Firestone, Clunkers and Chapter 11: The Decade in Car News

Bob Lutz and 50 Cent

Enlarge Photo

As 2009 draws to a close this week, the auto industry is waving goodbye to a decade--and in some corners, waving it good riddance.

The "Naughties" might be the best neologism for this lost decade. It began with new alliances forming and new empires emerging, and ends on Friday in a multi-car pileup of cratered sales, shuttered brands and factories, wiped-out shareholders, and only a faint glimmer of hope for recovery in 2010.

There's been huge disruption around the carmaking globe since 2000, against a backdrop of titanic clashes of egos, epic battles of highly anticipated new products--and inevitably, the sound of an economic freight train approaching.

Who would have imagined the epic fail of the American auto industry in a pre-9/11, pre-iPhone, pre Bush v. Gore world? Who could have thought GM would fall as hard as it did--with Toyota taking a stumble right behind it? Would anyone ever have foreseen Porsche being swallowed up by Volkswagen?

Will someone please explain exactly how we were to expect Bob Lutz and 50 Cent in the same room--much less on the same stage--for the stillborn return of the El Camino?

TheCarConnection.com's editors have watched and written these stories as they unfolded right before us, live and on the Web. We've culled our best memories of our longest news days down to the ten stories that defined the 2000s.

We've left a few on the cutting room floor, too. Cash for clunkers? Big news, but ultimately a government-induced anomaly. The rise of South Korean automakers like Hyundai and Kia? A huge story, but one already in the works in the 1990s. Aztek? Leave it alone. Just leave it alone.

As we look back wistfully at the days when tires were the most Detroit had to worry about, TheCarConnection.com's team has chosen these as the top car news stories of the decade:

