This is not about the person who added a performance air intake or neon lights.  While that kind of installation is a skill, there is whole other world of bringing the dead back to life.  It is gritty, sweaty, frustrating, invigorating, and tedious all rolled into one.  And many of us wouldn’t have it any other way.

Satisfaction of a job done right may just be the knot in your stomach disappearing from the knowledge that you are once again mobile.  The feeling can sometimes fade into memory as soon as we wash out hands, so we had to share when photographer Justin Rosenberg captured the moment as Mickey worked to get his friend’s car back on the road.

Post-WWII Germany was the king of microcars/bubblecars, and the museum represents this well.  There are some names that are well known such as Messerschmitt and Goggomobil that have multiple models on display even though they were only in business for a little over a decade.  What makes this museum special is the number of small batch microcars built by manufacturers that existed for only a brief moment.  German companies like Fuldamobil, Champion, and Brütsch would only get a few handfuls out the door before going bust, and some of the rare survivors are gathered here.

The rest of Europe is no stranger to these little machines.  BMW may have made the Isetta famous, but Italy’s Iso created the car.  So there are plenty of the Italian originals as well as versions licensed to other European countries.  Possibly the most interesting one is the 730 hp V8 powered Isetta Whatta Drag (seen in the gallery at the left) that was built after Hot Wheels made a fantasy model.

A grand design by the French firm Voisin may have won the 2011 Pebble Beach concours, but a few examples of its minimalist Biscooter are in the collection.  A Spanish company would eventually take over Biscooter production.  Not only does the museum have these on display, but also there are some homegrown original microcars in the collection like the PTV and the shrunken Pegaso Z-102 known as the Pegasin.

Britain is exhibited here with cars like the Peel P50, the go kart-like Sinclair C5, and of course, plenty of examples of the three-wheeled creations from Bond.

The rest of the globe is well represented at the museum, too.  An Australian industrial goods maker decided to get in the vehicle game with the Zeta line of fiberglass microcars.   Japan is featured with now-famous manufacturers like Subaru and Mazda that got their start with the little 356cc Kei car runabouts.   Even the traditionally large-minded U.S. has a few tiny cars on display with the King Midget series.

When all of this goes on sale February 15th, don’t expect Bruce Weiner to be exceptionally sad to see these go.  This is not the first time he sold off is collection just to rebuild it again.  So we imagine the museum will be back some day with a new world’s worth of microcar treasures.

This creation started life as at 2003 Ford Mustang GT convertible before George Barris plucked it off of a dealer lot.  “I thought it would be a unique piece to have a stylish pickup,” he told Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords back in November 2010.  “I chose the (then) current Mustang because it has good power and it’s a groovy-looking machine itself.”

Barris sketched out the design and then went looking for a partner who could not only make it a reality, but also something good enough to go into limited production.  He selected Automotive Innovations because the Detroit area company has a history of working with the manufactures, including working on the ultra hot GMC Syclone/Typhoon programs.

The Mustang convertible was a logical place to start on this project because AI owner Nick Gavriles really only needed to tear out the rear seats, convertible top, and a rear bulkhead before it was ready to become a pickup.  But this is more than just a cut-n-shut custom.  The idea was to be able to have a viable car for the masses, so Gavriles made sure to create a reinforcement structure that gave the roadster truck less flex than the standard Mustang.  Part of this strength comes from the truck bed made of 16-gauge stainless steel.  The bed is laid out in 10-inch sections instead of one piece so it had an easier time collapsing in the event of a rear collision.

To conceal the truck bed a custom fiberglass tonneau cover was built and it was merged into a new extension of the side bodywork.  The rear lights are stock, but in between is a custom tailgate that mimics the coupe’s trunklid lines.  The custom drop down piece also required the creation of a new rear bumper.

While the back seems to be trying to reincarnate the Ranchero, the front end is pure sports car.  When viewing from the rear the dual cowl tonneau ends at the b-pillar roll bar.  In pictures it is somewhat reminiscent of the Porsche Carrera GT, but something about seeing the lines up close make it a fitting tribute to the Thunderbird Sports Roadster of the 1960s.

The top is a rigid targa that latches at the front.  While it doesn’t collapse like the first few generations of the 911, the roof can be stowed in the car thanks to the truck bed’s generous size.

