World of Automobile: August 2011

Friday, August 19, 2011

69 Camaro Red Devil Tested: 756 HP, 804 LB-FT, 4.1 to 60!

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Red Devil Pro Touring - Review - Car and Driver #pallet {margin:0;}#echoice li.category {margin:0;}Car and DriverIntelligence. Independence. Irreverence. VehiclesReviewsNewsFeaturesBuyer's GuideFollow UsSubscribeSearch Car and DriverHome › Reviews › 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Red Devil Pro Touring - Specialty File

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1969 Chevrolet Camaro Red Devil Pro Touring - Specialty FileMark Stielow took a ’69 Camaro body and packed it full of modern-day performance. Behold Pro Touring’s dry-aged wonder.BY DON SHERMAN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROY RITCHIE
June 2011

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1969 Chevrolet Camaro Red Devil Pro Touring

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We’re visiting an odd spot in the universe where level-headed civility doesn’t pertain. This is a dream destination where the unlikely is the norm and the preposterous is the rule. Here, the ride of choice is a vintage Chevy Camaro packing Corvette ZR1 speed and handling.

True believers call this sect of the car faith Pro Touring (PT). On the sacred tree of motoring, the PT branch thrives several limbs up from hot rods and a couple over from restomods. The essential ingredients are outrageous power, 1.0-g cornering and braking capabilities, and stock sheetmetal. The “Red Devil” Camaro constructed by GM engineer Mark Stielow [see below] is a PT track star masquerading as a street-legal F-body.

In case your subscription to Car Craft has expired: The ’69 Camaro is now and forever the most cherished muscle car ever made. This model year’s combination of classic beauty, tidy size, and ample underhood space makes it a favorite starting point for tuners and collectors. GM vice-president of global design Ed Welburn not only owns one, he all but cloned the ’69 Camaro to renew Chevy’s fight with the immortal Ford Mustang.

The Red Devil is No. 11 in a series of ?’69 Camaros massaged by Stielow over the past 23 years. To the casual observer, it’s a survivor that rolled off a GM assembly line the year mankind made its giant leap to the moon. But don’t be fooled: This Camaro packs double the ammo provided by the General back in the day, along with the chassis fortifications needed to taunt the bluebloods from Stuttgart and Maranello.

Proving that he’s seriously hooked on speed, Stielow loaded the Devil’s engine bay with a sinful combination of LS7, LS9, and aftermarket power parts. His 7.0-liter Corvette Z06 ?block is topped with a ZR1’s cylinder heads, valvetrain, and supercharger. Inside, the best catalog parts money can buy are force-fed 12 psi of ?boost by an Eaton TVS supercharger spinning 30 percent faster than stock. ?A Tremec six-speed transmission sends an estimated 756 horsepower back to a 3.25:1, nine-inch solid axle fitted with a Truetrac limited-slip differential and located by a Detroit Speed suspension system. That same vendor also supplied the hydroformed subframe, the front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering ?gear, and coil-over dampers fitted at all four corners.

The surprise is how calmly the Red Devil behaves. The engine fires instantly and settles into a polite 750-rpm idle, temporarily suppressing its wild side. The clutch is light, progressive in its takeup, and easy to sync with the throttle for a composed creepaway. The pedals are ideally positioned for heel-and-toe footwork, and Stielow’s shifter knows the quick way ?through the fortified T-56 gearbox.

To dial in the steering to his liking, Stielow trial-fitted three rack-and-pinion units before settling on one with low friction and decent feedback. A similar procedure was used for tires. Testing on a Michigan race circuit, he trimmed precious seconds of ?lap time moving from BFGoodrich to Michelin radials before installing the final set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2 rubber. These 18- and 19-inch run-flats team the standard Corvette Z06 sizes with next-generation construction.

