Archive | November, 2007

ISDERA: The History

By on November 20, 2007 in Features
By Bruce McCulloch

11.20.2007
The early 1990’s were an overtly awful time for supercar manufacturers, especially those with little history or prestige behind their names. Our market today is strongly fuelled with a vast amount of “specialty” manufacturers such as Pagani, Koenigsegg, Ascari and Wiesmann, but the supercar market back then was mainly driven by well-established auto firms such as Porsche and Ferrari.
Those who were new to the business, or at least relatively new, were having a hard time at establishing a proper market. Manufacturers such as McLaren Motor-Cars – developer of the awe-inspiring 240mph “F1″ – and Jaguar, with their XJ220, soon found out that there was truly little market to be captured. And most, if not all of the companies with little prestige or universal acceptance, had to soon start looking at filing bankruptcy.
In those problematic years: Bugatti went bust in 1993; “Cizeta” producer of the “Cizeta-Moroder V16T” was shutdown in 1994 after a series of issues related to production costs, and even Gerald Wiegert’s “Vector Aeromotive” automobile company had to close shop in the early 90’s due to lack of sufficient funding – though to be fair, they were later resurrected.
And with all of the trouble, some even believed that the 1990’s were the death of the supercar. Myself? Well, it was a little before my time, but ain’t it funny to look back on it these days? Our current high-performance/supercar market resembles a pack of hungry wolves; and it keeps getting more and more competitive.
But out of all of those who suffered the 1990’s supercar-success drought, it’s the fall of a small sports car manufacturer founded in Hildesheim, Germany by one Eberhard Schulz which bothers me the most.
“Isdera” is the company, and they’ve created some of the world’s most interesting and visionary sports cars.
The history behind this evocative company actually harks back to 1969 when company founder, Mr. Schulz, designed a prototype race car – named the “Isdera Erator GTE” – with a tubular frame and a carbon fibre chassis. The name “Isdera” standing for an acronym of various words: I for “Ingenieurbuero” (German for engineering) S for Styling, D for Design and R, for Racing.

Mercedes-Benz C111

He hadn’t been known for a whole lot up until this point, but when he invented this formula of engineering for a sports car, he hit it big. So big in fact, that in the late sixties, Mr. Schulz was afforded the opportunity to oversee a series of Mercedes-Benz prototypes – starting with the mid-engined, rotary powered “C111″. Shortly thereafter, Eberhard joined Porsche in 1971 as a design engineer to primarily to study upon the exterior styling of the companies future vehicles.

In 1978, however, Eberhard with his new-found knowledge and appreciation for sports car engineering, decided that he’d leave Porsche and fullfill his dream to create his very own company. But before he pursued his dream, he spent the remainder of the next five years working closer and closer with Mercedes-Benz. Even still, many of his designs and creative work still hadn’t been presented to the automotive market; and he was unknown to the public, in other words, Eberhard was still very much a design engineer behind the scenes with little appearance and mention in the automotive journalism and what-not.

But Eberhard’s hard work was about to pay off. His most well known project design comes from the Mercedes design study referred to the “CW 311″. Originally destined with an aerodynamic value of just .311 CW, it was set to be the first true successor to the Rotary Powered C111 of the late sixties. When Schulz presented his final design to Mercedes in 1978, they were so awe-struck with the design that they allowed the car to wear a Mercedes-Benz badge.

Problem was, it was to only be seen as a “prototype concept”, and not something that Mercedes was going to take the time to actually produce and set loose on the road. Eberhard, obviously proud of his own design and annoyed by Mercedes’ choice not to put the vehicle in production, decided that he’d now make “Isdera”, a true automotive company with its very own model. And in 1983, Eberhard’s dream came true when Isdera became a both a self-operated & self-owned business.

Tidbit: the eagle in the Isdera’s badge is meant to pay homage to the aircraft workshop that the company occupied during it’s life time.

Borrowing upon the CW 311′s design study, Eberhard was able to slightly redesign the car for road use and ultimately, avoid possible design copyright issues. The company’s first car was the “Spyder 036i”, and further improving upon his connections with Mercedes-Benz, Eberhard got his hands on a Mercedes’ 3.6 litre straight 6 motor -hence the vehicle’s name – which powered the 036i. Though arguably, Eberhard’s most famous work with his company comes from the car that was released in 1984, the “Imperator 108i”. Bearing an even great resemblance to the CW 311, the 108i was an even bigger hit for Schulz – even though just 30 were built.


Employing the same 5.0 litre 8-Cylinder motor from Mercedes-Benz’s 500SEC, the 108i had around 350bhp, 320lb-ft of torque and performance figures such as a 176mph (283 km/h)** top speed and a 0-62 mph (0-100km/h) time of just 5.0** seconds dead. For its day, it was incredibly fast, and in all fairness, it’s still pretty darn fast by today’s standards.



And after a 3 year period of building both the 036i and 108i, Isdera released yet another vehicle – this time, one called the “Imperator 033i Spyder”. In all intent and purposes, it was more or less a convertible version of the 108i; same engine, same mechanicals, but still utterly fantastic.

Suffice to say, the 80′s were very prosperous for Mr. Schulz. It all looked very bright for Isdera, and while existing models sold at a slow and steady rate, Eberhard had already been spending all of his time and money – somewhere around €4 million – to develop a new car to be released in the 1990′s. Eberhard had the idea to make something unique, something truly advanced and sophisticated for it’s time. Though it was undoubtedly his most advanced project, it is most probably the reason the company eventually went bankrupt.

But the thing about Eberhard was that he always was a true visionary; not one who liked to sit back and maintain the status quo. For him, the greatest pleasure was gained in creating new design projects; projects that would redefine what we know as sports cars. And in 1993, his newest and undoubtedly most amazing road car was released. And even though this car was all German, it boasted the name “Commendatore 112i”, which was actually a tribute to Enzo Ferrari, who had become known as “Commendatore” or “the monk of Maranello” throughout Europe.

Fitting with previous Isdera projects, the C112i was a technical masterpiece; but more specifically, an aerodynamic technical masterpiece.

In terms of its design styling, it’s quite obvious that Schulz’s C112 owes much to previous Porsche motor cars. If you ask me, the 112i looks to borrow much inspiration from not only Porsche race cars such as the “917″, but even such road versions of the late 80′s generation of the 911 (the “930″).

Tidbit: The headlamps of the 112i are in fact borrowed from that of Porsche’s early 90′s “968″ coupe.


This vehicle in my humble opinion is the pinnacle of his design work. It’s a car which was certain to make most any sports car enthusiast’s jaw hit the floor. It’s very clean and imposing, but aerodynamically efficient; one of the best supercar designs ever as far as I’m concerned. And with a whole host of features like two gullwing engine compartment doors, and an overall extensive use of “green house” glass, the 112i was, and still is quite unlike anything else on the road.

But of course, you can’t talk about the 112i without mentioning its great technological advances. It’s rear spoiler for instance, automatically adjusted itself to the speed of the vehicle and additionally served a functional purpose as an air brake; the latter of which was unheard of on a road vehicle for the time. Even the suspension was automatically adjustable to speed thus improving both the vehicle’s stability and handling at high speeds; all thanks to a velocity-sensitive electronic chassis lowering the car a full three inches.

Tidbit: The C112i shares the same 5-speed Getrag transmission found in the 930-generation 911 Turbo

As for the interior of the vehicle, well, there really isn’t one. It’s just a collection of hard plastics, with classic square-edged 1990′s cabin architecture. Of course, back in the day it was probably the thing, but its interior hasn’t aged too gracefully. Yet despite that, I wouldn’t have it any other way as it’s truly contemporary to such a car.

And inasmuch as Isdera’s component sourcing from Mercedes-Benz had continued to be highly valued, Eberhard had little reason to search elsewhere for an engine to power his new beast. After all, the Mercedes-Benz engines were not only reliable and durable, but powerful and even gave off a bit of prestige to a brand which, even at this point, had very little. Wanting to hasten the C112′s advancement into the supercar world, Eberhard got his hands on Mercedes’ latest – at the time – a 6.0 litre, 48 valve, 12-cylinder motor. It was an engine that in this particular stage of tuning was churning out 408PS (402bhp) and some 427lb-ft of torque. Performance figures were as claimed: 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, and a top speed a bar-boasting 205+ mph (330+ km/h). In all honestly though, those performance figures weren’t particularly impressive for a 1990′s supercar. Though the fact that the 112i was a full 441lbs (200kg) heavier than the 108i didn’t help… Anything with a similar price would have knocked it down the hill, but I couldn’t care about that either as the allure of this car is not just raw performance numbers.

