Modern engine vs. Classic engine

There are many things that make our modern engines drastically different then the engines that your father or mother had in their car, and I'm not talking just bhp or torque. I want you to go look under the hood of a classic car, and then, I want you to go out and look under the hood of a car built in the last ten years. Under the hood of a classic car you'll notice there is ton of space all around the engine. Under the hood of any modern car every spot will be filled with hardware.

What really fills up the space in a modern car's engine cavity is all the electronics. If you car broke down in the sixties, as long as you knew a little about cars, you could pull out a wrench, pop the hood, and tweak around until the car started. Now if you car breaks down, you need to call a tow truck and you can say goodbye to your car for a couple days while they hook up some computer to those little black boxes under your hood.

I'm not saying we should revert back to our classic car's engine. Our modern car engineers have greatly advanced the internal combustion engine. Those black boxes under your hood do several important things. They improve safety. If you have ever gotten in a semi-serious car accident, you may have noticed that you car wouldn't start again. This is because your engine might have some dangerous internal damage. Those boxes also improve your gas millage by optimizing fuel injection and valve action. Finally, and possibly most importantly, those little black boxes improve your speed and bhp by optimizing several things in your engine, similar to how they improve gas millage, including fuel injection systems, valves, and cylinder pressure.

Both types of engine, the modern and the classic, have their own pros and cons, so depending on what's important to you can either buy a new car or buy a classic '65 ford mustang.

Tesla Roadster Sport: Review

Electric cars have recently become popular. Whether the reason for their sudden interest being for environmental conservation, for their cool-factor, or for their power and efficiency, their sales have shot up in the past couple years.

There are many things an electric car can do that a traditional internal combustion engine car can't do as well or at all. First because it is run with batteries, the car is able to get full power to the wheels instantly, while the traditional engine will take a while to run up the power curve. Next, it only costs around $4 to refuel the car, and because you don't need to have oil changes or exhaust work, you save money on typical maintenance. In around four states you can get a %100 waiver on sales, luxury, and use taxes. In many areas you are also able to get free parking, free charging, and the use of special privilege lanes such as carpool.

Unfortunately not everything is positive about how electric cars run and how they are produced. Because batteries weigh so much, you are not able to put that many into the car. Tesla says that with the standard non sport version on the Roadster, you can get a 288 mile range, but it has a more tested range of closer to 100 miles. This means that you will have to recharge more often, and with recharging stations being few and far apart in some areas careful planning of each trip will be needed. Also, not only will you charges be frequent, they will take close to 30 hours with 120V power or 8+ hours with 240 industrial power. To add onto your refueling costs, you must add the cost of battery replacement. Every seven years the batteries require to be switched out for a fresh new pair, so if you want to own your car for more than seven years,you can say goodbye to $36,000 dollars per battery change. The next thing to remember is your environmental effect. You have to remember where batteries come from, battery factories. Battery factories are possibly the worst kind of factory for the environment that we have in modern day cities.

Yes, Teslas are not only cool, but an interesting advance in technology, but unfortunately once you look past the surface, you find out they are also harmful to both the environment and your pocket.

Dodge Viper: Thoughts

The Viper is Dodges primary sports car. Yes they have the Challenger and the Charger, but the Viper is their fasted and highest quality car. It has been recently announced that the Viper will be discontinued in 2011. The question is, will they replace it with a new sports car, or will they let that aspect of the company die away?

The Viper was initially thought up in 1988 by Chrysler. It appeared as a concept in 1989 in the North American International Auto Show. Lamborghini even helped cast some prototype aluminum blocks based on a Dodge Truck engine. 85 engineers called Team Viper started development in 1989. The car started out having a V8, but then it was later decided that a V10 would be a better choice. In early 1991 an early pre-production Viper was used as a pace-car in the Indi 500.

The Viper started production in 1992. It started out as a 7.998L V10 engine with 400bhp, doing 0-60 in 4.6 seconds. The 2010 version has an 8.4L V10 engine with 600bhp, doing 0-60 in 3.5 seconds. The AC Cobra inspired the first production Vipers. Carroll Shelby even helped design this version Viper.

The Viper has a lush and full history, and sadly due to production cuts, it will be end its legacy in 2011. Cerberus, the company that now owns Chrysler and Dodge, says they need the money being put into the Viper is required to pad the money lost from the new car the Sebring. The Viper is doomed to become a rare collectible classic because of this poor economy.

Chevrolet Camaro:Review

There has been a recent muscle revival movement headed by Dodge, Ford, and Chevrolet with the Challenger, Mustang, and the Camaro. Challenger went for the absolute classic looks, Mustang went for best for your money, and Camaro went for a new update on a famous classic.

Chevrolet took the Camaro's classic looks and took them to the next level. The receding grill, the hood that suggest a large engine, and sharp futuristic creases all along the body brings the Camaro into a new era. The base model, a 3.6L V6 with 304 bhp and a 0-60 time of 6.1 secs, starts at $22,680. The top model the 2ss, a 6.2L V8 with 426 bhp and a 0-60 time of 4.7 secs, starts at $33,945. You get a lot for your money with the new Camaros.

The most common criticism is the windshield size. Most are saying that it is to small and that you loose a lot of visibility. Having sat in one, I can say that the windshield does feel considerably smaller than your regular car. After driving around the block though, I realized that all it cuts off is a portion of the sky, and that your visibility is in no way compromised. I can also say that it pulls a lot more than expected when you put your foot.

Overall the Camaro has a true muscle car feel. Chevrolet did a good job at updating the Camaro, taking it from a beautiful smooth classic, and turning it into a new sharp soon-to-be classic beast.

Porsche Panerama: Thoughts

Recently, I have been seeing a lot of those four door Porsches, the Panorama I believe. The more I see of them the more I dislike them. I think it's weird for a company built on it's image, to divert from that so hugely. It looks like a stretched out Carrera with a hatch back. It's base model only has 300 bhp with a 0-60 of 6.0. It's base price is $74,000! For less than that, you could buy an E550 Mercedes or BMW 740i, both similar but better cars. What makes a Porsche a Porsche is it's speed, agility, size, and looks, all of which the Panorama has none.

First Post

Hi everyone!

Welcome to The Thrill of Driving! This is going to be a car website. You can look forward to car reviews, car facts, car tricks, and entertaining stories! Few things about this blog, I have multiple pages. Everything on those pages will be posted both on the main page and into those pages. Car Reviews are extensive looks at the car, while Car Opinions are my feelings about that car.

See you later!

Brianna