Pinnacle Auto Appraisers' Blog

By Jim Gorzelany | Forbes.com – Thu, May 17, 2012 7:56 PM EDT

It doesn’t take a market research maven to determine that with gas prices still hovering around the $4.00 mark, fuel economy remains of paramount importance among new-car buyers. But what if your vehicular preferences run more toward the fast and the furious – can a true sports car be both entertaining to drive and fuel efficient?

The answer, surprisingly, is yes.

While the sports car market is still populated with plenty of gas-guzzlers, there are a number of models – some of which are among the quickest rides on the road – that boast downright decent fuel economy.

And while it could be said that anyone who’s able to afford a costly sports car could well absorb sky-high gasoline prices, consider the environmental effects of choosing a “greener” alternative. According to the EPA’s figures, the aforementioned 911 Carrera S will burn an average 10.3 fewer barrels of oil and spew 4.6 fewer tons of greenhouse-gas emissions annually than will either the comparably performing Lambo or Aston Martin. Such emissions include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, which are said to be major contributors to global warming. (For fuel economy and emissions ratings for all vehicles, check the EPA’s website at www.fueleconomy.gov.)

We sorted through both the EPA’s official fuel economy ratings and posted 0-60 mph times for all sport coupes/convertibles sold in the U.S. to compile a formidable list of ten models that can reach 60 mph in well under six seconds, yet achieve an estimated combined city/highway fuel economy of 22 mpg or better. These include fleet-footed models like the Porsche 911, Boxster and Cayman, the Lotus Evora, Nissan 370Z, Audi TT, Mercedes-Benz SLK, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Infiniti G37 and an unexpectedly frugal version of the venerable Ford Mustang.

While most of these cars offer the choice of either a standard stick shift or an automatic transmission, you’ll note that many models achieve their quickest 0-60 mph times and top fuel economy ratings with the latter, particularly if it’s a sophisticated dual-clutch automated manual gearbox. While such racecar-inspired transmissions can be operated by hand for a quasi-manual effect, in fully automatic mode they typically shift faster and more precisely than most humans could muster.

One caveat, however. The EPA’s ratings are based on standardized tests conducted under strictly controlled conditions on a dynamometer, which is like a treadmill for cars. Out in the real world lead-footed motorists will likely never achieve any of these models’ lofty estimates. The EPA cautions that “aggressive” driving (i.e. the manner for which sports cars are built) can reduce a vehicle’s gas mileage by as much as 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent in the city. As they say, your mileage may vary.

Given that corporate average fuel economy regulations here and in Europe are scheduled to rise significantly in the coming years, expect sports-car builders to pay added attention to their models’ mileage down the road. This will likely include expanded use of lighter-weight materials like aluminum and carbon fiber; all else being equal, decreasing a vehicle’s mass by 10 percent enables about a three percent increase in fuel economy. Expect widespread use of technology like direct fuel injection and turbocharging to help make smaller engines perform like larger ones, as well as a so-called stop-start function that automatically de-powers an engine while the car is at idle to save fuel.

We’ll also be seeing more hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric sports cars in subsequent model years. The recently discontinued Tesla Roadster proved that a battery-powered sports car could maintain top performance (0-60 mph in around four seconds) and use no gasoline at all. Porsche is currently testing a plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder “supercar” it plans to introduce in the fourth quarter of 2013. While it’s expected to break the bank at a reported $845,000, Porsche says the 918 Spyder will boast the equivalent of over 770 horsepower and get around 78 mpg (three liters per 100 km).

Now that’s really fast and frugal.

1. Porsche 911 Carrera

The latest version of the iconic Porsche 911 continues the brand’s tradition of combining stellar performance with responsible fuel consumption. Powered by a 350-hp 3.4-liter flat-six engine and optional seven speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission, the base 911 can sprint to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and is estimated at 20/28 city/highway mpg. The 911 Carrera S, which packs a 400-hp 3.8-liter flat-six, is even quicker at 4.1 seconds to 60 mph, but manages similar fuel economy at 20/27 mpg.

Read more: http://autos.yahoo.com/news/10-fast-and-fuel-frugal-sports-cars.html

Houston Auto Appraiser

Pinnacle Auto Appraisers

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/05/02/end-manual-transmission/?intcmp=obinsite

The death of the manual transmission is in its throws...but rest assured companies will have the option for some time to come. Appraisals will continue and Pinnacle has Auto Appraisers who understand your vehicle.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/04/20/two-men-and-dog-survive-186-mph-highway-crash/?intcmp=obnetwork

Photo: BimmerPost - http://f10.m5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=679088

Technology saves lives, here at Pinnacle Auto Appraisals we appraise BMW's that have saved their drivers lives, not a total loss - The occupants survived! Well worth the investment - BMW!

http://digg.com/newsbar/topnews/nevada_issues_nation_s_first_autonomous_vehicle_license_to_google

http://www.leftlanenews.com/nevada-issues-nations-first-autonomous-vehicle-license-to-google.html

Great advances in autonomous vehicles have led to google being granted Nevada's first autonomous (robotic) vehicle license. Pinnacle Auto Appraisals has appraisers who can help with appraising innovative and technologically advanced vehicles.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1075984_our-guide-to-every-hybrid-car-on-sale-in-the-u-s

Great future for these machines as batteries become better, and production increases. Greater range and battery life will lead to more innovation.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/04/24/steven-tyler-buys-wild-275-mph-ride/?intcmp=obinsite

http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2012/04/steven-tyler-to-take-delivery-of-hennessey-venom-gt-spyder-at-american-idol-finale.html

New Hennessey Venom GT Spyder - Stephen Tyler of Aerosmith fame to take delivery of this 275mph beast!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennessey_Venom_GT

I am in love...

