Cash for Clunkers Ends

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood declares program "wildly successful"

$2.877 billion in rebate applications were submitted for 690,114 vehicles, according to a press release from the Department of Transportation. Toyota was the biggest winner with 19.4% of the transactions. GM was second with 17.6%, followed by Ford, Honda and Nissan. Dodge was 7th on the list with 6.6% of the transactions.

Six of the top ten new vehicles purchased were from Japanese and Korean Automakers, with the Toyota Corolla, number one, followed by the Honda Civic, Toyota Camry and finally a domestic at number four, the Ford Focus.

The Ford Explorer lead the top ten trade in vehicle list followed by 9 other domestic models.

The government went on to say that on average, vehicles bought under the program averaged 19% above the average fuel economy of all new cars currently available, and 59% above the average fuel economy of cars that were traded in. The new vehicles averaged 24.9 MPG while the trade ins averaged 15.8 MPG for an overall increase of 9.2 MPG or a 58% improvement.

You can read the complete press release here. http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2009/dot13309.htm

Top 10 New Vehicles Purchased:
Toyota Corolla
Honda Civic
Toyota Camry
Ford Focus FWD
Hyundai Elantra
Nissan Versa
Toyota Prius
Honda Accord
Honda FitFord
Escape FWD

New Vehicles Manufacturers:
Toyota - 19.4%
General Motors - 17.6%
Ford - 14.4%
Honda - 13.0%
Nissan - 8.7%
Hyundai - 7.2%
Chrysler - 6.6%
Kia - 4.3%
Subaru - 2.5%
Mazda - 2.4%
Volkswagen - 2.0%
Suzuki - 0.6%
Mitsubishi - 0.5%
MINI - 0.4%
Smart - 0.2%
Volvo - 0.1%
All Other - <0.1%

Top 10 Trade-in Vehicles:
Ford Explorer 4WD
Ford F150 Pickup 2WD
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD
Ford Explorer 2WD
Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD
Jeep Cherokee 4WD
Chevrolet Blazer 4WD
Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD
Ford F150 Pickup 4WD
Ford Windstar FWD Van

Cheaper by the dozen

Although I love the exotic equipment of the ALMS, I've always been one to say that the actual racing is more important than the equipment. It is always about the drivers. (What'd you expect, I was one once)

In this light I struggle with so few cars on their grids that can actually race each other. Here I feel that Grand-Am has the upper hand (again, I'm setting aside the tech part of the equation so no flames!) by having fewer classes and full of cars that are relatively easy to get and run.

So I am elated to see that ALMS have chosen to permit a new spec-racer prototype division--to be called the LMP Challenge that will join their grid this coming year in an effort to boost car counts and competition amongst the drivers and teams.
I've learned from their own postings that the LMP Challenge was introduced earlier this year as part of the Le Mans Series in Europe and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It is there that the ORECA Courage-built FLM09 that comprises the class with a minimum weight of 900 kg (1985 pounds to us colonials, or 142 Stone to our English friends) which is similar to its LMP 1&2 classmates. However this thing will have a good old American pushrod Chevy 6.2 liter Vee-Eight loping along at 6000 revs (450 hp, 460 lb ft torque). (this is a bit less powerful than the LMP1 and LMP2 cars, which range from 500 hp to 700 hp but are much higher strung)

Based on my own personal behaviour with these engines this bad boy ought to live for a good 150,000 miles! Now that is a deal!

The LMP Challenge car is positioned as an affordable entry to prototype racing. The whole enchilada with engine will cost $385,000, according to the ALMS. To be called the FLM09, it comes with a full carbon-fiber chassis, carbon brakes and an Xtrac sequential gearbox with paddle shifting. This new class car will race on a spec tire, brand to be determined.

With luck this new Franco-American hot-rod based class will grow and become a sustainable high-count class where we will see a lot of multi-car action which has been missing for a while.

My fingers are crossed.

Later, PC

Part II - Boyd Coddington Exclusive Interviews

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Never-before released interview with hot-rod legend Boyd Coddington. In multiple-parts, in tribute, now through SEMA Show 2009. By Joe Mavilia for The Weekend Drive.

Part II of three parts

(Part I was posted July 17, 2009)

... So who is this man behind the art and the machine? A myth, a legend? ...

...as things turned out, I also learned as much about him from others who knew him from TV, visiting his showroom or being a neighbor. I met those people a week following my meeting with Boyd. I was attending my nephews wedding aboard a boat in Newport Harbor… a big boat. The setting was private, elegant and peopled by movers and shakers. You always find people like that on a road less traveled. It was just the setting where you’d expect the name Boyd Coddington would be known.

I hadn’t seen Marty and Sharon in a decade but as we got to talking about old times, I found they now live in the ‘Heights’ above La Habra. After a few connections and coincidences Marty told me about the house he built there … a big house. One day while he was out jogging, this guy, Boyd Coddington, was driving by and stopped Marty just as he rounded the final turn to his house. “Who owns this house”, Boyd asked. Looking more like the gardener than a prosperous businessman, Marty replied, “I do!” Later the men and their wives got together and discussed the possibilities of the Coddington’s buying the home, even though it was not for sale. Money was no object, but in the end the answer was still no. Some things not even money will buy. Personalities enter the play like a poker face in a smoke filled room. Obviously there wasn’t a meeting of the minds and it must have been a disappointing rejection.

