What might have been the biggest tech headline of the year “Technology Investment Saves Auto Industry” didn’t quite happen. The Senate shot down the House’s $15 billion compromise plan to loan the money that Congress originally appropriated in Section 136 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 for fuel-efficiency technology development to be used as a bridge loan to see GM and Chrysler through the liquidity crisis. But there was plenty of other news being prefabricated in the tech arena. Here were my favorite stories of 2008:

1. Cellulosic Ethanol’s For Real! Early in the year we reported on Coskata’s plans to produce ethanol by superheating any carbon-rich feedstock (corn stalks, wood chips, plastic bottles, tires, etc.) to turn it into carbon-monoxide and hydrogen, then feeding this “syngas” to special microbes that breathe it in and sweat out pure ethanol at an estimated  production cost of under $1/gallon. Plans were announced for a demonstration plant to be located at the Westinghouse Plasma Center near Pittsburg, opening in primeval 2009, followed by a full-scale operation in 2011, but economic woes have appear to have pushed back the timing of the demo plant. 
Technologue: Booze Clues 

2. Cellulosic Ethanol’s REALLY for Real! Then we reported on Mascoma’s totally different Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) method of breaking down the lignin in various non-food plant materials and fermenting it into ethanol using designer microbes that mimic what happens in a cow’s digestive system in breaking down. Production cost is estimated at $1-1.50/gallon, demonstration plants are in the works in Rome, NY and Kinross, MI, with full-scale production targeted at 2011.
GM Partners with Mascoma on Cellulosic Ethanol

3. Cellulose is For Real! The third piece of the puzzle — economically viable plant materials to feed these ethanol facilities — came from Ceres. The first bio-engineered high-yield switchgrass and sorghum varietals plain to suit different climates and ethanol production methods went on understanding in December. They boast high-yield density, require little fertilizer and less water than most crops, and they can grow in marginal soil. Keep your fingers crossed that the processing plants get built in time to turn these plants into fuel.
Technologue: Whiter Lightning

4. If not Ethanol, Maybe Methanol? Lotus trotted out a methanol-powered Exige concept car at the Geneva show that encouraged the world to have another look at the world’s simplest alcohol. With only one carbon, CH3-OH can be produced more easily than ethanol, so the scientists say. Its high-octane rating would allow engines running on pure methanol to run diesel compression ratios for better output and efficiency. Cold-starting is a problem, but hydrogen generated by using exhaust heat to crack the Hs of the methanol molecule could solve that problem and boost efficiency too. There are even some fuel cells that run directly on methanol.
Technologue: First K.I.S.S

5. Greenhouse-Gasses-to-Methanol. Imagine turning that CO2 everyone’s always moaning about into fuel and driving a mile in someone else’s carbon footprint! There are several technologies in the works: big louvered scrubbers coated with sodium hydroxide that absorb CO2 are said to be capable of offsetting coal-generated power equivalent to twice as much as the windmill could generate. Exotic catalysts are in the works that might one use solar energy to mimic the way chlorophyll breaks down CO2, which could then combined with hydrogen split from water, perhaps using sunlight and titanium catalysts. It’s tech worth watching.
Technologue: Reusing CO2

6. If Not Alcohol, Maybe Ammonia? Pure NH3 boasts a 110 octane rating and burning it in a combustion engine releases pure nitrogen and water — no CO2, ‘cuz there’s no carbon. Ammonia is the second most widely produced chemical, it stores and transports like propane (liquid under light pressure at room temperature) and is already distributed nationwide for use as fertilizer. A slow flame front means you need multiple spark plugs and the engine won’t rev all that high, but it could be the perfect way to remove agriculture from the Global Warming debate.
Technologue: Stinky Clean

7. What About Electric Power? If vehicle electrification manages to take off like Congress and the environmentalists hope, we’re headed for a potential neodymium-supply shortage. This rare-earth metal is used to make permanent-magnet motors. But the Chorus Meshcon electric motor is an AC-induction type motor that manages to deliver the efficient low-end torque of a permanent magnet motor with the light weight, lower cost, and better high-speed performance of an AC induction motor, thanks to a mesh-connected winding that can change the number of attractable poles and the alternating-current frequency. Look for it next year on the nose-gear of Delta’s new Boeing 737s, and on cars in the near future.
Technologue: Flying Hybrids!