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/05/01/building-million-mile-car/?intcmp=features

Building the million dollar car of the future is here now...no longer speculation, today's cars will begin to outlast their owners!

http://autos.aol.com/article/carfax-nearly-three-million-vehicles-with-open-recalls-for-sale/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000058?test=latestnews

A great appraiser will spot shotty vehicles and cars that are not ready for sale. Take the time to invest in your future profits and investments. Whether you are a large corporation with need of fleet appraisals, or a single mom looking to buy her first car...Pinnacle Auto Appraisals will have an appraiser on the phone, explaining the entire process, and ensuring your appraisal needs.

Pinnacle - Senior Auto Appraiser

P.S. We love just answering questions and helping customers over the phone. It's never a problem to steer someone the right way or offer advice. One of my best calls was helping an 86 year old man understand the recent appraisal he had received from his bank on a car he bought in the 70's...that was a hoot! And apparently I myself am a young man!

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1075249_scuderi-files-patent-for-split-cycle-engine

What an awesome step forward. I'm really curious to see where this leads with our auto appraising...it's nice to see the industry start working toward hybrids, and gas mileage. I would love to see this paired with an electric hybrid. Technology has really come a long way...but in a way we've become stagnant this last century...really no changes to basic structure of an engine...this is a novel approach. 

I'd love to see a fleet of these! UPS or USPS would really save! or rental cars...

Save the image above for a great wallpaper...

We had the opportunity to visit with some friends at a local Aston Martin and drive some very nice machines...Appraisals like these are what I live for...especially when the dealer let's us drop the pedal and we have access to a local track...what a wonderful day!

Looking forward to the West Coast Porsche invite and being on the appraiser team! Most of the Porsche returns will be lease vehicles...looking for dimished value and whatnot...but these cars hold value very well for our clients. We know what to look for...and we like doing it

Ford's Mustang has been answering the cry "power to the people" for nearly a half-century, and this year that power dosage inches up another eight ponies in the GT, but that's not important -- anyone who says they can feel it is all bluster. What's really cool about the 2013 Mustang -- apart from its new exterior lighting -- is that formerly exclusive high-performance hardware reserved for certain hard-core racer versions is now available on civilian models. The V-6 performance package can now be had with an automatic, while a new Track Package brings Boss 302 and GT500 items like a Torsen helical limited-slip differential and Recaro racingseats to the GT (with a manual trans). And automatic Mustangs at long bloody last get manual control with almost no second-guessing (it won't execute a shift that would frag the motor).

 

 

 

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Let's start with those eight extra horses, which nobody was clamoring for, but are welcome just the same. They were found in Boss 302-inspired calibration changes like making the spark retard a bit less conservative and deleting the oil-squirters that cooled the pistons but were deemed superfluous and a source of windage losses. We suspect there's sufficient untapped bandwidth in the 5.0-liter to allow additional tweaks to GTs and Boss or other specialeditionmodels for years to come.

 

 

 

 

 

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Inside, a new 4.2-inch LCD info screen between the speedo and tach provides extra gauges featuring such arcana as cylinder head temperature and instantaneous air/fuel ratio (we observed 12-20), but only lists oil pressure as "normal." This display also enables Track Mode displays like a lateral/longitudinal g circle (which you probably shouldn't look at when generating big gs), and performance-testing screens for acceleration and braking. The former even includes a little dragstrip Christmas tree for a count-down start (but no, the results it provides do not subtract the one-foot rollout). Other new features: hill-start assist for manuals; more powerful Shaker and Shaker Pro stereos; selectable effort (three settings) power steeringassist; and SYNC's new App Link, which allows voice control of smartphone applications.

 

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1203_2013_ford_mustang_first_drive/#ixzz1pbkFHPoW

www.pinnacleautoappraisers.com

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/03/17/jaguar-drops-turbines-for-hybrid-supercar/?intcmp=obnetwork

Not too shabby...cannot wait to see this car in action! Being an appraiser in the appraisal business has its perks!

http://www.carwalls.com/

Looking for a great website for car wallpaper...look no further. I found exactly what I was looking for at www.carwalls.com...BMW M3 and my beloved Tesla...an appraisers dream site...just about every car I could think of in my value driven goal of finding the perfect screen candy for the new laptop.

Enjoy~

http://www.motortrend.com/future/future_vehicles/1004_future_mazda_rx_7/

 I cannot imagine a rotary engine that runs on gas or diesel...!

