A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird: Ford gives Mustang an affair to remember If you're not a Mustang fan, then brace yourself. It's the 50th anniversary of the car this year, and the stunts are coming.
For instance, as part of paying tribute to the reveal of the original Mustang at the 1964 New York World's Fair, Ford has decided to plonk their newest 'Stang atop the Empire State Building. They did the same thing with the original.
Trouble is, it's not like you can use a crane to get a car up to the 86th floor of a New York skyscraper, and using a helicopter would also be a fairly hairy manoeuvre. It's also a bit too heavy to just tell Cary Grant to pick up one end and carry it up the staircase.
Instead, Ford has carefully measured the size and weight of what they can cram in the Empire State's elevators, and is sectioning their display car into pieces. They'll then roll the car up to the observation deck on specialized racks, and assemble it. And then, hopefully, do a giant burnout. (But probably not.)
McLaren confirms entrylevel supercar Finally, a McLaren that even I can - well, can dream about, if we're being honest. You, on the other hand, might actually be able to swing the payments. If you aren't using that kidney, that is.
The MP4-12C led the charge for McLaren, and while it had a name better suited for a Xerox photocopier than a supercar, it's done fairly well. The company's new P1 has further tightened the company's grip on the public's imagination. The cars still don't have the pedigree imbued by a Ferrari badge, but even non-car-types know that a McLaren means business.
But speaking of business, just selling astronomically expensive unobtainium doesn't work all that well in the long run. Thankfully, McLaren has just confirmed that they're working on a relatively affordable $160,000 entry model called the P13.
Designed to take on cars like the 911 Turbo and the Audi R8, the new baby McLaren will reportedly have two body styles (coupe and convertible, likely), and have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 500 horsepower. Sounds tasty.
Paul Walker accident investigation releases conclusions
The death of actor Paul Walker last November seemed to galvanize the press - all the talking points were there: a fast car, a successful actor, an association with a movie franchise based around street racing. Conjecture, much of it baseless, was the order of the day.
The conclusions are in, and the culprit has been fingered. Speed is indeed what caused the fatal crash that claimed the lives of Walker and the driver of the Carrera GT, Roger Rodas. Both men were experienced drivers with extensive track time.
The posted speed limit on the road where the crash occurred was 45 miles per hour, and investigators now believe that the 2005 Porsche was travelling at approximately 80-90 m.p.h. when it lost control. The Carrera GT is a notoriously tricky car for an amateur to drive, and the report notes that the tires on the vehicle were nine years old. No mechanical failure was reported, and no racing was going on as no other vehicles were noted in the area.
It is, at least, some kind of answer for the friends, family, and fans of Paul Walker, and perhaps a sobering reminder for anyone who has sat in the passenger seat of a car and felt like the driver was going a little too fast.
Volvo hints at luxo-wagon
Media and public response has been extremely positive for Volvo's latest concept car. A gorgeous, umber-hued shooting-brake, it at once pays homage to the classic P1800 and yet is full of modern touches. It'll probably be very safe too, but who cares about the boring stuff when it looks this good?
While a production version is not entirely out of the question, Volvo's currently more interested in volume-selling cars, and is looking at using design cues from this concept to inform their upcoming 90-series cars. The XC90 crossover has always been a strong seller, and is due for a redesign; we could also see a V90 sedan and possibly a coupe or convertible.
Porsche's firery GT3s
The GT3 is a race-spec version of the 911, and perhaps the hottest 911 variant made. Certainly, the ones that have been catching fire recently are pretty toasty.
Earlier in the year, Porsche told all 911 GT3 owners to stop driving their cars immediately while a solution was worked out. The source of the problem isn't quite clear yet: wiring? A mis-routed exhaust?
If Porsche hasn't figured it out yet, I can probably help. The problem is that the latest generation of the car isn't available with the option of a manual transmission. You can have the (admittedly excellent) PDK seven-speed dualclutch transmission, or you can take the bus.
Well, as it turns out, you'll be taking the bus either way, at least for now. Please, Porsche, give buyers of your most engaging car the ability to have the option of a manual, and perhaps the angry god of stick-shifts will stop smiting your cars with lightning bolts.
