American 'Crown Jewel' Up for Auction

March 9 - This 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra was one of six cars built by Carroll Shelby to compete against Ferrari, who were dominating the F.I.A. (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) World Manufacturers Championship GT race class.

An experimental coupe body designed by Pete Brock was built on an existing Cobra chassis, immediately increasing the top speed by 25 mph. That car won its first race, the 1964 Daytona Continental -- prompting Shelby to adopt the name -- and five more coupes were built, including CSX2601.

After competing at Daytona, Monza, Spa and Nurburgring, CSX2601 made history when it clinched the 1965 World Manufacturers Championship for the United States and Shelby American on July 4 in Reims, France.

Driving the car - and America - to victory on that fateful July afternoon was legendary driver Bob Bondurant.

"I won a lot of races with this Daytona Cobra Coupe, but when I crossed the finish line at the Reims race track I yelled 'Yes!' It was a fantastic feeling," Bondurant shared. "I always wanted to race in Europe against the world's best drivers. Winning that World Championship was the crowning achievement of my career. I think it's wonderful that the car is being showcased 40 years later."

Now fully restored and wearing its famous Reims livery, the Shelby Daytona Cobra CSX2601 headlines the 22nd Dana Mecum Original Spring Classic Auction taking place May 13-17, 2009, in Indianapolis, Ind.

Consignment, Bidder, event and accommodation information is available online at http://www.mecum.com/ or by calling 815.568.8888

Meet Natalia

March 9 - Progress is being made in the development of the world's first hand-built, $2 million, sixteen-cylinder production automobile - The Natalia.

Alfred DiMora, the founder of DiMora Motorcar, based in Palm Springs, California, is known for his expertise in designing high-end luxury cars such as the Clenet and Sceptre. He was also the founder of Starbridge Systems, Inc. where he developed the world's fastest FPGA supercomputer.

Recently announced, ProMetal RCT will provide an integrated product and process team will use the their digital 3D printing technology to produce castings for the 1200-horsepower Volcano V16 engine without the need for patterns or tooling. The ProMetal RCT equipment automatically builds sand molds and cores for casting metal directly from CAD data.

Dan Maas, Director of Business Development for ProMetal, says "This revolutionary process allows design freedoms, heretofore never available to the casting designer or the foundry. Removing the requirements for parting lines, draft angles and providing undercuts is just the tip of the iceberg."

Previously announced, the 2000-hp engine will utilise a proprietary coating for the cylinder walls to eliminate the need for seperate steel liners. The NiCom coating from U.S. Chrome is a nickel metal matrix with dispersed silicon carbide particles.

Insurance Myths & Legends

March 4 - If you believe that red sports cars are the most difficult to insure, you're way off base, according to the industry.

Roughly 25 percent of drivers surveyed by Progressive Insurance believe that the color of their car is a factor in determining their
insurance rate.

"The idea that the color of a car enters into what you’re going to pay for insurance is a myth that’s been around for a long time," said Jeff McCollum, spokesperson for State Farm Insurance. "I wouldn’t be surprised if it came from the fact that people with red sports cars have the image of being wild and reckless, but it certainly isn’t based on any type of reality."

Your own experience might support the idea that drivers of sports cars get more tickets and thus pay higher insurance premiums, but that's not generally the case.

According to a study by Quality Planning Corp., leading the pack with the most violations are drivers of the Hummer H2 and H3. Hummer drivers have almost five times the number of violations compared to the average. Drivers of three different Scion models (tC, XB Station, XA) also made the Top 10 'Bad Boy' list. Others on the list include drivers of two models of the Mercedes-Benz (CLK63 AMG, CLS63 AMG), two Toyotas (Solara, Matrix) and the Subaru Outback Station Wagon and Audi A4.

Miles to Go Before We Sleep

Feb. 20 - Recent testing at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicates that most new small cars and pickup trucks now earn good ratings in frontal crash tests but not when it comes to side and rear crashes.

"Automakers have made big improvements to small cars to better protect people in frontal crashes," says Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan. "They've also added stronger structures and standard head-protecting side airbags to help in side crashes, which are tougher on smaller, lighter cars."

Eleven of the 21 current small car models the Institute has rated earn good ratings for side protection. "This is a huge improvement from our last comprehensive round of small car crashworthiness evaluations in 2006," Nolan says. "Then only 3 of the 19 tested earned a good rating in the side evaluation. Most earned a poor rating."

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Dodge Ram 1500, and Nissan Titan are billed as workhorses, but the side crash protection these 2009 model large pickups provide is wimpy, at best. The trio earns either poor or marginal ratings in side tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Even with side airbags, occupant protection in these crew-cab pickups is no better than marginal.