8. Race-Ready Hybrids? Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) will be permitted in Formula 1 in 2009, so most teams are reportedly working on “hybridizing” their cars. My favorite was a small flywheel that connected to the transmission’s output shaft via an infinitely variable toroidal friction-drive transmission. Gear reductions along the way allow the flywheel to reach 64,500 rpm (it operates in a vacuum, using special high-speed bearings that reportedly seal tight). Storing the FIA-mandated maximum of 400 KJ of energy keeps the flywheel small and light enough to be safely contained (unlike the one in the still-born Chrysler Patriot prototype). As of press time we’re unaware of any team using this system by Flybrid Systems LLP, of Silverstone, England at the start of the season, but watch for it.
Technologue: Blessing & KERS

9. VVT For Smarties. Ford has come up with a better (more elegant) way of achieving variable valve timing by capitalizing on waste energy. Most cam phasers rotate the camshaft using oil pressure delivered by the engine-oil pump, but this can be problematic at low engine speeds and at low temperatures during vehicle startup. Ford engineers noticed that the oil pressure in the chambers that rotate the cam fluctuated just before and after the nose of apiece cam rotated past its valve tappet, and decided to harness these little pressure spikes. Voila. Less oil pressure is needed and more cam rotation is doable as low as 1500 rpm, all of which helps boost economy and performance.
Ford Gets Phased — Using Free Energy

10. Lights, Cameras, Action. Digital CMOS cameras are becoming so cheap that we’ll be seeing a lot of them on cars in the very near future, starting off with high-end luxmobiles like the next Mercedes E- and S-class sedans. Cameras keep an eye out for traffic ahead of the vehicle and accommodate the lighting pattern to reach as far as doable without blinding oncoming cars; an infrared camera provides an enhanced night-view image in the dash that also identifies and highlights pedestrians; and the various cameras will also inform the lane-keeping assist and Pre-Safe systems to warn a distracted driver of impending doom.
Dark’s Knight: Mercedes-Benz Showcases a Brace of New Safety Technologies

“So, what was the best car you drove this year?” It’s one of those questions that routinely crops up during holiday party conversations once folks find out what we do for a living here at Motor Trend. And it’s a fiendishly difficult one to answer: The definition of “best” usually involves a highly individualized compromise between need and desire. One man’s Ferrari is another man’s total waste of money.

This compromise is at the core of every test we do. To get around it, we approach every new car, truck, or SUV we test with a key philosophical question in mind — how well does the vehicle do the job its maker designed it to do? Understand what a vehicle’s intended function is, what market segment it’s aimed at, and what price point it’s meant to hit, and you have the foundation for a first drive, full test, or multi-car comparison.

We drove or tested hundreds vehicles this past year; everything from low-buck econoboxes to 200-mph supercars. We picked the good, the bad, and the ugly, and told it like it was. But out of all those vehicles, which are the ones that hit our individualized sweet spot between need and desire; the ones that may not have been the fastest, the most stylish, the most economical, or even the best value for money, but simply were the cars we loved? Read on, and find out…

Angus MacKenzie: BMW M3 DCT

There were faster, more exotic, more expensive cars. But nothing touched me like the BMW M3 DCT. The M3’s chassis equilibrise is sublime; the steering surgically precise; the brakes bulletproof; that yowling V-8 utterly intoxicating. And now the lightning fast, seven speed, dual clutch, paddle-shift tranny ties it all together. On one mad, primeval morning dash crossways a heaving, twisting, deserted central California two lane, this car prefabricated me feel like Kubica on a limiting lap.

Kim Reynolds: Honda FCX Clarity

Every now and then you drive a car that seems more like a worm hole into the future than yet another rearrangement of four wheels, and the Honda FCX Clarity was mine for 2008. While it didn’t completely make me a hydrogen believer, for a few hundred miles at least, I felt like Kubrick had cast me into an automotive remake of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Better buckle up, HAL.

Edward Loh: Mini Clubman S

Reynolds and St. Antoine expect me to say, “Duh, GT-R”, but my love for 2008 wasn’t the world’s fastest, most captivating (believe it, Kim), all-wheel-drive coupe. It was the lust driven tryst I had with the Mini Clubman S. As I profiled in the Feb. 2008 issue, it was a breathless affair for the ages — a rush of smashed inhibitions and highly irresponsible behavior that came from driving the right car on the right road.

Matt Stone: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Spyder California
 
Like Audrey Hepburn in a Halston gown, you don’t need anyone to tell you that a Cal Spyder is elegant. And this was special among the special, as it was owned by person saint Coburn for more than two decades.  I trembled as I settled into this triple black beauty.  Driving Coburn’s Spyder around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in Italy was the highlight of my automotive 2008.  Glad I brought it home in one piece too; the next day, it sold for at auction for $10.9 million.

