The original Lexus LS400 was a organisation that changed the world. “…exquisitely engineered and painstakingly place together,” I wrote in the January, 1991, issue of Australia’s Wheels magazine. “…it is now the benchmark against which all other luxury cars must now be judged.” How true. Mercedes-Benz, shocked by the LS400’s uncanny smoothness and silence, and its near-perfect panel gaps and interior seams, delayed its forthcoming W140 S-Class to rush through a bunch of engineering changes. As a result, the W140 arrived late, over budget and overweight, and probably cost then engineering chief Dr. Wolfgang Peter his job.

The original Lexus LS400 won my admiration and respect: I was a member of the judging panel that voted the LS400 the 1990 Wheels Car of the Year (the Wheels award, founded in 1963, was modeled on Motor Trend’s COTY). But I never loved the car. It had no character, no soul.

In fact, I’ve never really warmed to any Lexus since, and not the least because after that spectacular initial effort, Toyota has never seemed to quite know what to do with the brand. Instead of a world-beating mid-size luxury sedan, the original ES was an egregious ploy aimed at suckering gullible Americans into paying too much for a gussied-up Camry. The current ES still is. The LX series off-roaders? Nothing more than Toyota trucks in an expensive tux. I had high hopes for the GS, but the car has never come close to the all-round deftness and driveability of a BMW 5 Series. Even Jaguar builds a way better mid-size sport-lux sedan these days.

Lexus group vice president and general manager Mark Templin recently described the hugely favourite RX SUV as “…arguably our most iconic vehicle.” Oh dear. This is another vehicle whose Lexus-ness — in the context of the ground-breaking LS — runs little deeper than a splash of chrome, a bit of wood, and some nice leather. For a true luxury vehicle it is remarkably unrefined to drive. (I haven’t driven the new RX to tell whether Toyota has lifted its game, but you’ll be healthy to check Ron Kiino’s first impressions here at motortrend.com on Jan 7.)

Given Toyota’s odd ambivalence towards Lexus — it was 16 years before the company could bring itself to use the Lexus study in Nihon — I find it remarkable the Lexus IS-F exists at all. The cynical view is the IS-F was built purely for marketing reasons; that it exists only because BMW has the M3, Mercedes-Benz has the C63 AMG, and Audi has the RS4, and not because anyone at Toyota — perhaps the least passionate maker in the world — actually gives a shit about building a sporty car.

Actually, that’s not quite true: IS-F chief engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi’s resume includes four generations of Supra. And he wanted the car to be good, testing it extensively in Europe and the U.S., as well as Japan, benchmarking rivals that included all the logical sedan-based Germans, and the Tiptronic-equipped Porsche 911 Carrera. I was one of a handful of journalists who drove a various prototypes during the car’s development as the team sought independent feedback on transmission calibration, suspension tune, and tire choice. Car guys worked on this Lexus.

There are still some things I don’t like about the IS-F. The ride is a touch too firm when rubbernecking around town (the new Cadillac CTS-V is now the benchmark) and the steering a shade gluey through the twisties (give me the Jaguar XF Supercharged’s steering feel, please). I’m not a huge fan of the styling mods. But after a bunch of miles in our Ultrasonic Blue long termer, I can forgive those small foibles.

The IS-F has grip and grunt in equal measure, making primeval morning canyon carving a delight. The 416 hp V-8 is creamy smooth, with a subdued basso-profundo exhaust note that explodes into a surround of sound when you crack the throttle open, and a healthy dose of torque to punch you out of the turns. It leans on its front tires more than an M3, and the front end starts to near wide earlier, so you have to be a little more deliberate on turn-in, like in an AMG Mercedes (The development team found more aggressive tires improved turn-in response, but at the expensive of wear, and road noise.) Nevertheless, the IS-F is impressively quick point to point, with predictable handling that won’t induce sweaty palms and sharp intakes of breath along the way.

The eight-speed automatic crisply shuffles the ratios, whether left to its own devices around town, or by way of the column-mounted paddles when you’re going for it. It’s almost as good as the best dual-clutch manual, and helps the IS-F deliver impressive mileage — I saw 25.7 mpg at an average speed of 78 mph during a 341-mile run out to Kingman, Arizona, for the Truck of the Year judging a few months back. Over 13,000 miles our less than tenderly driven tester has averaged 19 mpg. It’s a nice place to spend time in on a long road trip, too, with wonderfully comfortable seats, and a great sound system.

