Recently, I attended the Carlisle Import and Kit Nationals show at the Carlisle Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania. Held every May, this show features a vast array of meticulously maintained classic British, European and Japanese cars, exemplary examples of their more modern kin, as well as a beautiful collection of kit cars.  As far as sheer variety in makes, models and years, hands down, this show can’t be beat.

This has become something of an annual treat for me as I can think of few better ways to spend a weekend than by gazing at a gleaming sea of jaw-droppingly stunning automobiles, many of which I guarantee you won’t find at other shows. Plus, participation is open to anyone with an import or a kit car – all you have to do is register, make your car pretty and show up. It’s a great opportunity to display your cherished ride and meet other aficionados of your favorite marques.

I used to come down to show my Saab and hang out with the Saab contingent that makes it out every year. But even though I have a Subaru now, it’s just so much fun that I continue to make the trip to Carlisle (my WRX was parked over by the lone DeLorean, if you happened to be there). Volvo, BMW and Audi clubs also traditionally have a large showing so the weekend is packed with the cars you love, cars you haven’t seen before, your friends from the forums, barbeques – it’s a good time for everyone.  So, if you’re not too far out from Pennsylvania, I definitely recommend heading out there next May to check out the Carlisle Import and Kit Nationals. To tide you over, provided for your viewing pleasure are some of my favorite cars of the weekend. Enjoy!

Lancia Scorpion

Matte black Volvo V70R

Opel GT and Opel Kadett Coupe

Volvo P1800S

Saab 9-3 Viggens

Ferrari 360 Modena and 328GTS

Citroën 2CV and Smart Roadster Coupe

Gorgeous Audi Quattro

Fiat 124 Spider Abarth

Twin-charged Audi A1

Volvo S60Rs

Saab 99 Turbo

Badass Volvos: PV544 and 142

DKW Junior de Luxe - DKW/Dampf-Kraft-Wagen became one of the four companies that comprised the "Audi NSU Auto Union AG" (now known as Audi AG).

Triumph TR8 and TR6s

Saab 96 V4 convertible - must have been a custom job.

Bimmer Beauties

Datsun 280ZX 10th Anniversary Edition

Citroën H Van and DS

Audi A7

Honda Z600 / 600 Coupe

Saab Sonetts

Datsun SPL311 Roadster

Opel GT

The 2012 Buick Verano. Photo: © GM Corp.

Buick is set to show their third new model in two years at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. The Verano is Buick’s entry into the compact luxury segment (although I have a hard time writing “Buick” and “compact” in the same sentence), and will slot into their product line below the recently launched Regal sedan. John Schwegman, Buick’s VP of marketing, sums up their reason for launching a compact sedan as follows: “Verano expands our lineup, continues Buick’s momentum and gives us a great opportunity to attract a new generation of customers with a product that delivers on their expectations for design, performance and technology. It is a smart choice that delivers unexpected luxury in a compact sedan – and it will compete head-to-head with competitors from Audi and Lexus.”

The Verano’s exterior styling carries over design themes penned for the LaCrosse and the Regal, and the interior is chock full of comfort as you’d expect from Buick. Buick emphasizes the interior’s “Quiet Tuning”, so think of this as an isolation chamber on wheels, just like its bigger brothers. I’d expect the suspension to be tuned fro a plush ride and not for handling, but that’s what Buick buyers expect. Power will come from a 2.4 liter Ecotec four cylinder engine (the same used in the Regal and the LaCrosse), but the Verano’s smaller size will be a better fit for the 177 horsepower. Buick says the Verano will hit 60 miles per hour in eight seconds, but I doubt many buyers will ever test Buick’s claim. A 2.0 liter turbo version will be offered sometime after the cars launch in the last quarter of 2011.

Source: GM Corp.

Toyota's FT-86 G Sports Concept

The FT-86, in case you’ve forgotten, was to be an affordable entry level sports car developed in a joint venture between Toyota and Subaru. The original concept was a front engine, rear drive coupe with a 200 horsepower boxer motor and a $20,000 price tag. Originally set to hit the market in 2011, the project has been hit by a seemingly endless string of delays, and the latest speculation on a launch date has it hitting dealer showrooms some time next year. Left Lane News tells us that the FT-86 will make an appearance at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show in December, but it isn’t clear whether or not a prototype or production car will be exhibited.

It looks like the FT-86 will now get the same engine used in Subaru’s WRX STI, which is a turbocharged 2.5 liter boxer 4 good for 305 horsepower. As you’d expect, more horsepower brings with it a steeper price tag, with the price of admission now rumored to be around $25,000. Somehow, I suspect that will be revised upward prior to launch, since $25k would make the FT-86 the performance bargain of the decade.

Subaru will get their own version of the FT-86, which will send power down to all four wheels. Expect the Subaru to be more up-market than the Toyota version, and expect it to start at a significantly higher price. The Toyota is scheduled to hit the market first, with the Subaru coupe scheduled for launch sometime in 2013. Unless, of course, the project gets delayed again.

A Ferrari 458 Italia; something is missing...

