5 Reasons Why European Cars Aren’t Big Sellers In America
It’s not about being better or worse - different markets have different demands. There are plenty of cool European rides, but for the most part they just don’t make sense in America
2. We like our big vehicles
Overall, American cars are smaller and most definitely more buttoned down in the handling department than they used to be, and that’s good for enthusiasts. But most Americans still equate size with luxury and performance, while small cars are looked upon as basic or entry-level, no matter how awesome they are.
That’s why we never got cars like the Cosworth Escort, or the Lancia Delta Integrale, and it’s also why it took so long for the Focus RS to arrive. Never mind the amazing performance of these machines—in the eyes of most American car buyers they’re still just small, entry-level compact cars. And who’s going to pay $35,000 for a tiny car like that when you can buy a mid-size Chevrolet Traverse SUV or a V6 Dodge Charger for the same amount?
3. We like our power
In a similar fashion, this is why we don’t have fleets of diesel hatchbacks. Through the 1970’s and 1980’s we didn’t have much choice but to accept the low-horsepower cars that were given to us, but they still had some hefty torque so they felt muscular, even if they were still taking 10 seconds to hit 60 mph. That’s why turbocharged cars like the SVO Mustang and even the Grand National weren’t big hits through the 1980s, despite their performance envelopes that equaled, or with the Grand National, exceeded their V8 counterparts.
And as long as petrol remains cheap, that’s the way things will stay in America. Even back in 2009 when our petrol prices topped $4 a gallon, many people kept right on trucking with their SUVs getting 13 mpg, paying $100 every couple days to fill the tank. And I know many of you are reading this and thinking that $4 is cheap, but that doesn’t matter to drivers who equate their success with the size of their vehicle. At least the whole ordeal was a wake-up call in America that fuel economy does matter, and small, efficient cars can also be nice, fun, functional vehicles. The vast majority of American buyers still weigh horsepower over efficiency though, and as long as that’s the case, we’ll never see the ultra-efficient diesels so common throughout Europe.
Complete list (CarThrottle.com)
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
An Old School Limo Built To Last
Ten Little-Known Facts About the Mercedes-Benz 600
Historically owned by royalty, it has windows that will take your arm off, if you're not careful.
3. A window can take your arm off. The window switch, which makes it possible to take your arm off, costs $11,200.
The 600's windows are operated by a variable-rate switch—essentially a pressure-sensitive valve body that lives in the door and routes fluid to the window regulators.
When lowering the window, this switch acts in a simple on-off fashion; push it, the window moves at one speed. When raising the window, however, the switch offers a variable rate—pressing it gently creeps the glass up, but nailing it slams the window shut fast enough to slice off a body part. You can hear it whunk into the door. It sounds like a cleaver pounding into a chopping block.
For some ungodly reason, this switch, which also operates all four windows from the driver's side, currently retails for $11,200 from Mercedes-Benz. Fortunately, it can be repaired for a more reasonable price. The suspension-height switch—the cockpit valve that adjusts the 600's ride height—goes for a more manageable $1400.
And you thought your old S-class hoopty was a money hole.
7. History has seen stiffer, heavier, and more ridiculous private limousines. But this one was built out of industrial-grade, bunker-busting German bluster. Fittingly, it's all but indestructible.
Middelhauve on the 600's construction: "Because of the mass and the construction of the car, the [600's] plain chassis was stiffer than an entire [W112, 1961–1967] 300 sedan. You jack a wheel up at the front, the rear wheel goes off the ground, too. It's so stiff, so stable. As for the rest, the steel that's in there—I haven't seen a 600 where the rockers are rusted through. It just doesn't happen."
Complete list (Road&Track.com)
Historically owned by royalty, it has windows that will take your arm off, if you're not careful.
3. A window can take your arm off. The window switch, which makes it possible to take your arm off, costs $11,200.
The 600's windows are operated by a variable-rate switch—essentially a pressure-sensitive valve body that lives in the door and routes fluid to the window regulators.
When lowering the window, this switch acts in a simple on-off fashion; push it, the window moves at one speed. When raising the window, however, the switch offers a variable rate—pressing it gently creeps the glass up, but nailing it slams the window shut fast enough to slice off a body part. You can hear it whunk into the door. It sounds like a cleaver pounding into a chopping block.
