Motorweek; 507

No. It's still the only rotary powered sports machine. But the rest of it's all new. And another one of a kind old but new walk here. The whole story next on motorways. Motorway TV's automotive magazine is brought to you by the Robert Bosh corporation makers of marsh platinum the ultimate spark plug for American and imported cars and buy antifreeze and cool in America goes with Presto. Your host for Motor Week. John Davis.

Hello and welcome again to motor week to test subjects couldn't be more different this week. We're starting off with a Mazda sleek new rotary sports car. They are accepting but we finish with one. If you're from France that's a car in English the Citroen show will also be spending some time with our ace mechanic Pat Goss who is ready with a discourse on spark plugs and Joyce Braga has some videotape on two hot project cars for most immobile. But first let's look at another hot car from Japan. This Mazda are accepted. Now this year it's all new from the ground up. You know that word new Well it's got to be one of the most overused three letter words in the automotive dictionary. New is used for anything from a totally original design to a change of color for the seat belts which sometimes can be the only thing that is new on some cars. But this time around those three little letters are right. They are x 7 actually is new. The original R x seven god raves in 1998 for its modest price and fun to

drive nature. It reminded us that spirited driving could still be an affordable treat. And how's the new Arik seven. Well let's find out. It's been called the poor man's Porsche. Definitely an understatement since clearly the 944 was used as a baseline for the reworked Arik seven. Unfortunately that seems to have cramped the style of Mazda designers since they are except in looks much like a 944 clone. You get the same aggressive bulging fenders although more tain along with a deep slotted front air dams and huge wraparound glass hatch. But the twenty seven hundred pound Arik seven is harmony of style has Porsche aesthetics beat. This is one beautiful car. And it does have some unique exterior footnotes like the retractable headlights that can still shine through bumper lenses for a flash to pass mode. And here hand some cast wheels that don't indulge in the popular Swiss cheese look

top Tire is a re compound it but tends to 0 5 60 15 in size. The only familiar item is under the hood. Basically it's the same 13 B-2 rotor engine as last year. Mazda did add a new electronic fuel injection and induction system for the unveiling. So horsepower is up accordingly to 146. That's one less than the nine forty fours 2.5 liter four cylinder with torque ratings also a bit lower at one thirty six one point three liter rotary will stop. Full Tilt for our test and its performance made fast work of a quarter mile. A very quick sixteen point four seconds. At 81 mph zero to 60 equally rapid. Nine point one seconds. Midway between what we call fast and rocket. For comparison the last Porsche 944 we drove sped to 60 in only one tenth of a second left.

We did have minor complaints about the are exceptions to easy clutch pedal. Still the 5 speed has well spaced gearing and a 4 speed overdrive automatic is available. But a sports car is a lot more than just acceleration. The R x 7 g x L has a limited slip differential and includes driver adjustable shock valve. Set it to firm and the R x 7 is ready to show its handling prowess. All sevens have a unique and appended rear suspension that provides a helpful rear wheel steering called Dynamic tracking pivoting hubs allow the rear wheels to toe out just slightly in low speed turns at high speeds and to produce a mild case of understeer. Stability this counteracts the tendency for a car to fishtail and a fast quick turn. This variable toe in or toe out system gives the R x 7 driver excellent control and almost any situation almost. We did find a couple of problems that might gang up on you. A power rack and pinion steering on

RG was a bit too quick two point seven turns lock to lock it's over boosted and feels to light at normal speeds. A computer reduces boost at high speeds but most of the time it's stuck in the pedestrian mode so there's almost no feedback for what the wheels are doing when combined with tires that are on the skinny side and seem to lose rather than gain traction as they heated up. We experienced this fearful slide but even here the dynamic tracking suspension meant control could be regained faster than with most sports cars including the 944 with a vented disc brakes at all corners stopping the R x 7 g x l was painless distances from 55 were amazingly short only 98 feet on average after 6 attempts with no noticeable fade. The pedal felt firm but never stiff. But as impressive as they are x 7 is on the track it's every day attributes are even more so with the shock control and normal the ride is very smooth.

