Driving the Tour de France, July 3: Many cars, few cyclists

LES ESSARTS, France — Beyond the starting field of 198 cyclists, the moving caravan that is the Tour de France includes thousands of cars, trucks, motorhomes, motorcycles, team buses and wacky sponsors’ vehicles, some of which defy description. As one of the race publicist’s said in only the way a French person can say it when they speak English: “We didn’t think it would be possible to have 4,000 vehicles everyday following what 200 cyclists do.” In addition to about five vehicles per team, the Tour de France has 1,200 cars registered with media credentials and another 1,200 VIP, race

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Driving the Tour de France, July 2: Credentials and car stickers

LES HERBIERS, France — The journey to the opening day of the Tour de France Media Center (Salle de Presse) is always an unknown. It’s the “chicken-before-the-egg” scenario of cycling’s grand affair. Without a credential you can’t enter the media center and without a press sticker you can’t enter the media parking area to get your press pass. In some years, I’ve had to park a mile away, talk my way into the facility, acquire my car stickers, walk back to the car, attach the stickers and then drive into the media parking area. None of that occurred this year,

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Driving the Tour de France, July 1: Me and my Renault

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NANTES, France — A Mercedes-Benz more than a decade ago to several Renault models. A Citroen C4 sedan to a BMW 320i a few years back with a navigation system an 18-year guy from Australia showed me how to use. It all adds up to more than a decade of driving the Tour de France route start to finish in a variety of rental cars. This year, with the race beginning Saturday in Passage du Gois, I was looking forward what was supposed to be a 3 1/2-hour drive Friday (July 1) from Charles DeGaulle Airport outside of Paris to

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Honda Civic 2012 car review

There are enough versions of the revamped, roomier, fuel-stingy 2012 Civic coupe and sedan to satisfy many small-car buyers, but most Civics have little personality. Some rivals are more fun to drive. That’s a step backward, at least as far as driving enthusiasts are concerned. At one time, the front-wheel-drive Civic was a lively Japanese car with a European feel. It was a kick to drive. Most of the new ninth-generation models feel generic. On the other hand, they’re very accomplished and deliver high fuel economy — not to mention good resale value. But only the latest $22,205-$22,405 Civic Si

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Bugatti Veyron: So long, farewell as last of 300 sold

Bye-bye Bugatti, the Veyron and Super Sport, that is. The last of the 300 $2 million exclusive, fast, record-setting supercar and its sibling Super Sport, has been ordered in Europe. The Bugatti Veyron set numerous records, including fastest convertible at 223 mph (top up) and 253 mph (top down). The Super Sport version is the fastest road-legal car in the world, with a top speed of 267.85 mph. Designed and developed by the German Volkswagen Group and produced by Bugatti Automobiles SAS at their headquarters in Château St. Jean in Molsheim, France, the Veyron’s chief designer was Hartmut Warkuss. The

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Custom Lexus hybrid chosen for Prince Albert's wedding

A Lexus full hybrid LS 600h L Landaulet featuring a one-piece, transparent polycarbonate roof will serve as the official Royal Wedding car on the occasion of the marriage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco to Ms. Charlene Wittstock on July 2, 2011. Equipped with Lexus Hybrid Drive, Prince Albert’s LS 600h L, the Lexus flagship, generates significantly lower CO2, NOx and particulate emissions than any comparable car. The more than 2,000-hour conversion project was a collaboration between Belgian coachbuilders Carat Duchatelet and Lexus engineers based in Brussels. The objective was to ensure the original LS 600h L

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Tesla pulls plug on pricey Roadster, focus shifts to sedan

The Tesla Roadster electric car can now be considered a collectors’ car. The much-touted California start-up manufacturer has announced it will stop taking orders for the $109,000 vehicle at the end of July 2011. The reason: The Telsa Roadster didn’t sell particularly well. Further, the innovative company is focusing on its less expensive Model S electric car, a four-door sedan. Now in version 2.5, the Tesla Roadster is a two-seat coupe. It’s fast (3.7 seconds, 0-60 mph), features a carbon-fiber body designed by Lotus, and a 245-mile-rated range. Powered by a liquid-cooled battery pack made up of 6,831 lithium ion

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Cars2 stalls in warm-up with motor running for start (video)

It’s taken five years, barrels full of money, expensive voice-over talent and a massive amount of publicity, but Cars2, the sequel to the massively popular 2006 original, debuts June 24. Owen Wilson and Michael Caine, among other famed actors and actresses, minus decease Paul Newman, return. But unlike the first film, which received two Academy Award nominations, and was universally praised, the current has been highly criticized in pre-public release reviews. Time magazine’s reviewer, for example, said, “its premise is a lemon.” In Cars2, Lightning McQueen, the main character is on the road in an international spy caper. He teams

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Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, 2011: car review

