AutoWeek back issues from September 2008:
PASSION ON PARADE.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER You could say it was more of the samemore than a million spectators watching 40,000 classic and specialty cars parading along Woodward Avenue, America's No. 1 cruising strip. But with an economy in disarray and gasoline hovering near $4 per gallon, it was ...
2008 Hyundai Accent SE.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... 2008 Hyundai Accent SE IN FLEET: July 24-28 AS-TESTED PRICE: $15,280 DRIVETRAIN: 1.6-liter I4; FWD, five-speed ...
DRIVERS LOG.(News)(Accent)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2008 ... VAUGHN: In these gas-sucking times, the mighty Accent is starting to look like the way of the future: an efficiently engineered four-banger (with continuously variable valve timing) mated to a five-speed manual pulling around less than 2,500 pounds. It even seats five. In the ...
MARKET; 1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport Coupe.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: DAVE KINNEY Mecum Auction Des Moines, Iowa July 26, 2008 Super Wildcat V8 with dual four-barrel carbs, 360 hp. Brown with tan vinyl top and light saddle leather. Inferior-quality respray, evenly applied. Good chrome; some trim pieces ...
ANONYMOUS LUXURY; 1976 BRISTOL 411 SERIES 5.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: GEORGE P. BLUMBERG NICELY UNDERSTATed, never underrated is the motto of Bristol Cars, now in its 62nd year of producing vehicles it describes as "Great Britain's most exclusive luxury car. Exclusive, indeed. Bristol produces an estimated 100 costly cars ...
RESULTS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... TRACK: VALENCIA 3.367-MILE STREET CIRCUIT DATE: AUG. 24 1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 57 laps at 120.535 mph avg. speed; 2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes, 57; 3. Robert Kubica, BMW-Sauber, 57; 4. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren-Mercedes, 57; 5. Jarno Trulli, ...
RESULTS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... TRACK: INFINEON RACEWAY 2.303-MILE ROAD COURSE DATE: AUG. 24 1. Helio Castroneves, 80 laps at 100.254 mph avg. speed; 2., 80; 3. Tony Kanaan, 80; 4. Dan Wheldon, 80; 5. Danica Patrick, 80; 6. E. J. Viso, 80; 7. Vitor Meira, 80; 8. Graham Rahal, 80; 9 ....
BORREGO ON IN; RIGHT SUV, WRONG TIME; NO PROBLEM, KIA SAYS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: MARK VAUGHN It would be hard to pick a time worse than now to launch another midsize SUV, but don't tell Kia. "Four-dollar gas plus SUV is an equation that doesn't necessarily add up, said Kia's vice president of sales, Tom Loveless. "[But] we bring features ...
SPECS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $26,995 DRIVETRAIN: 3.8-liter, 276-hp, 267-lb-ft V6; 4WD, five-speed ...
Acres (and Acres and Acres) of Cars; CONCORSO ITALIANO.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Among the honored marques at this year's Concorso Italiano were "45 Years of Lamborghini and "The Cars of Marcello Gandini. How would anyone know? Gandini designs have been at every Concorso since the "Celebration of Italian Style was founded almost 20 years ...
A Well-Rounded Pebble; PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Jon and Mary Shirley are our kind of Pebble winners. Before work got under way on the year-and-a-half restoration of their 1938 Alfa 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta, they drove itall over. That included the 8C Tour in Jackson, Wyo., and the 2006 Mille Miglia in ...
SHEETROCK SURVIVORS; DRYWALL MAKES A RICH CANVAS FOR VANISHED CARS AND MEMORABILIA.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: PHIL BERG Peter Wollons still mourns his beloved red 1933 Ford coupe hot rod. "It was spectacular, he says of the painstakingly restored, modified rod he drove for two years until it was stolen in 1984 in Los Angeles. Busy cops never even looked for the one-of-a-kind ...
TWO-WHEEL LOWDOWN; 2008 DUCATI 848 SUPERBIKE.(News)(Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Byline: GEORGE P. BLUMBERG Ducati bridges the gap with a lighter, more powerful entry-level superbike. 849-cc, 134-hp, liquid-cooled L-twin; 370- lb dry weight; quarter-mile in 10.49 sec @ 132.76 mph. COMPETITIVE SET > Aprilia RSV1000R, BMW R1200S, Buell 1125R, Honda ...
Too Great Expectations.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: Dutch Mandel CALL ME JADED, BUT WHEN A car works well for the first three months, six months or year of its life in my garage, I think it's commendable. In fact, I talk it up. Heck, nearly four yearstouch woodafter buying my wife's Land Rover LR3, it's ...
TV; SEPT. 5-7.(News)(Diary entry)
Sep 01, 2008 ... FRIDAY, SEPT. 5 * Formula One practice from Belgium, 8 a.m., Speed (L) * NASCAR Nationwide Series final practice from Richmond, Va., 10 a.m., ESPN2 (L) * American Le Mans Series from Detroit, noon, Speed * NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying ...
HOP ON THE BUS; VW TAPS CHRYSLER, AND THE ROUTAN IS NO MICROBUS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: JIM HENRY The problem with the 2009 Volkswagen Routan isn't so much what it is as what it's not. What it is is VW's restyled version of the newest-generation Chrysler minivan, introduced last year. What it's not is a VW Microbus. Apparently, we have to ...
SPECS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... ON SALE: September BASE PRICE: $25,390 DRIVETRAIN: 3.8-liter V6, 197 hp, 230 lb-ft; FWD, six-speed ...
CAN LOOKS KILL (SALES)? ACURA MAY FIND OUT WITH ITS NEW TL.(News)(American Honda Motor Company Inc. Acura)(Financial report)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Byline: DON KLEIN With a grille that looks like the face of a stoned Pokemon character and a rear end that defies summary description, the exterior of the new Acura TLs (there are two: the base model and the SH-AWD, which replaces the Type-S) is bound to be polarizing. You'll ...
SPECS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... ON SALE: September BASE PRICE: $34,000 (est) DRIVETRAIN: 3.5-liter, 280-hp V6 @ 6,200 rpm 254 lb-ft @ ...
PEBBLE BEACH MEMOIRS.(News)(Mercedes Formula One driver Jochen Mass received Mercedes Star Driver award )(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2008 ... NASCAR MEETS EURO FASHION Mercedes Formula One and endurance driver Jochen Mass received the Mercedes Star Driver award during Pebble Beach weekend. In accepting the honor, he relayed a story about putting on a pair of silver Adidas driving shoes at a track in the presence of ...
A Cadillac Kind of Guy.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Michigan's Flint Journal reports that Joseph Macko, an 84-year-old GM retiree, has driven a new Cadillac every year since 1955. He picked up his 54th ...
THANKS, CAPTAIN.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Enrique Bernoldi's car was no threat to win the IndyCar race at Kentucky Speedway, but an incident on pit road didn't help matters. The car was being carried to the paddock after ...
EXTRA.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... CORVETTE TO GT2 Corvette Racing appears increasingly likely to move from the GT1 class to GT2 as early as the middle of next season. A proposal is on the table that would see the existing Corvette C6.R GT1 car race in the American Le Mans Seriesup to and including the 24 Hours ...
COMPETITION.(News)(competitions of automobile driver Joe Gibbs )
Sep 01, 2008 ... GIBBS PAYS PRICE NASCAR suspended seven Joe Gibbs Racing crew members in the "dyno-cheating scandal after the recent Nationwide Series race in Michigan ("NASCAR Busts Joe Gibbs Racing, AW, Aug. 25). Nationwide crew chiefs Dave Rogers and Jason Ratcliffe and crewmen Dorian ...
THE RUNDOWN; FELIPE MASSA CLOSES ON LEWIS HAMILTON IN SPAIN.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: NIGEL ROEBUCK Felipe Massa lost what would have been a dominant win in the Hungarian Grand Prix ("Twisted Fate, AW, Aug. 11) when his engine expired with three laps to go. So, when teammate Kimi Raikkonen's engine did the same in the late stages of the European GP in ...
Wide-Open Spaces.(News)(Viewpoint essay)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Byline: Cory Farley FROM ANY NUMBER OF PEAKS in Nevada, my adopted home, you can look across 30,000 square miles. For those who imagine themselves to be the center of the universe, that can be humbling. "It's quite alarmingly spacious, declared a British automotive ...
