lagrangecofc.org

Chrysler Crossfire

bowo84 — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:31:40 +0000

There’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip. Detroit has traditionally dangled tantalizing show cars in front of the public, only to deliver watered-down versions to showrooms. But Chrysler, in its renaissance of the ‘90s, rewrote the rulebook, delivering some production cars almost unchanged from the prototypes, including the Prowler and the Viper. The Chrysler Crossfire—first shown at the Detroit auto show in 2001—is as faithful a translation from concept to production as any in recent memory. The design concept was the work of 25- year-old Eric Stoddard, a wunderkind who has since been hired away by Hyundai.

Conceived as Chrysler’s answer to Audi’s TT, any production Crossfire couldn’t be some hyper-expensive, hand- built boutique car. (f Chrysler were to build it, an existing platform would have to be found in- house. And since the Crossfire would be a roughly $35,000 performance coupe, putting it on a Neon or Stratus platform would never do. Fortunately, when Chrysler looked at what was going down the assembly line of its sister company, it discovered that the Mercedes SLK roadster was exactly the right size and configuration to fit under the Crossfire. Bingo: a green light for production. But wait. A show car is made without any necessity to meet myriad real-world requirements. You just go with the flow, letting the purity of the original conception dominate.

Chrysler Crossfire is a post from: lagrangecofc.org

Volkswagen Touareg

bowo84 — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:30:56 +0000

What is smaller than a GMC Envoy, weighs more than a Chevy Tahoe, and gets the same fuel economy as a ford F-150 4×4? Answer: a Volkswagen Touareg. At 5580 pounds, this thing doesn’t need a diet, it need s liposuction to remove at least 1000 pounds of excess weight. Maybe the engineers need to start using the “lite” version of their design software. What’s next—a three-ton passat with duilies? It’s time to alert the FDA: The obesity problem in this country is worse than we thought!

Article on the Mazda RX-8 (January 2003) with a dim level of interest, assuming it was going to be well out of my price range. I almost fell off the toilet when I read at the very end of the article that the expected base price is $27,000! I had to sit there and reread the whole thing with a new perspective. You guys gotta tell us that kind of news at the beginning! Greg Killian. Newtown, Pennsylvania.

Maybach

Regarding yours preview of the Maybach in the January 2003 issue. It is time the high-end builders had a real challenge. Watch out, Rolls and Bentley. I have said for years GM should do the same, under the brand name of la sale. But in the real world, for the price of the 62, I could have my 2973 Pontiac Grand Ville convertible, my Olds, my wife’s accord, and my house. I would still have enough to buy a new Z4. Park them next to one another, and more people will notice my ragtop than the Maybach. The Pontiac (224.8 inches) is almost as long as the SWB 57. With only 4447 built, my Grand Ville is rarer. Mike Langer. Springfield, Pennsylvania.

Volkswagen Touareg is a post from: lagrangecofc.org

Mercury Marauder

bowo84 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:11:09 +0000

I have a fantasy going here. It starts with a Mercury Marauder, a cop car in Saturday-night duds, all black, wearing just a touch of jewelry around the side windows. This thing moves like a fullback earning fun money as a bouncer at Hooters. Leg into the four-cam V-8, and a happy howl comes out, I remember the days when big Detroit could outrun and out swagger anything the foreigners could throw at us, and this 4300-pound jock takes me back to them. I’m thoroughly amused. Even the driver seat works for me, something I haven’t said about a Ford in this millennium.

All the Marauder needs to pass for “authorized” is a few wardrobe items. Black is good, but the hey-look it-me glittering five-spokes have to go. This is a job for steeliest and dog-dish caps. An authorized vehicle looks prickly, black wires poking out; short ones, kind of like the Russian trawlers of the Cold War. Just don’t go too far on this overt stuff. Don’t seem to be “telling.” The look can’t cross the line into impersonating an officer. Think of the overall effect as having both feet right to the edge of the “don’t ask” line. Ask at your own risk.

Mercury Marauder is a post from: lagrangecofc.org