Avoid Chinese Engines

Did you know that 3.4L V6 engine that GM puts in its Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent compact SUVs is build in China?

A much better choice would be the Saturn Vue or Ford Escape. Less of your hard earned dollars will wind up paying for AK47's for the Janjaweed in Darfur.

China's Thanksgiving Present

The government of China, organizer of the 2008 "Genocide" Olympics, coddler of Sudan, and friend to oppressive regimes everywhere, today administered a childish slap to the U.S. Navy.

The USS Kitty Hawk, an aircraft carrier, and her strike group were scheduled to dock in Hong Kong for Thanksgiving. In preparation, Americans living in Hong Kong were busy setting up Thanksgiving dinners for some sailers, and relatives of some sailers had flown to Hong Kong to spend the holiday with them.

Because the British (stupidly) gave Hong Kong back to China, China must give permission for the U.S. Navy to dock. China denied the Kitty Hawk strike group entry this Thanksgiving, ruining the plans of numerous sailers and their families.

Thank you, China, for your Thanksgiving present. I will give you a small gift in return: I will boycott your goods every chance I get. I will not visit your country. If my employer asks me to go to your country for business, I will refuse. And I will remind everyone I meet about your bad manners, and your support for genocide in Darfur.

Maserati's new GranTurismo Coupe

These are the first images of Maserati’s new GT Coupe, revealed ahead of the car’s official debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The stunning lines were penned by Italian design studio Pininfarina, clearly taking inspiration from Maserati’s larger Quattroporte sedan. A near-perfect 49/51 weight distribution combined with an upgraded 405hp 4.2L V8 motor is sure to provide scintillating performance.

Just like the Quattroporte saloon, the new coupe gets a modern take on the Buickesque three-hole side vents with a sharper more angular appearance. Muscular flared wheel arches house huge multispoke alloys featuring Masearti’s trademark trident logo. The new interior, which was also designed by Pininfarina, features a leather lined dash and center console that runs the entire length of the cabin, while the conventional handbrake is replaced with a foot operated pedal next to the brake. Gears are changed by a fully-automatic transmission with pseudo-manual mode that uses paddle-shifters located behind the steering wheel.

The new coupe won’t be called the GT but instead picks up the extended title, GranTurismo, refering to Maserati’s first street car of 1947. The first cars are expected to hit showrooms by the middle of this year, but already there are rumors of even more models. A new flagship GranSport model is said to be in the works, powered by an all-new 450hp 4.7L V8 that will be shared with Alfa Romeo’s 8C Competizione. This will be followed with the release of a new Spyder convertible as well as a possible Coupe-Convertible sporting a folding metal roof next year.

History of Ford Mustang : Third Generation (1969-1970)

The Mustang got larger once again for 1969 even though the wheelbase remained 108 inches. The new body for 1969 featured four headlights, a sharp nose with a simpler grille that dispensed with the famed running horse centerpiece and a revision of the fake side scoops on the coupe and convertible. The fastback had large nonfunctional scoops dug high into its rear fenders. Unlike the '67, the '69 design clearly broke from established Mustang styling themes.

But under the sheet metal the Mustang still carried that Falcon-sourced front suspension and the solid rear axle was still perched on leaf springs.

The range of powertrain options grew once again for '69 and those led to the development of exciting new models. Base power still came from the 200-cubic-inch straight six, the 250 six was back again as an option. But the 289 V8s were gone for good with a two-barrel, 220-horsepower 302 now serving as the least intimidating V8 available. Beyond the 302 was a new 351-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) V8 which made 250 horsepower when gasping in air through a two-barrel carb and 290 horsepower with a higher-compression ratio and four-barrel carburetion. The 390 was back making 320 horsepower and two 428s were offered, with the "Cobra Jet" version making 335 horsepower and the "Super Cobra Jet" pounding out 360.For those who wanted a luxurious Mustang, Ford offered the '69 coupe as a "Grande" model.

For those who wanted a performance image, the company came up with a "Mach 1" version of the 2+2 fastback available only with the 351, 390 or 428 engines.

