Car Club Blog

As July 4th approaches, many Dallas residents are looking for fun ways to spend the long weekend. Whether you celebrate with a Corvette rental in DFW, a night of fireworks, or a special picnic, the ultimate summer holiday is only a few days away.

Weather for the Fourth of July promises to be hot. The Weather Channel predicts temperatures in the mid-90s for the Dallas area over the long weekend. Here are some ideas to stay cool, have fun, and celebrate our nation’s birthday!

Have a Picnic with Family Over the 4th of July Weekend!

There’s nothing that says summer like eating outside. This Fourth of July, many residents of DFW will be enjoying a picnic lunch. Typical picnic foods include egg salad sandwiches, slaw, fried chicken, and potato salad. Better still, why not fire up the smoker or the grill and have some good Texas BBQ?

Watch the 4th of July Fireworks in Dallas!

Several parks in the Dallas area will be holding fireworks shows this weekend. Some of the most talked about DFW fireworks shows include Dallas Booms! at Fair Park, Lone Stars and Stripes at Lone Star Park, and Addison Kaboom Town in nearby Addison, TX. The Addison 4th of July fireworks display has been rated as among the top ten in the United States by the Wall Street Journal!

Dallas fireworks shows are a great way to celebrate the Fourth of July. Pack up the family, and make the short drive to one of the many Dallas parks that will be having fireworks this weekend.

Rent an Exotic Car in DFW!

There’s no better way to celebrate our nation’s birthday than by engaging in the ultimate American pastime: driving an exotic car! Although most of us can’t afford to buy an exotic car, we can still drive a 600HP Viper for a day. Just check into Dallas area exotic car rental.

Rent a Corvette this weekend and celebrate the Fourth of July in style. Or rent a Dodge Viper SRT-10 Convertible and set off some 600HP fireworks of your own. What could be more American than taking a drive in an American sports car!

Kate Miller-Wilson is a freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

When speaking to the chief engineer and project manager of the Nissan GT-R, Kazutoshi Mizuno, you get a sense he’s providing hints as to what’s in store next for Nissan’s new 2+2. For instance, when you ask him how much power the GT-R has, he answers, “480 bhp…for now.” Well, we recently received word that there will indeed be a new model added to the GT-R lineup, the GT-R Spec V, and it should be out sometime in the spring of 2009.

According to our source, the Spec V will be to the GT-R what the Porsche GT3 RS is to the 911. It will be significantly lighter than the base car — we hear by at least 220 lb. Extensive use of carbon fiber — on the hood, rear wing, front spoiler and doors — will help the GT-R weigh in at about 3600 lb. The interior may come standard with a rollcage or structural brace like the one in the original GT-R Concept, as well as carbon-fiber Recaro front seats.

There were reports that Nissan engineers contemplated deleting the air-conditioning unit from the package, but decided against it, keeping in mind that not everyone who buys this car will convert it into a racing machine. But this should be enough to tell you that the GT-R Spec V is a serious performance car, one mainly intended for the track. New lightweight 6-spoke wheels will help you distinguish it from the base GT-R.

We also uncovered that the Spec V’s 3.8-liter V-6 will pump out about 520 bhp at 6500 rpm and 435 lb.-ft. of torque from 3200 to 5200, roughly a 10-percent increase from the base engine. The extra oomph comes by increasing the boost of the turbochargers.

Combine this added power with the car’s lighter weight and you have a machine that’ll be so fast it’s downright scary. Zero to 60 mph will be near 3 seconds flat…on a cool day on an ideal driving surface, it may even break into the 2s. The quarter-mile mark will be right around 11.0 sec.

As for price, let’s just say that extensive use of carbon fiber will definitely have an effect. The projected MSRP of the GT-R Spec V is $120,000.

When the Spanish arrived in the New World some 500 years ago in their enormous wooden sailing ships, it is said the indigenous people standing on the shore literally did not see the great vessels on the horizon because they simply weren’t a part of their world—their visual reality. It took a few days for the wondrous ships to register, to become part of the natives’ visible existence. The story reminds us that reality is limited to what the human senses can perceive and what our neurons can process.