Discreetly edgy, deceptively fast — and above all, fun and engaging to drive — the IS-F has more soul in a single lug-nut than the rest of the Lexus range place together. That’s why it’s a Lexus I could love.

Photos by Julia LaPalme

The Pontiac G8 ST may end up being stillborn, never seeing the light of day. This is no surprise given the precarious situation GM and Pontiac are in.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of vehicles like the Pontiac G8 ST. I've always been a bit uncomfortable with trucks becoming play things. I guess in this respect I guess I'm "old school" in that trucks should be tools and not toys. The less tool-like, and the more toy-like they become, the less interest I have for them. Having said that I'm not against car-based "utes" per say. I think properly equipped for tasks that befit them, they're about perfect. That's what you see in Australia, South Africa, and in other parts of the world. I like those vehicles, and they do serve a purpose. When they start venturing into the sports car arena, that's when my interest dissipates.

Full story here

It’s a bleak, grey morning in the City of Adelaide, capital of South Australia and wine capital of the country. But wine is the furthest thing from the minds of the lineup of drivers in the four-day, 600 mile Classic Adelaide Rally. Truth is, after three hard days of rallying, most crews were tucked up primeval last night, knowing there were still eight competitive stages to go. Included will be the fast and sweeping Paris Creek Long stage, at 15 miles the longest special stage of the event.

Today, I’m the unrecognised filling in a celebrity sandwich. First off the line is 1983 Le Mans winner, the locally born and bred Vern Schuppan, in one of our fleet of Mercedes-Benz AMG cars; his is a black SL63, running on Pirelli P-Zero tyres, I note. We’re next in line, in car 3. (Car 1, a white SLK55 AMG set aside for triple world Formula One champion Sir Jack Brabham, is missing. Sir Jack’s not feeling well this morning, a legacy of his thrice-weekly dialysis treatment). Car 3 is our silver Mercedes SL63, but running on the more pedestrian Bridgestone Potenza tyres. No special favors for auto writers.

Two cars behind us is the Mercedes C63 AMG Estate (the car we were using yesterday) which is now being handled by five-times world motorcycle champion, Michael Doohan. My primeval morning resolution to just take it cushy and cruise through the day goes out the window. With Schuppan in front and Doohan behind, I’ll have to maintain some sort of pace not to look like a rank amateur.

The first stage of the day is Montacute, a ripping seven mile ride up through the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges which border Adelaide’s orient side. Schuppan launches the black SL63 and with a healthy bellow the 6.2-litre, 517hp V8 sees him abruptly disappear through the first bend. I blink in disbelief at the sheer brutality of the thing. We move up to the line and I poke around at buttons, manage to zero the trip-meter and select m-for-manual on the little rotary button alongside the selector for the seven-speed gearbox.

Thirty seconds after Schuppan’s gone we’re off, pressed back in the bucket seats and quickly flicking the right-hand-side “up” paddle behind the wheel to grab higher gears. We pour through the first turn seriously trying to find an apex then abruptly change direction as the road takes us through a series of highly-cambered but smooth and sweeping bends. Down a gear with the left paddle and the engine gives a meaty blip of the engine as it downshifts. Hey, this Speedshift thing makes you look pretty good.

Chris Lee, a valued customer of Mercedes-Benz Australia and an AMG owner, is riding shotgun and calling the corners. A rally competitor in his own right he’s appreciating what’s going on; this SL63 is no lightweight and those Potenzas are sticking like bubblegum to a sneaker. We arrive at the finish with a whiff of brake pad in the air; Schuppan’s already well and truly there of course and by the time we’re unfastening the helmets, the grinning Doohan has arrived in the wagon. “Hey, this is a pretty good thing,” he says, sticking a thumb in its direction.

Schuppan sidles over. We compare coupes. “What do you think? Not bad for a big thing, hey?” he says before getting ready to dematerialize once more.

Crowds line vantage points along the route to the easterly and south of Adelaide; tantalizing smells of barbecuing meat and onions drift into the car. Faces and waving arms blur as we arrow past.

