ON THE TABLE - JULY 17, 2013

Editor-in-Chief's Note (7/22, 7:45 a.m.): Before anyone jumps to conclusions about the new "big" Cadillac that CEO Dan Akerson says GM is bringing to market, it is not the Ciel-based showstopper that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. This "big" Cadillac is the car that GM's braintrust - and Captain Queeg's cost-cutting minions - deems to be acceptable to go up against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8. In other words, "good enough" to go after the German luxury-performance stars without reaching for the ultimate rung and making a statement about what Cadillac is and where it will go in the future. "Good enough" to dispense with a halo vehicle that won't make enough money and consume a lot of time, talent and resources. Akerson & Co. figures that the new CTS, the new ELR and the coming bigger Cadillac will accomplish that just fine. Needless to say in GM's narrow little world that may make perfect sense. In the real world, however, it means more of the same. This just in - good enough is never good enough in this business. - PMD

 VW. Editor-in-Chief's Note: Bloomberg is reporting that VW is bringing the Phaeton luxury sedan back to the U.S. market. "A brand as large as Volkswagen needs a halo project in the upscale segment," CEO Martin Winterkorn told Bloomberg at a conference in the company's hometown of Wolfsburg, Germany, this month, confirming that the Phaeton will return to U.S. showrooms. Really? Uh, actually no it doesn't, Martin. "We've seen what happens to brands that don't have that kind of project," Winterkorn continued. Yes, we have Martin, and remarkably enough the brands that avoid embracing that delusional charade end up not burning massive piles of money in bonfires behind headquarters too, unlike VW, which pissed away hundreds of millions of dollars on the Phaeton the first time around. I love it when car executives get their delusional thinking on and start talking to themselves, because inevitably it doesn't end well. Ferdinand Piech's vanity project - aka the Phaeton - never should have seen the light of day to begin with, but because he's The Boss and demanded it nobody had the balls to tell him no. Because if they do, they usually end up picking trash up along the side of the Autobahn on their lunch hours. Car companies with too much money at their disposal in fat and happy times do stupid things. German car companies with too much money at their disposal in fat and happy times do really stupid things. - PMD (Editor's Note: Read more of Peter's comments about the Phaeton, Cadillac and halo cars here in Reader Mail. - WG)

(Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz)
Mercedes-AMG is bringing the all-new 2014 S63 AMG 4MATIC to U.S. showrooms in November of this year. With an AMG 5.5-liter V8 biturbo engine delivering 577 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque, Mercedes is calling it "the most powerful high-performance sedan in the luxury segment." Mercedes says that the car sets new standards in terms of driving dynamics, lightweight construction and efficiency, thanks to systematic lightweight construction based on the "AMG Lightweight Performance" philosophy. The 2014 S63 AMG 4MATIC is up to 220 pounds lighter than its predecessor. Watch the intro trailer here.

(VW)
The latest Answer to the Question that Absolutely No One is Asking? The 2014 VW Beetle GSR. Just 3500 (about 3500 too many as far as we're concerned) of these "striking" yellow-and-black GSR models will be built globally, according to VW PR minions. The base price for the six-speed manual version will set you back $29,995; the base price for the six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic is $31,095. Really? We would consider any number of cars at that price point instead of this thing. The car allegedly takes its cue from the GSR (“Yellow Black Racer”) of the 1970s. We couldn't care less.

(Porsche)
The Porsche 918 Spyder super sports car made its public dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 918 Spyder - with its mid-mounted, 4.6-litre V8 engine and two electric motors with lithium-ion batteries delivering 887HP combined - boasts some astonishing performance numbers: 0-62 mph in 2.8 secs, 211 mph top speed and approximately 85 mpg and 79 g/km CO2 (NEDC). The 918 Spyder has been designed, developed and produced by Porsche engineers who build race cars, in cooperation with series production specialists. "A great deal of insight gained from the development of Porsche race cars for the Le Mans 24 hours in 2014 is thus integrated into the 918 Spyder – and vice versa" according to Porsche.

Editor's Note: Some select images from the Goodwood Festival of Speed. - WG

(Porsche images images courtesy of Porsche and Newspress)
Porsche 911 GT1/98

Porsche 911

Porsche 911

Porsche 911RSR

Porsche 917

Porsche 917K

Porsche 935/78 "Moby Dick"

(Newspress USA)
Bentley Speed 8

(Newspress USA)
Chaparral 2E

(Newspress USA)
McLaren P1

(Newspress USA)
Ford Galaxie 500

(Newspress USA)
RAF Red Arrows

(Photos courtesy of Goodguys Rod & Custom Association)
Tennessee’s George Poteet and Nebraska’s Ron Cizek collected the top two awards at the Goodguys 16th PPG Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, last weekend. Poteet’s vintage NASCAR-inspired ’69 Torino won the Goodguys 2013 Optima Batteries Street Machine of the Year, while Cizek’s popular Ridler award-winning ’40 Ford coupe collected the Goodguys 2013 Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year title. For Cizek, it’s the second major Goodguys award of the year he’s collected (the car won the Goodguys 2013 March Performance Street Rod d’Elegance in Del Mar in this spring). Poteet’s Torino was built by Troy Trepanier and his talented “Rad Rides” team in Manteno, Illinois. Cizek’s cranberry red ’40 Ford, built by Andy Leach (Cal Automotive Creations) represents the time-tested appeal of a smoothed out flathead powered early Ford. (A blown flathead that is!) Trepanier and his team spent the better part of three years hand-crafting and transforming Poteet’s Torino into a sleek, refined machine.