Bob Lutz and 50 CentEnlarge Photo As 2009 draws to a close this week, the auto industry is waving goodbye to a decade--and in some corners, waving it good riddance. The "Naughties" might be the best neologism for this lost decade. It began with new alliances forming and new empires emerging, and ends on Friday in a multi-car pileup of cratered sales, shuttered brands and factories, wiped-out shareholders, and only a faint glimmer of hope for recovery in 2010. There's been huge disruption around the carmaking globe since 2000, against a backdrop of titanic clashes of egos, epic battles of highly anticipated new products--and inevitably, the sound of an economic freight train approaching. Who would have imagined the epic fail of the American auto industry in a pre-9/11, pre-iPhone, pre Bush v. Gore world? Who could have thought GM would fall as hard as it did--with Toyota taking a stumble right behind it? Would anyone ever have foreseen Porsche being swallowed up by Volkswagen? Will someone please explain exactly how we were to expect Bob Lutz and 50 Cent in the same room--much less on the same stage--for the stillborn return of the El Camino? TheCarConnection.com's editors have watched and written these stories as they unfolded right before us, live and on the Web. We've culled our best memories of our longest news days down to the ten stories that defined the 2000s. We've left a few on the cutting room floor, too. Cash for clunkers? Big news, but ultimately a government-induced anomaly. The rise of South Korean automakers like Hyundai and Kia? A huge story, but one already in the works in the 1990s. Aztek? Leave it alone. Just leave it alone. As we look back wistfully at the days when tires were the most Detroit had to worry about, TheCarConnection.com's team has chosen these as the top car news stories of the decade: The Enlarge Photo GM, Chrysler File for Bankruptcy It seems unreal, but as recently as 2000, GM posted record profits and Chrysler was still healthy, still on its corporate honeymoon with Daimler AG. Both were cutting jobs, though, and by the end of 2000, GM had confirmed it would close the Oldsmobile division. It was a dire omen of the spiral that landed both companies in bankruptcy court this year. GM's problems were well-known, back into the early 1980s, when a string of failed reorganizations wound out over time, as the world's then-largest automaker continued to see its market share erode. In 2000 GM set 30-percent market share as its goal, and entering the decade, after selling 5 million vehicles in the U.S. in the prior year, it seemed possible. GM held a dozen brands and was fresh from acquiring the other half of Saab it didn't own, and was launching HUMMER. GM last turned a profit in 2004. Debt ballooned to more than $60 billion, and faced with a do-or-die scenario, GM swallowed its pride, took government loans and put itself into a quick reorganization still unfolding today. As of this writing, Saturn and Pontiac have been dumped, with Saab headed to the same fate. HUMMER's still in limbo, with a tentative deal with a very tentative Chinese government and a little-known heavy-duty truckmaker from the Middle Kingdom. And even then, critics are wondering if the handful of brands left--Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC, Opel, Vauxhall and Holden--will hold the key to a turnaround. Backtrack to Chrysler, which in 2000 was the blushing bride in an acquisition that brought it into Daimler-Benz, and nearly into a three-continent alliance with Mitsubishi. By about 2005, Chrysler's expensive product needs proved to be too much of a burden for Daimler, which sawed it off to the Cerberus hedge fund--which then dumped it into receivership and into the arms of Fiat Group. Chrysler had saved itself from peril in the early 1990s with a wave of new product, but that wave isn't due to crash ashore until early 2011 at the earliest, as America gets ready for a score of Chrysler-branded Fiats. Back then, a popular book of the day claimed Chrysler was "taken for a ride," but a decade later, it's probably Daimler that escaped with its life--and Fiat that should be the next to buckle up, and quickly. No Renault-Nissan-Chrysler allianceEnlarge PhotoWagoner claims GM doesn�t need an allianceEnlarge Photo Auto Alliances End in Tatters, Mostly In 2000, the auto landscape was shifting dramatically as smaller brands were being hoovered up by debt-happy automakers. Today, most of those alliances have ended up in tatters. GM and Chrysler may have hit the skids together this year, but ten years ago, it was Nissan that was edging toward the same fate before Renault intervened. Nissan's fortunes foundered in the late 1990s as stale product and stagnant sales in Japan and the U.S. pushed the company near insolvency. DaimlerChrysler took a sniff--and walked away. In the end, France's Renault invested in a major chunk of Nissan, and to date it's the most successful near-merger ever executed in the auto industry--the only Renault alliance worth much, in the long run. Look elsewhere, and it's a hall of shame of unworkable acquisitions and alliances. In the 2000s alone,� GM held 20-percent stakes in Fiat, Suzuki, and Subaru--while also retaining production sharing with Suzuki in Canada and Toyota in California. All are defunct. Ford once held Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin--and sold them all during a decade of retrenchment, with a Volvo sale nearing a closing date and Mercury likely in possession of a DNR.� BMW jettisoned Rover while nurturing MINI and Rolls-Royce. Volkswagen seemed to buck the trend by digesting Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Skoda and by finally swallowing Porsche and taking a large chunk of Suzuki. Will that sentence read the same in ten years? 2001 Ford Explorer XLSEnlarge Photo Ford Survives Firestone Recall; Explorer, Not So Much The decade began with Ford's most severe challenge since the Pinto. A series of incidents involving the Ford Explorer and Firestone tires were related to improperly inflated tires, which overheated. That led to tread separation--and hundreds of deaths and injuries on America's highways. In addition to the 270 fatalities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) logged thousands of injuries and property claims made to automobile manufacturers and tire companies. As a result, the Firestone name retreated under its Bridgestone corporate umbrella for years--but Ford's losses were just as steep. The recall hurt badly--but the change in consumer tastes that followed felt more permanent, and possibly arose as a result of the Firestone debacle. Sales of the Explorer SUV have plummeted from more than 400,000 annually to about 35,000 this year, with a new carlike Explorer in development for the 2011 model year. Angular Front Exterior View - 2009 Dodge Challenger 2-door Coupe R/TEnlarge Photo