I seriously considered the coupe version of this car recently and went with a 2004 Porsche Boxster S instead. While the VR4 is collectible and the Porsche is not, the VR4 is more complicated, heavy, and not very attractive. (OK, the Boxster is no beauty pageant winner, either.) For someone who wants a car for value…

Wow, that’s a lot of carbon layup and labor for a $55K car. The sketchy quality doesn’t put me off. I’ve owned 3 Italian cars, a Fiat 128 coupe (1 year - totaled), a Fiat Dino Spyder (10 years) and a Fiat Spyder 2000 (6 years). All were entertaining in ways other cars I’ve owned were not. I imagine the 4C would…

Hmmm... idk. Looks like an upscale Accord from the side.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Torch, we know the MPG rating system is half-assed. But, it’s “good enough for government work” as we used to say in the engineering lab. The amount of money we taxpayers or consumers (depending on how it’s funded) would have to spend on virtually endless standards committee meetings to come up with…

I purchased a 5-year warranty that cost $3,800 from Solace for my 2004 VW Phaeton. In one year, it’s paid out approx $900. Given the nature of this car, I expect the warranty will pay for itself and then some, eventually.

Truth is, if you’re skilled enough the vehicle is secondary. It’s truly amazing what the most unlikely POS can do in the right hands. For example, I carefully picked my way up a Rocky Mountain stream full of obstacles in my new GMC 4x4 pickup, only to find an old rear wheel drive Corolla already at the camping area.…

Slightly unfair comparison. The paddle shifter gave the M2 an advantage of at least a couple tenths on that track.

Sad. That’s two revolutionary bike designers taken early by Cancer. Remembering New Zealand’s John Britten now, as well.

There’s a reason this old joke is still around:

Absofuckinglutely correct, Torch. Your hypothesis holds up for smaller, lighter cars as well. For sheer driving pleasure on 2-lane blacktop, my supercharged Miata (170 HP) beats out my Boxster S (300 HP). I can flog the hell out of the Miata and it feels fast without getting too far into illegal territory. At “feels…

Writing here as an architect and engineer, I get why the Panamera looks the way it does: packaging the volume. In the flesh it’s not “fugly,” just a bit awkward. The thing is, we can all imagine how much prettier it would have been with more of a square-back, wagonesque flavor. That mental picture makes the real thing…

I’ve done my own mods on more than a few sporty cars. It always ended up costing way more than I’d anticipated, and took longer than planned. So, about 3 years ago I went the other way and bought a fully modified Miata; nothing for me to do but add an oil cooler and better tires. That car was ready when I wanted it…

I wish you’d posted this a couple years ago. I’ve done 3 HPDE days at T-hill in my Miata and never got turn 3 or 5 optimally. My wife half-spun the car in turn 3 due to that negative camber part. After reading your directions, I think we’ll do better next time.

Don’t we have rotary wing machines loaded with rockets that can do 90% of what the Hog does? (I know, except for in-the-air loiter time.)

Writing as the owner of a 1995 Miata that’s been lightly (6.7 psi) supercharged, I know the difference between having 100 HP at the rear wheels and 150. Believe me, the MX-5 is better with more power. That said, I just bought an old Porsche Boxster S and have to say, it’s a better daily driver. The Box’s extra 2…

Although I own a Boxster S, I have no issue with cylinder counts. For me, speaking as an engineer, the main issue is durability. A big, lightly-stressed motor will have a longer Mean Time Between Failure than a smaller, highly-stressed engine. This hypothesis has been proven time and again with IC engines in…

I’m glad to see the production quality of this show continuing to improve. Still needs way more pizzazz. I suggest video insets of the car being discussed that show that vehicle in motion. Switch it up by swapping inset for main screen at regular intervals. Add scrolling subtitles that list key attributes of the car.…

Well done, Doug. F*ck ‘em if they can’t take a joke.

My daily driver is a ‘95 Miata, highly modified, including a supercharger. I imagine its performance is similar to the ‘speed version reviewed above. These cars benefit a lot from extra power, upgraded suspension and wheels/tires.

UCI could easily use electromagnetic field detectors to find the magnetic parts of both the hub motor and the rim magnet systems. The cheater systems do not have to be engaged for detection to work.