It helps keep the sound level at a reasonable 74 decibels at 55. EPA mileage estimates on all models is 17 city 24 highway. We managed 22 on our loop better than expected. And on the inside you get the same purposeful feel but a much richer tone than previous models. The extra buck leather seats in RG X Al gave good support and a combo of adjustable thigh support and tilt steering wheel mane comfortable driving positions for all. Too bad the passenger seat didn't also have a changeable thigh support its straight leg seating can be tiring on long trips. Headroom has always been at a premium on an R x 7 but an outward sliding sunroof design preserves all there is. We like the novel handlebar levers for turn signals and cruise as well as the other POD mounted controls. The center console housed an efficient climate control system and here a premium 100 watt stereo down below the standard 5 speed shifter

has short throws but is still a bit not cheap and will take note of the logical electric windows switch design push for down hole for up. Gauges are clear and fully visible through the steering will with attack dead center. We think that should be a sports car prerequisite. They are x 7 has always been one of the best sports cars for utility. The huge Hatch reveals more than ample luggage room and there is a struct mounted light. And these very deep lockable storage Wells behind the seats. The first time around our x 7 2 plus 2 substitutes a small folding jump seat for the lock boxes. So the new Mazda Arik 7 made a big impression on us. It has an innovative suspension with excellent ride and handling prowess it's well engineered throughout with easy to use controls. Good comfort and above average sports car utility. The few messes we do feel that cars with elevated engineering should also lead styling trends not

follow them and we'd like to see less boost and more feel in the steering at lower speeds. Better tires would help too. We do have one final comparison to the Porsche 944. The all out Arik seven Jack sale is priced before dealer add ons at sixteen thousand six hundred forty five dollars. That's over six grand less than a 944. And if you can live with a little less performance the base Arik seven starts at 12000 where the sports package for a thousand more. So what we have here is an excellent sports car. It has all its predecessors virtues and lots more while still keeping something of a reign on price. Indeed the more this new Mazda Arik 7 has changed the more it's remained the same. Now you may have found out the hard way but if one of these little devils isn't working right on your

car and the whole car isn't working right. Spark plugs really do give your car the spark of life and then find out the whole electrifying truth about spark plugs. Here's our own electrifying goals. John there still is some place where good things come in small packages and it's right under the hood of your car. Well one of my talking about the spark plugs. You know there isn't any single thing that a do it yourself or can do today that has as much effect on the way the car runs and the kind of mileage it gets as it is with the spark plugs. It's the one thing we can still do ourselves. Now what exactly is a spark plug. Well the spark plugs pretty simple. It has to deliver a high voltage spark inside the engine. And this high voltage spark ignites the fuel in their mixture that's in the cylinder which makes it burn. And this burning produces the power that propels the car down the road. Well the high voltage is produced elsewhere in the engine

compartment and it's delivered to the spark plug by means of the spark plug wires which just plug on to the ends of the spark plugs like so. OK. Now how does all of this fit together. What's really quite simple let's take a look at this chart. Right at the top of the sparkplug we have this connection and that's where the spark plug wire connects to the plug. It's part of this piece that goes all the way through the center of the plug. It's called a center electrode so that high voltage spark comes out of the plug wire comes all the way down through this center electrode So it gives to this gap at the end of the plug and it jumps from the center electrode to this ground electrode which is attached to the shell of the spark plug. And right here this spark is what ignites the fuel in their mixture in the cylinder. Right now the shell is relatively simple. What's it do. Well it holds all of the pieces of the spark plug together and gives us the ability to attach the spark plug to the engine of the car.

Then we have the ceramic portion goes around the center electrode and goes all the way through the sparkplug. It's an insulator and its purpose is to make sure that the high voltage part goes down through the center of the plug and not down the outside. Right now that's what the spark plug is composed of. Now when do we replace spark plugs. Well it's really pretty simple. We replace it whenever the owner's manual tells us to. With one exception. If we have a situation where we have a noticeable decrease in gas mileage or in performance at a mileage that is less than what the owner's manual recommends. The first thing that we do is we replace the spark plugs. Now each spark plug will have a part number on it. I have to make sure that you get the right part number on the sparkplugs that you're putting into the engine in your car. You get that out of the owner's manual or out of a shop manual. One of the other.

Make sure that you use the proper part number because this number determines all of the physical characteristics of the plug and it determines the heat range of the plug. The heat range is a familiar term because it's something that we used to do. We used to change heat ranges to compensate for various performance deficiencies in the car. Well don't do it any more because changing heat range on the spark plugs in your engine today can damage or destroy the engine. And believe me that can be expensive. Now there are a couple of new types of plugs that we should be aware of. The first one is right here. If we look at this one closely especially right down here at the lower part of the center electrode you will see that it's made of copper. It's a very common plug today. We also have this type right here. This is a platinum plug. The center electrode is made of platinum. Now both of these are very beneficial because they have better control of heat range.

They give better combustion and they're more resistant to falling. So it's something that can be very beneficial in your car. And here's something that you really don't want to do. This is a no name an off brand plug a house plug. Now this could be quite damaging to the engine the heat range might not be proper. It might not give you the performance for the life that you expect. So when it comes to spark plugs always buy first class. You don't want to be pennywise and horsepower foolish. Now ask anybody who's serious about cars what their ultimate dream machine is and you'll hear names like Porsche show or Jaguar often enough. But there's one then you'll probably hear more often than just about any other. And that's Ferrari want to know what it's like to spend a dreamy day in the country with the ultimate dream machine and come along

with us for a ride. Me. On it I'll remember them

and we'd like to thank our friend Jim Sawchuk of high performance video for those great pictures. And now Joyce that we've spent some time with the R x 7 and the Ferrari one of the folks at Oldsmobile have force along the performance line. Well John they have some cars that are also showing some pretty impressive handling you know in recent years always well Bill's been pretty conservative about their hot rod cars. That's true but you know I think that with these cars they're going to be telling us that things are going to change down the road. These are the Oldsmobile Effi 3 X project cars the super models a Callaway the black one is the cutlass version after three is the code name for the beefed up suspensions that are optional on most front drive 86 Oldsmobile those. So F 3 X stands for a package that goes beyond three. These are old engineering and development cars. Cars the old engineers used to get their

theories and ideas moving. This is what makes the cutlass mood a high output version of the trusty five leader olds rocket V8 mated to a five speed manual transmission. Of course it's been tweaked in tune. Just like this Kalai as he reacts is relator B6 flow restriction exhaust and outside air induction both cars get all kinds of aero modifications side skirts and wheel well evacuation docks. And air dams and spoilers. The spoilers are even adjustable. Of course. A car like this wouldn't be complete without wider wheels and fat 50 series gator back rubber. The FP three axes also get stiffer springs adjustable shocks and special bushings to mount all that hardware on. The cutlass gets load compensating rear springs more important the cars get rear disc brakes to match the front ones

and there is an adjustable brake proportioning valve that Taylor's braking to road conditions. Inside both cars sports special contoured seats with four point racing harnesses there's a roll bar too and all the expected instruments and there is more were all that came from. Here's a G meter to measure cornering loads. The higher the number the better the car holds the road head on GM Seven Sisters Road Corps. Those meters read more than one phone. That's better than a horse that. The three axes are helping old engineers answer questions about the best combination of riding cornering and with the Callaway how to make front drive cars. Really. Aside from research there's something else to learn here. Ose Movil is sometimes called the old man division but obviously they still got a few tricks to teach everybody else.

Now John you can't buy an effete 3x for yourself. But who knows what our why offer us later on. Well I guess we just have to wait. Thank you Joyce. And from future performance cars we now take a look at a car that's in the classic mold the classic Citroen Doo show. You know the word classic is another one of those overused automotive terms the dictionary says it means withstanding the test of time. That leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Some people think only cars like Duesenberg and cords should be called a classic. Others say a classic is anything that's been around long enough to have rust as its permanent trim color. Obviously one man's classic is another man's trade him. But our citroën here might just be a new definition of classic all by itself. After all fifty million Frenchmen can't be wrong at least not about the over six and a half million Citroen duo made since

