Archive for the ‘Sports Cars’ Category

There are few of us who don’t have some fond memory of the original Thunderbird. Those of us with grey up top may have had a love affair from the day the showroom opened in 1955. Our next generation fell in love with the unattainable white T-bird that the elusive Susanne Sommers frustrated Richard Dreyfuss with in ‘American Graffiti¿. (I just saw a vision! I saw a goddess. Come on, you’ve got to catch up to her…This was the most perfect, dazzling creature I’ve ever seen…She spoke to me. She spoke to me right through the window. I think she said, ‘I love you ­ A lot of guys thought Dreyfuss was talking about the car.) Even our current generation has been captivated by the images from old movies, TV shows and vintage car meets. On lots of lips is the question, why did they quit making this car?This was Ford’s answer to the dull car; their expression that we had finally shaken off the Depression and deprivation of WWII. It answered Chevrolet’s Corvette and trumped the many sporty designs that were coming out of Europe. Movie stars swapped their Mercedes, Jaguars and Facel Vegas for the Thunderbird and even the colors seemed to reflect the fun and lifestyles of Hollywood and Florida. And it was priced to fit into most anyone’s pocketbook.

Appropriately at the launch Ford showed us a series of video interviews with early T-Bird owners. I was touched when a woman fondly remembered how her father told her that she could have any car for a graduation present if she maintained it and paid the insurance. Then he seemed a bit miffed at her choice of a T-Bird, but soon he would always find that it needed some little attention or a tank fill and drove it as much as she did. Then she reminisced how at a beach a guy fed its parking meter, telling her as she ran up that such a neat car didn’t deserve a ticket. She married that guy, but realities of a family let the car go away. Then at the end of the video she reappeared to relate how her husband had surprised her recently by secretly tracking down and finding that exact car and having it restored. It was kind of humid, as a bunch of jaded journalists got seriously misty eyed.

Then Richard McNamara, the same guy who tried to run the Viet Nam war with a balance sheet, took away the enchantment in search of a few more sales units by changing it to a four seater. Since then the Thunderbird has had memorable cars and even a great record in NASCAR racing, but none had the visceral excitement of the original ’55-57 models . . . until now.

According to designer Douglas Gaffka, ¿We started with the classic proportions ­ used a reverse wedge to provide motion and still keep the original look. The hood scoop was important, and wanted to be integrated in the design. The porthole was needed to convey T-bird’s heritage and insure its identity. The colors are what you remember; not what they were.¿ They succeeded.

The car is offered in five colors: Inspiration Yellow, Torch Red, Thunderbird Blue, Evening Black and Whisper White. All are badged with the American Indian inspired emblem on the cowl, highlighted with nostalgic turquoise. These colors and details pay homage to the past while 21st century materials, technology and design language brings the car into the present.

¿This car, its style, the statement it makes, the feelings it evokes – all will make it an icon in its own right,  says Jim O’Connor, President of Ford Division. ¿For those who, like me, really loved the original Thunderbirds, this moment has been 45 years in the making.¿

The two-place interior reflects the exterior design and the car’s romantic heritage with bold style combined with modern comfort and convenience. It comes standard as a convertible and offers an optional removable top with classic portholes, although modern headrests keep them from being useful as windows. The fully loaded ¿premium¿ model – which includes the hardtop, chrome wheels, traction control and a unique interior trim color is priced at $39,795. The removable top will take some planning to use and store, but is an excellent feature in our weather and lifestyles.

Back in the fifties one of the unique features was a speed sensitive volume control, which used a Rube Goldberg system of pulleys, cables and slipping clutches between the speedometer and loudness knob. It returns today, made much simpler and more reliable by modern electronics.

On the sensible side, front and side airbags are standard and there is a deactivation switch for the passenger when a latched child seat is installed. Smart lock prevents your keys from being locked inside with a key in the ignition. There is a passive antitheft system, and for comfort and sporty driving, there is a dead pedal left footrest. And to address the needs of modern lifestyles, there is a large enough trunk for two golf bags or all the get away weekend bags a couple needs.

To match the looks, the ride and handling are specially tuned and structural braces were installed under the car enhance the chassis rigidity, giving the roadster the expected driving dynamics and quietness. Chief vehicle engineer Nancy Giolla used extra large shocks to create a well-balanced, rear-wheel drive car that utilizes a fine-tuned, lightweight four-wheel independent suspension system to deliver the ride we thought the original car had. The variable-assist rack-and-pinion steering provides lower turning efforts at parking speeds and better road feel at highway speeds.

Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes (ABS) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD) comes standard and the brake rotors are vented and calipers are dual piston-type for quick response and safety. An optional all-speed traction control system helps in adverse road conditions. For optimum visual and driving performance, Thunderbird comes standard with 17-inch cast aluminum wheels.

All 2002 Thunderbirds are equipped with the smooth, all-aluminum 3.9-liter DOHC V8 pioneered by Jaguar and Lincoln. The engine is matched to a specially engineered close-ratio, five-speed automatic transmission.

