Motorweek; 1622

This time on Boatner week a new roadster classic A pint sized outback and Coming of Age on the high road so come drive with us. With the original automotive magazine. Hopes to promote John Davis. Hello and welcome again to motor week. We're glad to have you with us. Bringing a new car model to market is challenging for any automaker and it's especially challenging when you're not only competing with other car builders but you're also competing with yourself. That's the situation that Porsche finds itself in with the new Boxster that sleek little roadster must find its own niche while still

living up to the performance and prestige standards of the venerable 9 11 or without stealing too many sales from its classic sibling. Now that's a pretty tall order even for a Porsche. But there's never been a Porsche yet quite like this one. Combining today's technology with a heavy dose of tradition. The Boxster is grab the public's attention like no courtship of it. And with good reason. As we found out at our first drive through Germany's Black Forest where Porsche introduced the Boxter to the world's press and as usual with auto riders they were immediately divided mostly on the subject of styling. So to our staff they agree that Porsche has done a superb job of reconciling the original show cars retro styling with engineering reality but a few feel there is a lack of balance between the deep swooping nose and somewhat chunkier tail. All however admire the attention to detail like this smoothly integrated high mounted brake light.

This clever hidden retractable rear spoiler and stout twinn roll bars could serve as mounting points for an optional wind blocker and are solidly bolted to the cars. Pad. The chassis itself makes is rigid steel Boron alloy reinforcements with carefully integrated crumple zones for both spring and safety. On the other hand we all knew 2.5 liter engine is all aluminum. It's the first liquid cooled production plant 6 engine in Porsche history and also the first to use for about cylinder head and variable valve timing to make 201 horsepower and one hundred eighty one pound freed up torque it breezed through high mounted air intake on the car's flanks and exhales through a style single exhaust. Access to the MIT mounted engine is extremely limited by its tight packaging and fluid checks are complex at this maintenance station in the rear trunk. It's so tight that engineers had to locate the two piece radiator ahead of the front wheels. The remaining drive train components consist of either a five speed manual transmission

or Force's latest tiptronic automatic which now boasts five years with manual shift controls on the steering wheel only. It's all tied into Portia's first optional traction control system and rides on an aluminum MacPherson strut suspension which is slowed by powerful empty locked equipped 4 wheel disc grab by a new single piece aluminum caliper. All in all a far cry from the Spartan engineering of the Boxter spiritual parents. The 550 Spyder. But as we found out during our first turn behind the wheel still up here of course your driving experience. On challenging German roads Porsche's latest mid-engine model behave much like today's friendly rear engine 9 11. Here is your front push in tight corners than we expected from the short ninety two point five inch wheelbase grip is excellent even in pouring rain with tail slides coming on and a tame progressive manner. Throttle response from the new six is Chris an immediate but a distinctive exhaust note.

Zero to 60 passes in 6.7 seconds. High speed manual shifter offered short throws but a slightly notchy action but engine noise wind or weather never intruded thanks to excellent sound insulation and a very tight seal of power operated convertible top. Which with its automatic tonneau cover and lightweight magnesium supports is quite a trick piece in its own right. We like the simple single Hetter latch and rapid Boulding sequence. A mere 12 seconds. But would prefer a glass rear window to easily damage plastic a removable aluminum hard top is also available for true all season driving though most owners will want to keep the roomy interior open as much as possible while not as unique as the original show cars. The Boxster dash is one of the most efficient and Porsche history yet it's still stylish as shown by the straight forward overlapping gauge cluster supported bucket seats cuckooland the driver offering a wide range of adjustment and present you with a dizzying array of elliptical control

switches. We did find the ventilation controls to be a little busy for use while driving. And unlike many two seaters the Boxster offers reasonable luggage space a total of nine point one cubic feet divided between the front and rear. Getting all this effort into a car only 14 feet long is no easy feat and Porsche engineers are to be congratulated for what they've accomplished. Our friends at Automobile magazine generally agree saying the new Porsche is well made well equipped and well bahay and rides with dignity at corners with verve and holds the road with grim determination. And a determined to own a Boxter people dared to shell out at least thirty nine thousand nine hundred eighty dollars for the manual and forty three thousand one hundred thirty dollars for the tip it had from the extensive auction list however and the price can climb as high as fifty three thousand six hundred twelve dollars. That's almost a 9 11 and with many of its components likely to be used in the next generation 911. So is the Boxter. But its personality is its

own and it should appeal to a more laid back driver than its uncompromising cousin. It's both a new kind of Porsche and a welcome return to the company's roots. And it should do very well all by itself. It's Car Care time again and that means a stop where the motorways primo four wheel drive auto expert Pat Goffs. John one of the hottest portions of the automobile business these days are the sport utilities and whether anybody means it or not everybody is fixed on the idea of having four wheel drive in their sport utility. Well that means that there have been all kinds of changes in the way that manufacturers determine how they get the power from the engine to the four wheels of the car. There are some very basic systems out there. There are also some incredibly sophisticated systems. Here

is one of the more sophisticated ones. This is an explorer transfer case made by borgwarner. Now what is sophisticated about it. Well it has all of the advantages of regular four wheel drive plus the advantages of all wheel drive. Now this transfer case says all of them do it connects to the back of the transmission and it transfers power to the rear wheels of the vehicle during normal driving conditions. And in four wheel drive it transfers it to the front wheels as well. All right. But what is different about this. Well this gives the driver of the vehicle the ability to have regular two wheel drive or all wheel drive all the time on dry pavement and that's accomplished through a series of clutches and a magnetic coil and so on that makes it capable of driving on dry pavement in the four wheel drive mode. In addition to that it also has low range four

wheel drive so that you get the advantages for off road use as well. Quite a sophisticated unit. But no matter how sophisticated the transfer case is well then we come to the axles in the vehicle the rear differential in particular. Now what we have here is this is a Dana Spicer unit such as would be used in a Jeep Grand Cherokee Now this is available in two forms an open differential such as we have here. Now what do we mean by open. Well very simply that one wheel can turn without the other one turning. Now think what that means when you're in a low traction situation. That means that you could have one wheel spinning without the other one. So what do you look for. Well if you're serious about your four wheel drive system you want to make sure that you have a locking type differential on the rear of the vehicle and if possible on the front as well. The locking type differential would have a

set of clutches mounted in here. Those Cloches lock the two wheels together so they move in unison. This gives you tremendous pulling power and a tremendous advantage over the open differential. That's what you want if you're serious about four wheel drive. And if you have a question or a comment. Right. To me if I use your letter I'll send you a motor week T-shirt. The address is Motor Week. Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. Car of the week is a 1979 Chevrolet Camaro burla. It belongs to a windy Montana Kilpatrick who lives just down the road from us in Alexandria Virginia. If you have a special course of MiddleEast to get color photos to motorway Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. 1 Cregg saying Haast travels along the high road it's often to commemorate the people

and places that make automotive history. And like Craig his travel companions this week are folks that normally document automotive comings and goings. But this time they're making history of their own. What you called the perfect combination of classic automobiles great vintage aircraft and magnificent ships. No this is not Kim Allen's honeymoon. It's the automobile magazine perfect 10 tour celebrating automobile's tenth anniversary of publication. We launched this magazine 10 years ago and we had two mottos one was no boring cars and the other was we drive interesting cars to interesting places and we talk to interesting people when we get there. So if we could invite a group of people who are interested in cars who own interesting cars get them to come together and help us celebrate 10 years of this point of view then something

pretty nice would happen. That pretty nice happening included a twelve hundred mile drive to Michigan Wisconsin and Michigan upper peninsula visiting fascinating venues along the way. The kickoff party was held beneath the wings of the Yankee Air Museum the classic vintage aircraft perfectly complemented the fine array of classic automobile each a monument to speed and style in their own right. The next morning's inaugural run started from automobile's offices in Ann Arbor and took this beautiful Michigan farm country the shores of Lake Michigan. The second day's highlight had to be the trip on the SS Badger. A four hundred ten foot car ferry the four hour trip across an angry Lake Michigan would need skill and a steady hand on the wheel. So naturally I Craig seek to help. My ship was tossed not on the money that

there laws. You know we unloaded our Shishak entourage and began several days of challenging weather. While I benefited from the pop and windows of the new Viper GTX several of our band of 40 cars had to tough it out. It's not really that we chose to run this way it's just that we can't do anything about it. The car doesn't have a windshield and doesn't have a top so. So actually it's not that we're really being gutsy we just don't have any choice. After some roadside repairs to one of the group we all made it to the shipwrecked museum at Whitefish Point in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Here the sobering reminders of nature's fury are evident as we viewed the bell from the most infamous of modern shipwrecks. The Edmund Fitzgerald. What really happened here was with all these people got along famously This would not have been as good an event if it was all sports cars. It was a wonderful spread of

car. I think a lot of people are going to go home and who are thinking that they made a bunch of new friends. And I think it turned the trip into a big success and that scores a perfect 10. Every time. We use a barrel normally has her eyes fixed firmly on the automobiles future and she does so again this week with all the latest motor news this week we take you along on our first drive of the all new fifth generation 1997 Corvette the first new plastic fantastic in 13 years. Styling is evolutionary not revolutionary as even the classic Ford taillights remain on this shorter but wider Corvette. Still there are hints of the Acura NSX Mazda our x 7 and even the Ferrari F-350 3:55 which is appropriate because this new Sci-Fi behaves on the track and highway. More like an imported sports car than the less civilized beast of years past. One thing that hasn't changed is the exhaust rumble of a pushrod V8. But this new 5.7 liter isn't all aluminum.