For some ungodly reason, this switch, which also operates all four windows from the driver's side, currently retails for $11,200 from Mercedes-Benz. Fortunately, it can be repaired for a more reasonable price. The suspension-height switch—the cockpit valve that adjusts the 600's ride height—goes for a more manageable $1400.
And you thought your old S-class hoopty was a money hole.
7. History has seen stiffer, heavier, and more ridiculous private limousines. But this one was built out of industrial-grade, bunker-busting German bluster. Fittingly, it's all but indestructible.
Middelhauve on the 600's construction: "Because of the mass and the construction of the car, the [600's] plain chassis was stiffer than an entire [W112, 1961–1967] 300 sedan. You jack a wheel up at the front, the rear wheel goes off the ground, too. It's so stiff, so stable. As for the rest, the steel that's in there—I haven't seen a 600 where the rockers are rusted through. It just doesn't happen."
Complete list (Road&Track.com)
I Wish I Had These At My Disposal
The Ten Largest Displacement Car Engines You Can Buy Today
Ford F-Series Super Duty - 6.7 Liters
Ford F-Series Super Duty - 6.7 Liters
- The Super Duty's sizable 6.7-liter turbodiesel runs with 440-hp and 860 lb-ft of torque. That's enough to move a house.
- The 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 in the Z/28 is taken directly from the previous generation Z06 and is no less savage in a Camaro's body. Get them while you can, the Z/28 is going away with the new Camaro's introduction.
I Disagree With
Here Are Five Performance Mods That Are Utterly Useless
3. Adjustable Lowering Springs
From the factory, there’s a trade-off between handling and comfort when it comes to a car’s suspension. The more of one you have, the more of the other you lose. That’s why the most comfortable cars are often the ones that can’t take a turn without involuntarily going for the car flip world record and the ones poised for track times make their drivers four inches shorter after every race.
However, if you’re just after performance and willing to ignore the comfort consequences, the aftermarket will allow you to tip the scales in your favor. One of the most effective ways you can make your car handle better is to install a good set of struts and lowered springs, or a tailor-made adjustable coilover suspension system. What these do is make the car stiffer, allow it to handle more predictably, and lower the car’s center of gravity, making it less likely to pitch and roll on spleen-compressing right handers.
Having said that, one of the easiest ways to screw up your car’s handling is with a set of universal adjustable lowering springs.
In order to have a car handle well, the springs and struts must be dialed in, which means that the spring rates of each axle should be matched to the weight balance of the car, depending on what kind of setup and ride quality you’d like to have. Also, the strut or shock absorber needs to be stout in order to take the stresses of a firmer system. With a cheaply made pseudo-universal system like the one pictured above, not only do you not have any indicator as to what the spring rates are, but if you put a drastically lowered, likely super-stiff spring onto a stock strut or shock, you’ll kill any semblance of ride quality, bottom out your suspension and blow your shock absorber with unparalleled quickness. Instead, get a set of struts and matched springs from a reputable manufacturer, or an adjustable coilover setup that doesn’t require assembly. Your passengers will thank you.
(Jalopnik.com)
3. Adjustable Lowering Springs
From the factory, there’s a trade-off between handling and comfort when it comes to a car’s suspension. The more of one you have, the more of the other you lose. That’s why the most comfortable cars are often the ones that can’t take a turn without involuntarily going for the car flip world record and the ones poised for track times make their drivers four inches shorter after every race.
However, if you’re just after performance and willing to ignore the comfort consequences, the aftermarket will allow you to tip the scales in your favor. One of the most effective ways you can make your car handle better is to install a good set of struts and lowered springs, or a tailor-made adjustable coilover suspension system. What these do is make the car stiffer, allow it to handle more predictably, and lower the car’s center of gravity, making it less likely to pitch and roll on spleen-compressing right handers.
Having said that, one of the easiest ways to screw up your car’s handling is with a set of universal adjustable lowering springs.
