As expected, this requires a bit of pre-work to ensure the routes are suitable for cars from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s. Given the opportunity to do this pre-drive in the 924S, instead of my Land Rover, I figured it was a great time to share my impressions. Learn from 924 specialist Kevin Duffy when you tune into the Break/Fix podcast episode below.
Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!
The 924 is the Volkswagen designed predecessor to it’s more famous younger sibling the 944. The 924S is the last of series spanning a production run from 1976 through 1988. The 924S is special in that it is the narrow body shell with the more modern 944 drivetrain which makes it less aggressive in appearance but it is actually faster because it is a wee bit lighter more aerodynamic.
Unlike the 944 which underwent a complete interior restyling in 1985, the interior of the 924S stayed very true to it’s original design and doesn’t come slathered in leather and fluff which makes it a great throwback car. Even the seats, while thin but relatively supportive were (gasp) MANUAL! The 924, 944 and 928 all share a common downside in that the seats are nearly flush with the floor pan and the low seating position starts to bother my back after a few hours.
The road feel is exceptional – the clutch is mildly heavy for being hydraulically actuated especially compared to the feather-light pedals associated with Japanese cars. The gear shift is typical German – nicely weighted and precise. The handling is confidence inspiring owing much to the near perfect 50/50 weight distribution. Despite the “narrow” wheels and tires, the 924S handles like it is on rails.
Power is a bit lacking with only 150 hp being pumped from the 2.5-litre 4-cylinder but the motor is willing and able, it just needs some stirring of the gears. The 924S is over 200 lbs lighter than the 944, weighing in at 2623#, which helps make it feel even more nimble and responsive. The lower power numbers forces the driver to be involved in driving – none of the simple “press the pedal further to the floor”. Instead, dropping down a gear or two is necessary BUT the rewards are a nice push from behind. The 924S will never win a drag race but that’s not the intended purpose of the car.
The 924S is perhaps the last of the “cheap” Porsches – they’re unloved because the don’t have aggressive jack-knifed fender flares or flashy looks. They don’t have the panache of the 911 but that’s OK. The 924 is what I would consider “a Driver’s Car” – something you jump in, don’t think twice about, but puts a smile on your face when exiting a corner on a back-road. Its really a car for someone that can check their ego at the door, enjoy a spirited drive and doesn’t need to look flashy or brag about HP while doing it.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more classic car reviews later in the season!
Flat-6 early 911s, Ferrari 12-cylinder, Mustang 5.0 V8s… but I can’t help but add the VW VR6 to that list. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great sounding 6-cylinders out there from BMW, Alfa Romeo, Nissan, etc … but I won’t deny that every time I take my 24v VR6 to the track, someone runs up and says “man! that thing sounds AWESOME!!!” – and to prove that point, here’s a lap around Road Atlanta at full song for your acoustic pleasure.
…and the VR6 is unique among its 6-cylinder brethren
Six cylinder engines no matter the configuration (V or in-line) are silky smooth compared to other motors and this has a lot to do with the natural balance of a 6 cylinder engine. However, in most small cars, there isn’t enough room to fit a proper 6-cylinder because they tend to be either too long or too wide. In some cases they’re physically bigger than even some V8s and definitely larger than any 4-banger. And up until the 1990s it was deemed impossible to fit a 6-cylinder into a front-wheel-drive (FWD) vehicle. Space efficiency designs in a typical FWD require the engine + drivetrain to be mounted transversely while finding a way to include cooling, exhaust, steering and just about 70% of the vehicles mechanics in one tiny box in front of the driver to maximize “people space” in the cabin.
1992 VW Corrado SLC VR6
In 1991, a breakthrough was achieved by the folks over at Volkswagen.
Unlike traditional V6s with a 60° or 90° design, VW took a risk and developed a narrow-angle (15°) V6 displacing as much as 2.8 litres which were able to be arranged without cylinder overlapping because the adjacent cylinders are all widely spaced from each other. This engine design became known as the “VR” a combination of the V engine (German: V-Motor), and the German word “Reihenmotor” (meaning “inline engine” or “straight engine”) – literally translating to “Vee-Inline engine” (VR-Motor); how clever! The VR6 was introduced to the world in 1992 as part of the hottest of hot-hatches, the VW Corrado. And so the VR6 took the world by storm, with marketing claiming “a V6 that takes up the same space as a 4-cylinder” – and it did.
Seen above: A typical in-line 4-cylinder (left), a standard V6 (center) and the VR6 (right); note that the VR6, though longer than a V6 is only a “quarter size” longer than the 4, and less than double it’s width. Impressive and Compact! – Complications needed to be addressed before the engine could go into production by ’92: most importantly the valvetrain.In most engines valvetrain design is symmetrical; meaning intake air is separated from the exhaust air such that “cold air in, hot air out” – and in some cases exhaust air is split on exit (as seen in V-shaped engines) or banked (like in-line engines). VW had to develop an entirely new “asymmetrical” cylinder-head and valvetrain to accommodate the VR block, and in keeping with their new “cross-flow head” mantra as seen below.
Like an in-line engine, intake air enters the VR from the front bank, and hot exhaust air exits rear bank. By pairing the valves and using unequal length runners that ran through the head it allowed VW to continue to save valuable space in the engine compartment. Since the VR was complex enough and the rest of the world was fascinated with “multi-vario-cam multi-valve” engines VW simplified things and stayed with a 2-valve per cylinder single-overhead cam (12 valve; SOHC) design. Since the VR shares many similarities with an inline-4, the result is that not only is it smaller, but also lighter than a typical V6 (which would have a larger block and 2 cylinder heads.). It would have also been cheaper to manufacture if not reinforced with a 7-bearing crankshaft.
It’s been a while, time for an upgrade!
