Motorweek; 2229

This time on motorways Montserrat he returns to America a more polished Grand Prix and a master motorcycle craftsman to come drive with us. The little. TV's original automotive magazine Pep Boys were conned people. That motor week. My favorite one great show 30 quality minutes I show you can watch with your friends. You getting excited know there are cars involved. Of course I am. And to buy. What are you looking for. A motorist. Your host for Motor Week. John Davis. Well hello and welcome again to motor week. We're glad to have you with us. Maz a Rotty is a name synonymous with thrilling Italian performance cars but it's also one that Americans rarely hear. Since the

company stopped selling cars in the U.S. in 1990 but now Maharani is back but not with the burley Quattroporte Jr. cool by Turbo. But with this totally new monster Roddy coupe a a car there promises style performance in technology worthy of the brands a legendary name. Welcome back Maharani. Even before the first wheel was turned this was the object of considerable affection by everyone who loves cars. The all new 2003 monster Roddy who painted this sleek Trident pants two door hard top is available in two models. The manual page GTI an artist to pay can be a course up with the namesake automatic clutch gearbox plus an even more enticing open top Maharani spider. At first glance the art's wrong to reach mo bodywork of the new coupe reminds us of classic Montserrat he's in Ferrari's of the 1960s.

Appropriate sense Maharani is now part of Ferrari benefiting from their considerable engineering and low volume expertise. The classic swooping headlines Diplo with the longest front overhang ending at a clearly Montserrat the grill opening complete with the chrome Trident the ample one hundred four point seven inch wheel base allows for mostly smooth flowing lines with proportions only going askew between the door and the rear wheel wells. The rear end is neatly clipped and while the least distinctive aspect of the body it's finished off nicely with no less than poor chrome exhaust tips. Open the long doors and your senses are again filled with the classic Mozza Roddy Aditi the twin cockpit seating areas are finally sculpted with large stage wide red leather upholstery three spoke telescoping steering wheel and a comprehensive chrome bezel gauge cluster protected from glare by a deep good driver seat comfort is quite modern with good leg room inside a wide foot well while the passenger side seems more cramped. Full power seat adjustments include driver side position memory

the center stack completely mixes then and now an analog clock and flipper bends top of a video screen Montserrat the information center that monitors audio automatic climate trip computer and optional satellite navigation features the off proportion exterior was needed to get the bouquet it's a classic two plus two configuration. A rear pair of richly appointed seats will condo your kids and kit bags but not much else. There is a trunk where the optional CD changer resides along with the type 11 cubic feet of designer luggage traction control a standard on the six speed manual GTI and on our car with the can be of course an automatic clutch manual transmission. What system we first tested in a Ferrari 355 one they use is twin steering wheel panels to both shift gears and actuate an electro hydraulic clutch once mastered it delivers rapid shifts under the hardest acceleration the driver can override the system with full automatic operation. Change shift points in sport mode that allow for low grip

slippery conditions. All this technology hauls up behind the WHO PAYS most impressive asset a four point two liter all aluminum Twin Cam 32 valve outputs an impressive three hundred ninety horsepower and 330 pound feet of torque carefully derived from the V.A. to drive Ferrari's 360 mode and its mechanical music at idle is only bested by the results when wheels do begin to turn. But for that no normal roadway was sufficient. So we turned up the heat at George's Roebling road Raceway the tight turns of this two mile road course or not unlike the narrow Italian mountain roads that were the proving grounds for the first Gran Turismo cars while far from a pure sports car. The coupe de delivers plenty of performance. We shot off the blocks with a very satisfying 0 to 60 time of only 4.7 seconds. The quarter mile was dispatched just as quickly in thirteen point four seconds at 106 miles per hour. Maybe it's the conservative look of the day that makes these times all that more

impressive. Dive into a corner and you instantly know the difference between a gym teacher and a peer. Sports car the software engine body roll can catch you by surprise ball turn ins are greeted with a bit of push. You can easily push the car through with a V8 instant throttle response. That can be of course a deliberate crisp ships up and down and with its rear transaxle mounting sets the coop a couple well balanced reactions. The aluminum intensive suspension consist of an equally control arms front and rear. The optional skyhook continuous damping system has both normal and sport modes. Triple digit speeds on the front straight will hold down by a Brembo brakes with four piston calipers. We did laps all day without hearing or spelling any complaints from them while not designed for this kind of track abuse it wouldn't take much to make the coup pay a real competitor. Although it's great automotive entertainment it's fun. Like it. That includes wintering down more normal byways. The ride is smooth with great

