They See Me Rollin' - Subaru Edition

(SpeedHunters.com)

The Cup Does Have Magical Powers

Woman became pregnant following Cup kiss 

Improbable conception after meeting 'Stanley' 20 years ago

Stan Riley is your normal 18-year old college freshman. He is focused on his engineering classes at Carleton University in Ottawa, and in his spare time plays in men's pickup hockey games and even does some hockey officiating too. When Stan is home, he "sleeps all day and stays up all night," said his mom, Cheryl.

But the story of how Stanley C. Gordon Jeff Riley -- that's his full name -- came to be is anything but typical. It's one of heartbreak, determination and fate, and revolves around one kiss given to the most famous Stanley of them all: the Stanley Cup.

(NHL.com)

Another Unfortunate Sign Of The Times

One Of The Biggest Motorcycle Magazines Just Announced It's Closing Shop

Motorcycle USA has been a staple in the motorcycle media field for 20 years. After this coming Friday, they will be no more. The only thing is, I’m not sure if this will make waves in the industry, or if it’s just a sign of things to come. 

(Jalopnik.com)

Unfortunately, This Is True

No One Knows What "Sports Car" Actually Means Anymore 

Remember when names used to mean something?​ 

When did the definition of  "sports car" change? Well, here's the thing: It never did. What happened was that the cars themselves changed. Fear about prospective DOT rollover regulations in the 70s caused an entire generation of cars, from the Jaguar XJ-S to the C3 Corvette, to be conceived and sold primarily as hard-top Grand Tourers. In many cases, this led to the "sports car" name following the marque or badge, even if it no longer applied. An XK120 was a sports car; an E-Type Mk1 was a sports car; therefore, the Jaguar XJ-S must be a sports car despite being the size of the HMS Hood and sporting a 12-cylinder engine. If the original 1953 Corvette was a sports car, and it most assuredly was, then certainly a 2016 Corvette Z06 hardtop is a sports car, right?

In some cases, the "sports car" name was used for something that was meant to be an antidote or alternative to traditional sports cars—see "911, Porsche" and "240Z, Datsun." This depresses me; a Porsche 911 is certainly not a sports car. I know. I own one. A Boxster, which I also own, is definitely a sports car. That's why the Boxster, er, 718, and the 911 can co-exist. That, and the fact that the 911 is basically the same car as the Boxster for much more money, and no manufacturer with its head on straight would permit such a thing to disappear. 

With all that said, however, there are cars out there that should not be referred to as "sports cars" by anybody who considers himself or herself to be a member of the sainted automotive cognoscenti. The list of such cars includes:

• SUVs, CUVs, or anything else that doesn't require the use of a floor jack to change the oil and is not a Porsche 959 Dakar. Which is also not a sports car. So leave that in.
• Fast sedans, like the BMW M5, or their two-door variants, like the BMW M6, or the four-door variants of the two-door variants, like the M6 Gran Coupe, or the crossover variants of the four-door variants of the two-door variants of the four-door, like the X6M. 
• Hot hatches, like the GTI.
• Rally-reps, like the Mitsubishi Evo or Subaru WRX.
• Big-money cruiser droptops, like the Bentley Azure, recent-generation Mercedes SL, or Lexus SC430.
• The Honda CRX or anything else that was meant to be a copy of the Honda CRX.
• The Mustang, Camaro, Firebird, Challenger, Cougar, Javelin, Barracuda, Genesis Coupe, Accord Coupe, Mazda RX-8, or Mercedes-Benz CLK63 Black Series.

That last one seems to be where most of the confusion occurs. The Mustang is a sedan. Don't like it? Take it up with the Sports Car Club of America, which classifies the Mustang in the "American Sedan" class. The Mustang was always a sedan. It has always been a sedan. It always will be a sedan, unless it changes significantly. If the word "sedan" offends you, then choose the term "pony car," which is also fine and respects the Mustang's unique role in history as a sporting sedan variant of a non-sporting sedan, in this case the Ford Falcon. 

Don't call a Mustang a sports car. It's not a sports car. The word "sports car" doesn't mean "car that I like and think is really cool." Were that the case, then I would call the Rolls-Royce Wraith a "sports car," because I really like the Rolls-Royce Wraith and I think it's just the bee's knees, old boy. Come to think of it, I also like the Phantom Drophead, which is also not a sports car by any sane estimation.

(Road&Track.com)

Sigh, No Manual Option

This is the 2017 Audi S4 Avant 

Plenty of room for cargo, no dice for Americans.

Sporty and stable: handling
In the new S4 models, a fast and smoothly shifting eight-speed tiptronic handles power transfer. Their lower gears have short, sporty ratios, while the upper gears are long to reduce revs and fuel consumption.

(AutoBlog.com)

What Could Have Been

Here’s The Story Of A Promising Race Track That Was Never Finished 

Heard of the Balatonring? No, didn’t think so. This race track had the potential to be very quick and pretty challenging, but it was never completed

(CarThrottle.com)

I Agree

(BroBible.com)

Technology Has Rendered These Tips Useless

Complete list (CavemanCircus.com)

This Is True

(CavemanCircus.com)

The Interesting Times Of F1

10 Incredible Stories From The World Of Formula 1

F1 has a long, rich and illustrious history, creating some incredible moments along the way

2. A wild trip

In biographer Tom Rubython’s book Shunt, he reveals that James Hunt, known more for his playboy lifestyle than his 1976 F1 title, slept with 33 British Airways hostesses during a two-week break in Tokyo, Japan. All while going out with girlfriend Jane Birbeck.

5. Bye, bye wheels

We’ve all seen the clip and GIFs. Sebastien Buemi had a nasty surprise when his two front wheels flew off at the end of the Shanghai International Circuit back straight during practice in 2010. But just what happened?

Toro Rosso tried out a new, lighter pair of suspension uprights but while weight saving may have been on the agenda, the parts were clearly not strong enough to withstand the huge g-forces of the cars braking for the slow hairpin.

The right-front upright went first and that put such huge pressure on the other side that it broke within milliseconds. The wheels flew off down the road, with one even clearing the fence, but thanks to the tarmac and gravel run-off areas, Buemi was able to emerge unscathed.

6. Swimming to safety

Alberto Ascari, competing in his final F1 race, was racing his Lancia out of the tunnel during the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix when he lost control and crashed through the barrier. His car ended up in the sea and he had to swim to safety.

7. That ill feeling

One of the most bizarre radio messages in the history of F1 has to be the one Mark Webber gave to his Red Bull team during the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji. Suffering from food poisoning, he actually was sick in his race helmet during the first Safety Car period. Yeah, a grim thought. Amazingly he managed to continue, only to be taken out later in the race by a now familiar name: Sebastian Vettel.

Complete list (CarThrottle.com)