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Motorsports: Son resurrecting Mickey Thompson's LSR Streamliner for Bonneville run [w/videos]

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By Damon Lowney

Mickey Thompson Autolite Special - vintage LSR car photograph at Bonneville

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You’ve probably heard of Mickey Thompson, if not for racing home-built Indy cars or punting early Funny Cars down drag strips, perhaps for the tire company he founded, his successful forays into off-road racing or, crucially, his attempts to break land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. In 1960, he became the fastest man in the world after going 406 miles per hour in his race car, the brutish four-engined Challenger I, but the record was never completed and made official due to a breakdown on the return run.

Tragedy struck when Mickey and his wife were murdered in front of their house.

“After years of planning to build a car that would go even faster than the Challenger I, things came together for Thompson in 1968, when his collaboration with Ford to put Mustang bodies onto his Funny Car drag racers morphed into something much bigger: the Challenger II LSR Streamliner. “The Challenger II project actually evolved out of a larger program originally intended to generate buzz for the introduction of the 1969 Mach I Mustang,” Danny Thompson, Mickey’s son, explained to Autoblog in an e-mail. “[Ford] decided to take three Mustangs to Bonneville and break as many records as they could,” he said, and Mickey Thompson was going to do the same with Funny Cars and the Challenger II using Ford’s 427 SOHC motorsport engine.

Ford was also closely involved with the design of the Challenger II through their Kar Kraft specialty shop,” Danny Thompson related. Ed Hull, who was involved with the GT40 Mark IV Le Mans racer, was just one of the sharp minds at Ford who contributed to the Challenger II, but Mickey Thompson and his hand-picked team were responsible for its construction.

And that’s where the Challenger II story ended, at least officially. It was prepared in time for Speed Week at the Salt Flats, and test runs were proving its mettle, but the dry lake bed wasn’t ready for the Challenger II after an unseasonal storm flooded the course. Even worse, 1969 brought no relief to Thompson and his team when Ford pulled the plug on racing activities. Years later, Mickey Thompson and his son planned to revive the Challenger II for a record-setting run in 1989, but tragedy struck when Mickey and his wife were murdered in front of their house, nixing any plans of running the streamliner. Scroll down to keep reading and to watch the videos.

Continue reading Son resurrecting Mickey Thompson’s LSR Streamliner for Bonneville run [w/videos]

Son resurrecting Mickey Thompson’s LSR Streamliner for Bonneville run [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jul 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

2013 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite Review & Test Drive

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By Harvey Schwartz

2013 Honda Odyssey MiniVan Beauty Left Done Small

Minivans continue to be a big seller for large active families that can take care of their local personal needs and take them in comfort and safety to their favorite weekend or vacation locations.  It continues to lead its class in fuel economy (19mpg/city/28mpg/highway), safety while giving up to eight passengers a spacious comfortable interior with a refined and fun-to-drive experience.

I tested the ‘top-of-the-line’ Touring Elite Odyssey and was impressed with all of the attributes that makes today’s minivan such a favorite among families.

2013 Honda Odyssey MiniVan Engine Done Small

All Odyssey models (there are five) are powered by an advanced 3.5 liter, 24-valve, SOHC, all-aluminum V6 engine with i-TEC and variable cylinder management.  It generates 248hp at 5,700rpm and 250lb.ft. of torque at 4,800rpm combining a balanced combination of fuel efficiency and low emissions.  The engine gives excellent responsiveness and acceleration that I really enjoyed while maneuvering around slow city traffic and when merging on the highway.  The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission turning the front wheels.  This Honda six-speed changes gears quickly with no perception of each change.  It pulls strongly all the way up the gears.

2013 Honda Odyssey MiniVan Beauty Side Done Small

The body of the Odyssey is very rigid utilizing 59% high-strength steel to help isolate noise and to reduce body weight for agile handling and excellent fuel efficiency.  This strong and rigid body structure and long 118.1 inch wheelbase, ensures a comfortable ride and confident driving performance further enhanced with the fully independent suspension.  Up front is a MacPherson strut setup with gas-charged shocks and a 24mm stabilizer bar.  The rear features a unique multi-link double-wishbone setup with gas-charged shocks and a 24mm stabilizer bar.  This suspension keeps body lean to a minimum when traveling on curving roads and flattens out poorly paved road surfaces.  Standard Vehicle Stability Assist and traction control keep you in control when driving on steeply curving roads at speed.  Variable power-assisted rack & pinion steering gave me an excellent feel for the road, good on-center feel and light steering effort when driving slow and heavier steering feel at highway speeds.  It was responsive to all of my steering inputs.  It is one of the best driving minivans that I have tested over the years.

2013 Honda Odyssey MiniVan Beauty Rear Done Small

Slowing the Odyssey Touring Elite down from speed are large, power-assisted, four-wheel disc brakes.  Up front are 12.6 inch vented discs clamped with dual-piston calipers and 13.1 inch solid discs clamped with large single-piston calipers in the rear.  Braking control and power are enhanced with standard ABS, EBD and BA.  Whenever I used the brakes hard the feel was very linear and assuring.