Tidbit: oddly enough, this exact engine (codenamed the “M120″) found its way into the Pagani Zonda C12 in 1999, and is the same basic engine which powers the larger, more powerful Zonda iterations; such as the 7.0 and 7.3 litre engined-cars in the Pagani lineup like the Zonda S and Zonda F.

Shortly after the C112′s prototype release in Geneva, Eberhard was forced to close shop as it was no longer financially sound to keep the company running. One has to wonder whether the company would have gone bankrupt if Eberhard hadn’t spent so much money to develop the C112. Though, even if it did mean the death of the company, I’m glad enthusiasts got to see a vehicle as spectacular as the C112 was.

The Road-Working Prototype:

In October of 2005, the sole working C112 prototype was offered on eBay for no less than $4.8 million dollars. But with little prestige, nor any real footing in the supercar world, it failed to sell. At the time the car was located in Switzerland, but strangely, only road-legal in Germany.
The vehicle itself was more or less the original with a few modifications; those being a new steering wheel, new alloy wheels, an engine borrowed from a Formula One vehicle (the brand of which was never revealed) and a few other tiny features.

Isdera’s Future & Closing Thoughts

After Isdera’s bankruptcy back in 1993, the remainder of the company was sold to a Swiss interest, but it was not heard from again until August of 2006 when the company made a blip on the radar yet again. And though it is indeed possible that the company could make a revival in future years, things aren’t looking too favourable for the company at this time, since they have lost a recorded $73,212 since their revival due to lack of activity and shareholders backing out.

Can Isdera ever make a proper comeback? Can they? Should they?

Well, I most certainly hope so. There’s no doubt that Mr. Schulz wasn’t the best businessman, but he was one hell of a visionary; an artist, an engineer – an all-out brilliant man.

** Tested by German magazine “Auto Motor und Sport“

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Will the Accord Soon Pass the Camry in Sales?

By on November 19, 2007 in Editorials
By Brendan Moore

11.19.2007

The battle for sales supremacy in the mid-size sedan segment is really heating up lately, with the champion reeling a little bit, and the challenger coming out of his corner revived, and looking for a knockout. I’m speaking, of course about the perennial sales champ of the mid-size sedan segment, the Toyota Camry, and the challenger, the Honda Accord.

2008 Toyota Camry

The Camry has taken a body blow lately from Consumer Reports when that influential consumer magazine took the Camry off its recommended list. Instead of blowing over, the action by Consumer Reports seems to have emboldened other critics of the Camry’s quality issues, as well as the critics of the Camry in general.

The new Honda Accord, on the other hand, was greeted by shouts of hurrah when it debuted recently, with most automotive journalists stating that it has established a new benchmark of excellence in the mid-size segment.

I myself am not impartial in this contest; I have a considerable preference for the new Honda Accord over the Toyota Camry in terms of driving pleasure, whether it’s concerning either the 4-cylinder model or the V6 model in either sedan.

Quality? Honda wins, hands down, from my point of view. It’s not even close.

2008 Honda Accord

From a styling perspective, the four-door sedan models of both cars are amazingly dull to look at, so I’m calling that a tie. However, in their respective coupe models, the Honda Accord Coupe makes the Toyota Camry Solara look downright frumpy.

So, if I’m choosing between the new Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry, it’s a short thought process. I’m buying the Honda Accord.

The question for Toyota is how many regular Joes, that is, average consumers, will reach the same conclusion?

There is also the wild card of a new, very strong entrant in this segment called the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. If the new Malibu gets a considerable increase in sales in this segment over what they were able to get before (and I think they will), do those sales come from people new to the mid-size segment, or do they come from the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry? I think the answer is both, but I don’t know the percentages yet. If the Chevrolet Malibu takes sales from the Toyota Camry at a higher rate than the Honda Accord, and the Accord continues on its current upward sales trend, which is also (partially) at the expense of Camry sales, then there is a very real possibility that the Accord will overtake the Camry late in 2008 or early in 2009.

