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autocross

Industry Insider – Car Loans: Understanding Your Options

Regardless of whether you are considering a new car or one that is used, it is important that you understand all of the options available when it comes to auto loans. Because a vehicle is one of life’s major purchases, taking the time to research and determine the best loan type for your situation is a vital step in the process of buying a car. The Most Common Types of Automobile Loans Simple interest loans may be the most widely used type of auto loan; this kind of loan has an interest rate that is based on the outstanding balance …

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Autocross Class of 2017! Which Pocket Rocket Is Quickest?

Imagine the best kart track ever – inside the amazing Road America racetrack itself.  Then swap the karts for real cars.  And race them against the stopwatch in rapid-fire rotations of drivers! It was an squeely good time with the class of 2017’s new and special pocket rockets.   A big variety in power, drivetrain layout and body style: everything from the Abarth 500C to MX-5 RF and 370Z Heritage Edition.  Hyundai’s new Elantra Sport joined the fun, as did a ragtop Miata, 124 Abarth, Toyota 86 and VW Golf R.     They were all a laugh riot around …

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2017 Porsche 718 Cayman S – Autocross Drive Video

The new 718 Cayman and Cayman S certainly are not baby Porsches any more!  These are proper track stars in any configuration.  The price gap between the Cayman and 911 is now pretty wide — about $75k ($54k base) plays about $90k and up for the big brother. As ever, most of the goodies you will really want are optional and can take the price of the 911 in particular easily into the 130s for a Carrera 2S. So Cayman seems like a viable, smart choice. Power from the new 718 Cayman S comes from a turbo four for the …

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Updated with 20 Sexy New Photos – Track Test Review – 2015 Subaru WRX STI

Updated 8.13.14 Is this white over black wheels and trim STI the sexiest thing you have ever seen from Subaru since the 555 WR Blue racers from the 1990s? Yes, yes it is. Hopefully this latest vogue style does not become a fad or something that dates all 2014/2015 cars in the future. For now, however, there is nothing hotter on the world’s expressways and racetracks.   LATEST PHOTOS             The 2015 Subaru WRX STI! The time has come for (one of..) the last of my reviews from the amazing sojourn up north to Road …

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Track Test Review – 2015 Subaru WRX STI Is Brilliantly Fast, Grippy and Fun on Autocross

The 2015 Subaru WRX STI! The time has come for (one of..) the last of my reviews from the amazing sojern up north to Road America last month. The STI is certainly in my Greatest Hits column. It feels punchy, fast, vocally boxer and turbocharged, eager to turn in and happy to muscle its way out of any corner. As such, the STI was swamped with wanna-be rally heroes for its big laps of the main Road America circuit. But there was time for some on-camera bonding via the smaller Go-Kart track that we set up as a timed Autocross. …

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2014 Ford Focus ST Is Most Ferocious and Grippy Car at Road America Autocross

Like every journalist everywhere who has written unexpected results: we can only revert to an old stand-by defense. “…We don’t make the news, we just report it…!” It is this situation now, reporting that the Focus ST indeed felt the most ferocious and grippy around the Go-Kart track of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Perhaps because this mini road course is so similar to many proving grounds in the UK where the Focus ST honed its skills? The Focus ST could even be caught briefly doing the old cover-shot classic pose: with its rear inner tire off the ground …

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2014 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR – Video Reviews and High-Res Photo Gallery

One of the downsides of starting a site from scratch is that the formats and the site layouts are bound to change over time. Those changes often are compatible with the old setup, but sometimes are not. So here is a repost of last fall’s dream press loaner: the 2014 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR — on video and in numerous high-res photos. VIDEO PART ONE VIDEO PART TWO

2014 Fiat Abarth 500C Wins Hottest Exhaust Note on Autocross Track

 Listen to this gurgling little slugger! The 500C Abarth was perhaps the closest kindred spirit to the Fiesta ST we crowned as Most Fun around the Road America Go-Kart Autocross track. And while the Fiesta ST’s induction path in the front of the car definitely sounds good, it really cannot compete with the amazing aurals out back from the Fiat. The Abarth 500C’s drop-top is a welcome piece of kit for the fun little machine – operating smoothly and in a power-operated fashion that makes losing the whole roof panel as easy as opening a normal car’s moonroof. Where the …

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VIDEO: 2014 Ford Fiesta ST is Most Fun at Road America Autocross Track

Do you ever want to reach into TopGear magazine sometimes and shake them by the collar, yelling: “YES, We know the Fiesta ST is fun. Next topic!” Oh, that is just me? Whatever then! I have gotten really fatigued with Fiesta ST rave reviews. It just didn’t seem relevant. Until the first peel-out. On the go-kart-track turned Autocross of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin – the Fiesta ST comes alive. I finally get it. Finally. Finally! The 2014 Ford Fiesta ST really is a hoot. It is How Stella Got Her Groove Back. It is the g-spot in Octopussy. …

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2014 Volkswagen Beetle GSR Scoots Around Go-Kart Autocross at Road America

Alternative headlines? “GSR Aims at Autocross Target, Misses.” “Beetle GSR Drives Like It Has Gorilla On Roof.” The Beetle GSR is supposedly tailor-made for racing and timed laps – it even includes a chronometer stopwatch right in the central dashboard and racing stripes outside. Unfortunately, all who drove it at Road America last week came away with various harsh critiques. Brakes were spongy and non-existent, the tires washed out all sense of grip, it felt pokey, and most damning of all: it handled extremely poorly. My critique that it felt like a gorilla was on the roof was echoed by …

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