Sweet Motorcycle Montage in Hershey.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: JOHN F. KATZ How is a room full of motor-cycles like a box of chocolates? No, not because it's in Hershey, Pa. But Geoff Ringle, business development manager for the Antique Motorcycle Club of America (AMCA), describes his club's new exhibit as "a Whitman's sampler box, ...
GETTING A BOOST; INDYCAR WANTS TURBOCHARGED ENGINES IN 2011.(News)(Indy Racing League)
Sep 01, 2008 ... TURBOCHARGED ENgines will return to IndyCar racing when the next wave of equipment is introduced in 2011, although series officials are not ready to say whether the new powerplants will feature four or six cylinders. A decision is to be made after Indy Racing League officials hold their ...
Photo caption.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Castroneves (leading) had a perfect weekend and did exactly what he ...
STILL ALIVE; Helio Castroneves wins in Sonoma and keeps the championship going.(News)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Byline: CURT CAVIN REMEMBER HOW SCOTT Dixon was recently anointed the IndyCar Series champion-in-waiting? Remember when Ryan Briscoe, not Helio Castroneves, was the Team Penske driver winning races? Remember when everything Ganassi Racing did turned to ...
RESULTS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... TRACK: BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY 0.533-MILE OVAL DATE: AUG. 23 1. Carl Edwards, Ford, 500 laps at 91.581 mph avg. speed; 2. Kyle Busch, Toyota, 500; 3. Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 500; 4. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 500; 5. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 500; 6. Ryan ...
RACE REPORT.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... THE BUMP-AND-RUN HAS BEEN around since NASCAR's first Cup race in 1949. It happens dozens of times every weekend, notably on short, unforgiving bullrings such as Bristol Motor Speedway. Most drivers accept it as part of doing business, realizing they have likely used it themselves. ...
QUICK TURNAROUND; WITH A CARL EDWARDS WIN, KYLE BUSCH LOOKS BEATABLE.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: AL PEARCE Only a month ago, Kyle Busch had a hammerlock on this year's Sprint Cup. He entered the dog days of August with four poles, seven wins and six other top-10s in 20 starts. He held a 253-point lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. and was virtually assured of being seeded ...
SPECS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $15,220 DRIVETRAIN: 1.5-liter, 117-hp, 106-lb-ft I4; FWD, ...
RIGHT TIMING; HONDA ROLLS OUT IMPROVED "09 FIT.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: JONATHAN WONG The new Honda Fit has been on sale in Japan since the end of last year, but don't complain about the United States having to wait until now to get the new car. After all, the first Fit was in production for the better part of five years before it hit our ...
SPECS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $21,995 DRIVETRAIN: 3.5-liter, 250-hp, 250-lb-ft V6; RWD, four-speed ...
UP TO THE CHALLENGE? WITH LOWER-POWERED CHALLENGERS, DODGE HOPES TO FIND TRACTION IN A GAS-SIPPING MARKET.(News)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Byline: NATALIE NEFF By now, many of the folks most nostalgic for Mopar's muscle-car heyday already have snapped up the SRT version of the Dodge Challenger ("That "70s Show, AW, May 5), with its ground-pounding 425-hp, 6.1-liter Hemi V8. In the three months since they hit ...
CRUZE COMPACT COMING TO U.S.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The Chevrolet Cruze, General Motors' mid-2010 replacement for the Cobalt compact, will make its world debut at the Paris motor show in October. The car's appearance is based heavily on Chevy's new global design language, as seen on the Malibu sedan and the Traverse crossover. ...
NEW MAN FOR MCLAREN; AMERICAN-BORN DESIGN WHIZ TO WORK HIS MAGIC ON FERRARI FIGHTER.(News)(McLaren Automotive Ltd.)(Frank Stephenson )
Sep 01, 2008; ... Byline: JULIAN RENDELL AND GREG KABLE The arrival of former Fiat and Ferrari designer Frank Stephenson at McLaren Automotive in England starts a significant new chapter in the development of a family of supercars that will carry on the legacy of McLaren's famous F1. ...
SPECS.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... ON SALE: Spring 2009 BASE PRICE: $22,000 (est.) DRIVETRAIN: 3.6-liter, 300-hp, 273-lb-ft V6; RWD, ...