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2008 Dodge Nitro SXT Review

By on November 19, 2007 in Reviews

By Kevin Miller

11.19.2007


I travel a lot for work. Nearly every week I rent a car, usually from Avis at an airport rental location. I’ve become an Avis First member, one of their preferred frequent renters who receives vehicle upgrades when they are available. So even though I always reserve a midsized sedan, I often receive an “upgraded” vehicle. Lately the upgrades have been to SUVs, which haven’t been very exciting rides. In the past two months I’ve driven a Suzuki XL7, Mercury Mountaineer, Toyota RAV4 FWD, and (2007) Jeep Liberty, in addition to several mid-sized sedans. Of the SUVs, the Suzuki was my favorite because of its car-like ride and comfortable interior. The Liberty was my least favorite because of its terrible ride and cheap plastic interior. As a “car guy”, I like having the opportunity to dive different vehicles on rentals, though the rental cars typically aren’t very exciting.

Last week I found myself renting a car to make a 250 mile drive from Madison, Wisconsin, to Minneapolis. When the rental agent handed me the keys to a Dodge Nitro, I pictured a Dodge Caliber in my head; the Nitro is not a vehicle that was even on my radar. I was surprised when I got out to the Nitro, as I’ve seen very few on the streets. New for 2007, the Nitro is a mid-sized 5-passenger SUV available in rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. Mine was a silver Nitro SXT all-wheel drive version with black cladding, a very nice satellite radio, but few other frills.

The headlights, grille, and body-side vents in the front fender create a unique and distinctive look. The “face” of the Nitro looks like nothing else on the road, and in fact each my colleagues and friends who rode with me asked me what type of car it was, telling me that it was really nice for a rental car. That demonstrates both the fact that it caught the eye of each of those people, and that people aren’t seeing other Nitros on the road. One associate said that the vents on the body side reminded him of a Land Rover LR3. That may be a bit of a stretch.

Aside from the eye-catching front end sheet metal and brightwork, the Nitro is very visibly a badge-engineered cousin to the Jeep Liberty. A quick review of the two vehicles’ specifications shows that they share a power train, though they do have different wheelbases. The narrowed front sheet metal with black plastic fender flares betray its relationship to the Liberty, as do its very vertical sides.

The first thing you touch on any vehicle when you’re getting in to take a drive is the door handle. That first touch is a not a pleasant interaction with the Nitro. In common with the handles on the redesigned-for-2008 Liberty, it has an awkward round pushbutton on its rearmost edge, with a semi-circular button guard on its rear half. The handle assembly and its pushbutton feel cheap when they are grasped and actuated, and the button’s shape and location relative to the handle make it awkward to use when one’s hand isn’t empty.

Climbing in to the Nitro, I found seats upholstered in black fabric with gray inserts, and a center stack and console that is shared with the Jeep Liberty. The instrument cluster and dashboard are unique to the Dodge, as are the interior door skins, though those door skins do remind me of the ones in the pre-2008 Liberty, with their semi-circular interior handles. Unfortunately the Nitro SXT I rented didn’t have audio controls on the steering wheel, and it was such a long reach to the audio controls on the dash that I had to lean foward every time I wanted to change stations on the Sirius-enabled unit.

Having established its relationship to the Liberty, it is worth noting that the Nitro handles much better. While the ride is not what I would consider car-like, the handling of the Nitro is much more stable and settled, both at speed and around town than the handling of the 2007 Liberty I drove recently, which bounced unpleasantly around Orange County’s suburban sprawl like a mid-‘80s Cherokee.

The Nitro’s boxy profile made it susceptible to cross-winds on I-94 through rural Wisconsin at 75 MPH. Without the wind, the Nitro exhibited good directional stability and pretty good turn-in response around town for an SUV. The steering wasn’t particularly quick, but the turning radius was good enough to maneuver the Nitro in to tight parking spots.

The Nitro has a console-mounted switch for selecting 2-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, and a four-speed automatic transmission with D, 2, and L positions. I was unable to find a way to select/hold third gear in the Nitro, and Avis didn’t provide me an owner’s manual so I wasn’t able to look up whether that feature is available.

While the Nitro looks like a small car on the outside, probably because of the narrow sheet metal at its front end, it seems like a large car from the driver’s seat. The short greenhouse defined by narrow windows inhibits the view out when reversing and changing lanes.