Chilly test conditions kept the Goodyears from delivering their last increments of performance. On our 300-foot skidpad, the Red Devil cornered at a still impressive 0.98 g with minimal body roll and just a touch of understeer. With slight additional throttle pressure, we could easily coax this Camaro’s tail into a stable neutral drift. The securely located rear axle and the effort Stielow invested tuning his dampers, anti-roll bars, and steering system have trained an arthritic Camaro into an agile cornering champion. A few hot laps around the road course and through our slalom cones confirmed that impression. The Red Devil turns in obediently, confidently grabs the cornering line, and exits bends with the steering straight and the rear tires alight.

To achieve modern stopping performance, Stielow added a Corvette Z06 anti-lock system to the Brembo drilled rotors and calipers he fitted to the Red Devil. In spite of a slightly spongy pedal (attributable to imperfect bleeding, says Stielow), we measured consistent, 171-foot 70-to-0-mph stopping distances with no hint of wriggle or fade.

Launching any 756-hp missile without electronic assistance is not for sissies. In spite of the cold pavement and a restricted number of runs, we recorded acceleration figures within sniffing distance of a Corvette ZR1’s: 0 to 60 in 4.1 seconds (versus 3.4), the quarter-mile in 11.8 seconds at 127 mph (compared with 11.5 at 128). For a home-built riding on narrower tires and weighing an additional 267 pounds, that’s impressive. And we’re convinced there’s more to be had, but we terminated acceleration and top-speed tests when an overworked supercharger pulley ?failed, consuming the engine’s serpentine belt. Another interesting comparator is the ’69 Camaro ZL-1 we tested several years ago [December 1997]: That rubber-challenged survivor clocked 0 to 60 in 5.2 seconds and the quarter in 13.8 seconds at 105 mph.

When the Red Devil’s throttle is down, the din inside rattles wax from your ears. Spectators a quarter-mile away scatter, fearing that a berserk locomotive is heading their way. Yet this Camaro knows how to behave. It has comfortable Recaro bucket seats, informative instruments, effective climate control, and a reasonably relaxed ride. The three-inch exhaust pipes don’t hiss, rattle, or roar until they’re asked to do so. Overall, the Red Devil drives like a refugee from the GM proving grounds.

For the most part, Pro Touring is a credit-card and catalog exercise. You start with a clean core, choose your parts and subcontractors wisely, and exercise patience constructing the car of your dreams. If you’re lucky, you end up with a car half as good as Stielow’s.

In this instance, that old saw about the devil and the details actually fits. With a dozen Camaros to his credit, Stielow has perfected his craft. His underhood presentation is a van Gogh in matte black, red, and zinc plating. To prepare the ZR1 intercooler lid for its new life, he milled off the factory “6.2L” label to install new “7.0L” lettering. The engine shroud that originally boasted “CORVETTE” now reads “CHEVROLET.” When Stielow advances the Pro Touring cause with his next hero car, count us in for another go.

The Red Devil’s cockpit is furnished with Recaro seats, Sparco belts, a Momo steering wheel, Auto Meter instruments, and Vintage Air climate control. Stielow fabricated the roll bar and instrument panel.

By day, he fine-tunes future suspension systems as GM’s vehicle-dynamics authority. At night, he constructs the sweetest ’69 Camaros big money can buy. Mark Stielow, Pro Touring’s 46-year-old pope, coined the movement’s name and co-wrote its bible with how-to author Will Handzel (Pro Touring Engineered Performance, $26.95, www.sdparts.com).

Stielow’s path to hot-rodding fame started in the garage of his father’s Kansas City garbage-hauling business. While he was a mechanical-engineering student at the University of Missouri, Stielow captained the school’s Formula SAE team, which he parlayed into a job tracking Camaros racing in the SCCA’s Showroom Stock series.

After receiving his engineering degree in 1991, Stielow joined GM as a Chevy Caprice development engineer. He graduated to GM’s motorsports technology department before becoming Summit Racing’s chief product-development engineer in 1995.

Stielow returned to GM in 1999 to design and develop . . . door handles. In 2000, he was mercifully promoted to a ride-and-handling development job at GM’s Milford proving grounds where he collaborated with the legendary John Heinricy on the development of the company’s SS and V-series models. In his spare time, Stielow built “Mule,” his eighth ’69 Camaro, with which Popular Hot Rodding mesmerized its readers in 22 how-to installments. It was Mule more than any other single car that set the mold—and the bar awfully high—for the burgeoning Pro Touring world. Mule also visited GM’s design studio during development of the current ’69-inspired Camaro.

Building the Red Devil put a six-figure dent in Stielow’s savings and consumed 24 months of his evenings and weekends, time and money he considers well spent. “This is my ultimate hot rod, the best Camaro I’ve built to date,” he notes. “It’s fast, it handles well, and it’s a comfortable cruiser.”

Stielow has no intention of selling Red Devil. If you want a clone, he’ll refer you to his allies Kyle and Stacy Tucker at Detroit Speed. Their estimated cost? $250,000.

Too pricey? Eventually, you’ll be able to race a digitized version of the Red Devil in a future Gran Turismo video game.

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $250,000

ENGINE TYPE: supercharged and intercooled pushrod 16-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection

Displacement: 428 cu in, 7008 cc
Power (SAE net): 756 hp @ 6600 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 804 lb-ft @ 3900 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 108.0 in Length: 186.0 in
Width: 72.3 in Height: 51.0 in
Curb weight: 3617 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 4.1 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 7.8 sec
Zero to 140 mph: 14.1 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 4.2 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 11.8 sec @ 127 mph
Top speed (mfr's estimate, drag limited): 193 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 171 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.98 g

TEST NOTES: First gear tops out barely above 60 mph; an early shift adds 0.2 second there. It takes practice to manage wheelspin for a perfect launch. Unfortunately, our best run was our last. We hit 60 in less than four seconds right before the supercharger drive pulley broke.

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2012 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible Sport First Drive: Beautiful and a Great Set of Pipes

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2012 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible Sport - First Drive ReviewTopping off Maserati's topless lineup with the delightful Sport.BY JENS MEINERS
July 2011

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2012 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible Sport

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It was a peaceful and elegant scene, the bright sunlight glinting off the top-down Maserati GranTurismo convertibles parked on the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia in Trieste. Passersby admired the gorgeous cars, one of Pininfarina’s masterpieces. Then a legion of uprated 4.7-liter V-8s ignited with a snarl, and peace and elegance were the last things on our minds.

About that wonderful engine, fitted in the top-spec GranTurismo Convertible Sport: Purists still lament the fact that Maseratis, which were long defined by powerplants that developed peak power at low rpm, are now equipped with high-revving buzz saws bought from its former arch rival, Ferrari. But the GranTurismo Convertible Sport's 444-hp variation of the 4.7-liter V-8 is sure to create a few converts.

It’s an evolution of the regular GranTurismo convertible’s 433-horse 4.7-liter with less internal friction, thanks to a revised oil sump and slipperier coatings for the valve tappets and cam lobes. This upgraded version also powers the GranTurismo MC Stradale coupe. Compared with its lesser sibling, the droptop Sport exhales through a freer-flowing exhaust, the main purpose of which seems to be to create as much beautiful noise as is legally allowed. It’s aided in that pursuit by active valves that open at 2500 rpm when the transmission is in its automatic-sport mode. We predict the V-8 will haul the 4600-pound droptop to 60 in 4.8 seconds.

Fantastico Automatico

As in the U.S.-market MC Stradale and the Quattroporte Sport GT S, power flows through a six-speed, torque-converter automatic supplied by ZF. But don’t lament the fact that there’s no hard-core gearbox. The automatic has been extensively reworked for duty here and offers normal and manual-sport modes in addition to the aforementioned automatic sport, as well as launch control. Gearshift times are improved by up to 50 percent, it blips the throttle for downshifts, and in manual-sport mode, it doesn’t downshift when you hit the kickdown switch or upshift unless you tell it to. There’s more: You can call for a lower gear if there’s any leeway whatsoever before redline (most transmissions won’t let you downshift unless the resulting engine speed is farther down the tach from redline), and the exhaust flaps are always open in manual sport. This automatic is so good you'll hardly miss a dual-clutch transmission—or the Euro-market MC’s single-clutch automated manual. Of course, you might miss a proper clutch-pedal manual gearbox, but Maserati doesn't offer one anymore.

