Home//MotorTrend/July 2008
Motor Trend is the world's automotive authority. Every issue of Motor Trend informs and entertains with features on the testing of both domestic and import cars, car care, motor sports coverage, sneak peeks at future vehicles, and auto-industry news.
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IN THIS ISSUEthis month @ motortrend.comLet the Musclecar Era Commence!Challenger vs. Mustang. What is this, 1970? Some 40 years after the first musclecar era, a new age is dawning. We’ve got plenty new American muscle at motortrend.com. Stop by for our video look at the Challenger SRT8 doing battle with the Ford Shelby GT500 and on-track footage of the Shelby GT500KR: motortrend.com/multimedia/videos/road tests. You can also view more shots of the high-powered Detroit iron through the lenses of Wesley Allison and Evan Klein in our photo gallery section: motortrend.com/multimedia/photos/gallery…1 min
Departmentsthe chinese are coming“DO THE CHINESE AUTOMAKERS ACTUALLY HAVE THE RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE TO TURN THEIR OWN-BRAND BEIJING CONCEPTS INTO REALITY? NO ONE REALLY KNOWS.”“MAN,” said GM design boss Ed Welburn, “this is the most exciting auto show I’ve been to in a long time. It’s the wild, wild East.” Welburn was on the Geely stand at the 2008 Beijing auto show, checking out nine new concepts. “They don’t know what the rules are,” he said, referring to some of the weirder designs on display, “but that’s okay. There’s a lot of creativity here.”Welburn’s Buick Invicta concept, jointly designed in GM’s Chinese and Detroit studios, was one of the star cars of Beijing. Welburn wasn’t the only senior designer prowling the eight crowded, chaotic halls of the giant China International Exhibition Center. Ford’s…4 min
DepartmentsGM rationalizes rear driveGENERAL MOTORS’ Cadilla-conly Sigma platform (CTS, SRX, STS) proved too expensive for cars like the Pontiac G8 and Chevrolet Camaro. Now GM is merging the Sigma architecture with its other RWD platform, the G8/Camaro’s Zeta, in time for the urgent 2011-model-year Cadillac STS/DTS convergence. Cadillac has locked in the new flagship’s design. We hear designers are reworking the nose because the flashy headlamp design turned out to be too busy.A rear-drive Chevrolet Impala is all but off the table. GM is unwilling to give up sales of the front-drive full-size sedan, which isn’t ceding sales to the popular new Malibu. The Impala competes directly with Ford’s Taurus, and the division already has a Zeta-based model, the Camaro, on the way. Because the only other car on the Impala’s aged W…2 min
DepartmentsMT CONFIDENTIALNISSAN engineers swear the GT-R only has 480 horsepower, despite the results of our dyno test. They say our story, which revealed the GT-R develops 430 horses at the wheels, is basically right. But they insist our estimate of 15-percent friction losses—which suggests the GT-R is making 507 horses—is wrong. The engineers say ultra-low-friction bearings in the wheel hubs and transmission, plus the careful alignment of the all-wheel-drive system’s propshafts, mean friction losses are reduced to an unprecedented 10 percent or so… “Viper on endangered list” was the headline in our May issue. Is the Viper dead? No, but it most certainly isn’t breathing much. The fact is, Chrysler doesn’t have a next-generation Dodge Viper in its product plans. The current Viper could soldier on indefinitely, perhaps, but even the…2 min
DepartmentsBlown! It’s the 2010 TaurusTHIS SCOOP SHOT of a detailed clay of the next-generation Taurus was splashed all over the Web a while back. Ford sources have confirmed it’s pretty much how the 2010 car will look. What’s interesting is it combines elements of Ford of Europe design chief Martin Smith’s flamboyant “Kinetic Design” with North American design head Peter Horbury’s tasteful flair.That’s a smart move, for a couple of reasons. First, you don’t want too much flamboyance on a large car. What looks cool on a cute hatch can look overwrought on a big sedan. And second, pure “Kinetic Design” may have a shorter shelf-life than something more restrained.The upper grille opening is fairly conventional, but there’s the right amount of detail in the bodyside section and the hood to hold your eye,…2 min
DepartmentsSmall(er) Rolls-Royce to keep V-12WITH THE ARRIVALof BMW’s new twin-turbo V-8 in the X6, which produces more torque and only slightly less power than the V-12 in the 7 Series, you might imagine the future for BMW’s 12-cylinder engine is bleak. Not so.The V-12 will soon get a fresh lease on life, as evidenced by a new dedicated engine line at BMW’s Munich plant. An improved version with high-precision direct injection will power the coming 7 Series, especially in Asian markets where there’s little sign of long-term economic slowdown. Expect the V-12 to be rated at 470-plus horsepower. The HPi system gives cleaner emissions and improves power, although it does require higher fuel quality, which could delay introduction in some markets.We can also confirm a V-12 will be fitted to the new 2010 $350,000…1 min
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