The 210 HP, 3.7 liter SOHC V6 in my Nitro SXT, which is shared with the Liberty, provided plenty of power for the commuting and freeway driving I did. It has a distinct exhaust note at higher RPMs. Throttle response is quick such that it is difficult to pull away smoothly from a stop, instead I tended to roar quickly away from a stop and then let up on the throttle a bit, causing the car to initially pitch rearward and then lurch frontward. During the course of my three-day rental I didn’t get much smoother in my operation of the throttle.

The luggage compartment is accessed via a rear liftgate with fixed glass. While a liftgate is much more convenient to use than a side-hinged cargo door like the Toyota RAV4 uses, the Nitro has a large, high rear bumper, and the cargo floor is a few inches higher than the liftgate’s threshold over the bumper because of a built-up cargo floor which seems designed to allow a flat floor above the stowed spare tire. While the carpeted cargo floor cover is removable to access a flat storage bin beneath, and it can be flipped over and installed as a molded plastic tray for dirty items; however, it is not hinged and is awkward to handle.


A definite down-side to driving an SUV is that it consumes more fuel than a mid-sized sedan does. On my trip I drove 350 miles (200 of them at 75 MPH on cruise control), and used 18 gallons of regular unleaded, for an observed fuel economy of 19.4 MPG, compared to the 2007 EPA rating of 17/23 MPG.

In a crowded field of mid-sized SUVs, the Nitro stands out with its unique front end appearance, but it doesn’t otherwise distinguish itself as a significantly better vehicle, which may be why I haven’t seen more Nitros on the road. Because my colleagues all commented on the car’s appearance and asked what type it is, I would say the Nitro can definitely attract attention, but perhaps that alone isn’t enough to attract buyers willing to spend their money on one. Of course, if Chrysler’s rumored brand restructuring plan becomes reality, the Nitro will likely be phased out because only Jeep will be selling SUVs, and they already have the nearly-identical Liberty to sell.

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VW Is Looking To Challenge Toyota to Become One of the World’s Biggest Automakers

By on November 18, 2007 in News

Report: VW aims to produce more than 10 million cars a year by 2018

By Alex Ricciuti

11.18.2007

Recent news:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 12, 2007 –

FRANKFURT (Reuters) — Volkswagen aims to increase production to more than 10 million cars per year by 2018 from around 6 million now, the German current affairs weekly Der Spiegel reported on Saturday.

A spokesman at Europe’s biggest carmaker declined to confirm any such output target for that time horizon but reiterated VW CEO Martin Winterkorn’s stated target of an increase to 8 million vehicles by 2010.

Winterkorn is due to unveil a 10-year strategic plan at a meeting of Volkswagen’s supervisory board on November 16, the spokesman said, confirming that part of the magazine’s report.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is a lot of ambition here, including it’s aim to take sales in the North American market to a million (including Audi) and grow the Audi brand into the largest premium marque globally.

I love it when automakers get all macho and spew pronouncements like this based on pure bravado and the press runs to speculate about it. VW is the biggest automaker in Europe and it should stay home and count its blessings.

The key to that kind of global growth, to 10 million cars a year, is to become a major player in the North American market. Maybe VW could in fact achieve it’s stated sales goals of a million units in the US alone. The one problem being that more than doubling sales will more than double their losses. The strong euro is killing them and there is nothing VW or anyone else can do about it.

As a business journalist, I always laugh when these automakers say that they hedge on currency. This is pure obfuscation. The only thing that “hedge” means is that they invest in euros which only mitigates their loses and not to any great degree, I suspect. What it also does is keep driving up the value of the euro which only contributes to the problem.

The only way to truly hedge is to make the cars where you sell them and that would mean a manufacturing plant in the US or Canada or a second plant in Mexico. This would require massive investments which VW is not really capable of making right now. And even at that, so many of your costs remain in your home currency and the more you try to move those costs locally, such as fully localizing your supplier base, the more investments that entails.

Also, it would be too risky.

As I have written before, the US is the big enchilada of car markets which also makes it the riskiest. It’s not like starting a subsidiary in Iceland just to see how it goes. It’s a huge market that would require massive investments. But it is also a very mature market which means you can’t bank on people running to your showrooms to buy your shiny new import. There is plenty of competition around and VW is not seen as a prestige brand in the US . It is seen only as an expensive one. This is the brand value/cost issue that they need to solve before they go anywhere.

