Category: Auto Industry

Video: Meet the four horsemen behind Nissan’s GT-R engine

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Technology, Videos, Nissan, Racing

“Handbuilt by Takumi Kurosawa,” a nameplate you can find on Nissan GT-R engine blocks, describes the actions of one of four takumi who build VR38 engines for the Japanese supercar. Each of Nissan’s four artisans ensure that every twin-turbo V6 receives the utmost in care and feeding from the moment each component enters the clean room for assembly.

Takumi Kurosawa is the lead engine builder for Nissan’s halo car, and he is joined by three others, Izumi Shioya, Nobumitsu Gozu and Tsunemi Oyama. The men clearly take great pride in their work, and they should, being the only four people at Nissan sanctioned to put their names on a car.

“By putting our nameplates on GT-R engines it gives us pressure in a positive way,” says Tsunemi Oyama.

Kurosawa states that any skilled person can learn how to build a GT-R engine in three or four months, but, with 100 years of factory experience between the four takumi, they have learned how to inspect parts for quality before assembly starts and can guarantee precise fitments for each engine built – important in a car that can be used for grocery shopping and lapping a racetrack on the same day.

All the magic takes place at Nissan’s Yokohama plant, where the company was established. For your enjoyment, Nissan has made a couple of behind-the-scenes videos, which you can watch below.

Continue reading Meet the four horsemen behind Nissan’s GT-R engine

Meet the four horsemen behind Nissan’s GT-R engine originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Watch Larry Kosilla resurrect the finish of this barn-find 1966 Porsche 912

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Etc., Videos, Porsche

Barn-find 1966 Porsche 912 gets a clean up job - video screencap

Larry Kosilla, the founder of the Ammo NYC line of car cleaning products, has his own show YouTube’s Drive network – we saw his work before when he gave a Ferrari 288 GTO a two-day detailing job. On this episode, Kosilla gets called in to do his best with a 1966 Porsche 912, a car that was last registered in 1990 and recently found in a barn in Connecticut.

Among the expected dirt and cobwebs, the Irish Green Porsche is also covered what is assumed to be cat fur and “waste.” The car is in such delicate condition, however, that Kosilla can’t wash it for fear of getting more water in it than on it, so he has to steam and wipe the entire thing down before he begins the paint correction process. In addition to the thorough knowledge of his work and his ability to explain it simply, the episode is captioned with further information one of Porsche’s popular but less regarded models, and how Kosilla does what he does.

You’ll find a compelling 29 minute masterclass in the video below.

Continue reading Watch Larry Kosilla resurrect the finish of this barn-find 1966 Porsche 912

Watch Larry Kosilla resurrect the finish of this barn-find 1966 Porsche 912 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: More car buyers favoring longer term loans, up to 10 years [w/poll]

Filed under: Car Buying, Earnings/Financials

Couple shopping for new cars

The length of car loans in the US keeps on growing as more and more consumers look for ways to save money every month to pay off obligations and necessities. Extremely low interest rates and more durable automobiles have become key factors in driving these new longer-term car loans, which can last anywhere from six to 10 years.

Auto loans used to last four or five years on average, but, in today’s cash-strapped era, automakers are more interested in selling cars than profiting from financing, which has resulted in the low interest rates and longer loan terms consumers are seeing today. While some might be concerned that this is the same sort of subprime lending that led to the housing crash in 2008, James Lentz, chief executive of Toyota North America, tells The Detroit News that there’s little risk added with these longer loans because defaults typically happen within six months. He also told the newspaper that the longer term options can be the difference between a customer buying a Corolla or a more expensive Camry.

And consider Bradley Gallant’s case. The Detroit News reported that he financed a new Honda Accord with a six-year loan at 1.89 percent to divert money to other investments. Compared to a four-year loan on the same car, he saves $130 on his monthly bill and only ends up paying $370 more in interest by the end of the loan. We commend Mr. Gallant on negotiating such loan terms, but it also drives home the point that interest rates must remain low for such loans to be good deals.

