QUICK NEWS AND INTERESTS 06/04/08

Porsche Roxter
The tiny SUV is inching its way towards production. It looks to have the 3.6 V6 that powers the Cayenne, with a name that fits a Taiwanese pop star better than Porsche's next abomination. Yes, I am a purist. The Cayenne and the Panamera are bad long term moves for a company that has thrived on basically a one car strategy for years. These are short term benefits over long term sustainability of the brand and it is going to bite someone on the ass sometime mid century or sooner.

Jerry Yang V.S. The Raider
Carl Icahn is steadily resurrecting the merger that I disappointedly watched disintegrate a month or so ago. His formal letter nicely articulates what we all knew: “That Microsoft’s bid of $33 per share is a superior alternative to Yahoo’s prospects on a standalone basis. I am perplexed by the board’s actions. It is irresponsible to hide behind management’s more than overly optimistic financial forecasts.”

Jerry Yang did not actually think that he won that last one did he? As revenue generating models continue to surge forward in the web and mobile industries, Yahoo is the prime target for the big boys. This is going to be a title fight between Microsoft and Google, Yahoo is just another casualty of war.

KOWALSKI'S CHALLENGER

Great article on Kowalski's Challenger, at times a bit hammy, but it rekindles the raw, manly emotion that we all felt when we watched Vanishing Point. Its just one of those guy movies that make us cry...

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=126092?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..3.*

SHORT EGYPTIAN BREAK

I do not usually write about travels, but my recent trip to Egypt really blew my mind. In between what has been an incredibly busy month, I went on a 6-day trip through Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Nile both to explore the local economy (did not do much of that…) as well as visit a civilization that I have long studied. Astounding. I have never been to a country with such palpable history—everywhere. Since this is not a travel blog, I will keep my recommendation short: I have trekked, baked, hacked, and lounged my way through a great majority of the remains of civilizations past—Egypt just blows them all away.

There are ruins everywhere of everything and the government has only uncovered a small portion of what lies under the sands. Sadly, the fact that there is so much has also made Egypt one of the most stolen from civilizations. Whether stolen and melted in the years preceding the 1800’s bartered for nothing to art connoisseurs in the 19th and 20th centuries, or traded by Egyptian kings for broken French clocks (you can still find the obelisk in Paris), it is truly a pity.

I thought I would leave a photo of 200-year-old graffiti. It is both amusing and irritating to see the monuments defaced with centuries old scribble. If I had a better grasp of ancient Greek or Latin, I might have been able to translate the 1000-year-old graffiti that I saw.

Of course I could not resist spending an hour or two scouting for old cars to buy. In a land that has embraced Fiat’s, Renaults, and Lada’s, I was pleasantly surprised to find plenty of old Combi’s, 1940’s Benzes and Muscle cars, rotting. Apparently small, tinny, and square is in, who would have thought. Now the trick is for me to develop a business that will justify shipping containers to The Philippines or China…

GEELY MOVES ONE NOTCH ABOVE ECONO-PEOPLE MOVER

I have to admit that recent Geely creations have gotten significantly better looking, designers are finally digging into the gene pool of Gong Li's rather than the Samo Hung's. A leap forward from their early 1960's to 1970's “Red Flag” limousine (the company still exists today). I'll credit the communists with that monstrosity.

Geely and similar Chinese car companies still have a long road to travel in terms of fit and finish. Dashboard buttons are as large and warped as northern dumplings and poorly spaced. Cheap plastic, interwoven with grainy wood and vinyl leatherette-- why didn't they just outsource the interior work to the fake LV and Gucci factories in Guangzhou? Their interiors are a definite “Class C!”

Design aside, the manufacturing capability of these local companies is surprisingly efficient. Perhaps not the the best or even near the top, but a good, solid middle. These new Geely designs bode well for the future. If they do not conquer the world, at least they have the 1.9 billion strong, local market.

FAKE FERRARIS

Car Enthusiasts are purchasing Fake Ferrari's. Well, kit cars have been in the market for years, I do not necessarily see how this is different? For all those drivers purchasing these fake Ferrari's, I really do hope that it is a Porsche hammered into a Ferrari and not the usual Pontiac Fiero or you will be in for a fat, embarrassing dose of reality at the corner light.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/03/counterfeiting.luxury/index.html

For non-car enthusiasts, kit cars are most often kits that can be used to modify an existing vehicle. This is usually the bargain option for a driver interested in getting some extra mileage from the old family hauler (and an added dose of mojo). As you move up the price ladder, you can get some seriously tuned kit cars that perform better than the original and look identical!

I may be a purist at heart, but I have nothing against kit cars. I would love to purchase an old Daytona or Shelby Cobra kit and drive it to work every day. At least you would not be terrified of scratching or denting the car. Of course it would stay well hidden and out of site for my weekend jaunts. Kit cars are made to be enjoyed and driven to the ground-- not for show!

