The Match up: Ford Focus vs. Honda Civic

This could be one of the greatest match ups in history. A 2008 Ford Focus is in the ring with the elder 2002 Honda Civic. This will be an interesting one since the Ford is looking to beat the car that has always shadowed its older brothers. Tonight the young gun Ford against old reliable Honda!

The first test is power the Ford is 140hp and the Honda just 115hp but don't worry because there is more to a car then power. The Honda has better the better suspension and is also lower to the ground meaning the Honda has the advantage in the corners but the Ford will blow past the Honda on the straights.The other advantage the Honda has is weight, it weighs 1098kg while the Ford weighs 1198kg. This isn't a big difference although it can make a huge difference.

Know the real world facts, the economy. The Ford gets 24/35 mpg while the Honda gets 33/50 mpg. So the Honda will beat the Ford because the Ford will run out of fuel before the Ford. So there you go you can think of the Honda Civic as a track day car to thrash and a city car to drive!!

Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst

The VXR is considered the ultimate drift machine because it is old American engineering,plus a good chasis then sold to Australia and Europe. It makes 564hp from a Corvette V8, add rear wheel drive and the tires will turn to smoke. It does 0 to 60mph in a quick 4.2sec and will reach 190mph. Best of all it is no ordinary saloon that hides its ability under luxury. It has a supercharger that shrieks when you get it going, the car makes a scene. It could quite possibly be the best noise in the world.

When ever I see a great car over seas from an American affiliate company it makes me wonder why we can't have cars like that. This is because the market for big V8's in Australia is huge. It Australia you are either born in a Ford family or GM family and you worship the cars from that point on. The two groups actually have full out fights between each other. This because of the Bathurst race. Australian Ford's race Australian GM's, this is where the Vauxhall gets its name because Vauxhall is a GM brand. That is why we can't have these cars because there isn't enough die hard fans. Its a shame!

Cody Mahood

Does it come in emerald green?

Cody Mahood

An Artist Rendering of the Bugatti Badge

Cody Mahood

BMW Pushing for M- Powered 1 Series

It's a receipt for success, a twin turbo 135i with little weight,a good chassis and great suspension. It sounds like the formula for a race car, so you know it will be fast, very fast. Rumor has it that it will have around 330hp to compete with the Audi S4.

Now normally there would have already been an m powered 1-series since it has been on the market for a while now but it has been said that BMW executives have been looking over the proposal but haven't given it the green light yet. The other problem they are having is naming it since M1 was BMW's super car back in 1978 and they are thinking of changing the name to avoid confusion.
Cody Mahood

The Best Car to Power Slide Ft. Jeremy Clarkson

Cody Mahood

Top Gear is Back!!

Cody Mahood

Ford's 'Coyote' 5.0-Litre V8

As you may know, Ford is going to be phasing out their current 4.6L and 5.4L eight cylinder engines and replace them with their new 2010 Coyote V8 engine. The engine will be shared between the F-150 and Mustang models. The Coyote engine is expected to produce 400hp and 400 pound-feet of torque. The economy of the Coyote is to be comparable to that of the current 5.4L V8.

Although it was first rumored that the engine woulnd't be using direct injection or turbo charging it was later rumored that the Coyote engine will serve as a base and will be turbo charged or supercharged based on the model. It is believed that the Coyote will be put in the Mustang GT to compete with the Camaro SS that has a 6.2L V8 engine which produces 400hp and 410 pounds-feet of torque.

Meanwhile the GT 500 will use the Coyote V8 but it will likely be supercharged or have an EcoBoosted V8. Although right now all information on the new GT 500 are up in the air. It is known though that the GT 500 will get some respectable power unlike the current 10 year old Ford GT power plant that produced an underated 540hp.

It has also been rumored that the 2013 GT 500 will get a 'Road Runner' V8 that is a twin turbocharged 5.0L. It is called the 'Road Runner' becuase like the Roadrunner always beats the Coyote in the cartoons.

If the Mustang does get EcoBoost it wouldn't be a bad thing since the Taurus SHO's EcoBoost V6 makes 365hp but some have said it is capable of giving up 600hp. Now just imagine the Mustang with a twin-turbocharged V8!!

Cody Mahood

The Fiat 500 Abarth SS- Forget the Fiesta

Well it looks like the Fiesta dream is over, time to get up and move on to the Fiat Abarth 500 SS. Best of all it is coming to North America in 2011. Even better is that it will only cost $18,000 to $19,000! It has racy looks in a small package but don't think the looks are the only racy thing about it because it should reach 60mp/h in a quick seven seconds.

The Fiat is quick because it has a 160hp turbocharged 4-cylinder engine in a car that weights nothing. The 7 second 0 to 60 time is as quick as a GTI. Not only is it quicker but I think it is also better looking too.

Don't call it cute though because all those menacing scorpion badges are meant to scare off the weak and feeble. I plan to trade in the Focus for a white Fiat with the red stripes and I really want those white wheels. It just looks fast standing still and looks like it should be driven on a tight circuit. All I know is that the first one to come to Canada will be on our drive.

Cody Mahood

Bentley Baby Seat

Cody Mahood

M3 GTS- The Return of the CSL

I can tell you now this will be a great car becuase a few years ago BMW made the CSL. It was a stripped out M3 to be kind of like a BWM track day car. It was great, they did what Porsche and Ferrari do with their track day cars, shed weight. BMW put the M3 on a major diet. It was so derastic that they made the trunk out of cardboard to save wheight. What you got then was a playboys car to go really fast and corner really well.

Well, looks like BMW has brought back the CSL in the form of the GTS. To start it looks brilliant, the racing wheels look great and that huge wing on the back makes it look like a full on Le Mans racer. The only complaint is that dorky carbon fiber roof. You would sound like such a cock explainign that to your friends.

If I had the money for a track car though, I would rather have one of these. It is a sketch of a DB9 gentlemen's racer and it looks fantastic (like the one James May drove). That bodykit looks like the one on the DBR9 Le Man's racer and you know it means business with a wing like that on the back too.

What I like most about this car though is that it still has those gorgeous DB9 looks and it doesn't look like a boy racer. It looks like a car that means business on the track no clown shoes or flower that shoots water in your face, it is just a serious racer for those that want to chuck it around for a couple of laps.

Cody Mahood

The Camaro, Done Right!!

This Comaro looks amazing, it has the Reventon intakes on the front and the hood has tht big bulge. It looks like the engine is trying escape out of the body work. It is a proper Camaro. What a great colour combination too, gold and white. Bob Lutz is thinking 'why didn't we make ours like that?'

We Got Ourselves a Bandit!

Truly a ridiculous car, but for some reason I am drawn in. At least we can agree that it is better looking than the Camaro! 'Breaker, breaker, I'm gonna catch me a bandit!'

Cody Mahood

Bugatti Galibier- Pure Sophistication

Bugatti is known for their elegant car design and the Bugatti Galibier is an exquisite example of thier work. The car has clean lines with smooth creases and beautiful two tone body work. The grill is a classic right out of the 30's and shows that this car is really something special, proudly sporting the red badge. The Bugatti is absolutely gorgeous its hood opens like gull wings and the split window takes its inspiration from past Bugatti's and all together completes the car. No matter how you look at the Galibier, all of its proportions are right, it is easily a car that can sit outside the best restaurant in town and steal the hearts of those passing by. The long curves tingle your senses, making it is a proper luxury car. It is a work of art.

As you look at the Galibier you see four seats, making it a sedan but don't be fooled, it is going to be a proper full on super car. It will have the engineering brilliance of its older brother the Bugatti Veyron and share the same eight-litre w-16 power plant but toned down to 987 bhp (due to the engine being at the front instead of mid engined). The chassis and body are made of carbon fiber but the wings and doors are polished aluminum, which looks stunning. It has a nine layer paint job that subtly accents the carbon fiber underneath. The only problem with the design are 8 cockish exhaust pipes that stick out the back. I find the pipes wreck the flow of the car and makes it childish and a bit of a laugh when I would expect a luxury car like this to be sophisticated and balanced. It should be on sale by 2013 and the Brits expect it to have a 900,000 pound price tag. It is truly the work of a gentlemen with a heavy foot. I am completely sold.

Cody Mahood

Volkswagen GTI named Automobile Magazine's Car of the Year

It comes to no surprise that the new VW Sirocco designed GTI has won Automobile car of the year. Ever since the GTI was introduced it has been scooping up awards, it is easy to see why it is a proper hot hatch. What I mean by hot hatch it that the car looks modern and cool, it is properly fast and can handle really well. The fact is the new one is no different it uses the same recipe that has always worked for the GTI, they made it a cool car like it has always been. The recipe has been spiced up through through the years and it has only gotten better and better.

I think one of the reasons why it is doing so well is because no one else can make a proper hot hatch. In Canada we have the Mazda 3 that is completely made out of plastic and flonts it like its carbon fiber. Then their is the Honda Fit, which is a truly dreadful car that looks like it should be driven by the elderly. Toyota has the Yaris which is much to small, not fast and cheaply made. I mean the whole hot hatch market is run by the GTI.

I mean someone must stand up to that thing my brother calls car and design a good hatch. They need to get a seven year old designer to draw fins and scoops, then give it to a proper engineer who can made it go a million miles an hour and make go around turns like its on fire. That would be my ultimate hot hatch and sadly no body seems to get the recipe correct. Its too bad because some of the funnest cars to drive are hot hatchbacks.

Cody Mahood

2011 Mercedes SLS AMG

I am going to come right out and say this is one of the most beautiful cars ever made. I love those classic gull wing doors and all of its proportions just feel, right! I just adore how you can see those big brakes with yellow calipers and the vents on the side ohhh! I could go on and on...

Then I think the reason why the car looks so good. It is because it is the first full designed and built car by Mercedes' AMG division. This came to a surprise to me but when you think about it the Mercedes SLR was co-built by McLaren. I adore the works of Mercedes in house tuning company. They are just so insane it reminds me of the early Lamborghini's. They made cars too powerful and too fast yet they know a lot about cars. They are smart enough to know when you go past 155mp/h the car needs super car tires and breaks causing the price to rise drastically. So they are an insane tuning company with brains, but this doesn't make sense because you can't have both.

I think that AMG really found themselves with this car. They realized they are grown up engineers that like a bit of good fun. They designed a proper super car but toned down the insanity. It is a car to make you look good. It is meant to be driven in traffic so gawkers can take in the beauty.

The car is like two face from batman because under the hood the engine begs to be driven around a track. It wants to be like its mentor the SLR. You can just tell by its stance and the AMG badge. It has a 6.8 litre v8 producing 563hp. Then the numbers, o to 60mp/h 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 197mp/h but it is also lite at 3500 pounds.

In the end though it would be in my garage because it doesn't seem to have any faults but I wouldn't throw it around a track because it looks delicate and has a sense of beauty to it. I would keep it for cruising around town. Waving to the gawkers as I blow past!

Cody Mahood