The two most intriguing '69 Mustangs came in the middle of the model run. Both were named "Boss" and both were built for racing.

The Boss 302 Mustang arose because Ford needed a car to go up against the successful Camaro Z28 in the SCCA Trans Am road racing series. So Ford came up with the Boss 302, which benefited from an optimized suspension, a neat Larry Shinoda-designed body package (which included a flat-black hood, rear window louvers and a rear deck spoiler) and a high-compression, deep-breathing 302 V8 making a wicked 290 horsepower. Ford would sell 1,628 of these near-racers and they'd prove effective weapons on the racetrack as well.

The Boss 429 was built only to homologate Ford's spectacular 429-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) hemi-headed V8 for NASCAR stock car competition. The 429 was ludicrously underrated at 375 horsepower (500 horsepower was more like it), and there's no explanation as to why the company insisted on shoehorning the big engine into the Mustang (the front suspension had to be virtually redesigned) instead of putting it in the roomier bay of the Torino, which was the car Ford actually ran in NASCAR. Only 859 Boss 429 fastbacks were built during the '69 model year and they all had large functional scoops on their hoods.

Those Boss 429s were but a drop in the 1969 Mustang sales bucket. In all, Ford sold 299,824 Mustangs that year, including 72,458 Mach 1s and 14,746 convertibles.

Ford went back to just two headlights for the 1970 Mustang, replacing the outboard lights with attractive scoops that fed nothing at all. Other changes included the elimination of the phony side scoops from all models. Also, the 351 V8s now came from Ford's Cleveland plant and were of a slightly different design from the previous 351s that had been built at the Windsor, Ontario, facility.

During the '70 model year, sales dropped to 190,727 Mustangs including 6,318 Boss 302s, 499 Boss 429s and just 7,673 convertibles.

Ferrari F430 2007

The F430 signals the arrival of a brand new generation of V8-engined Ferrari berlinettas. Every inch of the car was inspired by the engineering research carried out at Ferrari’s Gestione Sportiva F1 racing division. The result is a highly innovative design, characterized by cutting-edge technologies perfected for use on a road-going car. Two of these innovations are world firsts for production cars: the electronic differential (E-Diff) initially developed by Ferrari for its F1 single-seaters and designed to make the most of the engine’s torque to optimize traction, and the handily placed steering wheel-mounted rotary switch (better known to the Formula 1 drivers as the manettino) which directly controls the integrated systems governing vehicle dynamics. The F430’s light, compact 4308 cc engine is completely new and gives the car its name. It punches out 490 bhp and delivers a specific power output of 114 bhp/liter and 343 lb-ft of torque. Needless to say, performance is outstanding: acceleration from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4 seconds flat and a maximum speed in excess of 196 mph (315 km/h).

Style

The F430’s nose is characterized by two distinctive air intakes that channel air into generously dimensioned radiators to cool the powerful engine. The two intakes are linked at their lower edge by a spoiler that directs the air towards the car’s flat underbody. The F430’s vertically stacked headlights are extremely compact thanks to the use of Bi-xenon technology. Large air vents just ahead of the front wheels channel the air out of the radiators and along the car’s flanks. Generous scoops at the top of the rear wheelarches channel air into the engine. The side view is completed by the new 19" wheels with the 5 twin-spoke layout that combine classic Ferrari design flair with exceptional levels of structural rigidity combined with light weight.

The Enzo Ferrari was the inspiration for much of the rear styling of the new F430. The type and arrangement of the lights are the same with the latter protruding quite prominently from the bodywork. Another similarity is the shape of the air vent for the engine with the chrome Prancing Horse at its centre.

Engine

The F430 is powered by a new 90° V8 featuring Ferrari’s traditionally uncompromising design approach with a flat-plane crank (180° between throws). This is an all-new unit that does not share any components with the 360 Modena’s engine. Despite a 20% increase in engine displacement (from 3586 cc to 4308 cc), engine weight has grown minimally by just 4 kg, while performance is considerably improved across the board. Torque increases by 25% (343 lb-ft at 5250 rpm, 80% of which is already available at 3500 rpm) and power by 23% (490 bhp at 8500 rpm). The engine is extremely compact with a cylinder spacing of just 104 mm. Similarly, Ferrari’s engineers integrated the sump and main bearings in a single casting which, along with a smaller diameter twin-plate clutch and flywheel, has reduced the engine height between the bottom of the oil sump and the crankshaft to just 130 mm (from 145 mm on the 360 Modena power unit).

