Badge-engineering is the often-maligned practice in the auto industry of slapping a different badge onto an existing vehicle and then marketing the variant as a unique model. Badge-engineering is a necessary evil (OK, that’s a bit harsh) in today’s market. It’s less expensive to rebadge a model once or multiple times than it is to …
America’s obsession with the automobile runs deep, from the wildly-successful NASCAR racing series to car-centric artwork, songs, and perhaps most of all, cinema. Car fanatics have an overwhelming amount of options when it comes to excellent car flicks. Grand Prix (1966), Thunder Road (1971), and Rush (2013) are just a few must-see cinematic tributes to …
If there was an Automotive Hall of Shame museum somewhere, you could easily imagine such flops as the Ford Edsel, Pontiac Aztek, and the Yugo occupying some exhibit space. These ill-fated vehicles were disastrous in terms of engineering, quality, and sales, so the contempt that car communities hold for them is definitely deserved. But would …
Nothing sets off a gorgeous car quite like a nicely-styled exhaust. Even the most mundane hindquarters can be dressed up considerably by a distinctive and thoughtfully-designed exhaust. (maybe those youths driving those beat-up 80s Civics with shiny aftermarket exhausts are onto something) If you dig a sweet set of pipes as much as we do, …
If you guessed that some shade of gray was the most popular car color in America for 2019, then you’re wrong but you’re definitely getting warm. Give up? According to a study by iSeeCars, the answer is white. The study examined 9.4 million vehicles on the road in 2019, ranging from 2014 to 2018 model …
On average, today’s vehicles are significantly faster than they’ve ever been. Consider that a 2020 Hyundai Accent sedan making do with just 120 hp can run 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds, which absolutely obliterates the 9.7-second figure that a 1982 Chevrolet Camaro Z28’s mustered—and that “muscle” car pumped out 165 ponies! And that’s not even …
Stop us if you’ve heard this one—if you pour sugar into someone’s gas tank, then it’ll cause all sorts of mechanical maladies and ultimately render the vehicle kaput. Allegedly, the sugar is supposed to chemically react with the gasoline and transform into a gooey, semi-solid sludge that completely clogs up the gas tank, fuel lines, …
Ask a typical Honda fanatic to close their eyes and imagine what a Civic Si looks like and chances are that they’ll envision the 6th-gen or 8th-gen model. And you can’t really fault them because these cars embody everything that the legendary Si badge is about—a rev-happy small-displacement engine mated to a slick manual transmission, …
Most warm-blooded American auto enthusiasts fantasize about renting a sports car and hitting a buck-fifty on the German Autobahn or tearing up the twisty tarmac on the Stelvio Pass in Italy (yes, the Eastern Alpine mountain pass made famous by Top Gear) at some point. Did you know that you need an International Driving Permit …
If you’re a diehard motorhead and haven’t been to the BMW Museum in Munich, Germany yet, then put it at the top of your bucket list. Constructed in 1973, the BMW Museum is an automobile museum filled to the kidney grilles with BMW history located within walking distance of the BMW Munich plant, BMW Welt …
We all expect high-performance cars to entrance us with its sweet siren song. Whether it’s the manic F1-like wail of an Italian V12 revving to oblivion or the guttural growl of a domestic V8 ripping through the gears, there’s no sweeter sound to car enthusiasts’ ears. But what about those rare automotive outliers that sport …
It’s the early-2000s: Apple introduces the revolutionary iPod, boy bands own the airwaves, and the original The Fast and the Furious film brings underground import tuner culture to the mainstream. For the most part, the cultural phenomenon spurred by the massive success of The Fast and the Furious was a good thing—the automotive aftermarket exploded …
Ah, the perennial question posed by countless car enthusiasts across automotive forums far and wide. The TL;DR answer (that’s shorthand for “Too Long; Didn’t Read”): Yes, but it depends on your lifestyle. If you’re considering a Ford Fiesta ST for your daily driver, then read on to determine whether or not this feisty five-door is …
The original Z3 debuted in 1995 as a ’96 model and sported gorgeous lines reminiscent of BMW’s 507 roadster, a retro-inspired interior, and an anemic 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine that didn’t do the athletic chassis justice. Despite its disappointingly weak engine, the BMW Z3 was a wildly-successful two-seater that essentially created the premium roadster category back …
Let’s face it—a breakdown by the side of a busy highway or sketchy neighborhood is enough to cause a nervous breakdown. If you haven’t already, it’s statistically inevitable that you’ll eventually be the unwilling recipient of mechanical misfortune. To help alleviate some of the stress that comes along with car troubles, you should have a …
Certain neoclassical cars inspire such passionate, some would say borderline obsessive devotion from their loyal fan base that they achieve cult car status —the Porsche 911, VW Beetle, and Mazda MX-5 Miata immediately come to mind. Cult cars exude charisma, style, and offer a distinctive driving experience that sets them apart from more mundane motor …
It’s truly astonishing how cars can produce such melodious music through the internal combustion process. You’d expect that the banshee wail of a Ferrari V12 would make every hair stand on end. Or the primal roar of a potent pushrod V8 would send a series of shivers down your spine. What you wouldn’t expect is …
Introduced to the U.S. market in 1985, the Honda Civic Si has enjoyed a storied history that’s as revered as that of other performance icons like the Mazda MX-5 Miata. Each generation Civic Si represented a leap forward in terms of performance, safety, and technology, but still remained faithful to the core values promised by …
Among the car enthusiast community, the Mazda MX-5 Miata is almost always the answer to any automotive question posed by newcomers and veterans alike: Which affordable rear-wheel drive convertible should I buy? What’s a cheap drift car that’s not a 240sx? I need a reliable, economical, fun-to-drive daily. Thoughts? It’s easy to see why gearheads …
The Toyota MR2 Spyder descended from a proud lineage of affordable and insanely fun mid-engine performance cars dating back to 1985. Compared to the much more popular first and second-generation MR2 models, the Spyder was a focused lightweight sports car that did more with less. And we mean less—the MR2 Spyder tipped the scales at …
The Chevrolet Corvette has been dazzling drivers with its scintillating performance, surprising utility, and outstanding value for over 60 years. But the quintessential American sports car continually faltered in one key aspect—interior quality. Compared to European competitors such as the Porsche 911, the interior of Corvettes suffered from subpar fit-and-finish and a lack of high-end …