In December, we reported that the fastest-growing category in automotive borrowing was the seven-year loan and noted that automakers were reluctant to offer them because it kept customers off the market for too long. Well, apparently, the times they are a-changin’ – and they’re getting longer.

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More car buyers favoring longer term loans, up to 10 years [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorsports: Mazda Skyactiv-D racer first diesel to run at Indy in 60 years

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Mazda, Diesel, Racing

While it may not be touting the old “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” axiom we all know and love, Mazda recognizes that racing can only improve its cars. And so it’s no surprise that the Japanese automaker is testing and refining its Skyactiv-D diesel engine by sending it out on various race tracks around the country – notably being the first diesel ever to compete at Daytona and the first to notch a Grand Am win at Road Atlanta.

Next up? Indy. It has been over 60 years since a diesel-powered machine ran at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Cummins-powered racer that competed in the 1952 Indy 500 with a 6.6-liter inline-six-cylinder oil-burner was a fast and brutal machine that set a new lap record in qualifying leading up to the race. Though that car was withdrawn with turbocharger failure 71 laps in, its diesel powerplant left an indelible impression on the racing community, and that’s something Mazda hopes to accomplish once again.

Mazda says that the diesel engine in its race car is pretty darn close to stock – 51 percent stock by parts count, and 63 percent stock by weight – which means the way it performs in competition is at least a somewhat meaningful way to the stock engine’s durability in the real world. Check out the image of the Mazda6 Skyactiv-D racer posing alongside the 1952 Cummins above (click to enlarge) and feel free to peruse the press release below for the rest of the details.

Continue reading Mazda Skyactiv-D racer first diesel to run at Indy in 60 years

Mazda Skyactiv-D racer first diesel to run at Indy in 60 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ETC: BMW Ultimate Swimming Machine leaves German police feeling soggy

Filed under: Etc., Humor

BMW 3 Series turned into swimming pool

Four men were pulled over in the German town of Eibenstock in what a police report described as “a convertible of a slightly different kind.” What made this BMW 3 Series Convertible different? It was filled with 530 gallons of water. Yes, four German men had turned their car into a swimming pool.

The beige BMW drew the attention of the German polizei after an officer noticed water sloshing over the sides. Following the car into a parking lot, the four occupants hopped out and made a run for it, according to Der Spiegel. Deutsch police are evidently a bit more assertive when it comes to immobilizing vehicles, as the officers reportedly bled the car’s tires of air and went so far as to disconnect the engine’s spark plug wires. The police believe the men were under water under the influence when they fled the scene, and may issue charges, but there’s no mention of whether they’ll be cited for a lack of proper flotation devices.

The convertible had been sealed with “synthetic material,” and was complete with wood railings and Hawaiian-style decorations. We’re quite partial to the work done on the steering wheel. Sadly, the unusual amphibious car only had one functioning gear and a top speed of just 15.5 miles per hour. When asked by German tabloid Bild about the outing, one of the men gave a stock response in this sort of situation: “the ride was a stupid idea.”

BMW Ultimate Swimming Machine leaves German police feeling soggy originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Acura to roll out NSX Prototype for Mid-Ohio IndyCar race

Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Performance, Acura

Acura NSX prototype lapping Mid Ohio

Acura will tease us yet again with its next-gen NSX when it makes an appearance at Mid-Ohio Raceway before the circuit’s IndyCar race early next month. To be fair, the car’s in-motion debut won’t take the form of a production model – that’s still a ways off – the vehicle will be a prototype. It’ll be sporting custom graphics and an eye-catching paint (wrap?) job to draw the attention of the spectators, but really, we just want to hear this thing rounding the legendary road course at full chat.

The NSX prototype doesn’t look to be much different from the various showcars we’ve seen over the last couple of years, with the same mid-engined, hybrid V6 power and all-wheel drive all present and accounted for.

The display will take place before the Honda Indy 200 IndyCar Series on August 4. The race itself starts at 3:00 pm and will be shown on NBC Sports Network.