Gavin Green: Ferrari California

There has never been a Ferrari with such a broad and breathtaking range of abilities. It can play the cushy riding comfy cruiser, a Bentley-by-Ferrari, coupe one moment convertible the next. Or be a Schumacher-at-Spa racer, helped by that brilliant seven-speed paddle gearshift and a handling equilibrise that takes Ferrari to a whole new plane of excellence. 

Arthur St Antoine: Jaguar XF Supercharged

Yes, the Alfa-Romeo 8C roared like a lion that’d swallowed Pavarotti, and, yes, driving the ZR1 was a 10-meter platform dive into a pool of adrenaline, but in 2008 I loved the Jaguar XF Supercharged most. Why? Because I’d own one. Superb comfort? Check. Rakish good looks? Check. Performance and handling worthy of a purpose-built two-seater? Check mate.

Scott Mortara: Audi R8

We first played with this car last year, but we had it back this year for our Best Handling test, and it won, that’s right, the Audi R8 was my favorite car of 2008. There is nothing I don’t like about this car, the look, sound, feel, everything is fantastic. It might not be the fastest in a straight line, or turn the quickest lap time but it will hang with almost anything out there, and I love it.

Paul Horrell: Ferrari Scuderia

No question. Many supercars intimidate me by demanding Fangio-like skills, but this one seemed to bestow them on me. Its electronic wizardry augmented my own meagre abilities, while communicating its intentions in an animate, organic manner. Oh yes, the GT-R did that too, but the GT-R didn’t have that engine, those looks, this heritage.

Frank Markus: Maserati Quattroporte S

Maybe it was the Austrian Alpine scenery or the hip tunes my co-driver Steve brought along for the ride, but I doubt it. The Maserati Quattroporte S’s supermodel-svelte sheetmetal, Armani interior, Ferrariesque chassis and eight-tenors engine-note could probably seduce anybody reading this even on a North Siouan freeway with the broadcasting off. 

Ron Kiino: Lexus IS F
 
The M3 is nimbler and the C63 quicker, but give me the Lexus IS-F. Its V-8 warble above 4000 rpm is titillating. Its hunkered-down stance is menacing. Its green bourgeois (no gas-guzzler tax, 18-mpg combined fuel econ) is forests beyond the Teutons’. And its uniqueness (only one to hail from Japan, offer eight cogs, and get standard 19-inch forged alloys) is eminent.

Mike Floyd: BMW 1 Series

It’s not the greatest-looking coupe in the world, nor is it the fastest or most technically gifted vehicle the BMW stable (see M3 DCT above), but the 1 Series is hands down one of the most engaging and entertaining vehicles I’ve ever driven, and that goes for both the 128 and 135 — with either six speed tranny on board. Tight, light, and amazingly quick and agile, to me, the 1 Series is the Ultimate Ultimate Driving Machine.

Todd Lassa: Audi R8

Not because of its mid-engine balance. Not because with a clutch as light as an A4’s; it’s the next-generation NSX that Acura would love to build. It’s because Audi place Blizzaks on one last Jan and let us have fun in the cold and snow. And it worked.

We’re about testing and driving cars, so ride-alongs seldom excite us.  But there are occasions when we’re happy to take the right side seat.  One such deal was at a recent preview drive program for Porsche’s much-updated 2009 Boxster and Boxster S.  Porsche rented Willow Springs Raceway, brought along a bevy of hot shoes, as well as some of its most significant cars from the past, all in an effort to remind us that even though most people equate Porsche to the 911 and vice versa, the company has a rich mid-engined heritage. 

Significantly enough, the first automobile to legitimately wear the Porsche study was mid-engined.  Its design is the work of Ferdinand Alexander “Ferry” Porsche, son of Porsche family patriarch Ferdinand.  That first Porsche was built in a converted sawmill in Gmund, Austria, and is technically referred to as Type 356-001, or “Number One” for short.  The car has lived an amazing life.  It is now owned by the company, and likely will be forever. 

Number One employs the typical air-cooled flat four, and borrows a lot of VW parts.  It is simple, elegant, and of course, priceless.  It was the first of the three historic Porsche’s on hand that I rode in, and to do so is to sit in the seat of automotive history.  You wouldn’t call it fast (not with about 40 horsepower) but it is relatively light, and even given the suspension and tire technology of the day, telegraphed the sporty feel that Ferry Porsche likely sought.

