Tag Archives: Motor Trend

2013 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE vs. 2013 Ford Mustang GT Track Package

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Motor Trend puts together the latest comparison from the ongoing muscle car war with Chevrolet’s awesome new 1LE handling package for the Camaro SS and Ford’s Track Package for the Mustang GT. The $3500 1LE Package uses huge 10 and 11 inch wide wheels, custom tuned mono-tube shocks, bigger anti-roll bars, a 3.91:1 final drive and some minor driveline enforcement to fix the stock Camaro’s handling problems for track use. Ford’s $1500 GT Track Package includes the anti-sway bars from the GT500, retuned shocks and springs, 19″ wheels with Pirelli summer tires, Performance Friction brake pads, recalibrated ABS and traction control and a shorter (numerically larger) 3.73:1 final drive with carbon fiber clutch plates. The guys put the two cars against each other at the drag strip and then around the Horse Thief Mile at Willow Springs with Randy Pobst behind the wheel.


Source: Motor Trend on YouTube

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

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Here’s another video of the C7 Corvette that debuted last week at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. You guys seemed to have some mixed opinions on the styling when I posted a picture of the C6 next to the C7 on our Facebook page. Some people liked it while others thought it didn’t look like a Corvette and then we even got accusations of GM stealing styling cues from other manufacturers like Lamborghini. The interviews in this video talk about the decision to push the design to the extreme in order to make it a futuristic interpretation of the classic Stingray theme. It would also be fair to say that the interior is just as revolutionary with design, materials and high tech gauges and driver interface systems. The more I find out about the C7, the more impressed I am with GM’s push to raise their standards on keeping the Corvette a world class performance car.


Source: Motor Trend on YouTube

2013 SRT Viper GTS vs. 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

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The concept for the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was born when the question of “What can we do with the Corvette if we allowed the price tag to exceed $100,000?” GM’s answer to that question was a highly capable ZR1 version of their Corvette that stood alone in the American Supercar class. That was until the performance division of Dodge, SRT, decided to make a new Viper. I wouldn’t be surprised if the SRT engineers bought a ZR1 to use as a benchmark because many of the performance specifications are nearly identical. Naturally we have to see which is the better car. Thankfully Motor Trend’s Johnny Lieberman and Randy Pobst are on the job with some hot laps around Laguna Seca.


Source: Motor Trend on YouTube

2013 Porsche Boxster S

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When Porsche first introduced the Boxster, the concept was for the car to be an inexpensive entry level model for the lineup. Turns out a reasonably priced mid-engine Porsche was a great formula for success. That being said, the Boxster had some shortcomings having to work around hand-me-down parts and Porsche’s mandate to keep its performance level significantly short of the bread and butter 911. Now that the Boxster and Cayman have proven themselves as strong sales successes, Porsche’s attitude towards them has reversed. The twins now get their own designs and parts in order to have the top of the line S models have almost identical performance stats with the base model 911. Motor Trend’s Carlos Lago also reveals that being the entry level model has the benefits of tuning focus. What I mean is that the Boxster is under less pressure to deliver specific 0-60 or Nurburgring times than the 911. The result is chassis balance that makes dialing in some oversteer more of a priority than outright grip. Cars tuned for fun are starting to become a rarity these days, but I’m glad to see some people still get it.


Source: Motor Trend

Motorcycle Safety Foundation M1 License Course:

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Jessi Lang from Motor Trend decided to get her M1 motorcycle license. She was completely new to two wheels so she took a training course put on by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation before taking her license test. The course consisted of a classroom portion and then two 5-hour days on the bikes before testing. It’s definitely a great way to get ready for getting a motorcycle license if you don’t have any previous experience.


Source: Motor Trend on YouTube