At the end of the day our five cars return unmarked, idling quietly and sliding through the weekend traffic as if they’ve just been down to granny’s place.

It wouldn’t be motorsport without a controversy and the results of the Classic Adelaide Rally are yet to be prefabricated final. New South Cambria wheat farmer Bill Pye in a Porsche 911 RS has been declared winner at the expense of local driver and last year’s victor, Kevin Weeks.

Weeks finished an agonising 2.8 seconds behind Pye after following rallying prescript and stopping to assist another competitor who had run off the road on the second-last special stage.  Rally rules wage a formula to calculate a “derived” time in such circumstances, but this averaging of numbers relegated Weeks to second. A oppose was dismissed, and he has prefabricated a further appeal. In another shake-up, the third and fourth-placed finishers  were excluded after post-event technical inspections.

The starting line-up of 220 cars has been reduced by 30 or so, but plans are already afoot for next year’s event.  It could take that long for the pulse rate to normalize.

By Bob Jennings

In these days of political correctness, holier-than-thou speed limits and can’t do authoritarian regimes, it’s nice to get hold of a fast car and drive the wheels off it. On public roads. With no oncoming traffic. And with the full encouragement of the owner… Sound like a dream? No way. Thanks to the enduringness of a bunch of Aussie car nuts and a State government still basking in the glory of a decade of successful Formula One street races, this is exactly what the Classic Adelaide Rally in South Australia is all about.

I’m driving in this year’s Classic Adelaide as a last-minute stand-in for Motor Trend editor-in-chief Angus MacKenzie, who, like me, grew up driving on the fast and twisting two-lanes through the gentle hills around Adelaide. While the boss is back in LA dealing with the fallout from the meltdown in Motown, I’m covering four days flogging various AMG Benzes on some of the best driver’s roads in the world. Well, someone has to do it…

First run in 1997 — two years after the world championship Formula One moved to Melbourne — the Classic Adelaide Rally is a 600 mile road rally with 32 special stages. It is run over four days in a series of loops, starting and finishing in in the heart of Adelaide. The neat thing is that it’s open to both classic and modern cars.

The serious competitive class is for the Classics, with a cut-off date of 1990. Porsche 911RS, Ford Escort BDA, Jaguar sedans and sports cars, local V8 muscle cars, original Minis and of course Ferraris with their spitting, popping, throaty carburetors are the weapons of choice. Throw in Maserati, De Tomaso, Aston Martin, MG, Triumph, Austin-Healey, Mustang, BMW, Jensen and Alfa Romeo and you’re getting some intent of the mix.

There’s a Regularity section in which competitors need to stick to average speeds; a Classic Tour for those who want to drive the closed-road route without the hassle of competition, and a Thoroughbred Touring class for modern “exotic and grand touring cars” of any vintage including modern.

Although Ferrari is this year’s featured marque, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Daytona, Mercedes-Benz is the only manufacturer to have been involved in every event since its inception and has by far the strongest manufacturer presence. This year it is showcasing the breadth of its AMG range and it’s a rare chance to extend Stuttgart’s finest on the brilliant driving roads to the north, easterly and south of Adelaide. On the team this year are Ernst Lieb, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA (and a former head of Mercedes-Benz Australia) and his head of Corporate Communications, Geoff Day.

On the regular Mercedes driving team is an assortment of high-class talent with eight world championships and a Le Mans victory among the CVs. There’s triple world Formula One champ, Sir Jack Brabham (SLK55 AMG), five-times world 500cc motorcycle champion Michael Doohan (due to run the last two days) and locally born and based 1983 Le Mans winner Vern Schuppan (in his favourite — SLK63 AMG) whose career includes a third placing in the Indy 500.

Day One, and I lined up in a CLK 63 Black series; its 6.2 litre V8 with 500hp evidenced pretty handy. In the co-driver’s chair for an introductory glimpse at the Australian countryside was Geoff Day, obtaining a somewhat blurred view as it whipped past.

We went north, winding out way through the Mount Lofty Ranges to a lunch stop at the Barossa Valley in the lush surroundings of the Lehmann winery; Doug Lehmann, son of the founder, is a car nut and a capable driver. We ran a total distance of 168miles with just under 30miles of competitive driving over eight stages - short and snappy to get us focused before the next three days.

