Car Parts 2011

Today is a day that ends in the letter "y" which means an Ebay search is inevitable.  After checking the usual lust worthy subjects, I stumble upon a hallowed mark that has had some rough patches over the years, Maserati.  To my surprise, it isn't the current Gran Turismo or Quattroporte that grabs my attention.  It isn't even the sexy lines of a coupe or cabrio.  It's this:

r3vlimited.com

Considering this Maserati Biturbo is on Time magazine's list of 50 worst cars of all time, most of you probably think I'm crazy for liking it.  It's inexplicable really.  There was a Biturbo coupe on Ebay just a couple days ago and the lines looked so clean.  Now, I see the sedan and it isn't far off the mark.  It just exudes a kind of Italian style that is terribly hard to put into words.

Styling is nice but most of you are aware that I primarily like to talk about drivetrain and performance.  Well, I won't disappoint today.  Depending on year and trim, the Biturbo housed anything from a 2 to 2.5 liter V6 which made anywhere between 180 and 290 horsepower.  The lower end of this range is comparable to an E30 M3!  All the physical dimensions are within a stone's throw of the M3 also.  In addition, it was naturally a rear driver.

So what's the catch?  This isn't titled the The Rich Man's 3-Series for nothing!  The reason behind it being on Time's worst car list is largely due to a plethora of service advisories and reliability issues.  I'm sure after dumping a bunch of cash into the car, it's a sweet ride.  Here's one on Ebay to get you started. 

Part 1 of our NYIAS wrap-up covered the media day unveilings that stood out to us. But there were unveilings that fell short as well-- whether it may be the cause of a lukewarm product or because of a presentation that carried a lot of potential, but ultimately under-delivered.


Nissan
As previously mentioned, the compact/subcompact segment has been a focal point at the New York auto show, and will only grow more competitive in coming years. Last week, the Nissan Leaf won World Car of the Year, speaking volumes to just how in touch product developers of Nissan are to current trends.

However, I was extremely disappointed with the unveiling of their new Versa. With 30 city/37 highway at an extremely low price of $10,990, the Versa is one of the least expensive new cars sold in North America today and it is obviously trying to bring on the heat to the South Korean brands.

The price, unfortunately, comes with with a price. The Versa suffers from a bland exterior that whimpers anonymity in addition to plastic composite touch points in the interior that conjure childhood memories of Fisher Price. The press conference ended with restrained and scattered applause. Oh no is right. This can't be good.


Lotus
Lotus caused one of the largest buzzes in recent memory when they simultaneously unveiled at the 2010 Paris Auto Show an unprecedented five unique products-- Lotus Eterne, Esprit, Elite, Elan and Elise.

Since the show, skeptics and fans alike questioned whether or not Lotus indeed had the ability, in finances and resource, to meet its promise. With the presence of the Lotus Esprit concept and some major suits, including industry icon, legend, and former GM vice chairman, Bob Lutz, who is now a part of the Lotus advisory board, the venue had everything one could need to inject confidence to the public.

Unfortunately, nothing in depth was ever brought to attention. Sure, the new Evora S and Evora IPS were unveiled but rather than running across sales figures, company performance outlooks, and product improvements, Lotus did little talking at all. Instead, they've brought promotional videos to out attention and followed up with an agonizingly long discussion of Lotus' IRL racing activities. Disappointingly, the only thing the promo videos revealed were gorgeous models in sheer bikinis walking around a Esprit concept while a remix of La Roux's "In for the Kill" played in the background. Don't get me wrong, I loved the video. But that wasn't why FPH came to the Auto Show.