Nissan GT-R

Filed under: Classics, Audi, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche A few weeks ago, we bid a fond happy 40th anniversary to the automotive dark ages of 1973-84 that have come to be known as "The Malaise Era" - the performance ice-age when 160 horsepower was a lot and a 0-60 time of under 10 seconds was remarkable. Like music in the 1980s, everything in automobiledom didn't suck, however. There were a few bright spots. Here are five of our favorites: 1976-79 Porsche 930, aka 911 Turbo Carrera (above) Photo Credit: Dorotheum While Chevrolet beat them by a decade with the turbocharged Corvair Corsa, the Germans more fully developed turbocharging through racing where General Motors couldn't. Early Porsche 930s (known technically as 911 Turbo Carreras) were a bit crude, with turbo lag that could be measured with an egg timer. They lacked an intercooler as well as brakes that were up to the task, but performance was sensational, with the buff books reporting 0-60 times of anywhere from 4.9 to 5.8 seconds and quarter-mile times of under 14 seconds. This was '60s muscle car performance at the height of the Malaise Era. Sadly, the 930 cost about six times as much as your average muscle car did. Rob Sass is the Publisher of Hagerty Classic Cars magazine. He is a regular contributor to the automotive section of the New York Times and is the author of "Ran When Parked, Advice and Adventures from the Affordable Underbelly of Car Collecting." Continue reading Malaise Era All-StarsMalaise Era All-Stars originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Safety, Videos, Crossover, Subaru The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its new small overlap frontal crash test last year, and while a number of cars have passed the test with an "Acceptable" rating, the 2014 Subaru Forester is the first vehicle to ace the test with a "Good" rating. A total of 13 small crossovers and SUVs were subjected to the more rigorous testing procedure, and only the Forester and the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport drove off with the highest Top Safety Pick+ rating. Two of the worst-performing vehicles that were called out in this group were the Nissan Rogue and Jeep Wrangler, which were the only two not to receive a Top Safety Pick Rating. The Jeep Patriot did earn that distinction despite not performing well in the small overlap test. To be named a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn top ratings in front, side, rear and roof-strength tests, while a Top Safety Pick+ requires four out of five to be "Good" ratings with the fifth no worse than "Acceptable;" the Forester received "Good" ratings in all five tests. Scroll down for a video showing how the Forester and some of its competitors performed in the small overlap test, along with a press release.Continue reading Subaru Forester first to ace difficult, new IIHS crash test [w/video]Subaru Forester first to ace difficult, new IIHS crash test [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments