Motorweek; 1527 PTV

This time on motor week we open up the Porsche 911 tape or go visit the supermarket of the after market and test for big bore explore. So come join with us. TV's automotive magazine. Your hopes for Motor Week. John Davis. Well hello and welcome again to motor week. We're glad to have you with us. With the demise of the last run engine Porsche and the Boxster are still months away Germany's premier sports car builder is down to one model the venerable 911. But within the 9/11 are an increasingly diverse number of clever variations each is

designed to exploit a different 911 niche. That's what this car is all about. The new 911 Targo. Now I know it doesn't look like a traditional target but trust me the sun still shines then. You need only place the new Porsche 911 target next to one of its earlier siblings to see the clear difference since its introduction in 1065 the 9/11 Target has opened up to the elements by way of a simple detachable roof panel but both the mechanism and the slightly squarish looked at it dictated have changed radically for 1996. But it wasn't until our test car arrived at our Maryland home base that we realised just how radical a difference in one. The slick curving lines of the 9/11 greenhouse have grown even smoother thanks to some very sexy German engineering. Rather than a removable metal panel or shop to fit a powered sliding glass panel encompassing almost the

entire roof area a sort of super sunroof. An operation is as simple as a sunroof. Hit a center console mounted switch and up pops a height adjustable wind deflector a flexible sunshade then retract into the windshield header and the entire roof panel slides to the rear to nestle under the rear glass. Hello great outdoors. And good by storage problems. The panel is completely out of the way while some of our staff did feel that the glass is dark tent impeded rearward vision. Others found a greatly reduced head like Blair. Yes those Germans are clever and practical. Rather than make an all new car Porsche built the targer with the same platform and body panels as the 9/11 cabriolet. It's already been structurally reinforced to compensate for the loss of the coup through but with only 66 pounds more weight. This lightweight yet solid construction and well thought out aerodynamics means plenty of air flow with the roof retracted but with less noise

and interior wind buffeting than either conventional convertible. Which is own earlier target. Apart from the clever route the targer is pure current 911. All interior appointments are standard Porsche fare. There's the practical yet. Then his looking gauge packets the repeat bucket seats and now user friendly switches for both the automatic temperature controls an optional compact disk player with removable faceplate the roof mechanism doesn't eat up any headroom in the rear seat storage area either. But then there wasn't much to begin with. It's always been just as tight in the engine bay as well which houses the traditional Porsche 3.6 liter air cooled flat 6 a modified induction system larger valves in my valve timing have boosted more power to 282 and torque to 250 pound feet. But as our crew blasted around Georgia the Roebling road Raceway we found that the real power increase was in the middle of the red band. Perfect for Roebling many third gear

corners which demand a car with a strong class power band and while this meant less frequent use of the excellent six speed manual transmission we remain very impressed with it. Hard shifting on the front straight produced a 0 to 60 time of 5.5 seconds while the quarter mile with respect to 14 seconds at 100 mph. The target with the tiptronic automatic is only about a second slower so plenty quick. That is always the real genius of any 911 is in the corners where it's MacPherson strut front suspension multi link rear end sticky Bridgestone tires on 79 wheels give a grip and balance that shame some more expensive exotics as do its superb massive pour we'll discuss rights then a cross drilled and he locked it quick. But even in the more sedate environment of everyday driving the target like all of it's can remains the consummate drivers machine more forgiving nature and smoother ride make this simply one of the best road cars ever made. And thanks

to the new target top a great car for lightning fast or leisurely summer driving though you may want to drive it all year round to get your money's worth. Base price for the 9/11 target is seventy thousand seven hundred fifty dollars with a nice chunk of options. I test car came in at seventy five thousand four hundred ninety six dollars. Expensive to the average working man or woman but still a bargain by super car standards and with its brilliantly engineered targer roof. A true all weather all around exotic sports car 1996 Porsche 911 Tarka continues the 911 system of being many cars to many drivers and adds a new twist to a sunny tradition. No matter what automotive questions we put so am I a top technician Pat Goss always seems to have the right answers and sometimes they're pretty involved. But not this week.

John this time some interesting letters with some quick answers. First from Sandra Hager of Brown Deer Wisconsin she wants to know if a car has two airbags and only one person in it when it's involved in an accident. Well both airbags deploy. Well yes for the most part some cars like this BMW have selective airbag systems but it's very crude at this point. But you're going to see a lot more of that as time goes on in a few years. Virtually all cars will have selective airbags. Next is from Walter Boyd of Lutherville Maryland he wants to know should he did loot the antifreeze that he puts in the radiator of his car. Absolutely. What you do is look in the owner's manual metal tell you what percentage of antifreeze and what percentage of water you must have in the car. Failure to do it right. Too much or too little can lead to all kinds of problems even problems like we see here with corrosion within the system itself. Always follow the directions.

