... Just Kinda Lazy

Yep. A little too lazy in fact. Being involved with academy, in addition to forgetting my password again simply means no writing since December. How unfortunate. Lucky for you instead of plastering out a simple "sorry, we'll be back" story, we'll be putting out an actual article. Now, what'll the topic be...
Mmmmm... Italian. No, not Italian food (as much as I love it). Italian cars.

When we think Italian cars, we think Lamborghini and Ferrari surely. BBC's Top Gear has reviewed many Ferrari autos, including the exceptional 458. Obviously the Italian auto industry is known for its super cars just as much as it is known for the little quirks most of the cars seem to have. What about the Italian car for everyman? Italy? Yes, Italy produces cars for every Italian man, but not every man. Such as the world around every man. And normally you'd be right. But not anymore.

Enter the Fiat 500. If you remember this little car from the 1950's you would remember it wasn't much. It was simple and cheap, and that was about it. But Fiat has had a new version out in Europe for quite some time now. It's completely different from the 50's Fiat, but retains some of the looks. The engine is in the front instead of the back. And it's not simple anymore. What have we here?

One of the authors is in love with Mini. Along with the fuel savings, I think he likes Mini because (currently) it's German made by BMW. It's small, well made, and it's quick, especially the John Cooper Works (JCW) version of the Mini. In the Fiat one can automatically know just by looking at it that it has most of these features as well. It's small and fuel efficient, but what we don't know is, is it sporty? Again, I cite BBC's Top Gear for providing the answer:



Yes, it is the Abarth version of the car, but instead of comparing to the standard Mini, compare it to the JCW Mini. It still doesn't look good. While the JCW Mini speeds from 0-60 in 6.2 seconds, the Abarth Fiat 500 does 0-60 in 7.4 seconds. In perspective, the Mini is more than a second faster. But, keeping in perspective the Mini JCW costs around $40,000 at my local dealer. From what I have been able to track down, the Abarth has been speculated at around $20,000 for the U.S.
Comparing the performance specifications and the Top Gear video, is a second worth $20,000? What do you think?

Whoa... It's been way too long...

We're back in business and a lot (and I mean a lot) has changed. I figured out my password again, while Matt still has to find his. We are anticipating a trip to the upcoming autoshow in January (I think). I also have sold my BMW project and purchased a working BMW :) happy day! Anyways, while researching what the next post should be, I am writing this to let the readers know we are still here, just kinda lazy. God bless!

2010 Portland International Auto Show #1

Yes, that’s right!  Jay and I were able to go with my friend Jake to the Portland International Auto Show on Saturday, January 30th!  We had a great time looking at everything from a 2003 Ferrari Enzo and the 2010 Porsche Panamera to the 2011 Ford Fiesta and a 1932 Packard.  There was everything from exotics to pickup trucks and hybrids to tuner cars.

In this episode I will try to incorporate a few pictures as well as a couple of videos. First, I would like to pay tribute to the third member of our blogging trifecta who was not able to join us because of a previously scheduled engagement. Eddie asked me to take pictures of the new Porsche Panamera so I did! I also did one better and took a video too! Here’s to you, Eddie:

2010 Porsche Panamera

Ok, well I totally wasn’t expecting the video to be that huge on the screen! Ha ha! Oh, well. I will continue my pictures and videos in my next postings…

Headway!!!

Yay!!! The BMW project is making some headway.  This simply is because of my weakness in spending money (or is that a strength?).  Well, a few days ago I was scoping out the craigslist adds like I have been for the past couple of months, and came across an add for a motor for a 1998 323i for $200.  So, I began some research on the motor, which brought up some interesting stuff…

The engine in my car is the M20B27.  It was a common engine that BMW put into their 325e and 525e cars.  In 1987 BMW also came out with the M20B25, which was from the same series of engine, but was .2 litre’s less and was also tuned differently to put out nearly 50 more horsepower than the M20B27.  1991 was the last year for the M20B25,  ending the era of the M20 motor.

Next came the M50 engine.  This series was offered as the M50B25, and the sport S50B30.  As you probably have guessed, the M50B25 displaced 2.5 litre’s, effectively pushing out 189 hp.  BMW’s M-Tech division also put out an S50B30 version of this motor with upgraded cams.  These engines were offered in the American market starting in 1992 and ending in 1995.  After this BMW made some refinements, as well as added some different gear to meet new emissions standards, and came out with the M52 series.

This is where my thinking that I knew everything about the history of these engines was traumatically smashed.  The M52 was offered as the M52B28 and the S52B32 from 1995 to 1998, or so I thought.  The M52B28 put out 190 hp as well as a huge amount of torque, all while being burdened by an OBDII emissions system.  What really changed my world was the fact that BMW offered another type of M52 engine, and I never knew it. This is known as the M52B25, the engine I have eventually purchased to put in my E30.   Although the previously mentioned M52 engines really only lasted until 1998, the M52B25 lived on until 2001 in the BMW 323i sedans, coupes, and convertibles. 

Shouldn’t the engine be 2.3 litre’s then?  I mean, if the car is a 323i then it should.  The 325i had a 2.5 litre, 328i had a 2.8 litre?   Normally this would be the case, and purists would certainly wish that BMW kept its car naming nomenclature, but the 323i offered in 1998 was the beginning of BMW naming their cars something different from what was under the hood.  This was simply BMW trying to create a larger gap between their 2.8 litre cars and their 2.5 litre cars.