E-Diff Electronic Differential

One of the technical features that sets the F430 apart is the E-Diff or electronic differential. This solution has been used for years in F1 single-seaters and has been continuously developed and refined, effectively transferring massive torque levels to the track under extremely high cornering g-forces. The E-Diff is now standard equipment on the F430 - the first time that a production car has been equipped with such a sophisticated system for high-performance roadholding. On the track, the E-Diff guarantees maximum grip out of bends, eliminating wheel spin. On the road it is a formidable technological refinement that improves roadholding. This system is available both on the F1-paddle shift version as well as on the manual gearbox model and consists of three main subsystems:

• a high-pressure hydraulic system, shared with the F1 gearbox (if present);


• a control system consisting of valve, sensors and electronic control unit;


• a mechanical unit housed in the left side of the gearbox.
  

Transmission and F1 Gearbox

The F430 features a new cast-aluminum transmission casing that houses the gearbox in unit with the electronic differential and bevel type final drive, as well as the engine oil tank. The 6-speed gearbox incorporates multicone synchronizers, while both the 6th gear and the final drive have been lengthened to make the most of the greater power and torque of the new engine. The F430 is available with either the classic Ferrari open-gate manual gearbox or with the F1 paddle shift that Ferrari has continuously developed and refined over recent years for its road-going berlinettas. Thanks to that ongoing development, Ferrari’s F1 gearbox for the F430 is state of the art, introducing a number of important modifications: thanks to inputs from the engineers on the Gestione Sportiva racing side, the F1 gearbox management incorporates a new control strategy which further perfects gearchange speed and smoothness under hard use. Changing gear takes just 150 milliseconds, as measured by the ‘hole’ in acceleration during the change (intended as the overall time from declutching, changing gear to releasing the clutch).

Interior

The F430’s interior has been re-designed for improved driver ergonomics. The instruments are housed in a new binnacle, and this design together with the layout of the dashboard underlines the care that has gone into grouping all the major controls in front of the driver within easy reach. In the driver’s direct line of sight are the rev counter, which features new graphics with a choice of either a red or yellow background and a new metal surround, the digital readout of the gear ratio selected (F1 version) and a multi-function display. The same uncompromising approach to driver control was the inspiration behind mounting the starter button and manettino on the steering wheel. The wheel itself is new with the upper rim flattened to improve visibility in the straight ahead position, and the horn pushes are integrated into the inner rim where they can be easily actioned. The interior reflects the advanced technology and materials employed in the car’s construction, and can be personalized with carbon-fiber or aluminum inserts. The cockpit is noticeably bigger and the already excellent passenger comfort is subsequently increased thanks to a slimmer central tunnel which houses the gear lever turret on the manual version and the F1 console on the paddle-shift version. There is plenty of space behind the rear seats, with a new electrically operated compartment for oddments storage and catch netting to the rear fire wall. The seats have been redesigned for greater lateral containment and the standard electric seats can be substituted by more sporting items with four-point harnesses to order (depending on markets).

Specifications
Engine
Type : V8
Displacement cu in (cc) : 263 (4308)
Power bhp (kW) at RPM : 490(360) / 8500
Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM : 343(465) / 5250
Redline at RPM : n.a.

Brakes & Tires
Brakes F/R : ABS, vented disc/vented disc
Tires F-R : 225/35 ZR19 - 285/35 ZR19
Driveline : Rear Wheel Drive

Exterior Dimensions & Weight
Length × Width × Height in : 176.6 × 75.7 × 47.8
Weight lb (kg) : 3196 (1450)

Performance
Acceleration 0-62 mph s : 4.0
Top Speed mph (km/h) : >196 (>315)
Fuel Economy EPA city/highway mpg (l/100 km) : 11/16 (n.a.)