Boyd was also disappointed with the recent loss of his chief designer Chip Foose and that required a lot of adjustment. But Boyd says the move was ok and he talks with Chip often. A look around the boat on this beautiful sunny California day, somehow contradicts such outcomes. The bet doesn’t always matter. In both cases, the answer was… I’ll see you and raise. The stakes are not always about money.

Boyd seemed distant and aloof when we met and I concluded that he’s just shy. But he hosts a TV show so how can that be, you say. Well, I’m pretty outgoing but my knees knock when I get in front of an audience. Anyway, it was our first meeting and that can make such celebrities, appear removed. People who are successful are by any measure bizzzzy bizzzzy people. They have demands placed on them 24/7. And that, in part, explains why I felt like I was an irritation to his busy day. But for all the demands, Boyd was outwardly calm. Or maybe he was about to fall asleep. I don’t usually have that effect on people. But then his cell phone would ring and wake him up. “Now where were we?”

Like so many of us, the cell phone is our constant companion and our umbilical cord to the world anywhere, anytime. Boyd spends even more time on his cell than most because the world is his office. There is no question that I was more excited about meeting this “legend” in the custom rod world than he was in meeting me. It was I who wanted to know more about him and he did share a little of his life and feelings about family, business and success, all of which he says require a lot of hard work.

True enough. Hard work matters a lot, which brings to mind the saying that “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” – Thomas A. Edison. I suspect most of us want to believe we too have worked hard for what we’ve accomplished, even if we fell into it or married it. But Boyd’s beginnings were indeed humble. The farm was small, as farms go, at 40-acres. It was primarily a dairy farm but also produced some of those famous Idaho potatoes. What kind of man was your dad, I asked? He didn’t hesitate or blink. “Dad was a great guy, who worked hard from morning to dark milking cows and all the many other things you must do on a small farm.” His dad’s heritage is Danish and Welsh and his mom is English. Both were born in Idaho.

Boyd has good memories of his youth. He recalled his first car for me. “I traded a shotgun for a 1934 Chevrolet Pickup Truck, but Dad made me give it back.” He was 20 years old when he left the farm and traveled to California. Why California? I asked. “After I finished high school and a Trade Tech, I figured California was the place for custom rods.” Armed with an extraordinary work ethic he hit the road. He didn’t pass Go, didn’t collect $200 and didn’t find any rods when he got there either. He was greatly disappointed.

Look for the final part III that picks up after his trek from Idaho along Route 66 and Boyd's new life after he got to Huntington Beach, California... No rods but the beginning of the next chapter in his life and a new job at Disneyland.

Alonso + Ferrari - Raikkonen

Reports say that Ferrari are set to dump Kimi Raikkonen at the end of this season to make room for Double World Champion Fernando Alonso. Ferrari have reportedly offerred him half of his annual salary of 25 million pounds to walk away with one year left on his contract.

His poor results and lack of motivation seem to be a big part of his pending departure from the Scuderia. Speculation grew as he competed in his debut World Rally Championship event recently. During this event he even stated that Rallying could become his occupation once his contract was fulfilled with Ferrari.

It is widely believed that Alonso already has a contract to drive one of the red cars next season, from 2010. Alonso nor Ferrari have done nothing to leads us to believe those rumors are untrue and it is expected that the Scuderia will make a formal announcement of the same at Monza in a few weeks time. Stay tuned as this could get interesting.

Andy Lally finishes 27th in debut

Andy Lally finished 27th in his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at Watkins Glen International monday. The race being run on monday as rain caused the race to be cancelled sunday. Lally ran most of the race on the lead lap and was quite competitive until being caught up in the Kasey Kahne, Sam Hornish accident.

He came out of turn 9 and the track was completely blocked with no where to go and hit the 6 car. After pitting for the crew to repair the car and going a lap down, he got the lucky dog and was put back on the lead lap where he finished. Andy said he was happy with how competitive he was but not happy with the finish. No word on when he may get another NASCAR opportunity but with his abilities and work ethic one should come his way. Stay tuned.

Lally Qualifies 15th in Sprint Cup Debut

Andy Lally qualified 15th in his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at Watkins Glen International today. Lally turned the 2.5 mile road course at 121.722 mph which was good enough to be the 2nd best of all the cars that had to qualify on time. The only other car of that group to beat him was the 08 of Boris Said.
That is a great result for Andy with his limited experience in a Sprint Cup car. Stay tuned as we will update his race performance. Good Luck Andy!!!

ANDY LALLY TO MAKE NASCAR SPRINT CUP DEBUT

Andy Lally will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the #71 TRG Motorsports Chevy Impala SS this weekend at Watkins Glen International.

Lally is a regular in the ROLEX Grand-Am Series where he has 3 Championships in the GT Series. He will have to qualify on time as the car is outside the top 35 owners points although he would make the race if qualifying is cancelled or rained out. This is quite a break for the road racing ace but he will be exceptionally prepared and will surely do a great job. Stay tuned as we will update as practice and qualifying get underway.

TRG MOTORSPORTS SIGNS TAXSLAYER.COM

Taxslayer.com has signed on as sponsor for David Gilliland in the #70 TRG Motorsports Chevy Impala SS at Watkins Glen International this weekend.

Gilliland will drive the #70 while Road Racing ace Andy Lally will wheel the #71 TRG Motorsports car. Stay tuned for more updates as practice and qualifying begin tomorrow at The Glen.