Cars, Man

[Chauncey Gardener]

When I was a young teen, one of the characters in a pulp novel I read instructed another character to drive toward the wreck because, by the time he got there, it would have moved.

That lesson must have stayed with me because 40 years later, as I was driving my Astro van 60 mph on Interstate 5, a 5' x 5' x 5' chunk of machined steel fell from a flatbed semi. My instinct was to slam on the brakes while swerving to the left. Nevertheless, in an instant, the words of the book came to me as if I had read them that morning. The chunk was bouncing around about 100 feet in front of me. I held my course and continued traveling straight for it. A second later, it was behind me. I was amazed and probably, however, I didn't my pants. The whole incident only took about two seconds.

 

[AZPops]

When I was a young teen, one of the characters in a pulp novel I read instructed another character to drive toward the wreck because, by the time he got there, it would have moved.

That lesson must have stayed with me because 40 years later, as I was driving my Astro van 60 mph on Interstate 5, a 5' x 5' x 5' chunk of machined steel fell from a flatbed semi. My instinct was to slam on the brakes while swerving to the left. Nevertheless, in an instant, the words of the book came to me as if I had read them that morning. The chunk was bouncing around about 100 feet in front of me. I held my course and continued traveling straight for it. A second later, it was behind me. I was amazed and probably, however, I didn't my pants. The whole incident only took about two seconds.

Intervention?

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

Intervention?

I believe so.

 

[Galane]

On the subject of speed, some of the drivers who qualified for the 2026 Indy 500 ran over 231 miles per hour. Alex Palou bested 2nd place by nearly a full MPH, with a 4 lap average speed of 232.248 MPH. He's the first reigning Indy Car champion and Indy 500 winner to take the Indy 500 pole the next year.

The top drivers were hitting peak speeds over 240 MPH, on a track with a maximum bank angle of 9.2 degrees.

Will Power for the 19th time failed to take pole position for the Indy 500, despite having more poles in Indy car racing than any other driver. He has only 1 win at the 500. He's getting to be one of the "old guys".

4 time winner Hélio Castroneves is still trying for a record breaking 5th, his last was in 2021.

There are four first timers, including Mick Schumacher, son of the Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher. Michael hasn't been seen in public since a serious skiing accident in 2013 had him in a medically induced coma for six months.

2026 Indy 500 Full Starting Grid

Where each of 33 drivers will start the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500.

www.autoweek.com

 

[The Hawk]

Don't blame you in the least.

Twenty-five years ago, I had a Mazda Miata with some modest suspension improvements, but it was factory stock otherwise. Lived in a place with serious mountain roads, canyons and drop-offs, ditches and rivers, and all sorts of boulders and critters in the road at unexpected times. Wanted to better-know how to avoid such messes, if at all possible.

So I did a couple dozen instructor-led track days (on a moderately twisty course). Done in order to push my car sufficiently hard so I'd know how it would behave in quick (even severe) maneuvers. Even in that Miata, top speeds hit about 105mph. But the car wasn't designed to be doing hard cornering at 100mph speeds. In the ~40-70mph range (and slower), it could be stellar, hanging with many very fast and competent cars. At those speeds, though, the fat cement walls surrounding the track's "danger" zones began to loom large. Had visions of getting the "stink eye" from the insurance guy, assuming I'd even bother with that discussion. Can't imagine a 4ft shorter Miata and a pitiful look on my face would go far.

Still, the training saved my bacon on more than a few occasions. Worthwhile, on one's "stock" street vehicle and typical tires, if only to know what to expect and how to handle it. Doesn't guarantee anything, that's for sure, but it can help.

Been to Laguna Seca, Thunderhill and a few others I can't recall anymore. Good times.

Which reminds me. Somewhere I've got a bunch of old photos of races at Laguna Seca. Out of countless hundreds of pics, there were a few that didn't turn out half bad. I'll have to dig those up.

I am in a Corvette club. Some of us do some spirited driving from time to time. We know better than to try and out corner a Miata.

 

[pnwoutdoors]

I am in a Corvette club. Some of us do some spirited driving from time to time. We know better than to try and out corner a Miata.

Yeah, with some serious suspension enhancements and some meaty rims+tires, they can be hard to beat in the twisty sections. But they need a good doubling or tripling of HP and torque to have a prayer of keeping up with the overall lap times of much-faster vehicles. Even at ~2500 lbs, those straights (on longer tracks) can be a bear for a Miata driver looking to post a solid track time.

The current gen 'Vette, though, looks like it could be a cornering "beast".

 

[raggie33]

Omg i want the Honda Acty holy molly its my jam

 

[Galane]

Sad news for NASCAR. Kyle Busch has died at age 41 from a "severe illness" after being hospitalized for a week. https://www.npr.org/2026/05/21/g-s1-123547/nascar-champ-kyle-busch-dies

 

[Galane]

Yeah, with some serious suspension enhancements and some meaty rims+tires, they can be hard to beat in the twisty sections. But they need a good doubling or tripling of HP and torque to have a prayer of keeping up with the overall lap times of much-faster vehicles. Even at ~2500 lbs, those straights (on longer tracks) can be a bear for a Miata driver looking to post a solid track time.

The current gen 'Vette, though, looks like it could be a cornering "beast".

The first year of Speed Channel, it was unscrambled on C-Band satellite. I watched a SCCA race where several classes competed simultaneously on the track so there were winners per class and overall.

