CAR AND DRIVER
12 COOLEST CARS YOU CAN IMPORT Honda NSX Type R Eligible for U.S. import: 2017
Mazda Autozam AZ-1/Suzuki Cara Eligible for U.S. import: 2017 The AZ-1 is a pint-size, gullwing-doored, mid-engine sports car built by Suzuki and sold through Mazda’s Autozam brand for Japan’s kei-car class (it also was rebadged as the Suzuki Cara). Although it was ultimately too small and expensive to be successful in the market, with fewer than 5000 sold between 1992 and 1994, the AZ-1 is a true miniature exotic.
Audi RS2 Avant Eligible for U.S. import: 2019 The genesis of Audi’s highest- performing RS cars, the RS2 Avant wagon was co-developed with Porsche on the Audi 80– based S2 model, with fewer than 2900 produced, mainly for Europe. And let us emphasize the Porsche part, as the RS2 sported 968 wheels and side mirrors, as well as PORSCHE scrawled below its front and rear RS2 emblems. With its abundance of power and Quattro all-wheel drive, it is the founder of Audi’s modern high-performance establishment.
FOREIGN CARS THAT SOON WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR U.S. IMPORT BY CONNER SOUTAR
Are you tired of the same cast of recent classics at the local car show, be it a Vanilla Ice-era Mustang or a Chrysler 'MC by Taserati?' Do you want to own a car that nobody else in your time zone has even heard of, much less seen on their Power Macintosh? Also, are you ready to party like it's 1993? Some of the coolest cars on the planet were never sold in America. Yet, the U.S.’s vehicle-import laws mean that every year a new crop of previously forbidden automotive fruit reaches the 25-year-old threshold that allows for legal importation. Many remember the 1990s as the era that saw a string of high-performance Japanese domestic market (JDM) vehicles that ultimately helped give rise to the import-tuner movement, but Europe was busy creating a few hot rods of its own. While only vehicles built in 1992 or earlier officially make the cut for 2017, we’ve also included some notable later models on this list of legendary rides that we’re most excited about seeing soon on American roads.
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MARCH 2018 | ISSUE 05
The rest of the world knows the Acura NSX as a Honda, with the most coveted production example being this first-generation Type R (a later series was produced from 2002 to 2005). A true JDM exotic built in very small numbers (fewer than 500) and today carrying a six-figure price tag, this lighter, more aggressive version is regarded by some as one of the best-handling cars in the world—as well as the antithesis of the day-to-day drivability that the standard NSX was recognized for.
Trucks Across countries, across town Trucks can go almost everywhere. Large or small, they are the most important way that we move goods.
Almost everything in our homes or offices has, at one point of its production or distribution, been on a truck.
Prosperity is delivered by truck Since the early 1900s, trucks have played a very important role in helping countries develop and become prosperous, in particular helping create a fairer distribution of wealth and jobs between urban and rural areas. Their flexibility means that producers, businesses and people can live and work almost anywhere.
Did you know? Road transport today carries, on average, more than 80% of inland freight volume. More than 6,000 billion tonne-kilometres of goods are transported each year by road in the EU, USA, CIS, China and Japan alone. In modern economies, 85% of road freight tonnage is carried over distances of 150km or less – along routes for which no other form of transport would be realistic. Less than 1% gets carried over 1,000km. Road freight transport directly creates a lot of jobs – 6.5 million in the EU and nearly 9 million in the USA. And that’s not including jobs in truck-related industries, such as vehicle manufacturing, repairs, retail, leasing, or insurance, nor the millions of other jobs that depend on trucks to supply and distribute goods.
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Tesla Roadster: nine things we know about the 'smackdown to gasoline cars'
New electric supercar will break records according to Elon Musk, with blistering acceleration and 630-mile range. Here’s everything we know
Tesla announced a new version of its very first car, the Roadster, turning it into an electric supercar described as a “hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars” by company founder Elon Musk. The new sports car was unveiled alongside Tesla’s new electric truck, and promises to wow drivers with some extraordinary statistics that make it look like a Top Trumps card turned into an electrified reality. Here’s everything we know about the new Tesla Roadster.
Zero to 60 in 1.9 seconds
Musk said prototypes of the “base model” are able to hit 60mph from a standstill in 1.9 seconds and that a production version of the car may be able to accelerate even faster. That’s a full 0.4 seconds faster to 60mph than the current fastest Tesla, the Model S P100D, in the so-called ludicrous plus mode, which hits 60mph in 2.3 seconds. But it would also be faster than any current production car, with the performance hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder the current king with a 0-60mph time of 2.2 seconds. The fastest 0-60mph time ever recorded was 1.5 seconds by the AMZ Grimsel Electric Race Car.
Zero to 100mph in 4.2 seconds
If hitting 60mph in 1.9 seconds wasn’t enough, Tesla reckons the Roadster will be able to reach 100mph from a standstill in 4.2 seconds and go on to do a quarter-of-a-mile time of 8.9 seconds, should Vin Diesel ever come calling. A top speed of 250mph Musk proudly proclaimed that the Roadster will have a top speed of over 250mph, if you can find a straight long enough. The current record for top speed for a production car is the Koenigsegg Agera RS, which reached a speed of 277.87mph on 4 November, in Pahrump, Nevada. Three motors Using a similar system to the Model S P100D, the Roadster will have three motors. One in the front to drive the front wheels and two in the rear to drive the rear wheels giving the Roadster all-wheel drive.
It can do 630 miles between charge
As if record-breaking acceleration wasn’t enough, Musk said that the Roadster should be able to drive around 630 miles of motorway driving between charges with a 200kWh battery. The current top-rated distance for the Model S 100D at 55mph, at 20 Celsius, is 424 miles. Four humans (of different sizes) will fit in it
The Roadster is what is called a 2+2, meaning it has two full-size seats in the front and two smaller seats in the back, meaning that if you really wanted to you could probably squeeze four people into the car, as long as the rear passengers are small people. Other 2+2 cars include Audi’s TT coupe and the Porsche 911.
It’ll cost you $200,000
The standard retail price of the so-called base model will start at $200,000 (£151,530) making it the most expensive Tesla to date above the £144,440 top of the line Model X. However, even at the not insignificant sum of $200,000 the Roadster will actually be comparatively cheap for its performance levels. The Porsche 918 Spyder, for instance, cost about £780,000 when new, while the Bugatti Chiron costs about £2.5m. The first 1,000 Roadsters sold will actually cost $250,000 and will be limited edition Founder’s Series.
You can’t get one until 2020 Musk said the Roadster will go on sale in 2020, although that figure is speculative given the problems and delays Tesla has faced getting its other cars to market.
It’s already technically up for pre-order, however: as interested buyers who put down a $50,000 deposit at the Roadster’s launch event were able to have a ride in a prototype. And the point is …
Given Musk’s stated aim for Tesla was to make electric cars mainstream, starting with high-priced cars to fund the development of the cheaper and more mainstream Model 3, what’s the Roadster’s purpose? “The point of doing this is to give a hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars,” said Musk at the launch. “Driving a gasoline sports car is going to feel like a steam engine with a side of quiche.”
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