There is this whole subculture in the US, to the point that it has become a cliche, of car enthusiasts alternatively panting in heat at European models while whining about why they can’t have them in the US. If there were some way to exploit this, I would, really. Maybe I should start importing Focus STs. But I’m pretty sure I’m not going to find too many takers for a 30,000 dollar Focus. But I shouldn’t be so hard on those folks because many other journalists and analysts make the same silly, reflexive, “Yes, why not?”, assumptions when they hear such stories.

You (VW or any other takers) can’t imitate Toyota because you do not have:

a) their Terminator-style, single-mindedness corporate culture to just keep making and selling the ultimate bland, box-store aesthetic appliances otherwise known as cars

b) the Japanese government behind you whose policy is to keep the currency as low as possible to drive exports which is the backbone of their entire economy

VW shouldn’t expect anything near 10 million units by 2018. It can increase sales if it delivers the right products to each market. Certainly they have green technologies that they can exploit and growth in Eastern Europe, Russia, China and Asia as a whole hold a lot of promise and opportunity.

But 10 million? Don’t kid yourself.

Alex Ricciuti is a freelance writer and automotive journalist based in Zurich, Switzerland. He writes frequently for Automotive News Europe.

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Used Cars, Et Al

By on November 18, 2007 in Editorials

All part of the service we provide here at Autosavant

By Brendan Moore

11.18.2007

First, as usual, the “Used Car Bargains” and the “Used Cars – Opinion and Values” sections were updated and added to today. Want to take a look? Then simply click HERE, and scroll down the page a little bit. These sections are very popular on the site, and a lot of our readers find them useful.

Second, we added a section several months ago where people can list their cars for sale online, and, wait for it – it’s free. Yes, free as in it costs you nothing. You don’t have to join anything or set up an account, either. Its pretty much no-fuss, no-muss in that regard. I had the extra bandwidth, so I figured what the heck, right? We haven’t done any advertising of the feature, but we’ve already gotten some listings from dealerships and individuals. I mean, you can’t argue with the price, right? The worst-case scenario is that you don’t get a call on an ad that cost you nothing. The best-case scenario is that the car you’re selling is seen by an extra few thousand people that might not have seen it before. So, we’re hoping it continues to grow in scope. If you want to check it out, then click HERE – there is also a link for instructions on the page if you decide you want to list your car for sale on Autosavant. Take a look because even if you don’t need to sell a car right now, you might know someone that does, and you can let them know about this option.

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Clear-Cut Design: I Love Antique Heavy Trucks

By on November 17, 2007 in Editorials

By Mike Mello

11.17.2007

Longnose heavy trucks from the middle of the twentieth century hold a certain amount of mystique for me. As a kid, toy trucks were a favorite. They could haul anything, they ruled the playroom and had cool accessories like ladders, extra wheels and dump bodies. As an adult, antique trucks from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, seem to be a pure example of form following function. Whether perfectly restored or wearing a well-worn coat of paint, antique trucks possess a balanced personality that is proud, commanding and stable. Although, when Hollywood features a certain vintage semi, it can end up being delightfully overbearing.

The end of summer brought a small showing of antique trucks to the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA, where I was able to grab a few shots of some former heavy haulers. (More photos can be seen at my Flickr page.) Not one child who might have been out just enjoying the park around the museum could ignore these rigs. Perhaps it’s just the shiny red paint, or the handsome non-integrated headlights that stand proud like wide eyes eager for the next job on the above ’52 Mack LJ.

Overall, the most visually compelling point of design of these vehicle is something that should never be forgotten. When a hood is built to simply house the engine, or a fender is engineered to withstand more than a few bumps and a grille guard is installed to actually protect a radiator, it’s a lesson in functionality. To me, what follows is a pure product that simply shows how clean design can be. Above and below is a ’59 Mack B 83.


These trucks aren’t without their details. I admire the wrap-around louvers that follow the curve of the cab wall and this isn’t to say that scoops, complex body lines or fancy paint don’t have their place in design – of course they do. It’s just that trucks like these occupy one end of the design spectrum that I can go to when fiberglass fairing and useless spoilers all get to be a bit much.

