Car News Articles

Video of Nissan’s newly-mined 7:29 Nürburgring lap time has now surfaced on YouTube. The video comes courtesy of a fan recording a television screen at what looks to be a Nissan event display. The background noise is rather overbearing, but if you crank up the volume it is possible to catch a hint of the squealing tires and screaming engine. Those are the same street tires available off the showroom floor, along with supposedly stock engine specifications. Regardless of the equipment though, the track is completely dry this time around and Nissan test driver Tochio Suzuki doesn’t hold anything back. Catch the video after the jump. Thanks for the tip Collin and D@rk!

[Source: YouTube]

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DETROIT - Technologically speaking, I’m an early adopter for some devices, not so much for others. Leading edge hi-fi systems, cool handheld devices, good; navigation systems, not so good. Keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers, worthwhile. DSG or automatic transmissions and power steering, I can live without. There shouldn’t be space for nav in a two-seat sports car, although my wife, Donna, likes both sports cars and nav systems, and can even work BMW’s iDrive like I can handle my home hi-fi’s remote controls (which, ironically, she doesn’t understand). I can live with mobile phones, but wish they could go away completely just to keep them out of the hands of most drivers.

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Ford Motor Co. is expected to close the sale of its Jaguar and Land Rover luxury brands to India’s Tata Motors Monday, sources familiar with the situation said on Friday.

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Europe’s top female automotive executives were honored during a gala dinner in Turin, May 19.

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Porsche is about to unveil the new 911, but we’ve already caught the next Boxster on test in Germany. These spyshots are of the Boxster S – nine months before its public debut at the 2009 Geneva motor show.

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Race: Sunday, 12:30 p.m., KDFW/Ch. 4
Track: Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Del.
Lap length: 1 mile
(Car number in parentheses)
1. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 155.219
2. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 153.971
3. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 153.767
4. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 153.754
5. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 153.597
6. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 153.413
7. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 153.368
8. (84) AJ Allmendinger, Toyota, 152.912
9. (19) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 152.873
10. (40) Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge, 152.847
11. (12) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 152.782
12. (28) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 152.685
13. (15) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 152.678
14. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 152.646
15. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 152.523
16. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 152.458
17. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 152.362
18. (22) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 152.259
19. (43) Bobby Labonte, Dodge, 152.194
20. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 152.104
21. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 152.104
22. (20) Tony Stewart, Toyota, 152.078
23. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 151.771
24. (21) Bill Elliott, Ford, 151.732
25. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 151.630
26. (07) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 151.624
27. (96) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 151.541
28. (66) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, 151.528
29. (01) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 151.350
30. (8) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 151.318
31. (78) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 151.267
32. (00) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 151.261
33. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 151.134
34. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 150.981
35. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge, 150.823
36. (10) Patrick Carpentier, Dodge, 150.710
37. (44) David Reutimann, Toyota, 150.514
38. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 150.458
39. (5) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 149.850
40. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 149.645
41. (7) Matt Crafton, Dodge, Owner Points
42. (41) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, Owner Points
43. (34) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, 150.232
Failed to Qualify
44. (70) Jason Leffler, Chevrolet, 150.075
45. (45) Chad McCumbee, Dodge, 148.926

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What does it take for a mommy to get a high-fashion night out on the town? How about just a movie in the theater that doesn’t include animation or super-special-effects superheroes? For me, it takes leaving my (wonderful) husband at home with the kids on assignment from the Chief Mama herself. That happened last night, as the stars aligned and I got to see an actual grown-up movie — and not just any movie, but the glamour-packed “Sex and the City.” Mercedes-Benz hosted a fashionably fabulous sneak preview for its customers and a few lucky journalists, including me.

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Our detractors are sure to take that headline literally. So be it. If you judge a man by the quality of his enemies, TTAC’s about as good as it gets. In any case, I apologize to TTAC’s Best and Brightest for the extended site crash. We’re just as addicted to posting the truth as you are to reading and commenting upon it. In fact, I was apoplectic today at a certain website (who shall not remain nameless) that smeared Frank Williams, and enormously frustrated that I couldn’t let loose the dogs of TTAC on the rat bastard who dared allow such an unsubstantiated, poorly-written piece of libelous garbage onto his corner of cyberspace– without even bothering to read the article in question. There. I’m feeling better already. On a more General Motors level, the interruption of service ruined our product cadence. Which is a fancy way of saying we’ve lost our mojo. For a bit. ‘Cause when it comes to automotive journalism, we’re the new generation, and we’ve got something to say. If you’ve got ten minutes, have a listen.

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When fans of bio-diesel first claimed they were running their [former] oil burners on “free” fuel– restaurants’ abandoned cooking oil and grease– we predicted the fat bubble would burst. And so it has. The New York Times reports that “yellow grease” has risen from 7.6 cents per pound (2000) to 33 cents a pound, or almost $2.50 a gallon. And so we delve into the murky– or is that cloudy?– world of grease theft. The Old Gray Lady weaves a strange tale of late night Burger King raids, private dicks working for grease collection and rendering companies, shady environmentalists, and (as always) befuddled cops. Oh, and a lawyer who specializes in defending the “grease rustlers.” “Once you put something in the trash, it’s abandoned property,” said Jon A. Jaworski, a lawyer in Houston who represents accused grease thieves. “A lot of times, it’s not theft.” And a lot of times it is. The unsolved 2,500-gallon Burger King heist chronicled at the outset was worth more than $6,000 on the black (yellow) market. There’s only two elements missing from this tale of low life and high fat: the drivers who buy the stuff that “fell off the back of a dumpster” and government intervention. How long before the liquid gold is regulated and taxed? Take our word for it: not long at all. 

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