Camaro, Challenger and Mustang: Musclecars Get a Second Act Is it a second act, or a coda? Flash back to 2000, and the Ford Mustang's still going strong--but the Camaro's headed for the scrap heap, the only rear-drive Dodge car is a Viper, and the future of the musclecar was in doubt. Cue more good times, and GM and Chrysler gave the green light to new V-8 two-doors even while gas prices and fuel economy started to loom large in the national discussion. This year, we're truly living in a new musclecar era--with a 426-horsepower Challenger SRT8, a 425-hp Camaro SS, and new for 2011, a Ford Mustang 5.0 with 412 hp. But with 35-mpg fuel economy rules in the pipeline, we can expect to see hybrid Camaros, diesel Challengers, and electric Mustangs--or maybe none at all. 2010 Toyota PriusEnlarge Photo Green Car Fans Unite Behind Hybrids Back in 2000, the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight still were novelty cars, owned and loved by a clutch of green-car pioneers who claimed they'd be the way forward for the auto industry. Back then, only 10,000 hybrids were sold each year. In 2009 more than 250,000 hybrids will be sold, and Toyota alone is promising a hybrid version of every vehicle it builds by 2020. The market's zoomed from two hybrid nameplates--Prius and Insight--to more than 20, with big SUVs and compact city cars alike. Maybe $4 a gallon gas had a lot to do with it--but there's no doubt the avalanche of new hybrids expected in the next few years will only make hybrids more widely available, more consumer-friendly, and more normal. Handful of small SUVs earn top marks in latest IIHS crash testEnlarge Photo Safety Is The New Black Crash-test scores are the least sexy part of marketing a new car--if this is the year 2000. As standard airbags and anti-lock brakes worked their way into the national fleet, fatalities began to fall. They kept falling, to new record lows in 2009, to a point where five-star safety isn't just a goal for family cars--it's a goal for entire brands like Acura and Ford. Standard airbags and ABS brought calls for standard stability control, which becomes law in 2012. And now, computer technology is bringing a wide range of new features into cars that lift ideas from concept cars of 50 years ago--rearview cameras, lane-departure warning systems, even car-to-car communication. Safety isn't just a benefit of a few expensive imported cars anymore--it's the new black. Tesla Model S SedanEnlarge Photo Bush's Lasting Legacy: Electric Cars For All In the decades to come, history will judge President George W. Bush's legacy--for missteps and for many successes in providing HIV treatment across Africa, for expanding healthcare at home. It will be impossible to underplay the Bush administration's impact on the development of electric and hybrid vehicles in the U.S. Under President Bush, massive loans program for green cars not only has enabled old-guard automakers like Ford and GM to tap inexpensive credit to retool their fleets for the forthcoming LEAF and Focus EV, it's also underwritten the first start-up automakers with a chance at long-term success in decades--Tesla and Fisker. The Tesla Roadster forever dispelled the notion of electric cars as modified golf cars; with federal loans, they're planning a new generation of lower-cost EVs for the mass market, as is Fisker. Along with the Chevrolet Volt (which has its own package of tax credits distinct from these loan programs), the Tesla Model S, the Fisker Nina project, the LEAF and the Focus EV will either turn America on to the potential of home-grown alternative propulsion, or seal their fates as another expensive boondoggle. 2008 Toyota TundraEnlarge Photo Toyota Stumbles on Trucks, Quality GM had been the largest automaker in the world for 74 years until Toyota passed them early this year. Now, Toyota is hitting some classic GM-like problems: overexpansion, quality issues, and a floor-mat recall that's at a tipping point of public awareness. Can Toyota turn momentum back to top-notch small cars and continue to own the hybrid mantle--while also figuring out how to walk away from big trucks quietly, and what to do with the excess capacity it has in North America? Volkswagen Up! Light Concept Hints At Future Hybrid ModelsEnlarge Photo Volkswagen Snares Porsche (And Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini...) Volkswagen as the world's biggest automaker? Right now Toyota sells more cars than VW, but by some measures (recent production),� Volkswagen has already passed its stated goal for the year 2018 of being the world's largest vehicle manufacturer. Volkswagen began the decade on a brand-buying binge, and it may or may not have ended with stakes in Porsche and Suzuki this year. Somehow, VW has manufactured lush profits out of a seemingly unmanageable constellation of nameplates--with a savvy manufacturing philosophy underlying the wildly divergent badges. Sure, there are some clunkers under the VW sun, like SEAT. The Volkswagen name itself is desperately awaiting its next boom in the U.S. But with new alliances, new brands, new city cars, and new buyers in next-world countries, VW is on the brink either of supernova--or black hole. Instrument Panel - 2009 Ford Flex 4-door Limited FWDEnlarge Photo #YourCarTalks--And Reads, And Steers, And Updates Your Status In the century of cars, we've evolved from the universal transportation of the Model T, to the personal expression of a Ferrari Califonia.� Now we're at the vanguard of an age where interaction between the car and driver will get as much attention as horsepower, traction and top speed. You can use your car as an information interface, just like you were promised in the concept sketches from the Sixties and Seventies. And your car can talk back in meaningful ways; it can transmit information to safety personnel, take in data to bring you movie listings and re-route you in traffic--even keep your kids occupied in the back seat. Coming down the road: letting your car talk to other cars, to prevent accidents and share useful information on traffic, gas prices, and more. The media world's changed along with cars, transitioning from the hands of the few to the hands of--well, the hands of you. You can talk about cars on Facebook or #twitter--or you can read about cars in publications that didn't exist a decade ago, new outlets like Autoblog, Jalopnik, and LeftLaneNews. We like to think it started here at TheCarConnection.com, one of the first independent Web sites to challenge the old guard and keep readers in touch with the car world around the clock on the Web. Media keeps changing, and we're ringing in the new year with an updated version of TheCarConnection, along with some blockbuster news from other media partners and, of course, the winner in our Tesla Roadster writing contest. So buckle up, and stay linked here--it's going to be an exciting decade ahead.

Good news on the horizon in 2010 as new models hit the showroom

Yeah baby! Make like Austin Powers in Aston Martin's new Cygnet mini car

Even the most optimistic car industry chiefs admit 2010 will be tough. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) predicts car sales in 2010 will fall to 1.77 million from around 1.95 million, as the effects of the recession bite even deeper.

But there’s good news on the horizon. A host of new cars to suit all pockets and tastes will be hitting showrooms in 2010, when an estimated 116 new models willbe available. 

Highlights include Jaguar’s stunning new flagship XJ saloon car from �52,000, available in April, just as BMW launches its 5-series (�27,555 to �49,440).

Or you could treat yourself to the new ‘baby’ Rolls-Royce Ghost, which goes on sale in January from a mere �197,000. Wait 12 months and a sporty McLaren MP4-12C supercar could be yours next December. 

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That will set you back �160,000. For tighter budgets, Citroen’s C3 1.6 HDi 90 costs a more modest �15,200.

The new year is also a time to say farewell. The planned 2010 British International Motor Show was cancelled in March 2009 because of the recession.

The last rites have been read for Sweden’s Saab, which has struggled on for years.General Motors — which also owns Britain’s Vauxhall — finally pulled the plug after failing to find a buyer for the business.

But the name may live on —  under Chinese ownership. The technology and intellectual property rights have been sold to China’s Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings, which promises to invest millions to develop the brand there.

GM says Saab will continue to honour warranties, continue servicing and replace spare parts for owners.

Sweden's Volvo is also in the process of being sold off to the Chinese by its owner Ford.

BLAST YOUR WAY INTO 2010 WITH ASTON MARTIN

The new year sees the launch of Aston Martin’s new Cygnet mini car.

The company has just released the first official photographs and the car will be inshowrooms from the autumn.

The Cygnet is a collaboration with Japan’s Toyota and is based on its iQ 1.0 litre super-mini.

But it has certainly divided opinion — purists say it dilutes the Aston Martin brand cachet while fans describe it as a canny and clever way to lower Aston Martin’saverage CO2 emissions at a stroke and appear more environmentally friendly.

But to buy one for the �30,000-plus price tag, you must be an existing customer (a newAston Martin starts at �83,000).

If Mike Myers makes another Austin Powersmovie, I recommend the Cygnet —withrockets, machine guns and ejector seat. Let’s blast our way into 2010.

Yeah, baby!

NEW AUDI TO SELL LIKE HOT CAKES

Beat the Chancellor, the taxman and the economic blues in 2010. A frugal new Audi A3 1.6 TDi has CO2 emissions of just 99g/km — putting it in the zero tax band, which is exempt from the London Congestion Charge.

It has fuel economy of up to 74.3 miles to the gallon and costs �18,005 on the road.Yet it still has a top speed of 121 mph and can accelerate from rest to 62 mph in 11.4 seconds. It has just gone on sale. I predict it  will sell like hot cakes.

DON'T GO COLD IN AN EMERGENCY

Timing is all. Just as the big freeze hits Britain, the RAC launches its range of Mediwrap thermal blankets. 

They are designed to prevent hypothermia and are used by the emergency services.

