11-28-09 Cars and Coffee

Cars and Coffee always has a great variety of cars and this week was no different, an Edsel, DeSoto, Facel Vega, an early Bronco, a couple Teslas, a Lincoln Mark II and plenty more.

Click here for all the pics or here for the slideshow.

Just in Time for the Holidays, a 400-Horse (-powered) Sleigh

Also making an appearance at Cars & Coffee this week was Subaru's WRX STI TRAX fresh from SEMA.
The Subaru WRX STI, when equipped with proper tires, is capable of impressive all-weather performance. But when even snow tires are not enough, Subaru offers a solution - a 400-hp WRX STI equipped with a snow tracks system, as showcased at the 2009 Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Nov. 3-6.

 Starting with a rally-prepared 2009 WRX STI, Subaru Rally Team USA's technical partner, Vermont SportsCar, built the one-off 400-hp TRAX STI envisioned by, and built for, DC Shoes co-founder and SRT USA driver Ken Block. The WRX STI TRAX is ready for the half-pipe, with a Yakima FatCat 4 Snowboard Rack up top, a Yakima Landing Pad rack base and DC Shoes XFB-C Snowboards. Naturally, there is a custom matching sleigh to go with it.

With the exception of the Mattracks rubber track system, the car is rally-prepared and similar in specification Block's #43 SRT USA competition STI. Starting with a stock 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Vermont SportsCar stripped the car's interior bare, lightened the shell and then fully seam-welded it for added strength, also installing a multipoint roll cage manufactured from T45 steel. Major differences from the stock STI include the addition of lightweight carbon/Kevlar RECARO SPA ProRacer competition seats with the Head and Neck Restraint System (HANS), carbon fiber door panels and an onboard fire suppression system.

Under the hood, the ultimate Subaru snow machine sports a 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged and intercooled STI engine tuned with a MoTeC M800 ECU. The engine, which kicks out approximately 400 hp and 400 lb.-ft. of torque, is teamed with a KAPS 5-speed close-ratio dog-engagement gearbox and the Subaru programmable DCCD (Driver Controlled Center Differential) all-wheel drive system. Employing custom machined hubs, the drivetrain - which has been dropped three inches - is mated to Mattracks 105M1-A1 rubber track conversion. The car also features Group N competition rally dampers made by EXE-TC.

The WRX STI TRAX can bring four more friends along for the fun with its one-of-a-kind custom sleigh. Constructed with hand-laid fiberglass using sandwich-core construction, the sleigh runs on custom built steel skis with torsion bar suspension. Yakima FatCat 4 snowboard racks carry Qty 2 DC XFB Snowboards.
Protected beneath the padded roll bars are four heated and embroidered leather RECARO Speed seats with Sabelt 4-point harnesses. For music on the slopes, a marine grade water resistant Alpine digital media receiver is coupled with marine grade Kicker speakers and a 10-inch subwoofer. The rear of the sleigh features a large cooler and a grab-bar for towing snowboarders. Cup holders and LED lighting finish off the interior.


The sleigh also features a carbon fiber dashboard, center tunnel cover and rear-cooler cover. Tucked into a glovebox within the carbon fiber covered dashboard are two Viosport POV.1 camera systems. One camera lens is flush-mounted within the dashboard to film passengers, and the other is mounted high on the roll bar to record action around the sleigh.

Lexus LFA at Cars & Coffee

A rather stealth looking Lexus LFA made an appearance at Cars & Coffee today...

The highly anticipated LFA supercar, which just made its global debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, will be on display to the public for the first time in North America at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show in December.

As the first Lexus supercar, the LFA serves as the flagship for the F portfolio of Lexus performance models and redefines the supercar for the 21st century.  The Lexus F brand complements the core Lexus DNA by emphasizing serious performance.  The LFA was carefully developed from a blank canvas by a small and dedicated team of hand-picked engineers that pushed every possible dynamic boundary.

“The development of the LFA was unlike any other Lexus,” said Mark Templin, Lexus division group vice president and general manager.  “Minute details were engineered to provide an engaging and serious supercar that delivers impressive performance on and off the race track.  Only 500 will ever be built worldwide, and each will be assembled to customer order, offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be part of a small, exclusive group of individuals.”

All 500 LFA supercars will be hand-assembled by skilled technicians in the “Lexus LFA Works” at the Motomachi Plant in Toyota City at a rate of no more than 20 per month.

The rear-wheel drive LFA is dynamically styled and powered by a sophisticated new high-revving 9,000 rpm (redline) 4.8-liter V10 engine that generates 552 hp and 354 lb.-ft. of torque for adrenaline-fuelled 202- mph performance.  This specially-developed powerplant is paired with a unique six-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox (ASG) with blazing-quick paddle-activated shifts for ultimate driver control.  Linked by a rigid torque tube for excellent drivetrain integrity, the ASG is located in a transaxle layout over the rear axle for an optimal 48:52 front-to-rear weight distribution.  Motorsport-developed lightweight aluminum alloy suspension components are complemented by Carbon Ceramic Material (CCM) brake discs and an innovative electrically assisted rack and pinion steering system.
Lightweight, powerful and balanced, the LFA features advanced Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) construction for its chassis and much of its bodywork to deliver a light, incredibly strong and impact-resistant structure.  Rather than outsource this sophisticated materials technology, the LFA team took the radical step of developing its own CFRP processes internally for ultimate quality control and to make a sound engineering investment in the future.

The LFA’s sporty styling is distinguished by coherent lines that flow from roof to sill in a seamless convex to concave line for sophisticated aerodynamics.  Its front-mid engine layout, long wheelbase, short overhangs, and snug, low-slung cabin identify it as a supercar.  CFRP also gave the LFA’s designers a far higher degree of design freedom, allowing them to create shapes, curves and edges that would have been impossible with metal.  For example, the sharp trailing edges at the rear of the LFA that help provide superlative aerodynamics would not have been possible had traditional metal been used for the bodywork.

A dramatic low-slung cockpit has been intelligently designed and hand-assembled with the finest materials to reflect the car’s driver-centric dynamics.  The intimate two-seat cabin has been conceived at every stage – ergonomics, acoustics, materials, comfort, versatility and visibility levels have all been painstakingly engineered – to put the driver at the center of the driving experience.

Production of the LFA supercar will begin in December 2010 with deliveries continuing for the following 24 months.  Consumers may contact the Lexus LFA Information Center at 866-LFA-4794 to express interest or visit www.Lexus-LFA.com for more information.

Camaro Cover Car

This month there is a new magazine making it's appearance on local newstands, Chevy Enthusiast. The first cover features my good friend Dave Lindsley's gorgeous Rallye Green '69 Z28. Check out the great feature article editor Rich Truesdell, another good friend, wrote and shot, then go to the Chevy Enthusiast website and sign up for a free trial issue!

Cizeta-Moroder V16T

Just your garden variety Cizeta-Moroder V16T cruising at Cars & Coffee.

Wrong Plate?

Either this Challenger has a Hipo Ford Engine or the owner put the wrong plate on it just to drive it to Cars & Coffee!