This 1968 VW Transporter will be remade by Leif's Auto Centers

It’s not a sports car. It looks like a box that might contain a sports car. It’s a 1968 Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter – commonly known as a microbus. On its best day, this vehicle was a utility wagon, and its 47 horsepower engine never impressed anyone with its speed and torque.

This particular 1968 Volkswagen Transporter has already had a long and useful life, and it bears the battle scars of 43 years on the road. After nearly half a century of putting along in the slow lane, this ancient “panel delivery” bus was recently purchased by Leif’s Auto Centers as a company project car.

1968 was a big year for Volkswagen. When it was new, this Transporter received some great upgrades over prior years. The new model year features for ‘68 included a new, slightly more powerful 1600cc engine, a smoother transmission, and an upgraded suspension and driveline for better handling and steering.

Now all of that good stuff will be thrown away as part of this project.

When all the work has been done, this Transporter will sport a powerful 6-cylinder engine transplanted from a Porsche 911 – a cousin of the venerable VW powerplant, but as different from this van’s original engine as a shark is different from a goldfish. VW’s ancient and greasy 4-speed transmission will be replaced with a state of the art all wheel drive system. Finally, a fully modern sport-tuned suspension and brake package will replace the half-century-old 4-wheel drum brakes and torsion bar springs.

That’s the good news for the underside of the van. But the topside is Leif’s particular specialty. The old microbus will be taken down to bare metal, repaired, and then built back up in the best way possible: with input from Leif’s customers and fans. When it’s done, the bus will be called the Mystery Machine, after the van in the popular Scooby-Doo Saturday morning TV show of the 1970s.

“Each phase of the project, we’re going to post to Facebook and to our website and let our customers and fans choose what kind of colors, what designs we use on this project, so at the end, it will be a combined product of all that input,” says Jeshe Burch, Marketing Director for Leif’s Auto Centers.

Every step of this restoration and modification will be documented through Leif’s online presence, and through Leif’s sponsorship of The Ride Show on NW32TV (KRCW-TV). And when the project is finally complete, fans who have followed the build will get the chance to own this unique sports van – Leif’s plans to contest the project via either raffle or sweepstakes and donate the proceeds to charity. For one final hurrah, the fans will decide which charity gets the money.

“We want to highlight the fact that we do more than just collision repair at Leif’s. We are now a full-service automotive service center, from fuel and maintenance to repairs and lifestyle services,” says owner and founder Leif Hansen.

You can follow the restoration and modification process on this 1968 Volkswagen Transporter online at www.leifs.com, or like Leif’s on Facebook at: /leifsautomotive.

a.  Michigan

b.  Indiana

c.  Kentucky

d.  Ohio

Answer: c. The Corvette is built in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  That is also the site of the Corvette Museum.

BRISTOL, TN.– A team of drivers including NASCAR star David Ragan and four Ford Mustang engineers, drove a 2011 Mustang V-6, using a single tank of gas, to complete 1,457 laps of the Bristol

The Mustang 1,000 Lap Challenge was designed to demonstrate that a stock production Mustang V-6 could run 1,000 laps and 533 miles on a single of tank of fuel.  With the aid of fuel-efficient driving techniques by Ford engineers, the Mustang far surpassed its goal of 1,000 laps.

“To see a Mustang post average fuel economy of 48.5 mpg while running at Bristol is impressive,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer.  “The new V-6 engine along with the advanced six-speed transmission in the car is a key element in delivering both fuel economy and performance for Mustang.”

Ragan pushed the Mustang past the 1,000-lap mark at 7:26 p.m., 12 hours and 26 minutes into the Challenge, but the car wasn’t close to being out of fuel.  Mustang engineer Seong Park was behind the wheel when it finally came to a halt (on the backstretch) of the famed NASCAR track at 12:41 a.m. local time.

Other Mustang Challenge team drivers included Tom Barnes, Jonathan Mehl and Carl Ek, who along with Park, rotated through one-hour driving stints during the event, which took place at the world’s fastest half-mile track.