Though friction design with 345 horsepower and 350 pound be a tour power delivery is to a rear mounted transaxle for almost perfect weight balance. Combined with an extremely rigid body. Make this the best handling Corvette ever. With its 38000 $68 base price being little changed from last year. Chevrolet has done a good job of keeping the new Corvette affordable. In other GM related news General Motors in the fashion industry have joined together in a project to raise funds for breast cancer research. Called concept cure. Five top fashion designers along with General Motors design team. Each child a GM vehicle to create a one of a kind design in a suite of this GMC Yukon and added her touches Black Rose Catholic his accent the outside and inside leopard print carpeting really makes the interior growl. They were subtle changes were made by Richard Tyler on the Buick Riviera. The exterior was painted in two shades of Moka Brown the interior showcases paralyzed leather seats with an intricate stitched pattern. You've never seen an Oldsmar evolve quite like this. Donald gave the exterior a simulated would finish and the interior

parts with flat seats. Nicole Miller airbrush the exterior of this Cadillac s.c.s and made her mark inside the embossed black leather seats. Mark eyes and gave the Chevy's 8:28 a deep blue metallic paint and carbon fiber Tano bar. He kept his design simple inside as well with quadruple stitching on the floor mats in seats. The cars were recently sold through a silent auction and raised seven hundred eight thousand dollars which was given to the Pnina Hyde center for breast cancer research and that's it for this week's Motor News. Right now Subaru is having the time of its automotive life once struggling also ran sometimes quirky Japanese merc has become a darling of suburban families and the racing can be summed up in one word outback. The rugged go anywhere legacy wagon on steroids that turned Subaru's sales around. We spend an entire year with an out back and loved every minute of it.

But for 6:51 there is this new employers based Outback Sport. It's more. But is it any less than outback. There's no mistaking the 1997 Subaru Outback Sport for the more routine imposed on which it is based. Up front there's a new bumper gaping grille and hood sports a very aggressive Scroop and non-functional vents that mimic Subaru's World Rally Championship winning impose a w r x are used for root Pryke and expres don't stone resistant trim complete the pack go for it. Look all impressive wagons and sedans now ride on 15 inch wheels but only the Outback Sport whereas these larger 2 0 5 60 series tires on optional five spoke alloyed. The larger wheels combined with more travel in the four wheel independent suspension to increase ground clearance from 5.7 point six point five inches. That doesn't mean you can travel the Rubicon trail but you can expect the Outback Sport

to handle water and weather and road conditions. Thanks to Subaru's compact full time all wheel drive system. Manual Outbacks use a Briscoe's coupling center differential while four speed automatic Outbacks like our sport. Using the electronic unit in fair weather driving torque splits 90 percent of the front and 10 present to the rear. The chassis has a low center of gravity for very stable dry road Baldwin road conditions get tricky. Up to 50 percent of the available for his channel to the rear wheel for more uniform traction plus Subaru's all wheel drive systems are compatible with operation of the sports standard or channel antilock brakes. The Outback Sport power base is Subaru tried and true 2.2 liter platform. But for 97 this boxer engine received upgrade the Pistons cooling system and intake manifold had an increasing compression ratio a new solid valve lifters and output is bumped up to 137 horsepower and one hundred forty five pound feet of torque and surprise with more power comes.

Better fuel economy or EPA estimates on both manual and automatic 2.2 leader and Prez's rise to 23 city and 30 highway. Inside is the same user friendly interior and control. With this multi hued fabric on their seats and door panels providing welcome visual relief rear seat headroom can handle six footer while with the split rear seat bolted there's an impressive 62 cubic feet of cargo space and standard auxiliary power point and the price for all this concentrated practicality. The outbacks support list for eighteen thousand four hundred ninety dollars with every option available except the rear spoiler. Our test car stickered is still reasonable twenty one thousand two hundred eight dollars although it's a bit smaller lighter and has a tad less ground clearance than its bigger brother the Outback Sport has most of its siblings positive including idiot Throop all wheel drive system. So it's no rush. Now. That. If we had to pick the most

