Car Parts 2011

I'm curious, have any of you ever tried to talk cars with your mom? And what was the result? When I was little, I suppose my parents thought it was cute and I'd imagine they were glad I was into something boyish, especially if for whatever reason they were concerned I would grow up effeminate.

However, if I mention anything remotely car related to my mom now, even it it's only for a second, I would likely be responded by sighs each more exasperated than the next... which brings me to this bit.

Those that have grown to know Clarkson understand that this is not a fault, it's merely a part of the package.



Happy Mother's Day!

Meet FotW #19, Guy Martin, 28 year old truck mechanic. This is the cold "office" from which he travels to and from in a Ford Transit van, ideal in handling the decrepit roads of the truck yard six days a week. Those are his goggles propped on his mucky hair, that's his name on the breast pocket of his overalls, and these are his tools held between his greasy hands. Martin does not have a pension plan, has nothing in savings, and doesn't have a mortgage either because he never bothered to own a home. He lives in the home of his girlfriend's parents.

But what Martin DOES own... is this--

"There are times when I’m racing that I’ve thought, 'This is it', but when you survive you’re left with a feeling like nothing else. It’s a buzz you can’t describe. And I’m chasing that buzz all the time. I love risking my life, but to get the buzz on a bike on public roads [when they’re not closed for racing] I’d need to be doing 180mph. You can’t, and I wouldn’t want to. The Aston isn’t everyday transport. It’s for a mad half-hour every now and then. And it’s also forever. I don’t think I’ll ever sell it..."

In my years of automotive enthusiasm, there's been a particular brand that I never understood. Saab isn't small or attractive enough to be considered prestige, nor is it large and popular enough to be considered mainstream.

Of course, I'm aware of the Saab 99's historical success in rallying. I'm also aware of the 99's design success that has carried on for decades, though I am not a fan. And finally, I'm aware of the Saab 900's cult following from diehard turbo Saab enthusiasts, although I'm indifferent.

I can only conclude all this to bad timing. Saab's darkest period under the ownership of GM, a decade of neglect from 1989 to 2010, started when I was only in day-care, presumably, and did not end until, well, just last year!

Some of you could well argue that I should theoretically share the same impression of Alfa Romeo then, as they've ended North American sales in 1995-- when I would be in the third grade. Well, apples and oranges and passion... and a quid in the Italian swear jar.

But let's bring the focus back to Saab. According to an article by Sam Knight of Financial Times, Albert Muniz, an Associate Professor of Marketing at Chicago's DePaul University, claimed that Saab owners possess a "Snaabery" cultivated from pre-GM Saab ownership, a Machead equivalent to the automotive world. Saab drivers allegedly flash their lights and tip their hats to other Saab drivers. A Saab driver also stops to help a stranded fellow Saab driver. Muniz further claims that no other group of car enthusiasts despise BMW more (I'd argue that award goes to Prius owners now). And moreover, a psychologist Rudiger Hossiep discovered that Saab drivers have the highest levels of "psychological involvement" with their cars: a claimed 10x that of Volkswagen enthusiasts.

gawker media

Clearly Saabs must be something special and that level of community can only be good for automotive enthusiasm as a whole and I, for one, would want to see that continue. But in light of its current condition, what is Saab now? The cars are a bit expensive for what it offers, they don't have a young buyer's market, they don't possess an "image," they're not especially sporting, nor especially luxurious and aren't known for dependability at all. They were innovators for safety, but safety is no longer an element of competitive edge, it's a modern vehicle requirement. And finally, any of its quirkiness has long gone since GM took over.



GM's plan to amputate Saab from their core operations were actually in motion a year before GM's own bankruptcy and restructuring. Then, after Saab spent a year under new Spyker ownership, who even sold the sports car operation to Coventry in efforts to provide Saab with undivided attention, Q1 efforts resulted to a $107Mil loss. Supplier relationship is also critically endangered, as outstanding debt to suppliers resulted to a plant shutdown that lasted for weeks.

This Monday, multiple publications reported that Saab secured a short term convertible loan of 30Mil Euros. Followed closely the day after, China's Huatai motors puts up 150Mil Euros for a significant 30% share of Saab. This can be a good investment for Huatai as their clean diesel project can certainly benefit from Saab's established small displacement turbo engine technology. Saab's international network can also help Huatai plan for global distribution. Otherwise, I doubt Saab's sales in China will be of any particular significance as Saab is an unfamiliar brand with little or no badge equity in the country and I'm afraid Huatai doesn't give a damn.

For all the Saab loyalists out there, it's been a great run for you guys and I'd rather matters didn't have to end this way. Perhaps the only way for Saab to rise from the ashes would be to use the new Chinese capital for aggressive and ambitious product development, a la Lotus's ambitious 5 model project and more recently Jaguar/Land Rover's ridiculous 40 model development plan. Hire a formidable design director, develop a radical chassis and power train, and find the best marketing agency conceivable... or to basically start from ground zero. As it is with "flight or flee" animal instinct, it is also important for a company to go all-in if it wants to survive. These days, delivering a "good" car is no longer good enough.

Even with all the 911 variants and all the magnesium pieces in the new 911 GT3 RS 4.0, the Porsche 911 C2 still stands as the simple and pure everyday sports car. Here, TennXX, who regularly shares a number of automotive short films shot in Thailand, has convincing demonstrated why an honest 911 can be the car for Goldilocks. It's just right!


The Road is Calling. from TennXX on Vimeo.

