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JANUARY 2018
Past is Prototype
Wagon Train
By Arthur St. Antoine Since 1993, the Ferrari Corso Pilota program has been the ultimate fantasy-to-reality experience for anyone with the desire—and wherewithal—to become a Ferrari racecar driver. Our own Arthur St. Antoine learns what it takes to be a pilota of a 488 Challenge car and checks in with a former graduate, actor Michael Fassbender, who is living out his dreams on the track.
By Robert Cumberford The Infiniti Prototype 9 is a fascinating concept vehicle, a “what if” take on a 1930s-era inspired race car. Robert Cumberford analyzes the design and talks with the man behind it, newly minted Nissan/Infiniti design director Alfonso Albaisa.
By Jamie Kitman Volvo's love of wagons has held fast, despite the fickle American market. We take Volvo's new V90—and a gaggle of classic Volvo wagons—on a caravan journey from corporate headquarters in New Jersey to the new factory near Charleston, South Carolina, and back again.
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100 Plus
By Laura Burstein Rolex's long relationship with motorsports reaches as far back as 1935. It now sponsors Formula 1 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but its most enduring tie-up spawned the Rolex Daytona—arguably its most famous watch ever.
By Automobile Staff Yes, it’s that time again. The holidays are rapidly approaching, and to help you prepare we’ve gathered up a wide array of gifts we’d happily receive. From coffee to spirits, jackets to overalls, guitars to slot cars, and even a million-dollar watch, there’s something for virtually any budget, taste, and age range.
WATCH: JORGE NUÑEZ
Challenge Accepted
Guiding Gifts
AUTOMOBILE (ISSN 0894-3583) January 2018, Vol. 32, No. 9. Published monthly, with double issues in September and March, by TEN: The Enthusiast Network, LLC., 261 Madison Ave., 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10016-2303. Copyright © 2017 by TEN: The Enthusiast Network Magazines, LLC. All rights reserved. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S. and U.S. Possessions $19.94 for 12 issues. Canada $31.94 per year and international orders $43.94 per year (including surface mail postage). Payment in advance, U.S. funds only. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address corrections to AUTOMOBILE, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. For subscriptions, address changes, and adjustments, write to AUTOMOBILE magazine, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, Florida, 32142-0235, or email automobile@emailcustomerservice.com or call 800-289-2886 (U.S.), 386-447-6383 (international). Please include name, address, and telephone number on any inquiries. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Manuscripts, photos, and other material submitted must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope; AUTOMOBILE magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Printed in U.S.A.
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Fast Time
FASSBENDER: JÜRGEN TAP; ROLEX: LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC; VOLVO: MICHAEL SHAFFER;
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Automobile
C OV E R A N D C O N T E N TS : I N F I N I T I P R OTOT Y P E 9 C O N C E P T: B A R R Y J. H O L M E S
CONTENTS
IN YOUR CAR
PIONEERELECTRONICS.COM/HEARMORE PIONEER and the Pioneer logo are registered trademarks of Pioneer Corporation. ©2017 Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
Automobile
CONTENTS
JANUARY 2018 MEAT AND DRINK
12
Editor’s Letter By Mike Floyd In 2020, we should all be driving EVs.
26
Noise, Vibration & Harshness
64
28
2019 Audi A8
The Asphalt Jungle
By Arthur St. Antoine Relaxing with a cigar and remembering David E. Davis through his words.
68
Four Seasons: Genesis G90
30
By Nelson Ireson Everybody loves an underdog, and we set out to see if the emerging Genesis brand has what it takes to best the luxury heavyweights with its G90 sedan.
Letters Sailing away to our November issue mix.
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AUTOMOBILEMAG.COM
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By Basem Wasef The new A8 is now one of the most technically advanced sedans on Earth, although it may have lost a bit of its soul as a result.
2018 Lexus LS By Nelson Ireson It’s bigger, bolder, and brasher in most every respect. But is the new LS really a better Lexus?
By Bob Merlis 1992-’97 Subaru SVX: Before there was the BRZ, there was the SVX, an Italian-designed, flat-six-powered grand tourer that’s one of the most intriguing and eccentric cars in Subaru's history.
86
Auctions By Rory Jurnecka Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary in grand style at its home base in Maranello.
Still Combustible By Michael Whiteley Many predict the internal combustion engine will soon be no more, but Mazda’s take on homogenous charge compression ignition may give it a stay of execution.
72
Microcars are Maximum Fun
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60
Collectible Classic
108
2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom
By Mike Floyd Still the greatest car in the world? Of course. Plus, bespoke watchmaking at Ochs und Junior.
82
By Conner Golden We travel to the Lane Motor Museum to drive some of the tiniest cars on four—and three—wheels the world has ever produced.
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Catching Up With … By Jamie Kitman Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales feels fantastic about the marque’s future prospects.
ILLUSTRATION: TIM MARRS; MICROCAR: SANDON VOELKER
By Jamie Kitman Why the Volvo wagon has reached iconic status.
Do you hate your detector? It was your best friend, now it never shuts up. The good news: New cars have a safety feature, the blind-spot warning system. Many models use K-band radar to “see” nearby cars.
The bad news: Onboard radar turns each of these “seeing” cars into mobile K-band false alarms. A blind-spot system may tag along with you for miles. You’re stuck, not knowing which car to maneuver away from. GPS is no V1 wins war against false alarms: New solution. It doesn’t work computer code weeds out phony K-band alerts. on mobile falses.
Why you will love V1 Problem solved: V1 has an algorithm that recognizes these mobile false alarms and excludes them, yet never blocks a real threat. We’ve named it Junk-K Fighter. And it’s now built into all new V1s. Detectors that don’t detect: It’s easy to make a detector without false alarms. Just give up on longrange warnings. Our competitors play that game, we don’t.
First obligation of V1: V1 will never miss a threat. Quiet is nice, but missing an ambush is fatal. That’s why we don’t use GPS. GPS knows only location, and if the frequency range of a new threat is the same as that of a blocked alarm, sorry, but GPS programming demands silence at that location, even if it’s a trap. V1 will never fail you that way.
Satisfaction guaranteed: Try it for 30 days. If it doesn’t satisfy for any reason, send it back for a full refund.
© 2017 VRI
www.valentine1.com
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WHAT’S ON DEMAND THIS MONTH? SCHEDULE KEY: RACING | ORIGINAL PROGRAMS
NOVEMBER 24 LIVE! Virgin Australia Supercars, Newcastle 500; Auto Mundial; Motorsport Mundial; Trans Am Racing Series, Circuit of the Americas NOVEMBER 24 Roadkill, Episode 72 NOVEMBER 27 LIVE! MOTOR TREND Awards, Los Angeles, CA NOVEMBER 29 FIM Freestyle MX World Championship, Shenzhen, China DECEMBER 1 Auto Mundial; Motorsport Mundial; Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, Gold Coast DECEMBER 4 Engine Masters, Episode 29 DECEMBER 4 Mobil 1 The Grid DECEMBER 5 SKUSA SuperNationals, Las Vegas DECEMBER 6 FIM Freestyle MX World Championship, Sofia, Bulgaria; GP Confidential, Post Abu Dhabi + Post Season DECEMBER 6 Modified, Episode 7 DECEMBER 7 Put Up or Shut Up, Episode 7 DECEMBER 8 Auto Mundial; Motorsport Mundial DECEMBER 9 LIVE! Intercontinental Challenge Series, Sepang
DECEMBER 11 Real Road Racing, Macau Grand Prix; Ultimate Adventure Week DECEMBER 12 SKUSA SuperNationals, Las Vegas; Ultimate Adventure Week DECEMBER 13 Head 2 Head, Episode 97 DECEMBER 13 Ultimate Adventure Week DECEMBER 14 Roadkill Garage, Episode 25 DECEMBER 14 Ultimate Adventure Week DECEMBER 15 Ultimate Adventure Week DECEMBER 19 Dirt Every Day, Episode 72 DECEMBER 19 SKUSA SuperNationals, Las Vegas DECEMBER 20 FIM Freestyle MX World Championship, Oberhausen, Germany; GP Confidential, Post Season DECEMBER 21 Hot Rod Garage, Episode 60 DECEMBER 22 Auto Mundial; FIM Freestyle MX World Championship, Wenzhou, China; Motorsport Mundial; DECEMBER 22 Roadkill, Episode 73 DECEMBER 26 Tuner Battle Week DECEMBER 27 Tuner Battle Week
Automobile EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Floyd SVP, IN-MARKET AUTOMOTIVE CONTENT Ed Loh INTERNATIONAL BUREAU CHIEF Angus MacKenzie EXECUTIVE EDITOR Mac Morrison CREATIVE DIRECTOR Darren Scott DETROIT BUREAU CHIEF Todd Lassa SENIOR EDITOR Nelson Ireson FEATURES EDITOR Rory Jurnecka ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jonathon Klein MANAGING EDITOR Rusty Kurtz SENIOR COPY EDITOR Kara Snow COPY EDITORS Jesse Bishop, Mary Kaleta GRAPHIC DESIGNER Michael Cruz-Garcia MANAGING ART DIRECTOR Mike Royer EUROPEAN BUREAU CHIEF George Kacher AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN EDITOR Robert Cumberford NEW YORK BUREAU CHIEF Jamie Kitman EDITOR-AT-LARGE Arthur St. Antoine
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DECEMBER 28 Tuner Battle Week
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EDITOR’S LETTER
@automobilemag VOLUME 32, NO.9 JANUARY 2018
IN THE YEAR
In last month’s issue, we previewed Volkswagen’s electrified take on its classic Microbus, the I.D. Buzz, which the company says is coming in 2022. But the first vehicles to lead its EV parade will bow in 2020, the Golf-sized I.D. and the I.D. Crozz crossover, concept versions of which VW showcased recently on the auto show circuit. The Volkswagen Group as a whole has pivoted hard away from diesel (you know why) and toward electrics, and 2020 will be a huge year for several of its marques, most notably Audi, which has said it will have as many as three full EV models for sale by then. Volvo has declared that it will have five all-electric vehicles on the road between 2019 and 2021, placing it right in the 2020 wheelhouse. The good news is that two of those vehicles will be from the brand’s Polestar performance car arm, so we’re going to assume they won’t be boring. (Look for more on Polestar’s plans in our next issue.) Volvo’s electromobility efforts have been accelerated, thanks in part to the significant resources of its parent company, China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Speaking of owners and former owners of Volvo, Ford has been running late to the EV prom, at least when it comes to developing a fully dedicated vehicle not based on an existing model. But it looks like it’s going arrive— fashionably so—by 2020. Although details are sketchy, Ford says it is developing a new crossover with a 300-plusmile range—an ambitious target given that most of today’s highest-range models top out around 250 miles or so. Ford also insists this won’t be a niche, low-volume vehicle but rather an affordable, mass-market offering. The 2020 summer Olympics are in Tokyo, and reports out of Japan say Toyota plans on rolling out a small, all-electric crossover with a range of as much as 186 miles in conjunction with the event. Toyota’s EV-only strategy has been limited to toe-in-water efforts such as the RAV4 EV, instead focusing on hybrids and the hydrogen fuel-cell-propelled Mirai. (General Motors and Honda are among the fuel-cell proponents as well.) If true, it would be a reversal of sorts for the automaker, which thus far has appeared reluctant to jump into the fully electric pool with all four tires. Unlike Toyota, GM has been an EV-liever— its 2017 Automobile All-Stars winning Chevy Bolt EV is proof of that. To underscore its commitment, GM recently announced plans for two more EVs “based on learnings” from the Bolt within the next 18 months. (Yeah, I know that’s late 2019 but close enough.) It’s part of a plan by GM to have 20 new, electrified vehicles of all types across its lineup by 2023. GM firmly believes in an all-electric future, says executive vice president of product development Mark Reuss. That future apparently begins in earnest in 2020, so prepare to ground yourself in the coming new reality. AM
2020
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AUTOMOBILEMAG.COM
MIKE FLOYD
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M A Y B E I T ’ S B E C A U S E it’s a nice round number. Or because it’s the dawn of a new decade. Or the time of the next summer Olympics. Heck, maybe everyone just threw a dart at a calendar and hit it. But one thing’s for sure: The year 2020 is going to be electrifying. Get those powerplants fired up and batten down the grids. The world’s biggest automakers, some of whom have been slow to react to the changing landscape, have been breaking their axles lately jumping on the all-electric bandwagon, with a flurry of recent announcements outlining grandiose plans to charge up their lineups. (Warning: more bad wordplay ahead.) Several notable cars are expected to sneak in just before the 2020 deadline, some of which we previewed in our September/ October 2017 issue, including the Jaguar I-Pace crossover (2018) and Porsche Mission E sports car (2019). An all-new Nissan Leaf with its sub-$30,000 price and 150-mile range has just arrived. Of course there’s also the Model 3, Tesla’s relatively affordable sedan that has sent shock waves through the industry. Other factors are at work besides the Tesla effect. The Chinese government, for one, has broadly hinted it intends to ban the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered cars sometime soon in favor of EVs to help reduce its massive pollution issues. China is already the world’s biggest EV market. That’s more than enough motivation to jolt the industry into EV overdrive. Additionally, several other countries, including the U.K. and France (by 2040) and the Netherlands and Norway (by 2025), have already declared their intentions to make the internal combustion engine power non grata from a new sales perspective. What follows is a sampling of just some of the offerings from major automakers that are expected to plug into sockets in a little more than two years’ time.
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ETHOS
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I
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C I R C U I T M O N T-T R E M B L A N T, QUEBEC, CANADA –
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I C A N S E E it in the distance, a black and green dragon waiting, hungry, practically drooling for a chance to swallow me whole and spit me out in tattered, racing-red shreds. Turn 8. And I’m blasting toward it so fast it feels like I’ve just exited a bazooka. Flat out in sixth gear, the mechanized fury of the turbocharged V-8 behind my ears pummeling me like a hailstorm inside the stripped-bare cockpit, the first in a row of LED redline indicators on the wheel alights—then another, then another. A rivulet of sweat plops into my eye, and I fight to blink away the sting. Still I’m flat on the gas. Then, within a single heartbeat, furious drama: I reach my braking marker, the dragon leaps out to devour me, and at the last possible second … now! I hammer my right foot on the pedal harder than I’d kick an IRS collector, and the Ferrari slams into an invisible catcher’s mitt, my helmet straining forward against the HANS restraint straps. I crack off two downshifts with the left shift paddle, begin easing off the brakes, and in a crush of lateral g’s, I turn into the apex.
X
My helmet crackles as my passenger in the right seat—instructor and pal Anthony Lazzaro—barks through the intercom: “OK! No brakes! No throttle! No pedals! Just coast!” Coast? Isn’t the old adage, “In a race car, you’re always either on the gas or the brakes”? Doesn’t coasting mean losing time? Since my very first racing school 30 years ago I’ve followed the cornering mantra: in slow, out fast. I’ve been a practitioner of trail-braking, turning in while gradually trading the tires’ stopping power for cornering grip. I’ve used light throttle to balance the car before acceleration. But never have I simply coasted. Without me saying a word, Lazzaro seems to grasp my bafflement. “It’s one of the biggest myths in racing, the always-pedaling thing,” he says. “People watch an onboard camera from a Formula 1 car, but they aren’t understanding what they’re seeing. I guarantee you Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel is coasting into the apex before getting back on the power.” Well, if it’s good enough for Seb. I do as Lazzaro says (nobody’s ever explicitly told me this before), and
ETHOS
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NO PEDALS! JUST COAST! 17
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it works! With zero throttle the Ferrari’s nose doesn’t lift a millimeter—maintaining front-end weight so the front tires bite harder—and the 488 Challenge race car turns in as if it’s on a leash. Eureka! It’s a bona fide lightbulb moment, as if I’ve finally been given the password to enter the Racing Secret Circle & Grille. Moreover, with the car now so perfectly set up at the apex, I’m able to get back on the throttle harder and sooner, which equals more speed at corner exit. Later, with instructor Jeff Segal (the only man with class wins at Le Mans, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Daytona 24 in a Ferrari), I review the onboard telemetry from my laps. “See here how you’re giving up a little speed on the way in but gaining more speed on the way out?” Segal asks. “You’re not fighting the car on the exit. You’re blasting out of the turns and gaining time all the way down the straight. On this lap you got blocked by traffic near the end, but you still were more than two seconds quicker than yesterday.” It’s working. I’m becoming a Ferrari 488 Challenge race driver.
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488
SUPERMAN IN A SUPERCAR Ferrari race driver. Can three more evocative, seductive, aspirational words exist for a motorsports enthusiast? Who hasn’t watched Le Mans or the Monaco Grand Prix and thought, “Man, that should be me inside that beautiful machine with the Prancing Horse.” Who hasn’t at least asked themselves, “I wonder if I could even do that?” Since 1993, Ferrari’s unique Corso Pilota training program has been answering “what ifs” and turning fantasies into realities for hundreds if not thousands of Ferrari owners and aficionados. Now offered in three locations in North
RED, WHITE, AND WHEW! St. Antoine catches his breath after another lapping session in the ferocious 488 Challenge, right. Below, he reviews telemetry with Corso Pilota instructor Jeff Segal.
There’s no shortage of 488 GTBs at this school. At right, instructor Anthony Lazzaro shows the author the secrets of the Challenge race car’s cockpit.
488 Challenge race car in a controlled environment and work your way into it before you commit to the full race series.” Ah, the 488 Challenge. Monica Belluci in metal. Ours is the first North American class to pilot the new machine (the previous Challenge cars were based on the 458 Italia). That means about 100 more horsepower (at least 661 hp, but Ferrari won’t say for sure) from its 3.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch shifter, which is essentially the same combo as in the 488 GTB road car (the race transmission gets shorter ratios). But the 488 Challenge is thoroughly reworked for track duty: slick tires, wings, a roll cage, racing brakes, a gutted interior with a new race-optimized panel, deep buckets with six-point belts, vastly reworked bodywork with a more aggressive aero package, and revised electronic driver aids with a new, two-phase traction control system. Using a knob on the wheel, the driver can select when the system intervenes and how aggressively it does so.
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America—Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Quebec; Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas; and The Thermal Club track near Palm Springs, California—Corso Pilota is a series of four courses, each a step up in speed and advanced techniques. The program is designed to train even novices to a skill level where they’re fully qualified to race in the ultracompetitive, seriously fast Ferrari 488 Challenge series, which attracts everyone from future pro racers to entrepreneurs to celebrities such as actor Michael Fassbender (page 24). For 2017, that meant six race weekends at tracks across America plus the opportunity to earn a spot in the Ferrari World Finals in October at Italy’s Mugello Circuit. “The best part about Corso Pilota is you can test the waters,” says Ian Campbell, head of a research firm in Boston and a classmate of mine at Mont-Tremblant. “It’s certainly not an incidental expense, so you don’t want to jump in and then find out you don’t like it. Instead, the program gives you a chance to sample the
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To sample life in Corso Pilota, Ferrari jumped me straight into the third level of the program, a two-day class dubbed Evolution. Mind you, life as an aspiring Ferrari race driver doesn’t come cheap; just the Evo quarter of the course costs $20,000. For that sum you get two long days in the $250,000 488 GTB road car and the even-pricier 488 Challenge racer, tutelage from some of the best racing instructors in the world (these guys are busy race drivers who teach, not the other way around), all meals (including adult beverages at the end of the day), and firstclass accommodations. In Quebec, that means the superb Hôtel Quintessence on Lake Tremblant. Also included is a customtailored Sabelt racing suit (probably worth $2,000) plus Nomex gloves, driving shoes, and a few Ferrari goodies. All 14 of my classmates have already done the required first two levels. I get nods all around as one tells me, “When you put on that red Corso Pilota suit, you feel like Superman.” I must say, it does feel pretty good—at least until I try to climb into the Challenge car’s passenger seat. We’re broken up into groups, and I’m assigned to Challenge No. 1 for a few demo laps with Lazzaro at the wheel. The trouble is, I can barely get inside. The space is tiny (worsened by a big firesuppression bottle on the floor). I try a few entry techniques and finally fold myself halfway in, but as I do, my HANS device hangs up on the roll cage and pins my chin to my chest. For a moment, I really cannot breathe. Eventually an assistant helps shove me in, and it’s claustrophobic as hell in here. It’s hot and as cramped as a broom closet, and no way am I getting out quickly if I have
VROOM CLOSET The 488 GTB and 488 Challenge share powertrains but that’s about all. The race car’s passenger seat is a sardine can.