The original VR6 was in production for 10 years and during that time VW engineers under Ferdinand Piech were determined to solve this “4 valves per cylinder” requirement for the VR and catch up to the market, and by 2003 – they did. By then the Corrado and other VR6 equipped VW models were gone, but the first VW model to get a 24v VR6 was the 2001 Beetle RSi which included a 400cc boost, taking the engine to 3.2-litres. #onlyineurope
It took the VW engineering team 8 years to solve the problem, and here’s how they did it. Inspired by what Honda was developing with V-TEC, the engineers decided that instead of having 4 cams, which would have made the cylinder head physically bigger and more complex, they borrowed from past experience using a flat-6 Porsche design by adding overhead rocker arms to control the valves. Then they inverted and reoriented the cam and carefully positioned the cam lobes to operate the rockers from a center pivot point rather than acting as a lever. (seen below). Woah! #mindblownÂ
Reality is often stranger than fiction, so what you ended up with was 2 cams, merged into a single camshaft, but operating as “twin cams” because of the rocker arms.
But let’s not forget that the VR6 cylinder is asymmetrical, so now that they solved the cam + valving design, they need to readdress the intake/exhaust flow design.
All of the valves in the 24v VR6 are oriented in such a way that their distances are accessible by either cam. So what’s really going on here is that, Cam 1 is controlling the intake valves of Bank A & B, and Cam 2 is controlling the exhaust valves of Bank A & B; which creates more of that “cross-flow” black magic we talked about earlier. But as you can see from the picture above, the runners are still oriented in the “cold front / hot rear” configuration despite doubling the number of valves. VW was able to further modify the 24v VR6 by adding variable valve timing on the intake side only. So in this case, you could say: 2×2 = 2. #newmath. There were also rumors brewing that further development would bring about full VVT or in BMW-terms “double vanos!” – but the VR development was stalled before that could happen.
Overall the VR6 is a remarkable invention. Complex and Compact, the VR revolutionized the way we looked at FWD vehicles. By comparison the 12-valve is torquey and peaks out on power early and has a deep unmistakable note, whereas the 24-valve is high-strung, revvy and very-very angry sounding. The 2.8-litre 24v was produced until 2005-ish, while the 3.2-litre carried on in the Golf R32, Audi TT as well as the Touareg models until about the 2010-ish timeframe. The VR6 saw one final redesign for the Passat CC circa 2008 when it was bumped up to an astonishing 3.6-litres developing numbers just shy of 300 hp. #sleeper.
But VW, in their infinite wisdom … couldn’t leave well enough alone.
Imagine a 12-cylinder than fits in the space of an 8… You’re crazy! – The first “W” motor from VAG was in the 1991 concept car the “Audi Avus“ (below) although scrapped due to complexity, the engine configuration was basically 3 banks of cylinders arranged as a W sharing one crank think: \|/ – makes total sense, right? #howhardcanitbe.Â
Well, that is not the W we have come to appreciate in the Bugatti Veyron, Audi A8, Bentley Continental and others. Look at the shape of the letter “W” – do you notice anything? – In English we say “Double -U” which is a terrible bastardization of the french word “doubler-vay” which literally means “Double-V”. Starting with the VW Nardo concept, VAG introduced a new engine whereby they mated two 24v 2.8-litre VR engines on a single crank at 72° thereby creating a proper 5.6-litre W (or double V-motor). #newmath.
Understanding that the W could not have been invented without the VR design, you probably have a good understanding of how the W engine works without too much additional man-splaining from me. But just know that even today, while the VR is no longer being developed, the W is being further refined – Quad-turbos and all. Despite developing VR5s, VR8s, W16s, W8s and the like, VAG seem content with their 1.4, 1.8 and 2.0-turbo 4-cylinders and the return of the 5-cylinder in their FWD-based offerings for now. The larger vehicles with more available space and longitudinal configurations are using standard V6 and V8 configurations which have been developed in-house at Audi for decades. Maybe one day we will see the return of the VR with technology carried over from the never W engines. But until then, I will continue to tear up the asphalt and bring joy to those that appreciate the unique sound that my strange little narrow-angle V6 has to offer!
If you want to dive deeper and learn more about the VR and W engines, below are some extra sources of reading material for you to enjoy:
These days there really is a mobile APP(lication) for just about anything you can think of. And we’ve taken to searching the app stores to put together a curated list of “must haves” for our Motorsports Enthusiasts friends out there. We’re not suggesting you download all of these, but take a look and decide what might be helpful for your next Motorsports adventure. To make things easier we’ve broken the APPs into functional categories. Note:unless specifically mentioned, all of these apps are available for Apple (iOS) and Android mobile devices; please use your corresponding App Store to search for these items.
Automotive Care & Diagnostics
It never ceases to happen… you’re having a spirited drive and next thing you know the dreaded CHECK ENGINE light fires up! (though, for some of us, this just means our car is functioning normally).
Scan your ECU, Lookup and Clear Codes; get real-time info through digital gauges. Requires a bluetooth adapter to communicate with your mobile device.
Scan your ECU, Lookup and Clear Codes; get real-time info through digital gauges. Requires a bluetooth adapter to communicate with your mobile device.
Scan your ECU, Lookup and Clear Codes; get real-time info through digital gauges. Requires a bluetooth adapter to communicate with your mobile device.
Can’t make a trip to your local sears or lowes for a tool? Try the next best thing and check out what GearWrench has to offer!
The one, the only – TORQUE. (Only available on ANDROID devices). Get real-time information, digital gauges event CHKE code lookup. Requires a bluetooth adapter to communicate with your mobile device.
Car & Parts Shopping
Car shopping is a definite side effect of Motorsports, even if you don’t need another vehicle you’re always looking, right?
Some might say “I just use Waze” ; and that’s great for traveling local routes and to that new brewery across the state; but what if you’re pulling a trailer? or in an area with poor reception?
HERE includes offline maps and operates like a traditional GPS (Garmin, Magellan, etc); low power and data consumption compared to other apps.
Providing routes, fueling and rest information for larger vehicles – Perfect for trailers!
Racing
Keep up with SCCA Club Racing information in real-time.
Keep up with SCCA Pro-Solo/Solo information in real-time.
If your Time Trials group is using MYLAPS compatible hardware your times and results can be posted real-time on Speedhive.
Monitor Racing Results, Scores and Lap Times in real-time!
Follow the F1 racing in real-time
Follow the WRC race weekend in real-time
Follow the NASCAR races and your favorite drivers in real-time
There are different “tiers” to Harry’s LapTimer which bring additional features and capabilities. Start with the basic package to see if it works for your needs. Video Recording with overlay Timing makes for great post-session review or sharing with your friends.