From the slipstream of dreams this car wafts its way into our lives.

Last September Neiman Marcus made 200 special edition Thunderbirds available in its annual Christmas Book. The black and silver cars were priced at a premium $41,995 and sold out in a record 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Passion is the key for past owners and with only 25,000 being made, it will be the driving element for today’s buyers. To quote one of the original owners from the video, ¿We should have things we wanted when we are young, because we treasure them more!¿

Thank you Doug, Nancy, Jim and all the people from Ford who keep our dreams alive.2002 Ford Thunderbird

Price Range – $35,495 – 44,000

Engine ­ 3.9 liter, 252 hp V8

Front Engine/Rear Drive

MPG (city/hwy) ­ 17/23

Airbags – DP + side ABS – std.

In its 86-year history, Aston Martin Lagondahas not produced or sold a car quicker than the DB7. Over 2,000 models have been produced, breaking the company’s prior record of 1,850 DB6 models between 1965 and 1970. Despite the increased production and demand, DB7 owners are still a very exclusive group. Read the rest of this entry »

Among the most popular cars in America, the Ford Thunderbird is also one of the prized by automobile collectors. The Thunderbird, introduced as a 1955 model, ceased production in 1997 due to a steady decline in sales. Recently, Ford unveiled a concept Thunderbird that pulls many of its styling cues from the fifties and early sixties models that are considered to be icons of American culture.A Read the rest of this entry »

At the Geneva Motor Show 2009, I presented a prototype roadster 100% electric baptized Protoscar Lampo.

The company Protoscar back on center stage: it will unveil at the Geneva Motor Show 2010 its new prototype electric sports car called logically Protoscar LAMPO2. This is the upgraded version of Protoscar Lampo. Read the rest of this entry »

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – On Scottsdale Boulevard we’re cruising through the posh suburb of Phoenix with the warm desert sun shining into the two-seat cockpit of a stunning new roadster convertible.

The traffic signal at Thunderbird Road snags us and while we’re stopped a black Eldorado, the sporty Cadillac coupe, pulls beside us with the driver’s window down and a statuesque blond, draped in tennis whites and glittery diamond accents, scrutinizing our vehicle with envy in her eye.

“That’s the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen,” she gushes over the din of traffic in the intersection. “But since when has Cadillac had a convertible?” Read the rest of this entry »

Almost a decade ago, Acura introduced the world’s first all-aluminum, mid-engine sports car, the Acura NSX to the public. For 1999, Acura is taking the exotic NSX up a notch with the ultra-exclusive Alex Zanardi Edition.

Named after two-time CART open-wheel racing championship driver Alex Zanardi, Acura will hand-build only 50 models at its Takanazawa facility in Tochigi, Japan. Cars numbered two through 49 of these yet-to-be-priced models will go on sale in March, while Alex Zanardi himself will take delivery of vehicle number one in the series. Read the rest of this entry »

A dry Texas summer morphed unexpectedly into a week of non-stop rain. With the Texas hill country’s fabulous roads waiting for me, I took delivery of a brand new MR2 Spyder.

However, the week of rain prevented me from lowering the MR2′s top and giving the rear-wheel drive car a workout around some of these great Texas roads. Luckily, the kind folks taking care of Toyota’s test cars agreed to give me more time with their hot new convertible. Read the rest of this entry »

In Sweden, companies gathered together to accelerate the development of vehicle electrical performance: to Saab Automobile AB, Boston-Power, Electroengine in Sweden AB, Innovatum and Power Circle.

They announced that they will test the prototypes next year 100 called electric ZE Saab 9.3 (ZE for zero emissions). Read the rest of this entry »

Specification:

Style: roadster
Engine: 2.2-liter four-cylinder
Transmission: five-speed manual
Drivetrain: front-wheel drive
Power: 135 hp @ 5,400 rpm
EPA mileage: 22 city/28 highway
Weight: 2,755 lb.
Base price: $24,378
Price as tested: $27,493

In just about any accident scenario except a rollover, this Celica convertible seems worthy.

It comes with standard dual air bags, side impact door protection, crush zones, three-point belt restraints with automatic tensioners, and four-wheel power disc brakes. Read the rest of this entry »

The sleek, cat-like vehicles we know today as Jaguars have it roots in, of all things, motorcycle sidecars. It’s hard to believe that the company that once produced sidecars would make history as one of the most elegant vehicles of the century. When William Lyons, Jaguar’s founder, was a young lad, he had been trained as a stylist, but was already developing a personality as a shrewd businessman. When his friend William Walmsley shared his idea of an aluminum-bodied motorcycle sidecar, Lyons saw tremendous business potential. As a result, the pair joined together to found the Swallow Sidecar Company with a small loan from their parents. The year was 1922 and Lyons was just 21 years old. Read the rest of this entry »