It’s news like this that always makes me a bit nervous. First it’s a rumor, then there is a prototype and then POOF! It’s in production. As we know Porsche released the Panamera last year. It’s big, ugly and looks like a rolling turtle. The problem is that it’s actually doing quite well in sales and because of this GM is thinking about doing a 4-door Corvette. This idea is not new, in fact it’s been around for quite sometime. Thankfully someone at GM had the common sense to sweep it under the rug.

First off I think that building a 4-door Corvette would be one of the worst decisions that GM could possibly make. The current crop of Corvettes on the market are by far the best ones ever built. GM is also considering dumping in a V6 to try and attract the female market as well. They feel that women are more concerned with the cars looks then performance. If GM decides to dilute the brand with a 4-door Vette’ I fear it will be perhaps their biggest blunder to date. Guys, if you’re listening… you already have a 4-door Vette’ called the Cadillac CTS-V. So please, do us all a favor and scrap this idea before you f*ck up another American icon.

Read more at: Autoguide.com / Pic: GMinsidenews.com

Not long ago we put up some posts about Nissan’s first true electric car, the Leaf. We also sighted that Nissan said the car was going to be priced around that of a typical family sedan, which in my estimation was around $25,000 – $30,000. My estimates seem to be a bit off as the online rumor mill is now saying that the Leaf will be priced around $45,000. Maybe it’s me, but why the hell would I pay 45k for a car that has a range of 100 miles and is the size of a Tic-Tac box.

Check out the full article at: Gas2.org

If you have ever driven one of the more recent Corvettes then you’ve seen GM’s awesome heads up display. Currently it displays speed, RPM’s and g-forces right up there on your windshield. This is all very cool stuff, but what if it could do more? How much more you ask… well, how does this sound.

“We’re looking to create enhanced vision systems,” says Thomas Seder, group lab manager-GM R&D. His team is working with Carnegie Mellon University and The University of Southern California, as well as other institutions, to create a full windshield head-up system leveraging night vision, navigation and camera-based sensor technologies to improve driver visibility and object detection ability.

Take a look at the demonstration video by clicking here.

“Let’s say you’re driving in fog, we could use the vehicle’s infrared cameras to identify where the edge of the road is and the lasers could ‘paint’ the edge of the road onto the windshield so the driver knows where the edge of the road is,” Seder said.

Think about how cool and wonderful this is from a safety standpoint. Cars are getting more and more advanced, and things that were science fiction just 30 years ago are now coming to fruition. It’s a fun time to be part of the automotive industry as the technology that is being developed is very exciting.

Source: GM

I suppose it was inevitable really. I mean if you think about it, all the major German automobile manufacturers have some type of sporty moniker to designate their go-fast models. BMW has their coveted M cars, Mercedes has AMG and Audi, the RS line. Now it seems that Volkswagen wants to jump into the fray by adding an R to the VW line. The R line of cars and SUVs will be more performance oriented and will likely offer up more power, enhanced trim options as well as suspension upgrades.

Read more at: Motorauthority.com

Hey ladies! Do you like cars? Turn your own wrenches? Care more about camber adjustability than the number of cup holders? Do you enjoy writing and have visions of becoming an automotive journalist or are you simply sick and tired of reading about the auto industry from a man’s perspective.

If you answered, “yes” to any of the above then here’s your chance to be heard. Ridelust.com is currently seeking female contributors to come on board and share their deepest automotive thoughts. We’re looking for a serious sense of humor, a fair amount of wit and those who are not afraid to share their unbridled opinions about the automotive world around them.

Since we’re poor this position is unpaid, however the benefits of writing for Ridelust.com greatly outweigh any sort of monetary compensation you may have received. These include, but are not limited to, possible press credentials (if your any good), an outlet to vent your automotive frustrations, a place to hone your skills and gain some automotive credibility, as well as that all important pat on the back from the Ridelust staff. Everyone in this industry started somewhere and made their bones before they were taken seriously. If you have a fierce passion for automobiles, think outside the box and know how to form complete sentences than this position may be for you.

If you’re interested then shoot an email to, mike@ridelust.com, along with some examples of your previous work and why you’d like to write for us. We’ll give it a quick review and see if we have a fit… and who knows, it may just lead you onto bigger and better things.

Ok, so you’ve got this car in your garage that you’ve done a butt-load of bodywork to. It’s straight as an arrow with a quick primer coat on it. The interior and gauges are installed and mechanically your baby is ready to roll. There is however one small problem. You’ve put so much money into the car already to get it to this point that you don’t have the capital for the paint job. Now it’s springtime and the car you thought would be ready will now just be taking up space in the garage unless you find an alternative.

A good paint job, at least up here in the Northeast is going to cost you at a minimum, $10,000. Now I know some of you will read this and say you have an Uncle that has a barn in a field where the uni-bomber was found and that he could do the job for $6.99… and that’s great. Here in good ole’ NYC a good painter charges big money, it’s just the way it is, so lets not argue about it.