Next is from Sam a shoe of Stony Brook New York he wants to know is it a good idea to install an aftermarket electric cooling fan on the car. And what advantages would it have. Well if you have a belt driven fan on an older rear wheel drive car an electric fan could give you a little bit more performance and a little bit more fuel economy. It could also give better control of the temperature in the car. They're available as a kit. They're inexpensive and easy to install too. And this one is from Bill Robeson of Huntington Beach California. He says Dear Pat in very plain and un technical terms what is oversteer and understeer. Well about as simple as it gets. Oversteer is when you turn the steering wheel in the car does more of what you're expecting it to than you expected Understeer is when you turn the wheel and it does less of what you're expecting. Now. This is from Ainslie young of Los Alamos New

Mexico. He has a 91 Taurus and he says he has a problem that's common to both the CV boots on both vehicles have either cracked or split. He wants to know is this a common problem. No not really not to that car. All CV joint boots at some time will go bad. Second question is should I have them fixed or is it OK to just ignore them. No you never ignore a cracked or broken CV boot because it keeps grease into the CV joint it keeps dirt out. Letting it go will cause failure of the joint. And the price goes guy high to help protect them every time you lubricate the car. Use silicone on the joints on the boots of the joints. Also if you need new ones. Shop around there are some far superior aftermarket products out there. And our last one this is from Gil deep he says I'm nine years old my question about cars is which car has the most parts. He also says that he's giving

me a picture of his Lamborghini. Well the answer to that question is the Mercedes-Benz 600. They tell me that that car has over ten thousand individual parts. And if you have a question or a comment write to me if I select your letter. I'm going to send you a motor week T-shirt the address motor week to one one. To travel along the way to find a 1969 American Motors all the way to Canada. That's the home of owner Larry Johnson of Nelson British Columbia. If you have a classic machine like this to make it color photos Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. The annual specialty equipment manufacturers association show is the closest thing auto fans get to a giant toy store. Each year hundreds of suppliers gather in Las Vegas to present their latest an after

market where now the products range from wicked to wacky and Greg singer gives us the lowdown on all of them. The Las Vegas Convention Center may be a few blocks off the strip but it's where all the action is when the SEMA show hits town. On the floor. Much of the attention is focused on all new products. But Chevy drew big crowds without a bumper crop of concept cars. Talk about low as in Monte Carlo this modern LED sled could have been driven straight off the set of American Graffiti. Say it is not Ron Howard lurking in the corner. You wouldn't ride anywhere Incognito driving this cavalier spider or this rear drive. Four hundred sixty seven horsepower Pro Street Monte Carlo. In fact they would probably draw too much attention from the police. It's not a real stretch to see this long gate S-10 concept

making production. The idea here is that the content. It has expanded from six to eight feet. I wish my garage work like that. More likely to see the light of day though is this hugger concept. It's basically a bodywork and wheels package for the S10 pickup. But it sure looks good. But making your car look good and perform better is what Sima is all about. Need your truck to sound better or maybe your ear drums start bleeding then simply replace your pickup rear glass with this DOJ approved flash back speaker window starting at poor hundred dollars. Keeping things strapped to your truck is always a problem but not with Tiger tires. Now these personal rubber straps can be configured in dozens of ways and can be had for about 15 bucks using a roof mounted bicycle rack can be a real hassle. But the bike left from new sport is an ingenious way to get those wheels up without spinning you worse in frustration.

Now as you can see it's been a number of months since we last saw some of these products at the SEMA show what we've done is we've gathered some of the more interesting products together to get a sort of a seat of the pants. Evaluation say. That's comfort. These are gel filled orthopedic seat covers from Hansen covers the gel minimizes back pain by molding to your backside and you can also keep one in the freezer as a giant cold pack. Hella is the first company to market an aftermarket high intensity gas discharge driving light. Now compared to our Jimmy standard lights. The difference was amazing. But at 1000 bucks a pop. Let There Be Light does not come cheap. Now if you've ever tried to hook up a trailer by yourself you'll appreciate the pro hitch. Just back up to within a foot or so and you going to stand or swivel the hitch to meet your trailer. A perfect match every time.

