Nineteen years ago, car parts were strewn on his Monterey driveway. Looked like a junkyard, Kevin Buckler said. Probably would have heard from the neighborhood fashion police, if there wasn’t a big hedge shielding the driveway from public view.
A sight like this, all too typically, would morph into a front lawn we have seen all too much: a rusted car resting on blocks, weeds growing out of the back seat, a chicken or two slipping on leftover oil  … More
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2011 CHEVROLET VOLT
BY DAVID COLMAN
 You’ll be reading reams of technical information about this car in the months to come, but what’s it really like to drive? Based on a 100 mile round trip between Sausalito and Marshall, the Volt offers a workable solution to everyday transportation for 4 with the added bonus of 25-50 miles of gas-free operation daily. Volt operates in 2 different modes. There’s battery power, which is good for that gas-free 25-50 mile romp, plus gasoline power for an added range of about 350 miles. If you drive short trips every day, it could be months before you need to refill the Volt’s 9.2 gallon gas tank.Â
 Of course, you’ll need to recharge the batteries every night, a 10 hour job if you use 120V household current. If you want a 3 hour home recharge at 220V, you’ll need to install a special battery charger which costs $600. Chevy will do a free site survey to assess what the installation of this charger will entail. Labor and parts can run the job as high as $2,000.
 The combined range estimate of 379 miles means you never have to worry about getting stuck with a dead battery, because Read the rest of this entry »
Probably one of the most adored cars in Porsche’s line up is the GT3.Â
That’s because what it represents, a certain amount of purity for motoring in a track-ready rocket.
However, it sounds like things are about to change. According to a forum user at Rennlist who spoke with a Porsche executive, the upcoming 911 — codenamed 991 — will receive: a 45 horsepower bump from a 4.0-liter flat six motor, dual-clutch PDK-S transmission and additional weight loss thanks to composite materials.
Also, word on the street suggests that  … More
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2011VOLKWAGEN JETTA TDI CUP EDITION
BY DAVID COLMAN
The newly introduced 2011 Jetta is larger, and more soft-edged than its predecessor. By upsizing their bread and butter sedan, VW hopes to entice North American buyers into abandoning Camrys and Accords in favor of a more family-oriented Jetta. But this move to the middle has left hard-core VW sports types wondering whether Germany has forsaken them. Wonder no more, because the optional $2,350 Cup Edition of the Jetta Diesel will restore their faith in the sporting integrity of the brand. For the past several years, VW has backed a racing series for beginners in the US called the TDI Cup. They did so for two reasons. The first was to focus American eyes on the performance (and sales) potential of clean Diesel powered sedans. The second motive was to create a professional and affordable series for novice young racers to compete against one another. By all measures, the TDI Cup has been a resounding success. VW finally has acknowledged their brainchild by launching this Cup Edition of the Diesel Jetta. While The TDI Cup may look like a racecar, it still performs like a family sedan.
Reskinned body parts distinguish the Candy White Jetta Cup from the mom ‘n pop SEL sedan. An imposingly deep front airdam flows into ground effects sill extensions below the doors. The tail receives a diffuser-like lower valance plus a full trunk-mounted wing spoiler. Read the rest of this entry »