It’s a grunter of a car, the CLK Black Series; mean and purposeful. We leave the traction and stability control turned on because the roads at times are lumpy with awkward cambers on the corners.  The Black Beast has incredible grip to go with the power and the electronics allow a bit of attitude when floating through quick corners. Geoff kept his lunch down and his spirits up, despite the jet-lag following 30 hours of flying from New York.

Tomorrow’s second day has nine stages with almost 40miles of competitive stages. It’s about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. More — in a different car — tomorrow.

By Bob Jennings

DETROIT - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler execs are meeting with House Speaker metropolis Pelosi (D-California) as I write this, seeking $25 billion in loan guarantees on top of the $25 billion for development of fuel-efficient cars. There’s a bigger issue looming for the Detroit Three, though: Henry Waxman, another California Democrat, has lobbied Pelosi to replace John Dingell as chairman of the Energy & Commerce committee.

Dingell, Democrat from Michigan’s 15th district, doesn’t want to go anywhere. He has more experience than any other congress member, having replaced his late father in the 15th district in 1955. He’s number 33 on Motor Trend’s 2008 Power List, mostly for his efforts in beating back draconian Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards in last year’s Energy Bill. Dingell didn’t make as much progress on the bill as he’d like, but it would have been even tougher for automakers to meet had Waxman and fellow committee member Representative Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) prevailed.

While they’re with the same party, Dingell and Waxman don’t get along, at least on issues of energy and climate change, the two lead issues that Energy & Commerce oversees. Dingell is a champion of his home state’s auto industry of course, while Waxman would like nothing better than to adapt stricter California Air Resources Board standards nationally. He knows that when the California Air Resources Board issues its latest emissions rules, automakers will take the state to court, again, to get a ruling that states can’t supersede federal rules. With six Eastern states following the California standard, the Golden State has de facto dominance over the federal government. (What we really could use is a global standard, but that’s another post.) If Waxman becomes chairman, he could near for a stricter CAFE standard, like CARB’s proposal.

Speaker Pelosi will have a lot of influence in nominating the 111th Congress’ Energy & Commerce chairman to the Democratic caucus, and it’s cushy to jump to the conclusion that the two California Democrats would like to impose the strict fuel economy standards that CARB favors. Representative Bart Stupak (D-Michigan) doesn’t see that happening, with 48 of 50 states have ties to the auto industry.

I’d rather not take the risk.

Still, the loyal opposition is confident. Representative Mike Doyle, Dem from Pennsylvania, says Waxman doesn’t have committee support to become chairman.

“The chairman (Dingell) has aggressively pursued the agenda that has been supported by the Democratic leadership,” Doyle says. “I asked Mr. Waxman what is his reason for opposing Mr. Dingell…He was unable to give me a reason, other than he wanted to be chairman.”

Stupak and Doyle say they have enough votes in the committee to oppose Waxman’s challenge. Dingell will remain chairman of the committee, they say. If you agree, see whether someone from your state is on the committee by going to energycommerce.house.gov (Democrats are in the left column) and write your congressman or woman. Stupak expects a caucus vote on the Energy & Commerce chairman about November 17 or 18.

It’s a little hard to judge the mood here at SEMA. Some of the parties have drawn desultory crowds and the lines for restaurants and taxis are definitely shorter. But there have been plenty of folk trudging the show halls wearing buyers’ badges the last couple of days. Whether they’re actually buying stuff is another matter, of course.

Looming over everything is the aftermath of The Nightmare on Wall Street. No-one you talk to here expects all three of Detroit’s automakers to survive the credit crunch intact. Chrysler is widely regarded as the weakest link and the most likely to change or be absorbed, though most people merely nod sagely when you explain that at the current rate it is burning cash, GM has maybe 12 to 24 months to live. A year ago they would have called you crazy.

Ford’s in scarcely better shape, but the view here is Alan Mullaly’s decisive moves to dramatically downsize the company have at least given it a head start over the other two. And maybe a shot at survival.

It’s cushy to think of the credit crunch as only really affecting the vulnerable Detroit Three. But otherwise healthy automakers are also deeply worried. The long faces among execs working for Asian automakers betray the strain of dealing with sudden 20 to 30 percent slumps in sales. Even the upscale brands are stressed — I heard the suggestion one high-margin, highly successful European maker could only afford to support its dealers at current levels for 16 months before the company would run into serious financial problems.