Like those indigenous Americans trying to grasp the new, it took us a several days to get a handle on the 2009 Nissan GT-R, to see it for what it is. We’re still in wonderment over the reality of a 3900-pound coupe that seems to break Newton’s laws. Can this be real—Ferrari performance for $70,000? Is the GT-R a good thing, or is it evil, some kind of postmodern god?

We first came in contact with a Nissan Skyline GTR in 1991. At the time, the quickest car on the road was a Ferrari F40—0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. The car, a gray-market Japanese-spec Skyline GTR tuned to deliver 350 horsepower (up from the standard 276 horsepower), would quickly rearrange the furniture in our heads. Powered by a 2.6-liter, twin-turbo inline-six, it matched the F40’s 0-to-60 time.

We’d have to wait 17 years before another GT-R arrived here. It ripped from 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds [May 2008]. That equaled the time of the F40’s heir, the ferocious Ferrari Enzo. As to Ferraris currently being built, the GT-R is as quick to 60 mph as the 611-hp 599GTB Fiorano [June 2007] that sells for $280,295.

In ’91 we struggled with how the Skyline GTR would fit into our automotive landscape. But since it was not sold in this country, we spotted something shiny and our interest drifted off. Now it is officially here, and we’re struggling to determine where it fits in, what it competes with, and why the name “Skyline” was dropped but GTR given a hyphen.

When gathering opponents for this comparison, we fell back on a lesson we learned a few years ago: When your automotive bearings are shaken (as the GT-R has the power to do), invite a Porsche 911 to recalibrate. On paper, the closest 911 model to the GT-R, in terms of philosophy, is the 480-hp, all-wheel-drive Turbo, which is why it’s here. Yes, a Porsche Turbo costs nearly twice the asking price of a GT-R, it’s not the staff’s favorite 911 (we’re partial to the naturally aspirated models), and it didn’t win its last comparison-test outing. But the 911 Turbo is indeed the car Nissan put on its performance pedestal, the car to get. So if any car can help us make sense of the GT-R’s place in the world, it’s the 911 Turbo.

To bookend the GT-R, we decided to add a BMW M3 coupe to the mix. Unlike the GT-R and the Turbo, the naturally aspirated M3 lacks turbochargers, and should a Chubby Checker twist competition break out, it would find itself seriously outgunned. Compared with the 505 pound-feet of torque spooled into the 911 Turbo and the 430 pound-feet found in the GT-R, the M3 has a seemingly minuscule 295 pound-feet. The M3 is out of its league in horsepower, too, but it makes up some of this handicap by weighing several hundred pounds less than its brethren. The M3 also has a price advantage: Our test car rang up at $63,600, the Nissan commanded $70,475, and the 911 Turbo dwarfed them both with a $127,060 base price. Throw in the M3’s two comparison-test wins against impressive opponents—Audi RS 4, Lexus IS F, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG—and a solid case can be made for this middleweight’s claim to a shot against the two heavyweights.

At this point you’re expecting the obligatory paragraph introducing the ubiquitous comparo star, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, especially if your name is Larry Webster. But, alas, the Z06 lacks back seats, and it was beaten by the 911 Turbo [“The Sports Car World Cup,” September 2006]. Yes, we might have included it anyway, but this time around, we’re keeping the competition to performance cars with four seats and a modicum of civility and ­practicality.

And consider this, Corvette dudes: Maybe there is a Z06 in the test—it’s just too awesome to see. That paragraph introducing it could be hiding here somewhere, maybe there’s really a Z06 in every photograph. You just can’t see it now. It might appear. Wait a few days.

STRUT is now offering an 11-piece accessory kit for the Gallardo. It includes intake grills, vent covers, and the STRUT logo for your hood. The basic package is $25,000 and the titanium edition is $35,000. If you want the rims too, it will cost another $9,000.

Due to rapidly rising energy costs, consumers are considering options that they would have scoffed at a few years ago. That’s great news for a company called Vectrix.

The Vectrix is an all-electic, zero-emissions scooter that features an electric motor that requires only 2.5 hours to recharge from a standard 110V outlet.