If you don’t have the funds for paint keep in mind that there may be an alternative. Vinyl wraps on cars are nothing new. They’re relatively inexpensive (2-3 grand) and have a pretty extensive lifeline… somewhere in the neighborhood of about 5 years or so. You can get any design or color and have the whole thing done in about 3 business days. From 3-feet away onlookers will have no idea that what they’re seeing is not paint. In fact 99.9% of the population won’t no. Is it an ideal situation? Well, it really depends on how you look at it. You can either drive around for the next 5 years in a primer gray car or wrap it so that it looks pretty damn good to the untrained eye… who knows, it may just be something to consider.

Things are tough all over these days, including things at Lamborghini. Hit hard by the global recession, the companies sales plummeted nearly 38% in 2009, resulting in a pretax loss of $47.6 million. Unit sales fell from 2,430 in 2008 to 1,515 in 2009.

Ironically, most of Lamborghini’s customers work in banking and finance. Declining profits (and public outcry) reduced many of the sizable bonuses often paid to senior banking executives, forcing Lamborghini order cancellations worldwide. Not to mention the fact that it’s in poor taste to drive a Lambo when your brother / sister / best friend is being foreclosed upon. Especially when its your bank doing the foreclosure.

But, hey, there’s some good news here, too. Want to order a new Gallardo in time for your high school reunion? Want that new Murcielago to impress your secretary at the Christmas party? Chin up, Mr. Big Spender; the waiting time for a new Lambo is down to six months. No word if they’re going to join GM, Ford and Toyota in offering 0% financing, though.

Source: MotorAuthority

Far be it from me to call bullshit on tragedy but the last few days have caused my skepticism meter to go into the red. Yesterday we heard about a gentleman by the name of Jim Sikes who claimed that his Toyota Prius took him on a 90 mph joy ride that almost ended up launching him over a cliff. Sikes said that when he attempted to pass a car on while traveling on Interstate 8 in San Diego, the accelerator pedal did something funny… meaning it was stuck to the floor.

Now we’re hearing of yet another incident involving a 2005 Prius, this time however it happened up in Harrison, NY. The driver stated that they were simply backing out of their driveway when the mishap occurred and just like the incident that was reported yesterday the claim was that the accelerator pedal stuck to the floor thus making the Prius run into a stone wall. No injuries were reported.

I hate to sound like a skeptic, but why now? I mean up until 2 months ago we never once heard of any problems with unintended acceleration from a Prius, but now all of a sudden we have two in two days… I don’t know. Listen, if these accounts are true then yes, Toyota must step up to the plate and rectify these issues immediately, but if they’re not and people are trying to cash in, then I truly hope they’ll receive the same public flogging as Toyota.

Source: CNN / Autoblog.com

Sure it may be Photoshop, but who cares…

What’s got 556 horsepower, goes 0-60 in around 4.2 seconds and has room for 4 adults and their luggage? Well the upcoming Cadillac CTS-V Wagon of course. I LOOOOOOVE this thing. I mean I really love it. Wagons are some of the most versatile road going machines out there. They’re big, comfortable and can carry all the junk that you and your family need for a weekend getaway to the Pocono’s. Combine that with the fact that you’ll be able to crush 99.9% of all other road going vehicles out there and you got yourself one hell of a grocery getter.

There have been some uber-fast wagons in the past, but very few of them have been sold in the U.S. In fact the only other super wagons you’ll see on this side of the pond are the 507 horsepower Mercedes Benz E63 AMG Wagon and the now defunct 425 horsepower Dodge Magnum SRT8. Yes, there is the BMW M5 Touring and Audi’s new RS6 Avant, but they’re not sold here. So, in reality the only competition for the CTS-V Wagon will be the mid-sized Benz. Man, I can’t wait until the comparison tests start coming out.

Source: Left Lane News

You didn’t know that Malaysia produced automobiles did you? Well, they do and to be quite honest, I think they’re pretty damn horrific. Bufori is the company I speak of, and momma mia’ if they don’t produced some ugly-ass automobiles. Their tag line reads: “Statement of Pride”, but what I’m seeing doesn’t relay that message.

In my opinion, their latest creation, the La JOYA is a mess as it looks like a parts bin car. Take one part Morgan, two parts Stutz Blackhawk then throw in a Chrysler V6 to finish off the project. It looks like an amateur design study and a poor one at that. The engine, a Chrysler V6, is mid-mounted just ahead of the rear axle and produces 172 hp. The gauges, instruments and steering wheel are Chrysler products. The steering wheel for example was lifted out of a Plymouth Prowler, the gauges from a Chrysler 300C and the V6… well that’s found in just about everything Chrysler produces nowadays.

I did some searching and found that the Discovery Channel actually did a little documentary on Bufori, the results of which are quite surprising. For instance each car is made to individual owner specifications. If you’re tall, then guess what, the frame of the car will be stretched so that the new owner fits comfortably in the cockpit. This means that every car produced has a custom wheelbase. Obviously since each car is made to the exact specifications of the owner, the wait time for one is quite extensive, up to one year in some cases with claims of 900 man hours going into each car.

It seems that all the right ideas for producing a high end automobile are there. The implementation however is something I simply don’t know about. I mean how do you conduct safety tests on a car that keeps changing? How do you supply performance statistics and or general information? I honestly don’t think you can. Obviously since the cars are built in Malaysia they don’t have to go through the rigors of safety that other imports go through. I can tell you though that if given the opportunity, this is one car that I don’t think I’d like to get behind the wheel of.