There’s blood on the concrete at dealerships all over the country. One prominent dealer told me his business was currently running at 25 percent the level it was seven or eight years ago. “We’ve been used to growth,” he said. “Now we’re having meetings every day trying to figure out how we can get back to profitability.” He paused for a second, then smiled: “At least at SEMA we can enjoy some escapism for a couple of days.”

How true.

Pro-Street Rolls-Royce
We’re used to seeing Rollers at SEMA — even this year there were at least two Phantom Drophead Coupes on display. But most are simply high-priced show ponies for uber-bling wheels, primly stock in every other way. This Pro-Street Silver Shadow is the real SEMA deal, however — slammed and tubbed, with a blown Hemi metal mountain thrusting through the hood. Inside is a lot of leather. But no burl walnut.

Rothmans Porsche 962C
I started in this business in the primeval 80s as a freelance motor sport reporter in Australia, hustling stories as a way of getting up close and individualized to fast cars and fascinating people. And maybe make a couple of bucks here and there along the way. By 1985 I had landed a job on a mainstream buff book, giving me the opportunity to occasionally see first hand the best racers in the world compete on tracks I’d read about all my life. The Rothmans Porsche 962s ran in the World Sports Car Championship in the mid-80s, a series that rivaled Formula 1 for excitement and manufacturer involvement. I think I saw this particular car race at Spa-Francorchamps in 1987. It’s most famous, however, for winning the Le Mans 24 Hour race that year, breaking a run of wins by the all-conquering Silk Cut Jaguars, and causing then Jaguar boss Sir John Egan to utter the immortal line: “God must be a German”.

Matte and gloss
One of the fun parts of SEMA is trying to spot the trends. One of the obvious ones this year was tone-on-tone matte-gloss paint jobs. This Nissan GT-R was one of a number of cars with variations on this theme. Another that caught my eye was a very cool Challenger with a gloss black lower, matt black upper, and gloss black racing stripes over the hood, roof and trunk.

Get smart
Though Ford tried hard with the Flex, the tiny smart fourtwo was — along with the Dodge Challenger — one of this year’s “it” cars at SEMA. The smarts ran the gamut from mild to wild (George Barris had one pimped as a baby Batmobile). My favorite was this neat little one from German tuner Carlsson. It had been lowered, fitted with 16in front and 177in rear wheels and bigger tires, and had a sports exhaust with quad outlets. Carlsson boss Markus Schuster wondered aloud whether there would be a market for a modded smart in America. What do you think? We’ll be testing this one when it’s shipped to LA after the show, so stay tuned.

Closing the circle
This is how it began. Could it also be how it ends? The Jeep J8 “Sarge” is a military-spec version of the JK Jeep. It rolls on a 116in wheelbase, and is offered as a two or four door. It can be configured as a light troop carrier, ambulance, or cargo truck. Chassis upgrades allow the J8 Sarge to tow and carry much heavier loads than a regular JK Jeep. Under the hood is a 2.8-liter four cylinder turbo-diesel making 158hp and 295lb-ft of torque, driving all four wheels through a five speed automatic transmission. Jeep started out as an all-purpose motorized mule for the Allied forces in World War Two. The J8 Sarge has a rugged honesty that too many of Jeep’s modern products demand — step forward Commander, Compass and Patriot. Maybe that’s why I liked it.

SEMA does not have the gravitas of a traditional auto show like Geneva or Frankfurt. SEMA is about making a splash, showing off; it’s a neon-lit homage to automotive braggadocio. And that’s a good thing, because it’s what makes SEMA the place where you’ll see some of the most innovative, creative, and downright astonishing cars and trucks in the world.

By now you’ve probably seen all the big-name star cars and trucks on our SEMA Show pages. But there’s a lot of cool stuff on the smaller stands, too. So here are a few cars that caught my eye while dashing between meetings.