Corso Pilota costs big—around $76,000 for all four classes— but that sum includes overnight stays like at the Hôtel Quintessence in Quebec.
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to. I take a slow, deep breath as the assistant locks in my belts (no room to do it myself ). Then I’m plugged into the intercom, and Lazzaro is talking in my helmet earphones: “We’ll do a few quick laps to reacquaint you with the circuit [he trained me here years ago] and show you what the Challenge car can do.” He gives me a thumbs up. “Ready?” Seconds later, I’m being subjected to a ride that feels more like a round with Floyd Mayweather. Holy mother of Enzo! This isn’t a car, it’s a NASA training device gone berserk! I’m already black and blue, and we haven’t even reached Turn 5. The speed is freakish. The grip is literally breathtaking. The braking is … life-changing. Every corner feels like we’re going to fly straight into the Armco, then Lazzaro finally stomps on the binders. It’s a virtuoso performance. Lazzaro is a five-time national karting champion, a Formula Atlantic champ, and since 1988 he’s raced everything from Indy Cars to Trans Am to NASCAR. It’s an education just to watch the guy work. Naturally, most of my classmates are highly successful individuals with the wherewithal to indulge their racing
R E T E M I L . L S I T N M COU Y R E V E
While adjusting the Nissan GT-R® by millimeters may not seem like much, on the racetrack it’s the difference between a great lap and a record-smashing one. The 2017 GT-R®, with improved aerodynamics that meet a boosted 565 HP for unparalleled performance. We shift millimeters, so you can shave seconds.
TAKE ON TODAY Obey all traffic laws, always drive safely and wear your seat belt. Damage resulting from racing, competitive driving, track and/or airstrip use not covered by warranty. See your New Vehicle Limited Warranty and Owner’s Manual for proper vehicle operation and complete warranty details. ©2017 Nissan North America, Inc. Nissan and GT-R logo are Nissan trademarks.
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dreams. Bill Kemp, a home builder from St. Louis, owns a Mercedes SLS AMG and a Ferrari 458 and plans to do the Challenge series in 2018. “The program is really in-depth,” he says, “very demanding. Admittedly, it’s a huge leap going from zero race-driver training to Corso Pilota. But I went to one of the Challenge races and immediately got hooked. And now here I am, in Course 3 and taking my passion for motorsport to the next level.” Three women are also taking the Evo class. Riley Ryen, an event planner from Calgary, Canada, owns a Lamborghini Aventador and a Ferrari 458. “Well, I used to race horses when I was younger,” she says about her plans to compete in the 2018 Challenge series. “Now it’s just more horsepower!” When I ask Sabrina Galanti from Toronto what she does for a living, she laughs and says, “Race car driver! Actually, I have raced a few Porsches before, and I have a Ferrari 812 Superfast on order, which I plan to take to the track. Right now the plan is just to learn more, and eventually maybe I’ll try racing in the Challenge series.” Over the two-day program, my classmates and I spend a lot of quality time lapping in the Challenge cars, plus a number of slalom and wet skidpad exercises in the 488 GTB
“YOU’RE READY TO DO A C H A L L E N G E S E R I E S R A C E R I G H T N O W. Y O U S H O U L D T H I N K A B O U T I T.” Ferrari ownership is a course prerequisite, and student Riley Ryen, above, qualifies via her own 458 Italia. Below, St. Antoine chases a 488 Challenge in a 488 GTB.
I have to admit: By the close of the second day, it’s something of a relief to complete my final laps—me, Lazzaro, and the incredible 488 Challenge unscathed. Yet along with the slowly ebbing adrenaline, my brain is awash in a blissful bath of endorphins and satisfaction drawn from two days amid the wail of a Ferrari V-8—the acrid tang of hot rubber ripping across sinuous asphalt, the tension of pushing a high-strung machine to the brink, the sheer violence of the speed, and the hammer braking and relentless g-forces assaulting my every corpuscle. Lazzaro walks over as I’m stowing my helmet and slaps my back. “Hey, nice work out there,” he says with a smile. “You’re ready to do a Challenge series race right now. You should think about it.” Think about it? Wow. I’ve long fantasized about such a thing, but actually competing in a Ferrari race car? That’s way, way up there in Motorsport Valhalla. Yet Corso Pilota exists to say, “You can get there.” And after two days behind the wheel of a Ferrari 488 Challenge, flat out on one of the most beautiful circuits in the world, I am a little bit closer to the point where “you should think about it” doesn’t sound crazy. Maybe it’s the red Nomex suit talking. But right now I can’t think of anything else. AM
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and a few F12tdf road cars. Incredibly, the instructors ride with us when we’re lapping—even in the Challenge cars at full tilt. It requires, as former racer David Hobbs would say, “large attachments,” but it’s also the best way to give us instantaneous feedback and guidance. In fact, lapping the 488 GTB is actually scarier than doing so in the 488 Challenge. The street car is every bit as fast in a straight line but has nowhere near the cornering or stopping power of its racing cousin. And it’s got none of the extra safety protection, just a standard seat belt and some air bags. By the afternoon of the second day, I’m lapping the 488 Challenge at a pace I wouldn’t have believed the previous morning. I mean, we’re going really freaking fast—around 160 mph at the braking marker on the back straight. At the same time, it all feels totally under control. Logical. Almost mathematical. Do this, do that, follow instructions, and the speed just comes. The guidance I’ve received from Lazzaro and the other instructors (including pro racers Mikel Miller and Jean-François Dumoulin) has been game-changing. Despite the countless schools I’ve attended previously and all the racing I’ve done, from now on I’ll forever be a better, faster driver, thanks to this Evo class.
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ACTING OUT Fassbender largely put his movie career on hold to fulfill his racing dreams in the 2017 Ferrari Challenge. Far right, actor and author suit up for hot laps in a 488 GTB.
24
by
ARTHUR ST. ANTOINE
ROCKIN’ ROLE: FERRARI CHALLENGE RACE DRIVER
Michael Fassbender
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ETHOS
so I’m well-acquainted with his considerable skills in front of the camera—“Inglourious Basterds,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Steve Jobs,” “Alien: Covenant.” But now, at Austin’s ultrafast Circuit of the Americas, I’m in the passenger seat of a Ferrari 488 GTB, Fassbender’s at the wheel, and I have no idea if the two-time Oscar nominee can drive. “I’ve never been in one of these before,” Fassbender says with a laugh as he guns out of the pits. “Only the 488 Challenge race car. So hang on!” By the time we’re howling out of Turn 2, I’m breathing easy. Fassbender is good. Smooth, relaxed, on line, and on the pace, he’s clearly learned a lot in his first year racing in the Ferrari Challenge. We talked more in the Ferrari team trailer. “My grandfather always watched Formula 1,” says the 40-year-old, half-German, half-Irish star, his Ferrari racing suit tied casually around his waist. “I remember watching races when I was really small, but I didn’t get the spark until I was around 13. Through the whole Michael Schumacher era, he was my hero. I loved his driving style. So aggressive. I was his guest in Monte Carlo when he won pole. So cool to meet him.” I ask when he got the bug to race himself, and Fassbender beams. “I’ve always wanted to race. I thought karting would be the way in, but I was always so busy with work. I thought, ‘Once I reach 40, I’ll start easing up.’ So at the moment I’m just doing ‘X-Men: Dawn Phoenix’ in Montreal. Basically, I took the year off to do this.” Fassbender attended the full Corso Pilota program at COTA in the fall of 2016 and then entered the Ferrari Challenge series for 2017, driving for the Scuderia Corsa team. He scored a podium finish in only his third race—in
happens to be one of my favorite actors,
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the rain at Mosport. “Honestly, if I had the choice I’d choose race driving over acting,” he says with a laugh. “Preparing for an acting role, you spend a lot of time on your own. It’s quite dull. But racing, I just love everything about it. Every time I’m sitting in the car, it’s such a wild reality. Never did I think I’d get to race, number one, a Ferrari, and two, such a high-performance vehicle. Before my first start at Laguna Seca, I almost vomited! Thank God not in the helmet! The
nerves, the adrenaline, the fear. That first race kind of slipped away from me, mentally. The second race I got it together more. But when you get back home at the end of a race day, and all that adrenaline has been pumping through … it’s nice to have a beer. It tastes good!” When I ask if his new wife, actress Alicia Vikander (soon to be the new Lara Croft), approves, Fassbender doesn’t hesitate: “She loves it. She was there for third place at Mosport, so she’s a lucky charm. Frankly, I’m just worried she might get into racing and be better than me!” And the future? “I hope to be in the Challenge series next year,” Fassbender says. “Depends how I’m working. Maybe a race or two early then another at the latter part of the season. It’s a fantastic series, so well organized, so professional. And some of the guys are really fast. Doing Le Mans some day, that would be amazing. The ultimate goal. I just need to do less acting! But to be 40 and be in this position, racing a Ferrari … it’s pretty special.” AM
25
NOISE, VIBRATION &
KEEPING THE FAITH
HA R S HNESS ILLUST RATION by TIM MARRS
ICONIC STATUS ADHERES WHEN A CAR’S PURITY OF PURPOSE LANDS IT AT THE PERFECT INTERSECTION OF REALITY AND MARKETING.
Jamie Kitman
26
A L M O S T N O C A R S remain iconic through generations, but I can think of a few that have, and along with the Mercedes S-Class and the Subaru Forester, the Volvo wagon is one of them. Cars become iconic when they broadcast so much to so many so quickly about a car and the person driving it—most of it admirable and good, though virtue can and will be flipped back on itself. The quotable quote of the farright Club for Growth from earlier this century comes to mind, when they castigated anyone to the political left of Mississippi’s most stoneaged legislator as a “tax-hiking, governmentexpanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Timesreading, body-piercing, Hollywood-loving, left-wing freak show.” So there is that price to pay for success. Iconic status adheres when a car’s purity of purpose lands it at the perfect intersection of reality and marketing. A franchise—and often a brand—is built right at that spot. Understandably, it’s an easy quality to lose. By way of sad example, think Mini, which has gone from Mini to Not Mini in but a few car lives. Such a squandering of goodwill, the BMW-stan’s bulbous current lineup discards the compelling minimalism of its iconic predecessors (a dwindling quality from the start) and then stomps all over it, psychographically speaking. And all the advertising in the world can’t change that. Against the tide for more than 50 years, Volvo wagons have kept the faith. As discussed elsewhere in this issue, the new V90 carries the company’s wagon torch ably upmarket. The company deserves to be commended for a job well done. And this most crucial test: I seriously wish I could afford one.
NVH
My idea of what a Volvo wagon is and should be is rooted in the late 1960s, when magazine advertising made a series of ethical promises on the brand’s behalf: that a 122 was safer than most with excellent gas mileage—25 mpg, which many won’t remember is all that everyone’s contemporaneous exemplar of economy, the Volkswagen Beetle, ever got. Volvos weren’t small, but they weren’t grotesque in scale, either. The company explicitly rejected planned obsolescence and annual model changes, stating its expectation that you would keep your handsome but not flashy Volvo wagon a long time. Does anyone ever even bother saying things like that anymore? My bona fides in the Volvo wagon department can be traced to when I was 8, and my parents ordered a 1967 122S wagon from Kingsfield Motors of Englewood, New Jersey. Turns out it was pretty much exactly the same as my current 122S wagon, the one that accompanied us to South Carolina (page 40). Same light green exterior, same dark green vinyl interior, same year of manufacture, same four-speed manual transmission, same options—gray rubber floor mats and a Bendix AM radio with antenna. The new one has trim rings, and now that I’m remembering, the old one had a roof rack. With wooden slats that needed refinishing often. But it didn’t have rear lap belts to go with the standard front three-point belts, as delivered. I guess people didn’t know as much then as they do now. My parents fully understood the value
of the front belts, and even though they liked their three kids well enough, they waited close to a year to have rear belts installed. Today they’d be arrested. The larger point is, back then it really was hard to go overboard on the options list. Many years on, after learning to drive in that first 122S wagon, I wrecked it with 165,000 miles on the clock when some dope fiend ran a stop sign in Harlem at 2 a.m. and hit the left front fender of the overloaded car—right in AUTOMOBILEMAG.COM
E THOS
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front of my feet—broadside. No injuries to persons was the good news, but what was I doing in Harlem in the middle of the night with six friends in a five-passenger car? Funny you should ask; that is exactly what my parents wanted to know. Well, I was coming home with some pals (two in the wagon’s way back) from an era-appropriate midnight showing of “Steppenwolf and Siddhartha” at the old Waverly Theatre in the West Village, if you must know, and was experimenting with Park Avenue as a route for late-night uptown travel, on account of all kinds of surprise traffic on other more direct routes back to the George Washington Bridge and northern New Jersey. We arrived home via taxis and tow truck. A couple of crummy days ensued. Although the wagon wasn’t totaled, it was never the same, and my parents eventually got rid of it. A few years later, I bought another identical 1967 wagon for $200 from my parents’ friend, the New Yorker cartoonist Mort Gerberg, when its timing gear failed. I could’ve fixed it with a $35 part, had I figured out what was wrong with it before I went and bought an extremely used but running B18D engine at a junkyard in Staten Island for $125. Twentythousand miles later, it blew up according to schedule, just as rust was claiming the chassis cross members. Fast-forward 10 years, and I buy yet another light green 1967 122S wagon off the Hoboken-based drummer of the legendary indie band Sonic Youth, Steve Shelley. Some small subset of aging hipsters among you today will find this connection priceless, though Sonic Youth’s reputation for cosmic coolness has always exceeded any innate quality of their music,
in my humble opinion. Unlike some of his swellheaded bandmates, however, Shelley was a nice guy. I sold that wagon. Then one day in 2006 I saw yet another light green wagon, same everything as before but with a mere 80 miles on the clock, having spent 40 years on a dealer’s showroom floor. Naturally I had to take a loan and walk down Recurrent Memory Lane. By way of a publicity stunt, Volvo covered a token $500 of the recommissioning costs to honor the “warranty” that arguably-but-not-really existed. (The car was still on its MSO, never having been registered.) Every little bit helped. When we set out for Richmond that first morning, the 122S was just about to hit 6,000 miles. The 1,000-plus-mile trip was certainly its longest journey ever. And it was great. But the V90 we drove home felt even better. Faster, safer, more fuel efficient, better riding, air-conditioned luxury. Immensely more complicated. And I think, over time, potentially just as iconic. Until then, how to build an icon? Start with something good. AM
27
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E THOS
T HE AS P HA LT
REMEMBERING DAVID E.
J U NGL E
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ILLUST RATION by TIM MARRS
Arthur St. Antoine
UNL I T A RTURO F UEN TE in hand, I scanned my home library’s shelves for something to peruse while enjoying an afternoon cigar. I passed over the NASA section (“You have more space books than I do!” said friend and Apollo 7 astronaut Walt Cunningham when he came over for dinner one night), eased by the classics, then my eyes landed on a tome I hadn’t picked up in a long while: “Thus Spake David E.,” a collection of columns from the man who founded this magazine some 32 years ago. I opened the book to the title page and found an inscription: “Arthur, I am always available to help you find your way around strange cities. Cogito ergo zoom! —David E. 9/20/99.” I took the book to the balcony, lit my cigar, and drifted back through the smoke. David E. Davis Jr. (he died in 2011) was already an icon when I first met him way back in 1984, the man who transformed Car and Driver into the most talked-about automotive publication of its time. Fresh out of the University of Michigan, I’d somehow managed to wrangle an internship at the magazine (fortuitously in my backyard in Ann Arbor). I remember the first time I met David E. The Car and Driver offices were not, as I expected, in some magnificent glass tower. They were on the first floor of a forgettable, strangely wood-shingled industrial park on the outskirts of town. David E.’s office was in the back, and as I approached I could feel my throat tightening. His longtime secretary Harriet ushered me inside, and there he was. I don’t remember what he said to my skinny, shaking self, but I’ll never forget the sight. David E. had his feet up on his desk, leaning back in his chair while examining what I assumed were the proofs of another dazzling road test by one of my heroes. He was wearing an ascot, a thick tweed sport jacket, and knee-high leather hunting boots. Every
AJ
piece of attire looked expensive and apparently styled in the 1930s. As for the bearded David E. himself, he seemed a cross between Ernest Hemingway and Sherlock Holmes. On his desk was a broken-open over/under shotgun. Visiting the Davis home was an adventure. The place had a hunting lodge feel, with barking sporting dogs underfoot, piles of magazines, good cabernet flowing along with loud talk and laughter. The driveway was always a curious brew. You’d see, say, a Swiss military Pinzgauer alongside a Ferrari. David E. briefly owned a 308, but of course that ownership wasn’t ordinary, either. His Ferrari’s leather cockpit was devoured by a ravenous band of raccoons. Less than a year after I joined Car and Driver, David E. left to start Automobile. The magazine’s loss was my gain. As David E. had taken some staff with him, I got a shot as a fulltime C/D writer. Technically, we were playing for rival teams. But our friendship grew. We’d see each other on press trips, swap lies over dinner, share test cars. David E. defined raconteur— always relating a new, hilarious story or an unvarnished, occasionally caustic assessment of someone in the industry. Many accused him of pomposity, but I didn’t see it. Yes, he liked tailored English suits. But he could slip into a beer and cowboy boots as well as anybody. Early in my career, on a press trip, I met the woman who would become my first wife. Afterward, we decided to stay the weekend in San Francisco, explore the city, wine and dine. Naturally, it was David E. who drove us into town. I remember the conspiratorial wink he gave me as he dropped us off in front of our hotel. He loved being a part of any adventure, especially one with a hint of the risqué. David E. wrote about cars, but the title of auto journalist shortchanged him. In spring 2004 he was invited to give the University of Michigan’s commencement address. Many students were crestfallen—they wanted a president, a Nobel Prize winner, a film star. Then they heard David E. speak: “I laugh a lot. I’m surrounded by friends and colleagues who stimulate, inform, and entertain me. And I can honestly say that my work does more good than harm,” he said to the thousands. “I hope that each one of you can say the same thing when you address some commencement exercise in the year 2044.” They loved him. I took another puff, turned the pages of “Thus Spake David E.,” chuckled at a photo of him leaning against a Dodge pickup in West Virginia, wearing a white three-piece suit and a straw hat. He was there to judge a chili cookoff. So of course, he wanted to look his best. AM AUTOMOBILEMAG.COM
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LETTERS
Write: Automobile magazine, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, California, 90245 Email: letters@automobilemag.com. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. Customer service: automobile@emailcustomerservice.com; 800-289-2886
YOU LITERALLY WON’T HAVE TO
LIFT A FINGER
WAGON WHEELERS
30
L O N G L I V E T H E station wagon! (“The Wagon Whose Station Cannot Be Named,” September/October 2017). I’ve always loved station wagons, having owned five various Volkswagen wagons over the years. As Jamie Kitman stated, the Volvo V90 and Jaguar XF Sportbrake look terrific and must be a blast to drive. Too bad VW no longer imports the Passat wagon. The closest wagon I could find with styling, performance, and agility (that I bought) was the new secondgeneration Mazda CX-9. (Let’s pretend it’s not a crossover.)
a Level 5 autonomous vehicle has to kill someone (“Why, Robot?” September/October). When a human hurts his car and/or someone with it, it is usually tragic but also usually unintentional. When (not if ) a Level 5 vehicle crashes, it will be a calculated decision. Hit the dog, the pedestrian, or the Buick? Answer: dead dog. Legal problem? That depends on whose dog it was. What if the choice presented to the Level 5 vehicle is a) hit a pedestrian, b) drive off the bridge, or c) hit an oncoming car with a family inside? There is no good answer for a programmer making the decision when he or she is writing the code that will kill someone, but that instruction will be written. MARK WRIGHT
Woodstock, Georgia
GARY NESTON
ROLLS WILL BE THRILLED The old adage, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” came to mind as I read Robert Cumberford’s design analysis of the Rolls-Royce Phantom (September/October). When I squint, this thoughtful redesign looks like a ’63 Lincoln Continental. Is it just me?
