AutoWeek Daily Drive — Friday, May 28, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Friday, May 28, 2010                  The BMW 550i Grand Turismo has a base price of $65,000, but our example stickered at $80,000.... 2010 BMW 550i Gran Turismo, an AW Drivers Log EDITOR WES RAYNAL: The price of this car is a joke, and frankly, it doesn't drive nearly as well as the 5-series sedan. That's down to stretching the 5-series chassis, the Germans tell me, as well as the huge hatch opening--the combination makes for a decidedly less stiff chassis, and that shows on the road. It's not nearly as crisp as a 5-series. Hell, it's not even as crisp as an X5...   I trust Hellmund for Formula One in Austin, Ecclestone says This week's announcement that a United States Grand Prix will be run in Austin, Texas, in 2012 came as a huge surprise, even to the sport's insiders. But race promoter Tavo Hellmund has been dealing with Bernie Ecclestone for more than two years while trying to put the deal together. Hellmund...   Cosworth joins creditors at U.S. F1 Cosworth has terminated its engine-supply deal with U.S. F1 after the team formally went into bankruptcy. Although the team is not racing this year, it was still committed to a three-year deal with the British company, which maintained its side of the arrangement throughout, for obvious legal... You May Have Missed...   Cut all of the GS--call the next turbo Buick a Gran Sport So I'm crawling into work one hazy morning as traffic really begins to snarl on Detroit's west side. As the cars inch along, I notice a black, last-generation Buick LaCrosse inching forward in the lane to my left. Actually it was a 'Crosse; the “La” was lost at some point. It wore the...   Ryan Newman wins pole for Coca-Cola 600 Ryan Newman streaked to his 46th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole but only his first this year in Thursday-night qualifying for Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was the Stewart-Haas Racing driver's eighth career pole at Charlotte--he also won the pole for last year's ...   Chow Down! The Memorial Day menu courtesy of AutoWeek editors Summer might not start until June 21, but cookout season begins on Memorial Day weekend. So scrub down your grill and stop by your local meat market: We have an AutoWeek-approved menu sure to fit the bill.ENTRÉE: Dutch Mandel's Righteous RibsSALAD: Bob Gritzinger's Cucumber SaladSIDE: Natalie...   Ford reportedly to shut down Mercury The Mercury brand, rumored to be on the verge of death several times over the past decade, would be shut down under a plan being prepared for Ford Motor Co.'s board of directors, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.Citing two executives who have knowledge of the plan but asked not to be identified, ...   Weekend racing preview: Indianapolis 500 tops the action Indianapolis 500Helio Castroneves is the favorite to win Sunday's 94th Indianapolis 500 based on his Penske team's record number of victories (15), his fourth career pole position, (227.970 mph) and his pursuit of a history-making fourth win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.But maybe there is another,...   Helio Castroneves is oddsmakers' favorite to win the Indianapolis 500 Feeling lucky, race car fans?Oddsmakers at www.bodog.com have put pole sitter Helio Castroneves as the favorite--again--to win this year's race, with odds of 11:4 (which means you would win $11 for a $4 bet on Helio).Just behind Castroneves at the top of the odds chart are Scott Dixon at 7:2--he...   Mark Webber guides a virtual lap of Turkish Grand Prix track WITH VIDEO -- Red Bull Racing Formula One driver Mark Webber uses the team simulator to take you on a lap of the track for Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix and describes the key turns and passing points.Click below to watch the video:...   The 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid, an AW Drivers Log EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: When getting behind the wheel of an S-class, one expects a lot more oomph from under the hood. One expects a nice big V8, or maybe even a V12, but not the same size engine in a C-class.Having said that, the hybrid parts work seamlessly in this system. You barely hear...   Eight places to be this Memorial Day weekend, an AW list Most people spend Memorial Day Weekend in the backyard, at a local beach or stuck in traffic. That's all well and good, but you, AutoWeek reader, are not most people. Where you should be this weekend:1. Indianapolis Like we even need to tell you about this one. Last year's Indy 500 may have been...   Avoid being bumper-to-bumper this Memorial Day weekend Nothing burns gasoline better--or in more irritating fashion--than getting caught in stop-and-go traffic. And this is The Weekend to take to the road. There are the 32.1 million Americans traveling over the holiday, and 87 percent are driving, according to AAA. Still, it is possible to avoid...   The 10 Best Summer Vacation Cars, an AW List Memorial Day is the first long weekend during which car fans can get out and hit the open road. Whether you want to take an “I just won the lottery” trip or a “Let's just get outta here” trip, AutoWeek has you covered. First, the dream road-trip cars and some dream trips,...   Traps, Apps and Digital Maps Almost 10 percent of the country is traveling this weekend, and most will be going more than 50 miles. This makes Memorial Day the perfect time to get caught speeding. You may think more cars on the road equals more cover. But there will also be more police. We have a few ideas for your trip, and...   Schumacher: America is a very important market Seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher is happy to see the possible return of the U.S. Grand Prix, which according to race promoter Tavo Hellmund will begin in 2012--the third and final year of Schumacher's contract with the Mercedes GP team.Schumacher has long been a fan of the...   Seven-seater for Cadillac? Cadillac won’t comment, but it’s all over the Web that General Motors’ luxury division will get a version of the seven-seat sport-utility known internally as Lambda--externally known as the Chevrolet Traverse, the Buick Enclave and the GMC Acadia.No word on the Cadillac’s...   Ferrari: Massa likely to return to team next year Despite ongoing rumors that Ferrari was seriously considering replacing Formula One driver Felipe Massa after this season, team boss Stefano Domenicali said in Turkey ahead of this weekend's race that the 29-year-old Brazilian is likely to keep his job with the Scuderia when his contract concludes...   F1 drivers talk about Monaco, racing in the United States The transcript of Thursday's Turkish Grand Prix press conference with drivers Rubens Barrichello, Williams; Karun Chandhok, HRT; Michael Schumacher, Mercedes; Jarno Trulli, Lotus, and Mark Webber, Red Bull:A question to you all about your Monaco experiences. Varying experiences for different people.... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. IMPORTANT: Please add AutoWeek.com to your E-mail Address Book to ensure you will continue to receive our newsletters. Please DO NOT reply to this e-mail. You will not receive a reply if you use this e-mail address. Crain Communications, 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207.