To complete the transformation into open motoring, the flat glass in the rear window is can be electronically lowered behind the seats.  Sure this kind of framed rear glass movement can be found on the Honda Del Sol or the Toyota Tundra, but in here it feels much cooler.

Just because a roadster truck may not be enough to look exotic, the car is capped off with a complete bodykit, Shaker hood scoop, side exhaust, and Colorado Custom wheels.

So how does it drive? With the targa top in place and the rear window up, this Mustang truck is water-tight — which is no small feat for a custom build.  A car off the production line would probably use an extra latching pin in the roof’s rear to reduce noise and add security, but the build quality of this prototype does backup the claim that Barris wanted to make a limited run of these Mustancheros.

Opening the car up to the elements brings it back to its roots.  Gavriles didn’t touch the GT’s 4.6-liter V8, and the 260 horsepower remains intact.  Also, most of the vehicle is stock from the front seats forward.  So aside from occasionally glancing down at the Barris custom gauges, this feels like any other day in a Mustang GT.

The end result is a bespoke ride that is powerful and fun, but far from a barn burner in its current state (an automatic transmission doesn’t help either.)  The side exhaust does provide plenty of extra gravitas, but it is up to the new owner if he/she wants to add any number of performance engine kits available to backup the sound from the sidepipes.

There almost seems to be a practical, albeit small market for this Mustang truck.  It is hard not to imagine this as dream machine for a few singe 20 and 30 somethings in a tropical climate who love their sports cars and also a little outdoor fun, too.  The kind of people who would attach a small trailer hitch so the V8 could tow a jet ski, and at the end of the day, all the dripping wetsuits could get thrown in the stainless steel rear.  Or pack all the scuba gear in the back without worrying about scratching the interior.

Who knows, maybe these people only exist is cliché tourist posters.  That could be why this is just a custom one-off instead of the first of Barris’ planned small production batch.  Besides, it is probably for the best that this stays a one-of-a-kind job.  The Barris Mustang Truck will forever be the kind of car that grabs attention for being a unique custom, but if there were too many running around, all they would be is every frat boy’s dream graduation present.

The rest of the world utilizes diesel as the fuel of choice for obtaining the best mpgs, and the U.S. even gets a taste of these range extending motors.  The Germans have been doing it for years (Mercedes and Volkswagen have stood by diesels for decades.)  Now fuel efficient oil burners are preparing to break into the mainstream as the domestic brands are gearing up for diesel-sipping lineups.  So, before the diesel revolution hits the Chevrolet dealers, we went to Europe for a preview of the diesel Cruze.

Our tester was a Cruze LT with a six-speed automatic transmission and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel listed at 161 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque.  To put that into perspective, all the current gas-powered Cruzes are listed with 23 less horsepower, and the diesel has more than double the torque of the base LS-model Cruze.  This diesel has not yet been confirmed as the one bound for the U.S., but its good figures would make for an interesting selling point.  Besides, diesel engines in small cars are more about economy than power.  GM is aiming for the automatic transmission diesel Cruze to return low to mid-40s mpg, which trumps even the automatic Cruze Eco’s 26/39 city/highway mpg.

After a week with the car one clear theme has emerged: those who take control will be in charge of the diesel revolution.  That means a manual transmission will help drivers get the most out of the engine.  In the case of an automatic, like our tester, the manumatic function that allows for selecting the driving gear is more than just a novelty.

The reason why this control is so important is because the turbo does a lot of work in this car.  Without a turbocharger, most diesel engines are like donkeys – out paced by horse power, but it has the grunt to get up hills that others cannot.  The turbo helps give the motor better acceleration and keep the pace in traffic.

One of the better examples of this occurred while traveling on the highway at about 60 mph.  At this pace, the diesel motor is in an economy mode and is not making enough revs for the turbo to instantly deliver passing power.  Mashing the accelerator and forcing a transmission kickdown does not create the instant passing power gas-engine drivers are used to experiencing.  So instead, the solution is using the manumatic function to drop down one extra gear, and raise the rpm above 1,800 before making a move.  That’s when the little diesel rally comes to life.

The automatic Cruze diesel we tested is listed by GM at about 37 mpg (U.S. gallons) for mixed use driving.  With plenty of urban and highway driving we came close to achieving this figure.  To break 40 mpg, we suspect most U.S. customers would need to spend most of their time on the interstate.  Chevrolet seems to agree as their European figures state that when running on the highway, the Curse diesel is capable of 47 mpg with an automatic transmission.  This indicates the diesel Cruze’s happiest customers will likely be those with long commutes.