A seriously hopped up Mini (original version, not the reboot) was on the tail of a 1963 Corvette the entire race. In every curve the mini would scream up onto the Corvette's rear bumper. Then on every straight the Corvette would zip ahead. At the end of the final lap, down the straight to the line, the Mini driver went right and opened it up all the way. He had just edged in front of the Corvette when torque steer said "Nope! Not today!". The mini snapped 90 degrees to the right not far before the line and the Corvette took the overall win. I don't recall where the Mini finished overall or in its class.

 

[orbital]

+

VW is ending manual transmission option in US after 2026

..maybe they'll have some shitastic CVT

 

[Monocrom]

Doesn't VW already have a crappy CVT for certain vehicles in their line-up?

 

[raggie33]

I cant drive a auto my mind goes weird i must be shifting

 

[orbital]

+

so this morning I heard some really wild sounding Harleys go past my house,, thought 'those are not stock, no way'
(then I heard some other great sounding bike motors)

Didn't realized MotoAmerica is at the track this weekend.

Then I heard that wild V-Twin engine again
'Yep , has to be a Ducati' !!
how would you like a 890cc Ducati V-Twin making 120hp @ 10,750rpm

 

[TPA]

VW is ending manual transmission option in US after 2026

That's a shame. I once had a Golf GTI manual as a loaner car and it was a blast to drive.

Also sad, they discontinued the Passat. There isn't any equivalent car on the market these days. Even the Lexus LS was discontinued, which at least was the same size.

..maybe they'll have some shitastic CVT

I don't know about CVT, but Ms. TPA's 2012 Passat had a DCT which was starting to act up, which is why we sold the car. She loved it, didn't want to get rid of it, but tires (at least what I put on cars) + transmission costs were going to be better spent towards a newer car.

What's worse than a CVT is the infotainment system VW's put in the newer cars. We had a well-optioned 2026 VW Atlas last month as a rental, put about 1500 miles on it...and it had by-far the worst system I've used in years. No physical buttons for AC or radio. Not even a volume knob! It had touch sensors for temperature and radio volume, however, these weren't illuminated or had any sort of tactile marks to find them in the dark. The volume sensor area was right where you might rest your fingers to stabilise your hand as you're trying to use the touchscreen in a moving vehicle.

Also, take a look at this climate control page. This is the default one which comes up every time you try to adjust the HVAC system. I just want to adjust the temperature and fan, none of this garbage. Oh, and the real front/rear defroster controls? They were above the driver's left knee, behind the steering wheel.

It was sad as this was the first rental car we've driven in ages which we said we'd consider purchasing, but that screen and controls were a deal-breaker for us.

It could be worse. The Buick Enclave we just had as a rental had NO physical buttons for headlight/dome light controls. All of that was on the touchscreen. To GM's credit, the infotainment system was much better than VW's, despite the omissions.

This year we've also driven a Nissan Pathfinder and Hyundai Santa Fe. The Pathfinder was terrible. Just very poorly designed, very poorly made. I've not driven a car in decades where the amount of air flowing from the air vents was dependent upon how fast the car was moving. All incandescent lighting inside and dim/poorly located at that. Decent infotainment system though.

 

[TPA]

Has anyone come across any strange features in a car? As I was pulling photos for the above post, I found this one out of the Maybach:

It does as it says, using the microphones above the driver and front passenger to play their voices to the passengers in the rear seats.

 

[orbital]

+

964 series of the 911 was built form 1989~1994
this restomod of that chassis has an air cooled, normally aspirated 4L flat six making 421hp in a 2,527 pound car
6-speed manual

 

[pnwoutdoors]

AC Cobra GT Coupe Clubsport

Limited edition of 99 examples, starting 2028. The Clubsport will feature a supercharged and tuned Ford Coyote V8 engine with 800ps and 800nm output, Tremec 6spd manual or 10spd automatic, Torsen diff, double-wishbone suspension, aluminum chassis, carbon fiber body, Kammtail rear end (aerodynamics), 6-piston brakes, custom forged rims, sub-1450kg, starting at $540K. In addition to the basic Coupe, with ~250 examples annually.

AC GT Coupe – AC CARS

ac.cars

AC Reveals New Cobra GT Coupe & 799HP Clubsport Edition

AC unveils another revival of its legend. The AC Cobra is one of the most recognizable and iconic sports cars in automotive history. AC Cars has revived its legacy by introducing the new AC Cobra GT. The new version of the historic sports car provides modern, compelling performance while...

news.dupontregistry.com

Exclusive: The 799bhp V8 supercar that starts a new era for this iconic British brand | Autocar

Sussex-based sports car firm eyes 1000-plus cars per year as it launches new V8 flagship

www.autocar.co.uk

Based on the 1964 AC A98 design, from the 1964 Le Mans race:

AC A98 (1964)

AC A98 Le Mans The AC A98 was a competition race coupe type car built in 1964 for race use by the British company AC in Great Britain. History The coupe bodies in sports car racing in the 1960s had much Improved aero-dynamics and more rigidity and strength within the coupe that had more...

motor-car.net

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

AC Cobra GT Coupe Clubsport

If only I were rich instead of so danm bald.

 

[orbital]

+

Superformance does a great job on their remakes.
I'v seen a Daytona Coupe in person and about ten Cobras

Superformance - Iconic High-Performance Replica Vehicles

Superformance builds world-class continuation and replica vehicles including the Shelby Cobra, GT40, Corvette Grand Sport, and more.

www.superformance.com

 

[knucklegary]

They are located in Juniper Florida. It'd be a nice drive home