They’re made to be stored in the boot for those emergencies when you break down in the middle of nowhere in subzero temperatures.

She's a model and she's looking good for a career boost on trip to America

She said: "I was walking along Carnaby Street in London after finishing one shoot and a woman started running down the street after me.

"She told me that a photographer called Paul Miller, who has shot for titles like Playboy, had seen me walk past and wanted my contact details.

"Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the camera with Paul and putting a portfolio together and, since then, I've been put in touch with some massive names.

"Another photographer called Keith Lander, who shoots for magazines like FHM and Maxim, saw the pictures and said he wanted to fly me to Miami to work with him."

Stephanie, who lives with her parents in Briars Gate, said she was now waiting for dates to be confirmed with Keith Lander and said she hoped to fly out for the shoot in the next two months.

She added: "It would be amazing if I was featured in magazines like those – modelling has always been a dream of mine and I think my meeting with Paul Miller shows that anything can happen."

Her modelling career started after she quit her job at NK Motors car dealership, in Pride Park, and did a number of amateur photo shoots.

She was then signed up to London-based modelling agency Mission Models after sending the firm her portfolio and started landing bigger jobs, such as the Aston Martin and Mini Cooper campaigns.

Stephanie will also be fronting the launch of an energy drink produced by fashion giants Tonino Lamborghini next year.

She said: "Modelling had always been an interest to me but it never really took off until I was 18, when I quit my job and started doing amateur shoots.

"It took a while for my career to get going and I was told a couple of times by some agencies that I would never make it. That was really hard to take and it does knock your confidence but, by then, I was so into it that I wasn't going to be beaten that easily.

"Modelling is not a hobby for me – it's a lifestyle, it's my passion and it's what I aspire to be."

Hong Kong's roads clogged with supercars

Hong Kong's roads read like pages ripped from a luxury car magazine.

Hundreds of ultra-flash motors from Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches to Aston Martins, Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, inch through traffic on the city's clogged and smoggy roads.

Even taxes of 120 percent don't deter Hong Kong's uber-rich from splashing out on the latest super-expensive 'boy's toy' - with dealers seeking to import as many supercars as they can get their hands on.

In the lead-up to Christmas, Marchy Lee's CarPro showroom contained a Lamborghini Murcielago LP650-4. There were only 50 ever made and this was the last one on sale in Asia. Price on the road? A bank account-buckling 800,000 dollars.

Or, there's always the cheaper option, a stunning black and gold Ferrari 430 Scuderia - a snip, at 520,000 dollars.

"You buy this car, you want to be driving on the road and for some people to take a good look," Marchy said from the Murcielago's driver's seat. "There are a lot of supercars in Hong Kong, even though it's a very small place.

"A few successful Hong Kong businessmen own 30 or 40 supercars. They are big boys and they need to buy toys. So these are their toys."

But it's not just the boys.

Nicole Wang, a banker, zips out of a parking spot in Hong Kong city centre in her Audi R8 - worth around 300,000 dollars - straight into a traffic jam.

"I chose this car because it suits my character," she said. "It's not for middle-aged men. It's very special and very rare in Hong Kong - there are only about 50 here right now."

Many young boys like to play with toy cars, perhaps having a Ferrari, a couple of Porsches and maybe an Aston Martin parked in their toy box.

But when Terence Ku grew up, his toy box became a real garage. He owns 16 cars worth around two million dollars.

He imported a beautiful pearl white Aston Martin DBS from Britain because of his love of James Bond movies and a Ferrari 360 CS because of the engine's deep and distinctive growl.

But Porsches are his favourite. He owns six.

"I love Porsches," Terence, said. "But I'd put the Ferrari 458 at the top of my Xmas list, I don't mind having to wait until next year."

Terence, who owns a printing and publishing company, admits Hong Kong is not the best place for the motorist.

"It's too expensive here and it's too small. There's no good roads to drive on. That's why we get together and go away on road trips."

Many Hong Kong car enthusiasts such as Terence join clubs and often ship their pride and joy to China or Malaysia - sometimes even to Germany - so they can enjoy them properly on the open road.

Benjamin Lam, chairman of the Porsche Club Hong Kong, recently led a convoy of Porsches on a trip across China.

"The traffic is not very good in Hong Kong," he said. "You've got traffic jams everywhere, even at 3:00 am. And the public transportation is very good, so you don't even really need a car.

