June 25), but Volkswagen just released the first official photographs of its new cute ute. As expected, the overall styling doesn't depart much from the original Tiguan concept shown ...
INTIMATE SETTING; The new C63 cozies up with style and speed.(News)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: GREG KABLE To put it politely, the question is this: Has Mercedes-Benz finally learned that power alone is not enough? For years now, M-B's celebrated AMG division has been turning out exciting cars with outputs to match their breathtaking price tags. Big, bold and ...
EXTRA.(Briefs)
Jul 09, 2007 ... ECCLESTONE REVEALED Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone's official biography will hit shelves this fall. The book, written by Susan Watkins-wife of former F1 medical chief Sid Watkins-is titled Bernie and will reveal "The true struggle behind his fortune, the background to his ...
THE POWER OF CONFIDENCE; Dario Franchitti is on cruise control and racing to the IRL title.(Competitions of car racing)
Jul 09, 2007; ... Byline: CURT CAVIN Dario Franchitti likes what Scott Dixon says about race-car drivers: They get paid to do the PR fluff; they race for free. At the going rate, Franchitti is due for a raise in both categories. His win in the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond ...
SPICING IT UP; Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari return to the front.(Competition)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: NIGEL ROEBUCK Eight races into the Formula One season, the top four drivers have two wins apiece. Kimi Raikkonen's spell in the relative wilderness ended when he won the last French Grand Prix to be run at Magny-Cours. Following a period of McLaren-Mercedes domination, ...
Market.(Escape Roads)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: KEITH MARTIN RM Auctions Ferrari: "Leggenda e Passione'' Maranello, Italy, May 20 3967-cc, 390-hp V12, 6x2-barrel Weber carburetors, five-speed. Red with black leather interior. Coachwork by Fantuzzi. The last Testa Rossa built and the ...
Letters.
Jul 09, 2007 ... Jag, Rover and Ford's future After reading "Fire Sale'' (This Week, June 25), I'm saddened by Ford's lack of commitment to Jaguar and Land Rover. I hope Ford will try once more with Jaguar and Land Rover. Ford should hire businesspeople who drive Jaguars to manage Jaguar, and ...
FUN & GAMES; High-Octane Racing in Your Living Room.(Revs)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: JONATHAN WONG Forza Motorsport 2 While PlayStation 3 owners wait for the next Gran Turismo, Xbox 360 players can strap themselves in now for Forza Motorsport 2. With an arsenal of more than 300 cars including imports, domestics, exotics and prototype race cars, gamers ...
WHEN ENOUGH IS PLENTY; If a six gives you 300 hp, who still says only an eight is enough?(News)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: KEVIN A. WILSON When Lexus rolled out its latest GS, all the headlines went to the hybrid edition, the GS 450h, a rear-drive model with performance pretensions. This go-round, though, we sampled an all-wheel-drive model with the new V6 that makes 303 hp. It's essentially ...
Drivers Log.(News)(Product/service evaluation)
Jul 09, 2007 ... FLORADAY: My initial impressions were pretty good. The car seems a bit larger than some of the competition, and that might be a bonus to some shoppers. This GTS is the top-of-the-line (short of the forthcoming Evolution) model, carrying with it a corresponding price. I suppose ...
FLEET STREET; Briefs on our other long-termers.(News)
Jul 09, 2007 ... Mazda Mazdaspeed 3 A rendezvous with a rather large pothole felt and sounded worse than reality: The tire and wheel were fine on this track-worthy car. Something's been getting louder, though; we'll have to check it out. Toyota FJ Cruiser Unstoppable in ...
2008 BMW 1 Series Coupe; Hot 300-hp 135i resurrects spirit of original M3.
Jul 09, 2007 ... Byline: GREG KABLE BMW says there will be no M version of its entry-level 1 Series. As disappointing as that might be for M fans, it appears the German carmaker might not need one, judging by the specs of the new U.S.-bound 1 Series coupe. The 1 Series will debut ...
Letters.(Letter to the editor)
Jul 23, 2007 ... A new nationality A well-done column by Dutch Mandel ("The Color of Success,'' July 2). Lewis Hamilton and Tiger Woods have something in common, and it is not race. Dutch mentioned that Lewis is "black.'' Well, Woods is "Cablinasian''-and the best golfer in the world. ...
CINQUECENTO REVIVED AT 50; Fiat counters Mini with its own retro cutie.(News)
Jul 23, 2007 ... Byline: MIKE DUFF History is doing that whole repeating itself thing again. Back in the late 1950s, European buyers got to choose between the two coolest small cars on the planet: Britain's BMC Mini and Italy's tiny rear-engined 500. Now, 50 years later, Fiat ...
48 . . . 49 . . . 50! Ready or not, here we come.(Column)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Byline: Dutch Mandel Some 49 years ago, in a brick house in a northwest Detroit neighborhood, Competition Press was born from the passion and hard work of two area car guys. Why should you care? Because were it not for Thomas E. Swantek and Don Stewart, the magazine you hold in ...
RUNNING TO THE FRONT; Colin Braun is on racing's fast track.(Competition)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH Colin Braun rides up on a bicycle in the Daytona International Speedway paddock. The thought briefly comes and goes: This kid, who started racing quarter-midgets at age five, looks as if he belongs on a bicycle more than in the cockpit of a Grand-Am ...
TWICE THE FUN.(Competition)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Penske Motorsports and its Porsche RS Spyders finished 1-2 at the American Le Mans race at Mid-Ohio, with fast qualifier Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard finishing ahead of Sascha Maassen and Ryan Briscoe. Dumas finished 2.36 seconds ahead of Briscoe after both Penske crews opted ...