Chassis Changes, Too

Underneath, the front and rear springs and anti-roll bars are stiffer on this derivative, the dampers are modified, and the ZF Sachs–sourced Skyhook damping system has been retuned. On twisting roads, the Sport handles well and generally does what you ask of it, but there’s simply no masking the car’s two-ton-plus weight or somewhat uncommunicative steering. The body flexes more than it should, too. To be sure, the GranTurismo Convertible Sport is an enjoyable companion in nearly every situation, but it’s less full-bore sporty than its sinister looks and capital-S “Sport” badge might let on. So when a well-driven Audi R8 spyder closes in on you from behind, our advice is to just let it pass. Take solace in the fact that the Audi will never sound as glorious as the Maserati or seat four as comfortably (or at all).

There are a number of competitors: BMW's new 6-series droptop, the soon-to-be-new Mercedes-Benz SL, the Porsche 911 cabriolet, the Audi R8 spyder, and, of course, the Jaguar XK and its distant cousin, the Aston Martin V-8 Vantage roadster. The Maserati acquits itself well by informal comparison. It’s more spacious than most others (even if the trunk is tiny), it’s not outrageously expensive by the standards of the segment, it offers incredibly luxurious accommodations, and it just might have more character than the whole bunch combined. Those qualities ought to satisfy almost anyone—trident purists included.

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door convertible

BASE PRICE: $146,300

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection

Displacement: 286 cu in, 4691 cc
Power (SAE net): 444 hp @ 7000 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 376 lb-ft @ 4750 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 115.8 in Length: 192.2 in
Width: 75.4 in Height: 53.3 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 4600 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.8 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.4 sec
Top speed (mfr’s claim): 177 mph

FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 12/21 mpg

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2012 Hyundai Azera Will Debut at November’s L.A. Auto Show, Says Tweeting CEO

July 26, 2011 at 4:45pm by Justin Berkowitz

Hyundai Grandeur

Hyundai America’s CEO, John Krafcik, took command of the company’s Twitter account this week to tell the world that the next-gen Azera will debut at the 2011 Los Angeles auto show in November. We expect it to hit the market very soon after that and, as Sir Krafcik’s tweet says, it’ll arrive as a 2012 model.

Odds are good that the Azera we see in L.A. will be nearly identical to the Hyundai Grandeur, which has been on sale in South Korea for several months. The last-gen Azera was marketed as the Grandeur there, and we see no reason that will change with this generation of Azera and Grandeur.

That car is rather more attractive than the soggy sedan it replaces, and in South Korea is sold with a direct-injected 3.0-liter V-6 making 266 hp and 229 lb-ft of torque. We expect that it also will come with a V-6 in the States—whether it’s the same mill or the 3.8-liter unit from the outgoing Azera, it’s too early to say—and a sticker price somewhere in the high twenty-thousand-dollar range.

With front-wheel drive and a V-6 (rather than a turbocharged four, as is used in the smaller Sonata), the Azera will again be positioned to compete with the more sober, large, front-drive family sedans like the Toyota Avalon, the Ford Taurus, and the Buick LaCrosse. Should customers want a bit more spice in their Hyundai, we’re sure the sales staff will have no difficulty shuttling them over to the $35,050, 333-hp, rear-drive Genesis.