Next up was a special piece on several levels.  The Porsche 550 Spyder is most famously known for being the car that saint Dean drove to his untimely death, but it deserves to be thought of in more positive terms as well.  This model enjoyed road racing success the world over, and attained Porsche an primeval reputation as a “Giant Killer.”  This particular example belongs to Brumos Porsche, and wears the license plate “Huschke” honoring the one and only Huschke von Hanstein, Porsche’s racing team boss and PR wizard from the 1950s and 60s, who won a race in Venezuela in this car. 

My pilot for two laps around Willow was as eligible a Porsche pilot as any, that being five time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Sir Derek Bell.  The ageless Bell still spews huge enthusiasm for automobiles and motorsport, and enjoyed a long and storied career with Porsche and others.  Bell is compact.  I am not, and also sit rather tall.  I scrunched my frame as far into the Spyder as it would go.  Bell looked up at me, laughed, and said “are you in?” 

Greg Brown photo

The Spyder is faster and sportier than Number One by a clean margin.  The 550 was introduced in 1953, and development had come a long way in just five years.  “For such a light car, the steering is remarkably heavy” Bell noted, “but it gets down the front straight at an cushy 90-95 mph.”  Sure, an MX-5 would leave it for dead, but we’re talking about a 55 year old race car here.  The cockpit is a study in elegant, aluminum simplicity, and the view magnificent.

Derek Bell

Last up was a 1970, IMSA-spec 914-6.  You’ll remember the 914-6 as the mid-engined, Targa-topped sports car from 1970-1976, and the “-6″ indicates a 911-spec flat-six, instead the usual VW 411-sourced four.  This car was driven by the ageless Hurley Haywood to victory in the first IMSA series race ever run, on his way to the IMSA driver’s title in 1970. 

Hurley Haywood

Haywood was on hand to for driver coaching and also to take his old ride out for a few laps, but my pilot was 2007 Rolex Grand Am Daytona DP champ Jorg Bergmeister.  The other old soldiers were quaint; this one is still downright fast.  The engine makes the usual 911 racer bark, the chassis has been stiffened considerably, and relatively wide racing rubber provides good grip.  Jorg was only revving the 914 to about six-grand, but you could tell this guy wanted to run.  “It is fun but frustrating — I want to go fast!”  The normally stoic Bergmeister was all smiles, commenting that it did not feel like a 38-year old race car. 

I drove my own 911 to and from Willow, just to complete the Porsche-ness of the experience.  After spending a day with these guys in these cars, it’s no wonder I got home in about 8 minutes less time than it took me to drive there…

Photography by the Author

Detroit’s hanging by a thread, the economy’s in the tank, and unemployment’s on the rise. The last thing we need right now it a gas tax, right? Not so fast.

Whether we like it or not, USA is at a transformational moment in its history right now. The economic model we’ve been running for the past twenty years or so - with its emphasis on deregulation and free market rhetoric - has been revealed to have feet of clay. Even former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, an arch deregulator and free marketeer, and the man whose word was regarded as holy writ on Wall St. for almost 20 years, has admitted as much.

And now we need to clean up the mess.

We need to enable Detroit to sensibly reorganise for the future, otherwise any bailout will be a waste of money. One of the reasons the Detroit Three became so vulnerable is few of the products they make in the U.S. are suitable for understanding anywhere else in the world, primarily because they are too big and too thirsty. It doesn’t sense to perpetuate that mistake. Strong demand for more fuel efficient vehicles in the U.S. would allow much more clarity and efficiency in product planning and capital allocation in any bailout scenario. It would also help drive down the cost of fuel efficient technologies, as automakers would be healthy to liquidate them crossways larger volumes.

We need a long term national energy and transportation policies that seek not only to reduce emissions, but also our reliance on foreign energy sources and technologies. We can drill, baby, drill all we want here in the U.S., but in the long term we’re never going to find enough cheap oil to satisfy demand, and besides, the oil companies are under no obligation to sell oil found here to American consumers if they can make more money selling it to someone else. We need an economic imperative for companies to commit to serious alternative fuel and alternative powertrain research and development programs in this country, and to stimulate investment in better public transport infrastructure projects.

And finally, we need to pay for the cost of the bank bailouts, the auto industry bailouts, and the massive public works programs planned by the Obama administration to kickstart the economy. Hey, there’s no point whining about whether we should do these things. We’re committed, and the money has to come from somewhere - well, us - anyway.