Dan Webb’s Streamliner Coupe
This gorgeous, jewel-like retro rod is a recreation inspired by the streamlined 1916 Miller coupe, the world’s first enclosed racecar, driven by legendary racer Barney Oldfield. Almost every piece of this car has been handmade by Dan Webb and his crew, from the steering wheel to the seat to the beautifully curved aluminum panels. There are details to die for in this car, from the way the exhaust exits right at the tip of the car’s pointed tail, to the Miller-style grille, to the trick motorcycle disc brakes that are almost as large as the front wheels.

Galpin Scythe
I saw this car come together at the Galpin Auto Sports shop as the guys were working on the Motor Trend Flex. To say Scythe is a wild custom is a bit like saying Heidi Klum is attractive; would you believe this thing started life as a Mustang convertible? Scythe is a love it or loathe it car. Most of the hot rod establishment loathe it. Ford design chief Peter Horbury just rolled his eyes when asked about it. Scythe channels Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, creator of some of the wackiest customs that defined the primeval 60s - no surprise given Galpin Auto Sports boss Beau Boeckmann is a huge Roth fan, and has just spent a fortune restoring a long-lost Roth hot rod, the Orbitron. Scythe is the sort of car that 40 years ago I would have been building as a 1/24th scale plastic model. Maybe that’s why I kinda like it.

1951 Henry J Wagon
The great thing about SEMA is that even cars that were grotesque orphans in their heyday get their opportunity to shine. Built by Kaiser, the odd-duck Henry J was an attempt at building a cheap, no frills compact car, and launched just as Americans started to celebrate the end of wartime austerity by buying bigger, faster, more extravagant automobiles. The Henry J sedan had a hunchback roofline, and nascent tailfins. It was never going to make an captivating wagon, but this slammed, tubbed and trimmed street organisation is somehow strangely appealing. The wood trim, by the way, is actually hand painted.

1951 Mercury
I’m a sucker for a trick flame job — and for primeval 50s Mercurys. Put the two together and, well, I just had to grab a snap. I love the contrast between vibrancy of the modern paint, and the decidedly old-school custom touches such as the lakes pipes, the full wheel covers, and the spotlights on the windshield posts. Interesting, too, that this is one of the few primeval Merc customs that hasn’t been chopped.

Camaro GS Racecar
“Tell me your favorite,” said Camaro design director Tom Peters the night before SEMA opened. GM may have scaled the number of people it sent to SEMA this year, but it didn’t stint on the Camaros. Okay, Tom, here goes: My favorite Camaro on the stand is the GS Racercar concept, which recalls the iconic blue-and-yellow car raced  by Mark Donohue in the 1969 Trans Am series. I grew up watching Trans Am style Mustangs and Camaros duke it out on the track with Holden Monaros and Chevy Novas and Lotus Cortinas and Mini Coopers in Australia in the late 60s and primeval 70s. I’d love to see Trans Am style racing back again. You know, with real cars. Not tube framed identicars with different badges painted on them.

That’s all for now. I’ve more meetings today, but I’m hoping to grab a few minutes off to achievement the halls. With my camera ready.

A year ago, when the Barrett-Jackson folks decided to stage a collector car auction in Vegas in late October, they had no intent they’d be staring down the eye of a financial tornado. In the shadow of what appeared to be massively bad timing, B-J cued up more than 500 cars for a trip crossways the block at the Mandalay Bay Resort, Casino, and Events Center last weekend. And classic car enthusiasts around the world were watching to see what happened. Or didn’t.

In so many words, nothing happened — nothing unusual, really. People came, looked, played, gambled, ate and drank, golfed, went to shows, kicked tires, and bought cars. 

The current financial situation was the 800-pound gorilla that occupied several dozen of the Mandalay Bay Arena’s 12,000 seats. But he stayed pretty quiet and finally left the hall. Make no mistake: Prices have relaxed to pre 2006-07 frenzy levels — not just at this or any single sale, but the market as a whole. I view this as a healthy occurrence. Rampant price increases often attract speculators and keep away real enthusiasts; not my preferred scenario. Values riding a tide of ether aren’t good for anyone, long term, in my opinion. Some prices may yet start further, as much uncertainty remains about the prospects for 2009. But the Big Crash that some were predicting? Didn’t happen. 