Harry’s Lap Timer with some extra features commissioned by the ROUSH team.
A direct competitor to Harry’s; similar features but you can try the basic package for free.
Another alternative to Harrys and Track Addict.
If you’re using a MYLAPS transponder your data can be pushed to Speedhive automatically (if your organization is uploading).
Waylens offers an alternative to GoPro having developed a purpose built camera with GPS timing and OBD-2 overlays.
In-car Video
Have your GoPro app handy to make sure your in-car videos are angled/focused properly. Adjust camera and lighting settings, review videos and perform some minor tweaks all from the app.
Waylens offers an alternative to GoPro having developed a purpose built camera with GPS timing and OBD-2 overlays.
Harry’s LapTimer is capable of recording your session and overlaying GPS timing data. With higher level packages you can also include OBD-2 data with an external bluetooth adapter.
TrackAddict is capable of recording your session and overlaying GPS timing data. With higher level packages you can also include OBD-2 data with an external bluetooth adapter.
Entertainment
Note:unless specifically mentioned, all of these entertainment apps are available for iOS (Apple) and Android mobile devices; however many of these are available as a “streaming service” on major devices like: Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Some are also available on Sony PS4 and Microsoft XBOX.
Anywhere you find a RedBull logo-ed person or vehicle, RedBullTV is recording in 4K! Watch coverage of Formula 1, WRC, Dakar, T1/T6-Raid, Powerboats, Aero-acrobats, FLUTAG and more!
IMSA.tv posts coverage on all aspects of an IMSA race weekend, but not in real-time; you can review the qualifying, super cup, full races, etc after they have aired live.
Disclaimer: GTM’s high-level assessment of these apps is based on our member experiences and we urge you to do your own research and fact-checking before committing to any one application. GTM isn’t responsible for your satisfaction, happiness or overall experience with the apps you choose. GTM has no direct affiliations with any of the companies or application developers listed here. Apps are subject to change without notice, and additional fees may be applied and are imposed by the application developers or your wireless carrier. Please be sure to visit the company/developer websites for highly detailed and first-hand information on any app you might be interested in.Â
Sitting around the airport, I was listening to a segment on NPR where folks from Consumer Reports were interviewed in response to their latest New Car Issue. Much of the broadcast was spent describing their processes and testing methods. And since I had a long flight ahead of me, I figured it was an opportune time to run over the local newsstand, grab a copy, and re-ignite our continuing debate on Which Car Should You Buy?
This time we take a look at the “available at your local dealership” offerings that fit our – Spirited Driving + AutoCross + Track Days – criteria and do some semi-science by reanalyzing Consumer Reports findings to determine which car comes out on top! There are absolutely too many vehicles in this issue to talk about each one individually or in any sort of detail. And after reading through the 200-or-so pages of this issue, we were able to boil down the list from 248+ to roughly 25 by pulling our track worthy vehicles from the “Luxury Compact and Sports/Sporty Cars over/under $40K” categories. (seen below)
Time to stack rank these new track toys and see which one comes out on top!Â
Now let’s review the magazine itself #soapbox #rant
Depending on your age bracket you probably grew up with different “gold standards” for being able to determine if a product was good, bad or indifferent. In my grandparents generation there was Readers Digest, my parents generation Consumer Reports, and us… well, we have Amazon Reviews and we all know how those measure up.
Opinions are like… especially in the Automotive world. But every year one publication stands out above the eye catching “Top 10s – Best Car Ever – Must Drives” and the rest of the marketing hype, it’s Consumer Reports (CR) annual Best Trucks, SUVs + Cars issue. Consumer Reports tests everything from tech products and automobiles, to food, financial, and health services. The magazine allows no outside advertising and has a strict no-commercial-use policy, and prides itself on being objective. But I found it amusing that CR does target it’s audience, as seen via the different cover art it offers, depending on where you find the magazine to help draw you in.
East Coast (as purchased at BWI)
Mid-lands
#spoiler-alert: Subaru is brand of the Year
West Coast (as seen at SFO Airport)
Admittedly, I have strayed away from this particular issue of CR for quite some time. In the past I found it riddled with comparisons and information that as a non-standard consumer – aka “car enthusiast” – didn’t make sense. Yes, I can hear you all now, “it’s not intended for you, idiot.” #facepalm.
– And I understand and respect that…but considering the overwhelming number of cut’n’pasted comments like: “Agility, ride, quietness, braking, fuel economy, controls” denoted as high points in the comment sections, the feedback doesn’t really provide the average car buyer any sort of useful impression.
When you get to the individual vehicle entries (pictured above), versus high-level comparisons like our table in the first section, everything becomes a bit confusing. The compact tables take some deciphering and leave you looking for which car has“the most green bubbles” rather than evaluating each vehicle on its own. Using the excerpt from the Audi A3 above, you can see plenty of green double arrow bubbles which means “best” in CR speak. And for the purposes of this discussion, let’s compare the Audi A3 to the Subaru Legacy entry. The Legacy has less “best” marks than the A3, lower fuel economy, etc, but carries a score of: 88 while the A3’s overall score is: 70 – wait, what? – Both vehicles are given a “recommended to buy flag” (see black check mark, next to opening paragraph), but cross correlating the information left me skeptical and thinking this system might be too subjective.
More importantly, the Average Joe doesn’t probably understand the vehicle manufacturing process as well as some of us do. Many manufacturers have moved to consolidated platforms where chassis, engine and part sharing is used to save on costs across models. Which makes reading a review on the Audi A3 with glowing marks and then jumping over to the VW Golf which shows average scores, frustrating. Folks – these two vehicles are the same car, different sheet metal – but don’t take my word for it – take a look at the VW MQB platform for yourself. But its not just the VAG products, you see it throughout the GM reviews and even down to oddly different ratings between cars like the Subaru BRZ and the Toyota 86 – seriously, its the same car with a different badge.
