AutoWeek Daily Drive — Friday, May 23, 2008

HOME   |   LATEST NEWS   |   VEHICLE REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   CLASSIFIEDS Friday, May 23, 2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Aston Martin V8 Vantage gets engine, transmission upgrades The most common view of the latest edition of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage will likely be of its taillights. That's because the British luxury car maker has dramatically reworked the Vantage's engine and transmission, resulting in a car that makes 420 hp, can sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds and has a top speed of 180 mph. Aston Martin bored and stroked the engine, increasing displacement ... SHORT STINT: 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged OUR TAKE: We were torn between enjoying the entertainment value of some of the interior gimmickry of Jaguar's new XF--the vents that power open and closed, the heartbeat-pulsation of the start button, the way the shifter "dial" powers up out of the console--and thinking how silly it all is.... IRL extends Honda deal, seeks more manufacturer participation Honda Performance Development announced it has extended its contract to supply engines to the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series for another five years, beginning in 2009. Honda joined the IndyCar Series at the start of the 2003 season, and became its sole engine supplier in 2006. "In the... F1: To go, or not to go Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, 23, said he plans to test a Toyota Formula One car this fall in Japan. Busch will do some exhibition runs for NASCAR and Toyota in his Cup car and, if plans work out, test an F1 car. He joked (we think) about retiring from NASCAR and racing in F1.... ESCAPE ROADS: 1948 Allard K1: The Clapham hot rod Sydney Herbert Allard's most famous creation, the J2, was the product of a British spin on a very American formula: hot rodding. Allard crafted a lightweight two-seat chassis, clothed it in a functional body and stuffed it with a big American V8. Allard J2s finished third at Le Mans in 1950 and won ... MARKET: 1956 Porsche 356A/1600S Speedster Convertible Russo & Steele, Hollywood, Fla. March 28-29 Four-cylinder, 1582-cid, horizontally opposed rear engine, four-speed manual. Body in primer with black vinyl interior. Rare hardtop is unpainted fiberglass. Porsche Certificate of Authenticity states car was completed on Dec. 2, 1955, and... You May Have Missed... Lancer Evolution: MR version of hot Mitsubishi goes on sale in June Mitsubishi says the Lancer Evolution MR sedan is a daily driver with a hint of rally flavor. That claim will get road-tested in June, when the Evolution MR goes on sale in the United States. The MR is the upper trim level of the Lancer Evolution and follows the January launch of the base... VIDEO: Italian horsepower AutoWeek Managing Editor Roger Hart tours Italy in a Ferrari F430 Scuderia, and celebrates Italian meccanica with Ferrari, Maserati and Ducati.... Sirius to air Formula One races live Formula One race fans who can't be in front of a television at race time now have another option: listening to the race on Sirius Satellite Radio. Sirius has reached a deal with Formula One Management for live broadcasts of the 2008 season's remaining races, beginning with the Monaco Grand Prix... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. IMPORTANT: Please add AutoWeek.com to your E-mail Address Book to ensure you will continue to receive our newsletters. Please DO NOT reply to this e-mail. You will not receive a reply if you use this e-mail address. Crain Communications, 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207.