Plus, currently across the U.S., diesel fuel is about $0.62 per gallon more expensive than gasoline.  This means that someone who drives 20,000 highway miles per year in a Cruze Eco (averaging 39 mpg and $3.30 per gallon) will now have to average 46 mpg highway across the same distance in the Cruze diesel to break even on the fuel cost.

The diesel Cruze is a bold move by Chevrolet.  The engine is nothing new, but GM is betting that customers will trust a domestic manufacturer to deliver a quality compact diesel car.  So, the diesel engine’s general acceptance will be an uphill battle in this country.  Luckily this Cruze has plenty of torque to handle it.

While it may appear that Andrè Dubonnet was drunk on the sweet wines of his family namesake when he developed the Dolphin, this playboy turned engineer knew what he was doing.  After becoming a WWI flying ace, Dubonnet took up other daredevil activities, including a successful stint as an amateur racecar driver for Bugatti and Hispano-Suiza.  He used one of the latter cars to develop a form of independent suspension that would be utilized by General Motors, Fiat, and other manufacturers in the time before WWII.  But Dubonnet was not done reinventing the car.

In 1935 he had an idea for a new suspension system that would create a well-balanced vehicle ideal for the rough and curvy roads of Europe.  The chassis ran down the center of the car and split like a tuning fork for a place to cradle the engine.  Similar to the “double-Y” chassis Colin Chapman would develop at Lotus, it was designed to carry French Matford 3.7-liter V8 (the French version of Ford’s V8) in a mid-engine position located behind the passengers.  Dubonnet had the firm of Hibbard & Darrin design the streamlined body for the aerodynamic-conscious pilot.  The firm of Fernandez & Darrin then turned it into metal (the common denominator of Darrin in the design is the same Howard “Dutch” Darrin that later created such icons as the Kaiser-Darrin sports car.)

In the era before jet aircraft inspired the tailfin, it is easy to see how the teardrop body with the its huge rear stabilizing dorsal got its Dolphin name.  The sedan had conventional doors in the rear, but the driver and passenger entrances were hinged hinged at the nose.  These aircraft-style windows on the front doors also acted as the windshield.

Although an unconventional design, it was quite efficient in its slipstream.  Dubonnet took the car out on the France’s Montlhery race track in 1935 for high speed testing.  He found that the 72 hp in his Ford-inspired V8 could set a top speed of 108 mph.   What was even more impressive was a standard Ford sedan with a 80 hp V8 ran the track at a maximum of 82 mph.  The Dolphin also achieved 22 mpg during this run where the Ford sedan only got 15 mpg.

Buoyed by the success of his tests, Dubonnet shipped the Dolphin to Detroit to show Ford and GM.  Unfortunately he found no takers.  The unconventional design, and likely the already failure of Fuller’s Dymaxion car, meant the Dubonnet Dolphin would always be a one-off.

Still, the car did not go completely unnoticed in the motor city.  “For 1936 this was a most remarkable automobile,” said Philip Egan.  He was a teenager when he saw the Dolphin on the streets of Detroit.  Egan would later have a successful industrial design career that started with the Tucker Torpedo.  The Dubonnet Dolphin’s unconventional appearance was an early influence on him.  “It was quite different, yet at the same time, it appeared to be very logical,” Egan concluded.

Like many designs that took too long to appreciate, the Dubonnet Dolphin went unloved.  The car disappeared not long after its time in Detroit, and its fate is unknown.

Dubonnet went back to commissioning streamlined bodies on prestigious chassis, and he is possibly now best known for his 1938 Hispano-Suiza H6C.  The Saoutchik-built enclosed bodied car was named “Xenia” after Dubonnet’s wife, and it is currently in the hands of the Peter Mullin Automotive Museum Foundation.  The car was last seen at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The first thing that greets visitors is a two-story rotating centerpiece of concept cars.  Although it appears nearly impossible to change out these three floating vehicles, this main display has been swapped annually since the facility opened in 1999.