Tags: 2011 L.A. auto show, auto shows, Hyundai, Hyundai Azera |

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Thursday, August 18, 2011

2012 Audi A6 Avant First Drive: A Reminder Why Diesel Wagons are So Popular in Europe

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2012 Audi A6 Avant TDI Diesel - First Drive ReviewWe get behind the wheel of Europe’s favorite A6—and are reminded why it’s so popular.BY JENS MEINERS
July 2011

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2012 Audi A6 Avant TDI Diesel

Photos (24)Visit Our Buyer's Guide »Audi A6› Overview› Specifications› Price with Options› Photos & 360° View› Get a Free QuoteNews & Reviews2012 Audi A6 Avant - Car News2012 Audi A6 3.0 TDI - First Drive Review2012 Audi A6 - First Drive Review2012 Audi A6 - Official Photos and Info2012 Audi A6 Spy Photos - Future Cars2012 Audi A6 Rendered - Car News2009 Audi A6 3.0T Quattro - Short Take Road Test2009 Audi A6 - First Drive Review2009 Audi A6 Sedan / A6 Avant / S6 Sedan / RS6 Sedan - Car News

Redesigned for 2012, Audi's A6 lineup is halfway back to full strength with the introduction of the Avant station wagon. The high-powered S6 and RS6 versions still are waiting in the wings—as is a hybrid model designed mostly with our market in mind, even if U.S. availability is as-yet unconfirmed—but already this is an impressive family of vehicles. In Europe, though, where a diesel-powered station wagon is the stereotypical executive car, the Avant is the most critical of all A6s.

Audi just made the executive-wagon segment a lot more interesting, with a twin-turbocharged variation of its 3.0-liter TDI turning out 313 hp and an even more impressive 479 lb-ft of torque. Not only is it a powerful mill, but this diesel has attitude. Many oil-burners are impressive in their power delivery and massive torque, but lack soul. The 3.0-liter TDI, on the other hand, fires up with an impressive growl, and the sound gets better as you push it through the gears. Its voice is reminiscent of an old-fashioned V-8’s, a sound that is clearly audible inside and out. Think we’re crazy? Just wait until you hear how Audi did it: The company stuffed an extremely durable speaker into the exhaust system that allows it to alter the engine note. It can even be adjusted on the move.

Going Right to Ludicrous Speed

Driving the A6 Avant is even better than listening to it. The all-wheel-drive chassis copes well with the TDI's grunt. The rear differential distributes the power for maximum agility, and it takes a heavy misstep to throw the Avant off course. The car should need just 5.5 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. Top speed is a governed 155 mph, a speed the Avant reaches with ease. On unlimited stretches of autobahn, the twin-turbo TDI’s sheer grunt at velocities of 130 mph and above is remarkable.

Its torque is so massive that it surpassed the capacity of Audi’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and the company had to install an eight-speed torque-converter automatic from ZF. There are three other diesel options in this car—a 177-hp 2.0-liter four and two single-turbo versions of the 3.0-liter V-6 making 204 and 245 hp—but the twin-turbo V-6 is clearly the bad boy of the lineup. Even the most powerful gasoline engine Audi offers, the familiar supercharged 3.0-liter V-6, lacks the brute force of the top TDI. Better yet, the beastly diesel returns 37 mpg on the (hopelessly optimistic) European combined cycle.

Stylistically, the Avant conversion works well on the A6, but it doesn't transform a conservative sedan design into a head-turner. While the previous-generation A6 Avant sported a markedly different rear end, this Avant looks almost identical to the sedan except for the elongated roofline. Even the overbite of the taillights remains. Additionally, the A6 Avant offers virtually all of the sedan's technological features, including a roster of assistance systems that borders on ridiculous, plus WiFi and Google-based telematics, as well as countless options for personalization.

Let Me Get That For You. And That. And That

Of course, the biggest difference between the sedan and the Avant is cargo capacity. There are a lot of practical options, such as a power cargo cover and a power hatch that opens when you wave your foot below the rear bumper—the latter particularly convenient when you have your hands full of groceries and don't want to reach for the trunk latch.

The A6 Avant’s success in Europe is almost assured, but the car is very unlikely to come to the U.S. Audi would like its dealers to instead focus on the A6 sedan and the Q5. Unless station wagons in general experience a sudden and unexpected rebound here, we won't be seeing the Avant on our lots. And while Audi is planning to offer the A6 sedan here with a diesel V-6, it will most likely be a front-wheel-drive single-turbo version with something closer to 250 hp. Pity.