Instant classic: 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe

Our long-term Jaguar F-Type R coupe is special. We have never known a modern car to be as broadly appealing as this one. It’s beautiful and everyone knows it—people are not shy with praise for it. We took it up to Rare Bird Brew Pub in Traverse City, Mich., for a party and spent much of the night starting that barking, burbling supercharged V8, letting people sit in the leather seats and watching them snap photos.

Where lots of sports cars, especially high-performance versions, can be over styled, the F-Type R is beautifully restrained. That may be part of why it appeals to such a wide range of people. It’s pretty but not showy. Of the sports/performance cars that are said to be styled in homage to their forebears, the F-Type is the most successful. It doesn’t insult the E-Type by aping it entirely or mock it by having come to dwarf it over the years. This car calls the E-Type to mind. Ian Callum and his team noticed the small, wonderful details of the that car and, with the F-Type, named them. 

Our long-termer was given a set of Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero tires, and in the snow with these tires, the Jaguar is a wonder. Five hours on the icy freeway or slogging through unplowed surface streets in deep snow, the Jag was always able, always predictable. One morning, we found the car buried to the top of its decklid in snow. We just slid into the lovely driver’s seat, cleared the windshield and drove out. We wish people who are clamoring for the forthcoming all-wheel-drive F-Type could have seen it. This rear-wheel Jag would not be stopped.

With two quarters now done, we’re definitely going to miss this one when it’s gone. It’s a very special car, and if Jaguar’s plans hold, one that we won’t see again. Next year, all of the V8-powered F-Types will all come equipped with AWD, making this car possibly the last of its kind and a bit of an instant classic. Thankfully, we have six more months with it before we have to give up the keys. 

2015 Ford Mustang RTR Revealed

Pro drifter Vaughn Gittin, Jr. is finally ready to drop his racy new Mustang RTR. The car debuts at SEMA and will be available via select Ford dealers, and it looks the business. Frankly, the 2015 Mustang’s biggest issue is that, if anything, it doesn’t look mean enough. Problem solved! The RTR gets new spoilers, splitters, a pretty wicked-looking diffuser, new grilles—with illumination in the upper one, making up for the sadly departed driving lamps—and the best-looking wheels I’ve seen for that car, period. All the appearance stuff is for the Spec 1 cars, which leave out performance mods. The Spec 2 adds an RTR-specific tune, Magnaflows (again, RTR-specific), a revised suspension, a cold-air kit, and an optional blower. Also making its way to SEMA, but not yet revealed, is an even more extreme RTR Spec 5 concept, which takes the formula even further. Stay tuned.

Startech Turns Range Rover into Haute Couture Pickup

Some of the weirdest tuner projects are answers to unasked questions. In this respect, Startech, the sister operation to Brabus, has delivered.

Built for display at the Shanghai auto show, and available to deep-pocketed bored guys, the Startech Pickup is what happens when you break out the Homelite and turn a Range Rover Supercharged from an SUV into an SUT. The El Camino–fication process involves the removal of the rear portion of the Rangie’s roof, the installation of a new bulkhead (with tinted, heated glass) behind the back seats, new carbon-fiber trim on the C-pillar and bed rail, and a lined cargo area.

A new roof spoiler works in concert with the surrounding cargo-bed trim to reduce wind turbulence. This is important when you consider that Startech says “customers from the Arab region like to use the pickup bed also for transporting a securely fastened cage that holds their falcons for the hunt.” Presumptuous, considering that this particular subset of customers probably has up fitted AMG 6×6s for this purpose already. But it’s nice to know the Startech Pickup is literally designed to not ruffle feathers. The tuner also points out that the bed, with its 43-inch length (67 inches with the tailgate dropped) “offers plenty of space for golf or other recreational equipment.” Because Lord knows that your clubs are far too constrained in an enclosed Range Rover cargo bay.