So after my last post on La Carrera Panamericana, I've been digging around for street circuit racing. Everyone knows the big ones-- Monaco, Road Atlanta, Isle of Man, Adelaide, and so on.


However, no circuit has a more frightening right hander than Guia's hotel turn. Honestly, it's as if this track was designed to decapitate! Kudos to the racers... this is just too beast and I'm at a loss for words.









Happy Thursday ya'll, we're almost there!

In 1950, Mexico had completed their stretch of the Panamerican highway. To celebrate this amazing feat, as well as to advertise and attract business towards an artery that will eventually stretch across 14 countries in the western hemisphere, the Mexican government organized a fiesta (see what I did there?) in proper 1950s fashion-- La Carrera Panamericana was born.

Although similar to the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio in Italy, this sports car racing event on the open roads of Mexico, from 1950 to 1955, was often considered to be the most dangerous race of any type in the world. 27 deaths within five years (5.4/year) inevitably led to its cancellation by way of a simple announcement suggesting that the race's original task of advertising the highway has completed.

But not to worry, La Carrera Panamericana had since been revived and remains very active today. In FotW #18, we are happy to present to you Hayden Groendyke & Charles Samples' 1949 Carrera Panamericana Cadillac. The beauty of this car lies in its design and its preparation for a race it was destined to tackle. Not only is the magnificent Cadillac Series 62 impeccably restored but it is also built upon a chassis constructed by renowned industry leader of classic custom chassis, Art Morrison. Motivating what must weigh an equivalent to no less than 40 whales is a Corvette ZR1 derived LS9 motor mated to a Jericho 5-speed. The task of stopping the mammoth rests upon drilled and slotted Wilwood brakes. This Cadillac is simply a masterpiece of a harmonized past and present.





SPEED STAGE DAY 2 - LA CARRERA PANAMERICANA 2010 from Charlie Samples on Vimeo.

 sources: panam2010.com, artmorrison.com, dogfightmag.com

*For those wondering why FotW skipped a week, FPH had been prepping for the New York Auto Show. I'm sorry, I'm sure you guys understand!

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.

Like most auto enthusiasts, I've been going to car shows on a yearly basis for as long as I can remember.  The gleaming sheet metal, new car smell, and the future promises held by concept cars are absolutely intoxicating.  As exciting as all that is, nothing prepared us for our first media day at the New York International Auto Show.

Upon entering the show, there was a sense of occasion.  Industry honchos gave their state of the union addresses, manufacturers had elaborate setups for their press conferences, and celebrities of the automotive world were just as excited as we were at unveilings.  While all this is very grand in its own right, we're here for the cars.  Here are the unveilings that stood out:

Scion
Scion came to New York with both barrels locked and cocked.  When it came time for the press conference, they held nothing back.  While their FR-S has been seen in various other guises on the auto show circuit as a Toyota, this latest, more production ready variant was an absolute stunner.  Even amongst the seasoned automotive press, the car created quite a buzz.  The car is amazingly proportioned, if not achingly beautiful.  When's the last time anybody said that about a Toyota?



Mercedes-Benz
From one end of the automotive world with Scion to the other with Mercedes, it just goes to show there isn't any reason for a manufacturer to rest on its laurels.  Mercedes did this by showing off their brand new SLK and C63 AMG coupe.  They definitely brought their A-game with the unveiling of the A-class concept.  It brings a lot of style to the entry level Mercedes that will be sure to attract a younger demographic.  That younger demographic interrupted the whole press conference to show their appreciation for the car.






Kia
For years the affordable subcompact segment filled an important but uncelebrated niche. However, last week's small car unveilings showed that it is arguably the most competitive market today. Subcompact segment press conferences definitely stood out from the rest this year and off the top of my head, new small car debuts for 2011 include the new Honda Civic, Subaru Impreza sedan and five-door, Nissan's new Versa, Hyundai Accent, KIA Rio, Mini KISS Countryman, Volkswagen Beetle, FIAT 500, Mercedes Benz A-Class.

With an industry leading sales growth of 36.6%, Kia has been enjoying one of the greatest turnarounds in industry history! Rather than going the Ford and Hyundai route with a middle of the road "start-up family" conscious press conference, Kia introduced their Rio 5, Rio sedan as well as a facelifted Kia Soul on one of the brightest and loudest stages at the expo thanks to Brianna, the cute DJ!

At sub $14k, I predict the 148 horsepower, 40mpg highway, 1.6 liter 4 cylinder Rio 5 will be a real contender.

Love its SEAT dad

Fiat
Fiat is a returning player in the North American market. Needless to say, first impressions count and Fiat delivered. Thanks to a very pretty presenter as well as a very chic, very unique display with a vertical unveiling, the quirky 500 Cabrio surprised every journalist that attended. This is not a joke; the Fiat 500 was so popular, I never got the opportunity to snap a photo of the car without someone standing next to it. (To those of you that are curious, the handsome chap wearing a suit in the photo below is James Riswick, editor of Edmund's Inside Line)

A little more than a year ago, I recall an article revealing that the redesign of the Fiat 500 model will be heavily influenced by Apple's marketing and product development strategies. And now, one of the key attractions to the 500 right now is the Eco-Drive application. Driving information from your commute can be stored and shared so that fellow owners of the Fiat 500 can compete to see who can score better gas mileage. By making "saving the world" a game based on an app designed for young buyers, this car is hitting all the right buttons.

Finally, having finally seen the 500 in the flesh, it quickly made it onto my shortlist of cars I'd heavily consider owning.



Stay tuned for part 2!
I hope everyone's having a good weekend so far!

Just pictures. All killer, no filler.