Now, the following Peterbilt was not at the above show, but, as many “Duel” fans know, the 1960 Peterbilt seen here runs, drives, and exists in a private collection. See the Surviving Duel Truck site for full details and more photos. The personality that this particular vintage rig holds is only magnified by the grimy patina, and the particulary aggressive role it takes in “Duel.” However, make no mistake, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as formidable if it didn’t have those wide fenders, tall nose and stand-alone headlights. Of course, a little customization is ok, because that heavy iron bumper just completes the look.

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Chrysler May Make Huge Brand Changes While Making Large Dealer Cuts

By on November 16, 2007 in News

By Brendan Moore

11.16.2007

Chrysler LLC dealers have been briefed on a plan by Chrysler to cut as many as a thousand U.S. franchised dealers in tandem with new, earth-shaking branding changes, according to a just-published article in The Wall Street Journal. The branding changes would entail limiting all passenger car sales to the Chrysler brand only, with Dodge dealers having only light-duty trucks and commercial vehicles to sell and Jeep dealers having only Jeeps and SUVs to sell.

This would be change on a grand scale for Chrysler and it would address a couple of the many problems Chrysler has; namely, product overlap and too many dealers. Dealers would start dropping off like flies in many areas once they had fewer products to sell, and Chrysler LLC could certainly help that process along by making life miserable for weak dealers through cutbacks in sales incentive programs.

Additionally, dealers have stated that they have been told that the whole Chrysler PT Cruiser line will be gone in 2009.

The dealers said that Chrysler has not decided to definitely go through with the plan at this point, but will make a decision on whether to proceed with the changes by the end of the year.

Stay tuned as more news becomes available.

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Dealers Make Money on Used Cars and Lose Money on New Cars, says NADA

By on November 16, 2007 in News

By Brendan Moore

11.16.2007

The NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) recently released a study showing that the average auto dealer in the United States makes an increasing amount of money on used vehicle sales and a decreasing amount on new vehicle sales. In fact, the study concluded that the average franchised dealer in the U.S. loses money on new cars overall while making money on used car sales.

The report also showed that the difference between profits on a per-unit basis between new and used sales is the greatest it has been in 25 years.

What is the difference in dollar terms? Although you could never get a consumer anywhere in the U.S. to believe it, the NADA says their data shows that the average used car sale nets an all-in profit of $306 and the average new car sale registers a loss of $17.

Although finding themselves in this situation may be a new experience for some dealers, many of their brethren that have a new car franchise for a slow-selling brand have been coping with this stagnant profit environment for years. Some dealers that have owned franchises like Saturn, Mitsubishi, Izuzu, Buick, Mercury, Suzuki, Saab, and others for the past five years have been keeping the lights on by selling used cars and selling their new cars as a not-for-profit side business, hoping for a nationwide turnaround in fortunes for the brand. And that is precisely what has happened for the Saturn dealers lately, and for some percentage of Buick dealers – GM’s efforts to recharge those brands have succeeded to the point where the new car side of the house no longer needs to be propped up by the used car side. No such luck for the other brands mentioned.

Geography also plays a large role in whether new cars are profitable for a dealer. Areas depressed economically or areas hit hardest by the sub-prime mortgage fallout are seeing new car sales shrink as people tighten their belts. In these areas some dealers are reporting that used car sales at their dealership average 400% of new car sales.

For a dealer, used car sales are generally a little bit easier than new car sales. First of all, customers tend to be less demanding of a used car in terms of condition and performance. Second, there is not only more room between wholesale and retail in used cars as compared to new cars; there is much greater variability in condition as opposed to new cars, in which there is none. When a consumer looks at a five year-old Toyota Camry at one place and then looks at another five year-old Camry at another place, there will probably some differences. Maybe its paint, or mileage or door dings, or interior condition or the original options that came with the car or something else. A new Camry is a new Camry is a new Camry. Every dealer pays the same price from the factory and every Monroney/MSRP sticker on the window is the same, except for destination charges between regions. There are no differences in quality or price. The variability between the condition and mileage of any two used cars that are the same model and year gives the dealer that much more room to make a profit. The differences get even bigger when a customer starts bouncing around between a three-year-old car, a four-year-old car and a five year-old car. Many car salespeople and sales managers prefer being on the used side of the lot for this reason. Lastly, many consumers really, truly believe that there are several thousand dollars worth of profit in new cars costing as little as $25,000 and bargain accordingly. No such hurdle regarding consumer perception exists for used cars on a widespread basis.

