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It’s no wonder that more 16-18 year olds die in cars each year than any other group. Combine hubris, peer pressure, hand-me-down cars with bald tires and all too often alcohol and it’s a minor miracle each time your child’s head hits their pillow and not their airbag. You’d want your children to have mace or martial arts training if they lived in a high crime area, so why not give give them the skills they need to keep their cars under control – something that is sadly NOT taught or required by our government before a license is issued.

I cant urge parents enough to consider a program such as this one. (There is a school in the St. Louis area on May 20th but with only 30 available slots don’t delay).

They will learn to look far enough ahead to anticipate unwise actions of other drivers… They will learn how their cars feel and sound just before and as they exceed the limits of tire adhesion in a controlled situation, helping them to avoid accidents in actual everyday driving situations where they might experience problems… They will experience each exercise element several times, in order to learn from their mistakes and to improve their skills.

(Anecdotally I used to consider myself a great driver who just happened to get into the occasional accident. Then at age 20 my parents paid for my first advanced driver training. Within 20 minutes I realized how little control I really had – I haven’t exceeded limits and lost control since).

If nothing else, $60 is a lot less than an insurance deductible…

Driver involvement — it’s what distinguishes cars we lust after from cars that merely have impressive performance specifications. It’s what makes a Porsche Boxster so much better to drive than the quicker Corvette convertible. It’s also what gives us job security, since there’s no reliable way — other than getting behind the wheel — to predict if a new model possesses this car/driver relationship.

A high-revving naturally aspirated engine often indicates that a car’s engineers have made driver involvement a priority. Working to keep the engine screaming high in the rpm range — and being drawn into the wailing soundtrack — is almost always more rewarding than standing on the gas of a mega-torque turbo. – Dave Venderwerp, Car and Driver Magazine, May 2006

The first section underscores the importance of doing less reading and more driving (ironically calling into question the writer’s job security) while the second explains why the 911s most coveted by those in the know lack turbos. (Sure the newest 911 Turbo will have less lag, but I’d argue any lag at all is too much).

In 1900, two types of cars—gas and electric—were competing for the hearts of a public just discovering the miracle of the automobile. When a battery-operated car wont the nation’s first major auto race, held on Long Island, N.Y., some experts predicted the future belonged to the battery. Gasoline cars, after all, were noisy, smelly, and, most critically, difficult to start, requiring laborious and repeated “cranking” by the driver. But then, in 1913, came the invention of the self-starter for the internal combustion engine, and within a few years, the electric car was all but wiped out. – The Week

Mercedes Benz has long [sic] offered its S class in standard and long wheelbase forms (something Lexus wil be doing wth the new LS to be taken more seriously in the market).

Now Chrysler plans a stretched version of the 300C and Magnum.

The stretched 300C’s wheelbase is 152mm longer, all of which is used to enhance rear legroom… Chrysler says the added length of the stretched cars provides rear-seat passengers with nearly 1200mm of legroom. Customers will be able to order the cars with a host of personalised features, including lit writing tables, footrests and directional reading lights. – What Car?