I was following an interesting comment thread on another board recently, and it played out like this: Commenter A, who claims to have extensive tuning experience and claims to drive a Jeep Cherokee SRT-8, made the bold statement that manual transmissions are obsolete. He further went on to say that enthusiasts should get over this and embrace the automatic, which is superior to the manual in every way. As you’d guess, a thorough beat-down of the original commenter ensued. From the language and grammar used, most commenters were posting from their mom’s basement, and had experience driving manual transmissions on Need For Speed and Grand Turismo only. That’s how things generally go on internet message boards, especially poorly moderated ones.

The thread got me thinking about the fate of the manual transmission. Car & Driver already has their “Save the Manuals” campaign, which appears to have support from dinosaurs like me who grew up with manual gearboxes. There is a certain joy in the ability to master a shift pattern, and the ability to smoothly match engine revs on a well-executed downshift. Rowing up or down through a gearbox gives you a level of interaction with a car that no computer-controlled, dual-clutch gearbox can ever hope to match. Automatics, in my opinion, should be reserved for commuter cars and trucks, while manual transmissions should be an available option on anything with sporting intentions. I’d even pay more money for a good manual transmission, just like automatic transmissions used to command a premium.

The counter argument is made by manufacturers like Ferrari, who’ve all but eliminated the manual transmission from their product lineup. Even the 458 Italia, arguably the best non-GTO Ferrari ever built, is only available with a slushbox computer controlled, dual clutch automatic gearbox. Ferrari isn’t alone in optimizing performance around an automatic: the fastest way around a racetrack in a Cadillac CTS-V is with the automatic transmission set to sport mode. You cannot beat the lap times in a manual transmission CTS-V, and even shifting the automatic yourself will produce slower lap times. John Heinricy, GM’s uber-performance guru, set his record Nürburgring lap time in an automatic transmission CTS-V set to sport mode. If that doesn’t make a statement, I don’t know what will.

I’ll go out on a limb and guess that the original poster, with the SRT-8 Jeep, never learned to drive a manual. Maybe he never had the opportunity, or maybe he just never bothered to learn. That doesn’t make him any less of an enthusiast, just as my own lack of ability to heel-toe a car doesn’t make me any less passionate about driving them. Sometime in the near future, those of us who grew up driving manual transmissions will be the exception, not the rule. Like it or not, automatic transmissions with dual clutch setups and steering wheel mounted paddle shifters are the way of the future: we can either accept change, or try futilely to stop the encroaching glacier of technology.

Me? I’ll always have something with a manual gearbox, and I’m willing to accept that there are faster ways around a racetrack. Sometimes, the joy is in the driving and not in the lap times.

Carlos Sainz

3,100 miles of brutal off-road racing across mountains, dunes and through desert canyons just cannot be easy for anyone, even celebrated Spanish WRC champion Carlos Sainz. But despite the terrain and mechanical issues, Sainz, the 2010 Dakar Champion, scored a victory on Monday, taking the second stage of the 2011 Dakar Rally in his 310 hp Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 with a finishing time of 3:11:28. In second place for the car class was his VW teammate, Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, who finished the stage in 3:12:31. The champion of numerous Dakar Rallies (both in the motorcycle and car classes), Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel, took third in his BMW X3 CC with a time of 3:13:02.  Overall, Sainz leads the car class, with Peterhansel in second and Al-Attiyah in third place.

Monday’s win was the second for Sainz thus far. On Sunday, he triumphed in the first stage between Victoria and Córdoba, Argentina. The second stage on Monday took competitors from Córdoba to San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.

There are thirteen stages in this year’s 5,900 mile rally, which is actually considered a “rally-raid” due to the length of the race and its extreme terrain.  Three classes of vehicles are competing: cars, motorcycles and quads, and trucks. Each day competitors must travel approximately 500 miles on roads and timed special stages over exceedingly challenging terrain.

As noted, this Dakar Rally begins in Argentina and continues through Chile, with the finish back in Buenos Aires. In case you were wondering about the name, the race traditionally started in Europe (originally Paris) and ended in Dakar, Senegal, but was moved to South America in 2009 due to terrorist threats.

This year’s Dakar Rally will conclude on January 15^th. Stay tuned for updates.

Sources:  Dakar.com; Momento24

Recaro seats in the Cadillac CTS-V.

If you like Recaro seats in automobiles, I’ve got some good news for you: Autoblog is reporting that the automotive and specialty seating division of Recaro, specifically Keiper Recaro Group, has been sold to uber-conglomerate Johnson Controls. Even if you’ve never heard of Johnson Controls, chances are good you’ve done business with them in one way or another. The company makes everything from automotive seating through automotive batteries and interior headliners. The company also provides facility management to such big-league players as IBM and U.S. government facilities at Cape Canaveral.

