Barrett-Jackson Joins the Party at Hot August Nights

By Dan Clarke Apparently, you can make a good thing better. Reno’s Hot August Nights has been a success since its 1986 debut. Barrett-Jackson traces its history to the 1960s and has also done well. Its auctions in Scottsdale, Palm Beach and Las Vegas are a familiar presence on cable television’s Speed Channel. The company initiated the inaugural Reno auction during the week of Hot August Nights and immediately ingratiated itself by creating the Barrett-Jackson Cup. In addition to providing the trophy, Barrett-Jackson donated $20,000 in prize money to Hot August Nights’ Show-n-Shine competition. The winning entry also received a

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Honda Civic proves small is huge in IIHS safety tests

Honda has long been known for its efficiency, reliability and resale values. And its stellar safety reputation isn’t too bad, either considering the Honda Civic just received  auto industry top honors among compact and sub-compact cars. Many of its competitors didn’t fare so well. The two-door and four-door Honda Civic have received “good ratings” front-end crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Half of the 12 compact and subcompact cars IIHS tested fared poorly and six performed well. Safety is critical in the fast-growing small-car market, with many buyers downsizing from larger vehicles. In addition to

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2014 Kia Sorento, new look, better ride for underdog SUV

Introduced in 2002 into an increasingly crowded market, the Kia Sorento is an unheralded mid-size sport utility vehicle now in its third generation. The 2014 model has been designated with a “facelift” status. But the manufacturer lists more than 30 new additions, including increased horsepower and new interior and exterior styling. As an underdog, Kia competes for a market share by offering a lot of variety in its vehicles. For 2014, the Kia Sorento is available with 2.4-liter GDI (LX, EX) and 3.3-liter GDI V6 (optional in LX, EX; standard in SX and SX Limited). It’s the diverse trims that

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2014 Subaru Forester: New design, quicker, spacious

The redesigned 2014 Subaru Forester crossover has an impressive new design with better styling, performance, economy, comfort, space and safety features. As the song goes, who could ask for anything more? Early 1970s Subarus felt like tin cans, despite a ruggedness that made them popular in New England states. Subaru hung in there and gradually improved things, while wisely adding and promoting standard all-wheel drive. Car buyers began looking at Subaru in a new light, and it was on its way. After all, Subaru is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan’s giant Fuji Heavy Industries, which wasn’t about to give

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Monterey Auto Week: Call it Cars-By-The-Sea

Monterey Auto Week keeps getting bigger and more diverse. It now lasts nearly two weeks and it’s as much about attainable cars as it is masterpiece, price record-breakers. It’s about memorabilia and history, too. And there’s vintage racing and room for one-of-a-kind cars to ugly cars with plenty of pride. The name of the gathering has never made sense, since no one overseas the occasion and also since many of the various show owners are not particularly best friends. Nonetheless, it’s the time of the year for the kaleidoscope of car-related activities that occurs yearly on the Monterey Peninsula in

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Electric car wars heat up, Chevrolet Volt $5,000 less in 2014

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The electric and green car wars between Chevrolet and Nissan continue to heat up in the carmakers’ pursuit of a bigger market share in their competition against the dominating Toyota Prius family. The latest move involves Chevrolet reducing the starting price of the 2014 Volt by around $5,000 for its fourth year on the market. The Volt will now have a starting price of $34,995 (*including $810 for destination), but when the 2014 model will be available is unknown. Nissan previously announced it had lowered the starting price of the Leaf by $6,400. The Chevrolet Volt can now potentially cost

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Adam Carolla, vintage Nissan 300 set for Laguna Seca

Adam Carolla, the comedian and car enthusiast, will return to Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and compete in his 1988 Nissan 300ZX during the Aug. 16-18 event. This year, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will feature 550 historic race cars selected for their historical significance, authenticity and period-correctness. The cars are divided into 16 classes, based on type of car, displacement and era of origin. The Chevrolet Corvette, celebrating its 60th anniversary, will be this year’s marque, is the three-day event that offers vintage racing to auto-related exhibits. Carolla will also display his more humorous, off-track talents as he and Dr.

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Toyota Tundra, 2014: New look, more editions

The redesigned 2014 Toyota Tundra, available to the public in September, represents the first major change since the 2007 model for the half-ton, full-sized pick-up truck. The 2014 Tundra has a grade strategy consisting of the hard-working SR, volume-leading SR5, the well-appointed Limited, and two premium grades: Platinum and the new 1794 Edition. The 1794 Edition is a tribute to the ranch, founded in 1794, on which the Tundra plant is located in San Antonio. Tundra is offered in three cab styles, two-door Regular Cab, four-door Double Cab and four-door CrewMax, all available in 4×2 and 4×4. The new front

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Rare Corvettes set for Monterey Auto Week

A rare assembly of Chevrolet Corvettes with remarkable pedigrees will be exhibited Aug. 16-18 during a tribute to the iconic brand at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The annual event, part of Monterey Auto Week will highlight Corvette in the celebration of the brand’s 60-year history. Located in the race paddock (near Turn 3), Chevrolet will share the story of Corvette’s technology. The highlight: the transition between the track and street by pairing six of the most significant Corvette race cars with their street car counterpart. Race cars from nearly every era, dating to a

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LA Auto Show, 2013: dozens of global debuts await

Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, MINI, Porsche, Subaru and Volkswagen have all confirmed representation among more than 50 global debuts at the 2013 LA Auto Show, the first major car of the year for automakers’ new models and concepts. Founded in 1907, the LA Auto Show is the first major North American show of the season and it will be held Nov. 22-Dec. 1. Press Days will be Nov. 20-21. The debut line-up this year promises a mix of cutting-edge trends and innovations in today’s competitive automotive market. BMW has confirmed seven to eight debuts,including a yet-to-be-named global premiere. MINI

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Ford F-150, 2014: Soon it’ll be a natural gas

The Ford F-150, the best-selling vehicle in the United States, will join several of its siblings and will be offered with a natural gas option beginning with iconic truck’s 2014 edition. The option, however, won’t be cheap. The automaker noted the 2014 F-150 will make it the only company with a full-size pickup that can come configured from the factory for natural gas. Ford’s natural-gas lineup has included the small Transit Connect, E Series vans and the Super Duty pickup and chassis cabs. Honda is the only manufacturer currently producing a standard production gas car with its Civic CNG. The

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Mercedes-Benz dubious honor: most stolen luxury car

The Mercedes-Benz brand has an enduring appeal among high-end car buyers. But the German automaker’s status also now has a dubious component. It’s the most stolen luxury car in the United States. According to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), Mercedes-Benz had three of the top 10 most-stolen luxury models. The C-Class is the most-often stolen with 485 thefts from Jan. 1, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2012. The NICB divided the luxury-vehicle segment into three subclasses — compact, midsize and premium. There were 4,384 thefts total in the three segments. By state, California has the most thefts

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2013 Smart Fortwo: Electric, eclectic, fun

Introduced 15 years ago at the Paris Motor Show, the Smart Fortwo, named after its two-seat capacity, is now in its third generation as the smallest full production car available in the United States. The third generation of all electric model was also recently unveiled, and The Weekly Driver drove and filmed the new car at a press launch in San Francisco. Priced respectively at $25,000 (coupe) and $28,000 (cabriolet), the manufacturer is marketing the car as the most affordable full production electric vehicle in the United States. Customers may also be eligible for federal tax credits (totaling as much

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2013 Nissan Juke Nismo: Wacky look, keen power

The Nissan Juke is an odd name, but the Juke Nismo sounds even more offbeat. That is, unless you know “Nismo” is derived from “NISsan MOtorsports, which is the name of Nissan’s motorsports division. The compact four-door, five-passenger Juke hatchback differs from the fun-loving regular Juke in that it has a race-inspired exterior, specially tuned suspension, steering and transmission. It also has more power from its small, sophisticated turbocharged and intercooled 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, which has goodies: direct injection, dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. The Juke Nismo is rated at 197 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque,

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2014 Chevrolet Impala (video): Sedan icon honored

What a difference a model year makes. Chastised as not worthy of a rental agency upgrade in 2013, the 10th generation 2014 Chevrolet Impala has been universally praised. In late July, the new Impala made national headlines when it was named Sedan of the Year by Consumer Reports. It was the first time in 20 years an American car received the honor from the national magazine. Dominated by models from Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and the German cars, editors of the publication rated the Impala at 95 out of 100. The magazine called the iconic Chevy “excellent.” With its 10th edition,

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2013 Hyundai Santa Fe (Sport): New design, quiet ride

The Weekly Driver recently had an opportunity for an extended review, a nearly 2,000-mile, two-week trek in the newly designed, six-passenger 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe (Limited). This week, it’s back to standard procedure. My weekly driver was the 2013 Santa Fe Sport edition. It’s the smaller (in several ways) five-passenger edition in Hyundai’s restyled Santa Fe lineup. The larger Santa Fe replaced the poor-selling Veracruz. In addition to one less passenger and a smaller engine, the Sport is eight inches shorter than the Limited. But there are also interior and exterior similarities among the siblings, with the SUVs both offering

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