I am always disappointed when the cars we hold dear don’t make the CR cut list, for example: true ///M BMWs, Cadillac’s V-series (CTS & ATS), the Porsche Caymen, or the Audi “RS” series cars. Sometimes they do get a passing reference at the end of a paragraph for the base model, as pictured earlier: “A nicely detailed convertible and a sporty RS3 are also available” (at the tail-end of the blurb on the Audi A3). So that leaves me wondering … if the readership of this particular issue of CR is as high as they claim, aren’t they doing a disservice to their audience by not showcasing these vehicles? And how do these alternate versions play into the scoring system? #outofsight-outofmind. #savethemanual.
In the end, despite the overall fit & finish of the publication being 100x better than the last time I read one, I feel that CR doesn’t offer anyone real-life information that’s much different than if we walked up to 20 people and asked “what do you like / not-like about your car?” – There are too many nuances and variables left unchecked. Even though CR puts a lot of effort into capturing its metrics, there is something to be said for “brand loyalty” and “toughing out the issues/bugs” – and in my opinion, sometimes customer service is more important than where the controls are in relation to the radio. IMHO: It would be awesome to re-review these vehicles in 5 years, and see where things actually ended up.
In the meantime, the 2019 issue of Consumer Reports “New Cars” will be available on bookstore shelves until about the end of April. If you would like a copy, be sure to catch one before they are gone – or borrow mine, I’m done with it ;-).
</rant>
Disclaimer: GTM’s high-level assessment of these cars is based on our member/owner experiences and we urge you to do your own research and fact-checking before committing to any one vehicle. GTM isn’t responsible for your satisfaction, happiness or overall track experience with the vehicle you choose. Make sure to visit some vehicle specific online-forums and/or owners clubs for highly detailed and first-hand information on any vehicle you might be interested in.
Whenever someone brings up a “Renault 5” in conversation it stirs up a lot of different thoughts and emotions. And for some, they probably have no idea what the significance of this vehicle is. And first impressions are lasting ones, so I won’t fault anyone if they feel that it’s a bit of an ugly duckling.
Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!
Growing up during the height of “Killer-B” Rally era, mention of the R5 immediately conjures images like the one above. Even though the R5 was a FIA Grouppe 3/4 entrant, it ran alongside the famed Killer-B cars like the Audi Quattro, Peugeot 205T16, Lancia Delta and Ford RS200. And I have no shame in admitting there was a model R5 parked next to my other die-cast rally heroes in my bedroom.
R5 in lower left corner of the movie poster!Fatima Blush, played by Barbara Carrera
After watching the 1983 James Bond film “Never Say Never Again“ starring Sean Connery, it locked the R5 in a special place in my heart, and likely many others, as an automotive icon. The gorgeous “Fatima Blush” played Barbara Carrera introduced the homologated rally car to the world by driving through narrow European streets while being chased by James Bond on a BMW motorcycle as seen in the clip below. Hmm… thinking back, I am not sure who I had a bigger crush on.
Le Sigh…
For folks slightly older than me, they probably remember this laughable little gem (below), the base-model Renault 5 sold state-side as the “LeCar.” – Sales of the LeCar where dismal at best, and by now most have biodegraded.
However, a sum total of 4987 (Turbo-1: 1820 and Turbo-2: 3167) R5 Turbos were manufactured during a six-year production run from 1980-86. The Turbo-1 was the closest to the rally-spec using Bertone, Alpine and specialty alloy parts directly from the Renault-Sport parts bin, whereas the Turbo-2 was a more affordable version using more off the shelf Renault parts.
Ooo, Dat Ass…
Its undeniably wide and one of the R5s most distinct features. Approaching the R5 from behind makes you feel like you’re behind other wide-body cars of the era like the Porsche 930 or the Ferrari Testarossa, but the front-end is significantly narrower than the rear giving the R5 a noticeably wedged footprint.
FRUNK! - just enough space for the spare tire; and a reinforcement beam where the motor used to be.
To make room after changing the configuration of the base Renault 5 from front-wheel drive to mid-engine rear-wheel-drive; the engineers at Renault had to make significant modifications to the rear half of the car specifically for cooling and ventilation. Up front, in the “frunk” – a large tubular reinforcement beam was installed in place of the engine in order to keep the chassis from twisting.
At 144-inches long the R5 is quite small – and for the sake of comparison: a 1st generation Mazda Miata is 155-inches long and 4th generation VW GTI is 163-inches. Both of these vehicles by today’s standards are considered “compact”; the R5 is nearly 2 feet shorter than the VW, woah!
As mentioned previously, if you compare this car to the sportier and racing-inspired Bertone + Alpine interior of the Turbo-1, the Turbo-2 is much more plush and civilized. Unfortunately, moving to the off-the-shelf Renault parts means a cheaper feel and poorer fit and finish, even for a limited-production hand-built car. The seats are probably the best and worst feature of the R5. They are bulky and almost too large for the cabin and provide an awkward seating position (imagine driving while sitting at your kitchen table); but they do provide plenty absorption for the R5s rough coil-over ride.
In typical early ’80s euro-fashion, the interior is every shade of earth tone possible and comprised of chunky plastic components. The steering is left of drivers center and the clutch pedal is spaced very far from the brake, whereas the gauges are easily visible and the shifter is in a great location. The R5 is full of “quirks” which add to its charm. One of my favorites being the horn button, which is not in the center of the steering wheel but found on the end of the indicator stalk. It makes one of the happiest sounds and when people pulled up next to me on the road waving and giving thumbs up, I would respond with the cheery “beep-beep” and watch their faces explode with grins and laughter.
The R5 has a raspy exhaust note, but having the engine directly behind you encased in a carpet covered plywood box gives you a no-filter symphony from the engine. Unfortunately, because there is no separation between the driver and the engine – like you would find in a Lotus Elise or Porsche Cayman – there is no lack of heat in the cabin. Driving with the windows cracked or opening the center air vent (which only lets in outside air) is mandatory. Diagnosing problems with the R5, especially sounds or smells is a breeze. If I were to spend more time in an R5, I would probably install a carbon-monoxide detector, just to be safe.
…but, it has a great personality.