My wife laughs every time I tell her about my dream car...not that I'm a big fan of the RX-7 body...for me it's the rotary engine...it's the simplicity of 3 moving parts...being able to easily figure out compression...the math is simplistic...and I can do what I want to do to that engine and not worry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine

Someday soon...I can run on diesel! I can't wait to be the appraiser dropping the pedal on this bad-boy!

http://www.motortrend.com/future/future_vehicles/1004_future_mazda_rx_7/

 I cannot imagine a rotary engine that runs on gas or diesel...!

My wife laughs every time I tell her about my dream car...not that I'm a big fan of the RX-7 body...for me it's the rotary engine...it's the simplicity of 3 moving parts...being able to easily figure out compression...the math is simplistic...and I can do what I want to do to that engine and not worry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine

Someday soon...I can run on diesel! I can't wait to be the appraiser dropping the pedal on this bad-boy!

http://www.leftlanenews.com/details-emerge-on-next-generation-volkswagen-diesel-engine-family.html

Always amazed at new car tech...check out what is just coming down regarding diesel engine technology. Very next Gen!

Content provided by CorvetteBlogger.com

How do you think a stock Ferrari 458 Italia would fare against three other supercars?

Well, the Russian website Drag Times Info recently decided to find out by running the Ferrari in a mile drag race against an Audi RS6 Evotech Stage 2 Gran Turismo, a Nissan GT-R MK.1 AMS Stage 1, and a Corvette ZR1 Lingenfelter. You can watch the results after the jump.

In the first race, the 570-hp Ferrari pulls out to an early lead over the 750-hp Audi and winds up winning. The second race saw the 600-hp Nissan jumping to a quick lead and holding on for a victory. And in the final race of the day, the Ferrari moved ahead early but wound up losing by a second to the 750-hp ZR1.

Watch the Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe67DRzOctc&feature=player_embedded#!

Times are listed below:

• Ferrari 458, ET - 29.011, 60 feet - 1.927 (181.7 mph)
• Audi RS6, ET - 29.217, 60 feet - 2.026 seconds (180.1 mph)

• Nissan GT-R, ET - 28.166, 60 feet - 1.872 (180.02 mph)
• Ferrari 458, ET - 28.955; 60 feet - 2.059 (181.6 ph)

• Corvette ZR1 Lingenfelter, ET - 27.952; 60 feet - 2.256 (192.6 mph)
• Ferrari 458, ET - 28.951; 60 feet - 1.889 (182.4 mph) 

Fox News

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/02/24/secret-220-mph-ferrari-caught-on-camera/?intcmp=obnetwork#ixzz1nijJ9VNf

Classic car insurance is a nonstandard type of auto coverage that is designed to meet the insurance needs of specialty or vintage car collectors. Since this type of insurance is highly specialized, there are certain considerations and criteria that you need to be aware of before you can get one to cover your car. Here are some of the essential facts you need to know about this kind of car insurance coverage.

1. Types of Vehicles
In order for your vehicle to be qualified for classic car insurance, it needs to fall under any of three categories, namely: Veterans (cars created on or before December 1904), Edwardian (vehicles manufactured between January 1905 and December 1918), and Limited (rare, special interest or limited editions). Since there was a significant rise in the number of vehicles produced in the 1970s, not all cars built before 1974 can be considered classic cars. Only convertibles, foreign sports cars, 2-door sports cars, vehicles with big block V8 engines or unique body shapes, and certain 4-door sedans can be considered collectibles.

2. Age Limitations

In most states, a car should be at least 15 years of age before it can be considered a classic car and, hence, eligible to get classic auto insurance coverage. In other states, which include Massachusetts, the minimum age required for a vehicle to qualify as classic or vintage is 25 years. However, there are some car insurance providers that are willing to offer classic auto coverage to cars that are under 15 years of age, provided that such cars are considered as cherished vehicles or are extremely rare or exotic.

3. Driver Background

If you want your car to be eligible for classic car collector insurance, you should know that, aside from the age of the car, there is also an age restriction when it comes to the driver. Only people who have reached the age of majority can get this type of auto coverage. Furthermore, insurance companies are very strict when it comes to the driving history and experience of the declared drivers who use the classic vehicle.

4. Storage Requirements

Classic car insurance providers also have strict storage requirements for vintage or classic vehicles. If you want your car to be covered by classic auto insurance, you have to make sure that your car is not parked outside your home and that it has a designated and highly secure garage. In fact, insurance companies even encourage vintage car owners to park their classic cars in car storage facilities specifically designed for storing and securing car collections.

5. Usage

In order for your classic vehicle to qualify for classic collector coverage, it should not be used as your primary vehicle. Even if your car can be considered a rare vehicle, it will not be eligible for classic auto insurance coverage if you use it every day. Only classic cars that are used on a limited basis can be eligible to get nonstandard classic auto coverage. Moreover, classic car insurance policies usually have mileage restrictions of just around 5,000 miles annually.

Source: http://www.autoinsuranceblog.org/misc/5-classic-car-insurance-facts-you-need-to-know/