The Honda Odyssey Touring Elite rides on 17X7 inch alloy wheels wrapped with 235/60R18 inch all-season radial tires for excellent grip and a smooth, quiet ride.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts

Automobiles

2013 Honda Civic EX-L Sedan Review & Test Drive

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By Harvey Schwartz

2013 Honda Civic EXL Beauty Right Up Done Small

‘MORE REFINED INSIDE AND OUT’

When the all-new Honda Civic premiered in 2012 it received mixed reviews about the new exterior styling and interior materials.  The compact sedan market is one of the most hotly contested so Honda designers went back to their drawing boards and refreshed the front and rear fascias, then gave the interior more luxurious finishes plus more standard equipment in 2013 to better compete against the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus and Chevy Cruze.

Last year I tested the all-new 2012 Civic Si coupe and found it fun-to-drive, with excellent handling capabilities, and didn’t mind that the interior had mostly hard plastic.  When looking for a performance car less than $25,000.00, I don’t care that the company is putting more money on performance-driven items that on the interior dashboard materials.  I want fun and excitement behind the wheel for a reasonable amount of money.  Well, to turn the tide with the other automotive reviewers, Honda refreshed the front and rear fascias and upgraded the interior to give it a more upscale look and feel.  I tested the Civic 4-door EX-L model with navigation and enjoyed my seven-day test drive like last year.

2013 Honda Civic EXL Beauty Side LA Done Small

Changes to the exterior include a new open-mouth lower bumper with a horizontal chrome accent and a sportier looking black honeycomb mesh grille with another horizontal chrome piece around the bottom and up the sides.  The grille is flanked by new halogen headlamp clusters and clear-lens corner lights to make a more premium look.   Integrated foglamps are at the sides of the lower bumper.  The more sculpted front end flows into a new more deeply faceted sculpture.  The flared fenders find new 16X6.5 inch sporty aluminum wheels with black painted pockets wrapped with 205/55R16 inch all-season radial tires.

2013 Honda Civic EXL Beauty Rear LA Done Small

From the side is a long, low, sleek look with steeply raked A-pillars, lower side extensions, body color pull-out door handles, aero-styled remote/heated sideview mirrors and nice scallop in the doors.  The rear features a new bumper design and new rear trunk lid that are finished off by a clean horizontal chrome trim piece.  The all-new design of the jewel-like taillights now carries into the trunk face, providing a more polished and upscale look.  The rear bumper also features integrated reflector treatments and a new diffuser panel with a honeycomb mesh vent.

Interior improvements include new soft-to-the-touch leather dashboard and dashboard top with dual stitching, black matt trim and brushed aluminum trim around the air-vents, around the leather-wrapped steering wheel spokes, center console, and door trim.  Chrome is featured around the stick shifter gate.

2013 Honda Civic EXL Engine Done Small

Power from the 1.8 liter 16-valve, SOHC, all-aluminum, i-VTEC inline four-cylinder gets a slight bump in …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts

Automobiles

2013 Acura MDX AWD Review & Test Drive

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By Harvey Schwartz

2013 Acura MDX Beauty Right Done Small

‘HIGH PERFORMANCE MEETS LUXURY, COMFORT AND CONNECTIVITY’

First introduced in 2001 and winner of Motor Trend Magazine’s ‘Sport Utility of the Year’ award, it was last refreshed in 2010 with the addition of the Acura signature ‘over-bite’ grille and a powertrain upgrade with the 300hp 3.7 liter SOHC V6 engine mated to a six-speed automatic with paddle shifting.  The 2013 model that I tested is long overdue for a totally new look and Acura promises that to happen in the 2014 model year.  In the meantime, this MDX Advance and Technology edition maintains the core elements that make this SUV so enticing and exciting to drive-the 300hp V6 engine with sequential shifting paddles on the steering wheel, a Nurburgring tuned fully independent suspension with comfort and sport settings, Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system, Acura’s ‘ACE’ body structure, a luxurious interior with room for seven passengers and a load of advanced features including Acura’s Navigation System, with voice recognition, an awesome 10-speaker Acura/ELS surround sound system, a power liftgate and a rearview camera.  These and a host of other features are standard and make the MDX one of the best high-performing luxury sport utility vehicles on the market.  It leaves out nothing except for a Smart Access Key Fob and push button start/stop which isn’t the end of the world, but standard on most high-end sport utility vehicles-they will probably be available in the all-new 2014 edition.

Other than those two tidbits, the 2013 Acura MDX is awesome as I enjoyed every minute behind the wheel in city and highway driving.

2013 Acura MDX Engine Done Small

A generous 300 horsepower and 270lb.ft. of torque is generated by the 3.7 liter, SOHC, 24-valve, all-aluminum V6 with VVT & Lift Electronic Control (VTEC).  It gives the 300 horses a wide power band at the low end for quick launches and gas-saving low rpm when cruising down the highway.  The smooth shifting and sport-minded sequential sportshift six-speed automatic transmission has paddle shifter on the steering wheel, Grade Logic Control, shift hold control, cornering G shift control and hill start assist.  Whether driving up or down on pavement or off-road, this transmission enhances your capabilities by adding extra control of your speed and handling.  Speaking of handling, the super handling all-wheel drive (SH-AWD) system is fantastic-super quick changing torque to each wheel as needed when driving on wet or slick pavement and when off-roading to your favorite destination.  The center of the instrument cluster shows you the torque bias at all four wheels as it is happening as you drive.  It is seamless so you don’t know that the system is assisting you when on the road or off-road.  The torque-sensing power-assisted rack & pinion steering system is quick acting to your inputs with great feel for the road and on-center when driving straight-ahead at speed.  The drive is solid as a rock further enhanced with the big footprint of …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts