RideLust

The Gumball 3000 is fast approaching and this years rally is going to be nothing short of epic. Starting in London with stops in Paris, Barcelona, Monaco, Venice, Belgrade, Sofia, and with the final stop in Istanbul, participants can expect full VIP treatment, a seat at the Monaco Grand Prix and the adventure of a lifetime. I had one of the most memorable experiences in 2009 when I joined the rally while it was taking place here in the United States from Santa Monica, CA to Miami, FL. This eight day, eight country, 3000 mile adventure is a mixture of pure adrenaline and one hundred percent exhaustion. It’s also something I would recommend to any car enthusiast to add to their bucket list.
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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.

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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.

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A Caterham 7. Image: sjmmarsh

No road-going car in the history of the automobile sums up the Colin Chapman philosophy of “adding lightness” better than the Lotus 7, which lives on to this day in the form of the Caterham Roadsport and Superlight series. The cars weigh next to nothing, since luxury amenities are limited to things like seats, a steering wheel and a windshield. They’re considered to be among the best track-day toys you can buy, but they’re less than pleasant to drive on the roads to and from the track. Worse, they’re ugly as sin, since aesthetics were never considered in the vehicle’s design. Headlights and turn signals are tacked-on afterthoughts, as are the front fenders. The nose of the car is a giant grille, which gives the Caterham the appearance of a shell-shocked amphibian. Sure it’s fast, but it’s as sexy as John Madden in a dress.

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It’s a pretty straight forward question really, and one that is targeted directly at the automotive enthusiast. Simply stated, which method of shifting gears do you prefer and why? If you grew up driving between 1950 and 1990, than odds are you’ve got some experience grinding the gears in a manual transmission. If however you began playing with high performance cars in the mid-90′s, then it’s very possible that you’ve never thrown a shift in your life. It’s not a bad thing, but a sign of the times that shows us how automotive technology is moving forward. In the past “true” driving enthusiasts drove stick shifts and wouldn’t be caught dead in automatics. The motion of depressing that clutch, throwing a shift and accelerating out of a corner was enough to get the juices of every petrol-head flowing.
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2009 Z06, delivery miles only, seeks loving home... Photo: © GM Corp.

GM recently published October sales data, and for the second month in a row, Corvette sales numbers are down. In September, Chevy delivered a total of 1,109 Corvettes, some 476 units (or 30%) less than in 2009. October’s unit sales were down to 1,011, but that was only a 12.4% loss to October sales in 2009. Year to date, Corvette sales are down 9.5% compared to 2009, and it doesn’t take an economist to figure out that 2009 sales were bleak compared to the pre-recession sales of 2008. In fact, 2009 sales were down over 48% compared to 2008.

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The Porsche Cayman S; look for the R to be lighter.

Given Porsche’s success with the Boxster Spyder, it’s no surprise that the Stuttgart automaker would roll out a lightweight, de-contented version of its popular Cayman sport coupe as well. Perhaps the worst-kept secret of the Los Angeles Auto Show, the Cayman R is expected to makes it’s world debut in LA next week.

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Mazda brought a pair of sweet little Mazda2′s to SEMA this year. The duo, the Mazda2 Street, and its evil twin the Mazda2 Track, have been lowered over skateboard sized wheels and tires and given classy race-inspired livery. The Mazda2 Track is fitted with a full roll cage, and has had its guts ripped out in preparation for heavy duty track usage. The Mazda2 Street retains its refined interior, but hides it behind some seriously dark tinted windows. The two cars might just be the best-looking Mazda’s currently made, even if they are the size and shape of a big roller-skate.
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When the Mazda Miata turned 10, Mazda gave fans and buyers a special edition of the car, called the 10th Anniversary Edition or 10AE for short. Now that the iconic roadster has turned 20, surely Mazda has something special planned, right?

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Mazda's original Renesis motor, used in the RX8

Despite Mazda’s recent claim that they’re going upscale across their product line, Motor Authority has information that would indicate this won’t apply to the replacement for the RX7, to be called the RX9. The car is still years away from production (and development of the next generation, 1.6 liter rotary motor is behind schedule), but the RX9 is said to be based on the Mazda MX-5 platform. Rather than going upmarket like the RX8 attempted to do, the RX9 will be an affordable pure sports car.

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