And finally the sports step is for those sport utility owners who actually use their roof racks. This strap on safety ladder holds up to three hundred pounds and costs about $50. The sheer volume of new automotive products on the market is dizzying. So we'll give it a rest for now. But you can bet your bottom dollar will be back in Vegas for the next Sima show in the fall. Time to come back home for Lisa barrow and all the latest Motor News. The Dodge Viper may be this decade's most impressive performance car but while many love its power and looks Some are put off by its rough and ready character those buyers will therefore welcome the 1996 Viper g ts a more civilized hard top version that we recently drove at Chrysler's Arizona Proving Grounds more than just a new shell on a familiar platform the GTX is almost a whole new car. Changes are too numerous to quickly list but include substantial engine upgrades that boost horsepower to

450 and torque to 490 pound feet. A new all aluminum double wishbone suspension delivers better ride quality well a touch of understeer makes the car more forgiving. The interior also receives a host of civilized and clever features including real power windows a CD player an adjustable foot pedals extensive use of industrial adhesives not only cleans up the car's lines but helps make it over 60 pounds lighter than the standard roadster. The Viper GTX carries a base price of sixty six thousand dollars luxury and gas guzzler taxes will push the final total to seventy three thousand thirty dollars. On a more practical note America's favorite new family car the sport utility vehicle just took a big hit and that it was courtesy of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety which recently crested six of the tops were you designs with an eye opening results in five mile per hour crashes into a pole as well as Latin angle barriers all six machines sustained substantial damage. Worst performer was the Isuzu Rodeo and its Honda badge sibling the passport each sustaining over a thousand

dollars in damage. The best performance was turned in by the Chevy Blazer and GMC truck Jimmy which still topped $4000. The Insurance Institute attributes these high damage rates partly to the fact that truck base to be icles are exempt from some federal passenger car regulations pacifically those that require energy absorbing materials in bumper construction. One result of these findings may be calls for the federal government to upgrade safety standards for what are rapidly becoming America's most popular family vehicles. And that's it for this week's Motor News. The Ford Explorer is America's most popular sport utility vehicle. They got to be that way by each year offering more of what sports buyers want. So what can four offer more oben 1996. How about more power. As you'd expect in afford that extra power in this 96 Explorer

XSLT is spelled as in yet another version of Ford's venerable five liter pushrod unit. For this one the engineers in Dearborn reached into the parts bin and pulled out the block and camshaft from the 96 F-150 and 95 Mustang intake manifold and cylinder heads. The resulting 210 horsepower and two hundred eighty pound feet of torque gives the V8 explorer an impressive 60 £700 towing capacity 200 lbs more than Jeep Grand Cherokee. And it pushed our test two time plus two wheel drive support from zero to 60 and a remarkable eight point two seconds or two and a half seconds faster than of P6 Explorer. The Explorer is available only with a four speed automatic drawn from the F-series pickup. Previously we raved about a new short long arm front suspension and precise rack and pinion steering introduced on the redesigned 95 Explorer that new suspension is the reason a V-8 can now be stuffed under Explorer's hood. Brakes are a four wheel

disk with standard they hold in our Explorer from 60 in a fine average distance of 125 feet. Explore storytelling is also one change from last year's Major redo where the front end received the most attention. The interior however got a complete overhaul for 95 which included becoming the first high volume sport utility with dual airbag. Our staff was universal in their praise of the excellent optional sports seats multiple power adjustments include lumbar support and side bolstering Plus the seats a leading edge adjusts forward for added thigh support. Although backseat passengers have no such adjustments they are pampered with storage pockets their own controls for ventilation and sound system and two cup holders Plus the seat split 60:40 and easily folds flat. Cargo space with the rear seat folded as a generous eighty one point six cubic feet of fold out cover hides about half that total.

Although our explorer was rear drive only it still was quite impressive when the going got tougher but true off road cruisers take heart explorers with a new ball time all wheel drive system already struggling in the showroom. And like all SUV is today with a hefty price Explorer V8 Xcel t begins at a base of twenty five thousand four hundred twenty five dollars but that includes the trailer towing package. However add in all wheel drive and better trim and the price can soar well past thirty five thousand dollars. Regardless the buying public is already lining up with the Explorer V8 So it looks like a 96 Ford will once again have a lock on the top sale slot. In sports news. We're not sure how much better a board can make future explore but I bet the competition wishes they'd stop trying. When Ford's latest Mustang arrived in 1994 it was hailed for its stylish good looks and refined character. But some fans were bitterly disappointed at the horsepower deficit relative to its main competitors. The Chevy Camaro and Pontiac

