* According to the Florida Highway Patrol (as reported in the Sun-Sentinel), in late April, Stephen Vivarttas, 18, was allegedly street racing his Dodge Neon SRT-4 against a silver Ford Mustang just after midnight, near West Palm Beach when he hit a curb, spun, and flipped several times. Vivarttas, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the modified Dodge and died in an empty lot. The driver of the Mustang was still being sought at the time of writing.
* Not only is Mazda likely to bring over the small Mazda2 to the US, it looks like Ford will also bring over that car's stablemate, the next-generation Fiesta, when it debuts in 2009.
* Jeep has introduced a 'Rallye' package for the Compass model that includes some lights and wheels and stuff. It's almost enough to make the Compass a plausible sport compact. Almost.
Gran Tur-NismoHere's the most shocking thing about Nissan's current (fifth-generation Z-car) 350Z: it's already been around for five years. That's geriatric in car terms and so late in a product's lifecycle that the manufacturer's greatest concern has to be fighting off senility.
The seriously tweaked 2007 Nismo 350Z goes on sale at Nissan dealers this July and features some extensive aerodynamic rubs, including a new front fascia incorporating a massive chin spoiler, radical side skirts, an underbody rear air diffuser, and a rear wing big enough to keep an Airbus A380's ass ground-bound. With the potential of so many aerodynamic forces acting on the Nismo Z, the body has been reinforced with additional welds and front and rear structures.
Mechanically the 306hp, 3.5-liter VQ35HR used in other 350Zs carries on and it's backed exclusively by the familiar six-speed manual transmission. But there is a Nismo exhaust system, and the suspension has been tuned for even better performance. The Rays-built wheels are branded as Nismo products and are 18x9-inchers in front and 19x10s in the back. They're wrapped inside 245/40WR18 front and 265/35WR19 rear Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires.
There are plenty of logos inside to remind the driver how special the vehicle is. And the trim has also been tweaked to be oh-so-lovely. But how special will take a test by us. That should happen soon.
Subie Builds The CamryAre you attracted to the room, comfort and bulletproof reputation of the Toyota Camry? But deep inside, would buying a car from the newly crowned 'World's Largest Car Company' make you feel ordinary and unimaginative? Here's the solution: buy a Camry made by Subaru.
That's right, Subaru of Indiana is now assembling Camrys for Toyota at its plant in Lafayette. Now you can drive a Camry while convincing yourself that deep beneath all that conventional engineering lurks the quixotic soul of a WRX or Outback. Camry production at the Lafayette plant started in April, almost exactly one year after the two companies had announced the production-sharing collaboration. The Subie plant built about 120,000 vehicles-Tribeca SUVs and Legacy sedans and wagons-during 2006 and the addition of Camry production should boost total output to well over 200,000.
"The Camrys are rolling and so is Indiana," said state governor Mitch Daniels at a ceremony commemorating the start of Camry production. "We are honored by the new investment in our state and the confidence in Hoosier workers." Who says governors won't take controversial stands? We applaud his political courage.