“When we hit 1,000 laps we still had a quarter of a tank of gas left,” said David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing, and the man who drove the 2011 V-6 Mustang past the 1,000 lap mark. “The last driving stint before I passed 1,000 laps I was averaging 43.7 miles a gallon and that is unbelievable. These guys have run the distance of more than two Sprint Cup races at Bristol and they still have fuel left. Congratulations to everyone behind the Mustang and to everyone at Ford, because this 2011 Mustang V-6 is really something special.”

A team of Ford engineers prepared for the challenge by implementing fuel-efficient driving tips like minimizing the use of air conditioning, steady and consistent driving, avoiding sudden stops/starts and by keeping the RPMs low.  The engine in the Mustang is powered by a lightweight, all-aluminum 3.7-liter dual-overhead-cam (DOHC) V-6 engine that uses advanced engineering to deliver its combination of power and economy.  The Mustang used in the challenge is a stock production vehicle that can be purchased through a Ford dealer.

Merchants of Speed – The Men Who Built America’s Performance Industry

by Paul D. Smith
Motorbooks International, Minneapolis Minnesota, 2009
240 pages, 250 b/w photos
List price: $40
ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-3567-3

One of the many cultural developments that accompanied the end of the Great Depression and the second World War was the rising interest (some might say craze) for automotive performance that continues to this day. As Americans came home and started the business of building the postwar nation, a few automotive visionaries began developing performance parts for the standard family wagons that the big three were making in Detroit.

Names like Edelbrock, Offenhauser, and Iskendarian became synonymous with performance, and  countless speed shops and shade tree mechanics across the country used their parts and shared their expertise. In this period, scratching an extra horsepower out of a stock engine required knowledge, skill, and patience ­– you couldn’t just plug in a computer and give yourself 50 more ponies!

Paul Smith’s new book, Merchants of Speed, profiles the most significant men who performed this pioneering development work. Today’s entire world of automotive performance rests on the shoulders of the 26 men documented in this display-quality hardbound volume. At 240 pages, this book contains information and hundreds of photos of the glory days of hot rodding that simply will not be found anywhere else. Smith’s access to the few leaders of the original hot rod movement who are still alive delivers unique information with exceptional credibility.

Smith comes to the topic from the perspective of a hot rod and drag racing enthusiast, and spent much of his research time for this book living in Los Angeles, which was a center for hot rod development at the time. Because the book is written based on accounts provided by the still-surviving members of the original fraternity of hot rodding, a certain amount of nostalgia shows through, but that’s forgivable in a book that is well-written and includes the basic facts of who, where, when, how, and why.

Racing and land speed competition were a big part of the hot rod movement, and for an aftermarket parts manufacturer to gain credibility, claims had to be proven out on the drag strip, the oval track, and the dry lake beds. Extensive photography in the book documents the look and equipment of the actual racing machines as they competed. Restoring these vehicles (when they can be found) is a big business today, and most books that cover these vehicles opt for new photographs of the restored vehicles, where this book relies on original photos from the competition period.

At a cover price of $40 in the United States, this book is a great value for the hot rod enthusiast or builder who wants to complete his knowledge of the companies and names found on period parts. Merchants of Speed is not a builder’s guide or restoration manual, but for those who plan to restore or re-create authentic hot rods of the 1940s and 1950s, the wealth of original photos and product development timelines will provide provenance for both design and equipment choices.

In short, if you’re an original hot rod restorer, replica maker, or simply an enthusiast, you will want to own a copy of this book. You can find it on Amazon.com.

The sixth annual survey polled 5,202 licensed Americans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, gauging driver knowledge by administering 20 questions taken from state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) exams. Additional questions explored distracting habits such as texting while driving.

Overall, findings indicate a large number of licensed Americans continue to lack knowledge of basic rules of the road; the national average score decreased to 76.2 percent from 76.6 percent in 2009. Eighty-five percent could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a steady yellow traffic light, and many remained confused by safe following distances.

