Melted Rubber

Does the Detroit Auto Show matter anymore?

2010-01-12T21:16:00.005-05:00

Recently a coworker of mine in New York expressed an interest in going to the North America International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit this year and suddenly I was reminded what time of year it was. Were it not for his reminder, the show would have passed me by without notice. How could I have forgotten about the largest Auto Show in North America? One I religiously attended for over a decade?

2010 Buick LaCrosse review

2009-11-22T21:36:00.010-05:00

As of this writing, GM has an ongoing marketing campaign called “May the best car win”. Basically, they’re inviting you to compare their wares to anyone else’s and are confident that you’ll choose their car. That’s a bold claim and a confident statement. They also offer a 60 day money back guarantee, granted with a lot of wiggle room in GM's favor. It would seem that if you’re inviting people

2010 Lincoln MKS Ecoboost review

2009-11-03T22:56:00.005-05:00

Recently this site has posted a link and commentary to a Linocln-sponsored video called “6 vs 8.” link Because of the odd test conditions and glaring omissions of raw data in the video, many have questioned its legitimacy. I’ve driven the Quattroporte review, equal Jaguars to the XF, and the BMW M5 review, while Chris has driven the BMW 550i review; and if in any test a Lincoln can meet or beat

2007 Maserati Quattroporte Sport review

2009-11-03T22:47:00.006-05:00

How would you classify a Maserati Quattroporte? I posed this question to a Maserati sales rep one day, and the answer was more difficult than either of us anticipated. The discussion that ensued spanned many topics ranging from her impressions to my experience behind the wheel. At first sight the Quattroporte looks like a full size Italian sedan built expressly to compete with the Germans and

6 vs 8 - Lincoln MKS takes on Euorpe's best

2009-10-29T23:40:00.003-04:00

6 vs 8 videoPerhaps you’ve seen this video comparing the Lincoln MKS to some hefty Euro competitors. This video was referred to me as having a ‘surprise’ ending. To save you the trouble of reading and watching the video, my conclusion is that the video is one of the sorriest advertisements I’ve ever seen in my life. The video is presented with a known racing driver driving the MKS, a Mercedes

2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 Review

2009-10-03T21:02:00.004-04:00

The Genesis Sedan is, by far, Hyundai’s most ambitious North American launch ever. Hyundai would like you to believe that this car can compete with other products that have names like 5, E, and in some cases 7 and S. I recently had the chance to climb into one, and couldn’t wait to see what new hotness Hyundai had brought forth.Looking at the marketing positioning, this car is billed as a

2009-09-27T10:56:00.003-04:00

Audi S4 skier commercialAudi commercial illustrating the prowess of its S4 supersedan. Very cool work Audi!

Man wears monkey mask to beat speed cameras

2009-09-08T21:15:00.006-04:00

My new hero:phoenixnewtimes.comThis man accrued 37 tickets wearing a monkey mask as he flew by speed cameras. Gotta admire his creativity!! :)

Ferrari 458 Italia

2009-07-29T23:38:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I posted a vid of the F430 replacement tearing around a racetrack. Well, now you can see the new car without the disguise and boy is it a stunner! Slated to be called the 458 Italia (denoting engine displacement and number of cylinders) Ferrari is taking their V8 performance car to a whole ‘nother level. It’s estimated to have a top end speed of 202MPH and a 0-60 run will only

GM ready to emerge from bankruptcy

2009-07-10T21:03:00.002-04:00

GM began its emergence from bankruptcy today, to continue operation as the “good” GM. As such, it finds itself with new owners: The US government will own about 61% of the company, and the remainder being split up among the Canadian government, a healthcare trust for the UAW, and bondholders.Now if that sounds interesting it’s because it is. Despite the government holding well in excess of 50%

2009 Ford Flex review

2009-07-01T18:34:00.009-04:00

Stay with me. I know a lot of you are saying “Holy crap – what is THIS doing on Melted Rubber??” And you’re right. This is not normally a car you would see here. I had the chance to drive one, and I have to say it surprised me despite looking like the short bus.Let’s just get this out of the way – this thing is ugly to most people. Ok, well, that might be a little harsh. Let's call it....

