Mark Arnold

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Stories By Mark Arnold

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    Memories Of A BMW 732i

    Seeing the BMW 735i parked down on the street this morning we were reminded of one of our past rides, a European-spec E23 BMW 732i. Since it was a gray-market import, the papers had been fudged a bit, but we're pretty sure it was a 1983 model. I bought it a few years ago while visiting San Francisco, which seemed like a great idea since I had just totaled my Buick LeSabre and had the insurance cash burning a hole in my pocket. I'm well-versed in '80s BMW trivia, but had never even heard of the 7

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    Green Wankel: Hydrogen-Powered Mazda RX-8 Hits Norway

    Combining an alternative fuel with an alternative engine design, this hydrogen-powered rotary-engined Mazda RX-8 has hit the Norwegian roads, one of 30 of the RX-8s for use in Norway as commercial leases. The hydrogen RX-8s are part of a program directed towards making hydrogen-powered vehicles mainstream in the kingdom in an effort to reduce pollution. The only emission from the tailpipe of a hydrogen-powered vehicle is water vapor, and we're impressed these hydrogen-powered Mazdas are more tha

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    Top Ten Coolest Super Sedans Ever, And None Of Them Are New

    Lately, a few brands have been defining their own modern interpretations of the super sedan, with efforts like the Aston Martin Rapide, Lamborghini Estoque, Porsche Panamera, and even the Fisker Karma. The problem is they all feel a bit vulgar, lacking the cool factor of super sedans in the past. But before we can define what a super sedan is, first we must define what an ordinary sedan should accomplish. Obviously, a sedan is a four-door automobile with a trunk in the back; we'd say it's fair

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    Gordon Murray's T25 City Car Revealed... Sort Of

    This is the first time we've seen the T25 city car from Gordon Murray Design in three dimensions, though we still can't really tell what it will look like, since it's been neatly wrapped up in a shiny package. It's no secret that Murray, the man behind the legendary McLaren F1, has been obsessed with creating a revolutionary micro car. Planned as a 2012 model, the T25 is clearly a return to a car that's truly small as it's comparable in size to a classic Mini or Fiat 500. By comparison, the mode

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    Lorinser Smart ForTwo Turbo Is Fun Until Your Friends Find Out

    During our first drive of the 2008 Smart ForTwo we enjoyed its small size in the big city, but we would have really enjoyed some extra power. This Lorinser-tuned ForTwo may not be a sports car in the traditional sense, but with 101 HP from its turbocharged 3-cylinder, it's a nice improvement over the stock mill. However, even though the car weighs just 1700 lbs, 0-62 MPH still takes almost 10 seconds, likely due in part to the sluggish semi-automatic gearbox. Sure, you get a Lorinser body kit an

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    Acura Boasts New NSX Will Kick GT-R's Launch-Controlled Ass

    The new Acura NSX has been in development for some time now, having been spotted testing on the Nürburgring numerous times, but nobody knew if all that screaming V10 power would be enough to outperform the Nissan GT-R. Now, Honda Executive Vice President Koichi Kondo, has stated that Mothra the new NSX, though more expensive than Godzilla, will indeed have better performance. Kondo also expects only 1000 units will be sold in the US per year. But doesn't that make it more of a competitor for hig

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    Audi's "Meet The Beckers" Aims To Pan BMW, Mercedes And Lexus, Shoots Self In Foot

    Pricks drive BMW convertibles. Old people drive Mercedes sedans. Boring people drive Lexus crossovers. At least that's the message Audi wants you to hear with its new viral marketing effort, a web mini-series called "Meet the Beckers." The mini-series tells the tale of a dysfunctional affluent family. Although we've got to admit that often times the stereotypes portrayed in the advertisement show are dead-on and funny as hell, we're forgetting one stereotype. You know, that Audi drivers are self

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    Special Ford Falcon GT Celebrates FPV's 5th Anniversary

    The special-anniversary-edition Aussie muscle keeps rolling out at the Australian International Motor Show. First it was the HSV 20th Anniversary GTS and now we have this, a special FPV Ford Falcon GT that commemorates the five years of Ford Performance Vehicles. The 5.4-liter V8 still delivers the same ground-pounding 422 HP through a Tremec 6-speed manual or ZF 6-speed automatic as used in standard FPV GTs. However, you can now reign it in with special Brembo six-piston front / four-piston rea

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    GT-R Owner Busts Tranny Using Launch Control, Nissan Claims Issue Not Covered Under Warranty

    Someone claiming to own a Nissan GT-R has proclaimed on the North American GT-R Owners Club forums (NAGTROC) that his GT-R's transmission has broken after multiple uses of the vehicle's launch control function. The owner says that when the vehicle was then brought to the Nissan service center, where he was told the destroyed transmission would not be covered under warranty due to the car being driven too often with the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) shut off. Another forum member clarifies that "

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    Elfin Type 5 Clubman Goes From Zero To Sydney In 3.7 Seconds

    Down under in Sydney at the Australian International Motor Show, the new Elfin Type 5 Clubman has been revealed. The latest offering from Australia's own hardcore roadster builders, the Type 5 follows on the heels of the popular MS8 models. The new car is powered by GM's 260 HP 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-banger. It's the same setup found in the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline, but the Elfin weighs significantly less at about 1600 pounds. That may not be as light as a Secma, b

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    Neiman Marcus Edition BMW 7-Series Can Be Yours For Just $160,000