“I am firmly convinced that the answer to our energy dependence will come from entrepreneurs like those behind the Vectrix,” says Ron Sturgeon, a small business consultant and owner of a DFW exotic car rental company.

“The people at Vectrix are making scooters that provide a fun driving experience and are zero emissions,” said Sturgeon. “They have found a smart way to meet a need and show that electric powered vehicles are both fun and feasible for commuters,” said the Texas entrepreneur.

According to a press release on the company site, the Vectrix has been endorsed by Harley Davidson owner and former Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. Kerry took a test spin in New Bedford, MA and pronounced the Vectrix scooter quick and easy to ride.

The company that makes the new line of scooters is based in Newport, Rhode Island. The scooters and manufactured in Poland.

The Vectrix delivers reasonable speeds for commuting. It can manage zero to 50 MPH in 6.8 seconds and has an average range of 35 to 55 miles on a single charge. The electric bike is powered by Nickel Metal Hydride batteries that are advertised as being good for ten years at 5,000 miles of riding per year.

As far as technical specs, the all-electric, zero emissions bike weighs 510 pounds, has a 60-inch wheelbase, 30-inch seat height, and seats two comfortably. The company has had its two-wheeled scooters on the market since July of 2007, and it is now taking preorders for a new three-wheeled version of the Vectrix that promises additional stability along with the obvious environmental benefits of a zero emissions motorbike.

The two-wheeled Vectrix can be ordered at http.www.vectrix.com or by visiting a growing list of dealers throughout the United States. The 2008 version has an MSRP of $9395.
Preorder the three-wheeler by calling 1-877-Vectrix.

Written by G.D. Gregory. If you are interested in having me write stories for you or seeing my portfolio, please contact me at ggpsu@yahoo.com.

MAN United’s Cristiano Ronaldo is poised for a big money summer transfer - for a number plate.

The Portuguese superstar is determined to buy CR 7 - a combination of his initials and favourite shirt number - from property tycoon Charlie Robinson.

But the Scot has vowed to keep the plate unless Ronaldo buys him a replacement worth £175,000.

Robinson, of Troon, Ayrshire, said: “That registration plate is close tomy heart and I won’t be letting it go easily.

“I bought it three or four years ago and I’ve had a few inquiries about it since then.

“I haven’t spoken to Ronaldo personally but there has been some interest.”

The 39-year-old, who also has CR 8 on his Ferrari F430, added: “It’s a part of the car now. I certainly wouldn’t be pressured into selling it.

“The only way I’d be convinced to part with it would be in a swap deal for CR 1 - that way everybody would be happy.”

CR 1 is on the market for £175,000 - making it worth £25,000 more than the Bentley Continental that CR 7 hangs on.

But Robinson figures Ronaldo, who is wanted by Real Madrid, can easily afford it - he earns £120,000 a WEEK.

His agent Jorge Mendes refused to comment but a source close to the player said: “He’s determined to get it.

“He’s obsessed with the CR 7 branding and wants it on everything he has.

“Everybody has their price and when you earn the money Ronaldo does, you can buy pretty much anything you like.”

Ronaldo opened a fashion store called CR7 in 2006 in his home town of Funchal and plans to open a club with the same name.

German tuning alchemists NoviTec Rosso have joined forces with custom chopper builder Walz Hardcore Cycles to produce this, a Ferrari F430 with pinstriping, a 707bhp twin supercharged engine and a chalkboard black paintjob.

Inspired by a conversation between NoviTec boss Wolfgang Hagedorn and chopper builder Marcus Walz, the F430 TuNero is, to quote Spinal Tap, ‘none more black’. It has matt black bodywork, black calipers, black interior and black seats.

Underneath, the TuNero has a pair of superchargers, air-to-water intercoolers, a revised intake system and oil coolers and new injectors. Maximum power is an Enzo-humbling 707bhp at 8350rpm and 525lb ft of torque at 6300rpm.

As you expect, performance is brisk. 60mph comes up in under 3.5 seconds, and flat out the TuNero reaches 216mph. The TuNero is a one-off, but NoviTec will build a similar car for around £300,000.

Walz build custom choppers for F1 champ (and tat-fan) Kimi Raikkonen. Weâ??d imagine this is exactly the kind of car that party-boy Kimi would drive to the local shops to get a pint of, erm, wholesome milk.

Lots of folks head off to Florida when they retire, and so will Dr. John C. McConnell.

But the colorectal surgeon at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood is taking a rather unusual route. He’s kicking off his retirement June 21 with a 5,500-mile bike ride from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Key West, Fla.

The 62-year-old Wyckoff resident is using his trip for a dual purpose: to spread the message that colorectal cancers are preventable and to raise money for Valley Hospital’s Daniel & Gloria Blumenthal Cancer Center.

The American Cancer Society reports that colon and rectal cancers are the third-most common cancers among men and women in this country, not counting skin cancer. In 2008, there will be an estimated 108,070 new cases of colon cancer and 40,740 new cases of rectal cancer.

Combined, they will claim about 49,960 American lives this year.

“The key thing about colorectal cancer is that it is a preventable disease in almost all cases,” McConnell explained. “If you are vigilant and careful about your screenings, it’s a disease no one has to get.”

To prepare for his journey, he’s been getting out on the road as often as he can, biking around North Jersey and New York. On days when he can’t get out, the doctor works out on a stationary bike.

You can follow McConnell’s journey on a day-to-day basis on his blog at valleydocride.com,, which will include pictures and stories from his trip as well as the opportunity to donate to the Valley Hospital Foundation Pedaling for Prevention.

Mention the name Ferrari in automotive circles, and no one questions the mystique and legend associated with the marque. It is instantly recognized, with its rich racing history bringing to mind images of speed and power.

The F430 Spider joined the F430 Coupe in the Ferrari stable of new generation, V8-powered, mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports cars with an electronic differential, traction control and stability control. The Spider was the first mid-engined ragtop (is it really proper to use the term “rag” when referring to a Ferrari?) to offer a compact, fully electric top that allowed the engine to be visible at all times. The fully-lined electric hood (top) is fully automatic and is opened and closed by seven electrohydraulic actuators, folding over twice before stowing completely into a well just ahead of the engine compartment. The operation takes a mere 20 seconds.

The F430 Spider is powered by a 4.2-liter (263 cubic inch) 90-degree V8 with electronic fuel injection and featuring a flat-plane crankshaft with 180-degrees between throws. The engine, which is also a work of art on display through the rear hatch, pumps out 490 horsepower at 8500 rpm and develops 343 pound-feet of torque at 5250 rpm. The engine mates to either Ferrari’s traditional open-gate six-speed manual gearbox, incorporating multicone synchronizers, or to an optional F1 paddle shift unit that is essentially a clutchless manual transmission. The latter was developed and continuously refined for road-going Berlinettas. The gearbox is housed in a cast aluminum casing that also encloses the electronic differential and bevel-type final drive along with the engine oil tank.

As in Formula 1 cars, the driver of the F430 Spider is able to change several setup factors of the car utilizing a single, steering-wheel-mounted selector set. It is called the Manettino by Scuderia Ferrari drivers, and it functions as a commutator switch featuring five specific settings: Ice, Low, Grip, Sport and Race. There is also a setting that turns off both the traction and stability controls, giving the driver full control over the car’s reactions.

The F430 Spider would be totally at home on a revolving pedestal, displayed as a fine example of sculpture. That isn’t where it really belongs, however; its place is on the open road or on a challenging race course. It is equally gorgeous with the top up or down, while displaying proper proportions either way. The coefficient of drag wasn’t given, but I’m sure it’s as slippery as it looks. The overall design execution brings to mind a plethora of descriptive terms: sexy, curvaceous, racy, breathtaking, stunning and outrageously beautiful. The silhouette is that of a flying wedge, with strong character lines, chiseled scoops and soft, contemporary bulges. It sits low, with the wheels and tires nicely filling the wells without any wasted space around them. The Spider’s nose is characterized by the two elliptical air intakes with honeycombed inserts that channel air into the dimensioned radiators for engine cooling. Their shape drew inspiration from the Ferrari 156 F1 that Phil Hill drove to his F1 World Championship title in 1961. The two intakes link at the lower edge via a spoiler that directs air flow toward the car’s flat underbody.

