Spied!
TTTimesTwo
How can Audi follow up the iconic TT coupe and roadster? How about with another one that takes the styling themes established by the original and sharpens them into something more contemporary and just as distinctive?
Caught during testing, the heavily disguised prototype is obviously larger than the original TT and that could have the advantage of making the coupe's rear seat somewhat useable. However, it's still based on the Golf vehicle architecture, though it will be the latest "Golf V" version of it.
Under the skin the car should carry forward with a host of Golf-derived drivetrains, with base cars starting with the latest direct-injection 2.0-liter fours and the line toppers getting the same 3.2-liter V6 and all-wheel-drive system that's used in the VW R32. Front-drive will tug along the cheap models while Quattro all-wheel drive will be the preferred method of motivation.
The next TT is due in the fall of 2006 and will go on sale as a coupe first. The convertible should go on sale a year later.
Spied!
Dodge Caliber SRT-4
The Neon is old and going away. It's been an open secret that the vehicle that will replace it is the all-new Dodge Caliber. The problem is there has been very little evidence that there would be a high-performance version of the Caliber to replace the raw and dearly loved SRT-4. Until now, that is.
Caught on the streets of Michigan is this Caliber prototype wearing oversize wheels, a big hood scoop and a deep front air dam. Our guess-and it's a damned good guess-is this is the Caliber SRT-4 with the turbocharged and intercooled 2.4-liter powerplant from the current SRT-4 under its short hood.
With the improved chassis of the Caliber at its disposal and at least the same 230 hp that's in the current car, this should be one excellent speed whacker. All-wheel drive may even be an option to produce a poor man's EVO. That's if you don't mind the semi-SUV, five-door hatchback styling.
Expect the Caliber here next year as an '07 model. The SRT-4 should follow a few short months later.
Rumors &Lies
ff,,f,,* According to The Los Angeles Times, 23-year-old Juan Pablo Moya was acting as a flagman in San Jose for some street racers when he was hit just before 2 a.m. on a Saturday in August by a car driven by an off-duty law enforcement officer.
ff,,f,,* According to a survey by Runzheimer International, the most expensive places to own and operate a vehicle in the United States are Detroit, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. In Detroit, a moderately equipped Ford Five Hundred SEL will cost $11,844 per year to run. In Philadelphia it's $10,672, and in L.A. it's $10,361. That includes fuel, oil, tires, maintenance, insurance, depreciation, and license and registration fees. It doesn't include speeding tickets, aftermarket wheels or refilling the nitrous bottles.
f,,* Rumors are that Penske South, the NASCAR racing team run by Roger Penske, has at least one Dodge Charger NEXTEL Cup car running around with a version of the Toyota NASCAR V8 (currently used in the Craftsman Truck series) under its hood for testing. Toyota could debut in NEXTEL Cup by the 2007 Daytona 500.
f,,* According to the San Jose Mercury News, Annisha Reddy, 18, was killed when her fiancff, Ravineh Chandra, 22, allegedly crashed his 1996 Maxima during an impromptu street race against another Maxima on an August afternoon in Union City, Calif. Chandra was allegedly going at least 80 in a 35 mph zone when his car jumped a curb and hit a tree in the median. Chandra was slightly injured. Reddy was eight months pregnant at the time of her death.
f,,* Nissan will respond to Toyota's successful Scion launch with a new sedan and a new hatchback, according to Automotive News. The sedan will come in cheaper than the Sentra and share much of its structure and substance with the three-door hatchback. Both will likely be built at Nissan's plant in Mexico. They should be here by 2007.
Students Of Speed
If there's one thing that General Motors is all about it's ... hold on ... we're thinking education! And what better education can there be than preparing a Chevrolet Cobalt to make land-speed-record passes at Bonneville?
So GM put together a team of four female engineering students-Tessa Russell (University of Missouri), Sarah Jubenville (Purdue), Heather Chemistruck (Virginia Tech) and Idalia Ovalle (University of Houston)-to design, construct and test a Cobalt SS G/GALT land-speed racer during a 12-week internship at venues ranging from GM's Tech Center in Warren, Mich., to California Street Rods in Huntington Beach, Calif.
They got the car done and even tested it at more than 140 mph on GM's proving grounds. Unfortunately, when it came time to make their assault on the actual record at Bonneville in August, it began to rain. So the G/GALT record-as if you didn't already know-remains 160.103 mph. The women are bummed.