History of Ford Mustang :Second Generation (1967-1968)

By 1967, the Mustang had something it hadn't had before: competition. Chevrolet was now making the Camaro, Pontiac the Firebird, and Plymouth had redesigned the Barracuda into a more serious machine. Even within Ford, Mercury was now selling the Cougar.

Ford's response to that competition was a new, slightly larger Mustang with an all-new body over what was pretty much the same chassis. The wheelbase was still 108 inches, but total length was up two inches to 183.6 inches and every styling feature was just a little bit exaggerated — the grille opening was bigger, the side scallops deeper, the taillights were now larger and concave instead of modest and convex, the 2+2 fastback's roof now extended all the way back to the trunk lid's trailing edge and the convertible's rear window was now a two-piece item made of real glass instead of instantly hazing plastic. A hood with dual recesses was optional.

The standard power plant was now the 200-cubic-inch six making 120 horsepower with a 250-cubic-inch (4.1-liter) 155-horsepower six and the 200-, 225- and 271-horsepower K-code 289 V8s optional. New on the menu was a 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) "big-block" V8 breathing through a Holley four-barrel carburetor making 315 horsepower. Accommodating that wider engine meant that the front suspension's track needed to be widened by 2.5 inches for clearance.

With its wider track, the '67 Mustang was a more stable car than the '66. The seats were more comfortable, and the instrumentation was easier to read. It was, generally speaking, a better car in every way that counted. Ford sold 356,271 coupes, 71,042 2+2s and 44,808 convertibles during '67 despite the new competition. Of those, only 472 cars were equipped with the 271-horsepower 289, while around 28,800 had the 390 under their hoods.

Federally mandated side marker lights and a revised grille distinguished the 1968 Mustang from the '67 on the outside, while a slew of new engines set it apart mechanically. A low-performance 195-horsepower 289 V8 was still an option, but the other 289s were gone in favor of two new 302-cubic-inch (4.9-liter) versions of the small block V8. The two-barrel 302 made 220 horsepower, while the four-barrel-equipped version put out 230 horsepower.

More glamorous than the revised small V8s were new 427- and 428-cubic-inch (both convert to about 7.0 liters) versions of the big-block V8. The more radical 427, which had a slightly higher-compression ratio and wilder cam, was rated at 390 horsepower, while the more civilized 428 knocked out 335 horsepower. Both the 427 and 428 were very rare options. Those big engines hinted at what was in store for the Mustang over the next few years.

History of Ford Mustang

For a car enthusiast, knowing the history of the Ford Mustang is as basic as knowing the laws of thermodynamics are to a physicist, knowing Hebrew is to a rabbi or knowing when the bacon is done to a cook at Denny's. The Mustang is a pillar of American automotive lore, and the car that brought sporting dash and styling at a price almost anyone could afford.

The Mustang has never been an exotic car. Even the rarest, most powerful Mustangs ever built (such as the '69 Boss 429) were assembled with haphazard care by a UAW workforce facing a quick-moving, continuous production line with parts that were shared in common with six-cylinder Falcons, four-door Fairlanes and stripped Galaxies. Handcrafting and taking the time to do something extra special has never been part of Mustang production.

But that hasn't kept the Mustang from capturing the hearts of drivers for nearly 40 years. As ordinary a car as the Mustang has always been, it has always been extraordinarily attractive.

First Generation (1964 1/2-1966)

Ford's Mustang was conceived in full knowledge that in the mid-'60s the biggest population bubble in history was coming of age in America. Baby boomers would rule the '60s and there was little reason to think they wanted cars that were anything like their parents' cars. The production Mustang was shown to the public for the first time inside the Ford Pavilion at the New York World's Fair on April 17, 1964 — two months and nine days after the Beatles first came to New York to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. It went on sale at Ford dealers that same day.

The 1964 1/2 production Mustang followed two Mustang concept cars. The Mustang I shown in 1962 was a midengine two-seater powered by a V4. The Mustang II show car first displayed at the United States Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, N.Y., during October 1963, was a front-engine, four-seater foreshadowing the production machine that went on sale six months later. Compared to those two, the production machine was dowdy. Compared to every other American car then in production, except the Corvette, the Mustang was gorgeously sleek.