Driving the R5 is interesting, I got to spend time with it in a mix of situations: twisty back-roads, highway and in weekend traffic. On the highway, its like any other car at 65 mph. A little bumpy because of the coil-overs, and not too noisy – the motor hums at mid-range rpm and there are small rattles here and there. Visibility is good and after a while you can even begin to get accustomed to the odd seating position. I did mistake the hood release as a dead-pedal until I realized the floor pan didn’t have one! This meant resting your foot flat on the floor, which was okay, because my knee became a resting place for my wrist since the steering wheel is not only off center, but leans slightly toward the dashboard on the left side.
On a twisty road or off-ramp, the nose of the R5 tends to get light and gives you the impression of massive body roll, but once you’ve gotten used to it, you can really point and squirt the car wherever you like. At first the brakes where mushy, but I started to realized that Allen had taken this car to a HPDE a few seasons ago and was equipped with race pads and Toyo R888R tires, which take time to warm up. Usually, manual-steering cars turn slowly unless at speed and feel “heavy and truck-like” but the R5 is so light and generates lift quickly, it gives the impression it has power assist which makes attacking corners fun.
By today’s standards – where your mom’s Toyota Camry comes with close to 300 hp depending on the package – it’s hard to say that the R5 is “fast.” – If you take the R5 back to 1985 comparables, the punch that 1397cc can deliver in this tiny package is impressive. The turbo-lag is period appropriate, and when the R5 is on boost, it’s an absolute riot!
The transmission in the R5 is fabulous, the gating between 1-2-3-4 is perfect, tight, with no searching. The car responds well to quick shifting and heel+toe, and it makes sense that 5th is a reach as it would be seldom used (in a race). Reverse on the other hand, equally as far away from the H as 5th, is in an odd spot being right next to 2nd gear with no lock-out. This makes a “bay city roller” (2nd gear, rolling take off) or an aggressive 3rd-to-2nd downshift challenging. Once you get used to the spacing it does become very natural. #adaptandovercome #savethemanual.
Verdict: Is the R5 a good car?
Heck no… it’s terrible. Rare, difficult to gets parts for and maintain, crampt, hot, quirky, cobbled together, laggy, awkward handling and above all… very French. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t love it! Driving the R5 was an absolute hoot and I appreciated every moment behind the wheel. Storming down a B-road, trees rushing by in a car like this gives you an overwhelming sense of euphoria and freedom. Seeing so many positive reactions from outsiders adds to that sense of glee – and was a concrete reminder why cars are awesome!
Like all good things – my rendezvous with Genevieve (I felt it appropriate to name the R5 after our date) – had to come to an end. A special thank you again to Allen R for letting me spend time with a true icon, one of my heroes, and get to know it better. This was definitely an experience I will not forget.
The All Aluminum, mid-engine Audi Quattro Spyder has created an enormous stir when it was unveiled at the Frankfurt International Auto Show earlier this year.
The Spyder was developed with help from Ferry Piech, who is part owner of Porsche AG. Piech has often stood in complete disagreement with the way Porsche has been managed. One of Piech’s reasons for having the Spyder developed was to show Porsche what his idea of a sensible sports car was. The engineers at Audi were able to demonstrate how easy it was to build a fast and affordable sports car with the track day enthusiast in mind.
At first glace the Spyder is reminiscent of the Porsche Cayman and carries a lot of the same characteristics. A two-seater, mid engine sports car, with front and rear trunk areas. The Spyder utilizes the venerable 2.8-litre Audi V6 mid-mounted and strapped to a 6-speed manual transmission with Quattro all-wheel-drive. Horsepower, Torque and Speed numbers are yet to be released. But the Spyder is available in three colors: Tornado Red, Baltic Green and Fahrenheit Orange. Prices are expected to start around $45k US.
April Fools! – we hope you enjoyed this throwback to 1993.
The Audi Spyder was an actual pre-production vehicle with only a handful built. But after much hesitation, Audi decided that the recession in the automobile business required full concentration on larger-volume models, therefore the Spyder would never reach full production. In the end, the final decision not to produce the Spyder may have been influenced by the desire not to compete directly with Porsche.
Unlike other historical accounts, this book jumps right in. It’s 1945-ish, and Colin is off to college. His area of expertise is “civil engineering” and much like Dallara, Chapman becomes obsessed with aeronautics and even enlists with the RAF. After a chance visit to a [Time] Trials event near the RAF base, he immediately took an interest in modifying cars, especially using techniques he learned in aircraft design.In the early days Champman spent a lot time modifying Austins, but quickly realized he wanted more, and started to design his own vehicles… said in a James May voice… and by now, you’re off to sleep I take it.
I could go on-and-on-and-on… as does the book – But I am going to spare you rest of the TL:DR 380 pages and just say this book is a chore to read through. As biographies go, it was written a few years after Chapman’s death in 1982; so the stories and memories recounted by the biographer (Gerard ‘Jabby’ Crombac) are still fresh. Everything feels very day-to-day as well as race-by-race which makes sense considering Gerard is a journalist – which also means many of the particulars must come from extensive note taking. Despite all the detail there are still some items that seem to be left out almost as an assumption for the reader. And let’s face it, the only people reading this probably already knew the surrounding details pretty well, allowing them to fill in the gaps. It is important to note that the book is chock-full of technical details and #secretsauce that any avid classic car historian would swoon over. As an added bonus, there is plenty of “inside baseball” disclosed with respect to the operations of Lotus at that time.
For most of us, reading this some 30+ years later as a casual bedtime story is akin to deciphering Ancient Egyptian while you wait for NyQuil to kick in – thankfully the author did include lots of pictures! So here’s what I’ll do, instead of waxing poetic about Colin Chapman for the next 1000 words, I’m going to list out the most important things you should know about Colin Champman + Lotus (from the book) and leave all the remaining trivial drama and techno jargon behind to discover on your own.
Chapman’s full name is “Anthony Colin Bruce Champman” – which happens to coincide with the letters you see on the Lotus insignia (below) – born 1928, in England.
The Why/Where/When and How Chapman came up with or decided upon the name Lotus (for Lotus Cars, Lotus Engineering, etc) is still a mystery to this day. But the name was used from the very beginnings of his work.