Against this background, a gas tax seems a logical option. The federal gas tax rate is currently 18.4 cents a gallon, and it hasn’t been raised since 1993, while diesel is taxed at 24.2 cents a gallon. The federal government collected $29.4 billion from fuel taxes last year. It wouldn’t take much of a tax hike to double that number, even allowing for a drop in gas consumption as consumers switched to more fuel efficient vehicles.

Of course a gas tax is regressive, but most taxes are, so that is hardly an argument against having one. And yes, there is a danger that if gas is taxed too high, it could hurt economic growth. But with the average price of gas now under $2 a gallon, and likely to remain under $3 a congius for some time, based on oil futures, there is a lot of room to maneuver without causing immediate harm while creating some long term benefit.

We need to restart our battered economy, reinvent our shattered auto industry, and re-imagine our tattered future. It’s time to invest nation building again; after all, we can’t sponge off the legacy of the 1950s forever. So maybe a gas tax is now in the national interest.

DETROIT - Will Chrysler LLC be around long enough to build the 2011 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300? Will Chrysler factories reopen after its extended holiday shutdown, which begins Friday? I don’t know. Chrysler says it could be out of cash in weeks. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the future of those cars now seems to be in George W. Bush’s hands, with less than four weeks left in his presidency. He’s rumored to be considering a “controlled” bankruptcy? Detroit has been hanging by a thread for this?

As you may have read elsewhere, some of us in the moto-journo biz got an primeval preview of the next LX sedans Wednesday in Auburn Hills. Online car magazines not invited to the event reported on what we saw, based on reports by other journalists who were invited. Those leaky journalists told Jalopnik the future cars and trucks looked like “lipstick on a foam pig” and “smoke and mirrors.”

Well, of course. They were full-scale fiberglass models. They’re not scheduled for production until 2010, probably the third or fourth quarter if things get better, so nothing’s been retooled to stamp actual ‘11 model sheetmetal. I found their designs to be impressive, and several colleagues agreed. The second-generation 300 and Charger could be to the first-generation cars what the current Cadillac CTS is to its predecessor. And by the way, General Motors showed journalists the new CTS two or three years primeval - the same sort of “smoke and mirrors.”

The difference this time is that everything we saw in the last couple of days could go up in smoke. And don’t misunderstand this: I can’t vouch for the calibre of any future Chrysler product, or say anything good or bad about the way these cars and trucks ride, handle, perform, hold themselves together. That’s what first drives and comparisons are for. I can only tell you that Chrysler has quickly exorcized retired design chief Trevor Creed. Yes, he’s been gone only a couple of months, but with Tom Gale hired on as a consultant when Cerberus took over, I doubt Creed had much dominance while these models were being designed. There’s not a hint of Dodge Avenger/Chrysler Sebring styling here. And virtually no hint of the concepts Creed foisted on us in the last few years.

I doubt these new cars and trucks would impress metropolis Pelosi or Harry Reid. They’d rather see electric cars or bio-diesels running on mulch. But Chrysler ought to show the new 300, at least, to President-elect Obama, who owned an ‘05 300C. Attractive, desirable product could make a bigger impression than any “turnaround plan” or union concessions.

Why did Chrysler show us these 2011 models? To establish it’s not quite dead, and to give us a reason to root for its survival through 2010. If its future stuff looked like more Avenger/Sebring, I’d be saying as much right now.

Why did Chrysler refuse to invite Jalopnik and Autoblog? Automakers worry that automotive websites are quick to spread leaks, even when they’re not necessarily the first entity responsible for such leaks.

That kind of thinking is obsolete. Most of us at the Chrysler preview, some in print journalism and some not, also post online news and columns like this one.

While they would like to be considered part of the New Media, Jalopnik, Autoblog and others have become as entrenched in the moto-journo establishment as motortrend.com. I’d find it more interesting to hear what they think of the ‘11 300/Charger firsthand than read about the impressions leaked to them by invited journalists hot to pander to Jalopnik’s irreverent image.

There was a lot to like about the 350Z, and it was a huge success for Nissan when the brand and the company really needed one.  I liked that it was a real two-seater, rear drive, and packed a lion-hearted motor.  At the same time, to me, it was never fully baked.  The styling was clunky, the interior was cheap, and the car had a heavy “muscle/sports car” kind feel that was contrary to its mission as a road missle.

Nissan has place its sports car back in the oven, and the result is the new 370Z.  By now, you know the basics, and you’ve probably read Ron Kiino’s first test story as well as Arthur St. Antoine’s blog entry, here on MTOL.  So here’s my nickel’s worth.