Continue reading Acura to roll out NSX Prototype for Mid-Ohio IndyCar race

Acura to roll out NSX Prototype for Mid-Ohio IndyCar race originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Volkswagen GTD ads drive home the power of diesel

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Volkswagen, Humor, Diesel

2014 Volkswagen Golf GTD - commercial screencap, front three-quarter view

The flurry of Mk VII Golf GTD television ads by Volkswagen, which range from funny to hilarious, just make us want one that much more. The focus of these 30-second commercials is on the torque-rich performance of the hatchback’s turbocharged 2.0-liter TDI diesel engine, which has a stump-thumping 280 pound-feet of torque on hand. That’s enough torque for some harmless mischief, if you’re to believe the commercials, and, paired with 184 horsepower, enough for the oil-burning Golf performance model to go from 0-62 miles per hour in about 7.5 seconds.

Volkswagen’s performance-first approach in its ads for the economical GTD is refreshing, and it reminds us of another commercial from Chevrolet. Do we see a trend starting here?

The saddest part is that we will likely have to wait a couple more years before the GTD arrives on our shores as a 2016 model, slotted between the petrol-powered GTI and the king of VW hatchbacks, the Golf R. Until then, scroll down and enjoy these amusing commercials.

Continue reading Volkswagen GTD ads drive home the power of diesel

Volkswagen GTD ads drive home the power of diesel originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read This: How Google unwittingly busted a Chinese car theft ring

Filed under: China, Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Technology

Google China sign

Technology giant Google is a regular in headlines across the world, mostly for innovative hardware and online products, but this is the first time we’ve caught wind of the company stopping crime. A fascinating writeup on The Verge tells the story of Google doing just that – in China no less.

Sophisticated and non-stop anti-fraud measures used by Google’s AdWords to protect consumers from online scammers are at the heart of the story here. It seems that over the course of revising its security software back in 2010, Google started to see advertisements for normal-looking used car ads in China that had been flagged for removal.

As it turns out, the company’s algorithm for detecting fraud had stumbled upon a fairly long-standing practice of car theft within China. Thieves would take a photo of a random car on the street, use the photo to place an ad online, then steal the car before selling it to an unwitting buyer. The Verge article dives in to the hows and whys behind this unlikely method of halting (or at least attempting to halt) auto-theft in the far flung country – click through and enjoy the read.

How Google unwittingly busted a Chinese car theft ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Callaway developing C7 Corvette for FIA GT3 [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Videos, Chevrolet, Racing

Callaway C7 Corvette GT3 rendering - front three-quarter view

Since 2006, Callaway Competition has been turning the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 into the Z06.R GT3 race car, and in seven years, it has become the most successful team in the series. It will strive to continue that streak, the firm having just announced that Chevrolet has approved it to develop and homologate the GT3 version of the C7 Corvette Stingray. Right now there are more than ten Callaway-built Z06.Rs contesting three different European championships, each car costing somewhere in the area of 235,000 euros ($310K US).

For a taste of what’s to come, you can check out the video below of the engine used in the championship winning Z06.R, an LS7 V8 built by APP Racing on the dyno. There’s also a press release with a few more details.

Continue reading Callaway developing C7 Corvette for FIA GT3 [w/video]

Callaway developing C7 Corvette for FIA GT3 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Audi to blitz 1.5M sales goal two years ahead of schedule

Filed under: Audi, Earnings/Financials

2013 Audi Q5 front three-quarter

Audi doesn’t seem to be having any trouble of hitting its relatively audacious sales goal of two million units by 2020 – it’s already on pace to eclipse 1.5 million sales two years ahead of schedule. According to Reuters, the Volkswagen-owned brand rode a wave of sales in China and the US to pace the early goal, with 780,500 deliveries at the halfway point of 2013. Particularly hot models include the Q5 crossover seen above and A4 sedan. Unless things go poorly in the second half of the year, 1.5 million sales shouldn’t be an issue.

That leaves it trailing BMW by just 24,000 units for the global luxury sales crown. If sales trends keep up, Audi will succeed in hitting its goal of two million units and besting its cross-country rival in Munich. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler smells blood, telling German newspaper Handelsblatt, ”We have overtaken Mercedes-Benz and we are now closer to BMW than ever before.”

Audi to blitz 1.5M sales goal two years ahead of schedule originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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