Both cars will share the same platform but the Supra and Z4 will have different suspension configurations and software calibrations. Toyota has reaffirmed its promise to make the revived Supra unique in its driving characteristics when compared to its platform mate, the BMW Z4.Toyota wants its car to be a raw sports car with no regard for a luxurious or plush driving experience. The company apparently took a much different approach than the mere badge swap on the Toyota 86 / Subaru BRZ twins, giving engineers more leeway to adapt the platform for each brand."Both cars have completely different suspension and software calibration, for example," Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer for the new Supra and the Toyota 86, told Motoring Research in a recent interview. "Practicality and comfort were almost not considered."Another Toyota executive recently warned that the new Supra will "not be a cheap car," with a pure performance focus targeting a different customer than the Toyota 86.Additional … [Read more...] about New Toyota Supra aims to be ‘pure sports car,’ not rebadged Z4
Sports cars cheap
The Alfa Romeo 4C Shames Every Other Sports Car On The Market
“We’ve come too far to give up who we are.” Most of the time I was driving the Alfa Romeo 4C, I was listening to Daft Punk’s 2013 release Random Access Memories. For Alfa Romeo’s return to the United States with a glorious new sports car that is better than everyone thought it would be, this seemed an appropriate soundtrack. (Full disclosure: I begged and pleaded Fiat Chrysler U.S. LLC to let me have a 4C for months, and when one finally became available, they hooked me up for a few days. It was a really good couple of days but now it’s gone and I’m dead inside.) Daft Punk is one of the most influential electronic acts ever, and when it came time for them to follow up 2005’s Human After All, the rest of the music world was doing stuff they had been doing for years. To create something different they had to stretch further back in time, so they modernized the disco and prog rock sounds of the 1970s for the wholly unexpected, Giorgio … [Read more...] about The Alfa Romeo 4C Shames Every Other Sports Car On The Market
Top Gear’s Japan Episode Blew My Mind With ’90s Sports Cars
By a show of virtual hands, how many of you saw the newest Top Gear episode that aired over the weekend? The Japan episode? Was your mind blown? Because mine sure was. To recap, this episode was very much in line with past Top Gear specials in that it didn’t really follow in the traditional Top Gear format. There was no celebrity segment or hot lap segment. Instead, we were treated to an hour-long program devoted wholly to an examination of Japanese car culture by Chris Harris, Rory Reid and Matt LeBlanc. It was good. We started off with a segment where a Lexus LC500 and Honda Civic Type R went head to head against each other at the track. Then Harris and LeBlanc were given a challenge to each buy a cheap, used, ’90s-era Japanese car at auction and then complete a set of challenges with it. Reid, meanwhile, went off on his own to experience some underground Tokyo car culture. To begin, the animated visuals in the Lexus vs. Honda episode were killer. The stylized opening … [Read more...] about Top Gear’s Japan Episode Blew My Mind With ’90s Sports Cars
Kia storms into sports car territory with the Stinger GT
0 Comments Kia storms into sports car territory with the Stinger GT BelfastTelegraph.co.uk What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Kia? Most likely, it'll be a small, reasonably-priced hatchback that's well-built but not particularly exciting. Something along the lines of a Rio or a Cee'd. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/cars/kia-storms-into-sports-car-territory-with-the-stinger-gt-36494616.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/cars/article36494612.ece/68614/AUTOCROP/h342/2018-01-17_lif_37721315_I1.JPG Email What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Kia? Most likely, it'll be a small, reasonably-priced hatchback that's well-built but not particularly exciting. Something along the lines of a Rio or a Cee'd. Chances are, a 365bhp, twin-turbo V6 sports saloon would be the last thing you'd expect. However, with the new £40,495 Stinger GT S, the most powerful model in the new Stinger GT series, that's exactly what Kia has gone and … [Read more...] about Kia storms into sports car territory with the Stinger GT
Bark’s Bites: The Lightweight, Affordable Sporting Car Is Dead by Our Own Hands
My friends, I spoke to you last week about the dangers of freedom-hating wackadoodles who want to take away your right to own and drive your own car. Some of you agreed with me, others didn’t. Such is the nature of an op-ed. I was pleased to see that only a couple of you tried to no-platform me — either I’m getting less offensive in my old age or you’re getting more tolerant, and both of those are good things. But today I am here to warn you of a more subtle threat to your driving-related joy, and it’s coming from a rather unsuspected source — the very manufacturers of the cars we love so much. Well, no, that’s not exactly right. It’s actually coming from you. The economic factors presented by the buying behavior of the general public are eventually going to make it impossible for automakers to deliver the cars that enthusiasts want to buy. I’m not just talking about silly “Save the Manuals” nonsense. I’m … [Read more...] about Bark’s Bites: The Lightweight, Affordable Sporting Car Is Dead by Our Own Hands