News: Prepare For The Ferrari Enzo Hybrid

It's the end of the world as we know it. The Guardian newspaper in the UK is reporting that Ferrari will launch its first hybrid vehicle by the end of the year.

It'll be a gas/electric version of the Ferrari Enzo, which costs $643,330 as a purely gasoline-powered machine. Bet on the hybrid to cost more. Full story here.

News: Caroll Shelby: 1923-2012

'Ol Shel, the man who gave us the Cobra, the Mustang GT350 and so much more, died last night of complications from pneumonia. The best Carroll Shelby story I've ever heard is largely true, and was told by none other than Bill Cosby onstage at Harrah's Tahoe in 1968. It's also one of the best stories, period...and a masterpiece of stand-up comedy:
      
                              

TireKicker Time Machine: 1963 Ford Falcon Sedan

1963 Ford Falcon Sedan.

After this week's really rough 1970 Chevrolet Bel Air, here's a TireKicker Time Machine with a bit more hope in its future...a 1963 Ford Falcon sedan.

New Car Review: 2012 Kia Rio Sedan and 5-Door

The 2012 Kia Rio Sedan.

If the rest of the world's automakers aren't taking Kia seriously yet, it may be too late.

With the 2012 Kia Rio, these guys have stepped into serious contender status, and if I were playing with my own money, they might just end up selling me a car.

The Rio has, in the shortest imaginable time, gone from being the worst thing that could happen to you at the rental counter to a car that absolutely nails its intended target in a way a car in this class hasn't done since the mid-1980s glory days of the Honda Civic.

TireKicker Time Machine: 1970 Chevrolet Bel Air

Some TireKicker Time Machines are well cared-for, almost museum quality pieces.

And...some aren't. But there's beauty in surviving against the odds, and this 1970 Chevy falls into that category.

New Car Review: 2012 Buick Verano

The 2012 Buick Verano.

I sense a slippery slope ahead when I'm at the wheel of the Buick Verano. And it has nothing to do with the pavement under the tires.

Call it generational perspective. I'm old enough to remember when Buick wanted a compact car so badly that it took a 1973 Chevy Nova, made it a bit prettier (in the eyes of some beholders, anyway), a bit cushier, a bit more upscale, and sold it as the 1973 Buick Apollo.