So why, you ask, is this a good thing? Johnson Controls is currently the largest manufacturer of automobile seating in the world, operating manufacturing plants on five continents. It stands to reason that they will make the Recaro brand more accessible to manufacturers, who previously reserved Recaro seating for high end sports cars only. It may even result in less expensive Recaro aftermarket seating, since Johnson Controls has the ability to manufacture product on a much larger (hence, more affordable) scale. The sale is not expected to negatively impact Keiper Recaro’s 4,750 employees, and the sale does not affect Recaro’s aircraft, home or child safety seat division, which is separate from Keiper Recaro.

The Bugatti Super Sport tops the list.

If you ever see me giving stock tips on RideLust, be afraid. I’m not a “play the stock market” kind of guy, and every spare dollar I’ve ever made has gone into cars, bikes, racing or travel (usually centered around cars, bikes or racing). With that in mind, you have a certain right to be skeptical when Forbes publishes a list of the most expensive cars. First, it’s only a snapshot in time, as new supercars are introduced every year. Next, there’s no clarification on where the prices are from, so I assume they’re a manufacturer’s list price, translated in to U.S. dollars. That’s hardly an accurate representation, as cars typically sell for higher prices in the EU than they do in the United States. Finally, any car’s price is based on supply and demand: since the entire run of Bugatti Veyron Super Sports has been spoken for, good luck finding one at the list price of $2.6 million.

Here’s Forbes’ list of the ten most expensive cars for 2010. I know that some of them don’t yet exist (like the Ferrari F70), so pricing is sheer speculation. Likewise, the list has a few glaring omissions (like the $550,000 Gumpert Apollo), so take it for what it’s worth. Just remember that there’s a reason we don’t give you investment advice on RideLust.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, $2.6 million

Koenigsegg Agera, $1.5 million

Maybach Laudaulet, $1.405 million

Pagani Zonda C9, $1.3 million

Ferrari F70, $870,000

SSC Ultimate Aero, $750,000

LeBlanc Mirabeau, $728,000

Ferrari SA Aperta, $520,000

Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, $455,400

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, $447,000

Tesla's Model S Sedan. Photo: Mark Warren

It costs a lot of money to design and implement new propulsion systems. If you count the EV-1, General Motors has been working (intermittently) on electric car technology since 1990, which is a lot of R&D hours burned. When government subsidies for electric vehicles go away, Nissan will need to sell some 500,000 Leafs each year to recover the development cost and turn a profit. Much of the expense associated with both the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf comes for their batteries: both Chevy and Nissan use custom built lithium-ion battery packs, which undergo an extensive amount of testing to ensure cell optimization prior to assembly.

Tesla, on the other hand, projects that the Model S sedan will turn a profit with a sales volume of just 20,000 units annually. This is partially due to the fact that the Model S borrows heavily from propulsion technology developed for the yet-to-be-profitable Tesla Roadster. It’s also due to the fact that Tesla uses off-the shelf lithium ion batteries in building their battery packs, instead of devoting resource to building custom battery packs. Similar lithium ion cells are used in laptop batteries, and these smaller cells cost about seventy-five percent less than the cells used by GM and Nissan.

Maybe the sheer volume of smaller cells used by Tesla negates problems caused by a few being out of spec, and perhaps the battery assembly in the Tesla Model S will be more serviceable than the battery pack in the Chevy Volt. Still, it’s hard for me to imagine that much of a cost saving without some kind of performance penalty. I guess we’ll know for sure when the Tesla Model S finally does hit production.

Source: Left Lane News

Think you’re getting a “lightly used” car, just because you’re buying it from a little old lady? Never heard the Jan & Dean tune, “The Little Old Lady From Pasadena?” Just remember that all those kindly grandmother types may not be what they appear. Take the guy that signed off on my competition license way back when – Les Gaylord was in his seventies then, and looked like any other retiree. You’d mistake him for an easy marque on the track at your own peril, since the guy still had track records at a lot of the SCCA approved tracks in the Western U.S. Lesson learned? Old doesn’t necessarily translate into slow. A tip of the hat goes to Fireball Tim Lawrence for finding this one!

If you have a thing for Fox bodied Mustangs and you’re a fan of Steve Saleen, head on over to Bring A Trailer or eBay for the rundown on what has to be the nicest early Saleen Mustang left in existence. It’s only racked up 7,100 miles, it’s never seen rain or snow, it’s only been through two owners and get this: it’s completely stock. No blower, no upgraded exhaust, no cold air intake; this car is just as it left the Saleen factory in March of 1988. It’s even got the original tires, although I’m not sure I’d want to drive very far (or particularly fast) on them.

Early Saleen Mustangs used stock Ford engines, but modified the chassis and suspension for better handling based on Steve Saleen’s experience as a road racer. If I understand it correctly, that would give this particular car 225 horsepower; that may have been acceptable in 1988, but it’s not exactly on par with contemporary Mustangs. Even the handling couldn’t match a new Mustang, but that’s hardly the point of this car. It belongs in someone’s collection, with driving duties relegated to Mustang shows and classic car events.

There’s no way to tell what the seller’s reserve is, so I can’t even guess on price. Similar vintage Saleen Mustangs typically sell in the $10k to $12k range, but they’ve all got higher mileage and most have been modded to death. If you can snap up this particular example for less than $15,000, I’d call it well bought.