A Horse With No Name

They are a neat little car, but still fal short of other, sportier cars dynamically. I still find the GTI to be more fun and a nicer car than the 135....and it's a boat lad cheaper as well.

Balthazar would be so proud....

Interesting article in car and driver... http://blog.caranddriver.com/why-honda-is-in-even-more-trouble-than-you-think-deep-thoughts/ To many observers, Honda appears to be going through the corporate equivalent of a mid-life crisis. Supply problems from the effects of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and flooding in Thailand, along with less-than-complimentary write-ups on the new Civic by Car and Driver, Consumer Reports, and others, are bearing the brunt of the blame for the slump in calendar-year 2011 sales. Further issues: Acura’s inability to attain tier-one luxury-car consideration or status among consumers, Honda’s attempt to build a pickup truck, and the firm’s precipitous sales decline in its home market of Japan. But even though it will raise the ire of Honda executives and brand loyalists alike, the company’s problems aren’t simply the aftereffects of the world’s climate gone mad or a substandard take on a bestselling vehicle. It’s worse than that. There is good reason to consider Honda to be in a similar place as General Motors was in, say, January of 1981. We need to preface this by saying the business and product environment of 31 years ago couldn’t be more different from the climate in which the Japanese company seems to be struggling today, but the parallels with what is happening to Honda now are all too familiar to students of The General’s decline. In May of 2009, Jim Collins, an author who contributes to the Harvard Business Review and other business journals, published How the Mighty Fall. In the book, Collins describes the five stages of demise in the world of modern business. They are: Stage 1: Hubris Born of Success Stage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of More Stage 3: Denial of Risk and Peril Stage 4: Grasping for Salvation Stage 5: Capitulation to Irrelevance or Death

Instead of racing this on the tail of the dragon...they race it on the nose of the dragon?

http://omg.yahoo.com....202507172.html Lindsay Lohan is currently in the emergency room at an LA hospital after a terrible car accident. Lindsay Lohan was in a bad car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway today when her car collided with an 18-wheeler, reports TMZ. Lindsay was driving her black Porsche on the PCH when she crashed into an 18-wheeler, and her car was “totaled”. An ambulance was called to the scene, but she was reportedly taken to the hospital by other means. Initial reports are saying she “seems ok” and doctors are performing tests.

Specs and info here...sad to see this happen... http://www.shrackracing.com/hosting/jim_black_firebird.pdf

Indeed!

...in so many ways.... Visit Ohio...it's like shopping at Wal-Mart...guaranteed to make you feel thin, sexy, and smart! Amen brother!

Rollover is a real possibility...however, in competition, one is supposed to know the limits of ones car and not exceed them in stupid ways. I think the car will be a real success...MINI sells about 45,000 cars a year in the US, the fact that MINI sales really haven't dropped much and Fiat has found 30,000 new buyers says something.

I think I need to change my shorts...that thing is fantastic!

If the chasis is set up right, 260 HP in an FWD is no big problem. I've driven a GLI (5th gen) in race conditions with 280 at the wheels....with sticky tires and the right suspension tuning, its a blast... However, I prefer RWD for performance applications. GTI is still probably the best all around front wheel drive car on the planet, though.

Seat-belt your dog or face $1000 fine We know...it sounds absurd. "Click-it-or-ticket" warns us that we can, and will, get caught if we drive without a seatbelt. Most if not all states have now made it a primary offense under pressure from the Federal Government. But one state wants to extend the "click" to man's best friend riding in the passenger seat and sticking his head out the window. Under New Jersey Statute 4:22-18, unrestrained pets in vehicles is an act of animal cruelty, and drivers who don’t secure their pooch in a pet seat belt will be subject to fines, ranging from $250 to $1,000 and as much as six months in jail. "That’s for each offense,” Col. Frank Rizzo, police superintendent for the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty, said Wednesday, according to The Bergen Record,“So, if you have more than one animal loose in your car, just do the math…” “Some people tell us they like to let their pets hang their heads out the window to take in the fresh air,” Rizzo said, “but dogs and cats become projectiles in a crash.” Oddly...allowing adults to ride unrestrained in the back had not been considered worthy of penalty until the Legislature closed this loophole in December 2009, although back-seat restraints have long been required for children. “It’s crazy,” said Les Goldstein, a former Clifton, N.J. cop who is coordinating a Memorial Day crackdown in North Jersey which continues through Sunday. “It should be common sense.” “It’s much cheaper to invest about $25 in a restraint system than to deal with the consequences of a crash,” Administrator Ray Martinez told the Record as he helped hook Finley, his frisky golden retriever-poodle mix, into a harness. Driver inattention is the leading cause of road deaths in New Jersey and nationally, according to 2010 National Highway Transportation Administration figures — 5,400 nationwide and 130 statewide. NHTSA doesn’t tally animal deaths, but Rizzo noted that traditional safety devices can be lethal for unrestrained pets. http://www.northwestohio.com/news/story.aspx?id=761788#.T85lV7AeOE1

Without any anesthetic....

What is wrong with this picture...the ABARTH is supposed to be s ports car...I autocross... What happens with the Center of Gravity when the car is taller than it is long....I wouldn't want to race in one myself. The SCCA has put racing/auto-X restrictions on the Abarth and 500...as they are afraid of a possible rollover at an event.

The Genesis doesn't feel to me like its built with the same care that the 3000 is...and the genesis Coupe still lags behind the Mustang and Camaro, IMHO...as well as the GTI, the BRZ/FRS...and the 370Z. Hyundai builds some cool stuff but IMHO they are still playing catch up.... Finding a Genesis sedan (for sale) is surprisingly hard where I live (SWFL), but I have seen at least 20 or so in the last year or so. The 300 is everywhere, and easily obtainable. ...and a better car, IMHO.

Glad it saved your life, though!

As a lover of hot small cars...sounds like it might be fun!

Roger..regular Cab GMC sounds fantastic.....

I agree with Olds....

Neat vehicle, but in its own way it lacks finesse.... Several other small vehicles I like better, actually....