Overall, the new car is an improvement over the model it replaces.  It’s faster, better looking, structurally stiffer, has a much improved cabin, higher limits, and some trick new technology.  The 370Z is a squeege shorter and wider than the old one, and really looks the business. 

The 370’s face, with its overstyled headlights and “fangs” in the grille, resembles a catfish, but otherwise, the Z offers an arresting shape, especially in this brilliant yellow paint color.  It’s too bad the front end is so low, as the lower front fascia scrapes on everything, even moderate speed bumps. 

The 350’s door handles were strange-looking and felt unnatural to use.  The new ones are still an obvious styling statement, but look better to my eye and feel better to the fingers.

Things inside move well upscale, yet is still businesslike and focused on driving.  One touch that St. Antoine griped about is the “glowing dots” readout in the left IP pod for the temp and fuel levels.  I agree.  Besides looking contrived and asymmetrical, these gauges are hard to read.  It’s like the whole thing was done for styling sake, with no real benefit.  Function shouldn’t follow form. 

My old friend, Nissan’s VQ family V-6, is more powerful than ever, but it’s also gotten noisy and harsh in its old age.  Rev it to 5000 rpm and hold it there, and it’ll vibrate your fillings.  And it’s not a pretty noise — its just noise, like an industrial blender with bad bearings.  This engine was creamy smooth at 3.0-liters, still nice from an NVH standpoint at 3.5, but objectionable in this configuration, at least in this car.  Nissan can and should do better.

Our tester had the optional 19-inch rolling stock.  These forged alloys are light and beautiful.  The low profile rolling stock adds an element of road rumble to the mix, but its the same in other cars, and it’s likely that the mortal who wants max performance and orders this package knows what they’re in for.  But it works well in the grip, response, and braking standpoint.  The Z is a performer, no doubt.

I’m not yet ready to order a Z for me.  I (selfishly) hope that Nissan will address these issues with the 370’s mid-life update a few years down the road.  Then it will be the Z I know it can be, and will once again have this portion of the marketplace largely to itself.  The ’09 model represents an improvement after after the Z’s time in the fire, but in my view, detailed recipe adjustments, and yet more bake time, are required.

Photography by the author

Thomas L. Friedman, the New York Times columnist, is viewed as either a knight in shining armor, or the devil himself, depending on where you stand. Most in the auto industry think of him as the devil, while those who are convinced Detroit (and the auto industry in general) are the real devils, think of Friedman as someone sent from heaven. Friedman is now calling on this government auto aid package to include this "string" to be attached: it must include the hybridizing of everything.

"You want my tax dollars?" asks Friedman in his latest NYT column. "Then I want to see precise production plans and timetables for the hybridization of all your cars and trucks. I want every bailed-out car company to move to hybrid-electric drivetrains, because nothing would improve mileage and emissions more — and also stimulate a whole new 21st-century, job-creating industry: batteries."

I don't know about you, but I get very nervous when the government (or journalists) who know fix about the auto industry, start regulating as to how vehicles have to be built. Yeah, we have a long history of this happening, and there have been good things that have come from that; but I'm not so sure about what's happening now down in DC, or within the editorial office of Mr. Friedman.

How's a hybrid-anything with a (former) manual tranny grab you? Forcing everything to be a hybrid will be the final nab in the coffin for manual transmissions, as hybrids (and pure electric-powered vehicles as well) and 3-pedal gearboxes go together like oil and water. If Friedman's "string" get attached, anyone who enjoys the pleasure of shifting on their own, might as well go find a bridge to jump off of, as life as we've known and loved will be a thing of the past.

Here's AutoObserver's take: NYT Columnist: Detroit Aid Should Hinge on Hybridizing Everything

Times are tough, and not everyone can grapple the ticket for a new car.  But the increased prevalence of leasing means there’s a solid supply of 3-5 year old machines out there that have a lot of good miles left in them, yet have already suffered the worst of the depreciation curve. 

A few years ago, I bought a BMW 5 Series that had just come off a 30 month lease.  It was immaculate, came with full service records, and had 21,000 miles on the odo — perhaps 20% of the car’s usable life without it becoming a money pit.  But it had depreciated more than 40%.  So the gap between those percentages meant savings for me.

Here’s a quick look at five cars that represent good value at the moment.  Feel free to hit us back with your own suggestions too.

