The questions is can you have your cake and eat it, too? I love the idea of fast sports cars that handle well and also serve as a decent daily driver. However, as I mentioned before in the last article, gas prices are on the rise and are currently over $4.00 a gallon with no relief in sight. Where does that leave the driving enthusiast?  Bored… and annoyed (At least I am.)

You can’t take that leisurely trip up north or to your favorite mountain pass on the weekend, you have to save that precious fuel for getting yourself to work and back. So what is the solution?

Carpool if you can, ride a bicycle if you live close enough, or buy a more economical ride.

I never want to recommend that people trade in their existing car for the sole reason of poor gas mileage. If there is nothing wrong with your vehicle it always better to stick with it even if fuel is expensive. It will take a long time to make up the difference in price for the fuel and maintenance on your old vehicle versus the fuel savings from a new vehicle. With that said let me suggest some sporty and economical vehicles.

First and maybe not the best for this category is the Chevy Corvette. Really, it does actually get fairly decent gas mileage considering it is putting out 430 HP. It averages 16/26 mpg. You get the performance, the handling, and the gas mileage, but (and there is always a but) you have to pay for it. It is close to $48,000 and you don’t get a back seat, so as long as you don’t care about the price or hauling anyone but your best friend then I say go for it. This car is not realistic for the everyday driver. It is impressive none the less to get that good of gas mileage out of a car.  I was shooting for sporty cars with the city gas mileage over 20, cause let’s face it who here mostly drives in the city… I certainly do!

Let’s start with something that is not necessarily functional but most definitely sporty, the Mazda MX-5 (Miata). I know Austin is actually considering getting one of this and I know what you might be thinking. “What is he, uh, a little girl?” Truth be told the only people who I have ever met that referred to the MX-5 as a “girls” car are the ignorant masses that have never driven one. Drive one and see for yourself how much fun they are. They start under $22,000 and get 22/27 MPG. Not bad… maybe I should get one.

But what if you want something sporty AND you have to haul around the Kids, dogs, boyfriends without a license, ect. Then you might want to look at either the SE-R Spec V Sentra, which starts below $20,000 and has 200 HP, or the Honda Civic SI Sedan, which starts at just below $22,000 has 197 HP. They both get 21/29 mpg and have 6 speed Manual Transmission Option. If it was me I’d go for the SE-R Sentra it looks to be a little more bang for the buck, but on the other hand you get the long line of dependability with the Honda. Tough choice.

To be honest, I think I’d choose the Mini Cooper S. There is a back seat but it is not as easy to get to as the Sentra or the Civic, but it is priced about the same and gets 26/34 mpg. Not to mention the joy of a turbocharged engine, a sport tuned suspension, a six speed transmission and a better warranty of 3 year 36,000 miles bumper to bumper with free maintenance. Pretty slick.

If four doors aren’t critical, then check out the Chevy Cobalt. I’ve never really been to keen on theses in the past because they had a supercharged engine but I think they might actually have something this year. A 2.4L Ecotech engine that is turbocharged and get 22/30 mpg. It also puts out 260 HP and 260 ft-lbs of torque. This Cavalier legacy car is actually starting to get my attention.  In addition they have a neat shifting feature that when your are running wide open throttle you do not have to lift the gas pedal to shift the gears.  The engine computer actually holds the rpm for you as you plop it into another gear.  Whatever makes you go faster, right?

Then there is the Impreza WRX. It has the back seat 4 or 5 door option, 224 HP turbocharged engine with All wheel drive. It also gets 20/25 mpg and they start just under $25,000.

But what would the WRX be with out its arch rival the Lancer. Mitsubishi has released a GTS version of the car that is more performance oriented then any of the other variants (with the exception of the EVO) that puts out 168 HP and 167 ft-lbs or torque while still maintaining a 21/28 mpg. Not great, but not to shabby. In addition the price tag is $5,000 dollars less that the WRX, and it comes with a tuned suspension and upgraded brakes.

If you’re one for the European cars, Volkswagen has a decent selection of a Coupe and a Sedan.  The GTI mkV and the GLI both get 21/29 mpg and both have the same turbocharged direct injected engine that puts out 200HP and 207Ft-lbs of torque.  The GTI starts at $22,800 and GLI starts at $24,300.

