When the Solstice concept was first unveiled, a sister hardtop styling mock-up was also presented. The production Solstice roadster was such a looker that many forgot all about the coupe. GM designers hadn’t forgotten and the production version added an unexpected targa feature. Read more…
Nissan Puts The Accord Coupe In Its Crosshairs
Nissan recently launched its revised 2007 Altima sedan complete with the requisite Hybrid model to generally positive reviews. While we haven’t driven the latest iteration of the family hauler we expect it to continue being the slightly sportier, less frumpy alternative to the Camry and Accord that it has always been. But Nissan is no longer content with simply fighting for the family sedan buyer; it wants to offer something for what it calls “typically younger, more performance-oriented coupe buyers.” And after driving it, the Camry Solara and Accord Coupe better hit the gym and get down to fighting weight because the all-new 2008 Altima Coupe offers credible performance in a body almost as sexy as the big brother Infiniti G37. Read more…
Lotus Says the S Stands for Supercharged, We’re Thinking More Like Stupefying
Lotus, like other conventional automakers who like to drop an “S” or a “T” somewhere in the name of a car to denote the presence of a supercharger or turbocharger, would have us believe that’s all the suffix represents here. But Lotus is no conventional automaker, and one run through the gearbox of the quickest Lotus roadcar available and you’ll agree that a rechristening is in order here. My dictionary says something that is stupefying will “make somebody unable to think clearly because of boredom, tiredness, or amazement”. We can testify from experience that when piloting the Exige S it’s not boredom or tiredness you’ll be feeling. Even on the mind numbing interstates of Metro Detroit, where driving joy seems a thousand miles away, you’ll be too busy avoiding pot holes and lane-drifting, slack-jawed hooligans with cell phone cameras to ever get bored. Now being unable to think clearly because of amazement, that’s something you’ll experience with every flex of your right foot. That means one thing: this must be the Lotus Exige Stupefying Edition. Read more…
Nearly Puuurfect
Forgive the corny subtitle but it accurately sums up our feelings for the completely redesigned and sexy-as-ever XK Coupe. In fact, Coventry’s latest cat melted our cold, cold hearts so much if we picked a Car of the Year there’s no doubt the XK would be a strong contender. Sure its annual production is about one zillionth of Camry sales, but no Toyota looks like this or sounds so glorious. Read more…
At Least It Looks The Part
To most people that is. Maybe it’s the old age, maybe it’s the lack of coffee, or maybe it is the fact that this is the base model, but whatever the case was, the Eclipse did not impress me as I had hoped. That does not mean that the Eclipse is not worth your attention, on the contrary, I am convinced the Eclipse is a player. The visual appeal is there, but the substance simply lacks. Read more…
Bad Badging
The Sunburst Orange Chevy Cobalt in our fleet was wearing the two most revered letters in GM performance history, but we weren’t fooled. You see, Chevrolet actually offers two Cobalt SSs and one of them is worthy of the legendary designation and the other is little more than an appearance package. The subject of this review is the poseur. It may have SS badges glued to an attractive coupe body, but this was no Super Sport. Read more…
Aching for an Autobahn
So you want to go fast? You want something that will rule the left lane with an iron fist and fear no competition. If its 0-60 mph time doesn’t start with a 3 then your grandma might be interested but you’re not. You want the latest racing technology and materials so exotic NASA doesn’t even use them. The exhaust note must strike fear into the heart of pedestrians and send enthusiasts’ pulse rates racing. If you expect climate control, a navigation system, change from a $75,000 bill and if you absolutely must blow through the quarter mile in less time than it takes to read this sentence, then there’s really only one choice. You need a Z06. Read more…
Look What Santa Left Me!
Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but really Santa, an automatic? Actually, the more perplexing thing is why would anyone in the GM media relations department decide to loan out a Corvette in Michigan in December? Our only conclusion was that the coordinator was on vacation in sunny California, and well, it’s dry there. Fortunately for you, your faithful AT staff is reluctant to pass up horsepower of large proportions and thus, brought to you its 400 gift-wrapped stallions. Read more…
It looks like Mitsubishi is learning from the old advertising mantra that, indeed, sex sells.
While the Eclipse was a hot, voluptuous car in the late 1990s, it morphed into something more dull in the generation that lasted until 2005. It seemingly changed from a Brazilian bikini model to a mousey librarian, trading in its sports-car looks and hard-nosed performance for a softer ride and boring styling. Read more…