CAMARO CURE; V6 model is fun and fuel-efficient.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: GREG MIGLIORE If you're sick of high gas prices, one remedy may be the V6 version of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. With 300 horses and sports-car handlingand a sticker likely to start at about $22,000the V6 remake of Chevy's 1960s muscle car may be just what the doctor ...
Still Ticking After All These Years; 35TH ROLEX MONTEREY HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE RACES.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: PATRICK C. PATERNIE STEVEN J. EARLE DIDN'T invent vintage auto racing in August 1974, but he put it on the mapat Laguna Seca Raceway, that is, a few miles inland from the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, which itself began as an adjunct to the Pebble Beach road races in ...
MONTEREY AUCTIONS; The Vintage Market Is Just Fine, Thank You.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: DAVE KINNEY Record foreclosures in the housing markets. Gasoline prices $1 more per gallon than the same week last year. A nervous stock market and a hotly contested presidential election. Although it sounds like a formula for disaster, there was plenty of good news for ...
THE QUAIL; Easing Into the Pebble Beach Grind.(News)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Byline: DALE JEWETT Now in its sixth year, "The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering might just be the classic-car-show equivalent of Major League Baseball's spring training. Two days before the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the 3,000 people who were able to get ...
AW TRUTH & BEAUTY; NO, REALLY, THE SHARK'S NAME IS BERNIE.
Sep 01, 2008 ... Williams-Toyota driver Nico Rosberg looks happy and relieved to be on this side of the wall at the enormous aquarium in ...
TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT.(American Honda Motor Company Inc. Acura)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Byline: Don Klein If the standard eight-speaker, 276-watt, AM/FM, six-disc CD changer, XM satellite, Bluetooth audio with USB port, AUX connectivity and hands-free wireless telephone system don't float your boat, you can opt for Acura's new Technology package. Available on both ...
NEW DEAL FOR WHELDON.
Sep 01, 2008 ... Dan Wheldon expects to remain with Chip Ganassi's IndyCar team. The 2005 series champion said that his agent and team officials are discussing a new contract. Wheldon ...
REVS.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... HAPPY FEET There are four points where a driver connects with a car (five if you count the seat of the pants). And if those points are cool, comfortable and not fatigued, the driver will be more connected to the carand in better control. Driving shoes are meant to protect some ...
RESULTS.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... TRACK: O'REILLY RACEWAY PARK 1,000-FOOT DRAG STRIP (Top Fuel, Funny Car), 0.25-MILE (Pro Stock) DATE: SEPT. 1 Top Fuel Tony Schumacher, ET 3.916, 309.13 mph, over Doug Kalitta, ET 4.036, 299.86 mph Funny Car Robert Hight, ...
GM PLUGS INTO HYBRID PICKUPS; But don't look for green models until mid-'09.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... Byline: NATALIE NEFF Falling truck sales haven't stopped General Motors from expanding its popular pickup lines. In this case, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra will get hybrid variants, much as their stablemate sport-utility vehicles did before them. GM ...
RESULTS.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... TRACK: RACEWAY AT BELLE ISLE 2.07-MILE ROAD COURSE DATE: AUG. 30 1. F. Montagny/J. Rossiter, Acura ARX-01b, 104 laps at 98.551 mph avg. speed (LMP2 winner); 2. D. Brabham/S. Sharp, Acura ARX-01b, 104; 3. G. de Ferran/S. Pagenaud, Acura ARX-01b, 104; 4. T ....
WHERE'S THE HYBRID? "09 DODGE RAM WON'T GET ONE FOR A WHILE.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... Byline: J. P. VETTRAINO AND BOB GRITZINGER The new 2009 Dodge Ram pick-up is loaded with genuine improvements, starting with aerodynamic and powertrain efficiencies that increase fuel economy 5 percent on average. What it doesn't have, at least initially, is the dual-mode hybrid ...
RESULTS.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... TRACK: RACEWAY AT BELLE ISLE 2.07-MILE ROAD COURSE DATE: AUG. 31 1. Justin Wilson, 87 laps at 89.911 mph avg. speed; 2. Helio Castroneves, 87; 3. Tony Kanaan, 87; 4. Oriol Servia, 87; 5. Scott Dixon, 87; 6. Ryan Hunter-Reay, 87; 7. Bruno Junqueira, 87; 8 ....