QUICK MOTORING NEWS 03/17/08

Tesla roadsters go into production
Mar 17th and the Tesla roadster goes on for regular production. They estimate a product run of around 600 roadsters for 2008, with an estimated production capacity of around 100 roadsters a month. great for the environment. I still think they are ugly.

BMW expands during a recession
BMW plans to invest $750,000,000 in its Spartanburg, USA plant. This focuses on the X3, X5, and X6 models. I wonder if this is really a good move by the Bavarian giant, especially when Toyota is limiting its US production, Chrysler is downsizing plants, and GM... well, they have been slicing away for years. There is a recession coming. Americans are losing their homes and in some cases (Bear) their savings, is it really wise to expand now?

ELECTRIC ROADSTERS AND THE FUTURE

Tesla is positive it can start building the electric roadster on March 17, despite recurring transmission problems. The sports car can currently do a 0-60mph run in 5.7 seconds, which is about 0.4 seconds slower than my cherry red, campus commuting Camaro Z28. Very disappointing considering an original stated time of 4.0 seconds and the fact that this car costs $98,000.00 While I do understand that this all electric sports car is the wave of the future, I find the price, its performance, and its coyote ugly looks a poor reason to waste your hard earned $.

Sadly, with the new environmental laws in place, GM’s promise to retire its big V8’s, and rising gasoline costs. Our future could very well sit on the success of this Tesla Roadster. Bob Lutz recently expressed his opinion that the best short-term solution will be found in bio-fuels, with electric vehicles being the long-term solution. I personally feel that hybrid technology will leapfrog bio-fuels (at least in terms of impact on the public) in most major automotive markets and lead into purely electric vehicles.

With ethanol supply still relatively small, and new harvests still years away. Diesel, a good alternative—but one with limited future possibilities (as there is only so much you can do with diesel). I strongly feel that Hybrid technology and its rapid emergence into the market will in fact prove to be the best short-term fight we have against our increasing environmental woes. Hydrogen and electric powered vehicles are the wave of the future. The technology to manufacture and sell these at a “market acceptable” price will not happen anytime soon, but it’s good to know that lawmakers are taking the right steps to support such initiatives. So long as companies like Toyota and GM keep trying to one up each other in the quest for a greener image, the public will continue to benefit as will the future of motoring.

SUNDAY MORNING

Most Sunday mornings are spent nursing mean hangovers. Some Sundays mornings are spent sipping cappuccinos while enjoying a good book. Once in a long while however, comes that perfect Sunday morning, the kind of morning that you hope will set the tone for all Sundays to come. My weekend drive to breakfast in Tagaytay and back—was MY kind of Sunday morning!

Of course, it was not quite as uneventful as it sounds. Picture seventeen exotic and classic cars and thirty Harley Davidson’s snaking their way up the mountain path (Several environmentalists must have just died after reading that). Cars and motorbikes of this caliber cease to become modes of transportation as they represent the passion and vision of their designers/owners. Whether it be a 2007 Porsche GT3 or a meticulously restored ’65 Harley, there is a deep energy released that resonates life (La Dolce Vita). It is exactly the opposite of that mind dulling, soul-sucking feeling you get when looking at yet ANOTHER Toyota Fortuner or Camry.

My mode of transportation for the day was a 1970’s muscle car, which when driven hard, can be extremely fun while also white knuckled terrifying. The brakes are not even and she leans perilously in sharp curves, but when she opens up on the long stretches and you sit back and enjoy the feel of a car that was designed for boy racers of your fathers’ generation, you can’t help by grin stupidly—ear to ear!

Harley (My hedgehog) and I had a delicious breakfast at Moon Garden (Coffee two thumbs down). The weather was perfect, company pleasant (Thirty plus grown boys acting like kids), and best of all we were back by 11:30 AM. If I can get myself in bed early enough on Saturday evenings, I think I’ll make a habit out of this.

A ONE LAKH SOLUTION FOR THE PHILIPPINES?

I am a bit late in writing about the “One Lakh Car,” mildly amusing to me as I have been tracking the progress of this car for quite some time now—it’s been a lazy beginning of the New Year…

One Lakh = 100,000 rupees = $2500 = PHP 100,750 = CHEAP. It is powered by an anemic 623 cc engine, which is redeemed by an untested but promising 50 miles to the gallon. At PHP 339,000 with an 800 cc engine, the Chery QQ is hardly a worthy competitor. As far as I know, TATA has no present plans to bring this to the Philippines, probably a good thing as I have yet to see a single QQ along the streets of Makati.

A cheap car to the masses is probably not the best solution for the Philippines. While I envision a future where all Filipinos have some mode of personal transportation and an even shorter-term future where Filipinos have a fairly reliable and environmentally friendly public transportation infrastructure, it is just too easy to get a vehicle in this country. Worse, there are minimal regulations that protect us from vehicles that pollute or are in a state of disrepair. If we want to make a sizeable impact on the environment and more importantly, the health and safety of our public, the government needs to find a suitable alternative to the polluting jeeps and buses, while regulating vehicles on our roads. Subsiding more efficient engines/promoting the use of ethanol (looks grim for the electric jeepney), regulating vehicles beyond a certain age, limiting vehicle registration through taxation, there are quite a few different ways of attack. Unfortunately it requires a bit of political will. I like to hope for the best.

