OUR TAKE: We ripped out of the driveway, down a winding back road and into the morning commute, taking every opportunity to juice the throttle and run the RS4 hard. And that was in a snowstorm. Imagine how great this car would be on dry pavement, with the top down, under a sunny blue sky.

This 4.2-liter V8 is an absolute blast to throttle around, and it’s bolted to a superb manual gearbox with nice, short and precise shifts. With the sport button turned on, the V8 releases a noticeably more aggressive exhaust note and increases throttle response a smidge. Switch it off, and the engine sounds like a very subdued animal, quick still, but just not possessing the soundtrack that would surely get the attention of local law enforcement.

continue reading "2008 Audi RS4 Cabriolet:"

A large hole left in our long-term fleet by the departure of the Chevrolet Suburban was plugged quite nicely, thank you, with the arrival of a dark-cherry Acura MDX late last fall (”Crossover Perfection,” AW, Jan. 14). The MDX got here just in time to handle a variety of hauling duties ideally suited for a midsize sport/ute.

We took teenagers and their luggage to the airport, half a softball team and their gear to a tournament and some furniture to a college dorm room. The MDX was also the centerpiece for a college football tailgate party. The third row of seats and the 60/40 split second row allow for plenty of options when carrying people and/or stuff.

continue reading "LONG-TERMERS: 2008 Acura MDX: Mega hauler: For moving people and stuff, Acura MDX is top choice"

A large hole left in our long-term fleet by the departure of the Chevrolet Suburban was plugged quite nicely, thank you, with the arrival of a dark-cherry Acura MDX late last fall (”Crossover Perfection,” AW, Jan. 14). The MDX got here just in time to handle a variety of hauling duties ideally suited for a midsize sport/ute.

We took teenagers and their luggage to the airport, half a softball team and their gear to a tournament and some furniture to a college dorm room. The MDX was also the centerpiece for a college football tailgate party. The third row of seats and the 60/40 split second row allow for plenty of options when carrying people and/or stuff.

continue reading "REVS: The pen is mightier than the V12: 2008 guide to auto-inspired fine writing instruments"

At Germany’s N??rburgring circuit, production-car-based race cars and racing-derived road-car specials are traditionally Porsche’s preserve. These days, Porsche is right in Aston Martin’s gun sights, so it’s no surprise to find all three–the ‘Ring, production-car racing and special editions–as inspiration for a new Vantage model, the N400.

That’s N for N??rburgring and 400 for horsepower, up by 20 hp over the standard Vantage. Each is adopted from the roll-cage-and-fire-extinguisher-equipped Vantages that acquitted themselves with distinction in 24-hour races at the infamous 73-corner circuit in the Eifel Mountains.

continue reading "2008 Aston Martin Vantage N400: Aston builds an inspired coupe"

At Germany’s N??rburgring circuit, production-car-based race cars and racing-derived road-car specials are traditionally Porsche’s preserve. These days, Porsche is right in Aston Martin’s gun sights, so it’s no surprise to find all three–the ‘Ring, production-car racing and special editions–as inspiration for a new Vantage model, the N400.

That’s N for N??rburgring and 400 for horsepower, up by 20 hp over the standard Vantage. Each is adopted from the roll-cage-and-fire-extinguisher-equipped Vantages that acquitted themselves with distinction in 24-hour races at the infamous 73-corner circuit in the Eifel Mountains.

continue reading "Photo gallery: Autorama 2008:"

At Germany’s N??rburgring circuit, production-car-based race cars and racing-derived road-car specials are traditionally Porsche’s preserve. These days, Porsche is right in Aston Martin’s gun sights, so it’s no surprise to find all three–the ‘Ring, production-car racing and special editions–as inspiration for a new Vantage model, the N400.

That’s N for N??rburgring and 400 for horsepower, up by 20 hp over the standard Vantage. Each is adopted from the roll-cage-and-fire-extinguisher-equipped Vantages that acquitted themselves with distinction in 24-hour races at the infamous 73-corner circuit in the Eifel Mountains.

continue reading "2008 Aston Martin Vantage N400: Adavantage: Aston builds an inspired coupe"

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Feb. 19, 2008) — The first step toward turning Shoreline Drive in downtown Long Beach into a 200-mph front straightaway took place this morning as construction began for the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The first of more than 14 million pounds of concrete blocks that line the 1.97-mile circuit in downtown Long Beach was set in place, with the help of Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster. It marks the beginning of two months of work preparing the 11-turn racing circuit for race weekend April 18-20.

Grand Prix Association of Long Beach director of operations Dwight Tanaka and his staff of 40 will put in more than 30,000 working hours installing concrete blocks, three miles of fencing and 16,000 bolted-together tires, along with 15 huge spectator grandstands, seven pedestrian bridges and eight giant-vision boards for full-circuit TV coverage.

SEBRING, Florida (February 2, 2008) - The 2008 Champ Car World Series season “unofficially” got under way today in Sebring when Champ Car teams and drivers took to the track at Sebring International Raceway for the first of three pre-season open tests. The first day saw Frenchman Franck Montagny top the time charts aboard the #7 Forsythe/Pettit Racing entry with a time of 50.788 seconds (118.304 mph).

The former Formula 1 driver for Super Aguri who was taking part in his first Champ Car open test, beat out PKV Racing driver Oriol Servia for the top honors of the day by a mere 68-thousandths of a second. Servia was not only the first driver out on track this morning, but the pilot that accumulated the most laps throughout the day with 117.

Its godfather was crisis; its sire was wannabe corporate savior Roy Hurley. The 1958 Packard Hawk was a last-gasp effort to save the once-proud automotive manufacturer from extinction. Only 588 Hawks rolled off the assembly line before Packard went defunct, but some vintage-car aficionados think the Hawk was one of the snazziest sports cars made in America during the 1950s.

“People either liked the Hawk or hated it,” says Ron Rheinhardt, a Hawk owner in Evansville, Indiana. “Many people preferred the typically ’50s-looking rounded noses of Corvettes, Thunderbirds or Studebaker’s Golden Hawk. With the passage of time, the Packard Hawk’s advanced styling and engineering have become more appreciated. It could flat-out run faster top end than the American-made sports cars of the Big Three.”

continue reading "ESCAPE ROADS: 1958 Packard Hawk: 50-Year-Old Memory"

It has come to our attention that, even with seven auctions to visit, some tourists inexplicably may go in search of nonauction entertainment during their trip to Arizona in January. Here are a few suggestions for where to eat, stay and just hang out.

HOTELS

Hotel Valley Ho (www. hotelvalleyho.com) is a funky Scottsdale resort done in what the place calls ?“mid-century?” d?©cor, as in mid-20th-century, as in the 1950s. You expect Frank and Dean and the rest of the Rat Pack to step around the corner at any second. There?’s good food at Trader Vic?’s next door.

If you?’re a genuine high roller, you can impress your friends by scoring a reser-vation at one of the 98 casitas at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain (www.sanctuaryoncamelback. com), the ultra-ritzy resort and spa on 53 acres in Paradise Valley. The food is gourmet-quality, and the rooms and the view are superb. Of course, for what it costs, you probably could buy a car at the Kruse auction.

continue reading "Auctions: Where to stay, eat and play:"