balance control and a body solidity. We're not used to an Italian cars now are we union with Montserrat he wasn't perfect. There were hints of some electrical gremlins in our peri early test car but they made it through our top week of testing in fine shape. And that brings us to what shape your bank account has to be and to own a Mussar Roddy to pay one eighty four thousand twenty five dollars for the GTI manual or eighty seven thousand two hundred twenty five dollars for the campy of course it's not inexpensive except in comparison to the least expensive Ferrari at more than 50 grand more an exotic car for a down stock market. Maybe an individual Italian work of automotive are places within the realm of reality. You're getting warmer. The finest example of a problem to reach most automobile in decades. Warmer still an impressive restart for one of the most painful names in the auto world. Now that's the 2003 Montserrat he can pay can be a Porsche. Exam.

Coming up the guru of vintage motorcycle. No matter how complex the automotive subject stop by Goss's garage makes everything clear. John alternate fuel vehicles are not practical for everyone yet. So what can you do to make your current vehicle more environmentally friendly. Well one of the most important things is tire pressure. You know it's not the tire pressure that's listed on the side of the tire though proper pressure will be listed on a decal that's usually inside the driver's door right down there sometimes in the glove box sometimes in the console and sometimes on the back of the fuel filler door. I'm so tired pressure. The other thing is don't over service your car. If you do mostly highway driving you don't have to change your oil is frequently so that means if you're doing it like everybody else does and you do highway driving

Well you could be doubling the amount of used oil that you're putting into the environment. That's not good and it doesn't benefit your car at all. Air filters. Something else that is critical as far as fuel economy and emissions go check them regularly. Air filters must be kept clean and by all means don't let them go till there is bad is this one that's way beyond anything that's reasonable. Spark plugs spark plugs have a big effect on emissions and performance and fuel economy. Now I know your owner's manual probably says you don't have to change them for a hundred thousand miles. But check them about every 30000 miles because certain types of driving can make them fail early. Next is the IGI are system exhaust gas re circulation. Now this system has a huge impact on the oxides of nitrogen that come out the tailpipe of the car. So the

ETR system should be checked and cleaned periodically. Sometimes as frequently as once a year. Man here's something else PCV positive crankcase ventilation. Well the PCV valve needs to be replaced once every year to keep the emissions within level and to protect the engine in your car. But don't just replace the valve. Have the entire PCV system all of the plumbing and everything that goes with that valve checked at the same time you do all of this and you will definitely be driving an environmentally friendly your car. If you have a question or comment write to me the address is motorways always Mills Maryland. 2 1 1 1 7 vintage car fans will always tell you that they don't build them like they used to and that's even more true about vintage motorcycles. So who do you turn to with that

fine old bike treasure when there's little left besides an engine and a frame. Or you could follow Craig C. Haas out on the high road to meet a man who knows how they did it back in the good old days and is still doing it today. There's a. Few Good. People in this world I don't distinguish between greater gender or anything. Those people make things of the people by and that's it. Motorcycle restorer Mike parties certainly falls into the category of someone who can make things. He has a reputation for producing some of the finest motorcycle restorations in the world. This member of the A.M.A. motorcycle Hall of Fame has restored some of the world's most significant pre-World War 1 motorcycles. My party's collection of early cycles is a testimony to the diversity of early motorcycle design and his ability to literally salvage bikes from the junk heap that would otherwise be lost forever. Better yet.

There's the 916 Harley Davidson. One liter thousand CCs to Q1 engines I've built completely from scratch on this bike here totally came out of. Bought shoes coffee cans not cases 100 percent of. The Skyguard on land fill with crud. We straightened it out piece by piece. I don't think you need to be less than a Packers fan and it shouldn't be a surprise that my party has an affinity for motorcycles was side cars during his racing career in the mid sixties party was a multiple time side car champion almost 40 years later it's his ability to restore basket case projects the garners all the attention. Ability tempered by his strict code of what really constitutes restoration. Well this is a 1910 fine Merkle. That Mike came in the. Motor. Frame and a few other pieces. I built around. I got a.

Friend. Mascot. From the parts Mike left over from 2 bike and one bike I end up with the rest of me. Real bike past have a couple of things that have a cracked motor at the correct price. This does you many fact the whole darn motorcycle drag. Which is fine as long as people understand what you're doing you're not making a replica but on the other hand. Grocery owner down the line somebody's going to try to pass not get. That's the part that I don't accept. Another example of a motorcycle rescued from oblivion. Is this 1913 Yale. This bike was found in Volcano California which is the gold fields of California. It was on a while Parker's land and when a crick then had logs and gravel on it and body can do I waited a Brick Willock earth there and dug it out.