2007-2008 Acura TL Type-S — The new for ‘09 TL is a technical advancement over the outgoing model.  It offers a smidge more power, outstanding infotainment offerings, optional all-wheel drive, and more room in back.  But it’s so hideous-looking, I could never bring myself to buy one.  The previous gen TL is just the opposite; one of the most captivating sedans on the market, and the Type-S is the performance version.  At launch, we called it “A Asian Alfa Romeo.”  Great V-6, good electronics (first car I ever tested with Bluetooth), and high quality.  Shop now and you may still find a fresh one.

C5 Corvette Z06 — Many Corvette guys I know have to have the latest and greatest.  Now that the C6-series Z06 (and ZR-1) are in the marketplace, people are offing their previous gen Z06s.  Sure, they have about the same horsepower as a base C6 — but the price should be half or less.  You have to be careful here; they are prefabricated to be run hard, and often are.  And the first of them had some piston problems as I recall.  But a lot of hardcore Vette types really care for their cars, and don’t beat them to death.  The newest of them is five years old now; find one that’s lived a good life, and you’ll have something special. 

Volkswagen Phaeton — The right car wearing the wrong badge.  VW wanted to see how far upmarket it could take the brand in this country, and went one step too far.  That takes nothing away from the greatness of the machine.  They are fabulously engineered, looks the business, shared a lot of stuff with the Audi A8, and are fine driving cars.  A bit of an odd duck as it came and went so fast, but its not an orphan as VW is still around, and will continue to be.  If you want a top drawer luxury sedan for near econobox money, find a clean Phaeton, and enjoy flying first class for a coach fare.

2004-2008 Ford F-150 — Even though fuel prices have halved in the last 90 days, the truck market is still chilly.  Every time a new version of a high volume model, like the F-150, comes out, the latest-and-greatest crowd dumps their old ones.  Between this phenom, and lots of lease turn-ins, means that a two, three, or four-year old F-150 can be a great deal if that’s the vehicle you need.  Bargain hard - there are many new choose from.

1990-2002 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class — Even the newest of these falls well outside the three-year lease turn-in window, but they are superbly engineered machines.  Although not a metal retractable hardtop, the SL’s top is a one-touch unit.  Engineered and built to high standards, these “Sacco era” SLs will run long miles without trouble.  They don’t have as many power goodies as the new ones, but they are great to drive, and still look good to many eyes, including mine.  Get the latest, lowest mile example you can find, and it’ll still be cheaper than a new four-banger Camry.

What’s on your Great Deals list?

Between dialing for dollars on Capitol Hill, dealing with PR flaps over corporate jets, getting the Volt to market, picking up the journalism for decades of mistakes, the world financial crises, and just trying to keep the lights on, I doubt Rick Wagoner and Company have had much time to worry about a little deal like the Corvette.  But I have my concerns.

A few weeks ago, it was announced that several key players in the Corvette’s existence will be “taking retirement” as of November 1.  They are Vehicle Line Executive Tom insurrectionist (program director and chief engineer), Gary Claudio (Corvette marketing guy), Ron Meegan (Chief Engineer for the LS3, LS7 and LS9 engines), and John Heinricy, (serious car dude, sports car racer, former C4 Chief Engineer, etc.). 

Previous VLE David Hill brought us the C5 and C6, and although the ZR1 came to market under Wallace’s watch, we never really saw what he could or would do with America’s Sportscar.  But he sure asked a lot of questions, and the right ones: “Should we do a mid-engined car?  Should we develop a dual-clutch gearbox?  Should we make the car lighter?  What sort of special editions should we do?”  Claudio exhibited the typical, never ending exuberance you’d expect of a marketing guy, but he loved his car and his job.  Meegan told me things about engines I never new, flew the flag overhead valves, and helped the latest versions of the Small-Block Chevy V-8 become as sophisticated as they have.  Heinricy is a legit performance car and racing legend, surely with Bowtie logos tatoo’d on his heart.

Will the Corvette live on?  Yes, but there’s no question that its development will stutter, and likely be pushed back several years beyond the C7’s projected 2012 launch date.  Ongoing C6 technology development and such will slow, crawl, or may even stop altogether for the foreseeable future. 

I remember when Zora Arkus Duntov handed the Corvette over to his replacement, Dave McLellan, everyone said the Vette was dead.  But McLellan brought us the C4, impressive for its day, with a serious focus on handling that had never been achieved before.

