ON THE TABLE - FEBRUARY 13, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 04:33PM 
Elon Musk. Editor-in-Chief's Note: What separates Elon Musk from every other guy with too much money and a passel of yes-men who hang on his every word? Not much. His trashing of The New York Times and its reviewer - John M. Broder - for daring to criticize Tesla's "Supercharger" charging system and by inference the saintly Tesla Model S was silly and wrong-headed and revealed the raw arrogance that he has been desperately trying to keep under wraps from the media - largely succeeding - until now. No matter how visionary he may be and how OMG it's amazing the Model S is, you can't alter the fact that cold weather is The Enemy of EVs, and the Model S is not immune from that fact. Combine that with Tesla's Supercharging charging system, which is clearly under-represented in that part of the country, especially given the temperatures, and you have a recipe for disaster and a Model S ending up on a flatbed truck, out of juice. Instead of admitting that yeah, maybe we fucked up, Musk instead tried to portray The Times story as a fabrication. Nicely done.
(Rolls-Royce)
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will fully reveal its next model, the Wraith, at the Geneva Motor Show, "a hand-built motor car that exudes hallmark Rolls-Royce luxury and comfort whilst possessing a character defined by Power, Style and Drama," according to the automaker.
(Audi)
Audi says that its new S3 Sportback offers best-in-class performance and exemplary efficiency. The numbers? 221 kW (300 hp). 380 Nm (280.27 lb-ft) of torque. Zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 5.0 seconds. And the 2.0 TFSI averages just 6.9 liters per 100 km (34.09 US mpg). Top speed is electronically governed at 250 km/h (155.34 mph). The S3 Sportback will be available starting in September 2013. The base price in Germany will be €39,800.
(Images courtesy of Porsche North America)
The Porsche 911 has been the heart of the Porsche brand for five decades and for many, the 911 is the quintessential sports car. Since its debut as the Type 901 at the IAA International Automotive Show in September 1963 (renamed the 911 for its market launch in 1964), the 911 represents the soul of the company. Today, Porsche insists that the 911 is also the central point of reference for all other Porsche series and that each Porsche - from the Cayenne to the Panamera - carries a piece of the 911 philosophy. For Porsche, the 50th anniversary of this iconic sports car is the central theme of 2013. There will be a wide variety of anniversary events, starting with the “Retro Classics” automobile show in Stuttgart. From March 7-10 the Porsche Museum will ring in the anniversary year with four special exhibits: an early-model 911 Turbo Coupe, a 911 Cabriolet study from 1981, a 1997 street version 911 GT1 and the pre-series Type 754 T7. This chassis by Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche was a milestone on the way to the 911 design.
More than 820,000 Porsche 911s have been built, making it one of the most successful sports cars in the world. Like no other vehicle, the 911 "reconciles apparent contradictions such as sportiness and everyday practicality, tradition and innovation, exclusivity and social acceptance, design and functionality," according to Porsche. Ferry Porsche described its unique qualities this way: “The 911 is the only car you could drive on an African safari or at Le Mans, to the theater or through New York City traffic.” The company is also sending an authentic 1967 model 911 on a world tour this year. This vintage 911 will travel to five continents where it will be shown in places like Pebble Beach, Calif., Shanghai, Goodwood, U.K., Paris and Australia. Those interested can follow the car’s progress at http://porsche.com/follow-911.
Many Porsche 911 enthusiasts prefer the simplicity of the older cars.
Contrast this 911 I.P. to the new one (below).
The current 911. Newer, but... better?
In addition to its classic lines, the Porsche 911 has always been distinguished by its advanced technology, much of it developed on the race track. In fact, two thirds of Porsche's 30,000 race victories to date have been notched by the 911, according to Porsche.
The contrast between the original 911 and the current car is flat-out shocking. There's just no two ways about it. For the hardcore 911 faithful, the new car represents a clear demarcation away from the original 911 concept, and it's easy to see why. Talk to many Porsche enthusiasts and they will tell you that they're starting to gravitate toward the Cayman and Cayman S as the Porsche for the "True Believers." The Porsche Museum is celebrating “50 years of the Porsche 911” from June 4 - Sept. 29, 2013, with a special exhibition featuring the history and development of the 911. In the spring the museum’s own publishing house, Edition Porsche-Museum, will publish an anniversary edition entitled “911x911.” The generations of the 911: The First 911 (1963); the G-Series (1973); the 964 (1988); the 993 (1993) and the last air-cooled models; the 996 (1997) and the beginning of the water cooled era; the 997 (2004); and the current car, the 991 (2011).
(GM)
The Chevrolet SS will be the first V-8, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan from the Chevrolet brand since 1996. “The Chevrolet brand was largely built on the strength of rear-drive performance sedans, yet it's been 17 years since we've offered one,” said Mark Reuss, president of General Motors North America. “The all-new Chevrolet SS fills that void and fills it better than any other vehicle in the brand’s rich history. The comfort, convenience, spaciousness and V-8 power make the SS a total performance package unlike any other on the road today.” The Chevrolet SS is based on the global rear-wheel drive architecture that is the foundation for the Camaro, Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle and Holden’s VF Commodore. The Chevrolet SS is powered by the LS3 Chevrolet V-8, expected to deliver 415 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque. The LS3 is married to a six-speed automatic transmission, which can be shifted manually using TAPshift paddles mounted on the steering wheel. With an aggressive 3.27 final-drive ratio, the Chevrolet SS accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in about five seconds – making it one of the quickest sedans on the market. Other features include MacPherson strut front and multilink independent rear suspension geometry, electronic power steering system, optimized for sport driving, standard Brembo brakes with ventilated, 355-mm rotors and two-piece, four-piston front calipers, forged aluminum wheels, wrapped in ultra-high-performance Bridgestone tires (19 x 8.5 inch wheels with 245/40ZR19 tires in front; 19 x 9.0 inch wheels with 275/35ZR19 tires rear). And there's a bunch of other stuff too. The 2014 Chevrolet SS will be available in the fourth quarter of 2013, with prices set closer to the on-sale date.
