The MW Automotive Thread

[Panzer]

seriously.

those are the only vehicles I think are cool that are being made domestically.

I mean ofcourse the Viper and Saleen are awesome but realistically those two are what I'd get if I HAD to buy something made here.

That Mercury Maurader they came out with is kind of gangster. and I guess I like the CTS and Lincoln LS cars too.

not first choices though..

Edited January 27, 2005 by Panzer

[Panzer]

that Skyline is a GTR.

They don't make a GTR R35.

the Infiniti coupe is a Nissan Skyline R35 in Japan.

but the only GTR car around is still that older R34.

personally, I can understand why Nissan updated their Skyline with the new styling.. orgami lines, LED taillights, all the features new cars are featuring.

but I don't think the car has the same balls as the old Skyline.

that and I don't think they made them AWD in Japan or the US like the R34's, that sux.

R35 is a lot smaller than the R34 too. it just doesn't look as mean to me anymore..

Edited January 27, 2005 by Panzer

[flyboy]

As for European quality, remember? Fiat? Skoda? Rover?

Rover?

Hey, I resent that remark.

J/K

The only decent car to come from Rover: (and it ain't even their car!)

[glane21]

that Skyline is a GTR.

They don't make a GTR R35.

the Infiniti coupe is a Nissan Skyline R35 in Japan.

but the only GTR car around is still that older R34.

personally, I can understand why Nissan updated their Skyline with the new styling.. orgami lines, LED taillights, all the features new cars are featuring.

but I don't think the car has the same balls as the old Skyline.

that and I don't think they made them AWD in Japan or the US like the R34's, that sux.

R35 is a lot smaller than the R34 too. it just doesn't look as mean to me anymore..

I see the GTR distinction now. Actaully they do make an all-wheel drive version of the G35 branded the G35x. I also saw an article in Road and Track about nissan's next supercar to replace the GTR which looked exactly like the G35 with a big ass spoiler added - which I thought was goofy.

[Panzer]

the only G35 with AWD is the sedan and its only offered as an auto.

no AWD coupe, atleast in the US. no twin turbo motor either. Infiniti would NEVER go for a turbo charged engine..

[hirohawa]

Looks are subjective peformance is objective.

Compared with the current M3

The "old" C5 Z06 is:

- Faster in a straight line and a track - check out the sub 8 minute time of the stock Z06 at Nurburgring (The Ring)- BMWs home turf - which is considered one of the most difficult tracks in the world and only the top sportscars post sub eight minute times.

- Lighter by 300 some odd pounds at 3118lbs - which is lighter than basically every High Performance car save the Ferrari 360 and Lotus Elise. (ie Turbo 911 (996) Porsche comes in at 3300 lbs. or so)

- has better brakes

- gets better fuel economy 28 highway in 6th gear.

- has a simple pushrod engine that many have pushed well over 100,000 miles on without major problems. And will be easier and cheaper to fix down the line

- has 75 more HP

- Costs less.

I happen to love the M3 and it was my only other consideration besides the Corvette. After the test drive for me the Z06 was the choice.

Interior quality is sub par compared to my mom's 2003 530i, especially the leather - no comparison to the BMW materials.

But that is why the Corvette comes in at the pricepoint it does. Also Interiors can be upgraded for a few thousand dollars. Upgrading the performance of a BMW ala Dinan is very very pricy and will void your warranty.

[hirohawa]

Also I am way younger than 50

[Jawjaw]

I still have not made up my mind with the new Vette. The performance is there but the looks are uninspired, much like the last gen Camaro. You have to shape a body and mold interior parts. I don't see why you can't make these into a more attractive form. The worst thing is that you know GM won't change the body styling for another 8+ years. I just think GM could try a little harder. It appears they do just enough to sell a certain amount of cars.

That said, I would also buy a Corvette over high cost imports like BWM or Porsche. The money saved could go into making the Vette even better. The pushrod V8 is proven and costs way less than a complex 4 valve, multicam motor. Remember the ZR1 Corvette? It had a 4 valve, 2 cam 5.7 litre motor made by Lotus. It made 400hp but the motor cost as much as the Vette itself.

[Hoptimus]

Give me a 64 427 Vette with fuel injection.

I love the 63-80 Vettes. The newer ones just dont look as stylin.

[Panzer]

you sooo shoulda got an M3. Carbon Black with Natural Leather.. drool..

And the dealer will install Dinan parts, most are Dinan authorized dealers so your warranty won't be voided.

I'd say the M3 interiors are pretty damn hot and don't need any upgrades anyways, ///M color stitches on the wheel, sweet SMG badge on the console if you have it, light up ///M shift knob is you have a manual..

Not to mention the exterior looks sooo hot with the big wheel arches, vents on the side and sweet ///M wheels.

Corvette.. meh. I see one about every five minutes out here in san diego. An ///M3 though.. you gotta stop and stare if you see one of those go by. even Artic White looks sick on those cars.

Edited January 28, 2005 by Panzer

[Phyrox]

I thought '67 was the first year for the 427 in the 'vette?

I agree though, I wouldn't drive a post-'80 vette if they were giving them away. I certainly appreciate that they are serious performance cars, but aesthetics are important to me, and the vette just doesn't register in that category for me.

[Panzer]

werd.

[peter]

As for European quality, remember? Fiat? Skoda? Rover?

Rover?

Hey, I resent that remark.

J/K

The only decent car to come from Rover: (and it ain't even their car!)

My friend's car.....

Edited January 28, 2005 by peter

[peter]

another shot

[peter]

Yes, it's a girl's car.

[peter]

Some car I saw in a parking lot. I think it's a Daihatsu.

[Jawjaw]

I thought '67 was the first year for the 427 in the 'vette?

I agree though, I wouldn't drive a post-'80 vette if they were giving them away. I certainly appreciate that they are serious performance cars, but aesthetics are important to me, and the vette just doesn't register in that category for me.

True, and there was no fuel injection either but you could probably shoehorn a big block in those old vettes. If not, you can build a small block fi 427. I would love to build a motor like that with twin turbos and stick it in my old Camaro.

I think the 70's vettes past 72 are the worst. The 80's were not that great either but things turned around in the 90's. I've heard you can get the C5's real cheap right now. If I was single, I would probably get one.

[Panzer]

whats that got to do with anything.

[yellowlightman]

whats that got to do with anything.

The quote button is your friend.

[Agent ONE]

http://extremefunnyhumor.com/mov_mini.htm

THAT guy knows how to drive.

[yellowlightman]

http://extremefunnyhumor.com/mov_mini.htm

THAT guy knows how to drive.

Looks like gymkhana, a precurser to autocross. Very cool stuff.

[Golden Arms]

I've heard you can get the C5's real cheap right now. If I was single, I would probably get one.

Last March, In Dallas they were selling the C05's right around 30K. I was sick.

[Panzer]

a little e-code vs. DOT projetctor pic..

hehe ghetto photo hosting..

project

Edited February 9, 2005 by Panzer

[areaseven]

From Car and Driver magazine:

Specialty File: Mini TEC VTEC Mini

Just when you thought it was safe to buy a Mini.

BY TED WEST

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM CAIOZZO

February 2005

Once upon a time when the mountains were young, import-car buyers were avant-garde. These half-mad radicals thought nothing of trading in a perfectly good De Soto Firesweep for?whoa!?an English car! They craved something quirky and agile like a Morris Minor or Hillman Minx that worked. Worked! Started every morning. Lasted decades. Sold for cheap.

Of course, you nod, they wanted a BMC Mini, but engineered by Honda.

 

And 40-plus years later, Mini Tec of Royston, Georgia, offers just that?a rorty 220-hp Honda VTEC four-cylinder engine mashed into an original Mini. The real BMC Mini. Two of these wee paperweights parked together look like a pair of dice. Mini Tec will sell you a couple?or just one?then run for the tall brush. They aren't afraid the car won't work; they're afraid it will.

The original Mini's charisma is so legendary that BMW gambled mega-millions?successfully?on its resurrection in 2001. But compared with the BMC Mini, BMW's version is a Peterbilt. The impossibly "cute" 1959 Mini designed by Sir Alec Issigonis still provokes helpless smiling. Among enthusiasts, ownership remains contagious; the minute one Issigonis Mini appears, the entire neighborhood must be dusted with flea-and-tick powder.

You're right, that's pure hyperbole. But with Minis, hyperbole is just good reporting. Add a dose of violent VTEC performance, and whoppers are automatic. The Mini Tec VTEC is one of the fastest, and, um, furious-est, drives south of a Z06. Just look at the numbers from the one we tested-1792 pounds and a claimed 220 horsepower. The Honda engine was originally for the Acura Integra Type R and was rated for 195 horsepower. But Mini Tec says better-breathing intake and exhaust systems add 25 ponies, and despite copious amounts of wheelspin, the VTEC Mini still scooted to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds.

But sliding a 21st-century VTEC into this Bronze Age Mini takes more than shoehorns and grease. Norman Holley, a Clemson graduate engineer, devised his Mini Tec B-series subframe to facilitate the VTEC Mini's Frankenstein-ism. The hood and the front fenders must be stretched forward four inches. (It's not noticeable until you're told it's there; then it looks cryptically cool.) The conversion doesn't change the stock Mini's front-suspension dimensions, welcoming any new or aftermarket Mini wheel. The Honda radiator has room to sit low, with no ugly hood modifications. A standard Mini brake servo and stock upper control arms and uprights combine with the standard Honda distributor and ECU. Camber, caster, and ride height are fully adjustable. Except for its invisible nose extension, the Mini Tec Mini is indistinguishable from a 35-hp '59 Mini.