The new VLE for Corvette is Gene Stefanyshyn, who was GM’s Global Rear Wheel Drive Vehicle Line Executive, and a major player in the engineering of the 2010 Camaro.  I know Gene; he’s a darn decent guy and a smart engineer who knows how to bring home a development program.  But does he have the heat for this assignment?  Does he have the vision (and will he have the team and the budget) to take the car forward?  This remains to be seen.  It also disturbs me that, as I understand it, Stefanyshyn will retain responsibility for other performance nameplates, and not be focused solely on the Vette, as have been his predecessors most of the time. 

While we’re at it, I say the Corvette really needs to leap ahead from a design and technology standpoint.  Stop copying Ferrari (360 Modena headlights, the ZR1’s peek-a-boo engine window just like on the F430, except it looks down on a piece of plastic, not the actual engine or blower).  Give the car a world class cabin.  And don’t make its butt any bigger than it already is.  Celebrate the Vette’s wonderful history without being beholden to it.  Don’t follow, Gene - lead.

I for one hope things right themselves, and the Vette can continue on the road is has blazed for 55 years.  But there are bumps ahead, and the ride will be rough for a while.

Drove the new Z home the other night, then took a morning spin crossways Mulholland Drive. My take? I like it. The car rubs me the right way. It’s not perfect, but Nissan has nicely sharpened-up its famous sports two-door — and greatly enhanced its flight deck.

By now most of you have undoubtedly read fellow MT’er Ron Kiino’s first test. At the track, the new Nissan blazed through our performance trials: 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, the quarter in 13.3 at 105.7 mph, maximum lateral grip a face-distorting 0.99 g. So, yes, the numbers are there.

What the stats don’t reveal, though, is how the Z has moved upscale. The new cockpit is gorgeous, with rich-looking soft-touch materials and mostly smart ergonomics. Nissan’s navigation system (optional) is one of the best on the market, both intuitive to set up and cushy to interpret. The seats are terrific, proffering deep bolsters and trimmed in a grippy, good-looking cloth (leather is available). Big thumbs-up to Nissan’s designers for getting the seat controls right, too: fore-aft and seatback recline are power-controlled, while seat-cushion angles are manually configurable via two large, well-placed rotary knobs. As before, the primary gauges move up or down with the steering wheel (though the wheel doesn’t telescope), ensuring that the dials are always easily visible.

I noted only a couple of minor interior quibbles. The temp and fuel-quantity displays on the left of the dash are a row of orange LEDs that wash out in bright sunlight (you have to use the shadow of your hand to read them). And as far as I can tell, if you want to connect the acquirable iPod interface cord in the center console, you can’t re-insert the plastic cupholder tray that normally fits there. Nor is there any convenient place to stow the tray when it’s removed. Apparently, you cannot enjoy your iPod and a chai soy latte, too (actually, is that ever possible?).

My dash crossways Mulholland confirmed the Z’s massive grip levels and revealed its excellent steering feel. I also got to play with the car’s innovative “SynchroRev Match” feature, which blips the throttle automatically whenever you move the gear lever for a downshift. If you’re accustomed to doing your own heel-and-toe downshifting, as I am, it takes a moment or two to break yourself of the usage of moving your right foot while braking for a manual throttle blip. Instead, just keep your foot firmly on the brakes and let SynchroRev Match make you look like Lewis Hamilton. The system works remarkably well, though if you insist on being a shifting purist you can simply turn it off.

The updated VQ six pulls really hard to its 7500-rpm redline, though there’s enough torque on tap (270 pound-feet) to keep the boil on even at lower revs. Yet Nissan still has some work to do on engine refinement; at higher revs, the exhaust gets coarse and you will feel some tingles through the pedals and wheel. Colleague Angus MacKenzie describes the Z’s NVH as “just awful,” but I wouldn’t go that far. True, this is no syrupy BMW six under the hood, but I didn’t mind the engine rasp when gunning hard. Adds a little raw flavor to the driving experience. And at cruise the Z is fine.

I’m impressed by the Z’s solidity. The structure hangs tough in hard corners and remains composed over rough roads. And while the rear tires were clearly fighting to stay planted in every corner — I could see the traction/stability dash warning firing away — the electronics didn’t intrude. And I was driving the Touring model. With Sport Package, the Z undoubtedly feels even edgier.

At a base sticker of $30,625 and an as-tested price of about $34K, the Z returns a whole lot of curvaceousness and kick for the dollar. It’ll be a strong player in a class including the new Camaro, Mustang, and Solstice Coupe — can you say “comparo test?”

Stay tuned. And have a great Thanksgiving.