Chapman was married to Hazel Williams in 1954 (28 years; although they had been dating since the mid-’40s). He had two daughters and one son, Clive Chapman, who currently runs Classic Team Lotus, offering restoration, maintenance and operation of historic Team Lotus Formula One cars.
The early days of Lotus Engineering was housed in a series of “sheds” which they called a factory until a fully functional factory would be setup years later at RAF Hethel, in Norfolk, England. Trivia: Top Gear “Test Track” (Dunsfold Aerodrome) was designed by Lotus, mimicking their test track at RAF Hethel!
Lotus Cars all have a “type number”; Racing cars are only known by their numbers (ie: Lotus 25, 29, etc.); whereas Street cars carry names starting with the letter “E” – for example: Elite, Elcat, Europa, Elan, Esprit, Elise, Exige, Evora, etc. Very early Lotus’ were known as Mk-# (1-10 using roman numerals) up to the Lotus Eleven (the number “11” was not used #itscomplicated).
Chapman pioneered the use of struts in rear suspensions in the late ’50s. Even today, struts used in the rear of a vehicle are known as “Chapman Struts” –Â Note: Chapman struts are virtually identical to the ones used on the front which you and I know as “MacPherson Struts” that were invented 10 years earlier in 1949 – however, the mounting position/geometry makes the patent somehow unique. #itscomplicated.
Chapman popularized the “monocoque chassis” vehicle design with the 1962 Lotus 25 Formula-1 car.
When American racing driver Dan Gurney first saw the Lotus 25 at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, he was so struck by the advanced design that he invited Chapman to the 1962 Indianapolis 500. The Lotus 29 debuted at Indianapolis in 1963, with Jim Clark finishing second. Lotus would return in 1965 to win the Indy 500 with Jim Clark becoming the first non-American winner of the Indianapolis 500 since 1916.
Inspired by Jim Hall, Chapman was among those who helped introduce aerodynamics into Formula-1 car design. Lotus introduced the concept of positive aerodynamic downforce, through the addition of wings, at a Tasman Formula race in early 1968.
Chapman, working with Tony Rudd and Peter Wright, pioneered the first Formula-1 use of “ground effects”, where a low pressure area is created under the car by use of venturis, generating suction (downforce) which held the car securely to the track while cornering.
The Lotus 7 was the most popular and longest running Lotus vehicle manufactured during Chapman’s run of the company. The car has been made famous the world over as a sports icon. The rights to the 7 were sold to Caterham in 1957, where the vehicle was produced until 1972.
Both Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth (of Cosworth Engineering) were close to and even worked for Chapman for some time; and were instrumental in developing many of the components and engines that helped Lotus win so many races.
Sadly, SIX – Formula 1 drivers have died behind the wheel of a Lotus: Alan Stacey during the 1960 Belgian GP, Ricardo Rodriguez during practice for the 1962 Mexican GP, Gary Hocking during practice for the non-championship 1962 Natal GP, Jochen Rindt during practice for the 1970 Italian GP, Ronnie Peterson at the start of the 1978 Italian GP (died in hospital from injuries), and F1 World Champion Jim Clark was killed in a Lotus F2 car at Hockenheim in 1968.
From 1978 until his death, Chapman was involved with the famed GM designer John Z. DeLorean, in his development of a stainless steel sports car (the DMC-12), to be built in a factory in Northern Ireland which was majority-funded by the British government and … we all know how that one ended 😉 #itscomplicated.
One of Chapman’s last major technical innovations was a dual-chassis Formula-1 car, the Lotus 88 in 1981.
Colin Chapman died in 1982 from heart failure, at only 54 years old.
Well that about wraps it up – Chapman was nothing less than a genius and his cunning ability to push the rules until they were rewritten against him (and Lotus) really did help drive sports cars into another dimension compared to Lotus’ competitors (and predecessors). Lotus was a fury of evolution, from one design to another, year-after-year. From mad scientist-like sketches that were mapped out on pub napkins to breathe taking masterpieces on the track, what Chapman was able to create in his short time with us, was nothing short of amazing!
If you’re an avid history buff, then this book is definitely for you. The technical detail is tremendous and would probably make for a great documentary series – but if you don’t have that kind of time, I highly recommend taking a shortcut and checking out the cliff’s notes version of “Chapman + Lotus” – on Wikipedia.
My Retro Relativity series continues with a world renowned automotive icon originally known as the “KdF-Wagen.” – It’s probably true that not many of you know it by this name – since only 210 were built in 1938. But! – in post-war-1946, production of the KdF-Wagen was restarted and it became known as the VW Type 1. The Type 1, at the time, was better known by the nickname “Käfer” in Germany – which is only cool in Germany – so the name was quickly changed again and became known the world over – by English speaking folks like you and me – more officially as the Beetle and informally as the Bug.  Interestingly enough, there is actually a compiled list of ALL the names which the Beetle has been called around the world during its lifespan – be sure to check it out.
The Bug has a long history to it. And I will summarize: originally designed in 1934 by Ferdinand Porsche under direction from Adolf Hitler to fill the need for a “People’s Car” (Volkswagen) that anyone could afford. #fullstop. Although, it was believed that Porsche copied the design of Czechoslovakian car maker Tatra’s V570 prototype (above), in which they sued VW prior to Germany’s invasion and the start of WW2 shortly thereafter – but that’s a history lesson for another day.
With 1946 post-war production of the Bug starting in the newly named city of Wolfsburg, Western Europe was the primary location for its sales until its first opportunity to sell in the US in 1950 after multiple attempts to find a US dealer network to carry them. To everyone’s surprise, the Beetle was a hit, and it very sold well. How well? By 1955 one million of them were parked in driveways across America  – To top that in 1972 VW had produced 15,007,034 Beetles matching the total number of Ford Model T’s ever produced and eventually reaching a total 21,529,464 world wide for the Type 1, a number that has yet to be beaten.
Even though the Beetle was no longer sold in the US after the early 1980’s, it was produced in Mexico for the global market until 2003! – right alongside “the New Beetle” from 1998-2003. WOW! The Type-1 holds the record for longest running production vehicle ever manufactured. The first re-introduction of the Beetle in 1997 was as known the Concept 1. Many younger individuals are familiar with the new Beetle which made its debut in 1998 and ran until 2011 until it was redesigned again to the current A5 (MK6-based) version.
Note: Personally, I think the redesign (as seen above) made the newest Beetle look much better overall. Compared to the 1998-2011 cars, it had more of an original feel, more of a nostalgic look similar to the KdF-wagen.
The Beetle, it’s chassis, components, and more – have been used for so many other applications. A very popular one in the California surf scene was the “Dune Buggy” and the Myers Manx. People have used them to make sand rails as the air-cooled engine proved reliable in dry desert like areas. This led to more popular “Baja Bugs” for racing. Many folks have modified the Bug for all sorts of racing, including drag racing and formula-spec (Formula Vee), making impressive power numbers from the flat-4. And on the extreme end people have cut them and made trikes, kit-cars or even put the shell over another vehicle with larger power trains. (examples below). Not to mention all of the military vehicles and additional VW models that were based on the Bug design like the Type-2 Bus, Type-411, Karmann-Ghia, etc – heck! even the Porsche 356.
After many years the Type 1 seemed to take on a life of its own. For many of us it will forever be known as the “Love Bug” due to the series of Herbie movies in which the #53 Beetle was the star.
To further ingrain its reputation as a “Love Bug” into American culture, the Beetle become synonymous with its “hippie” drivers throughout the ’60s.
Continuing right into my childhood, the ’80s brought back Beetle-mania with a yellow Type 1 better known to many of us as “Bumblebee.” (Transformers).
There are clubs, magazines, and events (like “the Bug-Out”) held specifically for this iconic car. And who as a child didn’t play a game of “punch buggy” ? #nopunchbacks.
Unfortunately for many male fans of the original Bug, the new (MK4-based) Beetle was geared towards female drivers with accessories such as flower petal looking wheels and even a flower vase incorporated into the dash.
After a few years, VW did recognize that they were missing out on sales because of the gender bias and offered some specialty models to draw in more sales from men with options like the VR6 powered RSIÂ (europe-only, above) and the Turbo S (below).
Although VW has decided to cancel production of the current beetle, which is scheduled for later this year (2019), compared to the MINI I reviewed in the last segment, I feel the only way the Beetle could have been kept “more true” to its ancestry was to have reintroduced it with the rear mounted engine – but that’s what we have the 911 for, right? (Although, how cool would that have been?!?). The future of the Beetle is still undecided, maybe it’s on break for the next 10-15 years while VW continues to refine more cutting-edge technologies… Maybe it will be an all-electric version next time. Either way, I’m anxious to see what they do with it next.
[Editors Note] Fairwell to the Beetle … check out fellow author Matt Y epilogue describing his family experiences “Memories of the VW Beetle” with this iconic car. His article was submitted to NPR back in July of 2019.Â
I don’t generally like to blend my professional life with my extra-curricular activities, but after watching a recent commercial from TrueCar while on a recent business trip, my cyber (spidey) senses were left tingling… Let me put some context around my concerns, I’m a nearly 20 year veteran of the IT industry, with a specialization in Cyber Security (and an obvious passion for Automobiles). Since my mind was hyper focused this week on cyber matters, I viewed this seemingly benign and “convenient” feature from TrueCar (below) with completely different eyes than I normally would.
WOAH! – WAIT?, WHAT?!?– As you saw from the video: Simply put in your license plate number, get details on your vehicles build and a quote in seconds. Some high-level questions that immediately came to mind: How does this really work? Are there any gates to stop some random person from using your license plate to look up information? How much PII (Personally Identifiable Information) is being exposed here? If PII isn’t exposed, what other information could I leverage or obtain from this app to get more detailed information about YOU? How many back-end systems are tied together here? How far does the rabbit hole go?, asked Alice. – I’ll also admit, I’m rather sensitive to vehicle ownership privacy, since I have had a vehicle stolen which was never recovered.
Following the simple steps laid out by TrueCar‘s website, I quickly downloaded their app onto a compatible device. I started working through the process… using my neighbors license plate number, Ha! – to prove a point – a Chevy Avalanche that spends more time parked than running. All of these screen shots (below) were taken in sequence, so follow along:
If you’re not getting worried yet, you should be.
Through that entire process (which took a total of 30 seconds); I was able to:
1. Capture a random License Plate number 2. Was never asked to login or create an account 3. Authenticate/Verify myself in any way: as a human, bot or the vehicle owner 4. Verify the Yr/Mk/Model of the Vehicle 5. Acquire its VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and an estimated value.
So what else can I do with this information?
Asking the mighty Google about: VIN NUMBER LOOKUP yields a variety of web-based tools – the leader in the space being CARFAX. And for those unfamiliar with CARFAX – if you take a vehicle’s VIN and run it through the system it generates a report about the vehicle and here’s what you get:
I was actually relieved that I was gated by CARFAX – because they wanted to make some money off of the information they are capturing from Insurance Companies, Police Reports and the Dealership Records Network; depending on my level of *interest* I could spend the $40 to see if this vehicle was properly maintained or has been in a major accident. Attempting to keep our ROI (Return On Investment) high and save time, I’m sure there’s another “Free Service” on the first page of our Google results that will give me more details, right?
But of course…
By way of VehicleHistory.com, I learned that the Avalanche has a clean title; and as of a few years ago, has relatively low-mileage for its age; with all major recalls completed. So far we’ve learned that the VIN data is vehicle-centric with little to no PII being exposed – which is good. If I was a car thief, I probably have everything I need to know about this vehicle to make a decision… but let’s say I’m a cyber criminal.Thanks to an online law dictionary by way of asking Google about: LICENSE PLATE LOOKUPS, I got a quick tutorial on how to leverage the public record system to gather even more information surrounding the Avalanche. This allowed me to dig even further:
Unlike VIN searches – which are designed to offer a potential buyer a look into the “medical history” of the vehicle – these “license plate lookup services” seem to drive their user towards a more critical data payload. Both of the websites above claim to offer “Name of Vehicle Owner” but more importantly “Registration Details” – which could potentially translate to a “Physical Address.” and for a couple of bucks, we can have that – but dropping down another rung a website like Findbyplate.com actually made my possibilities even wider and my stomach churn.
Ok, Take a breath…
Please know that my intent was not to overly rattle all of my friends – I was really apprehensive (and anxious) to begin my research for this article – seeing an opportunity to take a moment to bridge two of my worlds and spread some Cyber Awareness. For peace of mind, I’m going to keep the rest of my findings “rated-PG” and not build out a complete compromise formula for someone to follow. But by now I’m sure you can see where this was going: with enough data points, public records, time and available“free services” you should infer that someone could begin to create a dossier about YOU by starting with something as simple as your license plate number.
Many people will agree that moving public services to general availability is a good idea and does create mass convenience, but it also opens up new attack and data collection vectors. My hope is that you take away a better understanding of why Cyber Security is important and why data protection is crucial. There are so many seemingly innocuous data fragments out in the wild… Data that we take for granted each day as we move more-and-more services “to the cloud.” – We need to consider how disparate systems could be linked together through common data points creating a “pivot lookup” effect. Which means, as Cyber Professionals, we must remain vigilant about how we protect these tools and services and remember that at the end of the day there is a direct correlation to protecting individuals, families and their privacy.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with some fundamental Cyber Security Best Practices you can employ today:
Use Strong Passwords, and don’t reuse them
Use Two-Factor Authentication whenever possible (or offered)
Never send sensitive data through unsecured email
Keep your operating system & software up to date
Back up your data
Change the default passwords on your smart devices
and some vehicle specific tips…
Never sync/pair your smart device to a rental car
Always delete your “user profile” on your cars multi-function / entertainment systems before you sell them.
Be considerate on the road, you never know who is capturing your actions in photo/video
Drive a manual, its an anti-theft-device 😉 #savethemanual
In a previous article Eric M wrote about the square-boxy designs of the ’80s… to my disappointment, he didn’t speak enough in regards to what I consider the best “Square Body”. Those who know me well are aware of my strong affection – maybe it’s an addiction – towards what is known as the GM Square Body Truck. What makes this model so great? – You ask … or maybe You didn’t, but I’m going to tell you anyway. LOL.
How about a 19 YEAR PRODUCTION RUN for starters! – Debuting in 1973, the square body truck had a large selection of options and trim packages including third party factory aftermarket options. These trucks really had their roots grounded in 1960-66 with the first generation of the C/K models of GM trucks. The second generation only lasted from 1967-72 leaving the debut of the third generation in 1973 and continuing through 1988-91 under the R/V labeling. Maybe that’s why they weren’t mentioned much in the previous article... they weren’t really from the ’80s, but were offered throughout the entire decade!
GM marketed their third generation design as the “Rounded-Line Pick-ups” but the owners of these trucks have reestablished them to be more commonly known as the “Square body” – and rightfully so, just look at it! They were trimmed as Custom, Custom Deluxe, Cheyenne, Scottsdale, Sierra, and Silverado to name a few. The square body consists of multiple body lengths: the regular cab truck, crew cab (Also known as the 3+3), the Suburban (the longest running non interrupted vehicle model EVER!!! from 1933-present), and the K5 Blazer (or GMC Jimmy).
Designations & Identifiers
The C/K and R/V designations on the trucks are quick ways to differentiate a few key items:
The C/K was used for the square body from 1973-87 and changed to R/V in 1988.
Following one of the four letters would have been 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, or 35 depending if it was a Chevrolet or GMC. The “5” was used the Blazer (or Jimmy) while 10 and 15 were the half-ton trucks.
20 and 25 covered the three-quarter-ton trucks, and lastly the 30 and 35 consisted of the one-ton trucks.
In later years those numbers were converted to 1500, 2500, and 3500 (mainly with the R/V series trucks from 1988-91).
The C and R generally meant the truck was 2WD while K and V meant they were 4WD.
There was a variety of power train options as well, a 250 cubic inch inline 6 cylinder with “3 on the tree” all the way to the 454 cubic inch big-block with a 4L80E 4 speed lock up converter automatic. Note: The 4L80E was only offered in 1991 for this body style.
The combinations seemed endless depending on your desire or need! – A factory option was the Camper Special which had a higher GVW than the standard truck.
How about one of those aftermarket factory options I mentioned earlier? The “extended cab.” My research shows that between 1973-1987 only about 2,500 of these trucks had extended cab conversion making them a fabled “great white buffalo”  that very people few have ever seen in person. Custom Vehicles International of Arlington, TX (which is no longer in business) was the primary company offering these conversations and GM even granted the factory warranty after the work was done. The price tag on the extended cab was a staggering $6,000 on top of the cost of the vehicle. Even interior options were available from companies such as Choo Choo Customs in Chattanooga, TN which included captains chairs instead of the second row bench seat and a lifted roof (in the Suburban), upgraded center consoles, and even televisions! Many of these add-ons were of wood based construction and trim – think “Conversion Van” style.
Western Hauler offered a custom back seat for the crew cab that folded down to a bed as well as steel beds utilized on ranches and farms. There were also “cab and chassis” versions that came without a bed and generally a narrowed rear axle.
These trucks were also widely used by the US military as the CUCV (Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle). For military use, the trucks were upgraded and rated as “5/4” or 1 & 1/4 ton trucks with the exception of the Blazer version. They had multiple designations depending on their set up, including: M1008, M1009, M1010, M1028, and M1031. The military used them for anything from general cargo hauling, command post, fire fighting and even communications!
This generation of GM trucks has been widely used and appreciated. There are many websites and even car clubs dedicated to the Square Body. They were used in Hollywood movies and TV shows, and even recently seen in films passing by as “extras.”
For me and many folks that I know, these trucks hold a special place in our hearts and memories. As a child I spent lots of time riding around in Square Bodies. After I got out of the military I purchased my first one for $175 and in a matter of two weeks my brother and I had it road worthy. Since then, that specific truck has been modified a few times and I have added *many* more to my collection. One day I hope to complete my collection, owning one Square Body from each year 1980-’91 – as I prefer those years the most.
And stay tuned – as I am thinking of building myself one specifically for the track!Â
If you have questions about the Square Body, are looking to buy one and need advice or are just looking for parts, please don’t hesitate to reach out!Â