From the pilot's seat it feels the same, too. If you've never sat in an original Mini, nothing can communicate its utter eensie-ness. But we'll try. One afternoon years ago, our friend John Clark retired from racing in a Mini, for cause. He is an XXL sorta guy, and his racing Mini Cooper S fit him like spandex. He was on the track annoying physics that day, tossing the 80.0-inch wheelbase?80 inches!?side to side through the esses at great speed when, suddenly, the car took matters into its own hands. Rolling, leaping, and rolling, it closed in around him like aluminum foil around take-out fried chicken. Unhurt, but shaken and stirred, he was removed surgically and found other pursuits. The point? This little car feels nearly as wide as it is long, decidedly not the formula for high-speed stability?and with a VTEC under its chin, high speed is never far away. A word to the wise.

Accordingly, full-power applications put our test car in a sort of swoon, veering sharply this way or that, depending on the phases of the moon. Acceleration is stupendous, of course. We had no difficulty keeping up with an aggressively driven AMG SL65 in heavy interstate traffic. But then it started to rain. In the wet, throttle applications sent our micro 175/60R-13 Yokohamas sluicing still farther this way or that, ignoring the moon entirely. Exciting.

And the distinctive Mini driving position added spice. The steering wheel was tilted toward horizontal, city-bus style, as befitted the original Mini. And our test car had a bit less caster than the ideal, making for so-so on-center response. Caster settings can be adjusted to suit, and in the dry, uncertain steering feel was merely a distraction. But at speed in the rain, giving the throttle hard bursts to stay with the AMG, we were the world's busiest bus driver.

Not surprisingly, given the age of this silk purse, a little sow's ear is showing. The steering-wheel position, throttle steer, short wheelbase, and tiny wheels all counseled caution?while delivering stellar skidpad numbers, incidentally. That said, this VTEC Mini is surely the definitive pocket rocket. And speaking candidly, Mini Tec allowed that although the customer who ordered our test car demanded the full turn-key $30,000 Type R treatment, milder Honda VTEC's of, say, 170 horsepower (starting at about $19,000 for a complete car) make a far more drivable package. Or if you already have a Mini and a Honda powertrain, you could simply buy the $2500 kit and do the conversion yourself. Sounds right to us.

If you're a guy (or gal) who thinks Vin Diesel is a girly man, this R-car is the Mini for you.

Mini Tec, 426 Dawkins Road, Royston, Georgia 30662; 706-246-0072; http://www.superfastminis.com Sold through: GoMini, 5665 Highway 9, Suite 103-262, Alpharetta, Georgia 30004; 404-406-2422; http://www.gomini.com

Edited January 14, 2006 by areaseven

[yellowlightman]

Those Minis are nothing new, but very, very cool.

[areaseven]

More information on the VTEC Mini:

0-60 mph: 5.0 sec

0-100 mph: 11.9 sec

Street start, 5-60 mph: 6.0 sec

Standing 1/4 mile: 13.6 sec @ 104 mph

Braking, 70-0 mph: 184 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.96 g

[Panzer]

yeah, cool.. too small though.

[Agent ONE]

yeah, cool.. too small though.

Engine or car?

I personally don't fit in the old Mini, but the new one is ok.

[areaseven]

Engine or car?

The car, of course. According to the article, Mini TEC had to stretch the engine bay to squeeze in the VTEC. Though it's not noticeable until you park it next to an original Mini, the front end is longer.

[Lightning]

Engine or car?

The car, of course. According to the article, Mini TEC had to stretch the engine bay to squeeze in the VTEC. Though it's not noticeable until you park it next to an original Mini, the front end is longer.

Silly mortals and your tiny things you call engines!

[VF Strike Valk]

From SEMA this year...

[Daishi3500]

Check ya self before ya wreck ya self. Here are some insane Arab (?) drifting videos.

One

Two

Three

Four

And Five

[Panzer]

yeah I seen those vids. pretty nuts.

and seriously, I think I'd drive a motorcycle before I'd roll in that Mini.

you'd get the same performance and atleast you'd look cool..

[yellowlightman]

yeah I seen those vids. pretty nuts.

and seriously, I think I'd drive a motorcycle before I'd roll in that Mini.

you'd get the same performance and atleast you'd look cool..

Mini Coopers are the essence of cool. Easily one of the most influential cars of the 20th century (following behind the Model T and Volkswagen Bug) not to mention having an impressive racing history. With the Type R engine they'd be wicked fast, semi-reliable and still have the handling that made them legendary. If I had the cash to drop on a "fun" car, it'd definately be near the top of my list.

Those who still disagree the Mini isn't "cool," I'd recommend you check out The Italian Job (the original).

[Agent ONE]

...

Those who still disagree the Mini isn't "cool," I'd recommend you check out The Italian Job (the original).

Absolutely!

Just turn it off 2 min before the end. You don't want to see the end.