Like any good museum, there is a basic chronological order that follows the main halls.  This means starting with the first Chrysler sedan, the 1924 B-70 Phaeton Sedan.  What is particularly unique about the rest of the pre-WWII cars on display here is that all have a display comparing them to the 1924 Phaeton.  The exhibits then focus on the military might of Chrysler’s companies — everything from the now-owned Jeep in the battlefield to a 30-cylinder tank engine.  During the post-war years comparing cars to the first Chrysler would be comically unequal (especially with the HEMI’s muscle cars,) so instead this collection keeps its era in perspective by listing the car’s model year with the average price of necessities such as milk and gas.

While the permanent fixtures show off quite a bit of significant vehicles, it is hard to tell the company’s whole story in two floors.  After all, Chrysler may only currently represent three American-based brands, but their trophy case runs from DeSoto to AMC.  So the basement acts as sort of like a hidden treasures vault of rotating exhibitions.  The lowest floor has played host to everything from a display for Jeep’s 70th anniversary (2011) to a celebration of Chrysler’s racing history, and the current and final piece is paying tribute to 75 Years of Mopar.

Once the doors close at the end of the year (i.e. end of this month,) the cars will be transferred from The Chrysler Foundation to the the Chrysler Group LLC, which will still protect these treasures under the company’s corporate umbrella.  “Chrysler will continue to share its automobile heritage housed at the Museum with the public during special exhibitions,” said Brian Glowiak, President – Walter P. Chrysler Museum Foundation.

This means the company will occasionally open the museum’s doors again but likely only for the big anniversaries.  So before it is too late try to make it down to the Chrysler Museum.  Detroit may be chilly now, but this January its automotive landscape is about to get a whole lot colder.

The Volkswagen Touareg was born when VW was aiming for Mercedes.  The idea was to create a premium SUV with a capacity for luxury and sport so that the platform could be adapted for its Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7 cousins.  Today, VW is no longer pointed at the tri-star, but the second generation Touareg still carries a first-class sticker price.  The question now becomes, is there value in the amenities, and in the case of our diesel test car, also at the pump?

Exterior

The Touareg is the flagship for the new face of Volkswagen.  The dual horizontal bar grille and raked back headlights are similar to the new Jetta and Passat. But as the most expensive car VW offers in North America, it is likely no mistake that the SUV carries some elements from upmarket parts of the VW corporate family.  The LED brow lights are similar to those made popular by Audi, and the exaggerated air intakes under the headlights look similar to the Cayenne.

Where its predecessor tried to be as squared off as possible to give the impression of bravado, this one shows more confidence by having new rounded curves.  It all ends in a husky rear design with a touch of sporty elements such as chrome exhaust tips inspired by the Porsche side of the family.

Interior

The Touareg seats five comfortably, including a capacious 37 inches of rear legroom.  The driver sits high, but the controls are also elevated so the ergonomics feel more like a sedan than an SUV.

Volkswagen did a good job of keeping a family resemblance inside the Touareg without polluting the water with too many VW familiar parts.  So drivers who spend time in a Passat will be feel at home with the gauges and the steering wheel, but items like the center LCD touch screen, climate controls, and dash trim all have a premium look and feel that go beyond VW’s budget sedan.

The standard rear liftgate opens and closes automatically via controls inside the car, on the tailgate, or from the key fob.  There is 32 cubic feet of cargo room back there (capacity is doubled with the rear seats folded.)  The Q7 is only about a foot longer, which gives it enough to fit a third passenger row.

The Drive

Having an emphasis on sport is a bit unusual for a tall SUV, but the Touareg hits many of its marks.  Steering is tight and the suspension is responsive on the pavement.  Thankfully the Touareg still has a hint of body roll so it doesn’t inspire drivers to be sports car confident in a machine that has eight inches of ground clearance.

For those more accustomed to gasoline engines, the Touareg TDI will not provide the same kind of quickness.  The 3.0-liter turbodiesel is rated at 240 hp — 15 hp more than what this motor produces in the diesel Audi Q7 but 40 fewer than what comes in the cheaper Touareg 3.6-liter gas V6.  The TDI is a premium engine in the lineup because these are made for torque.  This diesel is rated at 406 lb-ft, which 53% more than the gas-powered version.  Taking it up a mountain pass, the Touareg TDI felt like it was making a grocery run.  In fact, it was the only car in local traffic that had enough power left in reserve to perform passing maneuvers on a steep incline.