When analyzed regionally, the results reveal that drivers in the Northeast may not be as road-rule savvy as their Midwestern counterparts. The Northeast had the lowest average test scores (74.9 percent) and had the highest failure rate (25.1 percent). The Midwest region had the highest average test scores (77.5 percent) and the lowest failure rates (11.9 percent).

Results also indicate that the older the driver, the higher the score. Males over 45 earned the highest average test score. Males also out-performed females overall in terms of average score (78.1 percent male versus 74.4 percent female) and failure rates (24 percent female versus 18.1 percent male).

Additional questions from the survey reveal drivers conduct a variety of distracting behaviors behind the wheel; approximately 1 in 4 participants admitted to driving while talking on a cell phone, eating and adjusting the radio or selecting songs on an iPod. However, only five percent reported they text while driving. Overall, a significantly higher percentage of females than males reported engaging in the following distracting situations: conversation with passengers, selecting songs on an iPod or CD/adjusting the radio, talking on a cell phone, eating, applying make-up and reading.

Think You’re Smarter Than the Average Driver?

Test your driving smarts at www.gmacinsurance.com, where you can take the survey, play a quirky driving game, and challenge friends to top your score. Facebook users can take the National Drivers Test Facebook quiz and challenge their friends, and Twitter users can follow the Drivers Test Twitter page for updates on state rankings and tidbits on safe driving habits.

The first quarter reading showed affordability worsened by 0.3 weeks from the Index’s revised fourth quarter level of 23.1 weeks of median family income. The average total cost of buying and financing a new car increased by $500 to $27,500, an 8 percent annual rate increase from the previous quarter. That may not sound like much, but it’s the trend that we care about – car prices (including finance charges) are rising faster than incomes.

Median family income is estimated to have risen at a 2 percent annual rate in the first quarter. Average car loan rates increased to 4.3 percent, 50 basis points (or half a percent) above the 2009 average of 3.8 percent.

“Affordability deteriorated slightly in the first quarter, mostly due to the rise in interest rates on car loans,” said Dana Johnson, Chief Economist at Comerica Bank. “With the ongoing improvement in the economy, consumers were willing to pay a bit more for new vehicles, allowing the car companies to offer less generous discounts and financing terms. The result is that auto affordability in the first quarter was the lowest in nine quarters.

With horsepower (hp) up by 90 and weight down by 154 lbs (70 kilograms) in comparison with the previous 911 GT2, the new 911 GT2 RS has a power-to-weight ratio of just 4.9 lbs (2.21 kg) per horsepower, by far the best power/weight ratio in its class. These are the ideal ingredients for an ultra-high-performance sports car with supreme agility and truly blistering performance on the road. Perfectly illustrating Porsche Intelligent Performance, the 2011 GT2 RS achieves a reduction of approximately 5 percent for both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions when compared with the previous 911 GT2.

The 3.6 liter six-cylinder boxer engine features two variable turbine geometry turbochargers and provides power to the rear wheels exclusively through a six-speed manual gearbox. Equally impressive stopping power comes from Porsche Composite Ceramic Brakes (PCCB).

New tires were specifically developed for the 911 GT2 RS and measure 245/35 ZR 19 at the front and 325/30 ZR 19 at the rear, delivering cornering performance to match the straight-line speed. Extreme cornering dynamics are ensured by the setup of the springs, Porsche Adaptive Suspension Management (PASM), unique anti-roll bars, specific engine mounts and recalibrated Porsche Stability Management (PSM), whose stability and traction control functions can be switched off individually.

The combined effect of these developments is evident on the racetrack. In fact, the ultimate 911 accelerates from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds, boasts a top-track speed of 205 mph and laps the famed Nurburgring-Nordschleife racetrack in just 7 minutes and 18 seconds.

