Issue December 2003 - MotorTrend (2024)

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DEPARTMENTSMAILAhead by a NoseThe 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (“First,” September) looks very much like a gizmofied Dodge Viper GTS. The starter button on the gearshift is cool, but I fear the rear-wing air brake looks too much like an unlatched decklid.Chris McKenzieOverland Park, KansasThe profile of the new Mercedes SLR is horrific. Are you sure it doesn’t have a straight-12?Harry VienerBurke, VirginiaLessons in EvolutionI read the letters from readers (September) who were annoyed by the presence of the Lancer Evolution in your high-speed competition (June) and complaining about boxy little cars with big wings. I felt the same way before I educated myself on the large variety of cars that are legends in foreign lands. They have a rich history and have come to amuse and delight me for the…9 min

DEPARTMENTSTRACK-DAY MANIA!There are a million good reasons for taking your automotive higher learning off the public roads, but the point is to get into an appropriate environment. Public roads, filled as they are with, well, the public, are not the right place to run hard and concentrate on technique. There are just too many hazards to pay attention to. And getting busted for speeding and losing your license defeats the whole purpose, which is to drive well and enjoy driving better.So check out the Web and ads in magazines, talk to friends, ask around sports-car-friendly shops, and see what you find. Your options will range from a lighthearted afternoon of cone-dancing in a parking lot to a week of intense schooling on a major race course. In some programs, you use…3 min

DEPARTMENTSROAD TRIPPINGThat said, I have to tell you: I just bought a car. But this isn’t one of those stories. Because the story here isn’t about the car itself. It’s about the trip home.I’m in Los Angeles. My prize (okay, a 1989 Porsche Carrera coupe) was in Albuquerque, it would’ve been no hassle, and only moderate expense, to put the thing on a loader and have it shipped to my door. A high-quality carrier would’ve ensconced it in an enclosed truck, and it would’ve arrived wearing no more bug guts or miles than when it left New Mex.How romantic is that?Instead, I asked the owner to pick me up at ABQ airport on a Friday afternoon. The prepurchase inspection, test drive, and keys-for-cashier’s check processes were dispensed with in a few…3 min

DEPARTMENTSNEWSCool Stuff This Month• Frankfurt’s really big show• Aston Martin’s new digs and cars• Audi and Maserati go four-wheeling• Hirings, firings, and assorted gossipPorsche’s Touareg-FighterPorsche will fight VW with VW…power. The new Cayenne—not Cayenne S nor Turbo, just Cayenne—is scheduled for U.S. showrooms in the first half of 2004 with the 3.2-liter 15-degree VR-6 from the high-performance Golf R32. Porsche wants to offer a more affordable version of its high-concept sport/utility, which shared development with the VW Touareg. The R32 engine is rated at 247 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 229 pound-feet of torque at 2500 to 5500 rpm in the Cayenne. Porsche estimates a top speed of 133 mph and a 0-to-62-mph time of 9.1 seconds. Expect the sticker to dip below $50,000, addressing some price resistance to the…5 min

DEPARTMENTSFRANKFURT 2003Audi Le Mans QuattroInspired by Audi’s three-time Le Mans-winning R8, this stunning two-seat concept features a midmounted, 40-valve, 5.0-liter twin-turbo V-10 rated at 610 horsepower. Claimed 0-to-62 mph is 3.7 seconds (0.1 second quicker than the new Mercedes-Benz SLR). Potential top speed is well north of 210 mph, but the car is electronically limited to 155. The car uses a sequential manual gearbox connected to quattro all-wheel drive. The LMQ’s stunning body is aluminum and carbon fiber. VW Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder hints production is possible—with a sticker well above $200,000.Mercedes-Benz Vision CLSYou’ve seen spy shots of this concept, which appears as a production car at Geneva early next year. It’s a sporty four-door coupe that is to the E-Class what the CLK is to the C-Class, with tighter-than-E interior space…5 min

DEPARTMENTSFinbarr O’Neil replaces Pierre GagnonMitsubishi North America has snagged Hyundai North America’s chief, Finbarr O’Neil, to replace Pierre Gagnon as chief executive officer and co-chairman. Under Gagnon’s watch, Mitsubishi sales slipped even as new product arrives in showrooms. Profits have taken a beating, with Mitsubishi’s young-buyer profile translating into high-risk loans. Blame too many defaulted Mitsubishi loans for Gagnon’s release.Meanwhile, O’Neil has overseen the successful launch of such “upmarket” Hyundais as the Santa Fe, XG35O, Tiburon, and the current Sonata, while seeing the quality and image improved on the automaker’s core entry-level subcompacts. O’Neil’s turnaround plan is to boost Mitsu’s image to compete with Toyota and Honda.“I look for both the Lancer and Galant to be the volume products for us,” he says. The plan isn’t to match such tier-one brands for sales, but…1 min

Issue December 2003 - MotorTrend (2024)

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