"The size, weight, and height of these large pickups should help them ace the side tests just like the other large pickups we've tested. Not these three," says Institute senior vice president David Zuby. "They perform worse than many cars we've evaluated."

Side evaluations are based on performance in a crash test in which the side of a vehicle is struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph.

ROUSH Announces Propane Expansion

Feb. 20 - After selling several hundred propane conversion kits for the Ford F-150 light duty pickup truck, ROUSH Performance announced this week that their program is expanging to include medium duty F-250 pickup and E-250 Econoline van.

According to research by the Propnae Energy and Research Council, propane is the most widely used alternative fuel used today, with more than 10 million vehicles running worldwide. Both operating costs and vehicle emissions are reduced as a result of the conversion. Federal tax credits, up to $4500, coupled with an up to 50 cent per gallon additional tax credit are available to qualified operators.

The ROUSH F-250 Liquid Propane Injection truck is designed to operate solely on propane,, without any loss of horsepower, torque, driveability or towing capacity. Conversion kits will also be available for 2009+ F-250 vehicles already in service. Trucks with the conversion already completed can be ordered through local Ford dealers, for delivery in the third quarter.

The available tax credits and operating expense reductions allow the investment to be paid back in less than a year, according to Jack Roush, charman of ROUSH Enterprises, Inc. and CEO of Roush Fenway Racing. The company has invested three years of development to deliver the propane conversion, because "It is available 'right here, right now' with a national infrastructure already in place," Roush added.

As a motor fuel, propane burns cleaner, with up to 20% less NOx, up to 60% less CO and fewer particulate emissions. Due to a lower energy content in the propane, fuel mileage reductions of up to 17% may be seen. In addition to the federal tax credits mentioned, state, county and municipal credit or rebate programs may also apply.

(Return to UberDrive Magazine.)

Genesis Coupe Pricing Announced

Feb. 12 - Hyundai Motor America has announced pricing for the new Genesis Coupe, starting at $22,000 for a well-equipped 210-horsepower, 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine 2.0T model and $25,000 for the 306-horsepower, 3.8-liter, V6 engine model. Genesis Coupe will begin arriving at Hyundai dealerships later in the month.

"Genesis sedan set a new benchmark for the premium sedan segment and we think Genesis Coupe will do the same in the sport coupe arena," said John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America president and chief executive officer. "From our 30-mpg 2.0T with its low-pressure, intercooled, four-cylinder turbo, to the 3.8-liter Track model with 306 horsepower and Brembo braking system, Genesis Coupe offers a wide range of powertrain and performance choices for driving enthusiasts of all stripes."

Later in the model year, a tuner-focused performance model, R-Spec, will arrive at Hyundai dealerships. Genesis Coupe R-Spec is positioned the ultimate upgradeable, affordable, performance platform. R-Spec equipment includes a 2.0-liter turbocharged intercooled four-cylinder engine delivering 210 hp, an estimated 30 mpg EPA highway rating and a top speed of 137 mph.

A 6-speed close-ratio manual transmission with Torsen-type limited-slip differential and 19-inch gunmetal-finish alloy wheels with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires and Brembo braking system further support the announced MSRP of $23,750.

All models carry an additional destination charge of $750.

Happy Zoom-Zoom, MX-5

Feb. 10 - On February 9, 1989, Mazda Motor Corporation revealed a sporty little roadster at the Chicago Auto Show. This month Mazda celebrates the 20th anniversary of the MX-5, the world’s best-selling lightweight two-seat roadster.

Today, the Mazda MX-5’s popularity is unchallenged – more than 850,000 MX-5s have been sold on all continents of the world, except Antarctica – and to this day it remains the only two-seat roadster to combine the traditional front-engine, rear-drive layout, an affordable price, and the joy of driving.

Mazda considers the MX-5 the purest exponent of Mazda’s Zoom-Zoom philosophy. The diminutive roadster holds a special place in the hearts of Mazda employees and car enthusiasts alike. None more so than Takao Kijima, Mazda MX-5's long-standing programme manager.

"I have been involved with the Mazda MX-5 since the project was first approved in 1986, and was lucky enough to be a chassis engineer on the first model that established the MX-5 roadster's reputation as an exciting and affordable lightweight sports car."

The MX-5’s 2.0-litre engine is capable of revving to 7,500rpm and makes 118kW of power. It can be teamed with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. And, where the original sported 14-inch alloy wheels, the 2009 model wears visually arresting 17-inch alloy wheels.