Southgate, Michigan
HAROLD EASLEY
Woodbury, Minnesota
QU AL
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ASSUR IT Y O .E .MR. C O LO H MA TC UA RANTE
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I agree with Kitman’s view on station wagons. I’m confused by people who essentially drive oversized wagons, i.e., crossovers and SUVs. I hardly ever see more than two people in any of these minitrucks. If they really do drive a crowd, get an original VW Microbus! Meanwhile, I drive a 2001 Audi TT Quattro, so I’m like the kid in the crowd who has to jump up to be seen. And after reading up on each of the new vehicles featured in your New and Future Cars issue (September/October), I had a horrible nightmare that my little car morphed into a 6-foot-tall bulbous SUV. I literally ran to the garage to make sure it didn’t happen. I suppose a shrink will say I have a slight aversion to those useless beasties. O. KLEYTON COOPER
Cleveland, Ohio
CALCULATED DECISIONS? I agree with Arthur St. Antoine and wonder also about a scenario where
YOUR FAVORITES Dear Mike Floyd, your personal list of favorite cars (September/October) was very interesting. For me, picking out a favorite is easy: the 2017 Cayman S I bought last fall. I have owned 54 cars in my life, and none of the others came close to matching my Cayman for driving pleasure. LYLE HELDENBRAND
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Mike, I have driven everything from a 1936 Ford to Mercedes-Benzes to Cadillacs to Ferraris to Avantis, but my favorite was my new 1958 DeSoto Fireflite two-door. The car was great-looking in blue metallic with a white stripe along the side, and it had perfect fins. It had a great V-8 engine and an interior with blue/white pebble-patterned seats. It was part of Chrysler’s “Forward Look” and was the best looking of all the company’s cars
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that year. Many thanks for your great magazine. DR. MARVIN G. FRANK
Longboat Key, Florida
Mike, you asked the readers to list our favorite cars, so here goes. Vintage: 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe with flathead V-8. Classic: 1973 VW Karmann Ghia convertible. Supercar: Simca 1000 four-door (ha ha). Affordable fun: 1960 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite and 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth. Modern American: 2002 Mustang GT convertible. Luxury: 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Limited. Sport sedan: 1986 Chrysler LeBaron GTS. Truck: 1986 Suzuki Samurai. SUV: 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited. And yes, I have owned all of these. RICHARD MATTHIES
Springfield, Ohio
TONE IT DOWN Regarding BMW’s new concept cars featured on the cover of your November 2017 issue, what’s with the electric earwax color, BMW? Talk about a helping of hideous. I’m grateful my Z4 color came from the always-tasteful gray palette. MARK SHELL
Greenbank, Washington
HAPPY SAILING As an avid sailboat racer and automobile enthusiast, I was excited to read the sailing-related articles in the November issue: good coverage of two extreme designs. I would have enjoyed more information regarding the technical contributions to these sailors by Maserati, Land Rover, or even BMW in Oracle USA’s recent appearance in the America’s Cup event. Later in the issue, the article regarding connected-tech future cars convinced me to consider purchasing a very simple car next year, a Mazda MX-5. While increased data sharing will help in many ways, such as navigating congested cities and avoiding weather problems, I am not interested in companies learning what I am doing with my car and then trying to sell me a product. PAUL GINGRAS
Bozeman, Montana
WELL, MAYBE NOT I just finished reading the November issue and was amazed at the fascinating articles on sailboats, trucks, and wristwatches. Not to mention the six photos of Giovanni Soldini, two of them full page, who looks like a well-dressed homeless person. I’m really looking forward to the next issue. Maybe you can include articles on refrigerators or home computers or more information on border security! I think a mistake was made. The issue still had Automobile on the cover. LEON LINDERWELL
Fullerton, California
STAR MAPS I enjoyed the story on cartography (September/October) because my wife and I still always use maps to supplement GPS navigation. We do at least one five-week driving trip in Europe every year. We don’t rent but do a short-term lease through Renault,
so we get a brand new car with built-in GPS. One thing that always amazes us is how good European GPS is compared to any we have had in the U.S. We have had several Mercedes, Audis, and Jaguars, but regrettably the GPS systems have always been poor. On the other hand, a GPS in an inexpensive European Renault Mégane is fantastic, both user-friendly and incredibly accurate. The fault with the U.S. type is not in the hardware but in the software. So why do we still use maps? To find those wonderful twisty side roads instead of boring highways. In fact, we just returned from a five-week, 3,900mile drive through England, Scotland, and Ireland of which less than 500 miles were on anything that even vaguely resembled a highway. In the past few years, without maps we would have missed the best roads and the best scenery in various countries. PETER I. VOLNY
Fountain Hills, Arizona
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S O R R Y. N O T S O R R Y.
OFFICIALLY BANNED BY THE NHRA Dodge is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC.
DESIGN
INFINITI
PROTOTYPE A FREE-STANDING HOOD ornament would not be on a race car in the late ’30s, but it was necessary on the Prototype 9. Otherwise the driver would have no visual reference as to where the front extremity of the car is.
THE HIGH POINT of the hood, which falls away in all directions, is the key stylistic element of the whole car, something at once completely new yet a real possibility in the referenced time period.
9
Ph otograph y by BA R RY J. H O L M E S
CONCEPT
THERE IS A CAREFULLY crafted peak line in the hood sides, turning inward below to meet the hood-side cutline. The negative surface below conveys air flowing back from the grille along the body, preventing it from spilling into the cockpit.
THE DRIVER’S headrest is not high enough to contain a modern rollover structure, and its width is typical of the wide cockpits of prewar race cars in Europe and the U.S.
34
THE GRILLE IS A TOUR DE force of craftsmanship, each bar different from the one next to it, all artfully curved to produce a transverse highlight line at the top.
THE AT-WHEEL ELECTRIC motor/brake assemblies were cleverly designed to look like big ’30s-era drum brakes, complete with handsome cooling fins, appropriately dimensioned to look period correct.
THESE BIG WHEELS were carefully handmade by Nissan factory craftsmen to emulate those used by the Auto Unions and Silver Arrows.
THE BRIGHT flash carried just above the break point in the transverse body cross section carries a break between upper and lower reflective surfaces, emphasizing the wedge line running upward from the “bumper” toward the rear wheel hub height.
By Design
1
by R O B E R T CUMBERFORD
Front 3/4 View
WILD IDEA, B E A U T I F U L LY E X E C U T E D
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I A D M I T, my initial intellectual reaction to the Infiniti Prototype 9 race car concept was, “That’s a really stupid idea. Why would Infiniti, a Japanese brand that didn’t exist in the era of Tojo’s Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, want to emulate the Nazi propaganda race cars of Hitler’s war machine?” But there it sat in front of The Lodge at Pebble Beach, an extraordinarily wellrealized physical embodiment of an imaginary object of absolutely no actual relevance. But my first emotional reaction to the Prototype 9 was, “Wonderful!” This fantasy car is fun, it’s beautifully realized in every detail, and the horrible historical political aspects of its visual legacy are some 80 years behind us. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to create a suppositional “barn find” coulda-woulda-shoulda race car like this. But then, it did seem perfectly reasonable to me 60-odd years ago to build a road car that resembled the best of those from some 20 years earlier. And when the opportunity to do an imitation 1930s sports car arose at the end of the ’70s, I seized it. On a personal level, it is easy to understand the motivation of a designer wanting to recapitulate something he greatly admired but was born too late to work on when it first existed. The back story on this Infiniti concept is that it is supposed to represent a barn find, a car that would have existed had a group of Japanese aeronautical engineers gotten together on an after-hours
race-car project. It seems there really was some serious racing going on in the Tokyo area in the ’30s, with many people—including one Soichiro Honda—building track racers and competing. That some of them might have made something comparable to Auto Union or Mercedes-Benz grand prix cars is a pure fantasy but a fine, workable, understandable fantasy. There are no dramatic exhaust pipes—it’s electric—and no louvers, but there is plenty of consideration of aerodynamics, and as Nissan’s new chief designer Alfonso Albaisa says it’s all “eyeball aero, no wind tunnel.” Obviously no consideration was made for downforce, although in Germany in the ’30s both Opel rocket cars and Mercedes-Benz’s untested land-speed record vehicle had downforce wings. Ultimately this concept car (we used to call them dream cars, an arguably better term for minimally functional showpieces) is directly comparable in its impressive unreality to General Motors’ 1953 XP-21 Firebird 1 gas turbine car. Like Infiniti’s 9, it corresponded to a racing formula that didn’t exist when it was created, aimed at a nonexistent temporal world and built to the highest standards imaginable. If Firebird 1 looked forward to present times and Prototype 9 to 80 years back, both are superb objets d’art dealing with nonmainstream motive forces. I still tend to think this Infiniti Axis Powers concept car is a stupid idea intellectually, but isn’t it magnificent?
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THE TIRES WERE patterned on Dunlop racing rubber of a long-ago period when the tires were skinny and drivers—some of them, anyway—were fat.
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THE FAIRINGS OVER suspension parts front and rear are not much like what we saw on the German cars of the reference period, though there were versions on some Alfa Romeo cars of the time, and aircraft engineers might well have imagined them in period.
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THIS LINE OF APPARENT rivets along the cockpit sides pushes the sense of aircraft techniques.
Looks like a fin-cooled brake drum from yesteryear. It isn’t. But Infiniti’s enthusiastic team conjured up a little electrickery that stops the eye. And the car.
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REAR LAMPS, NOW part of all formula race cars, were not used or required 80 years ago. No problem, there’s plenty of electricity available.
THESE RIVETED-ON sconce-shaped sections appended to the lower body are quite typical of aircraft practice long ago. Aerodynamic cleanliness was less important in areas of high turbulence.
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Alfonso Albaisa Interview
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IMAGINARY BARN FINDER
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era costumes when I was a boy,” he says. “Until I was 19, my mother made all my clothes. Then I was impressed by my brother’s grunge style, so I changed to be like him.” Eccentricities
aside, Albaisa was always serious about his education and adding to his knowledge. One of his instructors at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, which he attended—he graduated from Pratt Institute in New York—eventually talked him into a more conventional presentation, which seems to have stuck. But he has managed to keep the cheerful, fun-loving attitude that has been his hallmark. The underlying idea for the Prototype 9, the first Infiniti concept car to appear during his period in charge, is that—in the alternate universe supposed for the purpose—there were some really advanced Japanese aircraft designers who made a race car and mothballed it
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A L F O N S O A L B A I S A , head of Nissan/Infiniti design since spring 2017, has had a surprisingly simple and straightforward career in car design. Nissan was his first automotive employer 35 years ago, and he has been with the firm since. He’s been there through the ups and downs, including a dark period when catastrophically bad management drove it into the purchase/merger fusion with Renault that resulted in the Alliance. Carlos Ghosn, who masterminded Nissan’s revival, says it’s the only “merger of equals” that has actually worked. Albaisa had run Nissan design outposts in La Jolla, California, and London, England, before moving to headquarters in Japan fairly recently. His succession to Shiro Nakamura, which was carefully orchestrated behind the scenes by Nakamura and Ghosn, came as a bit of a surprise to him. A lot of things in his life have been a surprise to Florida-born Albaisa, 52, whose parents fled Castro’s Cuba early in his regime. “It’s hard for me to realize that a poor Cuban kid could come so far,” he told us at Pebble Beach last summer. Especially, one might think, for a boy whose youthful behavior might be considered a bit eccentric. “I dressed only in Napoleonic-
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THE TUNNELS ON EACH side of the body allowing air to escape from the grille are quite deep, allowing the concave to convex sculpting of the body sides.
BY DESIGN / INFINITI PROTOTYPE 9 CONCEPT
YOU GET A FINE SENSE of the artfulness of the detail design in this view. The outer body skin acquires a bright trailing edge, and the outermost grille bar, most curved in front view, turns down and merges with that panel at their mutual base in side view.
somewhere safe during the war years. Then, as a “barn find,” it could be refurbished and presented at Pebble Beach. How it managed to have acquired a grille shape that hadn’t existed in 1933 for a nameplate that came to market in 1989 with no grille at all is an open question. Albaisa says it made good sense to use the shape that has evolved from a quarter century of production. It certainly doesn’t look anachronistic or out of place on the Prototype 9. He also notes that there was a serious racing history at Prince Motor Company, acquired by Nissan long ago. We talked with Albaisa recently about how the concept came about,
look like lofted curves, between parabolic curves and some with more tension … between a tango and a Mexican wrestling match.”
IT’S NOT REALLY a bumper, but the airfoil-shaped rib traversing the grille at one-third its height nonetheless is the point that would touch a wall if the car were pushed up to it.
Where was the concept car made?
AA: It was actually made at our Oppama factory, the oldest one in the company. Once we got started on the project, the engineers got into it and wanted to make the “fake brake” you liked. Then the factory workers wanted in on the project. They learned to work the sheet steel by hand.
THIS BRIGHT SLASH at the trailing edge of the air outlet behind the huge grille is actually an extension of the outermost vertical grille bars that translates into a tapered streak up the body side, with a sharp change from bottom to top of the body form.
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The car is made of steel, not aluminum?
AA: Yes, we borrowed a bit of the steel used to stamp production parts right
Profile View
5 espcially the most striking aspect of the design: a huge rise in the middle of the hood’s length. “It was inspired by the way the Howard Hughes’ H-1 world air-speed-record airplane looked when it was sitting on the ground, the rounded cowling standing up and everything falling away behind it,” he said. That silvery recordholder was a huge achievement in the ’30s, exactly the period of the Infiniti 9. Albaisa said: “I wanted the shapes to
there in the factory. But we promised to give it back. So all of this was done by people who ordinarily don’t make prototypes?
AA: Yes, the whole thing was like a drink of water for the team. For the designers, it was a way to take us out of decoration. ... The whole project, carried out in very little time, was a labor of love, done with a tongue-incheek attitude.” But with absolute seriousness, we’d say.
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BY DESIGN / INFINITI PROTOTYPE 9 CONCEPT
Interior View 1. The delicacy and elegance of the windscreen supports say a lot about the depth of attention exercised in building the very real running show car. Everything’s perfect. 2. The speedometer (in a race car?) only reads 100 mph maximum with the redline at just 70, but it’s realistic for the actual expected performance of the car. 3. Barely perceived notches hold the “traction direction” lever in place. You can’t call it a shift lever in an electric, can you?
4. The tight radius on the outside of the cockpit coaming band is indicative of the superb metalwork on the car. 5. The handsome tuck-androll upholstery looks for all the world like a ’30s Indianapolis race car. The Europeans used cloth on seats to save weight and add a bit of lateral grip. 6. Another anachronism is the inset center hub for the steering wheel, a clear indication of modernity even if there is no airbag. But the absence of seat belts is very ’30s. AM
DESIGN
THE MOST INTRIGUING part of the complex shape is the hood that drops in height as it reaches the cockpit. I’ve only ever seen this before on some Figoni et Falaschi teardrop coupes and to a much slighter degree. It’s the most likable feature on the body.
NOT QUITE READABLE, like a lot of stenciled nomenclature on military airplanes and vehicles.
THE UPSWEPT CREASE line is, at the very earliest, a late 20th century conceit. But it’s really cool.
THIS UPSWEPT CURVE is definitely not a ’30s feature line, but is quite modern, yet the postulated ’30s airplane inspiration fully justifies its presence.
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by J A M I E K I T M A N p h ot og ra p h y b y M I C H A E L
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ARMADA A FLOTILL A OF SWEDISH WAGONS MAKES AN AMERICAN PILGRIMAGE
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The 2017 V90 is svelte and comfortable as it leads its historic counterparts on a 2,000-mile road trip.
Volvo loaned us its premium hauler ($53,295 base) and helped us find, organize, and support a group of other wagons representing all eras of the company’s extensive history in the genre, along with the cars’ owners to drive them. I brought along my own light green 1967 122S wagon, bought with 80 original miles on the clock but now with 5,000 miles. A few preflight repairs, and it was ready to go the distance. Loyal Volvo Club of America (VCOA) members all, the owners who answered Volvo’s call to join the wagon armada were mellow, their cars gloriously representing each decade since the first Volvo wagons of the 1950s and all of the carmaker’s successive wagon eras. We had mostly everything—from a show-winning 1959 445 Duett through the 122, 245, 745, 850, 240, V50, V60, all of the V70s, and a handsome 1800ES from the company’s own collection that accompanied us as far as Delaware. I’m only sorry there isn’t room here to thank everyone by name. What didn’t turn up was a Mitsubishi-derived V40 or any representative of the 900 series, the ultimate evolution of the 700 series wagons, renamed in honor of its independent
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I T W A S T H E Woodstock of press drives, a car launch fit for a Swedish king or, better yet, a Volvo wagon nut just like me. To commemorate the launch of the V90, its new and large but chic and sleek carryall, we persuaded Volvo to let us drive one of the first examples on U.S. soil—actually former North American CEO Lex Kerssemakers’ personal car—from the company’s corporate U.S. headquarters (since 1964) in Rockleigh, New Jersey, to the site of Volvo’s first-ever and still very much under-construction U.S. factory in Ridgeville, South Carolina. Then back again. Close to 2,000 miles. The V90 marks not just a new Volvo wagon but also the most upscale one. It’s also a welcome re-staking of the wagon flag on American soil for the Swedish firm, and we wanted to memorialize it properly. Ditto the new factory, even if it’s not finished being built, a facility made possible by a deep-pocketed new owner—China’s Geely— and generous subsidies from the state of South Carolina. It reflects not just the record sales success Volvo has enjoyed lately but also what a fresh credit line worth more than $11 billion and a friendly state government can do for the spring in one’s business plan.
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rear suspension and, in the case of the one we’d like to have seen, the 960, a straight-six motor. A much better car than it gets credit for, cursed by a short lifespan, its absence was noticed. The final omission from our cavalcade of Volvos was the 145, the progenitor (1968-’74) of all the “boxes” to come, the cars that cemented the Volvo wagon thing by looking more or less the same for a quarter of a century, from the late ’60s until 1993. But divine providence intervened to correct an unconscionable oversight as we ran across a 145, a runner in only semimoderate dishabille, when we stopped at the Sub Rosa Bakery in Richmond, Virginia. To ensure this crowd of Volvo volunteers wouldn’t go hungry on our station wagon sojourn, we brought along a couple of knowledgeable food professionals for dining tips along the way. Adam Sachs is the editor of Saveur and
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SWEDISH CREAM PUFF This 1970s P1800ES “shooting brake” still cuts a stylish profile today.