THE D IS FOR DETAILS AND DIESEL.(NEWS)(BMW AG)(2009 3-series 335d)
Sep 08, 2008; ... Byline: GREG KABLE BMW says it incorporated 2,500 changes in its facelifted 2009 3-series, but the biggest change for the U.S. market is the arrival of a diesel model, the 335d. While each of the steel body panels, apart from the newly contoured hood, has been ...
SPECS.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $22,170 DRIVETRAIN: 3.7-liter, 215-hp, 235-lb-ft V6; RWD, ...
Old Guy in a Vette.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... IN THE MID-1960S, WHEN I WAS a teenager, it used to gall me that the best cars were only available to the old guys with the money. How could they appreciate those Corvettes and Porsches and Ferraris the way we so-cool young guys could? In an ideal world, we'd be the ones in the cool fast ...
DAZED AND CONFUSED IN DETROIT; JUSTIN WILSON WINS AS INDYCAR'S TITLE CONTENDERS GO HOME UNHAPPY.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008; ... Byline: CURT CAVIN The IndyCar Series championship will go down to the final race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 7. But it might have already been decided by a controversial on-track maneuver. In a season that has seen Graham Rahal and Danica Patrick win races and ...
WITNESSING PERFECTION; JIMMIE JOHNSON REVIVES HIS HOPES FOR A THIRD CONSECUTIVE TITLE.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008; ... Byline: PETE LYONS FOR FANS OF 42 other drivers, the Pepsi 500 must have been hard to watch. But it was a great night for Jimmie Johnson boosters. Starting from a convincing pole position, the No. 48 Chevrolet driver stayed out front for most of the race. Even when ...
SENDING A MESSAGE; ANDRETTI GREEN RACING WINS IN DETROIT, BUT ITS ALMS FUTURE IS UNDECIDED.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... Byline: CURT CAVIN MICHAEL ANDRETTI insists that his American Le Mans Series team did not send a psychological statement to Acura, but the Detroit Sports Car Challenge that played out on the tight and challenging Belle Isle street circuit sure smelled of it. Acura ...
WHELDON OUT, FRANCHITTI RETURNS.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... So much for Dan Wheldon's expectation to remain with Chip Ganassi's IndyCar Series team (Competition, Sept. 1). As AutoWeek went to press, word had just come down that Wheldon will leave Ganassi at season's end and will be replaced by 2007 Indianapolis 500 and series champion ...
COACH IN A BOX; ELECTRONIC UNIT MENTORS YOUNG DRIVERS.(NEWS)(Tiwi)
Sep 08, 2008; ... Byline: KAW What, yet another black box that uses GPS to let parents monitor their teen drivers? Yes, but the new Tiwi from Inthinc boasts several key differences. First, it's a smart computer that talks to the driver, mentoring much the way parents did from the passenger seat ...
EXTRA.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... SHOOTOUT CHANGES NASCAR's 2009 Budweiser Shootout, scheduled for Feb. 7 at Daytona International Speedway, will have a new format. The nonpoints race will have 24 cars, six each (based on final owner points) from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota. The race has been lengthened ...
HELLO, GREATNESS; TONY SCHUMACHER SETS RECORDS AT THE U.S. NATIONALSBY ROB GEIGER.(NEWS0)
Sep 08, 2008 ... For the better part of three days, the rest of the NHRA's Top Fuel class was able to dream big. Five-time and reigning series champion Tony Schumacher arrived in Indianapolis for the 54th-annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals as the center of attention, but until Sunday afternoon, his ...
Cruz Pedregon Wins Shootout, $100K.(NEWS)
Sep 08, 2008 ... Byline: RG Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon left the U.S. Nationals with the year's biggest cash payout, the $100,000 top prize for winning the U.S. Smoke-less Showdown on Aug. 31. The Shootout invites the eight drivers with the best average qualifying positions from the previous ...
LITTLE BIG CAR; DOES SIZE MATTER? NOT WITH THIS MINI.(NEWS)(John Cooper Works Ltd.)
Sep 08, 2008; ... Byline: NATALIE NEFF We worked the car into a giddy rhythm, rowing through the gears, dancing on the pedals and flicking the steering wheel in an almost choreographed sequence, the cadence dictated by the hairpins that wiggle their way along the Tramuntana mountains that cling ...