To make the Mustang affordable it needed to share much of its engineering with an existing Ford product. That product was the smallest Ford of the time, the compact Falcon. In fact, the first Mustangs were built in the same Dearborn, Mich., plant as the Falcon.

Initially offered as either a notchback coupe or convertible, the Mustang's unibody structure was laid over a 108-inch wheelbase and stretched out 181.6 inches from bumper to bumper. While it shared its front double-wishbone/coil spring and leaf spring rear suspension as well as its overall length with the Falcon, the proportions of the Mustang were different. Its cockpit was pushed further back on the chassis, resulting in a longer hood and shorter rear deck design, and both its roof and cowl were lower. It's with those proportions — detailed with such iconic touches as the running horse in the grille, the side scallops along the flanks and the taillights divided into three sections — the Mustang became a car people were instantly passionate about.

Engine choices started with the utterly lame 170-cubic-inch (2.8-liter) OHV straight six that made just 101 horsepower; then proceeded through a 200-cubic-inch (3.3-liter) OHV straight six rated at a flaccid 116 horsepower; a 260-cubic-inch (4.3-liter) OHV V8 breathing through a two-barrel carburetor and making 164 horsepower; a 210-horsepower two-barrel-equipped 289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) V8; a four-barrel 289 making 220 horsepower; and, at the top, the famous "K-code" high-compression, solid-lifter, four-barrel 289 pumping out a lusty 271 horsepower. K-code-equipped cars got a special badge on their front fenders indicating that not only did the engine displace 289 cubic inches, but that it was also the "High Performance" version.

A three-speed manual transmission was standard with every engine except the 271-horse 289, which was available only with the four-speed manual that was optional on other models. The Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission was also offered.

Nothing could stop the 1964 1/2 Mustang (especially not its four-wheel drum brakes) and with Ford furiously adding production capacity for the "pony car" at plants around the country, the company sold an amazing 126,538 of them during that abbreviated 1964 model year — 97,705 coupes and 28,833 convertibles. The V8s outsold Mustangs equipped with the six by nearly three to one.

The three most significant additions to the Mustang for 1965 were the neat 2+2 fastback body, the optional GT equipment and trim package and optional power front disc brakes. Gone forever was the 260 V8 that few buyers were choosing anyhow.

Even Ford was shocked at America's appetite for the Mustang during '65. It sold an astounding 409,260 coupes, 77,079 2+2 fastbacks and 73,112 convertibles that year. That's a total of 559,451 Mustangs for the '65 model year.

With that many Mustangs in the nation's automotive bloodstream, it was natural that many of them would be raced. But in order to go road racing head to head against Chevrolet's Corvette, Ford needed a two-seater. And rules said that Ford had to make at least 100 of them by January 1965. That's where Carroll Shelby came in.

Shelby, a Texan and longtime racer, saw the potential to slay Corvettes with the Mustang and took 100 of the first 2+2s equipped with the K-code engine built at Ford's San Jose, Calif., plant down to Los Angeles for modification into "GT 350" models. Tossing the rear seats aside, Shelby added such performance items as oversize front disc brakes, a fiberglass hood and a lowered suspension with oversize tires on 15-inch wheels. Shelby's legendary series of modified Mustangs would be built through 1970 in various forms and are today considered some of the most desirable Mustangs ever built. It's impossible to ignore the Shelby Mustangs (which carried Shelby VIN numbers) when recounting Mustang history, but space considerations prevent further discussion of them in this article.

The easiest way to tell the 1966 Mustang from the '65 is the later car's lack of horizontal or vertical dividing bars in the grille — the running horse logo seems to float unsupported in the '66's slatted grille. Other changes were limited to color variations, a revised instrument cluster and a few trim tweaks. Incredibly, the '66 was even more popular than the '65 and Ford sold 607,568 of them — 499,751 coupes, 35,698 2+2s and 72,119 convertibles. That's still the most Mustangs ever sold during a single model year.