We showed you the pictures already, now see the Toyota FT-86 in all its animated glory on Gran Turismo 5.

2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Toyota FT-86 Concept

Remember that Honda Accord Crosstour wagon that prefabricated its debut on Facebook awhile back? Well, it's back, and this time Honda has provided shots of the interior to give you an intent how much room there is in back.

Does it look like it's worth it to you?

Honda also noted that the Crosstour will come standard with a 3.5-liter V6 and be positioned at the top of the Accord lineup. It also notes that the Accord Crosstour will offer "four-wheel drive" as an option. Wonder what kind of transfer case they're using? 

Honda Crosstour

The 2009 SEMA show is less than a month away now, so now would be a good time to prepare yourself for the onslaught of aftermarket project cars that will clog the intertubes for the next several weeks. Some will be ghastly, others will be tasteful and the rest somewhere in between.

This Hyundai Genesis Coupe is one such example. It's appearance doesn't make you want to jump into the driver's seat, but the spec sheet is a little more promising. GReddy is working with Hyundai to make it happen and the goal is a 350-horsepower version of the base 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder.

A new turbo, larger, front-mounted intercooler and cat-back exhaust highlight the engine modifications while the chassis will be upgraded with fully adjustable coil-overs, upgraded GReddy brakes and Volk G2 wheels.

2009 SEMA Show

Surely you've heard of the Ford Fiesta movement by now? It's a promotional program for the upcoming Fiesta subcompact that was designed to make use of all that social networking stuff that we all love so much.

Ford got off to a good start by giving away a bunch of free cars for a year. Then it asked the recipients, or "agents," to tell the world all about their cool new car. Simple enough eh?

According to Ford, the program has been a huge success, naturally. Over 50,000 people have raised their hands, presumably to get more info. The web is buzzing, too, of course, with over 3 million impressions on Twitter.

"We didn't break the bank. We didn't use traditional media. We tried something different, and it is working" said Connie Fontaine, Ford Brand and Content Alliances manager. "We're delighted with how Fiesta is gaining traction with consumers.  It's a whole new way of introducing a car to market."

Clearly Ford thinks this is a great way to get the word out on new cars, but do you agree? Have you seen a Fiesta or one of Ford's agents? Did they convince you to take a look at the upcoming hatchback? 

Oh, and by the way, one of the so-called agents said today that the U.S. spec Fiesta will finally debut at the L.A. Auto Show in November.

You figured it was coming at some point for legendary carburetor manufactuer Holley. With Its most iconic product now obsolete, there are only so many hot rodders to keep the business going.

The company had branched out over the years into a variety of hot rod parts, but none of them could replace the company's four-barreled cash cow.

AutoObserver: Aftermarket Performance Icon Holley Goes Chapter 11 – Again

Along with the much anticipated FT-86 sports coupe, Toyota will also unveil the FT-EV II concept at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show. A four-passenger city car, the FT-EV II will be healthy to travel roughly 56 miles on a charge at speeds up to 62 mph. Unique sliding doors on apiece side allow for cushy access while the lithium-ion batteries stored in the floor maximize space.

Tokyo Auto Show: Toyota FT-EV II

Yes, this is theToyota/Subaru coupe you've all been inactivity to see. Dubbed the Toyota FT-86, this concept is headed for the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show in a couple of weeks.

We don't have much in the way of details just yet, but our correspondent in Nihon says the FT-86 is about what we expected. By that we mean it's most likely based on a modified Subaru Impreza platform that has been converted to rear-wheel drive and is powered by a Subaru-built 2.0-liter flat four. The suspension consists of struts up front and double wishbones in back.

Inside, the FT-86 is configured as a 2+2 which probably makes for a tight cabin given that it's only 164-inches overall, 63-inches wide and 50-inch tall. For comparison, a Honda Civic coupe is 175-inches long, 68.9-inches wide and 55-inches tall.

One of the toys offered for my driving pleasure during a recent Bosch event titled “The Drive to 35.5,” organized to showcase fuel-saving technologies like direct piezo injection for clean diesel power, was this slightly breathed-on VW Jetta TDI that is in the midst of a Gale Banks Engineering makeover. The resulting car isn’t too far off of what VW is running in the Jetta TDI Cup SCCA Pro Racing series.

Modifications to the engine are minor, and start with a cold “Ram Air” intake box with a conical low-restriction air filter. Then there’s a Banks Six-Gun engine controller, which allows drivers to select from various levels of enhanced performance. The higher performance settings alter the fuel injection pulse timing to improve low-end punch and help spool the turbocharger faster for quicker corner exits. There’s also a Banks Visual User Interface, an auxiliary 4.3-inch touch screen that mounts to the windshield and provides graphic representations of various gauges not provided on the vehicle cluster, plus diagnostic info and vehicle and driver performance information gleaned through GPS and the vehicle’s data bus. Naturally there’s a low-restriction exhaust system that completely eliminates the muffler (the diesel particulate filter and lean NOx trap apparently do plenty of muffling, thank you very much). An intercooler will be installed in the near future.

Other modifications include upsized front and rear anti-roll bars, sport springs that lower the car slightly, further reduce the vehicle roll rate during cornering and combat brake dive. Footwear is upsized to 19-inch wheels wearing V-rated rubber.

The Bosch gang wasn’t talking dyno numbers yet, as the car was fresh off the trailer from Banks for our event, and was heading back for more fettling soon. It’s suspected that the power/torque peaks haven’t moved much, but rather the curves below them have widened. Indeed the car blasts out of the hole noticeably quicker than a base Jetta TDI on hand for comparison, and general responsiveness seemed sprightlier. The demand of mufflers doesn’t seem to place this Sidewinder in any jeopardy with Euro pass-by noise regs, though the sound is a bit more authoritative.

Best news: EPA fuel economy test results are expected to remain unchanged and the car remains 50-state emissions legal. Naturally, your fuel economy results will vary big time when you find yourself burying the throttle at every opportunity to ride that wave of torque, but hey, your carbon footprint is still way smaller than your GTI-flogging neighbor’s. There’s no word yet on parts availability, but keep an eye on www.galebanksengineering.com. With TDI accounting for 81 percent of Jetta Sportwagen income and 40 percent of Jetta sedan sales, Gale won’t keep these parts to himself for long.

About Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup

The 2009 season marks the second year of competition for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, which is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. During the season, young, up and coming drivers (between ages 16-26) will compete in 10 events on eight road courses around North USA in same factory-prepared clean diesel Jetta TDI’s powered by Syndiesel(r) B5 blended biodiesel fuel. Each driver competing in the series will acquire a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season. In addition to more than $50,000 in prize money at stake during the season, the series champion will win $100,000.

The Jetta TDI Cup car is powered by a 2.0-liter, 170 hp, four-cylinder TDI clean diesel engine mated to a six-speed, double-clutch, automatic DSG transmission. The car is only slightly modified from stock with Pirelli racing tires, race suspension and brake components, drivers racing country seat, FIA roll cage and an on-board fire extinguisher system. Series sponsors include: Pirelli, Bosch, ViON, Castrol, Oakley, Red Bull, HYPERFUELS, Aggreko, defNder, Lamin-X, Meguiar’s, Sherwin-Williams, Chicagoland VW, Safety-Kleen, Ringer Gloves, Jim Russell Racing School and Trellis Earth.

Daniel Edward Newton and I have been friends for 45 years.  We met in Kindergarten in the start of 1962.  We later went to the same college, roomed together, attended who knows how many sports car races, dated apiece other’s girlfriend’s friends (although neither of us ever got anywhere with the foxilicious Sharon Hanson, but that’s another story), and have never had a cross word between us.  Well, there was the time when his dog ate a box full of rare rubber parts for my Pantera.  But he gave me some money and bought pizza that night too, so we forgot about it.

A few months before Dan and I began terrorizing the playground at Valley Vista Elementary School (Cucamonga, California), his folks, Ed and Connie Newton, bought a new 1962 Ford F-100.  It’s a long bed half-ton with a 292 cubic-inch Y-block V-8 and manual everything.  What was tagged a Custom Cab wasn’t real custom back then.  His father converted the original three-on-the-tree to a granny low four-speed so the 160-horse V-8 could better handle trailer towing.  Dan and I took it camping, and on many road trips with our 10-speeds or motorcycles in the back.  Went to the late, great Riverside International Raceway, to the swap meet, to the dump, and who knows where else.  I’ve known the Newton’s F100 its entire life.  Which equals about 90 percent of mine.

Dan’s parents have since passed away, and left him the truck.  He drove it every day, then only once in a while, before parking it a few years back.  He and his wife have other vehicles, he has a long commute, and the Effie has no AC (or other power accessory of any kind).  So, the truck was mothballed in a desert storage lot to bask in quiet, sun-drenched retirement.

He and I were emailing a few weeks ago, and I asked what he was doing with the F-100.  He replied “oh, I’m kinda done with it.  It’s part of the family, but I’m paying to store it, don’t drive it, and it deserves someone who wants it. I’m going to bring it to our next block party garage sale, and if someone will give me a couple hundred bucks, they’ll own it.”  In a moment of inspired weakness, I replied “oh hell, for that, I’ll take it.”  Dan, who possesses Leno-level comedic timing, waited the requisite three beats, and pinged me back with “Bless you, my friend.  It’s yours.”  Oh crap.