BLUE RAY

The official stats of the 2009 ZR1 (Nicknamed Blue Ray) are out and to say they are staggering is an understatement. An all new small block LS9 engine at 6.2 liters cranks out 620 HP and 595 pounds per feet of torque. It has an intercooled supercharger from Eaton matched to a close-ratio six speed manual with dual- disc clutch. What does this mean in layman’s terms: Faster short time speed early in the track (small block) with a gargantuan engine that is also supercharged (no explanation necessary), maximized by a gearbox that keeps at the power-band by using a different combination of gears (close ratio six speed manual) and a clutch that is designed to be abused (dual –disc clutch). All of this result in a car that has a better power-to-weight ratio than the Murcielago, and can reach the 200 mph mark which few cars are designed to do (think: Bentley Continental GT Speed and Bugatti Veyron).

It’s designed to look and act like a street bully at a price ($100,000) that is still quite affordable when compared to the exotic cars it will eat for breakfast. Sadly, since this is a Chevy you can count on a low rent interior and handling that leans more towards American muscle than Italian exotic. However, this is what makes it a corvette; the meanest and fastest corvette ever produced! The Blue Ray will probably be built in low numbers, so get your name on the list as early as possible.

TATA MOTORS IS BIDDING FOR JAGUAR AND LANDROVER

Tata Motors is a strong contender for Jaguar and Landrover. There is a rich irony in this that I am sure is rippling through the British car manufacturing community-- then again, after selling out to the Americans (Jaguar and Landrover) and Germans (Rolls Royce, Bentley), the initial shock has probably long since passed.

I have met with the Tata Group and I have to say that I found them to be highly driven professionals. The cars that they produce, while not impressive on an international standard, fit and serve the Indian market well. They recently announced that they would be producing a $2500 car (a car which is basically glued together!! Literally!) which would make the modern Model T. While as a group they certainly have the funding to purchase the ailing Jaguar and Landrover from Ford- I wonder if they have the technical expertise to manage such different lines of production?

The car aficionado that I am cries sacrilege at the thought of the "poetic justice" will be served to the Indians if they purchase these symbols of British Civilization (aptly worded by Todd Lassa). However, as a champion for the underdog- I hope they buy it and run it better than the original owners. Anyway, Ford has more than enough problems on its plate, a bit of infused cash would not hurt.

HUMMER HX

The new Hummer HX is out and I love it! I enjoy offroading, especially in a country with as diverse a terrain as the Philippines. The original H1 was a bit too heavy and too large to really use for the trails offered in the country. Its designed perfectly for the deserts of Iraq but with tight ravines, rivers, and boulder-ridden volcanoes, the H1 is not the best companion. This new hummer however looks great! Short overhang, good clearance (as with any hummer-- due to transmission casing) and surely a powerful engine. The only problem will be the parts... in Landcruiser country, when stuck up some mountain; GM parts are hard to come by. What a great looking design. Young. Agile. Competent. Lets see if the guys at GM put this into production. There are significantly less individuals willing to take their hummer off road then to the local Wallmart.

QUICK MOTORING NEWS 12/01/07

Cometh the Challenger
Come December 3, orders for Chrysler 2008 “Dodge Challenger” can be made—the new rendition paying adequate homage to Kowalski’s 1970 Challenger. From the high beltline and muscular haunches, to the aggressively serene snout—this new challenger is a beauty. I think this sits a notch above the new Camaro on my “to buy” list, unless of course I come across a 70’s Challenger R/T somewhere in the Philippines…. One can only hope.



















Evil Kneivel dies. All of us adrenaline junkies have lost a hero. Instead of moping around, let me just show you a few of the things he did (Note that these crash scenes may bring grown men to tears):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYGGCVE2lKY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsq3dWTrRWA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg9Hrp0CVms&feature=related

Dubai purchases hybrids (http://www.autointell.com/News-2007/November-2007/nov-4/november-28-07-p1.htm): Probably a massive marketing gimmick but one with good intentions nonetheless. Despite my passion for large, gas guzzling engines, I am actually quite concerned and active about the preservation of our environment. Hybrid technology has gotten to the point where it is a realistic alternative to the common, gas combustion engine. Toyota and GM have made tremendous advances in this field and while the costs are still slightly subsidized by the automotive companies, they are starting to be come affordable for most mid to high income consumers. Unfortunately I doubt these hybrids will be commonplace in the Philippines anytime in the next 5 to 10 years, but it would be nice to see a trickling of them on the streets. For the time being, let us focus on getting rid of the jeeps and tricycles, and replacing them with the slightly less polluting and more efficient—bus.