My test F430 Spider sported a bright (Ferrari) Red exterior. The convertible top was black, and the interior was done in a special tan leather theme with contrasting piping and other special details. The base price for the F430 Spider is $200,000. All the extras and unique treatments (special stitching, etc.), along with the special Challenge alloy wheels, F1 Paddle Shifter gearbox placed my test droptop somewhere north of $230,000. The sky is the limit through the unlimited personalization program offered through the coach works, Carrozzeria Scaglietti. There are choices to be made such as carbon fiber or aluminum interior trim and detailing, distinctive bodywork colors, integrated Ferrari shield set above the wheel arches, colored brake calipers and carbon ceramic material brakes.

Summary

Of course, driving the F430 Spider is even more rewarding than simply looking at it. The car virtually fills one senses. The authoritative rumble from the mighty V8 is musical to any red-blooded gearhead. The acceleration is blistering, though as often as not you’ll want to simply tool about town showcasing its beauty.

Gear changes can be made in rapid fire fashion with the F1 steering column mounted paddle shifters. The seating is just as supportive as it is visually pleasing, and there’s plenty of room. The ride quality is surprisingly compliant considering the low profile performance rubber and ride height. The handling is, well, “Ferrari-like” - precise and positive. The Spider remained flat through the twisties of Napa and Sonoma Valley’s backroad , and the tires didn’t chirp once - perhaps I wasn’t pushing hard enough, but when you’re entrusted with this kind of ride, you’re not prone to take any undue risks.

While I may not have had the desire before to add a Prancing Horse model to my personal stable, I certainly do now. It is a car that is impossible not to lust after.

2008 Ferrari F430 Spider

Base price: $200,000

Price as tested: $230,000 (est.)

Engine/transmission: 4.2-liter, 490-horsepower V8; F1 Paddle Shift clutchless six-speed auto-manual

Wheelbase: 102.4 inches

Length: 177.6 inches

Width: 75.7 inches

Height: 48.6 inches

Curb weight: 3,351 pounds

Fuel capacity: 25.1 gallons

Fuel consumption: n/a

SFCHRONICLE CARS is produced by the marketing department of The San Francisco Chronicle.

Ever wondered what really happens in the reclining rear seats of a Maybach 62? We may soon be able to find out, if Maybach decides to bring its newest model—the Landaulet—to the States. That’s right, Britney’s and Paris’s back-seat shenanigans may now be seen from space. We’re sure TMZ.com is ordering its first spy satellite as we write this.

Still officially a design study according to Maybach parent Mercedes-Benz, the Landaulet is intended to showcase the customization possibilities for the ultra-premium, hand-built 62 limousine. And here we thought the company was limited to dying the Nappa/nubuck leather any color you want, custom-mixing the paint to match your Chihuahua, outfitting the interior with 200-plus chunks of wood, and etching your mistress’s initials in a crystal cabin divider. If we knew it could do Landaulets, we’d have ordered an S-class thus equipped. Come to think of it, a Landaulet top may be just the thing to boost sagging R-class sales. Hmmm.

Half the Roof, Thrice the Price

If the concept is built, according to a company spokesman, it would cost an estimated €900,000 (about $1.3 million). The 20 or so lucky customers of the Landaulet—most likely in Europe and the Middle East—will get more than a big car with long doors and half a roof. The car makes its U.S. debut at the Detroit auto show in January.

Besides the black fabric roof and sliding-rear-window assembly—it moves back along the existing side pillars of the 62 to turn those reclining seats into tanning beds—the exterior features white-accented wheel spokes, a chrome-trimmed roofline, white side turn indicators, solar panels on the front half of the roof, and dark-red-tinted taillamps out back. The top stacks behind the passengers’ heads in much the same way as that of the iconic ’60s-era Mercedes-Benz 600 long-wheelbase “Pullman” Landaulet that was clearly this car’s inspiration.