fubbyo

Lightning McQueen's female fans were named Mia and Tia and were roadsters, figure that one out.

I had a thought last night that since Pontiac is entering Mazda territory with a compact sports car, why couldn't Ford build a neat little roadster full of styling that would look better than the sky/solstice? I know it's improbable and not very cost effective, but I think that if they call it the Falcon, it would be a fitting name. Even though Australia has the falcon, it's a larger car, but the original Falcon was small. So a roadster Falcon would be pretty sweet. It could come with the 2.3L engine with and without a turbo and then the hot rod magazines could stuff in a terminator or the GT500 engine and have a field day.

I doubt that this will be a lasting downturn. They still turned major profit last year. Remember that they are a Japanese company (despite the fact they have a Spaniard for CEO). People automatically associate Japanese cars with quality, and the recalls aren't that big of a horror story when you consider some automotive misses of the past (Pinto, anyone). I think this is a temporary setback at most. One quibble though, they ought to consider some more interior space in the Frontier because compared to the mega sized Tacoma, that Frontier is small.

The Kansas Highway Patrol ordered a few of them from an article a few weeks ago, it sounded like they're pretty high on them.

I believe sizzler was making a comparison of the weights between the two vehicles (the F-150 and the Camaro) I don't believe Ford has any intention of replacing the pushrod 4.2L engine in the F-150 although they should seriously consider putting something worthwhile in there for the fleet use. From what I hear, gas mileage is not any better in those engines than one of the larger V8s.

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=22845 The Thailand Ranger has a 3.0L diesel that produces around 150 HP and 280 lb/ft. This would be great because: 1. The Ranger would beat everyone to market with a diesel 2. This would even the playing field in terms of towing ability, as long as it does not infringe upon the F-150's territory (I guess this also depends upon the strength of the frame) 3. It would satiate people by Ford making actually making an attempt at improving the Ranger Here's a question: Why don't any automakers in the U.S. make any attempts at putting diesels in midsize trucks? The Dodge Dakota could easily fit the 2.8L from the Liberty, Ford has overseas diesels, and Toyota offers diesesl in the Tacoma (Hi-Lux) in other markets. Chevrolet still has that agreement with Isuzu, right? Big time diesel maker in Asia.

Too bad that compact roadsters are such a small market. The Reflex was an interesting concept due to the diesel engine. Are there plans for a MazdaSpeed Miata? The 2.3L Turbo would be pretty sweet in that little car and it would go amazingly fast for it being a scant 2500 (:unsure:?) lbs. Did anyone read the Hot Rod Magazine article about the LS7 Solstice? http://hotrod.com/projectbuild/hdrp_pontia..._project_build/

"Today, the front-wheel-drive Pontiac Grand Prix and G6 passenger cars are nowhere near as successful as the FWD Honda (nyse: HMC - news - people ) Accord and Toyota (nyse: TM - news - people ) Camry. What makes GM think things would be different if Pontiac converted to an all rear-wheel-drive lineup? If all it took for success were rear-wheel-drive vehicles, Ford Motor (nyse: F - news - people ) would not have killed the Thunderbird or the Lincoln LS." The Honda's are popular because of perceived reliability, superior performance and fuel economy. Not all rear drive vehicles are popular it's true, but exciting styling and performance sell. That's what Pontiac is going for I believe.

I like the idea of the IROC designation, but what are the Chevy Camaro lineups of the past? I know there was an RS, but wasn't that a V6 with a handling package of some sort? Speaking of V6s, When the Mustang starts employing the Duratec 35, I think it would be great if 0-60 times fell to the high fives (something to beat, or at least match, the 350Z) the 'zines would have a field day comparing the mustang to all the import coupes such as the aforementioned Nissan and Mitsubishi Eclipse. Since I'm new to this forum, and forums in general, how do you quote people's replies (I wanted to give sa_seahawker his due)?

I third that. I've heard of European DuraTorq diesels, what are CDCs?

With the fuel economy and the nostalgic displacement of 427 cubes, it's an awesome prospect. I haven't been caught up on the progress of Hurricane. Last I heard, it had been resurrected. Do you think this could make it into the Mustang someday after it's been tested in the trucks? It's supposed to be pretty powerful right?

Which would be better, in your opinion, the Cobra R/Boss 290 engine, or the Terminator S/C 4.6 They could tune the Terminator to 410-425 HP/TQ easy, but those numbers would be pushing it with the already high compression 5.4. How is competition going to stack up between Mustang and Camaro (Challenger by all accounts will have a gradual production increase with just the SRT-8 motor the first year). This is what I'm thinking. Mustang 3.5L V6 260 HP - Base 4.6L V8 320 HP - GT/California Special S/C 4.6L/NA 5.4L V8 400+ HP - Boss 281/329 or GT350 S/C 5.4L V8 500 HP - GT500 525+ HP V8 GT500KR Camaro 3.6L V6 260 HP - Base 5.3L V8 320 HP - Z/28 6.2L V8 420 HP - ? 7.0L V8 500 HP - SS

In the July issue of Motor Trend (which took forever for me to get), the scoop on the Camaro this month was the drop top version and they mentioned that the 6.2L aluminum V8 currently used in the GMT-900 trucks could find its way into the new Camaro. I think this is a great idea, but obviously they've got to address the price point in that there's a HUGE gap in the lineup from a 250 HP six to a 403+ HP small block. I (and many people on various forums) think the 5.3L small block also used in the trucks would make sense. This engine also has the cylinder shut off feature that the GM Corp. is touting. I'm not as business savvy as many people on this forum are, but it seems to me that it would make great business sense to apply the Boss 290 (290 kW=388 HP) to the boss mustang that seems to be coming up. If not that, the Terminator engine hasn't been thrown out yet because it was to be put into the Adrenalin. Just some thoughts. I invite anyone to explain to me why this could or could not work. Duratec 35. What's the outlook that this will see some duty in the Mustang, and when it does, how soon? Mopar has the High Output 3.5 liter is that going to stick around for the Challenger or will they go with something else? I've heard the Challenger will just be a limited production item of 10,000 or less units. Please bear with me as I am a new member to the Blue Oval Forums, but I have been reading them for the past year. If there is already topics of this nature please forgive me Fubbyo