eagerly anticipated car of the past year one of the top candidates would surely be the subject of this week's road test by request that BMW Z3 roadster before it even arrived in dealer showrooms the first year of production finished striking two seater was sold out. What makes a brand new car a success before most folks can even sit at one. James Bond James Bond Well he added panache of appearing in the latest James Bond film Goldeneye I certainly help the South Carolina built BMW Z3 as the first Bond car ever. That was not born in the British Isle. And having the cast of Goldeneye including star Pierce Brosnan introduced it gave its launch added punch. But long term success for any car depends on more than a flashy entrance and a handsome face happy looks don't hurt however and styling is something that those Z3 has in abundance. Combining elements of previous BMW roadsters especially the why of 07 of the 1950s and the more

recent CSY one with a heavy dose of 90s aggressivity Z3 does turn heads. The long wide power dome knows complete with BMW twin kidney gril manages to be both new and traditional all the prominent side bends and deep skirts. Caught up with fishing cards of days gone by. It's only in the rear that Z3 run short on character but will acknowledge that the high mounded stop lamp recessed in the trunk lid is rather clever. Even the 16 inch alloy wheels wearing the series Mishal and rubber are unique to this model 1780s wheels are optional. The Z3 appearance may stand down in the conservative BMW lineup but it relies on proven German technology for proportion. 1.9 leader Twin Cam 16 four is an updated version of a familiar three series powerplant if hometown Amadis 138 horsepower and 133 pound for a six cylinder Z3 arrives in the fall. All the power reaches the rear wheels by way of either a slick five speed manual gearbox or

optional for speed automatic traction control is also available. We haven't yet had a chance to track test Z3 but extensive street use makes us believe BMW is claim. Of a high speed 0 to 60 time of nine point one seconds and 9.7 seconds for the auto. Actually we traversed nearly 300 miles of South Carolina's public pavement in the Z-frame and found it to be a very entertaining machine. But those who look at its aggressive style and expect hardcore all out sports car handling will be disappointed. C-3 is a very refined ragtop one that's more grand touring than Grand Prix. Not really surprising when one looks at the hardware under that skin. The front suspension is pure three series sedan. While the rear Simmie trailing arm set up comes straight out of the previous generation m3. The Z3 thus offers a sophisticated taut ride and more than ample sports car like grip. They can still be manipulated by the throttle when desired. It's a combination

that's hard to beat. As is the Z3 straightforward convertible top the manual mechanism takes only a tiny snap to operate and unlike many competitors this one looks pretty darn good with the top up. Or dropping it back down gives folks a better look at the Z3 is wide but short cockpit the bucket seats are close fitting and it. A combination of cloth and vinyl trim is standard leather is optional as is this would trim around but typically efficient climate and stereo controls gauges are large and clear though the cluster is a little sparse. Safety features are plentiful however and they include dual airbags and stout door and a pillar reinforcements that meet 1997 federal side impact standards. Cockpit storage is plentiful and the trunk is roomy enough for a relaxing weekend too. But therapy like this is never free. However the Z3 carries a quite reasonable base price twenty nine thousand three hundred twenty dollars a load of options. Boost the price to thirty three thousand eight hundred twenty

dollars. Yet if you haven't already ordered yours they have to wait for 1997 production to begin. But we didn't think that it would be worth it. The folks at auto week agreed to their first job. They wrote that it sparked such a holiday mood that we were sorry to end a five hour 240 mile day. And after their first drive in South Carolina automobile magazine described as E3 as a modern version of a course lively and attentive sure footed and trustworthy cheerful and capable of mastering some of the palmetto state most treacherous grounds. It looks like it's unanimous. The BMW Z3 is just a neat little car one that will both shake hands hurt your most secret wiping emotion. And an age when big cars were the norm. The tiny Nash Metropolitan was a true original. And thanks to the efforts of auto historian Patrick Foster we now have the Metropolitan story the definitive history of

America's first true compact car lavishly illustrated and easy to read. The Metropolitan story painstakingly chronicles the development life and eventual demise of this groundbreaking little one about it's well done and worthwhile reading for any antique car fan. Now be sure to join us next week for more motorways will test Honda's new small sport utility CRV and Buick's road hogging flagship the Park Avenue ultra. John Davis will see it and. To order a video cassette of this program. Call 1 800 4 2 2 0 0 6 4. Or since 1995 plus 495 shipping and handling to motor week post office box 5 5 7 4 2 Indianapolis Indiana 4 6 2 0 5. 2 orders from the motor home video collection or current and past episodes of the motor we

television series call 1 800 4 2 2 0 0 6 4 more to order a catalog send a self-addressed stamped envelope to this address. Hello I'm John David on the next edition of motor week will test Honda's new small sport utility CRV Buick's top luxury sedans on Park Avenue ultra. Also go to Wheeling it is the biggest in cruiser bikes while Pat Goss

introduces us to lead New products for your car safety and appearance. Plus we'll have all the latest Motor News. So don't you miss the next Moeder week.