TireKicker Time Machine: The Half-Million Mile Acura Retires (Sort Of)

Most recent odometer reading of Tyson Hugie's 1994 Acura Legend 6-speed Coupe.

Last August, we did a piece on Tyson Hugie, a young man whose virtually flawless 1994 Acura Legend 6-speed Coupe was nearing the half-million mile mark on the odometer.

Well, as you can see, he and it got there...but there's more to the story...including a well-deserved rest for the 18-year old big Coupe...and a new Acura in Tyson's life.



Acura hands Tyson the keys to a new ILX.

Acura, thrilled with the publicity from Tyson's 500,000 mile Legend, has rewarded him with the use of a new 2013 Acura ILX for the next year, after which it's his (he'll be responsible for the tax implications).  It's an arrangement that lets Tyson rack up the miles in a way no press fleet vehicle would be allowed, and he's already making the most of it. You can follow along on his blog.

New Car Review: 2012 Mini John Cooper Works Cooper Coupe

The 2012 Mini John Cooper Works Cooper Coupe.

What do you do when you're a decade or so along selling a not terribly practical (as in daily use by a family of four) car?

Well, after making some more practical variants (Clubman, Countryman), you can always make one that's even less practical. Of course, it helps if it's also even more fun than the original. And any time you see the name "John Cooper Works" attached to a Mini, you know the fun quotient has been attended to.




Rear view of the 2012 Mini John Cooper Works Cooper Coupe.

The Cooper Coupe dispenses with the back seat, giving the Mini a trunk instead of a hatch, a seriously racy roofline, and an ability to start conversations in parking lots. Even though you can get a Cooper Coupe three different ways (base, S and John Cooper Works), they're still rare enough that most people think you've had your Mini customized.

News: Click and Clack to Retire: 25 and Done for Car Talk

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

With apologies to Spanky and Our Gang, Saturday will never be the same.
Tom and Ray Magliozzi, aka Click and Clack, The Tappet Brothers, are ceasing production of new episodes of NPR's Car Talk at the end of September.

As both a car guy and a former radio guy, I can tell you...Car Talk was the best of both, while pretending to be the worst (part of the charm). Damn, I'm gonna miss this. The show goes on with material culled from 25 years of archives, but that's gonna get old in about...26 years.

Read the full NPR statement.

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.