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an 87-horsepower car with a pushrod engine geared to turn something like 3,800 rpm at 65 mph. The journey seems even longer and more sapping when it is conducted during a two-day rainstorm, with ’60s wipers clapping and a ’60s defroster fan hyperventilating while trying to keep up. But like all the old wagons on this trip, the 122S completed the journey without incident and no worse for the wear. Older models from the last century are one reason Volvo still has a good reputation to fall back on. Return solely
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drives a V70. Jay Strell, a food communications strategist and fellow Brooklyn dweller, keeps a V50. Along for the ride and some light driving duty, they’d leave their own cars at home. Ditto my old friend, painter Fred Ingrams. He left his car—a too-slow-for-America V50 1.6-liter—at home in Norfolk, England, to come on a forced march to South Carolina as a passenger in a different Volvo wagon. He just hadn’t counted on it being 50 years old. Another drop-in from NYC, Jake Gouverneur, owns a Saab 9-5 wagon, but it has a blown head gasket and isn’t going anywhere. There would, however, be no shotgun seat for Steve Ohlinger of The Auto Shop of Salisbury, Connecticut. A veteran independent Volvo mechanic, former racer, and (something tells me) former hippie, Steve brought his brown 1984 five-speed manual 245 Turbo, a rare bird. His role, to which he readily assented, was to carry The Knowledge and useful spares for when older pieces of Swedish iron fell in the line of interstate duty—except this happened not once. Throw in a couple of Volvo PR honchos, a videographer in a V90 Cross Country, an event planner or two, plus our Automobile photographers, and there must have been 25 or more of us driving or riding along at any given moment. Teenaged me would have appreciated this concept. Funny enough, no one ever did get an exact count on the number of participants. I later realized I was too busy driving to notice. Berkeley County, South Carolina, is a long way from Bergen County, northern New Jersey, especially in
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line with them. Last-minute driver intervention was most emphatically required. So, as with similar systems from other makers, you can’t fully rely on Pilot Assist II because you still can’t take your eyes off the road. It might make you wonder, beyond tech boasts and consumer beta testing, what is the exact point? Speaking of points, on the ride back to our hotel one night we got a chance to admire Ohlinger’s 245 Turbo in action. By action, I don’t mean heavy acceleration or drifting but merely having its headlamps turned on. That’s because they’re airport runway lights, an unlikely fitment the Volvo guru realized one day was a more or less straight swap, so he tried it, and guess what? They light up a road as if you plan to land a commercial jetliner on it, waking up everyone for miles and inducing post-traumatic stress syndrome in those unlucky enough to be in front of you when they suddenly catch your light show in their rearview mirror. We kind of liked it and made a mental note to look into
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to the early part of the 21st century for your wagon memories, and you’ll find Volvos with some major technical failings to answer for, cars that tarnished the company’s longrunning longevity and reliability pitch. We definitely feel better about its new cars nowadays, but there is no predicting what age will bring. On first acquaintance, though, we are impressed with just about everything to do with the black V90 T6 AWD R-Design wagon we’re driving here, though even in a fast, all-wheel-drive car we hoped for something better than the 26 mpg over some 2,000 mostly highway miles. There were undoubtedly economy-sapping power surges for which we were responsible, as there will always be with 316 hp turbo and supercharged 2.0-liter fours. But there were many more hours of economy-minded highway driving. Results closer to the EPA’s suggested 30 mpg (highway) are not too much to ask for. The V90 looks great, and its leather-lined interior compares favorably to several Germanic alternatives. If nothing else, it’s airy and different. The car drives and rides especially well, with a nimbleness that belies its size. A little more than 16 feet long, it feels like a big, opulent car in the best sense but drives like a smaller one. Naturally, this executive-priced load hauler also comes with all of the tech and telematics features you expect. That is, expect to love, expect to regret, and one that still has us scratching our heads: Pilot Assist II, Volvo’s second-gen semi-autonomous driving system. The latest Pilot Assist no longer WITH $600 MILLION requires you to track a lead vehicle, and it OF VOLVO’S OWN operates in self-driving mode at speeds up MONEY INVESTED to 80 mph, which is nice. (Its predecessor SO FAR AND $200 topped out at a considerably less useful 32 MILLION IN STATE mph.) But as “semi-autonomous” suggests, Pilot Assist II only steers for you for INCENTIVES, VOLVO 18 seconds at a time, at which point a EXPECTS TO HAVE human must provide input, or the car will SPENT $1 BILLION ON come gradually to a halt, which seemed THE NEW FACTORY dangerous to me. Another concern? The AND TO HAVE camera-based system orients the vehicle by using painted road lines on either side CREATED 4,000 JOBS of the road. HERE BY 2030. As you might expect once you know how the system works, the car made large corrections following the white lines into corners, often steering later than we would have with more roll and general back and forth than an attentive, sober skipper would have allowed. Also failing to inspire confidence was the discovery that the V90 seemed willing to veer off the highway around bends where the white paint was worn off or pieces of roadway had fallen away, taking the white
BONDING BRICKS No fewer than 60 years and 229 hp separate the V90 from the author’s 122S wagon. Both have their unique charms.
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boasts the same or better interior space than its jacked-up relations and fraternal twins, and it probably handles better with its lower of center of gravity.
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Will the new V90 still be on public roads decades from now? If its forebears are any indication, the outlook is good.
admit I turned over the 122S on several occasions to other drivers while I enjoyed long stints behind the wheel of the V90. The newest, fanciest Volvo wagon yet seemed rocketship fast yet delightfully restful, one of the most comfortable rides going, with better seats than most all its modern competition much less those in the 122S, its ancestor from a half century ago. Lack of wind noise lends an amazing quietness to the V90’s cabin, too. Indeed Gouverneur, playing with a decibel-meter app on his phone, explained that the all-wheel-drive model was significantly quieter at 115 mph in the rain with wipers at full chat than the 122S was cruising at 65 mph with wipers off. I can’t speak to the accuracy of this because I was driving, and we all know I would never drive anywhere near that fast. This magazine has long maintained that the station wagon format provides the most practical automotive solution for millions more Americans than are buying them
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the conversion. Although, as Ohlinger pointed out, “When they’re great, they’re great. But when they’re not, they’re really not.” The following day we headed to the factory site, about an hour’s drive, to inspect it from a distance while photographing all the participants in our station wagon safari. With the plant rising in the background, and the rain miraculously halted, it’s a rare photo that speaks to Volvo’s storied history and equally strong present. Carved here out of swampy woodlands, it represents a minimum investment of $600 million of Volvo’s own money and $200 million in state incentives. Volvo expects to have spent a billion dollars here by 2030 and to have created 4,000 jobs. Perhaps not what you thought of, old timer, when you saw your first 122S wagon all those years ago. Like the wagons, I was in good shape when we arrived in Charleston for a late lunch. In fairness, however, I must
The Duett was built as a dual-purpose work and personal car and was the only bodyon-frame passenger vehicle in Volvo’s U.S. lineup.
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GIMMICKS AND SCARCITY MARKETING ARE COOL, I GUESS, BUT THE WHOLE IDEA PRESUMES SCARCITY. AND OUR TRIP TO VOLVO’S NEW PLANT PROVED THE V90 WAGON IS WAY TOO GOOD TO BE SCARCE.
now. We understand the auto industry passes time by chasing the latest styling fads, but after being rocked by the ungainly minivan and then crushed by the SUV and the hulking crossovers that followed, the once-best-selling wagon’s pendulum, which swung highest in the 1960s and 1970s, is long overdue to swing back. To the extent that logic plays any part in the matter, which is probably a dubious idea at best, the wagon is more efficient— lighter and more aerodynamic—than its crossover alternative. A wagon usually boasts the same or better interior space than its jacked-up relations and fraternal twins, and it probably handles better with its lower of center of gravity. Almost half the vehicles sold in Europe are wagons. Is life there so much different? We don’t think so. Volvo has had success with sedans and even sports cars in America, but it is best known for its wagons, which are standard fixtures of the landscape in many American neighborhoods to this day. In a world of ever-changing automotive
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ideals, the Volvo wagon is a basic unit of automotive currency for many, the kind that spans generations. In my life, my parents drove a Volvo wagon, I drove them, my kids drove them, and with luck their kids might. Unlike some makers, Volvo’s never left the wagon field behind, and new proof in the form of the V90 warms the heart. Yet recognizing fashion and catering to what it thinks most people think they want, the company has hastened in the 21st century to keep its lineup of crossovers and SUVs fresh, lively, and growing. Although there’s really nothing bad to say about the XC60, XC90, and upcoming XC40 models, we still prefer these platforms set up for wagon duty, pure and unadulterated. We don’t begrudge Volvo its high riders—they help pay the rent and the high taxes of super-socialist Sweden. We wish the V90, which shares its platform with the XC90, had as an option a third row of seats as does the SUV.
Seven decades of Volvo wagon evolution stages at the brand’s new South Carolina plant after 1,000 miles of driving.
This affection for the wagon form generally and Volvo’s biggest wagon ever specifically is why we can’t help but second-guess the decision to soft sell the model, which is only available via internet order and not off the showroom floor. Dealers will receive as many of the Cross Country version of the V90 as they can afford to stock but no regular wagon V90s without an internet order, which is a shame. Gimmicks and scarcity marketing are cool, I guess, but something is wrong. The whole idea presumes scarcity. And our trip to Volvo’s new plant (which won’t build the V90 but rather the 60 series sedan and SUV) proved the V90 wagon is way too good to be scarce. With a little work, it could be the belle of the ball in affluent communities across America, a big ol’ posh station wagon for our times, an anti-SUV. Wagons rule, and if anyone ought to know that, it’s Volvo. AM
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R O L L S-R OYCE MAKE S ITS SE L F-P R O CL AIME D BE ST CAR IN THE WORLD E V E N BE T TE R
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DREAMS DELIVERED by
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MAGIC MOVER Chauffeurs and owners alike will find the Phantom’s ride and handling much improved.
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LUC ERNE,
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Rear-seat passengers are treated to the finest in leather, sumptuous wood and metal trim, and carpeting you feel bad about soiling with your feet.
Building on all that luxurious architecture is a new double-wishbone front and five-link rear suspension supported by active stabilizer bars front and rear and a traditional anti-roll bar in front. Four-wheel steering appears for the first time, which increases the car’s overall maneuverability and high-speed stability, critical for such a long (just south of 19 feet for the short-wheelbase model) and heavy (almost 3-ton) car. Engineering director Philip Koehn says the Phantom’s adaptive, self-leveling air-suspension setup, the magic in the car’s vaunted Magic Carpet Ride, has undergone significant changes, as well. “The springs are bigger, and they ride on more air than ever before,” he says. The system in part uses a stereo camera sensor in the windscreen to monitor and proactively react to road conditions up to 62 mph. There are no settings to dial in, just endless calculations made with the goal of keeping the ride pleasant and cosseting in virtually any situation. Koehn and his team also had a mandate from Rolls CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. He told them: “Just make sure it’s the most silent motorcar in the world, full stop.” Engineers crammed sound-deadening foam and noise insulation into virtually every nook, cranny, and crevice, about 360 pounds of it in all. Those double-glazed windows feature an additional plastic layer wedged in between, the floor pan and bulkhead alloys are thicker than before, and even the Continental tires are lined with a layer of foam. In fact, Koehn said Rolls tested 180 sets of tires before hitting on the best match. Interestingly, no active noise-
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I T ’ S C H I L LY A N D gray, and reasonably hard rain is coming down, casting a pall over the otherwise lush, rugged beauty of this German-flavored slice of Switzerland. A terrible day to drive, a great day to be driven. I’m in the backseat of the all-new Rolls-Royce Phantom, and I roll down the doubleglazed acoustic-glass window to get a quick blast of fresh Swiss air. A cacophony of wind and water rudely intrudes into the cabin. Enough of that. The metal window button is cold to the touch when I press it, and as the window hits the seal it’s as if a set of noise-canceling headphones has suctioned over the car. Time to recline the seat, let my head hit the pillow, and enjoy the magic carpet ride. There are few cars in which the backseat experience is just as important—if not more so—as what happens in the driver’s seat. For some 92 years, longer than any other nameplate, the Phantom has transported rock stars and starlets, monarchs and maharajas, captains of industry and hip-hop kingpins. The car has in many ways served as the brand’s foundation, a vehicle that helped propel Rolls beyond a mere manufacturer of fine automobiles to a global luxury icon. As the Phantom enters its eighth generation, the stakes have never been higher to deliver an ever richer, more immersive package, with cutting-edge, 21st-century tech and even more ways to make it your way—the bespoke way. And it should drive better, too. The new Phantom has been five years in the making, and as Rolls-Royce officials acknowledge, it really needed to take a two-generation leap. The model it replaces is 14 years old, which might as well be 80 in car years. Everything starts with its all-new aluminum-intensive endoskeleton the marque calls the “Architecture of Luxury,” a versatile, lighter platform that will underpin all future Rolls-Royces. It makes the car about 30 percent more rigid than the previous Phantom, and additional cast aluminum structures reinforce areas wherever heavy loads are attached to the chassis.
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After the rain ceased and we stowed the umbrella, we had a clearer view of the Phantom’s finer details, including its fantastic Gallery feature.
appropriate given the location and vehicle. Want a footrest? Press a button behind the door, and up it pops from the floor. Champagne? Open up the coolbox nestled between the rear seats and pour bubbly into furnished crystal glasses. As you’d expect, there are even higher-spec options available, including a fixed center console with a drinks cabinet and the more comfortable extended sleeper seats. And then there’s the Gallery, which we told you about in our September/October 2017 issue. Think of the glass case extending the width of the dash from the right of the instrument panel as a mini art installation. “In the future,” says design director Giles Taylor, “we can offer our customers this amazing space to personalize their vehicle like no other vehicle on Earth.” You could conceivably have a famous artist do a piece in the Gallery, and immediately your car is worth a whole lot more. Taylor also had plenty to say about the Phantom’s design to our own Robert Cumberford in our preview story. He’s particularly proud of the grille that’s now integrated into the front fascia for the first time ever, an on-its-haunches
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canceling tech is employed because research showed it could make some occupants carsick. As you can probably guess, Koehn and team say they exceeded their goal of creating the world’s quietest cabin. From my perch behind the front seat as we wind our way through the Swiss countryside, the 6.75-liter twin-turbo V-12 humming along as it delivers effortless power, I have zero reason to disagree with that assessment. I also have zero reason to quibble with the notion that the new Phantom is also the world’s most luxurious production car. Sitting in back with product manager Christian Wettach, he points out heavily lacquered, contrasting wood veneers that dominate the center stack. The starlight headliner now has more than 1,110 lights in the short-wheelbase model (you can even get a shooting-star option if you like) and extends further front to back. Everything shiny is real metal. Wettach presses a button in the armrest’s center controller, and out pops a table and rear monitor from which you control a host of vehicle features, watch TV, or jam to Kraftwerk’s “Trans-Europe Express,” which seems
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BESPOKE SIMPLICITY Ochs und Junior strips down Swiss watchmaking
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T H E S C R EW I S the size of a baby gnat, and it’s all I can do to just snare it with the tweezers. I pull the magnifying glass over my left eye and focus in on the hole where it needs to go. My hands start shaking. I clumsily drop the screw, and it skitters away. This watchmaking stuff is hard. Ochs und Junior watchmaker Sandra Flück is patient with me, but when company cofounder and CEO Beat Weinmann asks how I’m doing, the best she can muster is, “He has patience.” I’ll be keeping my day job. If I was looking to switch careers, though, working for Ochs und Junior seems like a pretty a cool gig. It couldn’t be further from my expectations of what highend watchmaking is like, and that’s just the way they want it. As Ochs und Junior mirrors Rolls-Royce’s affinity for custom luxury creations, I took a break from being chauffeured in a Phantom to visit its largely nondescript storefront next to a laundromat in Lucerne, where Weinmann is tending to a hip, older couple wearing funkycolored glasses, dog in tow. They’re seated at a long, modern, Ikea-type wooden table, watches and watch gears spread out in front of them. Outgoing, handsome, and slightly intense, Weinmann warmly greets us, fixes us up with espresso, and asks us how the Phantom is. He quickly launches into what makes his company unique, why it’s the anti-Swiss Swiss watchmaker (as if the shop wasn’t enough to tip us off). He explains that the couple is looking for something different, a watch they can have a hand in creating. Along with company cofounder and noted technical watchmaking innovator Ludwig Oechslin, Weinmann set out to create a new kind of luxury-watch company when they started Ochs und Junior in 2006. Everything they do is stripped down, starting with a decided lack of advertising, marketing, and shiny retail spaces, which Weinmann says most other major watchmakers spend far too much time, money, and effort on. “Here it is just product,” he says. And then there are the watches, which have become famous for their elegant simplicity while offering customers numerous options to customize dials, hands, and other details. “It takes 182 parts for Patek Philippe to do a calendar. We do it in 12,” Weinmann says with great satisfaction about the unique gear system Ochs und Junior has developed. I was clumsily working on a calendar movement, and indeed it is stunning in its lack of parts. It takes Flück as little as 23 minutes to put one together. The outfit creates about 130 watches a year, with prices from roughly $5,000 to $21,000. Looking at the Ochs und Junior watches, they probably aren’t the timepieces you would normally expect a Rolls-Royce customer to wear, and we ask Weinmann what his company has in common with the super luxury brand. “I think it’s the bespoke aspect of it,” he says. That’s a word Rolls officials and its buyers know very well. Ochs und Junior focuses on the important stuff—its beautifully simple, bespoke timepieces.
AS OCHS UND JUNIOR MIRRORS ROLLS-ROYCE’S AFFINITY FOR CUSTOM LUXURY CREATIONS, I VISIT ITS NONDESCRIPT STOREFRONT NEXT TO A LAUNDROMAT.
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2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom
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THE SPECS
The team had to get this car right. “We’re selling dreams, building dreams.”
ON SALE: January 2018 PRICE: $450,000 (base) ENGINE: 6.75L twin-turbo DOHC 48-valve V-12/563 hp @ 5,000 rpm, 664 lb-ft @ 1,700 rpm TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic LAYOUT: 4-door, 4-5-passenger, front-engine, RWD sedan EPA MILEAGE: 12/19 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H: 227.2 x 79.4 x 64.8 in WHEELBASE: 140.0 in WEIGHT: 5,862 lb 0-60 MPH: 5.1 sec (est) TOP SPEED: 155 mph
mph in around 5 ticks for the short wheelbase model. Ample power is available from virtually any speed, and its ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic is absolutely money in any situation. The steering predictably feels more than a little boosted, but it’s hardly vague, and turn-in is relatively direct. When hustling the brawny lad, its brakes don’t bite but rather politely and progressively bring things to a halt. But I never felt any need to drive like a maniac. Maybe it was because I was chauffeuring people, but this car cries out to be driven with civility and class. And so you do. This new Phantom is, of course, also loaded with all manner of standard safety warning systems, connectivity options, and convenience features, including a standard head-up display, Wi-Fi, around view monitors, etc. Müller-Ötvös, who is constantly mind-melding with the Rolls-Royce customer base, knew his team had to get this car right. “We’re selling dreams, building dreams,” he says. “We’ve delivered a true Phantom. We haven’t messed it up.” No, you haven’t. Let’s pull out the Champagne and toast to that. AM
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stance he likens to a boat cutting gracefully through the water, and two unique character lines in profile. There’s also a more purposeful chrome rear element that helps frame the rear end and, interestingly, head- and taillamps that are on the smaller side and do not dominate the proceedings. There’s a clear, purposeful lineage between the new Phantom and the previous model. Now it’s my turn to feel what it’s like to be a chauffeur. Actually, we’ve been told that as many as half the Phantom owners in the U.S. actually drive their cars. I can safely assure those moneyed few that they are going to enjoy it far more than before. There’s no getting around it, this car is big (especially the long-wheelbase version with a $530,000 base price), but it’s not a wallowing beast. The hardware upgrades have turned the Phantom into, dare we say, a decent car to drive. The steering wheel is on the bulky side, so it takes some getting used to. Summon its power reserves, and the fully revamped twin-turbo V-12 with 563 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque that comes on full at 1,700 rpm emits a satisfying, muted roar and hustles the car from 0 to 60
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PRET TIER AND SPORTIER , YES, BUT IS THE NEW 2018 LS A BET TER LEXUS?
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B O L D , B R A S H , A N D B R A W N Y —three words you’d be more likely to hear in reference to our commander in chief than the Lexus LS or its chief engineer, Toshio Asahi. But there’s no denying the boldness of Asahi’s description of the LS as the “definitive new-generation luxury car embodying Japanese tradition and culture.” Or the brashness in Lexus reminding us, “It is possible that no single automobile has, upon introduction, upended its category as decisively as the first Lexus LS did when it launched the luxury brand 28 years ago.” Lexus is certainly throwing—uncharacteristically, perhaps—real passion behind its latest projects, including both the new LS sedan and LC coupe, which share aspirations as well as architecture. That passion shows through most vividly in the LS’s cabin, not only through its design but also through its steering wheel. The design is unquestionably the first stop with the LS. For many, it’ll be the last, too—both lovers and haters. In person, the exterior is well finished
S A N F R A N C I S C O , C A L I F O R N I A
SELF DISRUPTION and neatly seamed, and this might be the first truly successful use of the spindle grille. Otherwise the LS feels a bit confused. It’s like looking at a superposition of two or three possible designs. As our own resident critic Robert Cumberford put it (By Design, April 2017), “I see this design as an aesthetic mess, but it’s a carefully executed, purposeful mess that achieves almost exactly what I suspect was desired. So despite my misgivings about its beauty (or lack thereof ), I predict this car will sell well and satisfy its owners.” Fortunately the interior of the 2018 LS has more universal appeal. Who, after all, doesn’t love fine leather lovingly stitched into rail-straight seams, floating
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FIRST DRIVE
BY NELSON IRESON
LEXUS LS
The steering on the LS is more informative than in any Lexus of recent make except the LC, which is to say it treads a line somewhere between slightly numb and slightly nervous in normal use. When pushed harder, feedback builds and signal strength grows. Computers perform near-quantum magic, balancing dynamic electric-assist steering with four-wheel steering to provide something startlingly close to a natural feel—
The Specs
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layered door accents, and a myriad of subtle textures woven through a cabin dominated by organic shapes, assembled with care, and designed around the principle of omotenashi, the Japanese concept of hospitality? If there’s one complaint about the new Lexus’ cabin, it’s that there’s more wind and road noise than there ought to be. With a 415-hp, 442-lb-ft, twinturbo 3.5-liter V-6 engine behind that funky grille, the 2018 LS 500 delivers the brawn. If anything, it’s a bit more than some will want to handle and more than they’ll likely ever use. Lexus says efficiency is up, with estimated figures of 19/29 mpg city/highway for rear-drive models; with AWD the numbers slide to 18/27 mpg. Lexus says the LS 500 can hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds with rear-wheel drive. It offers no estimate for all-wheel-drive models. A hybrid model is also available, badged LS 500h, with 359 combined horsepower from its 3.5-liter V-6 and electric motor system. Lexus claims 5.1-second (RWD) or 5.2-second (AWD) 0-60-mph times for the hybrid, while still estimating efficiency at 25/33 mpg with RWD or 23/31 mpg with AWD. Like the gasolineonly model, the hybrid is also plenty quick to move about, though you’ll want to twist the instrumentcowl-mounted stalk to engage Sport or Sport+ modes to liven up the transmission so you’re not caught waiting, perpendicular to fast-moving traffic, for the car to accelerate.
2018 LEXUS LS 500 ON SALE: Late 2017 PRICE: $75,000 (base) (est) ENGINE: 3.5L twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6/416 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 442 lb-ft @ 1,600-4,800 rpm TRANSMISSION: 10-speed automatic LAYOUT: 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, RWD/AWD sedan EPA MILEAGE: 18-19/27-29 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H: 206.1 x 74.8 x 57.1-57.9 in WHEELBASE: 123.0 in WEIGHT: 4,707-5,093 lb 0-60 MPH: 4.6-4.7 sec (est) TOP SPEED: 136 mph
in a luxury executive sedan that tips the scales at up to 5,093 pounds (or 5,225 in hybrid form). The problem with passion is that it eventually runs up against reality: jilted love, a crooked partner, the screen-door squeal of understeer. The underlying reality of the LS is that it’s a large luxury sedan loaded to the gills with creature-coddling features. The laws of physics prevent true sportiness, and their corollaries ensure every step taken toward sporty handling is one away from the butter-smooth ride that’s almost impossible to find these days and is a hallmark of both luxury and the original LS. The new LS does an admirable job of trying to find the balance. Ride quality is on par with Cadillac’s CT6. Unfortunately, steering and handling come up a bit short of the naturally sporty Cadillac’s benchmark— no doubt a symptom of the Lexus LS carrying about 800 pounds more than a similar CT6. Does it hustle like the Mercedes-AMG S63 or even the not-quitean-M BMW M760i? No, and it used to be that the LS didn’t try to. Now it seems like it is trying, and that’s the rub. What about the tech, safety, convenience, and entertainment features—you know, the things you’ll actually benefit from in everyday life? That stuff’s pretty impressive for the most part. First you’ll have to learn to love Lexus’ infotainment system. It’s pretty easy to figure out and use, but it’s not the quickest, most beautiful, or most intuitive system around, especially in this class of sedan. Some will love the touchpad controller, others will find it frustrating and difficult to use at speed. Those who’ll have frequent high-value rear-seat passengers will want the executive package, which brings with it a Shiatsu massage function, right-rear passenger seat recline of up to 48 degrees (and an ottoman!), and when equipped with the optional air suspension, the car will even raise itself from its lowslung cruising height for easier entry and exit.
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When it comes to self-driving tech, however, Lexus seems to have deliberately chosen not to lead the fray. The adaptive cruise control works well enough, but it seems a generation behind. In stop-and-go traffic, the system waits too long to accelerate and does so too gently, then waits too long to apply the brakes and does so too harshly. The end result, for a traffic-laden commute, is that the LS leaves plenty of room for lane hoppers to jump in front of you, then induces panic and/or pseudo whiplash to prevent a collision. Self-steering is even less committed to lightening the driver’s load. Like driver-assist systems past, the lane-keeping assistance plays a game of ping-pong
The 2018 LS 500 comes with a 12.3-inchwide navigation display, but it can also incorporate an optional 24-inch color head-up display, which Lexus says is currently the largest in any car.
between the lane markers, straying ever more from a straight-ahead trajectory until the system alerts the driver to return their hands to the wheel, or it simply loses sight of the lane markers and quits. Unlike the systems of the past, however, the LS’s game of ping-pong happens within virtual walls about a foot inside the lane markers rather than directly on top of them. A word of caution is required here, however: Luxury sedans are tough to evaluate over short periods of time. Why? Because so much attention and thought has been put into their design that it takes time and experience behind the wheel to fully appreciate them. We look forward to a more in-depth test of the LS when it comes to the U.S. this spring to learn if it might be the type of car that grows on you slowly rather than wowing you at the first corner. Regardless, the 2018 Lexus LS is a worthy entry to the flagship battle royale though not a dominant one, and it’s a remarkable successor to the pablum of the fourth-generation LS. What this isn’t, however, is what Lexus called the first LS in the announcement for the 2018 model: a “luxury disruptor” that will “astonish customers.” Cumberford’s words about the design can be borrowed to sum up the entire car, at least on first impression: “Despite my misgivings, I predict this car will sell well and satisfy its owners.” AM
THE 2018 LEXUS LS IS A WORTHY ENTRY TO THE FLAGSHIP BATTLE ROYALE THOUGH NOT A DOMINANT ONE, A REMARKABLE SUCCESSOR TO THE FOURTH-GENERATION LS.
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2019 Audi A8
VALENC I A , Spain 64 W A K I N G U P T H E 2019 Audi A8 invokes a brief but dazzling light show where photons pulse across hundreds of LED and OLED elements within the head and taillamps. The fleeting welcome sequence flourishes with two blue glows adjacent to night-piercing laser diodes, the pièce de résistance of a sophisticated lighting system that uses GPS data to illuminate the next bend before the driver turns the steering wheel. Is this the future of the übersedan? The lighting is but a fragment of the startlingly advanced features Audi hopes will help make the A8 into the gotta-have-it German four-door. Welcome to the (remarkably complex) machine. Fancy LEDs aside, the 2019 Audi A8’s prime push is its positioning as the first production car capable of Level 3 autonomy: conditional automation. Audi’s autonomous tech alleviates the driver of the responsibility of monitoring vehicle controls as long as a physical barrier blocks vehicles from oncoming traffic. The system, dubbed Traffic Jam Pilot, works from a standstill up to 37 mph and fully controls steering, throttle, and brakes in nose-to-tail traffic. Although drivers shouldn’t need to intervene, Audi says, “The driver must
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ENHANCED, AUTOMATED BY BASEM WASEF
65 remain alert and capable of taking over the task of driving when the system prompts them to do so.” That is, as long as government agencies modify their policies in time to permit the technology when the car bows in the fall of 2018. You might not know it from the mild silhouette or subtly rendered proportions, but Audi’s new design language makes its debut in this A8—although it seems more like an exercise in extreme discretion than an outright discourse. There’s a smidge of sharpness on the edges of the character lines along the doorsills when viewed straight on (made possible from deeply drawn aluminum panels), but the prevailing theme
TOO MU CH TECH AND NOT ENOU GH SOU L? OR IS THIS WHAT TODAY ’S DRIVERS EXPECT?
MOMENT OF ZEN The excellent handling capabilities of the longwheelbase A8 make it feel like a much smaller car.
THE SPECS
2019 AUDI A8 ON SALE:
Fall 2018 PRICE:
$85,000 (base) (est) ENGINE:
3.0L turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6/340 hp @ 5,000-6,000 rpm, 369 lb-ft @ 1,370-4,500 rpm 4.0L twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8/460 hp @ 3,800-4,200 rpm, 487 lb-ft TRANSMISSION:
8-speed automatic L AYOUT:
4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, AWD sedan EPA MILEAGE: N/A L x W x H:
208.7 x 76.5 x 58.5 in WHEELBASE:
123.1 in WEIGHT: N/A 0-60 MPH:
5.7 sec (V-6) (est) TOP SPEED:
155 mph
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here is one of gently chamfered edges and elegant understatement. The hexagonal grille might be imposingly large, but it also blends into the car’s nose with near-invisibility. The 2019 A8’s body-in-white is composed of four materials—aluminum, high-tensile steel, magnesium, and carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer—and claims lowest-in-class (but not yet specified) weight and up to 24 percent greater torsional rigidity than the outgoing model. Its dimensions grow 1.5 inches in length, between 0.5 and 0.7 inch in height, and 0.2 inch in wheelbase, while width actually shrinks by 0.2 inch. Similar to Range Rover’s embrace of the term “reductionism” to describe the lack of ornamentation in its new Velar, the A8’s minimalist thread carries inward, where wood, leather, and aluminum form a layer cake of reassuringly authentic finishes that are, again, solid and stately but lacking in drama. There’s a masculinity to the spacious cabin, though those rich tactile materials are interrupted by the door handles made of chromed plastic, an unfortunate counterpoint to the otherwise sincere materials throughout. At least their electrically actuated action is crisply satisfying.
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The 2019 A8 rear cabin has all the comforts of home and then some with reclining seats, center control panel, and even a heated, massaging footrest.
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The MMI interface as we know it in present-generation Audis has been replaced by a 10.1-inch and an 8.6-inch touchscreen, a system Audi calls MMI Touch Response. The haptic system works well, with subtle feedback and audible clicks, both of which are adjustable. The top screen manages a vast number of settings from vehicle dynamics to navigation and multimedia, and the bottom is dedicated to HVAC and seats, which, incidentally, offer some of the best, deepest chair massages in the industry. Rear passengers get reclining seats and a weighty, removable tablet that also controls an available heated, massaging footrest behind the front passenger seat. The starkness of the dashboard’s black panel screens is, thankfully, countered by a key selection of fixed touch-sensitive buttons and dials—namely, the drive mode selector, a volume knob, a stability control button, and HVAC vent controllers that offer additional micromanagement of fan speeds and can shut off the vents altogether, sliding them behind an electrically actuated panel for a cleaner look. Audi AI, the system that governs the autonomous driving and parking tech, is not yet available in test cars; we sampled the two gasoline-powered models confirmed for the U.S. market: the A8 55 TSFI, powered by a 340-hp, 369-lb-ft 3.0-liter turbo V-6; and the A8 60 TSFI, motivated by a 460hp, 487-lb-ft 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. The V-6 will be available at launch, followed by the V-8 several months later. Don’t be surprised to see plug-in hybrid and W-12-powered variants down the line. (The U.S. will only get the longer-wheelbase version, dubbed A8 L in Europe. The diesel and the shorterwheelbase models will not come Stateside.) Quiet certainty is the A8’s modus operandi on the road, aided by a standard adaptive air suspension system that combines a smooth ride with comfort-focused but glueddown handling. The highways in and around Valencia were already eerily smooth, but perhaps more impressive than the ride quality was how the A8 defied its bulky proportions. The A8’s available all-wheel-steering system countersteers the rear wheels as much as 5 degrees at lower speeds, easing turn-in and reducing the turning radius by 3.3 feet. Highspeed stability is bolstered by up to 2 degrees of parallel-
phase rear steering. On the winding stretches overlooking the city, the A8 negotiated dramatically tight corners with ease, making it feel much smaller than its 123.1-inch wheelbase might suggest. An optional active suspension will be available following market launch. The electromechanical suspension, dubbed Audi AI active, is powered by a 48-volt system that scans the road ahead and can not only lift each wheel by up to 2.3 inches in anticipation of a bump, it can also raise the body nearly 2 inches to aid body control. A demonstration showcased a startling ability to soak up a raised section of road, all but eliminating the impact of the offending bump. Roadside observation of the system reveals a visible lift in the body, the wheel wells becoming more exposed in anticipation of the suspension articulation. Neat. The system can also sense an impending side impact and raise the body up to 3.1 inches in a half second in order to minimize injury. The 3.0-liter V-6 delivers even, smooth power—0 to 60 mph in roughly 5.7 seconds—but the eight-speed automatic transmission plays so nicely with the mill that it rarely leaves the driver wanting for quicker acceleration. Engine noise comes in quiet, hushed tones, thanks to the wellisolated body and double-paned glass. The 4.0-liter V-8 predictably delivers a more satisfying thump of torque that expedites forward movement (Audi has yet to provide an acceleration time), and active engine mounts help smooth out the powerplant’s reciprocating effect. The V-8 also runs rather quietly and gains active noise cancellation to further soften the acoustics, though keen listeners might appreciate the faintly audible thrum and the quiet, low frequency bottom note between shifts. Choose the right drive mode setting, and you’ll hardly ever question the computer’s gear selection. Take over with the small, wheel-mounted paddle shifters, and you’ll get quick-enough gear swaps that can shift smoothly in milder settings or with a slight punch in Dynamic mode. The A8’s advances suggest Audi is hellbent on becoming the technological leader in the large, high-dollar sedan segment. If you’re the type to geek out on whiz-bang gizmos, it’s hard not to fall for the A8’s bag of tricks, which of course centers on self-driving and gains support from the trick electromechanical suspension, and features such as a selfparking function that enables operation from outside the vehicle. But Audi’s latest flagship begs a deeper question about intangibles. This dizzyingly sophisticated machine packs a total of 24 sensors, including six cameras, five radar sensors, and one laser scanner, not to mention an array of microprocessors to orchestrate and execute the vehicle’s expansive repertoire. But does this technological tour de force inspire emotion? The A8 claims an impressive skill set and groundbreaking autonomy, but the million-dollar question might leave some traditional luxury lovers cold. AM
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F O U R SEASONS Introduction
A K O R E A N L U X U R Y C A R . Does that sound a bit odd to your ear? It might. Most folks not so long ago looked a bit askance at Toyota for launching its Lexus brand. And you might not know it, but Hyundai has been selling luxury cars here for about eight years now—the Equus and the Genesis. The latter created a bit of buzz for the company’s premium efforts, and now its name has spawned its own brand and a new top-tier model, the G90. The 2017 Genesis G90’s exterior is, from most angles, a bit of a hodgepodge of other familiar full-size luxury sedans. BMW’s 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class definitely feature in its details, but the overall presence is more in line with the Lexus LS, which is due to be replaced with an all-new model in 2018 (page 60). Being almost entirely derivative, the G90’s design is very much “inside the box,” but it’s also a pleasant assembly of cherry-picked crowd-pleasers, so although it’s not unique, it’s handsome, especially wrapped in its subtle London Gray paint job. Inside, the story is much the same with the same relative influences. As an upstart luxury brand, copying the segment leaders might seem like a cop-out, but it could actually be a stroke of genius. Why reinvent the wheel when you can just borrow one?
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Where the G90 does make some bold THE SPECS moves is price. At $71,575, our Four Seasons 3.3T Premium AWD test car comes equipped with no options—because there are none. The only choices you’ll make in specing a G90 are what sort of engine you’d like (a turbo V-6 or a naturally aspirated V-8), whether you’d like rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, the car’s exterior color, and in a few cases, the interior color scheme. (Most exterior colors offer only one interior color scheme.) That’s it. And yet it’s still pretty much loaded. ON SALE: Now PRICE: $71,575 In addition to featuring the 3.3-liter twin(as tested) turbo V-6 engine rated at 365 horsepower ENGINE: and 376 lb-ft of torque, an eight-speed 3.3L twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve automatic transmission, and all-wheel V-6/365 hp drive, our 2017 G90 also includes adaptive @ 6,000 rpm, cruise control, lane-keep assist, a head-up 376 lb-ft @ display, automatic emergency braking with 1,300-4,500 rpm TRANSMISSION: pedestrian detection, and a host of other 8-speed automatic electronic safety nannies. A 12.3-inch display L AYOUT: houses the navigation and infotainment 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, systems, 7.1-channel surround sound blasts AWD sedan through its 17 speakers, and Qi wireless EPA MILEAGE: charging lets you cut the cord (depending 17/24 mpg (city/hwy) on the phone). But that’s not all! These are L x W x H: 204.9 x 75.4 x 58.9 in just a few of the full-size sedan’s top-line WHEELBASE: features. We’ll have plenty more to say about 124.4 in the G90’s long list of standard equipment in WEIGHT: 4,840 lb updates to come. 0-60 MPH: 5.4 sec TOP SPEED: 155 mph Senior copy editor Kara Snow shed some light on a couple of the car’s myriad interior amenities, noting of the G90: “As much as Automobile editors love to drive, this one is best appreciated from the back seat. Plenty of legroom, Nappa leather seats, three-zone climate control, power side and rear window shades, and easy power door closure add up to create a cosseted, upscale passenger car.” Associate editor Jonathon Klein, on the other hand, found delight in a feature shared by every car: the front seats. “As far as I’m concerned, the front seats in the G90 are S-Class worthy,” he said. “They feel as if your posterior is swaddled in the softest goose down. I could see spending days in those seats without ever getting a cramp or growing weary of the road and the trip.” Online editor Ed Tahaney called out the G90’s ride comfort as a standout feature and called it: “A big boat of a car with a ride that reminds me of an early ’90s Caddy, in a good way. It floats down the highway and bounces like a beach ball when you hit bumps in the road.” It hasn’t been a perfect honeymoon with our new Four Seasons G90, however. A few gripes have arisen, with one in particular making the rounds. Klein argues there’s some work to be done on the center console design. “There are too many buttons by a factor of 10,” he said. “My wife and I started counting one night and found more than 113 buttons in the cabin. That has to be a record—one Genesis might not want to hold. There are too many single-use buttons
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FOUR SEASONS / 2017 GENESIS G90
2017 GENESIS G90 AWD 3.3T PREMIUM
that could be easily combined or even eliminated.” Tahaney explained why the buttons and layout aren’t ideal: “The volume control knob is too close to the same size as the airconditioning knob. Every time I reach over to turn up the volume, I end up screwing with the A/C.” Features and design are only part of the luxury sedan equation, however. To hang with the best of today’s toptier cars, the G90 will need to offer some muscle and some hustle to counter its cool-hand style. We’ll be digging deeper into whether the 3.3-liter turbo V-6 delivers the goods through the course of our year with the G90, but our initial testing shows the car is certainly in the ballpark. With a 4,840-pound weight on our scales, the G90 3.3T AWD scampers to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, running the quarter mile in 13.9 seconds at 100.3 mph. To put that in context, the latest BMW 740i xDrive hits 60 mph from a standstill in just 5.1 seconds, according to the manufacturer. Fifteen years ago, those would have been pretty solid figures for a midrange sports car. When it comes to cornering, the G90’s softer side shines through. It managed just 0.86 g of lateral grip on our skidpad, running the figure eight in 25.6 seconds at an average of 0.73 g. Look for more updates on our yearlong journey with the Genesis G90 over the coming months as we do our best to discover whether this is the new luxury brand’s moonshot, the foundation for a new Lexus, or if it’s just another near miss, doomed to wither in the netherworld of “near luxury.” AM
To hang with the best of today’s top-tier cars, the G90 will need to offer some muscle and some hustle to counter its cool-hand style. 71
SWEET CRIB SHEET You can’t deny that the G90’s design yields an elegant, familiar end product, whether behind the wheel, from the back seat, or on the street.
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by
p ho t o g ra ph y b y
CONNER GOLDEN
SANDON VOELKER
CLASSIC
TINY CARS ARE HUGE FUN AT THE LANE MOTOR MUSEUM
PEEL TRIDENT
!
1959 LARC-LX
TOO BIG TO FAIL The LARC is very much operational. Jeff Lane will sometimes crank the four diesel engines over and crush a few derelict cars for visitors.
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I T ’ S N O T H Y P E R B O L E to call the Lane Motor Museum the world’s greatest collection of eccentric and oddball automobiles. Located in a warehouse district of southeastern Nashville inside what was once a Sunbeam Bread bakery, the Lane is delightfully free of glossy floors and garish automobilia. It’s a place where Tatras, Alpines, DKWs, and a cornucopia of other cars you’ve probably never heard of can shine. We’ve come to this glorious celebration of automotive obscura to sample the museum’s extensive collection of microcars. As part of its annual media drive, the Lane graciously allowed us behind the wheel of some of its strangest, rarest, and most interesting pint-sized wonders. To be clear, we’re not talking about the contemporary Mini Cooper, Fiat 500, or Smart Fortwo here. These cars will redefine your idea of small. Despite the categorical implication of the term microcar, the segment is nebulous and hardly definitive. Although the vast majority of these tiny terrors are motivated by engines less than 1.0 liter in size, the Lane considers any small car with an engine checking in at 0.4 liters or so to be part of the microcar family. Wee stature and microscopic engine displacement aren’t their only unconventional aspects. Some microcars even sport fewer than four wheels, thanks to some clever legislation. In Great Britain, three-wheelers aren’t considered cars at all; you need only a motorcycle license to operate them. In several European countries, vehicles
1956 HEINKEL KABINE
PEEL P50
CLASSIC
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AFTER ALMOST DISLOCATING A JOINT OR TWO CLIMBING INSIDE, THE P50 PROVED AS GLEEFUL TO DRIVE AS IT IS TO LOOK AT.
1958 VESPA 400
1978 SEAB FLIPPER
that fall under the legal microcar definition—no heavier than 937 pounds, a 50cc engine with no more than roughly 5.4 horsepower, a top speed not exceeding 28 mph—do not require a license to operate, earning a reputation for attracting the elderly, the young, and in some cases, the serial drunken drivers with revoked licenses. These so-called voitures sans permis (cars without permit) are particularly popular in France, where an entire industry supplies these machines to city dwellers, penny pinchers, and barflies.
With light steering, a dogleg three-speed transmission, and a scooter engine in the rear, the Vespa 400 was one of our favorites.
1964 SCOOTACAR MKII DE-LUXE
Not only were classic microcars cheap to buy, they were inherently thrifty to operate. Fuel, brake, and tire consumption were minimal, and the engines were usually two-stroke, one-cylinder thumpers ripped out of scooters or motorcycles. To manage what little power there is, you’ll find a potpourri of transmissions in microcars, including manual, sequential, continuously variable, and automatic. My tiny-car tour began on the Lane museum’s grounds, where I snacked on a selection of cars too fragile, temperamental, or short-legged for the open road. These vehicular hors d’oeuvres began with a pair of bright red Peels, a brand that’s recently become the face of rising microcar popularity. If The Guinness Book of World Records is to be believed, production cars don’t get smaller than the Peel P50. Born in 1962 on the Isle of Man, the Peel P50 sought to mobilize locals and get them out of the inclement weather on the cheap, offering motorized transport for just 199 British pounds sterling, the equivalent of $2,500 in today’s rates. This was not a lot of money for not a lot of car, but Peel claimed the goofy P50 offered enough interior space for “one adult and one shopping bag.” If you had to drag along a passenger, you upgraded to the bubble-topped Trident, offering a mildly (some might say wildly) uncomfortable space for two adults. After almost dislocating a joint or two climbing inside, the P50 proved as gleeful to drive as it is to look at. As I buzzed around the complex, the brat-brat-brat-brat of the
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one-cylinder engine echoed off the brick walls, gassing the local urban Nashville wildlife with an azure plume of exhaust smoke. The Trident was next, entered by lifting its clamshell, bubble-top canopy. Aside from the scooter-esque racket, the Peel Trident was the most retrofuturistic experience I’ve ever had behind the wheel. Its plexiglass dome turns you into a rolling exhibition, allowing interaction with the local human population without having to leave the (relative) comfort of your bubble car. Comfort is indeed relative when it comes 1980 SUBARU FASTRACK II Best drive of the day! to microcars, as I was reminded time and again throughout the day. Although I drove the Trident early in the morning while temperatures hovered around the 70-degree LIGIER JS4 mark, within minutes I was a hard-breathing lump of sweat, overheated thanks to its glaring lack of ventilation and shade. After a failed U-turn, I found myself face to face with the museum’s gargantuan 1959 LARC-LX amphibious vehicle. Like the P50, the Trident has no reverse gear, necessitating a push from TEILHOL SIMPLY a friendly staff member of the museum. Had I been in the smaller P50, I could have climbed out and picked the car up by the rear end. Due in part to starring in an episode of “Top Gear” in 2007, the P50 and Trident have It might have enjoyed increasing attention on the auction a Formula 1 pedigree, circuit. Collectors are snapping up original but the Ligier is about as and recreation Peels for frightening sums, fast as your searching for a novelty vehicle to park in average gas-powered between their blue-chip classics. Given that golf cart. only 27 of the original 50 still exist, real P50s are claiming more than six figures at auction. In 2016, RM Sotheby’s sold a P50 for a whopping $176,000. Of the other microcars the Lane offered me to test drive, the 1959 Berkeley SE328 wore familiar sports-car proportions, albeit on a shrunken scale. As much as I loved its light, quick steering and eager handling, my 5-foot-11-inch frame was MESSERSCHMITT KR200 folded to full constriction, requiring Pilates to actuate anything in the pedal box. I climbed into the 1978 SEAB Flipper for my next tiny wheel time. This unwieldy, upright sans permis was 1959 BERKELEY SE328 Societe d’Exploitation et d’Application des Brevet’s attempt at innovation, incorporating a rotating engine and drive assembly in place of a reverse gear. If you need to scooch backward, just keep turning the steering wheel until the wheels and engine have rotated 180 degrees. Reverse, unwind the wheel, and repeat as necessary. Just be careful you don’t turn the driveline too far, lest you shear the sleeve loaded with critical wires and tubes. After sampling a few more not-quite-roadworthy vehicular oddballs, our photographer and I piled into a red 1956 Heinkel Kabine for a short caravan to the second drive location. At
SEE FOR YOURSELF If you want to get up close and personal with these cars, make sure to head to the Lane Motor Museum before May 21, when Microcar Mania will pack up. If you can’t make the deadline, there are still more than 150 cars to check out, including one of the largest collections of Tatras outside of the Czech Republic. Don’t forget to explore the side garage where the Lane stuffs its ambulances, industrial trucks, and oversized vehicles. Most importantly, don’t forget your camera.
first glance, this appears as an elongated, off-brand BMW Isetta, especially given its hinged front portal. Jeff Lane, the owner, founder, and namesake of the museum, says the Heinkel is an upscale, comfortable alternative to the Isetta. He should know: Ten years ago, he drove one 1,200 miles on a round trip between Belgium and Italy. Aside from a tricky column-mounted shifter that wasn’t keen on third gear, the Heinkel is the first microcar that almost makes sense. Power is adequate for low-speed romps around town, and there’s plenty of storage space behind the front seat. We weren’t exactly comfortable, but my passenger wasn’t unduly broken after a 15-minute ride to Fairgrounds Speedway, the second-oldest continually operating oval track in the States. There awaited a larger group of slightly bigger, faster, and ostensibly better-built microcars, ready for exercise on the venue’s banked oval course. I chose the Messerschmitt KR200, one of the most iconic and enduring microcars next to the Peel, for my first trip around the track. Built by the same engineers who designed and developed Messerschmitt aircraft, this two-seat fuselage packed a more potent Honda motorcycle engine, replacing its original 10-odd horsepower two-stroke, giving the Messerschmitt a worrying amount of straightline speed. The KR200’s front track width being greater than
You’ll see all manner of automotive obscura at the Lane, including this 1945 Erickson Streamliner. Built in the garage of a local metalworker, it’s the only one in existence.
the rear makes canting the deliciously aeronautical twoprong steering “wheel” an exercise in bravery. Back in the staging area, a drag race was being held between the Teilhol Simply and the Ligier JS4, two delightful little cubes that truly embrace the term “box on wheels.” Despite a more aerodynamic profile and featherweight plastic body, the Teilhol was left for dead by the rackety Ligier. The JS4 likely found extra motivation from the Ligier Formula 1 racing team signatures adorning its roof—one from each member of the team that used this particular box for runs down pit lane. The banana yellow 1980 Subaru 360 FasTrack II was the best drive of the event, despite being critically impractical to the point of uselessness. The FasTrack was Subaru importer and auto industry megamind Malcom Bricklin’s way of ridding himself of excess Subaru 360 inventory, inviting interested parties to drive these fiberglass roadsters to destruction on a custom race circuit for $1. The FasTrack might ride on the bones of a humble 360, but a turbocharged engine, traditional manual transmission, and extremely lightweight body returned the most smiles of the day. In reality, I had a smile on my face all day long. Despite their challenges, I found the Lane’s microcars to be a tiny slice of automotive history that proved to be big fun. AM
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T H I N K O F S U B A R U today and, besides the excellent BRZ sports car it codeveloped with Toyota, you most likely envision outdoorsy owners happily shuttling Fido around in a boxy, all-wheel-drive wagon. But long before the BRZ, there was another three-letter Subaru sports coupe: the SVX. Never heard of it? You’re forgiven. Subaru’s U.S. roots date to 1968, when the brand was established as a contrarian, would-be alternative to Volkswagen, Toyota, and Datsun. That’s when Malcolm Bricklin founded Subaru of America in the celebrated automotive hotbed of Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. Bricklin is the same wildcatter who later produced a gullwing-doored sports car bearing his name in New Brunswick, Canada, and later imported the much-vilified Yugo to these shores. By the early 1990s Subaru’s automotive business was taking off, and the automotive division of Fuji Heavy Industries decided to build a halo car to take on BMW. Yes, the brand associated with all-wheel-drive economy cars, most of which were station wagons, conceived a plan to offer a Subaru that could be a German luxury coupe competitor. And while the car maker was at it, Subaru figured it might as well poach some Lexus SC sales and maybe a few Mercedes-Benz SL intenders. Subaru’s secret weapon was the SVX, an angular design by Giorgetto Giugiaro whose resume includes the BMW M1, DeLorean DMC-12, and Maserati Bora. How could Subaru miss with Italian design, seating for four, a very plush interior, a responsive six-cylinder boxer engine, and all-wheel drive? And smaller, operable windows within its larger stationary windows, like the DeLorean and Lamborghini Countach? The car was aerodynamically sleek, with an impressive drag coefficient of 0.29. Giugiaro’s initial concept made its debut at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show. Response was enthusiastic, and the Alcyone SVX—the name a reference to the brightest star in the Pleiades cluster as seen on Subaru’s logo—entered production for the 1992 model year, looking very much like the original show car. In the U.S., the car was simply badged SVX (Subaru Vehicle X) for its five-year run.
THE SVXS WERE UNCOMMON, BUT THEY WEREN’T FLAMBOYANT IN AN EXOTIC-CAR WAY, SO THE STIR SUBARU HOPED TO CAUSE NEVER REALLY CAME. As it happened, the SVX didn’t really bring that star glow to the rest of the line. It was something of an orphan within its own family, having little in common with the more run-of-the-mill Legacy and Impreza models. One of the car’s perceived shortcomings was the fact it came only with a four-speed automatic transmission, Subaru not having a manual gearbox capable of handling the 3.3-liter
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engine’s 230 hp and 228 lb-ft of torque. But the real problem was that the SVX retailed for almost $10,000 more than any other Subaru despite rumors Subaru lost roughly $3,000 on each one. Those unsustainable economics led to the car’s cancellation at the end of the 1996 model year with no successor planned. Subaru sold a little more than 14,000 in the U.S. despite expected sales of 10,000 per year. Cars were sold Stateside into the following year as 1997 models. The SVXs were uncommon, but they weren’t flamboyant in an exotic-car way, so the stir Subaru hoped to cause never really came. But that’s changing. Scott King and Sandy Edelstein own the SVX finished in Polo Green seen here. “It’s an intriguing car, different and weird,” King says. “You’re a celebrity when you drive this car. People have no idea what it is, and the Subaru badging just adds to the confusion.” Their car is a top-of-the line 1996 LSi that still looks somewhat anonymous after all these years, though that rear spoiler seems to have lots in common with the configuration seen on the Lotus Esprit, another Giugiaro design. The exterior is pleasing and smooth but visually engaging, while the interior is absolutely sumptuous. The seats are upholstered in buttery beige leather, but there are also rich brown suede-swathed door and dash panels.
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THE MARKET PERSPECTIVE With the SVX’s rarity and the uptick in general values for collectible Japanese cars, you might think that these sporty Subies have taken off in value. You’d be wrong; the market has remained virtually flat for the SVX, regardless of year or trim level. That means you should be able to find a solid example for well under $10,000. Start looking at the $5,000 price point to avoid bottomfeeder examples needing lots of overdue maintenance. —Rory Jurnecka
ITALIAN DNA The SVX’s look was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who also penned the DeLorean DMC-12. Note the window-inwindow feature and a sleek interior with hidden stereo system.
That six-cylinder boxer engine might foster Porsche thoughts, and driving an SVX does offer a solid, almost Stuttgartesque experience. The steering gives weighted assurance without any jitters, irrespective of road surface. It’s a pleasant car to drive, accepting of an active driver’s input or a more laissez-faire approach. It is quick enough, scooting from 0 to 60 mph in a tad more than 7 seconds and onward to a top speed of 154 mph (reduced to 143 mph via a speed limiter in post-1993 cars). Torque-split for U.S. market cars is up to 50/50 front/rear in low-grip situations and 90/10 in normal driving; Japanese versions were more rear-
biased. A handful of front-wheel-drive SVXs were sold in the U.S. for the 1994-’95 model years in lower trim models as a cost-cutting measure, but the option was unpopular and discontinued after just two years. King and Edelstein bought the car from the original owners with just 53,000 miles on the odometer, and to most eyes it’s quite flawless. Edelstein, however, says it’s one paint job away from perfection. The SVX is best appreciated on highways and interstates, which is, after all, where grand tourers are meant to be. “It’s just a joy to drive, and you get a panoramic view you don’t get in any other car,” King says.
LIVING WITH THE SVX
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On a practical note, it has a big trunk with folding rear seats for trips to Home Depot. And even the window-in-widow design isn’t much of a hindrance. “We actually owned a DeLorean, and the SVX’s windows are much better for a drive-through restaurant. You can theoretically crawl out of it in an emergency.” Well, maybe if you have a 28-inch waist. With all that glass, it’s a literal comfort to hear King boast, “It has the coldest AC we had in any of our cars.” The SVX is a rolling paradox. It is more than capable of providing the kind of enhanced driving experience associated with traditional prestigious makes, but its eccentricity is partially its charm. Today, it’s one of the better classic-car values going, and the odds of parking next to another one at cars and coffee are slim to none. With classic Japanese sports cars becoming ever more collectible, now is a great time to jump on the SVX bandwagon.
MODEL YEARS:
1992-1997 NUMBER SOLD:
A positive aspect of SVX ownership is the active community of owners who keep each other posted on parts, service tips, and events. Mark Schneider, who lives in the Houston area, is one such enthusiast who runs the SVX Nation group on Facebook. His ’95 LSi had more than 189,000 miles on the clock when he bought it, and he immediately proceeded to use it on his 100mile daily commute. He says he’s seen an SVX with 300,000-plus miles, one of 30 that showed up for the most recent national meet in Lafayette, Indiana, where Subaru builds the Outback, Legacy, and Impreza. Schneider remembers being a child when a neighbor bought an SVX and—you could see this coming—“The windows blew me away. I was infatuated.” That love affair has blossomed now that he’s had a chance to spend quality time on the other side of those windows. “They’re just beasts on the highway,” Schneider says. “You can park it at 85 mph for thousands of miles. That’s its happy place.” Which is just what he did when he drove his car more than 2,000 miles to Lafayette and back. The automatic transmission remains an image problem, but it can be a mechanical issue as well, especially on early production cars. There is, however, a solution that addresses both concerns: Remove it. Schneider fitted his SVX with a five-speed manual sourced from a later WRX. “The original intent and design precluded a manual,” he says, “but with one
24,379 (globally, including 14,257 in U.S.) ORIGINAL PRICE (U.S.):
$24,445 (’91 base SVX L), $36,740 (’96 SVX LSi) VALUE TODAY:
$3,900-$4,700 (Hagerty avg value)
SUBARU SVX ENGINE:
3.3L DOHC flat-6/230 hp, 228 lb-ft TRANSMISSION:
4-speed automatic DRIVE:
All wheel or front wheel SUSPENSION:
Struts BRAKES:
Discs WEIGHT:
3,580 lb
installed it’s a completely different animal and a hoot and a half to drive.” As with just about any collectible, you are well advised to spend a bit more to get a well-cared-for example. Parts availability is getting to be problematic since there’s not a whole lot of interchangeability with lesser Subies. The throttle positioning sensor for a ’95 Legacy will set you back $55, and one for an SVX could be as much as $350. That said, SVX Nation is a great source if your local Subaru dealer isn’t. As Schneider notes, “A lot of the younger Subaru techs have no idea why this strange spaceship has rolled into the dealer’s service bay.” As a result, he urges new owners to find someone “who actually knows what it is” when it comes time to work on it. AM
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F E R R A R I H A S B E E N throwing lavish parties and staging events all over the world in honor of its 70th anniversary, and as part of the celebration held a huge bash on its home turf in Maranello, Italy, last September. Brand luminaries including CEO Sergio Marchionne, Formula 1 race-car drivers past and present and Enzo Ferrari’s second son, Piero Ferrari, all turned out for the occasion. In conjunction with the event, RM Sotheby’s held its second Leggenda e Passione auction with an allFerrari catalog and some glitzy models at the top end of the sales list. By nearly any measurement, the sale was a success with a total of $75,154,443 brought in from 38 cars that sold. With a total of 42 cars in the auction, that equals a very strong 90 percent sell-through rate.