Naturally, the pickup bed is just part of a larger package of enhancements. The truck sports a wide-body kit, 23-inch wheels wrapped in 305/30 rubber, an air-suspension module that lets the owner drop ride height an additional 1.2 inches over stock, and a custom leather-and-Alcantara interior. While the show car is based on the blown Range Rover—now juiced up to 519 horsepower thanks to a Startech sport exhaust whose loudness can be controlled from the cockpit—the conversion can be applied to a naturally aspirated Range Rover model. As a bonus, the truck bed may, in some countries, allow this rig to be registered as a commercial vehicle, saving the owner money in various taxes and fees compared to a traditional SUV. Because as we all know, guys who buy Range Rovers and have them customized into pickup trucks ideal for hauling live falcons are really sweating those registration costs.

Weekly Recap: Aston Martin to add another sports car, new Lagonda sedan, EVs

Aston Martin will revamp and expand its lineup as part of a five-year plan laid out by the company's new executives. If it succeeds, the strategy will position Aston for growth as an independent automaker with a more stable future in its second century. Aston will replace all of the cars in its current lineup and add a fourth sports car to its stable. It currently has three: the DB9, Vanquish and Vantage. The unnamed sports car will be joined by a production version of the DBX concept – an all-wheel-drive electric car that treads near crossover territory – that was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show. Aston's electric strategy also includes a potential electric-powered Rapide. Eventually, Aston plans to build a new four-door Lagonda. Though Aston will diversify its portfolio and the range could expand to seven vehicles, it will limit production to around 7,000 units annually, said Aston Martin marketing and communications director Simon Sproule, who described the company's strategy in an interview with Autoblog. CEO Andy Palmer, who joined Aston last year from Infiniti, has also spoken recently about remaking the company for the future. EVs are a major part of Aston's future, Sproule stressed, because they allow the automaker to "balance" its portfolio. Aston is studying the feasibility of an electric Rapide and is working with an undisclosed engineering firm. It's likely to use a plug-in setup and would cost $200,000 to $250,000 or more. It could use either a rear-wheel or all-wheel-drive configuration.

It's a study, but we're serious about it," Sproule said. He added for emphasis: "If not this, there will be an electric Aston Martin in the future." Aston has taken note of what Tesla has done with the brisk-driving Model S and decided that's the dynamic it wants for some of its own cars. Even though EVs don't emit the same sonorous note as a V12 – they're better than the alternative, Sproule said. "The sound of silence is much more preferable than the sound of a four-cylinder whining away under the hood of an Aston Martin," he said. Speaking of V12s, they're not going away. Aston will continue to make its own V12 engine, but will source its V8 from Mercedes-AMG (whose parent, Daimler, owns a small stake in Aston). While the V12 is sure to please the faithful, Aston admits EVs and the crossover-like DBX will rankle many. Sproule argues those are the moves that will keep Aston relevant. "We've got to do a few of the things the purists won't like, but if we don't – it [Aston] will be this museum piece."

G Class Could Go Sustainable

Recently Daimler’s R&D chief, Thomas Weber, reported that the automaker will continue to produce V-12 engines but won’t do a three-cylinder, that it’s considering a more comprehensive update to the G-class, and that it is not interested in a small seven-seat people-mover. C/D: BMW has shown a compact, seven-seat people-mover with its 2-Series Gran Tourer. Will Mercedes have a competitor? Thomas Weber: It’s true that we considered a seven-seater, but we made a clear choice not to do it, and we are sticking with that decision. There are more impressive ways to transport more than four or five people. And for us, emotion counts.

What are you planning at the other end of the spectrum, with the G-class? We have periodically revisited the idea of ending its production, but this discussion is truly over. The basic concept is established and proven, the only question is how to carry it forward. It’s possible that we will, at some point, put it on a more sustainable technological base. But the G will always remain a true G.

Can you talk about your power train strategy? The path toward downsizing is irreversible. Worldwide, looking at the industry as a whole, more than 90 percent of power trains will have four-cylinder engines. But as a luxury brand, we will continue to offer eight- and 12-cylinder engines, and we are well established with our four- and six-cylinder engines.