Towing capacity is rated at 7,700 lbs for all Touareg models.  The limit is set more by the chassis than the abilities of the drivetrain.  After all, our 3.0-liter TDI model has about as much torque as the 5.7-liter HEMI gas V8 that comes in the (Dodge) Ram.

The engine is not the only heart of the Touareg’s power.  The gas, diesel, and hybrid drivetrains are all mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with a Tiptronic gate for manual control.  While it provides smooth shifting for all engines, this gearbox is essential for the TDI.  Having the ability to hold the gears into a higher rev range allows the turbodiesel to spool up enough force to rival a freight train.

Standard on all Touareg models is VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system that will split the power 60/40 between the front and rear wheels.  There is also an off-road setting that will engage an electronic brain to work an alphabet soup of assist controls such as ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation), EBA (Engine Braking Assist), EBD (Electronic Brake-pressure Distribution). ESC (Electronic Stability Control, HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist), and HDA (Hill Descent Assist.)  Since all these systems are automatic, all drives need to know is that the Touareg can handle slick and rough terrains up to a point where a full 4×4 with locking hubs would be needed.

Interesting Features

The full panoramic roof is a major draw for those who like sightseeing.  A fabric cover can be electronically rolled back to reveal enough glass to give front and back seat occupants a clear view of the sky.  This feature that started out on the Porsche, quickly migrated to Audi, and now it is a standard on all Touareg trim levels except the base Sport.

The navigation unit can be displayed on the main 8-inch center console unit or on the screen between the speedometer and tachometer.  This allows occupants to explore the stereo and other features without interrupting essential driver information.  It is a handy piece for families with inquisitive kids but somewhat costly at $2,065.

The TDI diesel engine in our tester was made for the long haul.  All Touareg models come with a 26-gallon fuel tank.  While the gas and hybrid versions are rated at 23 and 24 mpg respectively, the TDI is listed at 29 mpg on the highway.  We were even able to get over 30 mpg during pure highway driving, which makes for a 700+ mile bladder-busting range.

Who Wants It?

There are many individuals and families that would like a SUV that could rival Mercedes or Audi at a lower price.  Of course, once the dust settles on adding premium features, a vehicle costing less than the competition still doesn’t come cheap.  The Touareg falls into this category where our $53,225 tester buys everything but snob appeal.

The 2012 Volkswagen Touareg won’t be the hottest car at the country club, but it won’t get kicked out either.  For those members who enjoy parking at the top of a mountain, the TDI will be worth the money.

The Corvette was conceived as America’s version of the British roadster.  While that may seem laughable now, no one was smiling when the first cars showed up in 1953.  General Motors got the fiberglass body and side curtains right, but nobody was impressed with the heavy six-cylinder lump or the two-speed automatic transmission.  The car was on its way to becoming a footnote in General Motors history until former Allard man Zora Arkus-Duntov decided to put it on an American V-8 power diet.

From that point the Corvette’s sports car legend grew, but unfortunately for some, so did its girth.  By the time the second-generation showed up in 1963, Corvettes tipped the scales at around 115 kg more than those of a decade prior. Chevrolet was its own worst weight enemy as the new, lighter independent rear suspension was offset by portly performance-robbing options like air conditioning and power steering.

The Corvette was rapidly trading in grace for brute force, and 1965 was the year of the definitive showdown. This was the first year Corvette offered the big block engines that were previously used only in yacht-sized saloons and big pickup trucks.  The Corvette’s standard V-8 engines already weighed in at around 575 lbs, and these big blocks added another 100 lbs.  The extra 50 hp made up for the extra weight when running in a straight line, but the heavier front end only amplified the problems with cornering.

But the ’65 Vette on this page is special because it resisted the temptation to go too big.  Instead, this one kept the smallest V-8 (5.4-liters was small back then), and it resisted bulky luxury options like air conditioning, power steering, and power brakes. With all that stated, this car still could not escape its beastly nature.

The slipstream cars coming out of Italy inspired the design for this Corvette, but the final styling touches came from nature.  This flat and aggressive design was given the name “Sting Ray”, but this Rally Red roadster looks like a chrome shark covered in the blood of a fresh kill.

Inside is about the only place where this animal is tame.  The dual cowl design helps makes the most of a small interior.  Aside from the driver’s steering wheel and gauges, the driver and passenger sides are almost mirror images.  This creates a mental divide for personal space and makes the small interior feel more spacious than in reality.