MUSEO ENZO FERRARI MODENA The Modenese building where Enzo lived and conducted early business from is now a museum stocked with cars, engines, and tons of history. It’s worth a visit if you’re in the area, and it’s a wonderful complement to the Maranello museum.
2017 LAFERRARI APERTA At the sharp end of the results, a 2017 LaFerrari Aperta—a yet-unbuilt car said to be the last scheduled to come off the line— brought in a record-setting $10,043,000, a number no doubt helped along by Ferrari and RM Sotheby’s donating all proceeds from this lot to charity.
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1983 400i Another world record was set by a 1983 400i in desirable five-speed manual specification, being sold by its first and only owner, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones. The black, grand touring 2+2 was said to be Richards’ daily transportation in Paris for a period. A sharp 400i is rarely more than a $60,000 car, and the huge $417,450 paid here makes it the most valuable 400i ever sold at auction.
1985 288 GTO This 1985 288 GTO set a new world record for the model at auction, selling for $3,948,230. The big sale price on this one is reflective of the car’s low mileage (just 453 miles from new), U.S. federalization, and its status as just one of 19 288 GTOs (of 272 produced) to be ordered without electric windows and a stereo as a weight-savings measure.
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1969 365 GTB/4 A much-anticipated car to go on the block was the sole alloy-bodied 1969 365 GTB/4 Daytona, which was recently found covered in dust and dirt after years of storage in Japan. It brought $2,186,470 and was hastily brought indoors post sale when it began to rain in Maranello, so as not to wash off the car’s dusty patina.
FERRARI’S FINEST
ENZO’S OFFICE
How many of these Ferrari VIPs can you name? Marchionne looks focused with an RM Sotheby’s auction bidder’s paddle. And it’s always nice to see Piero Ferrari, on Marchionne’s left, involved with the brand his father built.
This replica of Enzo Ferrari’s office is located at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello and is stocked with some of il Commendatore’s favorite things, including several early race victory trophies. Visitors to the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena can see the office he kept there as well.
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PA R T N E R S I N SPEED ROLEX AND MOTORSPORTS HAVE A LONG, STRONG HISTORY
LAURA BURSTEIN
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“ R O L E X E S A R E I N D E S T R U C T I B L E ,”
It’s just the watch I want to wear.” Haywood isn’t the only race-car driver who has had a love affair with the brand, of course. Rolex and motorsports have been inextricably linked since British racer Malcolm Campbell wore a Rolex Oyster while breaking the 300-mph speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1935. Campbell is said to have mailed Rolex letters extolling the virtues of its products. But when you think of racing and watches, Rolex and the now iconic Daytona comes to mind. The relationship with Florida’s Daytona International Speedway predates the famous endurance race held at the track. It began when Rolex Watch U.S.A.’s then-president, Rene P. Dentan, forged a friendship with NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. In 1964, Rolex started to award the chronograph to the winning drivers of the Daytona Continental—then an FIAsanctioned, three-hour endurance race—and added the word “Daytona” to the dial, altering the watch world forever. (The race’s familiar 24-hour format made its debut in 1966.) “It’s all about the watch,” says Scott Pruett, the American racer who has won 15 Rolex watches, including five for overall wins at the Rolex 24, during a career that spans
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says Hurley Haywood, one of America’s most successful endurance racers, as he stands on the terrace during a private reception at a mansion deep in the Hollywood Hills. Haywood pulls back his shirt cuff, gives a small smile—which, if you’ve spent any time with the laconic race car driver, you know a smile means high praise—and starts to tap on the watch’s sapphire crystal as lights from the Sunset Strip below cast a pinkish glow on his grin. “I’m rough on a watch. It’s got to withstand all of the rigors of racing, all the tax I put it through.” Haywood should know about the watch’s durability—he owns nearly every model of Rolex Daytona ever made, most of them hard won from time in a race car. Rolex employs official spokespeople to talk up the brand, including Formula 1 champion Jackie Stewart (pictured above in helmet) and nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen (opposite page), but Haywood, crooked grin and all, isn’t on the watchmaker’s payroll. He’s a genuine fan, converted from the moment in 1970 when he bought his first Rolex for $260 at a U.S. Army post exchange while stationed in Vietnam. “Since then, I always had Rolexes.
DAYTONA: JORGE NUÑEZ; HURLEY HAYWOOD: RICK DOLE
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more than three decades. “Every one is sacred, and there are stories behind every one of these watches. It becomes more than a timepiece, it becomes an heirloom and even more so if it says ‘Winner of the Rolex 24’ on the back.” Aside from its ties to American sports-car racing, Rolex is also the official timepiece of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Formula 1. Vintage racing is also high on its priority list—it is the title sponsor of the annual Monterey Motorsports Reunion and is also heavily involved with the U.K.’s Goodwood Revival. Like a Porsche 911, the Rolex Daytona is instantly recognizable, and over the years the changes to both have been incremental rather than evolutionary. It’s these minor changes—and the obsessive nature of collectors of both products—that add to the lore and start to drive collectors crazy as they obsess over the smallest details. Although Rolex is tight-lipped about most of the changes, it’s not too hard to find a hardcore fan to opine about the tiny tweaks to the dial, bezels, pushers, and significantly, the movements. “With the Daytona, you had this idea that you were going to market these things to people,” says Benjamin Clymer, founder of the watch website, Hodinkee. “Before, chronographs were really ‘tool’ watches for those in the racing industry, and that’s about it. And Rolex said, ‘OK, we’re going to make this the racer’s watch.’ There’s a history of these watches going on the wrists of great racers. And when you have these famous racers wearing this watch because they’ve actually won at Daytona, it creates a secondary level of appreciation and understanding from the motorsports community.”
This steel Daytona belongs to Automobile contributor Andy Pilgrim, awarded for his overall win at the 2004 24 Hours of Daytona.
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A PAUL NEWMAN DAYTONA SOLD AT CHRISTIE’S FOR $1.1 MILLION. NOT TOO SHABBY AN INVESTMENT FOR A WATCH THAT COST ONLY $210 IN 1963. A classic Rolex Daytona Reference 6239 “Paul Newman” sits next to a brand-new, black-overblack Daytona with the very desirable ceramic bezel, courtesy of BobsWatches. com.
(see page 105). In the book, Hranek weaves the stories of 70 one-of-a-kind timepieces from the men who’ve owned these watches via personal anecdotes. “Rolex makes real tool watches, and I love the fact that they specialize,” Hranek says. “The Submariner for divers, the GMT for pilots. It’s hard not to love the Daytona in terms of its design and because of its iconic status. A lot of that is due to the famous owners. When I visited Mario Andretti for my book, he pulled out every watch he had ever owned and placed them all on a big table. In the middle was an older Daytona, and I said to him, ‘Wow, look at the Daytona,’ and Mario looked at me, shrugged, and said, ‘Yeah, I did win that race a couple times.’ I just sighed and said, ‘Oh yeah, of course you did.’” Rolex introduced a new Daytona with a black ceramic bezel during the 2016 edition of Baselworld, the watch industry’s top expo, and the news excited even the most jaded watch insiders. The New York Times called it the hottest watch money can’t buy. a waiting list, if you don’t know the right people, can stretch into a yearslong proposition. A few months after its release, we asked Haywood if he had one. “Not yet,” he says. “But I’m working on it.” Rolex SA, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, was
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If the racing world wasn’t enamored with the Daytona before, it certainly was after Paul Newman, who was just starting his professional racing career, wore a Reference 6239 on his wrist in 1972. Given to him as a gift by his wife, actress Joanne Woodward, these Daytonas are set apart by subtle but important differences, such as an art-deco font for the numerals on the subdials and small squares at the end of the hash marks. Although never officially named after the actor, the “Paul Newman” Daytona is one of the rarest and most sought-out variants of the timepiece. You can pick one up in good condition starting around $75,000 and, depending on the year, the prices can skyrocket from there. In May, 2017 at Philips Geneva Watch Auction, a Daytona Ref 6263 dubbed “The Legend” and one of three known yellow gold Paul Newman Daytonas sold for $3,717,906. In 2013, a 1969 stainless-steel Paul Newman Daytona sold at Christie’s for $1.1 million. Not too shabby an investment for a watch that cost only $210 in 1963. “I never really gravitated to the Daytona, and I passed on many when they were ‘cheap,’ but I’ve learned to appreciate them and like them aesthetically,” says Matt Hranek, author of the new book, “A Man and His Watch”
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founded in London in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis. Wilsdorf reportedly chose the Rolex name because it was short enough to fit on the face of a watch, consisted of symmetrical letters of the same size, and was easy to pronounce in many languages. Today it is the largest luxury watch brand by volume, producing some 2,000 watches a day. Forbes in 2016 ranked the company the 64th most valuable brand in the world with $4.7 billion in sales. For a brand that revolves so much around wealth, Rolex is hesitant to talk about money. Sponsorship terms are not disclosed to the public, and company executives do not do interviews. Ariel Adams, founder of seminal watch website aBlogtoWatch.com, says Rolex is secretive in most areas, including money
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Far left, the first precision certificate ever issued for a wristwatch, commissioned by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf, above. At left, a trademark document for the Rolex name was signed by Wilsdorf himself in 1946.
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Despite Rolex’s significant involvement in the world of motorsports, a spokesperson for the watchmaker told us that its timepieces have never been used to time the races, and the timing in early F1 years was done with Heuer chronographs. So why do so many get so excited about Rolex and its relationship with racing? You could say the connection is symbolic. A Rolex spokeswoman said, “Rolex is very much about individual achievement. We sponsor people, not teams. Think of a race-car driver. Sure, there is a team involved, but it’s just that one person out there on the track.” Haywood sees a connection to velocity. “They’re really at the top of the line of motorsports,” he says, “but they also do a lot of other sports—tennis, riding, sports that involve speed and timing. So I think they like to have that identification.” In addition to its connections with sports, Rolex actively supports music, culture, the arts, and scientific achievement with its Enterprise Awards. So what is the return on investment for all those sponsorship dollars? By some measures, Rolex is considered the most powerful luxury brand in the world, with a cachet no one else in the business has been able to replicate. What can’t be
matters. “It spends more than any other watch brand on marketing,” he says, “and it’s a key reason for the brand’s success. I’m not comfortable speculating an amount it spends since I have no idea, but I do know its strategy is to sponsor the top-tier events in each sport and to ensure no other watch brands take its place.” Rolex in 2015 extended its title-sponsor contract for Daytona’s 24-hour race with IMSA, signing up through 2025. At the same time, Daytona International Speedway began an ambitious, $400 million remodel and expansion of a towering complex. Rolex announced itself as a partner in the undertaking and now has its name on the new luxury lounge along the front stretch. When asked about financial details on the Rolex partnership, a spokesperson for Daytona International Speedway declined to reveal the deal’s value. But it is not difficult to imagine the sums required to keep the brand front and center of a global audience. In 2012, when Rolex succeeded Hublot as the official timekeeper and official timepiece of F1, it was speculated to cost at least $20 million per year.
measured in dollars, however, can perhaps be measured in influence and the number of watches you see on the wrists of race fans and automotive enthusiasts alike. “A Rolex is kind of like a Porsche,” says Haywood, who knows firsthand after spending so many years racing and winning for the German car manufacturer. “It’s a brand that’s got a great history to it. I like simplicity, and I like engineering. And that’s what I like about a Rolex. You look at it, and you know what time it is.” AM
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FORMULA 1 : LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Rolex signage is inescapable at modern motorsports events. Look for branded clocks, hats, lanyards, advertisements, banners, and flags at the biggest circuits in the world.
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE and ice-axe-swing-friendly cut of mountaineering jackets. That a complementary fit shouldn’t be sacrificed to sealed seams and insulation. That those fancy mountaineering jackets mostly get used in town or on early morning drives. Aether’s L.A. outpost is all dark wood and enabling. Casual outerwear shares floor space with the technical stuff, waterproof jackets and pants for snow sports and hardcore armored adventure gear for motorcycling. It all slots neatly into a careful, tidy color palate. Lots of black and gray, dusty reds, greens, and blues. Custom-built Ducatis and Timbersleds and composite kayaks are placed around the shop. Broad tables feature things that encourage adventure, such as Butler’s maps of twisty roads and the occasional camp tool. Most impressively, in the middle is a large walk-in freezer, an advantage when selling outerwear in L.A.’s sunny weather. South La Brea Avenue is all fancy bistros and vintage denim shops, the curbs kept clean by valet stands. It might have a clean storefront similar to its neighbors, but Aether’s curb is often awash in dirt-spattered adventure bikes and road-worn sports cars—rides owned by the Hollywood elite and the hoi polloi alike. It’s inevitable that Aether’s clean take on classic looks will filter into movies and onto a new generation of idols. But for now, wear that updated waxed cotton jacket with your old Porsche. If experience has shown us anything, it’s that a classic is always cool.—Chris Cantle
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P I C T U R E A R A N G E R O V E R , ready to show up anywhere dressed to kill, and you will have a pretty good idea of what Aether is all about. The Los Angeles-based company specializes in reshaping utilitarian outerwear into casually sophisticated clothing. Aether’s take on the classic waxed cotton jacket is a perfect example of its ethos. The ornamentation is gone. The contrasting brass zippers and buttons, the floppy and impractical belts all disposed of. What’s left is a jacket stripped to its essentials. Simplicity of line, thoughtful engineering, a nod to history. It’s not surprising that Aether cofounder Jonah Smith would be a Porsche guy. Smith and longtime business partner Palmer West traded one savage racket for another. As producers, the two have credits in major films, including “Requiem for a Dream,” “A Scanner Darkly,” and Bill Maher’s “Religulous.” Not content whipping on films, the two plunged into apparel as a way to indulge outdoors inclinations: skiing, motorcycle adventures, and driving cars. Smith’s black on black Porsche 964 is as understated as you can make the thing. Up on Mulholland Drive in the hills above Malibu, he’s gentle on it. Revving it out, applying clutch, giving the gearbox plenty of time to settle before picking up the next gear and letting the clutch take up again. It’s easygoing, methodical, and appreciative— the driving of a man who cares about a classic. There is a similar steady pragmatism to Aether’s design, the knowledge that most of us don’t need the bright colors
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→ → 101 Bee Line Coffee $16-$20, beelinecoffee.com
Detroit-based Cyberoptix Tie Lab offers the coolest handmade, graphic screen-printed carthemed ties, scarves, and pocket squares. Choose from a Packard Motors logo scarf, an automotive leather necktie, British racing green to Martini Racing stripes, engine “rosettes,” spark plugs, exhaust patterns, or sixspeed manual gearshift knobs. Be sure to check out the Cargyle ties. You’ll recognize the argyle pattern as connecting images of the original Ford Mustang.
Blipshift, 710 and The World Is Flat Mugs $15, blipshift.com If you like your coffee like some of us do, you can turn the 710 mug upside down without spilling a drop— and in doing so, you’ll be in on the joke.
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You already know how well cars and coffee go together, but you might not know Bee Line. This automotivethemed brand makes truly delicious joe. Some of our favorites: Flat Track: Colombian coffee from La Union farm in a direct-trade arrangement that pays farmers more of what their coffee is worth. Streamliner: Uses a special drying technique that results in more sweetness as well as a richer flavor. Classic Blend: Combination of African and West Pacific beans.
Cyberoptix Tie Lab Automotive Ties, Scarves, and Pocket Squares $21-$90, cyberoptix.com
Aether Apparel Hudson Jacket $350, aetherapparel.com One of our favorite Aether offerings is this Hudson Jacket, a wool-nylon piece that functions best in the chillier seasons in the city. Think less about an ascent up a frostbound mountain and more about a slushy slog down to the metro station. That’s not to say it wouldn’t keep you warm if you decide to take it upstate. Deep pockets and a midweight design mean you’ll still be toasty for a quick walk around a frozen park. Get it now online or at one of brand’s shops in L.A., San Francisco, Aspen, and New York.
Velomacchi Hybrid Duffle Pack and Tool Roll $400/$75, velomacchi.com Still using a backpack for overnight adventures? You’re better than that. With 50 liters of storage space and watertight construction, this duffleshoulder-backpack is the best of both worlds. The rugged materials mean you won’t worry if it’s caught in the rain. Make sure you also pick up the Velomacchi Speedway toolroll, compact enough to strap to your bike even when filled.
Goodwood Road Racing Club Mechanic Overalls $120, goodwood.com
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It’s not easy to get an invite to run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed or the Revival, but with the Goodwood Road Racing Club mechanic overalls, you can pretend you did. Available in white or khaki, these overalls are best worn while trapped in the dark engine bay of a Triumph TR6, in the fuselage of a Spitfire, or changing the tire of a Lotus in the Silverstone pits. Or add a leather belt, a flat cap, and a scarf, and you’re ready for teatime at the Revival.
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Hot Wheels Car Culture: Modern Classics $4, hotwheels.com You never truly outgrow Hot Wheels. While the regular blue-card Hot Wheels are as rare as rocks, these mini models are part of the brand’s popular Car Culture premium series. The design team behind the cars is hard at work yanking influence from past and present automotive trends, resulting in some seriously cool diecasts. With detailed paint schemes, metal bases, and rubber Real Riders wheels, these are collector darlings. This series features some of the greatest hits from the 1980s and ’90s, including a 1985 Honda CRX variant.
Hoodoo GT40 Victory Series Guitar $6,000, gt40.com
The Rava works as both a rear- and forward-facing seat, so take comfort in the safety of that tiny poop monster just home from the hospital all the way up to the 4-foot, 65-pounder who won’t stop asking, “Why, mommy and daddy? Why?” The Rava comes in a variety of colors from charcoal to berry, so it’ll match the interior of most of daddy’s cars.
“Josef, The IndyCar Driver” and “The Spectale: Celebrating the History of the Indianapolis 500” $16-$40, apexlegends.com Chris Workman’s children’s motorsports books are perfect for introducing a new generation of potential race fans to America’s open-wheel circuit and its most famous track, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While intended for kids, the books will inform and refresh even the sport’s full-sized veteran observers.
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Garage art can be a tricky thing, especially when the line between tacky and tasteful is so blurry. For the Americana enthusiast, check out Safir GT40 Spares and Hoodoo Guitar’s take on what a GT40 looks like in guitar form. Like the racing prototype that rocked the world more than a half century ago, this limited-edition axe features headlight and hood slot cutouts, along with special GT40 badging, VIN designation, and historical livery. If you’d rather strum than let it gather dust on the wall next to your car, it’s actually a very sharpsounding piece, thanks to the craftsmen at Hoodoo’s shop in Calgary, Canada. They’ll make only 100 of each of four different liveries.
Nuna Rava Convertible Car Seat $450, nuna.eu/usa
Carrera Digital 132 ’80s Flashback Slot Car Set $400, carrera-toys.com Carrera is one of biggest names in the slot-car business, and the German company offers an astounding number of tracks, cars, and configurations. We distracted ourselves with the new Digital 132 ’80s Flashback set, pitting a 1:32 scale 1979 BMW M1 Procar against a Zakspeed Ford Capri Turbo. Joining these two old-timers were incredibly detailed models of the No. 68 Ford GT race car and the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.
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“When an engine block is engineered, its shape is pure function for maximum performance and no regard for beauty. As a result, it made for an extremely intriguing aesthetic, one that I wanted to celebrate,” says Vulcan Innova’s Sean Cheng, who has produced his bespoke watch winders from salvaged BMW M52 straight-six engines since 2015. Design, engineering, production, and assembly are all done in-house. The Vulcan Innova is plain bananas: Lock the watches in place in winding mode, insert and turn the key, and the watches will rise forth from the winder’s pistons. Custom paint and leather are available to match the winder to your E36 M3.
