AutoWeek Daily Drive — Friday, July 16, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Friday, July 16, 2010                  Some of the iconic work of photographer Jim Marshall will be auctioned to benefit an MS charity on July 24,... Rockin' for a Cause: Iconic Jim Marshall photography to be auctioned to benefit MS From black-and-white photographs of some of rock and roll's greatest performers to thoughtful, provocative portrayals of the automobile, Jim Marshall captured enduring images of two of America's greatest passions. Now, for the first time since he died earlier this year, some of his original photographs will be auctioned to benefit his favorite charity, MSFriends. Two portfolios of Marshall's...   The 2010 Mazda 3 S Grand Touring Four-Door, an AW Drivers Log ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: If you want to break out of the Toyota Corolla/Honda Civic rut, may I suggest the Mazda 3? This particular test car is a well-optioned Grand Touring model with the up-level 2.5-liter engine that is, unfortunately, mated to the automatic transmission. For sure, ...   Honda set to drop large sedan, report says Is Honda ready to kill off the slow-selling Acura RL sedan? The automaker won’t say. But a report in Japan’s Nikkei business daily newspaper says Honda is ready to stop selling the Honda Legend in its home market. The Legend is rebadged as the RL for Acura dealers in the... You May Have Missed...   Ford F-150 pickup will get three replacement powertrains for 2011 The 2011 Ford F-150 pickup will get three replacement powertrains.Ford Motor Co. will offer a 3.7-liter V6 and a 5.0-liter V8 in the 2011 F-150 pickup when it goes on sale early next year, sources say. Those engines are in the 2011 Ford Mustang.Also, Ford has announced it will offer a 3.5-liter V6...   Ford caps orders on '11 Shelby Mustang GT500 Time is running out to get a 2011 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500. More than 3,300 orders have been placed for the instant icon--arguably the best ‘Stang ever--and Ford is capping orders for this model year at 5,500.Do the math: That means 2,200 or fewer remain. Ford says it will halt orders in a...   Nissan Leaf: It drives likes a car--shocking! WITH VIDEO -- Nissan brought out a preproduction prototype of its coming Leaf electric vehicle and we got to drive it a few miles. How was it? It was like a real car, only a lot heavier and much quieter. It was also, surprisingly--how shall we say--substantial. We were expecting some kind of...   Scuderia Toro Rosso confirms Buemi, Alguersuari will return in 2011 The Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team said Thursday that drivers Sébastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari will return to the team next season.The news--almost buried in a press release that previewed the upcoming German Grand Prix--came via team principal Franz Tost.“I believe our drivers...   NHRA adds new safety requirements following recent fatalities Following the recent deaths of two NHRA Sportsman Class drivers, the racing association has announced that carbon-fiber rear brake rotors will soon be mandatory for several of its classes.The requirement is effective as of July 21 for Top Fuel dragsters, Funny Cars, Top Alcohol Dragsters and Top...   Austin Formula One race a done deal, says Texas comptroller Texas state comptroller Susan Combs has downplayed potential criticism of the planned U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, by insisting that the deal is done.Combs has committed the state to a $25 million per year payment from the Texas Special Events Fund. The fund is designed to cover expenses...   2011 BMW 550i, an AW Drivers Log EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I laughed out loud when I saw the price of this thing. It's a nice car, though. It's solid, fast, really well built, good-looking and it checks all the midsize-sedan boxes.The interior works really well with an iDrive knob, which looks straight out of the 7-series. Until you get...   Detroit brands top Asian, European rivals in study of most appealing models Owner delight with import vehicles is falling, and Detroit 3 brands are more appealing than European and Asian rivals for the first time in 13 years, according to a study measuring owner enthusiasm and satisfaction.The biggest improvement in owner appeal was made by high-performance models from...   Lopez: 'U.S. F1 promised us everything' Jose Maria Lopez told AutoWeek that U.S. F1 management did not tell him the truth and admits that his short involvement with the failed team was “embarrassing.” The team announced in January that it had signed the Argentine driver after U.S. F1 cofounder Peter Windsor met the country's...   Dealer unleashes limited-edition Viper roadster Before production of the Viper ended earlier this month, Dodge made sure to send out the current generation of the V10 supercar with numerous limited-editions. Versions such as the 1:33, the Voodoo Viper, the ACR-X and dealer-exclusive models all trickled out of Chrysler's Conner Avenue assembly...   Mustang men team up for charity auction car Jack Roush and Carroll Shelby are two men who have been linked with the Ford Mustang for decades. Amazingly, they have never worked together on one--until now.Roush and Shelby teamed up to create a unique 2011 Ford Mustang, named the SR-71, which will be auctioned to raise funds for charity. The SR-...   Lamborghini opens carbon-fiber research center Lamborghini is betting carbon fiber is the future of automotive design. To that end, the company has announced the creation of a new Advanced Composites Research Center in Italy, where it will develop new design and production methods for the multifaceted material.Lamborghini has been experimenting ... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. 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