It seems General Motors only had two colors on hand when this interior was built: black and chrome.  On most cars the lack of stimulation would be a snoozefest, but here somehow it works.  Just beware of the metal gearshift knob after this roadster has been left out in the sun.

All the gauges in this Corvette are large, round, and easy to identify through the ultra-thin optional teak steering wheel. The speedometer and tachometer are flanked by essential information for oil pressure, battery charge, water pressure, and of course, fuel.  This may seem unremarkable, but after sitting in plenty of over chromed, over stylized American car interiors of a similar era, the simple-minded Corvette is a breath of fresh air.

The 365 hp engine is the most Chevrolet would ever get out of its 5.4-liter carbureted small block V-8.  This is like being the largest boy in primary school: it may have ruled this playground, but as mentioned before, there was a secondary school full of big blocks that could overpower it.  This big/little boy roars to life like only an American V-8 engine can.  The low-level idle grumble has the slow racecar-like timing that almost makes this car sound like it is complaining until we let it go outside and play.

Out on the road this car provides the kind of symphony only the baddie can really enjoy. There is no practical reason for the optional side mount exhaust, but anyone who tells you that is missing the point. Relocating the exhaust from the rear to right outside your eardrum is almost like placing a little devil on your shoulder encouraging illegal speeds.  Those who are on good speaking terms with their neighbors need not pick up this car.  This Corvette purposely avoids being quiet or subtle.  It will rattle the china cabinets as it runs through the neighborhood, and it announces your presence well before coming into view on a country lane.

The added bonus of having the exhaust port right below the doorsill is that the car gets to utilize its version of natural selection.  This car has its own way of purging those who get in or out without showing respect.  “If you don’t give her the attention she deserves, she’ll give you a wicked ankle burn,” this Vette’s owner Robert Pendergrass proudly proclaims.

What truly makes this brute a hoot is not the excessive horsepower, but the massively excessive torque.  Unleashing just a little portion of the 350 lb-ft while still in neutral will easily twist this plastic body.  It is an interesting party piece, but isn’t recommended with the notoriously weak stock motor mounts from GM.

Plenty of sports cars can snap your head back when the accelerator is mashed to the floor, but this one can do it when traveling at 10 mph…in third gear.   The exhaust isn’t quite as happy when you play these torque games. Feed this beast less than 2,000 RPMs, and you will be greeted with a dull monotone sound that broadcasts to the whole community that you are not as cool as you think you look.

When driven properly, this car makes an interesting parallel to the Jaguar E-Type.  This 1965 Corvette is an answer, of sorts, to a problem that was created over a decade earlier. At the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans the US-built Cunningham cars were the fastest things going, but the Jaguar C-Type was more advanced.  In that case, it was the Dunlop disc brakes that allowed the Jaguars to successfully pass the Cunninghams because the Americans needed to slow down earlier to prepare for the turns.

Fast forward to 1965.  This version of the Corvette has a better power-to-weight ratio than the 4.2-liter E-Type roadster.  Not only do the Jaguar and the Corvette have independent rear suspensions, but also the ’65 Corvette marks the first time any American car received four-wheel disc brakes.  A UK vs. US road race rematch would be fun to watch, but anyone who has driven both cars knows the Jag would be the obvious favorite again.   Its lower weight and more advanced suspension would make this Corvette look just like the Cunninghams when approaching the turns. Plus, this Corvette does not always play nice going through the corners.

Holding the turning circle in this Vette at full lock is its own mini battle.  The rear transaxle provides good weight distribution and predictable handling, but it still cannot cancel out the full effects of this large mass fighting inertia.  It is hard not to lean out of the turn in a futile attempt to use body weight to get extra torque on the wheel.  Once the turn is complete you’ll jerk back upright as if someone has released you from a chokehold.  It is this Corvette’s way of rewarding you for releasing your chokehold on the wheel.

The driver sloshing around inside this roadster occurs not only because of the heavy car’s lack of power steering, but also because the interior is not up to the task.  The seats were designed foremost for comfort and driving was only an afterthought.  The wide, spring loaded buckets make long journeys as comfy as having tea in the sitting room, but the lack of any side support makes hard cornering feel like being perched on jelly.  Don’t think of this as wholly a bad thing.  There is a certain level of elevated excitement when going around a bend where you have to be concerned not only with the car’s rear end breaking free, but your own rear end as well.

Like any good piece of American muscle, this one best loves the flat tarmac.    On a straight road, the extra weight breeds stability and driver confidence.  For those who want more fun, throw a little extra throttle blip between any gear shifts. No set of consumer tires can stop this car from giving off the kind of chirp that makes you feel like you were in Two Lane Blacktop.  It is not at all practical, but then again neither is anything about this car.

So, how can this brute possibly be considered British?  Well, it is not.  But this was the Corvette’s last gasp of the British spirit.

The success of the big block cars meant that small block cars like this one were cast aside.  After 1965, Chevrolet lowered the number of options for small block engines and continued to expand the big block choices.  Rather than trade up to a heavier engine, this Corvette does the best it can with a lighter unit.  It doesn’t have all the luxury frills, which means the driver still feels all the excitement when going around the corner.

This Corvette is a beast, but for those who like a raucous drive down a country lane, this small block Corvette is just the right amount of evil.

This is one of those stories complaining about a lack of diesel cars in the U.S., only this one has a twist.  While the auto journalist world has been clamoring for diesel cars as a way to get great fuel economy without going hybrid, the auto executives know then have been fooled before.  They now know that there are more people lining up to buy N’Sync reunion tickets than cars with oil burning engines.  But the 2013 Fusion isn’t missing an ultra-efficient diesel over here…It’s missing a freight train of power in a compact motor.

The top Mondeo motor for 2012 has been the 2.2-liter TDCi (i.e. turbo diesel) that makes 197 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque.  To put that into perspective, the horsepower is respectable, but the torque is off the charts as it offers more than the BMW M3 and Audi S4.  Unfortunately you probably don’t know anything about this motor because it never made it to North America; fortunately we went over to Europe to check it out.

While it may seem a little odd to do a road test of a car on its way out, it is what’s under the hood that counts.  The 2.2-liter turbo is not part of the 2013 car’s initial lineup, so the outgoing car will have to do.  Besides, with its resemblance to the 2013 Focus, this Mondeo looks more like a current Ford model than the outgoing Fusion.

The car fires up without a hint of diesel chug.  It’s as smooth and quiet as any gas unit, and the exhaust note is very Lincoln-like.  So this is good for commuter status, but might need a little more rumble for the sports sedan crowd.

Performance is like a gas unit in the city thanks to its high horsepower rating. Volkswagen’s ultra-hot Golf GTI gets 200 hp for its 2.0-liter gas turbo, so 197 hp from a 2.2-liter turbo diesel is quite a feat.  All this means for the driver is the car has not problem keeping pace in traffic, which is commendable in a diesel.

The reason to covet this engine is the open road.  We took the Mondeo out on the autobahn where it could stretch its legs.  At any cruising speed, as long as the revs are above 2,000 rpm, the turbo is spooled up perfectly to take off like a rocket.  Remember this is a diesel, so there is a lot of room between the 2,000 and 3,000 rpm sweet spot.  The redline is at 4,500, but if you’re running the diesel that hot, you’re doing it wrong.

Sure, big power can happen with any turbo car, but what about when the terrain gets a little steep?  We took this Mondeo through the Alps to understand just how much better a diesel is at altitude.  Here is where beating the M3 and S4 for torque really counts.  This Mondeo has zero hesitation on the steepest inclines.  The car is front wheel drive, and the power feels like a body builder doing chin ups.  We didn’t exactly take the car into billy goat country, but there were plenty of cars that we got to pass while going up hill.

The six-speed manual is the other key part to this diesel equation.  It allows the car to be shifted early for maximum fuel economy (up to 44 mpg on the highway), or shifted late to keep the turbo spooled up.  Plus, it’s just a lot of fun to row through half a dozen well-spaced gears.

The Mondeo’s interior is a lot of black plastic, so the metal trim pieces are a welcomed break.  The functionality is decent but suffers from too many Sync buttons on the steering wheel.  We’d get into the interior and the need for update on the functionally, but that’s what the 2013 model is already addressing.

Audi says that its 3.0-liter turbo diesel motor is where they are focusing most of their performance development for the German home market.  They have an excellent diesel unit (just try a de-tuned version over here in the current VW Touareg), but up until driving the Mondeo 2.2 TDCi, the German diesel revolution seemed isolated only to Audi.