"That's why we're always shipping our cars overseas. We like to drive on the open roads. We're all passionate about our cars."

Bentleys and Rolls-Royces seem to be the luxury cars of choice for the "older gentleman" in Hong Kong, as well as for hotel limousines. Hundreds of the graceful classics glide silently through the streets.

Rolls-Royce immediately sold 20 of its new Ghost when it made its debut in Hong Kong in September.

The new 'smaller and more dynamic' Ghosts cost around 550,000 dollars on the road and are built to order to the buyer's specification.

"Hong Kong has always been an important market for Rolls-Royce," said Jenny Zhang, general manager of Rolls-Royce Greater China.

"All our customers have one thing in common despite where they are from - they are all highly successful individuals who are passionate about the Rolls-Royce brand."

Any rich man or woman who fancies a new supercar this Christmas needs to immediately double the price tag if they want to take it out into a traffic jam.

Marchy Lee explains: "The tax in Hong Kong is very, very high. All cars over 500,000 Hong Kong dollars (64,500 US dollars) are classed as luxury brands and are taxed at 120 percent, after the first third.

"So, to buy one of these ultra-niche cars, you have to really want one - and have a lot of money."

But that hasn't stopped shoppers at Marchy's small dealership - he's sold around 40 supercars since the company started almost two years ago.

And the Ferrari 430 Scuderia has already sold - somebody's having a very Happy Christmas.

aad/lb/hg

 

JMW to run Aston Martin in 2010

JMW Motorsport to switch to Aston Martin Vantage GT2 for the 2010 season JMW Motorsport has announced that it will run an Aston Martin Vantage GT2 in the 2010 Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hours after being named as Aston Martin Racing's official global GT2 Development Partner. The Essex based team, headed by Jim McWhirter, will work closely with AMR on a three-year programme to help develop the Vantage GT2 having campaigned a Ferrari 430 during its first season of racing in 2009.The core team, which took JMW Motorsport to fourth at Le Mans and took second in the LMS GT2 standings, remains the same with Tim Sugden as team manager and Steve Bunkhall as technical director, ably backed by Davey Nicholas, Duncan Ritchie and Ian Jones. Rob Bell, twice GT2 Champion in the LMS, will once again form part of the driver line-up with his team-mate to be announced in due course.“This is a very exciting development for our team and reflects the efforts invested over the past seasons,” McWhirter said. This may be a new car for JMW, but the same desire, commitment and perseverance is still there and we are confident we shall be in the mix from the start. “Dunlop have been an integral part of our success and it is extremely rewarding that they are joining forces with JMW and Aston Martin Racing in this challenging new adventure.” George Howard-Chappell, Aston Martin Racing team principal, said he was delighted to partner with the team for 2010. “We have focussed considerable engineering resource on improving the performance of the Vantage GT2,” he said. “While we offer cars in every class from LMP1 to GT4, the GT2 car is probably the most important customer car and the one where we can make the most improvements. Working with a top professional team like JMW with their resources and commitment will mean we will be able to really challenge for GT2 honours in 2010.”

Aston Martin V8 (1978) Fast Road / Race

VPH 959S has been prepared for fast road / track events and was used extensively for racing in the Aston Martin race and Intermarque Championship of the early 1990's.

Externally, the car has "Le Mans" green paintwork and deep front air dam, enclosed bonnet bulge, duck tail spoiler.

Acquired by myself in 2006 and has benefited from an engine rebuild, which included piston rings, big end bearings, oil pump, valves, guides, water pump, accusump plus much more.

At this time the chassis and floor pan was inspected and remedial work carried out as required, together with the fitting of a "Caged" roll cage.

Having all the right bits, such as big valve heads, 48mm Weber carbs, X-pack camshafts etc - original documentation suggests that the engine was upgraded to Vantage Zagato X Pack specification.

A manual gearbox, with twin plate clutch, together with Items like aluminium radiator and fuel tank, up rated AP front brakes running modern brake pads mean that the car can run in race conditions comfortably without drama.

Fitted with plumbed fire extinguisher and electronic battery cut out switches and a pair of race seats and harnesses to improve safety.