So, I got the engine, and a lesson at the same time.  This particular engine I purchased was originally from a convertible 323i from 1998, and needs a new head gasket.  No biggy, as all OBDII emissions parts are going to be replaced with their OBDI equivalents, so the head gasket wont be a problem.  That is why the engine was listed at $200, which I offered $100, and we met in the middle at $150.  So I now have some work cut out for me.  Wanna help out Don? ;)

Who Owns What?

Over the years I have found confusion in knowing which corporation is behind many automotive brands.  Considering the huge change in the American automotive industry in 2009, it makes things nearly impossible to sort out.  So, I’m going to figure out who owns what and post it right here! 

Europe

Audi:  Simply owned by Volkswagen.  Volkswagen has owned 99.55% of Audi since 1964, after it was purchased from Daimler Benz

BMW:  This brand appears as itself, save for a tiny percentage of shareholders.

Jaguar:  British right?  Nope.  Since 1989 this luxury brand has been owned by Ford Motor Company.  So it’s American?  That’s not right either, as of 2008.  Ford sold the company to Tata Motors of India in 2008.  So technically Jaguar is an Asian brand (although it is still manufactured in the U.K.)

Mercedes-Benz:  Ok, there is so much confusing corporate stuff I could cover here that has happened in the last year.  But, lets save it.  The manufacturer is owned by Daimler AG in Germany.

Porsche:  Awesome cars.  This manufacturer is family owned by the Porsche family descended from Ferdinand Porsche, with large amounts of the company also in the hands of the German public

Saab:  Currently owned by General Motors based in America, GM reports possibly closing down the popular Swedish brand.

Volkswagen:  Appears as itself in this cast list.

Volvo:  Currently owned by Ford Motor Company, Ford reports being in the process of selling the Swedish brand to Chinese car company “Geely”.

3 Litre’s of Dual Turbocharged Power PLUS a Blue and White Roundel Emblem = Pure Joy!

In 2005 BMW introduced a new engine designed for the latest generation of the BMW 3 series.  This was the new N54 I6 engine.  This engine for the last 5 years has shared a spot in the 3 series along side the N53 and N52.  Two things differentiate this power plant from others though.  The first you may have already noticed; as BMW has changed the nomenclature used to name their engines from using the letter “M” to using the letter “N”.  This seems odd and out of tradition, until you find out the second difference in this engine from its mainstream cousins.  Not only did BMW introduce turbocharging technology for the first time in almost three decades, but the N54 sports two turbochargers!  This is old news though, so why blog about it?  Sure, it is old news.  So are the cars the engine debuted in, the M3 and the 335i. 

   Last week BMW introduced the new 2011 BMW 335iS sport coupe and convertible.  These cars introduce the middle-ground between the 335i and the M3.  The differences between these cars are only slightly cosmetic, as the N54 engine has been upgraded, as well being given a new “overboost” feature giving the car an additional 37 pound feet of torque.  How much torque and horsepower does the car put out?  The previous version of the N54 placed just over 300 horsepower, with the torque being just below that number at 295.  The new 335iS with upgraded N54 engine puts out 322 horses with 332 torque.  That puts overboost at 369 torque!  This “Ultimate Driving Machine” has the ability to use its 6-speed transmission to get from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, and if its wrapped around a new 7-speed automatic it is able to do this in 5 seconds flat.  With the upgraded engine the suspension has been beefed as well, resulting in less body roll and more control in the corners.  With this car in mind, we can all be assured that BMW still spells performance.  The 335iS is aimed at American audiences, so you can be sure to see them on showroom floors in the summer of 2010.

Greetings!!

I would like to take a few minutes of your time to introduce myself and the line of cars I will be researching, test driving, and subsequently blogging about for your enjoyment and knowledge.

I currently live in Oregon and have always been interested in airplanes and that interest may eventually involve a spinoff blog relating to that. I have taken some Aviation Maintenance classes and hope to be able to continue that phase of my education in the future. However, that is not what brings us here today. 

I have always been somewhat interested in European cars. My favorites, mainly because of the styling, have always been the Lamborghini (especially the Diablo). They are just fun cars to drool over and wish in your wildest dreams that maybe some year you might be able to SIT in one!  But if you’ve come here for reviews on the exotics…. you, my friend, have come to the wrong place.

The main focus for my contribution to this blog will be much more practical for 95+% of those interested in European cars.  In the course of this venture with Ed and Jay, my assignment is to research, test drive, and blog about the performance, safety, features, and everything else Volkswagen and Audi. My reviews of Volkswagen, translated from German as “the people’s car,” will be just that: for the everyday, ordinary person to come and find some good practical information about a car they may be interested in buying or just have a casual interest in. The reasoning for reviewing Audi is simple: they are made by VW. Audi is to VW what Acura is to Honda, what Lexus is to Toyota, what Infinity is to Nissan, and what Lincoln is to Ford. You get the idea, though Audi goes beyond that and does compete in the exotic class against the Lamborghini and Ferrari as well.  One cannot see as close a resemblance of Audi vehicles to VW’s in their body styling as easily as can be seen with the other manufacturers and their luxury brands. 

I volunteered for these because of my experience in my girlfriend’s 2007 VW Rabbit.  My next couple of blogs will be about that car and comparing it to the old Rabbit of the 1980’s and to the new 2010 Golf (they only brought back the Rabbit name for 3 model years). In future blogs I will break down the ins and outs of the 4 main trim levels for the new 2010 Golf especially the new addition of Volkswagen’s famous TDI (diesel) engine. Eventually, I also hope to be able to blog about the other models in VW’s lineup and break into to the Audi realm as well.

Welcome to the “Das Auto” portion of our blog.

Thank you for putting up with my ramblings!

Until next time….