The 2009 Chicago Auto Show is shaping up to be quite a show this year. Although doors don’t open to the public until Friday, February 13th, the Media Frenzy Preview is going strong.
Although nothing earth shattering has yet been revealed, there’s still plenty of reasons to check it out. Here are a few:
Chevy Autobots
Scion tC 5.0
20 Years of Mazda Miata
The Chicago Auto Show had the release of the new IS Convertible and IS AWD – In addition, Lexus choose this time to debut their full line of F-Sport Accessories. By full line, I mean Full Line. We’re talking; 19″ Wheels, Cold Air Intakes, Big Brake Kits, Exhausts, Shocks, Sway Bars, Carbon Fiber Engine Dress Up, Short Shifter, Shift Knob and more!
Injen Technology has found a way to clone perfection! These impressive twins now come with Injen/AMSOIL Nano-Fiber dry filters, and functional, jaw-dropping front air scoop. The all new SP1125 twin intakes not only look impressive, but their roar will command respect on the road too. Boasting an astonishing 13 horsepower and 15ft/lbs of torque, these twins will be the envy of the track.
Wow. The New Porsche Museum in Stuttgart Germany just opened a few days ago, and I’m sure plane tickets and travel plans to Germany have gotten a healthy bump from Porschephiles and car buffs alike.
The new structure designed by Austrian architect Roman Delugan, boasts 5,600 sq/meters (18,000+ sq/ft) of exhibition space and plays host to not only the museum but a restaurant, rooftop terrace, archive library, conference facilities, workshop and of course, a Porsche gift shop.
The museum itself features Porsche’s from the manufactures early racing days, including a collection of 917 coupes up to current models such as the Carrera GT. An installment tracing the Evolution of the 911 is also on display.
KW suspensions announces their Variant 3 stainless steel constructed coilover for the 1990-2005 Acura NSX.
The KW suspensions coilover for the Acura NSX enables the owner to lower their vehicle 20 to 50mm on the front axle and 25mm to 55mm on the rear axle. The coilover suspension retains enough travel to handle maximum load and dynamic loads during driving. Adjustable (and independent reacting) rebound and compression damping allows a truly individual performance driving setup for those technically demanding drivers. Compression dampening adjustment is conducted in the low-speed range, while the high-speed set-up, so decisive for driving comfort, has been pre-set by KW engineers.
Important characteristics such as safety, quality and performance are all taken into consideration with each KW coilover design. Each vehicle application is specifically designed and engineered for a proper range of motion, min/max weight loads and min/max lowering. All these requirements are met while retaining it’s performance handling characteristics. Each KW coilover suspension is produced with unique stainless steel “inox-line” technology. The stainless steel construction internally and externally provides long term durability and corrosion resistance from the elements.
All KW coilovers pass stringent German TUV safety and quality testing standards. Each kit is sold TUV approved.
Skunk2 is proud to announce the release of our all new Pro-Series Throttle Body for Honda K-Series engines. Designed to be used with an OEM or Skunk2 Intake Manifold, the Skunk2 Pro Series Throttle Body features a 70mm bore and results in an average increase of over 8hp throughout the power band on naturally aspirated applications (even more should be gained on forced induction applications). Skunk2 went through an extensive design and testing process to produce a unit that not only provides more flow, but also retains the smooth drivability of the OEM unit.
The Skunk2 Pro-Series Throttle Body is designed using the latest CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) tools to produce a unit that exceeds industry standards. Each Pro-Series Throttle Body is CNC-machined from billet 6061 T6 Aluminum and hard anodized for added durability. Our throttle pulley design allows for smooth movement and throttle modulation, while the coolant hoses have been eliminated for cooler operation. The Skunk2 Pro Series Throttle Body will directly bolt up to the OEM PRB intake manifold and will work on RBC manifolds with an adapter plate.
Who says innovation is dead? Following in the footsteps of voice activated navigation, the BMW i-Drive and countless other ‘upgrades’ the automakers have rolled out, comes the Porsche ’sound at the touch of a button’ exhaust system.
According to zee engineers over at Porsche, this new $2500 option will be available for the 911 Carrera, Targa 4 and adaptable to existing 997s as well.
So what does it “do” you may be asking? Well my friend, at the touch of a button, you can adjust the sound of the exhaust. Yeah. That’s it.
Honda has officially announced the Honda S2000 will cease production, and 2009 will be the final model year sold.
It really was a good run. The body of the vehicle remained virtually unchanged for the past decade which is a testament to the timeless styling of the car. The power plant received only minor tweeks early on it’s life (FC20>FC22), again giving kudos to the ahead-of-its-time engine. Throughout the decade long run, over 110,000 S2000s were sold, 65,000 of which made it stateside.
From AutoX to Drag to Drift – The S2000 was an all around performer and will be missed.
I hate to have too much text down here detracting from the pure beauty of Aston Martin’s new LMP1 entrant into the LeMans Series. But I should say Aston Martin has made the right choice and will be campaigning 2009 with two coupes both sporting V12s based off the production DB9R motors. The bad news? Aston Martin decided to retire their GT1 cars and focus all their efforts on this bad boy.
COBB Tuning is no slouch when it comes to delivering the best bang-for-the-buck performance products for your vehicles; and their newest product is no exception. The Turbo Inlet Hose for the Mazdaspeed 3 replaces those ugly and poorly engineered OEM pieces with high quality silicone hoses that eliminate any reduction in diameter in the path between the turbo and air intake.
These hoses are a direct replacement for your OEM pieces and work in conjunction with to stock intake and bypass valve. Available in Blue and new Stealth Black, the only question left is; ‘what are you waiting for?’