Does your four- and six-cylinder engine strategy rely on a single engine architecture? No. Our customers like a variety of models and engines, and we definitely need a large four-cylinder engine, from which six- and eight-cylinder engines will be derived. To build a smaller engine, it would theoretically be possible to “cut off” one cylinder, but such a three-cylinder engine would not even be close to where we would like it from a cost perspective. Moreover, it would not meet our standards for noise and vibration. We have therefore decided to follow a downsizing strategy based on small and large four-cylinder engines.

Will you join forces with other manufacturers to develop battery technology? Within the framework of the NPE (a German platform for e-mobility), we are discussing how to move this important and innovative topic forward. It is definitely possible to harmonize cell formats, material combinations, safety and regulatory aspects—to make things easier for our supplier base and to lower costs. But it becomes more difficult when you look at the whole battery. Every car maker must optimize their batteries for the specific vehicle package and requirements. Do you see a future for battery-charging stations, as propagated by Tesla? The German auto industry has often been criticized as being too obtuse to pick up on them. But we have studied them intensively and found that many arguments speak against these concepts. We have decided not to follow this approach.

Ferrari planning six-cylinder Dino revival?

Ferrari swore up and down when it was developing the California that it wouldn't be an "entry-level" model. Whether that ultimately proved to be the case or not is up for debate, but it seems that the Prancing Horse marque is now preparing to launch a properly more accessible model in the near future.

According to Motor Trend, Maranello is working on a new six-cylinder sports car to serve as the point of entry for new customers – especially in China. Tax implications there could mean the V6 would displace less than 3.0 liters, but likely pack a pair of turbochargers to ensure that output and performance live up to the Ferrari standard.

Tipped to arrive in 2019, the six-cylinder model could materialize as a revival of sorts of the Dino line. Named after Enzo Ferrari's first-born son, the Dino sub-brand used mostly six-cylinder engines to take on the Porsche 911 on and off the track. The Dino 206 GT emerged in 1968, evolved into the larger-displacement 246 the following year and ultimately gave way to the very different, eight-cylinder, four-seat 308 GT4 in 1973, later to be re badged as a proper Ferrari once the Dino brand was put to rest in '76.

It's worth noting that Ferrari developed the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 for the Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte, which would presumably serve as the basis for the new entry-level Ferrari. Though FCA typically endeavors to keep its brands from competing directly with one another, Maserati is due to release a production version of the Alfieri sports car concept within the next couple of years, powered by that same engine, and could share its underpinnings with the Ferrari model in question.

The six-cylinder Prancing Horse could carry a price tag of around $180,000 to take on the likes of the Porsche 911 Turbo, Mercedes-AMG GT, Audi R8 and the Sports Series which McLaren just kicked off with its new entry-level 570S.

Indy returning to Cleveland airport?

The South may be NASCAR country, but in the Midwest, it's all about Indy: this season, the open-wheel series will host two races at Indianapolis, another in Detroit, one in Milwaukee, one in Iowa and one at Mid-Ohio. That's already six out of the sixteen races on the 2015 calendar, but the Buckeye State could be set to host another in the heartland in the near future.

Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport on the shores of Lake Eerie hosted Champ Car races every year without exception from 1982 through 2007. The event was a fan favorite, but after the Champ Car World Series re-merged with the Indy Racing League to make today's IndyCar Series, the event was dropped from the calendar. Following an eight-year gap, however, discussions are reportedly underway to bring the race back to the lakeside airport.

According to Racer.com, an undisclosed sponsor approached Gene Haskett with the idea of restoring the race. Haskett had promoted the event between 1983 and 1992, and the company came forth with the idea of providing title sponsorship to put it all together.

Though disinterested in taking up the task, Haskett contacted Roger Penske (who refused due to his involvement with the Belle Isle race), but series owner Mark Miles put them in touch instead with Mike Lanigan (co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing), who promoted the last Champ Car race in Cleveland and is reportedly keen to bring the race back to the capital of Rock & Roll.