DETROIT DOUBLES THE FUN.(News)
Jul 30, 2007 ... August in metro Detroit is the time for two renowned automotive events: the Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance on the first weekend and the Woodward Dream Cruise two weeks later. One presents displays of exclusive and rare vehicles at a swanky golf course, while the other celebrates muscle ...
1958.(50th Anniversary countdown)
Jul 30, 2007 ... 1958. By almost every measure, '58 was a growth year. As a nation, America was flexing its muscles among the world community, and the leading edge of the baby-boomer generation entered puberty. Expansion-global, financial, physical, societal, emotional-was constant as the prosperity engine ...
RAMBLER REVOLUTIONARY.(Escape Roads)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Byline: JOHN F. KATZ It was 1958, a recession year in the shadow of Sputnik, when John Keats published The Insolent Chariots for a public wearying of fins, flash and fast. It was also the first year in which the newly minted American Motors earned a profit-$26 million, in fact, ...
Drivers Log.(News)(Product/service evaluation)
Jul 30, 2007 ... WONG: I would take the Honda CR-V over this. The fully loaded CR-V, including a reverse camera, stickers for more than $1,000 less, has a nicer interior and drives better. Sure, this Mariner gets a V6, but even that isn't great. It's buzzy and doesn't provide the kick you'd expect. ...
BROAD STRIPES FOR A BRIGHT STAR; Cadillac redesigns its unabashedly American CTS.
Jul 30, 2007 ... Byline: NATALIE NEFF In 2002, Cadillac rallied its troops for another march into the heart of German-occupied territory. The CTS represented a second-straight assault on a market segment in which Cadillac had bombed with its previous attempt, the Catera, which was countered by a ...
SO LONG, RACE ROCK; Bye-bye, Brute Force Burger.(Revs)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH For 11 years, countless tourists in Florida, moping along Interstate 4 in their rented minivans, searching for Walt Disney World and Universal Studios and Sea World, could not miss the enormous blue Bigfoot monster truck parked between the chain-link ...
BACK ON TOP; Sebastien Bourdais retakes the points lead.(Competition)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH The fast, physical two-mile circuit built around City Centre Airport in Edmonton, Alberta, "is a place that beats you up, drags you down to your knees,'' said Champ Car driver Sebastien Bourdais. "But when you can pull it off, it feels really good.'' ...
TV: Aug. 3 - 5.(Competition)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Friday, Aug. 3 Formula One practice from Hungary, 8 a.m., Speed (L) Fine Tuned, 10 a.m., Speed NHRA from Phoenix, 11 a.m., ESPN Classic NASCAR Live from Long Pond, Pa., 1 p.m., Speed (L) Go or Go Home from Long Pond, Pa., 1:30 p.m., ...
SMOKIN' DEALS.(News)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Fans of the ultimate factory-built Mustang are in luck this week, with special finance offers on the Shelby GT500. Two comfortable sedans and a luxury sport/ute also feature generous incentives. SPORT/UTILITY VEHICLE 2007 Acura MDX MSRP: $40,665; 2.9 ...
SEVEN-RACE SHOOTOUT; Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso set sights on title.(Competition)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Byline: NIGEL ROEBUCK Two months have passed since the Monaco Grand Prix in late May, and two months without a win is a long time for a man of Fernando Alonso's competitiveness. In that time, both Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen won two apiece, and world champion Alonso saw ...
WAGONS R STILL US; And Volvo's latest are better than ever.(News)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Byline: J.P. VETTRAINO Not so long ago, "Volvo'' and "wagon'' were synonymous in the popular lexicon. From the PV 445 in 1953 to the 740 in the '80s, particularly near America's seaboards, lumbering, boxy Volvo wagons were as familiar as golden arches. Volvo has ...
EXTRA.(Briefs)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Evo in Tokyo Mitsubishi now is officially confirming a global reveal of its 10th-generation Lancer Evolution at the Tokyo show in October. The company originally had planned to pull the world premiere ahead to Frankfurt in September, but technical details forced a delay to the ...
FRANKFURT FLYER; Schuey-approved F430.(News)
Jul 30, 2007 ... None other than retired F1 ace Michael Schumacher will be on hand in Frankfurt in September to take the wraps off Ferrari's third F430 model, the F430 Scuderia. It joins the F430 Coupe and Spider. The spiritual successor to the 360 Challenge Stradale, this stripped-down ...
THIS COULD GET UGLY; Porsche Panamera spied in the sheetmetal-and reaction isn't pretty.(News)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Byline: GREG KABLE, BOB GRITZINGER Still two years from launch, the four-door Porsche Panamera is already weathering withering criticism, much of it reminiscent of the panning Porsche heard in 2002 before the Cayenne sport/utility vehicle went on sale. Zuffenhausen's ...
GO-KART BEFORE THE HORSE; Hot E63 AMG spied testing well before base E-Class makes an appearance.(News)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Byline: GREG KABLE Mercedes-Benz won't introduce the next-generation E-Class for 18 months, but prototypes of the E63 AMG performance version already have appeared at the Nurburgring. This marks the start of a two-year plan instigated by development boss Tobias ...
CIVIC PROMISE KEPT.(News)
Jul 30, 2007 ... Honda promised us a factory-prepared, Mugen-tuned Civic at last fall's Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas. Before this year's SEMA show, Honda will deliver. Starting in October, Honda will begin selling the 2008 Civic Mugen Si sedan, priced at just less ...
2007 FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW; Clubman Coming.(News)
Jul 30, 2007 ... We've seen conceptual iterations of this extended-wheelbase Mini for more than two years at auto shows around the world. Now it's time for the real thing: the 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman. Debuting in production trim at the Frankfurt show in September, the Clubman uses the same powertrain and ...