Too sum up, All of these cars are performance driven and still maintain a minimum city gas mileage of 20, with the exception of the Corvette. Honestly, who buys a Corvette for Fuel Econmy’s sake anyway? If it boiled down to choosing one of the cars above, I would probably go for the MX-5, then the Mini Cooper S, and just cause my wife would probably make us get a sedan due the functionality of it, the SE-R Spec V Sentra.

Yesterday was the first day in my entire life that I paid more than $50 to fill my fuel tank on my 240sx. I paid almost $4 a gallon. (I took a 15 minute pause right here in the article to punch a few inanimate objects and yell at the fact that gasoline is so so expensive… Feel free to do the same.)

So I figured, I would recommend a few ways that you can save and hang on to that precious liquid gold in your tank a little longer.

First, keep your hands, arms, heads, and puppy dogs in the vehicle at all times. As much as my dogs like the windows down the gas mileage of you car can suffer greatly by just having the window down. With the windows open air flows into the vehicle and not around it, decreasing how aerodynamic it is. This is more critical the faster you are driving. So at freeway speeds it is a must.

Note: This is not my dog, I own a much much cooler dog than this.

Second, Don’t use your air conditioning. It robs the power from the engine and can affect the gas mileage of your car. Unfortunately I can’t even follow this advise. It is 100 degrees out here in the summer and I particularly do not want to be drenched with sweat when I get home from work. On the other hand it is a great way to lose weight.

Third, Anticipate the flow of traffic and lights. I’ve noticed that most people where I live fail to do this regularly. Besides it is a good driving habit, the smoother and less inputs on the accelerator pedal the better. When you sharply stab that pedal the computer in your car reacts and almost immediately dumps as much fuel into the engine that it can get. If you’re smooth on the throttle the computer can anticipate your needs and only give the engine the required amount of fuel.

Forth, coast your car to the light. Most fuel is used to get your vehicle up to speed but very little is used to maintain your speed. If your car is still rolling when the light changes you require very little fuel to get back to cruising speed.

Fifth, drive the speed limit. Most cars are engineered to be the most fuel efficient at 65 mph. Let’s take my 87 Corolla for example. The Corolla was designed in the 1980s and the highest speed limit was 55 mph at the time. That is where that car is the most fuel efficient. I noticed that my car gets 2 to 3 miles per gallon better if i do not drive faster than 67 mph. If I cruise anything over that the fuel economy drastically suffers (28 mpg to 25 mpg).

Still don’t believe me? Take a look at the Bugatti Veyron, at 257 mph it will go through a take of gas in less than 10 minutes but cruise it at 60 mph you can drive it at least 300 miles. Granted at 257 mph you covered over 40 miles in that 10 minutes, I could get from my house to work in under 4 minutes. Oh, that would be fun but sticking to to the Oil Companies.

Back to my last point, if you are cruising for some time try to cruise behind a Big Rig, (eighteen wheeler). Even at a safe following distance behind one of those rigs will increase your gas mileage due to the amount of air that a vehicle that size displaces.

This is my little way of fighting back and sticking it to the (Insert four letter adjectives here) Oil Companies… Greedy little (adjective)… Oh they make me so mad those (several more adjectives)… I’m going to go hit a few more inanimate objects right now…

Did I ever mention how much I love my old 1987 Toyota Corolla? Well, I do. (If you don’t care about reading my article and only care about the numbers then scroll the to bottom of the page.)

The past several month, life for Austin and I has been down right insane. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a person out there reading or checking out our web site who hasn’t experienced the craziness of life at one time or another. During this craziness, Austin somehow manged to coerce me out of my S13, 240sx, or what ever you’d like to call it. So I’ve been stuck driving my Corolla. Which it turns out I like actually better. So If your interested in an S13 email me allen@62mph.com

During the progression of time I met some fellow AE86ers’ (I guess that is what you call us… it’s a word now.) and made some new friends along the way. One of them John, who I hope at one point will get to interview and review his really sweet MR2 Spyder, works at a garage with a dyno.

A little beer, helping him put on his body panels on his MR2 and next thing I know I’m running my AE86 on the Dyno.

It was Austin, My friend Noel, John and of course yours truly. We decided to play the “Price is Right” with my Dyno numbers at which point I found out that John is a pessimist at 85 HP to the wheels. Noel was only slightly better with 90 Hp and I guessed 92 HP. Austin, Ah Austin the eternal optimist guessed 98HP.

Well with the car being pretty much stock with the exception of a TRD header, High-Flow Catalytic Converter, and an Megan under tail exhaust (I don’t recommend bad customer service and I had to get it re-welded for ground clearance.), I put down 106 HP! That exhaust kicks %^#!

Really?! The first run was 92 HP to the wheels. Looks like I was right. I would have been a little more excited to see 95 HP to the wheels but three HP is almost negligible.

But wait, I had the silencer in the muffler still and until now I’ve never ran the car with out it. So we ran the test again. 98 HP to the wheel and besides being ridiculously loud, it sounded about a hundred times better.

So if you have a silencer in your Megan Exhaust, burn it drive over it, use it for target practice but for the love of all things holy and horsepower related, never, ever, ever put that thing back in. That was an 8% gain in horsepower!

IMPORTANT: REMOVE SILENCER ABOVE!!!!

I did two more runs one, with out the P/S, A/C belt and the air box off, and one with the air box on. Check out the numbers and the sheet. I’ll post a video soon of my car on the dyno. I hope this is a good base line for AE86ers’ trying build their cars. I’ll be dyno-ing again when I can afford some more up-grades. (Hint, Hint manufactures of performance parts.) Who knew 100 HP could be so exciting… (See Stats Below, All done on SAE)

First Run - Full Exhaust Silencer in:

91.34 HP, 88.02 ft-lbs of torque

Second Run - No Silencer:

98.39 HP, 91.14 ft-lbs

Third Run - No Silencer, No Air Box, No A/C, PS belt:

106.25 HP, 96.76 ft-lbs

Forth Run - No Silencer, No A/C, PS Belt:

103.38 HP, 93.64 ft-lbs

For the past couple of months, while I have been waiting / trying to get my bike fixed, I have been borrowing Allen’s 240sx. To be totally honest and totally clear, this car is pretty much rice. The paint is bad, there is a big dent in the front corner (a standard on these cars), the lights no longer go down, it has an exhaust that battles with the jets at the airpark, and it is lowered. One thing that doesn’t really count but is worth noting is that it is NOT front-wheel-drive.

It is at this point that I should also note that Allen didn’t just lower it but completely redid his suspension from the ground up and that he also added a LSD to it so it is pretty easy and ready to drift (a fun rainy day event)

While I was driving today I see a car in my rear view mirror creeping up.

I let the car pass, snap a picture with my cell phone and watch. Turns out we are both getting off at the same light. So I take another picture only slightly closer.

Then comes the fun. While I know that Allen has put a lot of work into the functioning and handling of his car, I look and sound like every Fast and the Furious Wanna-be on the road with an import car. I figure what better fun to have in North Scottsdale than to play that part a bit. So I start revving my engine a bit go through the light, and change lanes REALLY quickly to the other lane, drop a gear and tear past him only to jump back into the lane as soon as I have passed him. I am not an idiot, I wasn’t tail-gating and I certainly didn’t cut the guy off, but I made my point. I think my car is better than his Porsche. Sure enough he does the same thing only much faster and gives me a dirty look on the way. This is where I give my ‘whatever’ should shrug and look like a total jackass who doesn’t know anything about cars.

It makes me feel good to goad people buying these cars that cost like 5 times my annual salary.

Do I love the GT-3? Yeah. Do I wish I could drive one? Yeah. I just find it funny that there are people out there who drive cars like Allen’s and think they are faster than anything on the road. I also find it funny that those people bother people who pay $200,000 for a car that looks like the kind of car the Devil would drive through the canyons of Heaven.

note: For good measure I threw a picture of the GT-3 from the Porsche Site, just to show the front as well. Top image © Porsche AG

Specs:

Max. Horsepower: 415 hp at 7600 rpm
Max. torque (lb.ft.): 300 lb.ft. at 5500 rpm
Engine redline: 8400 rpm
Compression ratio: 12.0:1

Curb Weight[ lbs. / kg ]: 3,075 / 1,395
Fuel economy [ mpg ]: 15 / 22

Top Track Speed: 193 mph (310 km/h)
0-60 mph (0-96 km/h): 4.1 sec.
0-99 mph(0-160 km/h): 8.7 sec.
0-124 mph(0-200 km/h): 13.5 sec.

I started a job recently in North Scottsdale. Yeah, its that Scottsdale, and its the rich area. It is in the air park where the elite, invitation only car club is housed. The one where you pay an arm and a leg to be able to rent crazy sports cars. It is about three miles away from where Barrett Jackson is held.

Pretty much every day is an adventure in amazing cars, and this is just when I drive down the road. The first day I worked was the week of the Superbowl and everyone was out. I saw a Bentley Continental GTC, Lamborghini Murcielago, Ferrari F430 Spyder, Audi R8, Porsche GT3 RS, and others. This was day one. Yesterday I almost got in an accident as I was driving next to and, in effect, looking at at Maserati Quattroporte. The point is that I get to see a lot of cool cars driving down the road, but today surprised me.

I was reading about the first Nissan GT-R being imported from Japan into the US, and the article was going on about being the first to own one and so on. Well that may be the case, but guess what. I saw one in Scottsdale today. It was red. It was DEFINITELY a GT-R. An R35. Unmistakable.

It was a quick look, but as I saw it and wondered, “What is that?!?” I turned my head for a brief instant while it passed by and there they were. The tell-tale round tail lights, and the rear end that always reminds me a bit of an Altima. It was for certain a GT-R.

Here is the deal. There are a few of these around town as the Nissan proving grounds are about a half-hour away (when there is no traffic) and my guess is that they are driving around some of them before they hit the road here in the US. Pretty simple, but a pretty car all the same.

This is a video that was taken of two GT-Rs in Mesa or Tempe (Southeasterly of Phoenix) by a friend of mine Brian Shaler. The quality isn’t great as it was taken by his cell phone, but apparently there are quite a few of these driving around.

I’m pretty sure at this point all six of our avid followers are wondering what happened to Austin and I.  Did they fall of the face of Earth?  Did Allen wreck his Corolla, hospitalizing both him and Austin?  Or did they get abducted by Aliens and brainwashed to do the Alien’s bidding for a month until they were release back into the wild? (more…)

Seriously, who knew that a combination of an 85 year old car genius, million dollar cars, Elvis impersonators, and Red Bull and Vodka could be so awesome and so devastating…

Last night was one of the best experiences that I have had in the automotive world. I got to see one of the greatest living automotive legends of all time, Carroll Shelby. You know, the guy who invented the Shelby Cobra. It was truly an honor to share in his 85th birthday (and if he reads this I wish him many more.)

But the night was not solely about Carroll Shelby and the impact that he has made to the performance of American cars. It was a celebration about one of the greatest car auctions in North America.

Allen and Laura

As Austin, my wife Laura, and I drove to the Auction I sat in silence not knowing what to expect my stomach was churning butterflies and wisps of adrenaline flowed into my veins. Even the parking was great. I followed a brand new BMW M5 into the parking lot and had the opportunity to park behind a Bentley Continental GTC which probably cost over $200,000. (There was another one for sale inside that was stickered at $209,000.) But that wasn’t the “Ice Breaker”, it was the fact that my wife seemed to think that her Hyundai Sonata wasn’t going to be safe in the parking lot. Bentley or Hyundai?

As we walked into the doors I was simply amazed by the sheer size of the event and apparently so was my wife. She actually was very entertained to be there. I was a little bit skeptical at first but she started snapping off photos and took some great shots.

[Austin] The evening was very nice. You walk in past 15 Shelby GT500s into a room with another dozen new and concept Ford vehicles. As you walk through the main vendor floor, you come to a giant black tent with people stamping hands and taking invitations. Inside was completely shocking. Not only was it huge; not only was it packed; but my invitation said “elegant attire” and Elvis was on the stage. I immediately felt overdressed, and I was just in a tie.

[Allen] Well, I don’t want to ruin too much for our readers because we are going to be blogging and shooting a few videos on vendors and key vehicles that are there, but the new ZR1 supercharged Corvette is there, as well as the first production Dodge Challenger, as well as a number of vehicles that will auction significantly over the $500,000 mark, and I can’t wait to talk about them.

As far as Devastating, that was the wicked combination of Red Bull, Vodka, followed by 5 hours of sleep and the 6:30 AM time I have to be at work..

[Austin: Just a note, but I didn’t get home until 1:30 and had two Red Bulls, two Cokes, a double espresso (yeah I found some) not to mention all of the earlier caffeine of the day and I slept like a baby]

Booze and Cars (Note: Austin’s is the empty one)

Sean Connery or is it?

This isn’t a joke, this guy was going around with a Scottish accent doing a mock Sean Connery.

The other day was my birthday and I believe it is generally the onset of most mid-life crisis; depression, countless hours of video games, and complete discouragement as to how my life has been thus far. I want to reach for greater things, bigger things, and things that excite me. I determined that I need the ultimate vehicle for the mid-life crisis.

First off I don’t want anything blatantly over the top. I need something refined and respectable. Something that gets great gas mileage but also performs; the vehicle has to make a subtle statement.It only has to carry two people because, frankly, it is my mid-life crisis and kids don’t have to be involved.

I was thinking the new Corvette because it gets a sensible 27 miles per gallon. The Corvette is the epitome of Mid-Life Crisis solutions, but it is just not going to work for me.  I don’t like to follow trends, I like to make them. As a result the Mustang and all of it derivatives are just plain out. Don’t get me wrong, both cars are great and I wouldn’t mind owning either, but this is a mid-life crisis not high school. (There was one kid at my high school who had a Vette and several with Mustangs.)

I want a car that gives me the feeling of doing great things…like a Miata. It has two seats, a fuel efficient engine, a hideaway hard top, and it is one of the best enthusiast cars out there. Downside is that it is a…Miata. (Austin: i.e. a womans mid-life crisis car)

I’ve got it! I want a Porsche. I’ve always had a fascination with these cars since I was a child. The 911 Carrera is refined, glamorous, and subtle enough to be over shadowed by the Italian super cars and be considered particularly trendy. It has the power and excitement to keep me entertained. Not to mention, people will recognize it and know I have overcome my mid-life crisis. Of course the gas mileage is not going to be to good but who cares it is a Porsche!

But there are two problems. A) Where am I going to get the kind of money to by a Porsche? I’ll have to take out a second mortgage. B) I don’t have a house to take a first mortgage out on let alone the second.

Hmm…maybe 25 years old is too young to have a mid-life crisis? Guess I’m stuck with the Corolla for a little while.

Austin: Our little Allen is growing up.  I also had my birthday the other day (one day after) and I got a drill, but I wouldn’t mind a Porche.  I wouldn’t mind a Miata either.  I am actually in love with them.  Though not as much as the Exige.

The Balancing Act

I’m still trying to figure out what TL stands for? It definitely is not for Totally Lame, because the Acura TL-S falls in the category of a Man’s Sedan. That’s not to say that women will not like it, but only to say that men will and do.

Acura is the Luxury division of Honda just in case you were wondering, and the TL-S is what you get when you take a Honda Accord and put it on steroids. This car balances performance, luxury and style much like a Tight Rope Acrobat at a Circus without a safety net. The whole time you’re thinking why, is that safe, or is he crazy? But the truth is when it is all said and done, Acura gets across the rope and the whole event is unforgettable.

The body is beautifully refined with smooth curves and a body lines similar to ones that you would find in a BMW. The standard TL comes equipped with a 3.2 L V-6 engine that puts out 258 HP with Honda’s clever VTEC system and is priced at $33,725 to start. Not to shabby, you know, if money was a concern.

But since I’m dreaming and I don’t like telling my wife that there is an option for less horsepower, let’s look a the TL-S. First off this comes with a few different options such as a 5-speed automatic, if your the sensible type or a 6-speed manual trans, if your the enthusiast type like me. Six gears, six times the fun, right? Both options of the TL-S are equipped with the 3.5 L V-6 engine (also equipped with VTEC) that produces a whopping 286 HP all for $38,225. The more horsepower, the better. Don’t ask why? It just always is! The price is the same with an automatic transmission or manual and there is a $200 extra option for performance tires.

Now there is one thing I don’t like about Tight Rope Walkers, well several because they work for the Circus, but one main huge reason. Spandex, tight pants, you know, tights. Well as it happens there is one thing that I am not terribly keen for on the TL-S and it just won’t be of my personality if I didn’t mention it. It is front wheel drive (cue the dramatic music). But honestly, I really don’t think that it will hinder the enjoyment of driving the car… Yeah, I’m going to leave it at that until I actually get to drive one.

To sum up, it is a great car that your girl will like. Oh, right “The Man’s Sedan”. The TL-S has the power, comfort and looks that will get your friends talking and make them jealous. It will have the similar affect of a stealth fighter by flying low and attacking quick to put the shock and shame to all guys everywhere. I humbly induct it into Man Sedan grouping, club or whatever it is.