VPH 959S - is fully MOT'd and taxed for road use, shod with 16" Michelin Pilot sport tyres on Gotti rims, there are further set of Gotti's with race tyres.

The car has been campaigned in the AMOC classic championship for the 2009 season (winning class C1), together with a number of outings in the Intermarque series.

VPH 959S is by no means a concorse queen, she is very presentable but has been built for fast driving rather than polishing!

All in all a competitive race car and or very quick "bad boys" road car.

Car is located near Westbury, Wiltshire.

Part Exchange: Possible P/x upto 50% value

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Email: CLICK HERE TO EMAIL HPI Check This Car...

An HPI Check costs just �19.99 online. With more vehicle information than anybody else and full telephone support if you need it, we can tell you whether the car you want to buy has been stolen, written-off, clocked, or has outstanding finance.

Powerful Taurus symbolizes Ford's resurgence

Conventional wisdom congratulates Ford for forgoing last year's feast of federal bailouts, as if Ford's absence from that table of taxpayers' money signaled extraordinary competence and virtue in a time of corporate recklessness and greed.

The truth is less heroic, which is that Ford was well on its way to ruin long before General Motors and Chrysler traveled that road.

But unlike its Detroit brethren, Ford was urgent and straightforward in admitting that it had lost its way and that it needed a fast turnaround in pursuit of a prosperous "Way Forward," which was the corporate name of its self-initiated recovery program.

It was a teachable moment missed by GM and Chrysler. Put simply: When you're lost, don't stay lost for long. Admit that you don't know where you're going, or what you're doing. Seek help, which is what Ford did in 2006 in choosing former Boeing executive Alan Mulally as its president and chief executive.

Mulally did not waste time or sentiment. He did away with Ford's costly, underperforming darlings: Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover. He scrapped assembly and supplier plants that were manufacturing more debt than quality products. He streamlined corporate management, and he overturned one of Ford management's worst decisions: the 2006 scrapping of the Taurus car brand.

Mulally brought back the Taurus name in the 2008 model year, arguing that the only thing wrong with the car was what had gone wrong with the company. Ford had forgotten that it was in the car business. Cars, as a result, went by the boards in favor of what Ford management construed as more lucrative trucks. The Taurus, originally introduced in 1986 to consumer and critical acclaim, did not fail. Instead, Mulally argued, Ford management had failed the Taurus.

He said the company and the Taurus brand needed the same thing: better cars, much better cars. And he delivered.

The proof is in a variety of new Ford automobiles: the Fusion Hybrid, the reworked Ford Focus, the Lincoln MKZ, the new Fiesta and this column's subject car, the 2010 Taurus SHO (Super High Output).

When introduced in 1989, the Taurus SHO, equipped with a 3-liter, 220-horsepower Yamaha V-6 engine, quickly became a favorite among married men with children. It was a car suitable for a holiday trip to Grandma's house and a weekend on local racing circuits. That it was priced a tad below $20,000 was a bonus, affording high-performance driving on a shoestring budget.

The 2010 Taurus SHO follows much the same formula as the original - with 365 horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque in a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine - in a car that otherwise has all of the character and accommodations of a big family sedan.

But though it is measurably more affordable than its foreign high-performance rivals, the new Taurus SHO is by no means cheap. Pricing now starts at $37,770 on a car that requires premium unleaded fuel for "best performance."

The new Taurus SHO also differs from the old in that the new is full-size and leans more toward luxury, as opposed to the mid-size measurement and middling appointments of the old. The changes can be disconcerting to people who grew up with up with the old Taurus. My assistant was taken aback by the size of the new Taurus and the complexity of its instrument panel, saying, "Too big with too many buttons."

But if you can get past those things, as I did the moment I keyed the ignition, you'll find lots to love. Fit, finish and overall comfort easily are among the best in the business. Overall performance - in acceleration and handling - rivals that of more expensive cars, including Audi, BMW and Lexus.

Delivering 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway won't impress motorists who measure automotive value by how far they can drive on a gallon of fuel. But for those of us who remain easily seduced by horsepower and torque, it's a pretty neat trick, accomplished in this case by Ford's 3.5-liter "EcoBoost" V-6, which uses a combination of direct fuel injection and larger volumes of forced air to create maximum power without a commensurate increase in fuel consumption.