Bleiler once ran a dollar store didn't look quite as good. Took 5 years to put it in the shade. I like curiosity. Of teens and. They have all. Black. From the bison side is not. A fat white thing. Where we may not really report that there was where all the great fat. Well we're trying to get to fix time. Believe me if one of these by cutting side note is still in the bottom doesn't the manufactures and then what we have to we don't know how to do it. Why do they do. Well here limitations. What they know we don't know today. I'm a collector. I'm not in or right thing any more. I'm not interested. The lycra guys I look like what I want. Everybody ask me if they want to do. I do what I like to do with. My motorcycle on the. Family.

That's about all I got to say on this I think they're going. During the mid Atlantic record President's Day weekend snowballs March 2003 Subaru Baja crew camp crossover utility was nearly unstoppable. The 60 series 16 inch tires dug right in and while the modest seven point three inches of ground clearance was soon outclassed by the storm when the plows arrived our automatic bomb was an active all wheel drive and limited slip rear differential foot. This Subaru quickly back to work and for months we've managed 8200 13 mostly urban miles in the box. But they're good for any utility vehicle twenty one point six mpg economy car bomb also performs well on some slimy muddy Appalachian mountain roads where it's only shortcoming was most evident. The 165 horsepower 2.5 leader a black four cylinder is fine at sea level but it really strains under load.

Hopefully Subaru will make the forester 2.5 X T's new 210 horse turbo core available soon. Our most recent log book entries about our 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander Xcel ass crossover SUV are actually similar to the box pulling power of the 2.4 leaderboards cylinder is only at. When the going gets tough otherwise an outlander is a most competent all weather all wheel drive utility wagon with fined twenty point seven mile per gallon fuel economy. We've driven the Outlander less than two months and only five thousand one hundred eight miles. But we do have some solid impressions comfort front seat in back is good for long distances as long as you aren't over 6 foot tall. Also ride and handling display a commendable balance. That balance stems from the one hundred three point three inch wheel base and all independent suspension borrowed from the well done Lancer sedan.

So while the Outlander is not as rugged as some issues these it shows where the near future of the American family car is headed in our near future we'll see if winter is challenging our board expedition and this Nissan 350 Z. But our next motor week long term road test update. Now let's check in with Jennifer because novice for a look at all the latest voter news from the name you might think Detroit's North American International Auto Show represents the automotive tastes of the entire continent. Well think again. That's why Toronto's Canadian International Auto Show is fast becoming the place to go for the rest of the story. Most cars and trucks sold in the U.S. are also sold in Canada. But the unique needs of Canadians require some significant differences. For instance Chevrolet will add a high value of a six cylinder family sedan to its Canadian lineup along with a compact or cylinder. Both will be built by Daewoo in Korea but will not be available from the bow tie brigade in the U.S.. However if you like what you see both cars will be sold on both sides of the border.

And this is Suki Verona and the Suzuki friends are all makers also bring different concepts to Toronto than Detroit. Case in point the unusual mosque the secret hideout first seen at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show. One could be excused for thinking it's an Oriental version of the VW microbus. Still it played well to young Canadian car fans when it comes to good taste there is some agreement. The automotive journalist Association of Canada picked the Nissan 350 Z as a 2003 Canadian car of the year. Dizzy also happens to be our motor week drivers choice pick as best of the year and that's it for this week's Motor News. Here's something different for auto racing fans. Cheating is a very amusing inside history of how NASCAR Winston Cup racers bypass the rules in search of extra speed. But NASCAR insider Tom Jensen's book is not just the How-To of the legal acceleration it's also a history of NASCAR's most colorful

personalities and their most inventive but least authorized engineering. It's an entertaining inaccessible peek at what goes on late at night in locked garages and it belongs on every auto racing fans Book Show. For years Pontiac is touted itself as the excitement Division of General Motors and ever since the days of screaming eagles on the hoods of Trans Ams. It's also been known for some pretty over-the-top styling but with GM now gambling on a complete overhaul of its midsize sedan lineup Pontiac Grand Prix must deliver both excitement and sophistication. So can the 2004 Grand Prix rise to the occasion. Well judging from the two days we spent driving the 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix through the heart of the Great Southwest we'd say that they don't agree. Gone are the tech body cladding and huge boy racer rear wings looking nearly