Given the increasingly competitive landscape of new car sales in the U.S. and, the fact that new car sales volumes are forecast to fall in calendar year 2008; this situation is going to get worse for many new car dealers, not better.

But, it should be a good year for the big wholesale auctions.

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My Favorite Renault

By on November 16, 2007 in Features
The little prince

By Roger Boylan

11.16.2007

The old highway from Geneva to Annecy, the N201, is locally known for three things: the fine views of the Alps from the heights of its up-and-down trajectory; the Pont de la Caille, a turreted 19th-century suspension bridge, much beloved of suicides, that spans a gorge about 300 feet deep; and spectacular car wrecks, especially in the snow and dense fog typical of Alpine autumns and winters. Annecy is one of my favorite towns; it’s like a smaller and cheaper version of Geneva, so I used to travel the N201 quite often. On my trips down there in the ‘60s it became routine for me–traveling sedately aboard, say, a Simca 1000 (see previous article)–to be passed at an insane clip by some fool at the wheel of his bolide (pocket rocket) on his way to the demolition derby capital of the region, the unlovely town of Cruseilles, whose main drag, the Grand’Rue, was in my day (and probably still is) irresistible to the local speed demons. The bolide of choice in these antics was a works-tuned Renault Dauphine known as the “1093” after the engine’s cubic capacity (up from 845 in the standard Dauphine).


The boy racers–and they were all boys; the girls only watched, or had better things to do–loved to gun their 1093s down the Grand’Rue in Cruseilles of an evening and hit 100 km/h before doing some fancy downshifting and hitting the brakes at the first and only traffic light, then–God willing–after a sharp right and a tight U-turn, surviving long enough to repeat the process and go on to fame and glory, or at least adulthood. Cruseilles, of course, was hardly unique; this foolish ritual was and is as common in all the small towns of France as it is, with different machinery, across the US, and always will be, as long as there are young men and cars. (But Cruseilles, at least, may be slightly safer now. A new autoroute, the A41, has been built to divert traffic away from the old N201, returning the hinterland to its ancient slumber.)

The 1093 was an understated racer, a bit of a wolf (or maybe a Standard Poodle) in sheep’s clothing, hard to distinguish from the base Dauphine except for the elegant blue body-length stripes and larger headlights. It boasted a peppy 55 hp under the little rear hood (20 or so more than the base model), and could manage a true top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h). Only 2041 were made. I loved ‘em. There’s a shiny 1093 in the car collection of my dreams, ready to be driven down all the tree-lined Memory Lanes of the past.

The 1093 wasn’t just a contender in small-town derbies. It was a major player on the international racing scene, winning famous road rallies such as the Tour de Corse and the Rallye des Fleurs, and it was becoming serious competition for the Mini Coopers and Fiat Abarths of the day when Renault pulled the plug.

By the late ‘60s the Dauphine was an old girl, and nobody wanted her any more. The 1093 was her swan song. But she sang it with panache.
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Ford Employee Morale Hits a High Point

By on November 15, 2007 in News

By Chris Haak

11.15.2007

Although Ford still isn’t out of the woods as far as its chances of remaining a viable concern and staving off bankruptcy – with an uncertain future product plan, a truck-heavy lineup, and car sales in a near free fall – we are starting to see some good news coming out of Dearborn.

Fiscal third quarter financial results were surprisingly decent, the UAW just ratified its new contract with Ford by a four-to-one margin, and the worst of the headcount reductions may be behind the company. On top of all that, Ford hired well-regarded Jim Farley from Toyota as its new marketing boss.

The good news has been noticed by employees. Ford’s human resources department conducts an annual survey of employee attitudes about the company, and those attitudes are improving. In this year’s survey (sent to 80,000 salaried employees worldwide as well as to select hourly team leaders in some plants), 77% of respondents said that overall, they had confidence in the company’s long-term success, compared to just 65% a year ago. When asked if they were looking forward to the future as a company employee, 83% said yes, as opposed to 74% in 2006.

Experts in business turnarounds consider employee morale to be an important barometer of whether or not the company will survive, so the improved attitude among Ford employees may bode very well for the company as a going concern.

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