1948. Called the Citroen 2 CV for short. That four passenger bug eyed silhouette was and still is France's answer to the late lamented VW Beetle. And today they still make pretty much the way they've always made him talk about standing the test of time. And here's something even more peculiar. Our sample was a brand new model brand new in 1066 that is to our remanufactured in France using all new body panels and parts. Then they arrive here in America for a second test of time. They avoid current emission rules but they do get seat belts and other safety equipment. That work is done by Ford Truong. That's the important part of the farm located in Glen Burnie Maryland. And the price. Fifty nine ninety five. So why are the two CV still so popular. Well it's thanks to the simple virtues of a design that provides transportation with as little waste as possible. The interior is

simple but functional. A cloth covered bench for two isn't much more than fabric and padding hung over a steel tube frame but it is comfortable if short on back support. For the driver there's not much information but just enough a speedometer measured in kilometers per hour. A gas gauge and the barest of controls you shift with this little device that grows out of the fire wall or speed pattern is a little odd too. But working the shifter in traffic can give a driver a real sense of purpose. At the rear there's room for two more to see. And thanks to an upward sloping rear end they get a great view of the road. But Citroen didn't totally skimp on comfort a little to see if he has it's own sort of factory air kind of anyway at speed you really do get some air through here. And what more could you ask for. And the petite size doesn't mean little utility on our model there's a rear hatch big enough to get most

looked of all objects in and out. And the rear seat is removable. They say to make enough room for French farmers go door to. The is powered by a six hundred two cubic centimeter that's point 6 0 2 liter air cooled 2 cylinder and makes 29 horsepower and 29 pound feet of torque. The original 2 CV had an engine that made 2 fiscal horsepower. Hence the name Chavo. French for 2 horse. The engine is made into a manual transaxle with no synchro mash on first year. On the test track the 2 CV made a valiant effort but it still took at twenty two point nine seconds to reach the quarter mile mark with a terminal speed of a legal 55. And 0 to 60. Would you believe 28 seconds. 40 to 55 passing time a very long eight point three seconds. We almost felt like spotting the two CV a few seconds. Just for effort. But we didn't. Yes the two CV is not without its share of unique engineering. The front disc brakes are

mounted and board for less unsprung weight and their air cooled by the engine fan. But we ran out of track before we could get the 1600 £50 up to speed for our usual 55 mile per hour braking. We settled for 50 mph and an average distance of one hundred twenty one feet. There was no fate. Premature lock or tail swing though the non-power pedal was harder than were used to. The 38 year old design has something else a lot of new models still don't have a fully independent suspension with a leading arms at the front trailing arms at the rear and coil springs at all four corners handling is surprisingly stable. There is much typical French body roll and a tendency for the inside rear wheel to lift off the ground in a hard turn the rear end of the car stay stuck though mostly because of the steering. The harder you try to maneuver the car quickly the heavier the steering gets. It's a built in safety device that makes sure your arms give out before the cart loads and there are a few other unique features built in

headlights that can be adjusted to compensate for changing ride height. And here's our favorite. A top that comes off sardine can style proving you don't need electric motors and hydraulics to enjoy the sun. To top everything else on or off the two CV is economical to drive the EPA doesn't write the Citroen since it's not technically a new car. We found an average of 40 miles per gallon is typical for suburban driving. But you can't really measure the two CVF qualities by statistics. It's got a certain subject of the whale that's kept at popular all these years. Long time owners don't think of the two CB as a car. It's more like a state of mind. It's easy to get emotionally involved with the two CV you like to coax it along virtually. As well as with your hands and feet. That's what they say about other so-called classic cars so we'll take a quick hello here to the men and women who

watch us around the world on Armed Forces Television. You too can write us about your program ideas at motorway Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. That's Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. I will see you next time. Motorway quiz brought to you by the Robert by ship corporation makers of Bosh platinum the ultimate spark plug for American and imported cars and buy from St.. And the reason America goes with Presto. Well Buick fanciers find happiness with this all new front drive sedan

and will Honda fans get a charge from this new fuel injected hatchback. Hello I'm John Davis next time around motor week we'll take a look at the new Buick Le Sacre and the speedy little Honda CRV acts as Saab. That was our regular maintenance advice a new car preview joined us right here on the next motor.