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Vintage Kart Company Italiano $6,975, vintage-kartcompany.myshopify. com Looking very much like the great monoposto grand prix racers from the 1920s and ’30s, this pint-sized blue bullet is the product of Vintage Kart Company, an Arizona-based outfit that offers karts as kits or turnkey toys. For about $7,000, DIY-ers can assemble a bare matte aluminum kart, replete with Gatsby appeal and charm. Power comes from a Honda GX-200 one-cylinder four-stroke, pumping out a healthy 6.5 hp at full chat. Considering the Kart weighs around 300 pounds, this is plenty. Once you complete the build, slap on some period-correct racing graphics and sign up for the annual Grand Prix of Scottsdale, Arizona, to compete with other Vintage karts.
Land Rover Experience Heritage Program $1,200-$1,500, landroverusa.com If you’ve always had a taste for British bricks, the backwoods, and a bit of trail-bashing, this program is just the ticket. Spend either a half or full day of guided driving in the Defender 90 and other Range Rover and Land Rover models. Off-road courses include mud, water pits, and terrain so challenging you won’t believe you made it through, but you will. Locations in California, Vermont, North Carolina, and Quebec, Canada, mean you’re no more than a short flight from the off-road experience of your dreams.
LAND ROVER EXPERIENCE HERITAGE PROGRAM
$1,200-$1,500 LANDROVERUSA.COM
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Vulcan Innova Winder $25,000, vulcaninnova.com
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“Crashed and Byrned” $45, crashorbyrne.com “There were lots of things Tommy Byrne didn’t know. He didn’t know tomorrow had a limit, that he wasn’t just going to keep on surfing this beautiful wave forever. ... He also didn’t know what on Earth Ayrton Senna was talking about in early 1982 when he burst into the Van Diemen office, ranting and raving, calling Tommy a ‘f------- thief.’” This excerpt is from Chapter 6 of the autobiography of perhaps one of the greatest race-car drivers you’ve never heard of. If you enjoy tales of human experience, triumph, failure, and dark humor—and learning the ins and outs of professional motorsports— you need this in your library.
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“Uncommon Carriers” $9, amazon.com If you know of John McPhee, you know this is going to be a great read. If you don’t know McPhee, go buy everything he’s ever written, starting with “Uncommon Carriers.” As much as it’s about transportation by plane, train, and truck, it’s also a sketchbook of the characters who pilot these machines. Through their eyes we see the world not as it should be or even as it really is, but exactly as it looks from the long end of a career devoted to getting people and things to the right places at the right times. It truly is, as the book’s dust jacket states, a classic work.
“A Man and His Watch” $35, amazon.com With his new book, Matthew Hranek has created the style bible for any watch collector. Hranek masterfully weaves the stories of 70 unique timepieces from the men who’ve owned them. He also uncovers examples of deep historical significance such as Steve McQueen’s Heuer Monaco and astronaut Wally Schirra’s Omega Speedmaster. “For me,” Hranek says, “it wasn’t just about the watches, it was about the stories behind them that made them so interesting.”
“Stars & Cars: Mythical Pairings” $31, amazon.com Author Jacques Braunstein shares our passion not only for cars and entertainment but also for the cultural impact automobiles have achieved through their appearances in some of Hollywood’s most memorable movies and television programs. His latest book includes actors who have raced—from Dean to McQueen to Newman—and car-entwined characters such as James Bond, Mad Max, and the Blues Brothers, not to mention specific films and shows and the cars they helped to make famous. You’ll find plenty here to satisfy your automotive cravings.
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Richard Mille RM 50-03 Tourbillon McLaren F1 $1,000,000, richardmille.com If you have a cool million sitting around—yes, we know—and are looking for the proper timepiece to match the McLaren BP23 you’ve ordered, you’re in luck. Richard Mille has created the wrist cleavage of your dreams. The RM 50-03 is made from Graph TPT, a composite created by injecting graphenecontaining resins into layers of carbon fiber and weighs in at 1.4 ounces, including the strap. No one ever said that channeling the bleeding-edge nature of F1 and distilling it into a timepiece this flawless is for the masses.
VistaJet $10,000, vistajet.com
Similar to daily worn dive watches, the Omega Speedmaster’s NASA flight certification, the Breitling Navitimer’s slide-rule function, and true moonphaseequipped models, a great number of watches possess seemingly ridiculous capabilities that are entirely too specific for the average desk jockey. The colorful Rolex Milgauss is so-named for its resistance to up to 1,000 gauss of magnetic force. Before the advent of modern computers and digital watches, scientists working with magnetic fields needed timepieces designed to resist these forces. The Milgauss is one of the most recognizable of these scientist specials, sporting a lightning-bolt seconds hand.
There’s a reason the tarmac at Monterey Regional Airport is lousy with private jets during Monterey Car Week. Driving yourself—or even worse, flying coach into foggy and oftdelayed MRY—is a big drag. VistaJet, with its global fleet of branded Bombardier Global 5000 and Challenger 350 aircraft, takes the idea of the shared economy to the next logical and expensive level. Choose from either VistaJet’s on-demand or longerterm program, and you’ll never get stuck waiting for a connection again.
VISTAJET EXPERIENCE
$10,000 (est) VISTAJET.COM
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Döttling Colosimo Watch Safe $33,000, doettling.com Since 1919, Döttling has produced some of the finest safes in its factory in Sindelfingen, Germany. Named after legendary turn of the century gangster “Big Jim” Colosimo and inspired by bank vaults Big Jim would knock over during Prohibition, Döttling created a 1:13-sized vault replica. The Colosimo is an aesthetic gem we wholeheartedly endorse.
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Rolex Milgauss $8,200, bobswatches.com
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Pagnol M1A Auto Jacket $650, pagnol-motor.com Pagnol, an established purveyor of high-end riding gear, looks to break into the four-wheeled sector with the fab M1A Auto Jacket. Just like the motorcycle jacket, the M1A features the same slim leather construction, retaining the accordion stretch panels at the center back, under arm, and above the elbows, and replacing the thick, bulky Kevlar abrasion guards with matte Lycra. Like any good riding jacket, it features zippered pockets, ventilation slots, and zippered sleeves.
The Balvenie Peat Week, 2002 Vintage $99, us.thebalvenie.com
Montblanc StarWalker Spirit of Racing Doué Fineliner $465, montblanc.com If you appreciate fine watches, cars, and design, it doesn’t make sense to sign documents and letters with the 10-cent ballpoint you picked up from your insurance agent. The StarWalker collection is one of Montblanc’s more subtle product lines, offering subdued, dark designs accented primarily with platinum finish and a crystal endcap. Part of the Spirit of Racing line, the pen wears a rubber tread pattern wrapped around the resin barrel. This example uses the felt-tipped fineliner cartridge but can be had as a ballpoint or fountain pen.
Ahh, peat. That rich, funky, decidedly Scottish stuff that makes whisky so magical. If you’re a peat lover, you’ll love The Balvenie’s Peat Week, the result of experiments undertaken in 2001. In 2002 and every year since, the Speyside distillery has set aside a week each year to using 100-percent Highland peat for barley drying. In the process, the malted barley absorbs the smoke. Highland peat imparts an earthier, woodier flavor. Look for hints of butterscotch and honey in the nose with citrus, smoke, and oak on the tongue and creamy vanilla on the finish.
MAZDA CRACKS THE HCCI CODE OF THE FUTURE, A N D W E S A M P L E A N E A R LY BY MICHAEL WHITELEY
I N T E R P R E TAT I O N Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition
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THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION → → ENGINE ISN’T DEAD YET W I T H T H E E V E R - I N C R E A S I N G popularity of hybrid powertrains and electric cars, you are forgiven for thinking we are witnessing the first stages of the internal combustion engine’s (ICE) demise. Manufacturers such as Tesla are revolutionizing the use of electrons to propel us down the road, and conventional manufacturers such as Volvo have declared dates for when they’ll start producing only electric or hybrid cars, starting as soon as 2019. Emissions and efficiency regulations are forcing conventional ICEs to become downsized and turbocharged or hybridized with electric motors to meet stringent targets. So we were surprised when Mazda invited us to see its new, efficient, low-emissions, four-cylinder engine with nary a turbocharger or electric motor in sight.
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THE SCIENCE
Line A is the previous gearing strategy, making sure to intersect the most economical area of the engine map. Line B shows how a shorter gear ratio usually puts you in a less-economical region—not so with the SPCCI engine.
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T H E C O N V E N T I O N A L G A S O L I N E engine we are used to has a thermal efficiency of around 30 percent. This means only 30 percent of the fuel’s energy is used to propel you down the road. The rest converts into heat that escapes through the exhaust or into the cooling system. This efficiency is, to a certain extent, fixed, when a spark plug sets off an explosion in a cylinder. But there is an alternative method of exploding liquefied dinosaurs that has a theoretical thermal efficiency in the region of 30- to 40-percent better than the conventional ICE, and its name is homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI). The “homogenous charge” part means highly atomized fuel particles are mixed evenly with incoming air, forming a homogenous (evenly distributed) air/fuel mixture. The “compression ignition” part means that, instead of using spark plugs, the action of squeezing the mixture during the piston up-stroke is enough to auto ignite the mixture—just like in a diesel engine. The process is significantly more efficient than the conventional spark-induced explosion. Why haven’t we seen this in a commercial application yet? The difficulty lies in controlling the explosion. With HCCI, ignition timing is very hard to control. A mixture too rich or too lean will mean an ignition too late or too early, respectively. Some researchers have tried to control this by using something called effective compression-ratio control. This involves playing with the valve-lift timing to change the effective volume of air taken into or compressed in the cylinder and, therefore, the compression ratio. However, modulating exhaustvalve timing on a cycle-to-cycle frequency is a hard task, and thus HCCI technology was stalled at the light. Until now. Given that pressure is the determining factor with auto ignition, Mazda engineers had to find a way to affect this variable with high frequency. To solve that problem, they use an isolated area of the cylinder immediately adjacent to the spark plug to concentrate a tiny flame ball induced by a spark from the plug. This flame ball sends a shock wave down toward the upcoming piston, producing an effective secondary piston, squeezing the air/fuel mixture. The increase in pressure pushes the homogenous mix over its auto-ignition threshold, setting off the efficient burn of the perfectly mixed air/fuel mixture. This new engine family is code-named Skyactiv-X, and the proprietary technology is dubbed Spark Controlled Compression Ignition (SPCCI).
SPCCI uses a roots-type supercharger but not for the same reason as is conventional. Here it’s used to accurately modulate the airflow into the engine, maintaining the perfect air/fuel ratios needed for HCCI.
Is Mazda holding onto a dying technology when electrification seems inevitable because of its environmental benefits? Not according to Mazda’s senior technical fellow in charge of R & D, Mitsuo Hitomi, who was introduced to us as Mr. Engine. A chat with him revealed how close Skyactiv-X emissions are to an electric car when we consider well-to-wheel emissions. Today, the vast majority of electricity used to charge cars comes from natural gas- or coal-fired power stations, which inherently involves masses of carbon emissions. Hitomi-san showed us how the Skyactiv-X 2.0-liter engine emits around 142 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Compare that to an electric vehicle’s emissions of 128 grams/km, and you can appreciate how far Mazda has come with its new engine family.
THE DRIVE After a couple hours of technical presentations, I was given the keys to one-of-four R & D cars. From the outside, it looks just like a normal Mazda3 sporting a mean matte-black paint job. Under closer inspection, it was clear the outer shell is the only aspect shared with the current lineup. The new SPCCI engine is nestled into Mazda’s next-generation chassis and shrouded in an existing Mazda3 body. This is, for all intents and purposes, the next-generation Mazda3.
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Pressing the engine-start button is almost anticlimactic because what happens next is distinctively normal. The sound and feel of an idling SPCCI engine is 90 percent ICE, 10 percent diesel. The engine pulls from low rpm with more torque than you expect from a naturally aspirated engine. Under higher loads and at the high end of the rpm spectrum, spark ignition seamlessly takes over from SPCCI, resulting in the feeling of a turbocharged engine that is falling out of its powerband at the top end. Overall, power delivery is comparable to that of a mildly supercharged ICE. However, there are slight differences that allude to driving something out of the ordinary. After cruising around the small German streets at a frustrating 20 mph, I saw the sign for the derestricted autobahn. I downshifted to third and matted the gas pedal. The SPCCI engine responded well and pulled all the way to its 6,000-rpm redline before I snatched another gear. The speedometer’s needle slowly crept up, but my attention was elsewhere in an effort to keep a priceless prototype in one piece. The transition from SPCCI combustion to spark-only ignition at higher revs was not even noticeable, and refinement was equal to the Skyactiv-G engine that powered the car I drove to the test center. Only as I approached an Audi R8 blocking the outside lane did I look down to see 130 mph displayed by the speedometer. What is extraordinary about this tale is not that an R8 was in the way of a hatchback with an eco engine, but that the engine felt pokey all the way up to this speed, yet it could have given more. By analyzing the fuel-consumption curve across the entire rev range of the new Skyactiv-X engine, we can see why: The yellow area of the graph is the most economical part of an engine’s torque/rev range, and manufacturers design their transmissions to help engines stay close to this area. With the current Skyactiv-G engine, sixth gear intercepts the yellow range and tails off into the green areas. In the real world, this means the gear ratio is rather high. Moving over to the Skyactiv-X plot, we see the engine is so economical throughout the range that the gear ratios can be lowered.
LARGER ZONE ELIMINATES NEED FOR TALLER GEARING
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The yellow area of the graph is the most economical part of an engine’s torque/ rev range, and manufacturers design their transmissions to help engines stay close to this area.
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TALLER GEARING NEEDED TO REACH EFFICIENCY ZONE
B
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SKYACTIV-X
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SHORTER GEARING IMPROVES ACCELERATION
3,000 4,000 RPM
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What does this mean to us? We can spend more time shifting gears and enjoying more of the rev range while still driving economically. This is a point stressed by Ichiro Hirose, managing executive officer in charge of powertrain development. His goal was to design an engine that could offer “driving pleasure that comes from the combination of performance and efficiency,” and you can’t say it better than that.
T H E V E R D I CT Although the Skyactiv-X engine family is still a couple years away from production, our early drive demonstrated great promise. With almost as much performance as today’s Skyactiv-G engine in the Miata but with comparable emissions to a 1.5-liter diesel engine, the Skyactiv-X engine offers longevity to the gasoline burners that we petrol heads cherish. What does the future hold? Hitomi-san admitted there is a long way to go, but he alluded to many avenues to improve the engine in terms of performance. So don’t be so quick to put the internal combustion engine in the ground. AM
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A return to profitability is big, but surely the best news for Lotus is its purchase by Geely? JMG: We’ve decided a contract, [and] I share your feelings 100 percent. This is fantastic, the best thing that could have happened to us, and it just shows that the effort involved in the team in the last four years in making the company sustainable has paid off.
how you do it. The second thing is handling. Making a car dynamically, again, best in class. Hyundai gave us the Genesis G90 and G80, and we did the suspension. Give us any suspension. A couple of General Motors cars we tuned [recently] as well. The third strength is aerodynamics; we’re pretty good at it. Aerodynamic design, our cars are getting more beautiful every year.
We understand there’s a new Elise coming, yes? JMG: In the next three years, of course. It’s a car for the U.S. market [too], definitely.
What are some of the consultancy’s great successes? JMG: Certainly the Elise chassis [bonded-aluminum, highly rigid chassis] that we have on all our cars. Aston has forgotten it, but that’s what we did for them. The new [DB11] they’ve designed—that is, they put a few more beams in [the chassis]—but all their [last series] cars were designed here. We designed the whole structures.
Say you had superior access to capital. What would you really like to do? JMG: I’m not sharing my business plan. I would love to, but I can’t. There are things we basically invented in the last year. The stuff that we’ll do in the next five years or 10 years is extremely exciting, extremely challenging, and it’s really good stuff.
JEANMARC GALES LOTUS CEO JAMIE KITMAN
FINANCIAL ROLLER-COASTER
riding is inevitable for any small car company, and Lotus’ 65 years have been as hair-raising as any. Times were especially tough at the U.K.-based maker of sports and race cars when, in 2014, former Peugeot president Jean-Marc Gales signed on as CEO. Sales were down, losses were mounting, and optimism was rare as thin demand for an aging model lineup collided with reticence on the part of Lotus’ Malaysian owner, Proton, to invest necessary sums. Today, a proposed new assembly hall stands unfinished, but optimism is in the air after two profitable quarters and news that Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, controlled by Chinese billionaire Li Shufu, has acquired a controlling stake in Lotus for $65 million.
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Geely, with Volvo, is becoming a leader in self-driving tech and electric drive. What does that portend for Lotus? JMG: We certainly look at selfdriving cars. But probably we’re going to be the last ones, the last adopters, if it really becomes the norm for sports cars. A huge amount of work needs to be done. But for our sports cars, we are probably going to be the last one. One of the attractions we have is our key competence: making cars that drive like nothing else. If you are blindfolded and put into a Lotus, you’ll feel that it drives differently. Even if cars are automated, demand will remain for driving yourself, right? JMG: There would be a demand for real drivers’ [cars.] We are going to fill that demand. What are the strengths of Lotus’ consultancy business? JMG: Active suspensions, adaptive suspensions, too, to whatever you want. Basically you tell us what you want, then we can define it, we can run it down the track, we can set up the chassis right. Setting up a car, the guys here are peerless. They’re really, really good. Basically it’s what we are, and it’s one of the reasons why Geely was so interested in us. Light weighting, we’re really good at that. We can take weight out of cars—not only taking a component and replacing with a common component—but it’s
Electric or hybrid? JMG: I would always go for full electric cars, frankly, never hybrid for sports cars. Don’t get me wrong; for applications like SUVs and buses, hybrid is a good solution. But for sports cars that are light weight, why should we have two powertrains? I just want one. Fully electric is how you get the best power to weight, the best performance, the best efficiency. I can envisage this in one of our cars. Battery cost/technical developments are exciting. JMG: Certainly. Battery weight goes down, performance goes up. Battery cars in two, three years will be much higher performing than they are currently because technology just moves on. So an electric Lotus is out there? JMG: Engineers continually wonder about that. I just need to do the business case and see. Imagine an electric Lotus that drives like a dream, is very light, lighter than the other sports cars, and actually goes around corners. Many electric cars are still too heavy. [Ours would be the] electric car that goes around corners. … We haven’t decided anything on that yet, but we’re thinking about it. Might you do a classic-car business? JMG: I like that idea. I really like it a lot. I don’t exclude that at all, because we need to keep our tradition. Two years ago you mentioned a Lotus SUV. Still possible? JMG: Certainly.
Th e En d
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Toyota Safety Sense™ is now standard on many new Toyotas.
The road can be unpredictable. That’s why many new Toyotas, including the first-ever Toyota C-HR, come with a suite of active safety features at no extra charge, including Pre-Collision System (PCS)2, Lane Departure Alert (LDA)3 and other innovations. Toyota Safety Sense™ (TSS). Designed for safety.
Prototype shown with options. Production model will vary. 1. Drivers are responsible for their own safe driving. Always pay attention to your surroundings and drive safely. System effectiveness is dependent on many factors including road, weather and vehicle conditions. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details. 2. The TSS Pre-Collision System is designed to help avoid or reduce the crash speed and damage in certain frontal collisions only. It is not a substitute for safe and attentive driving. System effectiveness is dependent on many factors including road, weather and vehicle conditions. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details. 3. Lane Departure Alert is designed to read visible lane markers under certain conditions, and provide visual and audible alerts when lane departure is detected. It is not a collision-avoidance system or a substitute for safe and attentive driving. Effectiveness is dependent on many factors including road, weather and vehicle conditions. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details. ©2017 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.