I’m sure we could have gotten it running and out of storage under its own power, but I didn’t want to drive it back from scenic Victorville only to blow a hose or clog the fuel filter.  Instead, I borrowed this $95,000 Cummins Turbodiesel-powered Dodge Ram 550 with a fully articulated Jerr-Dan flatbed rig – what more appropriate way to get my $300 truck home? 

This almost-a-Kenworth evidenced amazing.  We’ve all grunted and pushed old cars onto trailers; no fun.  Not this time.  I practiced with the Jerr-Dan’s hydraulic joysticks until I could make its polished aluminum bed break-dance.  After rocking the platform down to the ground, we threw a chain around the Ford’s front axle, and winched it aboard with no more drama than it takes to order the #1 combo at In-N-Out.  It was fun to play with the flashing amber light bar too — prefabricated me feel like a real AAA tow guy. The hearty Dodge drove as if the F-100 was no more than a butterfly on its shoulder.  I hummed “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother…” all the way home.

I’m now the Ford’s second owner, ever.  What to do with it?  I have no idea.  But after so many memories in this thing, I just wanted my own crack at it.  Getting it running was pretty easy.  We installed a new fuel tank, fresh brake cylinders, a battery, gave it a fluids/belts/hoses spa treatment, and it fired right up.  As you can see, I’ve got some clean up work to do.  Tons of it, inside and out.  That’s OK; I’m a college-educated scrubber.
The plan from there is to preserve what’s good, change only what’s required, and keep a 60s period feel.  See those crummy spoke mags?  Those came off my old ’54 F-100 about 15 years ago.  I had no intent they would come back to haunt me.  They’ll have to go, in exchange for a set of vintage steelies and caps.  I’ll place some period mirrors on it, the seat needs to be recovered, a fresh carpet set ordered down, and burbling dual exhausts are a must.  Some spray-can detailing for sure.  Other than that, the goal will be to see how little I can spend on it.  New paint?  And cover up that original patina forever?  No way.

Do they have a Twelve Step Program for Old Car Fools?  Until someone can answer that, you’ll find me in the Ford Truck Parts isle at the Pomona Swap Meet.  Wish me luck.

Photography by the author

Bridgestone Tire's Drive and Learn event has been going on for several years. It's a program primarily for its dealers and distributors. The main purpose to inform
them of new products, current and future promotions along with advertising campaigns, and even some technical presentations.

The best part, though, is the driving. Bridgestone assembles a group of instructors with real racing backgrounds (SCCA, Formula Atlantic, Touring Car,
Formula Mazda, karts, etc.) to coach those in attending around an autocross (i.e., parking lot) circuit. You're supposed to evaluate their tires too, but
most participants are too focussed on going quickly with the least amount of cone killing.

We attended a recent Drive and Learn event at Dodger Stadium. The day started with a background and marketing presentation, which included a reminder of
Bridgestone's dominance of the top echelons of motorsport: Bridgestone is the sole tire supplier for Formula 1 and MotoGP.
Later, we
had a technical presentation that included an explanation of rolling resistance and its influence on fuel economy.

There was also an intro to the four tires we would try that day: the Insignia SE200, Potenza G019 Grid, Potenza RE960AS Pole Position, and Potenza RE760
Sport.

The SE200 is mass-market touring tire, while the G019 is an entry-level performance tire, for cars such as VW GTI and other import tuner cars. The RE960AS
is all-season tire targeted for sport sedans, and the RE760 is an ultra-performance tire targeted for Benz AMG and BMW M-series vehicles.

These four tires are not fitted as original equipment on any vehicle. It was evenhandedly cushy to evaluate the driving differences in the four tires, as they were
designed with evenhandedly different performance emphasis.

Sometimes, it's difficult to discern differences between one tire and its direct competitor from another brand. But that was no problem here: there were no
comparison tires from other brands for us to sample.

On to the driving!

The instructors first took us around the parking lot course for one lap to show us the line. Our instructor then place in a hot lap to show the limit capabilities of the many gray BMW 328s that we had at our disposal. He demonstrated brutal braking and amazing cornering speed for such a tight, technical course.

How'd I do? "Trail the brake more into the medium and slow corners to settle the chassis," my instructor told me. And yeah, it was fun out there.

Here are a couple of videos, outside and inside the car. (That's not me on the in-car video: no wheel shuffle!)

Later this week I'll talk about Bridgestone's new ultra-high performance track-oriented tire, the RE11.

 
Albert Austria, Senior Vehicle Evaluation Engineer, Edmunds, Inc.