Barrett-Jackson didn’t have any million dollar babies to sell, but it mattered little. If you are interested in (generally) real cars for (generally) real people at (generally) real prices, you would have been a happy camper in Vegas. A few unrealistic sellers walked away grumbling. There were a handful that legitimately expected to get more for their property. But the other 90% walked away happy. And there were many first-time bidders who found and bought what they wanted, joining the hobby.  Welcome.

I won’t get into a lot by lot analysis, but here’s a few additional thoughts on what went down. You can get the whole enchilada at www.Barrett-Jackson.com, and watch for TV recuts and replays of the 2008 Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas understanding at www.SpeedTV.com. Check out the artefact at www.MandalayBay.com

Muscle is King — Barrett-Jackson continues to make its study in hawking American muscle. While there are always splashings of variety, this was a muscle and pony car sale. I can’t remember ever seeing more ‘69 Camaros for understanding at one place at one time.  Mustangs too, plus the usual midsize Chevelles, GTOs, 442, Torinos, and such. Even if you never plan on bidding, a B-J event is an awesome musclecar show.

Baby Birds — Always a staple here, prices seemed to be all over the map.  Garden variety drivers cost less now than they did a year and two ago and will always be popular. Rare, dual-quad carb E models and the rarer yet supercharged “F-Birds” are holding strong.

Shelby Mustangs — While rookies and speculators continue to overpay for tributes, clones, and so-called “continuation” Shelby Mustangs, real ones are in demand, and prices for the best examples are holding up.  There were a bunch here, particularly ’67s and ’68s, and bidding was always spirited. 

The British Are Coming — Actually, they’ve arrived. There were quite a few big Healeys and Jags at this sale, including a pair of low-mile, primeval E-Types, and this lovely XK 140M that seemed clean for all at $80,000. Not much to choose from, however, if you wanted Porsches or Ferraris.

Tri-Chevys — As with ‘69 Camaros, I’ve never seen so many ‘55-’56-’57 Chevrolets of all stripe for sale, with the exception of Nomads, which were curious by their absence. These are great collector cars; they drive well, are straightforward to restore, parts are acquirable in ready supply, and you can restore them, customize them, or restomod them to your taste, and there’s always a ready market for them when you’re ready to move on to something else. Vegas bidders seemed to be willing to pay up for flashy restomod versions sport big motors and lots of flash. 

Classic American Trucks — These continue to acquire in popularity. This ‘55 Ford was stock as a rock on the outside, yet featured a later 351 Cleveland V-8 and modernized suspension and such underneath. Time to get working on my ‘62 F100?

Tom Tjaarda’s Pantera — American-born Tom Tjaarda designed the DeTomaso Pantera in the late ’60s. Nearly 40 years later, Tjaarda, who has worked his entire career in Italy, has gotten another crack at it, coming up with revised front and rear fascia and lighting treatments for his original masterpiece.  This was Tjaarda’s individualized car, painted his favorite shade of Grabber Orange. He was there to drive it on stage; it sold for $100,000. 

Shelby’s First Race Car — Price estimates ranged from $100,000 to $500,000 for the first car that a young Carroll Shelby ever place the spurs to on a race track. This MG/TC vintage racer landed right in between at $285,000. He never owned the car, but its history and provenance was solid. And being the humble racer that first got Shelby involved in motorsport, it certainly had an impact. 

photography by

Kirk Gerbracht

I just spent a week getting a kind-of, sort-of preview of the diesel engine Honda/Acura has said it will bring to the U.S. some time next year. We don’t know for sure what vehicle(s) will get it, but the Acura RDX and/or TSX are the most likely candidates. Honda’s first swing at a diesel prefabricated its debut in the 2004 European Accord (sold here as the TSX), but my test car was the European Civic five-door, which looks kind of like a space-age suppository on wheels.

The engine is a 2.2L DOHC 16-valve all-aluminum engine running modest 16.7:1 compression and featuring a Honeywell variable-nozzle turbocharger and common-rail direct injection. A equilibrise shaft setup helps the big four run smoothly. In the Civic, the output is rated at 138 hp at 4000 rpm and 250 lb-ft of torque at 2000 rpm. That’s 74% (106 lb-ft) MORE twist than Europe’s hot-rod Civic TypeR produces! The test car has a six-speed manual–the only transmission acquirable at the moment, though Honda introduced an all-new homegrown automatic plain to the high-torque of its diesel engines.