identical to the G4 show car the O-Port Grand Prix is largely all new and very sophisticated. Clumsy cladding years replaced by clean well integrated styling that accents the sharp coupe like profile of brand pre's two basic models. The GTA and GTP capitalizing on the Pontiac divisions wide track theme. The 0 4 grand prix looks even more hunkered down than before. This is especially true of our Jeff vehicle. The top drawer GTP model with its larger 17 inch wheels but both models have sporty styling touches like little exhaust and subtle rear spoiler riding on the same one hundred ten point five inch wheelbase is the previous Grand Prix or is just slightly longer and narrower this edge of a sleek impression one gets from the clean understated styling. While most of the grand prix cars were a Dell by the time cars are popular lots arrived on the General Motors scene. Some credit must go his way for seeing that the Pontiac styling department stayed true to its less is more theme. The lion's share of engineering development

went under the skin. The heavily revised w chassis is strong and rigid providing an excellent basis for performance. Art. The tepee test car came with a competition group are Jesus pension package. This upper level suspension provides stiffer bushings and specific spring rate and dampers turn for maximum grip and feel combined with the 17 HP rated Goodrich Conti a tires Pontiac claims a package capable of Point 8 3 g of lateral acceleration force on the skid pen. That's impressive for what is after all not a sports car. But in reality a sporty family sedan the base Grand Prix GTA is powered by GM that will 200 horsepower 3.8 leader V-6 car GTP goes beyond that with a 260 horsepower 3.8 with an Eton Super Charger this engine is two hundred eighty pound feet of torque when combined with a performance geared final drive ratio. Makes for very strong acceleration 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds

for about two seconds faster than the base car. Park Grand Prix GTP also came with a touch activated power township system mounted to the steering wheel at one style that allows manual control of the four speed automatic transmission chip response is quick and clean. And to our pleasant surprise unlike many such systems Township will not automatically ship up or down except the first gear when stopping. In two days of desert and mountain driving our Grand Prix GTP exhibited great poise and balance the overall feel is very solid with the firm but never harsh riding damping going in we were skeptical of how the not always well regarded depute chassis would handle the sophisticated comp G's suspension package so we were pleased to find that this combination results some of the best handling and most responsive mid size advance on the market today. The enhancement of the W platform which will also be the basis for revised Buick Century shows how smart chassis development can return a silk purse.

But the higher level of sophistication doesn't just reside on the outside of the Grand Prix grand praise benefit from a completely reworked interior that provides impressive style safety and SUV like versatility this easily has the most seriously sporty interior and a family sedan today. Bolt shakes around here seamless integration of a powerful stereo and effective climate controls and it's among the first mid-sized family sedans with available front and rear side curtain airbag as the versatility. The rear doors open nearly 90 degrees for loading bulky items while the rear seat is a little thin for long distance comfort. It's split design folds to reveal a giant passed through to the trunk the trunk lid to opens wider and lower for easier access when combined with the available front folding passenger seat objects up to nine feet long can be hauled with a trunk shot. Up front the driver enjoys a full complement of performance oriented three dimensional analog gauges. Our GTP came standard with a head up display as part of the comp package as well as a driver information center and steering wheel audio controls.

This should put drivers firmly in control at all times. Also under control is pricing in the 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix goes on sale in April. The base Chichi will start at twenty two thousand three hundred ninety five dollars. The GTP begin to twenty six thousand four hundred ninety five dollars. I test DTV with the optional comp package topped out at twenty seven thousand eight hundred ninety dollars. At that price and with the level of features and perform it's packaged into the new Grand Prix midsize sedan buyers and rivals will have to know the 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix significantly ups the ante calling the competition on price. It looks as if the first of General Motors revised mid-size sedans. Is holding a winning head. I hope you'll join us next week for more motorway when will break out the keys to three

hot new models and test both the all new Lexus our X 330 luxury utility and a redesigned Nissan Maxima sedan. Jennifer because Nonis introduces us to America's most homegrown Indy car driver Pat Doss tells us all about tires. I'm John Davis. Well to learn more about motor TV's original automotive magazine visit PBS online at PBS dot org or America keyword PBS to order the descent of this program. Call 1 800 873 6 1 5 4. Older has been brought to you by capital a square coffee table. That's entertainment. That's better than the smell of new tires. I agree Same time next week. You got it handed by. Me. What are you looking for.

They Motors. Yes.