Unique Looks, Limited Production, Worldwide Appeal

In its looks, the new 911 GT2 RS stands out clearly from the other 911 models through the lavish use of carbon-fiber-reinforced components with a matt-black surface finish, even wider wheels (including flared wheel arches at the front), new light-alloy wheels with central locking and “GT2 RS” model designations on the doors and rear lid. Matte-finish carbon also graces the redesigned front spoiler lip and the 3/8th of an inch (10 mm) taller rear spoiler lip – which both enhances aerodynamics and provides extra downforce.

The interior of the 911 GT2 RS also exudes sporting performance in virtually every detail. Lightweight two-piece bucket seats made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic are standard, as are lightweight door panels with fabric straps instead of traditional door handles. The basic interior color is black, which contrasts with red elements, such as the seat center sections, the roof lining and segments of the steering wheel rim. The gearshift and handbrake lever are also finished in red alcantara.

Limited to just 500 units worldwide, the 911 GT2 RS will be available in the U.S. October 2010 and will have a MSRP of $245,000. The GT2 RS is making its world debut at the Moscow Auto Show on August 25th, 2010.

So, let’s take a look at the Avenger. From the outside, it’s got all of Dodge’s latest styling cues – in fact, it looks like a 7/8th scale Charger.  The styling is retro-sporty, and the car is not that much smaller than its big brothers.  It’s a nice looking ride.

But when you get in and go, it doesn’t take long to realize that “Nah, it ain’t got a Hemi.” The 2.4-liter four cylinder engine, even with DOHC and 16 valves, just doesn’t have what it takes to get the Avenger going the way the bodywork promises. On the plus side, the 4-cylinder Avenger gets 21 MPG in the city and 30 on the highway. Our real-world testing found these figures only slightly optimistic.

Part of the power issue is surely the 4-speed automatic transmission, but some of it will also be the size of the car – this is no little Neon, but rather a mid-size sedan that will replace the outgoing Stratus. Dodge is also offering this car in a V6 configuration, and that’s the one that you’re going to want.

More signs that the Avenger is targeted to the 20-something market are its features, including the trademarked Chill Zone — a storage compartment in the top of the instrument panel that holds up to four 12 oz. beverage cans. The little bin has a duct from the air conditioner and will keep some drinks cool for you.  The interior lighting is all by LED, which is slick. The easy-clean fabric will be important to young families – and anyone who likes to eat tacos while driving. The front cupholder offers your choice of cooling or heating, to keep your drink just right while you’re on the road. And finally, you can outfit your Avenger with the full in-car theater system that today’s young people find irresistable. The system supports CD/DVD/MP3/SIRIUS and for all we know, 78RPM records.

The Avenger also features the optional MyGIG system, an information, entertainment, safety, and navigation package. The interface is a navigation radio that features a 6.5-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) Display with a touch-screen panel that can support 65,000 colors. You get a three-dimensional appearance to graphics and animation, as well as multiple font sizes and styles. The MyGIG system follows voice-activated commands and includes a 20 gigabyte hard disc drive that includes Music Juke Box for organizing music and pictures on the hard drive. Music I can understand, but pictures? In a car? The MyGIG system also includes a USB plug that provides both MP3 connectivity and allows you to download WMA, MP3 and JPEG files onto the hard drive.

Usefully, MyGIG provides for voice memo recording, which allows a message up to 3 minutes long to be recorded using the microphone integrated into the rearview mirror and it includes the UConnect Hands-free Communication System. This is a fancy name for a Bluetooth wireless communication system for compatible cell phones.

With the food preparation and storage capacity, the entertainment system, and the mileage, this car could double as a college dorm room. The car certainly had more living space than I recall we had at good ol’ Driving Sports U.

The bottom line on the Avenger is that this really is not a bad choice if you want to send Junior off to college with a reliable mid-size sedan that gets good mileage. It would also make a dandy wedding present. But folks over 30 are going to want to look higher up Dodge’s product line.

Oh – one last thing, Dodge says that an All Wheel Drive version of the Avenger is on the way. Stay tuned…