Firebird Well those fans quickly made their feelings known and Ford listened. The result is this week's road test by request a 96 Mustang with serious horsepower and a famous name. And their name is Cobra. But unlike previous versions of the latest Mustang to wear that hallowed name the French special forces limited edition 1996 photograph. Finally tonight's Real fire power flip open the hood and you'll find a whole new arsenal. Ford's home aluminum 4.6 leader 32 Bell double overhead cam modular V8 finally replaces the venerable pushrod 5 leader that propelled a generation of pony car. It puts the Mustang Cobra neck and neck with its top General Motors competitors by pumping out no less than 305 horsepower and 300 pound feet of torque and with a smooth zero to 60 time of 5.5 seconds as well as a quarter

mile run of 14 seconds at one hundred two miles per hour. But Ford owners back on the front row of the stoplight Grand Prix channeling all that power to the rear wheels. It's a not cheap but solid borgwarner t forty five five speed manual transmission. Don't even ask for an automatic like anyone but all this deep down torque to play with Everwood. And the playtime doesn't end when the road gets twisty the 4.6 V8 required a new front suspension carrier that prompted SBT to even further rework the cobra suspension geometry while you can still steer by throttle this box chassis is far less tail heavy now and actually a pleasure to drive in the wet. Unique variable rate springs and a new power steering system helped give the 96 cobra a more solid European feel. Make it the sweetest handling phony car yet. A set of sticky 45 series B.F. Goodridge tires mounted on 17 a tabloid wheels aid in this newfound precision braking is all massive anti

lock with this. That's not the Cobra from 60 in an average of one hundred one thousand feet under hood is a new hydraulically boosted brake master cylinder. Still we would like a firmer pedal feel and less nose dive. But we can't hold the brakes high speed performance swing many performance cars off the track however and their drive ability quickly nosedives. But that's happily not the case with the latest Cobra. The right is firm but never jarring it soaks up big bumps and potholes yet retains its composure at all times. A claim that the last generation of the Mustang. Mate and the 4.6 leader V8 is also more flexible than the old pushrod unit with a smoother clutch and more refined longer like a power delivery. We can however fault the fact that for all it's a probability the cobra looks a little different from it's much more common sibling. Granted there are nice round fog lights in the front facia twin air intakes on the hood and plenty of badges as well as those spiffy wheels. But our favorite styling feature the return to

vertical tail light lenses is shared by all 96 Mustang. Cobras inside is also pretty much straight Mustang but that's nothing to complain about since it's the best cockpit in the American pony car class. The wraparound dash with its dual airbags large clear gauges and handy easy to use controls is top notch. While the pic supported bucket seats fit everyone on our staff rear seat room remains cooped tight. Normal for the pony car class though the ten point nine cubic foot truck is about 20 percent smaller than a Camaro or firepower. The price however is right in line with the cobra's GM rivals the base COBRA runs twenty four thousand eight hundred ten dollars and in its only option package which includes leather and a premium sound system plus destination and delivery charges and the final total is twenty six thousand six hundred forty five dollars in the world of high performance. That's quite a bargain. And even though only about 700 SVT approved for dealers will be able to sell

Cobras. It's still clearly a good idea. The folks at the Auto Week obviously agree. They wrote that with the cobra that will now be Mustangs on a par with the best GM has to offer at a comparable price. And that's a step in the right direction. Automobile magazine was even more enthusiastic saying this is the Mustang we've been waiting for and the one Chevrolet Camaro Z 28 drivers will love to hate. So if you thought that the new Mustangs lackluster early showing meant that the pony car wars were over think again 96 Mustang Cobra is proof that Ford has not abandoned its loyal pony car fans and a warning to Camaro and Firebird owners that the next time they hit the streets it better be with a snakebite kit in the glove box. There are probably been more books written about the Ford Mustang than any other car. The latest one comes from Gary Easley and the auto editors of consumer gods. Mustang Chronicle is a slick glossy publication packed with beautiful photos

and a concise entertaining text that covers every Mustang model from 1960 board in 1995. Another fine tribute to America's original pony car. You're sure to join us next week for more motorways as we test Toyota's new more civilized forerunner. Well also check out both wagons TVI diesel. Yes these old Lisa Barrow updates us on the latest in leasing pad slips into the world of traction control. Plus we'll have all the latest Motor News. I'm John Davis. We'll say that to order a video cassette of this program call 1 800 4 2 2 0 0 6 4 percent 29 95 plus 495 shipping and handling to Motor Week Post Office Box 5 5 7 4 2 Indianapolis Indiana 4 6 2 0 5. Water from the motorway home video collection or cover the best episodes of the motor week

television series. 1 800 4 2 2 0 6 4 0 to order a catalog send a self-addressed stamped envelope to this address. Hello I'm John date. On the next edition of motor we will go four wheeling and Toyota's new more civilized core runner and ribald wagons plus socks he hides these oh yes these old Lisa Vero takes the fear out of leasing a new car that cost base control of traction control. Also give you

our first opinions of the all new Jeep Wrangler. So go to misdirect most weeks.