One potential roadblock would be to get the FAA to sign off on closing the airport for the whole weekend, but if they were willing and able to do it before, they can hopefully do it again.

In addition to the six races that are part of this year's calendar, and the Cleveland airport venue, Champ and Indy cars have raced at such Midwestern venues as Chicago Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Gateway International Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, the streets of Detroit, the Milwaukee Mile and Road America.

Tesla reports record deliveries of 10,030 cars in 1rst Quarter

(Reuters) -- Tesla Motors Inc. said today it delivered a record 10,030 cars in the first quarter, a 55 percent increase compared with the number of deliveries in the first quarter of last year. The company said going forward it will publish the number of new car deliveries within three days of quarter end as inaccurate sources of information have sometimes been used by others in publishing the number of vehicle deliveries. The company expects to deliver about 55,000 cars globally in 2015, an increase of about 74 percent. The company's stock has been battered this year by investors concerned about the auto maker's failure to hit sales targets in China and the departures last year of two top Tesla executives in that country. Earlier in the week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted several optimistic statements about the company's sinking China operations. Tesla Motors is also set to offer upgrades including hands-free steering on its Model S sedan in three months, about a year ahead of other automakers. Up to Thursday's close of $191, the stock had fallen 14.1 percent this year.

Smart Fortwo

SECOND-GENERATION SMART FEATURES REDESIGNED REAR SUSPENSION, WIDER FRONT/REAR TRACK

The 2016 Smart Fortwo may have been the only vehicle introduced at the New York auto show that didn't need a turntable. With a turning radius of 22.8 feet, the smart car managed a full U-turn on the elevated stage at the Mercedes display. The second-generation Smart is still 8.8 feet long, but its front and rear tracks are three inches wider, and the De Dion rear suspension has been substantially redesigned. It also comes standard with a new safety feature called Crosswind Assistance. Crosswind Assistance intermittently brakes any of the four wheels to minimize necessary counter-steering in a stiff crosswind. It's active on gentle curves and straights above 50 miles per hour. The next Smart is powered by an 898-cc turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine generating 89 horsepower and 100 lb-ft of torque. Smart reports a top speed of 96 mph. EPA ratings are pending. 

When it hits showrooms this fall, the Smart Fortwo II will be offered with passion, prime and proxy trim packages, as well as an optional sport package that lowers the car an inch.

About the New York auto show

The spring auto show season concludes with the New York auto show at the Jacob Javits Center. Every year, manufacturers tend to save at least one of their best reveals for last; this year, we're expecting the new Cadillac CT6 flagship sedan, Mercedes GLE SUV and 2016 Hyundai Tucson to show off in the Big Apple. Stay tuned to our New York auto show home page for all the latest news, photos and reveals.

Red Bull makes nice with Renault to focus on 2015

HELMUT MARKO SAYS BOTH SIDES ARE MOVING FORWARD

Red Bull and Renault have put their differences aside, according to Red Bull team boss Dr. Helmut Marko.

 

After Australia, Marko and his Red Bull colleagues let loose their fury with the team's under performing works supplier, Renault.

 

Renault hit back, Cyril Abiteboul going so far as to accuse Red Bull's Adrian Newey of telling "lies."

 

"All of this criticism was due to emotions that were all quite understandable," Marko told Austrian broadcaster Servus TV.

 

"In fact, perhaps the comments themselves were not even so hard, but the translation of Cyril's words from French made it sound very harsh."

Amid reports Red Bull and Renault must surely be heading for divorce, Marko says the two sides have sat down to talk about how to move forward.

 

"We have met," he confirmed, "and decided on how we will work during the remainder of the season.

 

"We do not have to love each other, but we do need an engine that works.

 

"Under the current regulations, it is impossible to close the gap (on) the leaders, but in the past we got used to winning even though our engines were not the most powerful.

 

"At the same time," said Marko, "we can all see what Ferrari has managed to do. According to Renault engineers, we will reach this level by the end of the year and once again be able to fight at the top.

 

"It was decided to postpone the debate and focus on working together to get us out of this situation," he added.