BMW 840i and 850i reviews

2009-06-28T20:34:00.004-04:00

The E31 8 series BMW is commonly billed as the most technical car of its time. Introduced in 1989, it was the first to offer a 6-speed manual with a 12-cylinder engine. It had an integral rear axle and even integrated lights – the only car to squeeze low beams, high beams, and fog lights into a pop-up lamp box. The 12-cylinder had two CPUs such that the car could run on 6 cylinders in the

1992-1995 2nd gen Ford Taurus SHO review

2009-06-26T18:16:00.007-04:00

With the 4th gen SHO about to be released, I thought it might be fun to look back at the history of this model, and see from whence it came. This new gen has some mighty big shoes to fill, as the 2nd gen SHO (1992-1995) was one of the most highly respected US sports sedans in history.Always one to avoid preposterous looking setups, the 2nd gen SHO (Super High Output) looked just enough different

Wald Tuning Bentley Continental GT

2009-06-25T19:51:00.003-04:00

In researching the Walk Black Bison Land Cruiser, I also stumbled upon their version of a souped up Bentley Continental GT. To me the Conti GT has always resembled a jelly bean that sat a touch too close to a microwave, but Wald’s rendition it what this supercar should’ve looked like in the first place. In fact it’s so cool looking that I’ll give it two pic spots in this brief blurb.

Wald Tuning Land Cruiser Black Bison Edition

2009-06-25T19:47:00.001-04:00

In case a stock Land Cruiser isn’t rugged enough looking for you, Wald has released a body kit makeover for Toyota’s ultimate SUV called the Black Bison Edition. The kit makes the LC look even more muscular, hardcore, and positively menacing.While developed mainly for Russia, Wald says that they have interest from all areas of the world, including some of the most hardcore areas where you will

Editorial: Is It Worth It?

2009-06-19T21:39:00.009-04:00

Lately many manufacturers have been releasing more and more elaborate versions of popular car models. Look at Porsche: from the 911 to the turbo to the GT2 to the GT3 to the GT3 RS. Mercedes from the CLK 500 to the CLK 55 to the CLK 63 to the CLK 63 Black Series. At first glance (and frankly second and third glance) all of these cars appear to be modified versions of the former, and many

Audemars Piguet Millenary MC12 Tourbillon

2009-06-19T21:01:00.002-04:00

If you’re into matching your watch with your car, and you’re one of the lucky 150 souls on this rock to score a Maser MC-12 then you owe it to yourself to check out this watch by Audemars Piguet. As you would probably expect, the watch is every bit as well crafted as the MC-12. It is made of platinum, and carries over the MC-12’s color scheme of silver and blue. Also like its car counterpart,

2010 Ford Mustang GT review

2009-06-14T02:44:00.010-04:00

When Ford brought out their redesigned Mustang in 2005, people around America waited with baited breath. How would Ford carry on the tradition of their top selling pony car? After all, messing with what works can be a risky proposition. Fortunately they did very well. Ford brought some much needed moderness to this new generation. You can see my very positive review here. For 2010, the

2009 Maserati GranTurismo S review

2009-06-14T01:42:00.007-04:00

Soon after my drive in the Aston Martin DB9 (review here) I was encouraged to check out Maserati’s grand tourer. At the time all I had to sample was the Quattroporte S, but that drive whetted my appetite for the GranTurismo. When my chance finally arrived to drive the GT, I was offered one of the best examples – the 433bhp GranTurismo S. Short of the Ferrari 612, this is perhaps the finest

2009 Chevrolet Traverse review

2009-06-14T01:15:00.009-04:00

Times are tough in GM land right now. Currently, as of this writing, the company is going through a painful reorganization (aka bankruptcy) and they are trying to slim down the number of models and brands that they sell. And when they bring out new ones, they had better be world class in order to regain consumer confidence. This week I had the opportunity to try out their new Traverse

Chrysler completes sale to Fiat

2009-06-10T23:32:00.003-04:00

Who would’ve thunk it? After a measly 42 days, Chrysler has emerged from bankruptcy by selling its ‘good’ assets to Fiat.But it’s not all flowers and rainbows just yet. There’s still a number of issues. For starters, Chrysler has to rely (for now and the foreseeable future) with the uncompetitive models that is currently produces. New products take time to produce, and time is a luxury that

Ferrari F450 test mule video

2009-06-09T22:05:00.003-04:00

I’ve always wanted a Ferrari. ALWAYS. The couple of times I’ve been able to experience one firsthand (see this