2013 Nissan 370Z Chicago Auto Show Debut
Nissan Project 370Z
2012 Ford Focus Titanium 5-Door
2012 Ford Focus Titanium Sedan
2012 Mazda MAZDASPEED 3
2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Design a 370Z Used to be you needed a degree to get a job as a car designer. Now all you need is to know how to use Facebook. Nissan is turning to the social network to design a tricked-out 370Z. The crowd-sourced car will debut at the annual ZDaysZ gathering.
Three Stooges Start Daytona It usually takes just one person to wave the green flag at the Daytona 500, but this year three might not be enough. Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos and Will Sasso, who star as Larry, Moe, and Curly in the new movie “The Three Stooges,” will team up to start the Great American Race, assuming they don’t drop the flag, hit each other with it, or stick it in someone’s eye.
Focus on Stick Shifts Even as eight- and nine-speed automatic transmissions are appearing on more and more cars, enthusiasts are calling for carmakers to keep offering manual transmissions as options. Ford has gotten enough comments (and complaints) to do something about it. The company is offering a stick shift on its new Titanium model Focus for the same price as the automatic.
Mazda Seeks Mate Mazda is “actively” looking for a partner after predicting a net loss of more than $1 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31. It’s the fourth year in a row of losses, and the second biggest loss in the last 11 years. Maybe if every Miata/MX-5 owner chipped in 10 bucks…
Highway Humor? A French humorist (who knew there was such a thing?) recently dressed up as a mobile speed camera and stood on the side on the road “flashing” passing cars. The gag was going pretty well until the next vehicle to come along was a police car.