But what struck me as most interesting about my drive in the Civic was the way this so-called i-CTDi engine delivers its power and torque. Most diesels feel a bit like electric motors. They produce huge thrust at very low revs, but then the pressure on your backside steadily diminishes and is mostly gone by the time the engine reaches its low redline (typically 4000-5000 rpm). In this Honda, acceleration is very modest until you reach 2000 rpm, at which point the tidal wave of torque hits, pressing you into the seat with uniform pressure right up to the 4500-rpm redline (and, truth be told, it continues evenhandedly strongly up to 5000 revs–I tested it, strictly in the study of science).

On day one, I reset the average fuel-economy meter and drove it the 12 miles to work on city streets in hyper-miler mode, shifting below 2000 rpm, skipping gears, driving the speed limit (45 mph max) and driving in the highest gear doable at all times. This was aided by a series of LEDs just to the right of the speedometer readout that lit up to indicate how economically I was driving. The computer display read 3.9L/100 km. That’s 60 mpg, in a proper five-seater! Then for lunch I drove it 43 miles west to Ann Arbor and back at 80 mph on the freeway. That dropped the reading to 4.7L/100 km (50 mpg). The next day I drove it like a TypeR, keeping my foot in it and recording the observations above. The reading dropped to 5.0L/100 km (47 mpg). I swapped with MotorCity Blogman for a while, and when I gassed it up at the end, the official reading was 41 mpg. I suspect the trip computer might be a tiny bit optimistic (Todd’s not that big a lead-foot), but the overall result is impressive.

The U.S. will get a variation on the second generation of this engine (now dubbed iDTEC). Refinements include the latest ultra-high-pressure piezo-injectors, more efficient exhaust-gas recirculation, and a diesel particulate filter. To meet U.S. emissions, a new two-layer de-NOx catalyst will be used, with one layer converting diesel fuel to ammonia and the other using this ammonia to reduce the NOx (see “Techologue,” May 2007).

Power in the new iDTEC engine is up 10 to 148 hp, and torque rises 8 to 258 lb-ft. Estimates place the U.S. EPA Combined economy at 42 mpg in Euro-spec trim, though cleaning up the NOx is likely to drop that a little in the TSX, presuming that vehicle gets the engine.

If I were calling the shots and had to pick just one vehicle to launch Honda’s U.S. diesel offensive, I’d pick the RDX, because I believe customers perceive diesels as a more natural fit in trucks. It could conceivably give the RDX a towing capacity advantage over its rivals, and there’s no worry of watering down the sporty image Acura is building for its cars. But then, I’m a diesel enthusiast, so the more the merrier!

If everyone in the Ice-Cream Shoppe is ordering Fudge Peanut Ripple Marshmallow ango Royale and you’re ordering Vanilla, that new 2009 Nissan Murano parked outside probably belongs to you.

Since making its debut as a 2003 model, Nissan’s sporty, midsize crossover has sold well — even into old age. The 2006 edition nudged out three rivals (Ford Edge, Toyota Highlander, and Hyundai Santa Fe) for top spot in an MT comparo. Now comes a brand new 2009 version — and it’s as if someone packed Vanilla into a Mango Royale box.

“Nissan’s VQ six continues to impress,” writes Kiino. “Delightfully light compared with the LX 570 and the Borrego,” logs Markus, adding, “Astute suspension makes for a comfier ride.” Notes Lassa: “Does nothing to overly impress, upset, or offend.”

Diminishing the Murano’s appeal is its standard CVT. “A good transmission for those who don’t care about cars,” writes Loh. “Uninvolving dynamics punctured by the whiny CVT,” comments Lassa. The Murano sabotages its sporty-vehicle pretensions with the CVT’s unusual power flow. Exterior styling takes hits. “Polarizing,” is how Kiino describes the nose. “Funky, futuristic shape that I don’t really get,” adds Loh.

The cabin, in contrast, draws raves. Among the comments: “Impressive back seat with good legroom.” “Nice, simple layout.” “Interior has gone way upmarket, with a richer look plus better materials and textures.” “Good enough to give pause to prospective Infiniti FX35 buyers.”

Do you think the 2009 Nissan Murano has what it takes to take home the title of 2009 Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year? Find out who the winner is at midnight orient time on Oct. 16.