Unfortunately just like an Audi, there is a price to pay to get diesel power.  There are a host of gas and diesel units available across the Mondeo line, and our top engine commands about €3,000 (currently about $3,900) over the smallest gas motor.

Does the price bump take this commuter a little more into premium territory? Yes.
Is it worth it? Absolutely.

In the end this is another journalist making a plea for a diesel engine.  Only this time it is because the diesel is a freight train full of fun.

So, before the dealerships start receiving the little Sparks by the pound, we tested the version that has been available in Europe for over a year.

Small, lightweight city cars like the Spark traditionally have a little bit of a stability problem (6.5-inch wide tires don’t help either.)   What General Motors has done to combat this is give the car one of the widest stances in its class.  So it takes more than a stiff breeze to cause havoc.  The McPherson strut suspension up front and torsion beam rear is a configuration shared by many in the class, but the dampers are set up to inspire driver confidence.  The result is a car that is not as fun to drive as a Fiat 500, but there is still some spice of life that makes it through the steering wheel.

One place where the Spark will always feel small is in the engine compartment.  The largest powerplant currently available is a 1.2-liter that makes 80 hp in our tester and achieves a combined 46 mpg in Europe.  This engine is capable of providing good power in the urban jungle, and when equipped with a five-speed manual transmission, it can sometimes be fun.

The power shows its limitations when this city car takes ride out to the suburbs.  The handling on the interstate remains stable, but the engine begins to get a bit frantic.  The Spark can keep up on the highway, but with a 0-60 time going over 12 seconds, it may take a while to get there.  Because of this, the four-cylinder motor receives a 5 hp bump for the American market.  It may not initially seem like much, but that is a 6.25% improvement.  Let’s hope the extra grunt will make the difference.

The interior utilizes similar comfort tactics as other city cars like the trendy Fiat 500 and the modern-edge Scion iQ.  This means upright seating that creates more space for decent interior legroom.  In fact, the back seats will be quite comfortable for two adults with possible room left over to squeeze a small child (our tester had seating for five, but Chevrolet’s press release lists the U.S. version as a four passenger vehicle.)

Up front a long dash and instruments set far away from the driver help contribute to the Spark’s big boy feeling.  The fit and finish of the driver’s gauges is a step down from its larger brother, the more expensive Chevrolet Sonic.  Still, there are plenty of Sonic bits instantly recognizable in the Spark.  For example, the Sonic’s nifty rev counter and digital speedometer combo pack reappears in the Spark as a traditional speedometer with a multi-function digital display.

GM is positioning the Spark as a compact vehicle that will fit well in a city setting.  Still, there will be customers who consider the Spark simply for its price.  This puts the littlest Chevy in stiff competition with the 2012 Nissan Versa sedan — the leader in providing quantity in the cheap car class.  So although the Versa sedan is larger, it is a Spark competitor because the money is close.  Aside from similar headroom, the Spark loses to the Versa in just about every other interior dimensional category by a few inches.  Also, the Spark may be a hatchback, but the extra overall length of the Nissan’s sedan gives it almost two and a half times the Chevy’s cargo room.  The Spark can carry a duffel bag and a few trinkets back there, but owners will have to get creative when packing for a weekend getaway with four people.

Where the Spark makes up for this lost ground is personality.  The Versa is not a bad car, but it is a personality black hole.  The Spark looks like an eager Cocker Spaniel on the outside, but rides more like a sure-footed Saint Bernard.  So just like buying a dog as a pet and getting home security as an added advantage, the Spark is about buying basic transportation with a little element of fun thrown in for a fringe benefit.  The Fiat 500 is the class king at offering this kind of personality, and since the Spark can’t match the Fiat in this department, hopefully the Chevy’s lower price will keep it competitive.

The Spark will be in Chevrolet dealers with an MSRP starting at $12,245, which is a decent undercut from the $14,635 Sonic.  Economic pricing will put a new Spark in direct competition with larger pre-owned cars, but that is probably not the worst news.  Fleet customers will likely flock to the Spark to use as everything from tech service vehicles to rental cars.  That means the Chevrolet Spark may have to combat the image of transporting the Geek Squad.  Still, there will many Sparks that make their way into the hands of young urbanites, and at this price point, they likely won’t be disappointed.