A new calendar in Detroit means the spectacle that is the North American International Auto Show isn’t far off. Heading into its 20th year with international status, Detroit promises some of the biggest and most anticipated debuts of the year. The show has outgrown its 700,000-square-foot space on Cobo’s main floor, squeezing downstairs and out onto the concourse.

A few automakers won’t make the trip to Detroit this year, most notably Porsche and Aston Martin. Porsche’s excuse: Slipping local market sales are enough to make it forgo this annual launch event of the international show season schedule. Still, there will be something for everyone. Downstairs are more concepts, customs and race cars to see for those whose appetites aren’t satiated by the mega-displays upstairs.

continue reading "DETROIT 2008: Our Hometown Show:"

Editor’s note: Cadillac distributed information on this vehicle early with an embargo of Monday, Jan. 14. But several Web sites have published pictures and information, so we don’t think you should have to wait.

With the CTS barely on sale, Cadillac is taking the next step, showing the 2009 CTS-V, what General Motors calls the brand’s ultimate expression of performance and luxury.

Launching in the fourth quarter of 2008, the new CTS-V is meant to combine sports-car performance with luxury-sedan poise. When it goes on sale, the V will be equipped with a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 generating an estimated 550 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque. Transmission choices include either a six-speed manual or an exclusive, six-speed automatic with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. It is the first automatic offered on the CTS-V.

continue reading "Upping the ante: Cadillac will show CTS-V:"

We probably don’t need to remind you that the 2009 XF is a make-or-break car for Jaguar, regardless of who owns the company when its new sedan goes on sale March 1.

If you frequent these pages, you know about tough financial times at Jaguar and its pending sale by Ford Motor Co. You’ve seen the XF’s paradigm-shifting design and read about the custom feel of its double-stitched, wood-and-leather cabin (”The One,” AW, Sept. 17). What you probably don’t know is that entry into the XF begins with a charming salutation that Jaguar calls “the handshake” and what sort of impressions the XF offers those in the driver’s seat. Well, this new Jaguar feels mighty fine.

continue reading "2009 JAGUAR XF: Handshake? How ‘Bout A Big, Juicy Kiss: Jaguar’s XF sedan delivers what its stunning shape promises"

Champ Car World Series mainstays Paul Newman and Carl Haas decided to do something a little different for the 2007 season. They took on a new partner in Mike Lanigan and then paired their three-time reigning champion Sebastien Bourdais with one of the most promising young drivers on the American scene, Graham Rahal.

Mind you, this was no act of desperation. Newman/Haas was coming off of a season in which it had captured its seventh Champ Car title and third in a row with Bourdais. There would be an unknown factor with the new DP01 chassis, but everyone in the CCWS community expected business as usual for the team from Lincolnshire, Ill. They did, after all, have a bona fide superstar in Bourdais, and the NHLR organization was considered to be among the best in the sport.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.–In a season already filled with race victories, pole positions, a championship and numerous post-season accolades, Carl Haas will be honored at next Saturday night’s All America team dinner by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA).

Haas, who co-owns the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team with Paul Newman and Mike Lanigan, will receive AARWBA’s “Pioneer in Racing Award” during the dinner set for Jan. 12 at the Indianapolis Hyatt. The “Pioneer” is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards offered by AARWBA, the oldest and largest organization of motorsports media professionals in the country. Former winners of the award include racing legends such as Dan Gurney and Parnelli Jones.

The team name may have been different, the team principal may have been new and the driver lineup somewhat altered from 2006, but make no mistake about it, the goal was still the same–to win races and compete for the championship.

Formerly known as Herdez Competition, then HVM and more recently CTE Racing-HVM, Minardi Team USA approached the 2007 Champ Car World Series with the same resolve as its predecessors. On board following a rather colorful stint as owner of the former Minardi F1 team, Paul Stoddart brought his business acumen and “Down Under” charm to the Series in his first year of competition.

In yet another of the “feel-good” stories of the 2007 season, the rise of Team Australia and its drivers Will Power and Simon Pagenaud provided one of the better testaments to the competitive nature of the Champ Car World Series.

With Champ Car’s new DP01 chassis attempting to provide a more level playing field for its competitors, every team was starting from scratch when the cars began to arrive in the respective shops. Pre-season testing became as much a “get-acquainted” session as it was to determine the limits and potential of the car.

And so, everyone departed for the lights of Las Vegas where the 2007 racing season opened with little idea as to who would emerge as the team and driver to beat. With three straight championships, odds were obviously on Sebastien Bourdais and the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team. That was a given and Bourdais figured to get his strongest challenge from Justin Wilson and Paul Tracy, and perhaps even Alex Tagliani and Oriol Servia.

While at the Race of Champions, I had the opportunity to sit down with eight-time X Games champion Travis Pastrana, 24. Pastrana has won X gold in multiple events including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross and rally racing. He has had success in every kind of racing he has taken on. His target is to be an American competing for the World Rally Championship title.

AutoWeek: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Travis Pastrana: I don’t even know where I see myself next year, so that’s a tough question. Just debating right now on my career path. I have a really great opportunity with rally cars and a lot of really good sponsors and great people behind me, but it’s going to take commitment to give up everything else that I love and come [to Europe]. Really, if you want to be the best you have to be willing to sacrifice.

continue reading "An interview with eight-time X Games champ Travis Pastrana:"