Its lithium polymer battery technology was first showcased at the Los Angeles Auto Show three years ago. And the result is the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, the South Korean manufacturer’s first hybrid. The Sonata Hybrid, which debuted in February, features a 2.4-liter engine with six-speed automatic transmission, a 30kw electric motor and lightweight lithium polymer batteries. Like many of its siblings, the Sonata Hybrid had an impressive arrival. With its new sloping design and other innovations, the Sonata was among five finalists for the 2011 Green Car of the Year. Yet, despite gaining substantial acclaim from publications ranging from the New

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Auto show models: Pretty, smart and Sirens of Chrome

As much as the new cars on display, so are the models hired by manufacturers to help showcase the automobiles to the largely male audiences attending car shows around the globe. Once just pretty women, auto show models now know their car stuff. Which, of course, makes them even more attractive. Margery Krevsky, co-founder of the Productions Plus agency in 1981, became one of the major booking agents for auto show models. She’s now the author of the book Sirens of Chrome. The 192-page volume (ISBN 1-879094-84-3, Momentum Books, $24.95) chronicles the history of the “human hood ornaments” from 1900

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Hyundai, Toyota, Honda, Ford get best used cars honors

Hyundai keeps reaping praise. Edmunds.com, the respected California-based automotive web site, has selected two Hyundai models on its list of the top-15 recommended used cars since 2004. Hyundai, Ford, Honda and Toyota all had two models on the list, with the Hyundai Elantra selected as the best used sub-compact and the Hyundai Azera chosen as the best used large sedan. “With used car prices still soaring, it’s important for consumers to have expert guidance to get the best value,” said Scott Oldham, editor in chief of Edmunds.com. “By taking into consideration a range of factors from consumer ratings to NHTSA

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Lexus reveals $73,000 price for flagship LS460 sedan

The 2011 Lexus LS 460 Touring Edition, the flagship sedan of the luxury division of Toyota, will be priced at $73,000 (rear wheel drive) and will be available at dealerships in late June or early July, the manufacturer announced. “The Touring Edition adds excitement to our flagship sedan,” said Mark Templin, Lexus Division group vice president and general manager. “The package on this car enhances styling and comfort, allowing us to attract younger buyers to the LS line-up.” The 2011 LS 460 Touring Edition will be available on both the LS 460 Rear Wheel Drive and All-Wheel Drive models. It

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Hyundai, Honda lead new decree: 40 mpg the new 30 mpg

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If 40 mpg is the new 30 mpg in the automotive world, then more manufacturers —  Hyundai to Volkswagen, Honda to Toyota — have reached the new milestone as car buyers seek more economical options. Hyundai is at the forefront of the influx of 40 mpg with newly designed 2011 Hyundai Elantra. With its base price of $14,830 and fuel economy of 29 in city driving and 40 mpg on the the highway, it costs an estimated $51 for a tank of gas (at $4 per gallon) and will travel an estimated 538 miles per tank. The 2011 Hyundia Sonata

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Mazda recalls half-million Mazda3 models for faulty wipers

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Mazda is recalling nearly a half-million Mazda3 (the Mazda Axela in some countries) globally to fix an electronic malfunction that could prevent the windshield wipers from working properly. Mazda said no accidents were reported, but 29 failure complaints were received by the manufacturer. The recall covers cars and knock-down parts for the Mazda3 that were shipped between Jan. 2008 and Jul. 2010. It affects 157,700 units in North America, 91,600 in Europe, 84,000 in China and about 20,000 in Japan. The Mazda3 was introduced in 2004 and the second generation was announced for the 2010 model year. The same problem

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It's a natural gas: Honda's greenest car goes national soon

After more than a decade of sporadic available to the retail public, Honda Motor Co. (HMC) will offer its natural-gas-powered Civic GX throughout the United States beginning in the fall of 2011. A recent report in The Nikkei, the business publication in Japan, said the manufacturer’s decision to go nationwide reflects the increased nterest in environmental cars in the U.S. Natural-gas-propelled cars are often considered greener than all-electric vehicles, because the latter charge their batteries using electricity often generated by fossil-fuel-fired power plants. Honda first released the Civic GX in the state of California in 1998 and currently offers the

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TheWeeklyDriver.com now featured on www.alltop.com

Auto enthusiasts likely already have their favorite sites bookmarked, and theweeklydriver.com hopes it continues to find a growing audience among the vast array of car sites. No other site does for the automotive industry what www.alltop.com does . . . it aggregates all the auto sites (and sites on almost any topic) and cleanly organizes the offerings into clear, easy-to-follow feeds. If you’re going to bookmark one auto site make in www.alltop.com We just received word that theweeklydriver.com is now part of the great aggregation site’s impressive auto section. We’re pretty jazzed about it. We fancy our site, but the

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