In order to have a car handle well, the springs and struts must be dialed in, which means that the spring rates of each axle should be matched to the weight balance of the car, depending on what kind of setup and ride quality you’d like to have. Also, the strut or shock absorber needs to be stout in order to take the stresses of a firmer system. With a cheaply made pseudo-universal system like the one pictured above, not only do you not have any indicator as to what the spring rates are, but if you put a drastically lowered, likely super-stiff spring onto a stock strut or shock, you’ll kill any semblance of ride quality, bottom out your suspension and blow your shock absorber with unparalleled quickness. Instead, get a set of struts and matched springs from a reputable manufacturer, or an adjustable coilover setup that doesn’t require assembly. Your passengers will thank you.
(Jalopnik.com)
This 'Performance' Part Is Definitely A Waste Of $
Here Are Five Performance Mods That Are Utterly Useless
2. Short Ram Air Intake
First off, the name “short ram” is a misnomer. Ram Air, no matter what your Trans-Am owning uncle says, doesn’t actually cram any extra air in the cylinder past what a traditional cold-air intake would do. The theory, in a nutshell, is that if you place your air intake path on the car in such a way that it takes advantage of the moving air flowing over the car, it’ll use the car’s momentum to pack all that air in the engine, making for a bigger bang and more power. SCIENCE!
The problem is that in order to have this happen with any sort of reasonable efficiency, you have to be traveling orders of magnitude faster than any speed limit in the country. But even if, for the sake of argument, ram air on consumer-grade cars worked, a short ram air intake system wouldn’t.
While it does shorten and smoothen the intake stream over whatever stock airbox and resonator assembly comes in cars nowadays, allowing the air a more direct path to the combustion cycle, it does so by being placed in the extremely hot engine bay, where air pressure is often lower than it is outside, which is a no-no for power.
This sort of intake configuration, in naturally aspirated cars, is particularly susceptible to heat soak and can let a considerable amount of ponies out of the stable, never to return. Sure, the setup makes an interesting induction noise but not much else. You’re better off buying a good panel filter for your stock airbox or, at most, a well-engineered cold air intake that takes air from outside the engine bay which is colder and thus more dense.
Complete list (Jalopnik.com)
2. Short Ram Air Intake
First off, the name “short ram” is a misnomer. Ram Air, no matter what your Trans-Am owning uncle says, doesn’t actually cram any extra air in the cylinder past what a traditional cold-air intake would do. The theory, in a nutshell, is that if you place your air intake path on the car in such a way that it takes advantage of the moving air flowing over the car, it’ll use the car’s momentum to pack all that air in the engine, making for a bigger bang and more power. SCIENCE!
The problem is that in order to have this happen with any sort of reasonable efficiency, you have to be traveling orders of magnitude faster than any speed limit in the country. But even if, for the sake of argument, ram air on consumer-grade cars worked, a short ram air intake system wouldn’t.
While it does shorten and smoothen the intake stream over whatever stock airbox and resonator assembly comes in cars nowadays, allowing the air a more direct path to the combustion cycle, it does so by being placed in the extremely hot engine bay, where air pressure is often lower than it is outside, which is a no-no for power.
This sort of intake configuration, in naturally aspirated cars, is particularly susceptible to heat soak and can let a considerable amount of ponies out of the stable, never to return. Sure, the setup makes an interesting induction noise but not much else. You’re better off buying a good panel filter for your stock airbox or, at most, a well-engineered cold air intake that takes air from outside the engine bay which is colder and thus more dense.
Complete list (Jalopnik.com)
I May Have To Give These Places A Try
The Most Delicious Tacos in All of Las Vegas
Ribeye tacos
Ribeye tacos
- Hussong’s Cantina
- The Shoppes at Mandalay Place
- Need a little more beef in your taco? Trick question. Of course you do. Hussong’s serves a mean ribeye taco. It comes with guacamole, jalapeños, onions, red bell peppers, cilantro, and bigger-than-you’d-expect chunks of steak. If you prefer your tacos with outdoor patio seating, a second location opened over the summer in the Boca Park shopping complex near Summerlin.
- Tom’s Urban
- New York-New York
- The Urban street tacos are for people who have a hard time with decision-making. Mix and match your choice of steak al carbon, carnitas, and butter-poached lobster and shrimp.
- China Poblano
- The Cosmopolitan
- You’d expect a restaurant that offers a blend of Chinese and Mexican cuisine from Chef Jose Andres to have more than a few fun things on the menu. The Silencio tacos will keep your mouth full and one unlucky duck very quiet. They’re made with duck tongue and fresh lychee.
Did You Know - 'Rocky' Edition
72 Hard-Hitting Facts About the 'Rocky' Movies
4. Other than Burt Young (Paulie), none of the primary actors in Rocky were the first choice. Producers wanted Lee Strasberg for Mickey, but he wanted too much money. Burgess Meredith, a professional actor since the 1930s, stepped in. Boxer Ken Norton was lined up to play Apollo, but he dropped out at the last minute to go on the ABC show Superstars. Carl Weathers auditioned shortly after and got the part, even though he insulted Stallone’s acting during his read through and lied about having boxing experience.
6. Shooting in Philadelphia was done on a shoestring. There was no honeywagon, no catering, and no trailers. All exterior shots were lit exclusively with natural light, and pizza was the only on-set meal — for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
28. A writer for Philadelphia magazine calculated that Rocky’s run in the movie’s montage would have been 30 miles long as he bounced around the city in a seemingly illogical way. That have been a ridiculously long run for Rocky, much less the 800 school children who followed him through the streets during the montage.
37. Johnny Carson was so impressed by Hulk Hogan’s performance as Thunderlips that he booked the then unknown wrestler on The Tonight Show. It’s a good thing, too, because Vince McMahon fired the young wrestler from the WWF for appearing in the movie when he was supposed to be wrestling.
39. The climatic fight between Rocky and Clubber Lang is the only one in the series that doesn’t go a full 15 rounds. It’s over in three.
47. Lundgren also roughed up Carl Weathers during their fight, at one point picking him up and throwing him into the corner. As Stallone remembers it years later, Weathers jumped out of the ring and threatened to quit because of the Swede.
48. Paulie’s robot was built by a company called International Robotics to help work with autistic children. Stallone’s son is autistic, and after inviting the robot into his home, Stallone wrote it into his movie. The robot’s voice, both male and female versions, is provided by International Robotics founder Robert Doornick.
49. When Rocky goes to the frozen Russian tundra to prepare for his fight against Drago, he’s actually in Wyoming. The final fight, set in a large Russian city, was filmed at the Agrodome Arena in Vancouver.
Complete list (Yahoo.com)
4. Other than Burt Young (Paulie), none of the primary actors in Rocky were the first choice. Producers wanted Lee Strasberg for Mickey, but he wanted too much money. Burgess Meredith, a professional actor since the 1930s, stepped in. Boxer Ken Norton was lined up to play Apollo, but he dropped out at the last minute to go on the ABC show Superstars. Carl Weathers auditioned shortly after and got the part, even though he insulted Stallone’s acting during his read through and lied about having boxing experience.
6. Shooting in Philadelphia was done on a shoestring. There was no honeywagon, no catering, and no trailers. All exterior shots were lit exclusively with natural light, and pizza was the only on-set meal — for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
28. A writer for Philadelphia magazine calculated that Rocky’s run in the movie’s montage would have been 30 miles long as he bounced around the city in a seemingly illogical way. That have been a ridiculously long run for Rocky, much less the 800 school children who followed him through the streets during the montage.
37. Johnny Carson was so impressed by Hulk Hogan’s performance as Thunderlips that he booked the then unknown wrestler on The Tonight Show. It’s a good thing, too, because Vince McMahon fired the young wrestler from the WWF for appearing in the movie when he was supposed to be wrestling.
39. The climatic fight between Rocky and Clubber Lang is the only one in the series that doesn’t go a full 15 rounds. It’s over in three.
47. Lundgren also roughed up Carl Weathers during their fight, at one point picking him up and throwing him into the corner. As Stallone remembers it years later, Weathers jumped out of the ring and threatened to quit because of the Swede.
48. Paulie’s robot was built by a company called International Robotics to help work with autistic children. Stallone’s son is autistic, and after inviting the robot into his home, Stallone wrote it into his movie. The robot’s voice, both male and female versions, is provided by International Robotics founder Robert Doornick.
49. When Rocky goes to the frozen Russian tundra to prepare for his fight against Drago, he’s actually in Wyoming. The final fight, set in a large Russian city, was filmed at the Agrodome Arena in Vancouver.
Complete list (Yahoo.com)
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