    Christmas may be months away, but Neiman Marcus has just released their holiday shopping catalog — which, of course, means an overpriced limited-edition luxury car has also been revealed. Following on the heels of last year's Lexus IS F and 2006's 2007 BMW M6 Convertible, this year they'll be offering up the new 2009 BMW 7-Series. Oh joy. Just 31 examples will receive the NM treatment of Champagne Merino leather, Alcantara headliner, and Diopside Black paint. Really though, is there any other wa

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    VW Scirocco Hypothetically Tuned By ABT

    The new Volkswagen Scirocco may just be hitting the roads, but somehow tuner ABT Sportsline has already released their version of the swoopy hatch. Oh wait, no they haven't, these are just renderings. Yes, as has become common practice for tuners anxious to get a jump on the competition, ABT has resorted to releasing Photoshop-enhanced pictures of a standard Scirocco to display the aftermarket upgrade package they allegedly have. The car claims to bump up the power of the 2.0-liter engine to 240

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    New 2010 Ford Mustang Teaser: Everyone Act Excited

    Ford has dribbled out another teaser shot of the new 2010 Ford Mustang. It's our first glimpse at the...err...front...corner...region. Nothing against the upcoming 'Stang, but these teasers only have value if they actually show something to get excited about—and this one really doesn't. Unlike previous teasers, which showed off the first clear look at the dashboard, the seats, the badge and details, this new shot only gives a very shadowy look at a small portion of the grille, and an angle of th

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    Lambo Boss Stefan Winkelmann Explains The Estoque

    When the Lamborghini Estoque sedan was revealed at the Paris Auto Show nobody was completely surprised that it was a four-door. With the upcoming crop of super sedans like the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera, a concept Lamborghini sedan just seemed like the trendy thing to do. But we're still left wondering "why?" This is Lamborghini we're talking about, a company that built its brand image on massive scoops and spoilers, not elegance. Of course, as you can see in this video of the offi

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    Mazda Kiyora Concept Shows Off Fierce Nagare Design Language On The Paris Show Floor

    We saw the first official press shots of the Mazda Kiyora earier this morning, but we dug the flowing Nagare design language so much we had to hunt it down on the show floor and check it out in the flesh. As you can tell from these live shots, it certainly didn't disappoint and Mazda seriously needs to figure out a way to bring these designs to production. We're not demanding anything ridiculous like a Furai (though we wouldn't mind it), but even an otherwise boring hatch like this Kiyora looks

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    Lexus LF-Xh Concept Hits Paris Show Floor In Matte Black

    The last time we saw the Lexus LF-Xh concept was back at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show. That was a year ago. Now it's the Paris Auto Show and, it's... um... been painted matte black. Staggering progress. Though it's a bit hard to analyze it with that matte black paint, this looks to be virtually unchanged from the old version. Allegedly it's been designed as a preview of the eventual Lexus RX replacement, and as you may have guessed from the 'h' in the name, it's a hybrid. We're not huge fans of cros

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    Renault Megane Trophy: French Mid-Engined Hot-Hatch Madness For The Track

    Meet the latest in a long line of terrifying mid-engined French hot-hatches, the Renault Megane Trophy. The Trophy, revealed today at the Paris Motor Show, is just like the new 2009 Renault Megane, but completely different. The French unquestionably know how to make a great hot hatch, but if there's one thing they do even better it's taking those little cars and sticking a big engine where the back seat is supposed to go. Inside, you'll find a 3.5-liter Nissan-sourced V6 tuned to churn out 360 H

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    Chevy Orlando Concept Officially Revealed

    We've already seen the Tron-tastic lights of the Chevy Orlando, but now GM has officially released details for the Paris Motor Show. These official photos are new too, though admittedly kind of boring since they don't play up just how cool all the glowing blue parts of the car look. The Orlando does seem to be just the kind of practical European-style MPV that American families in need of a fuel-efficient seven-seater would greatly appreciate. Of course, we haven't even seen it in the flesh and

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    Top Gear's World War, From The German Perspective

    Remember when the blokes at Top Gear squared off against their German counterparts this past season? Well, now the German perspective from the show DMotor has aired. Hosted by none other than Sabine Schmitz—and a couple of other guys—the episode has been subtitled into English now by some intrepid fanboys at FinalGear. Even if you've seen the complementing episode of Top Gear already, it's interesting to see things from the very serious German angle. For instance, the idea of this drag race in t

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    Mercedes 300SD-Amino Camper, Just In Time For The Coming Financiapocalypse

    This Mercedes 300SD camper conversion nicely combines two of our Ten Best Vehicles For The Coming Financiapocalypse. Essentially it's a sedan that's been hacked "professionally built by a skilled fabricator" into a 300SD-amino, and then had a pickup truck-bed camper plopped in the back. For just $4000 it's not a bad deal, with two beds, a table and even a kitchen sink. Of course, you could always combine two other cars on the list — an air-cooled VW and a mini RV — for the more traditional alter

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    Shots From Singapore Formula 1 Night Race Show An Amazing Light Show

    This past weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, the first-ever night race in Formula One, was guaranteed to grab the attention of even the most disenfranchised F1 fan. But why is that exactly? In a word, "unpredictability." The clear reason so many people have become bored with F1 is not because the cars aren't fast enough, and probably not chiefly because of the lack of overtaking either. It's because you already know what's going to happen before the race even starts. Not so with Singapore. Highligh

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    2009 Saab 9-3 Racer Readies For Swedish Battle

    Recently absent from the Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC), Saab will be entering the 2009 season with this specially prepped Saab 9-3. Going up against the likes of the Volvo C30 racer, the Saab conforms to the series' S2000 specification with a 2.0-liter engine that runs on bio-ethanol fuel. That four-banger has been bolted to a six-speed sequential gearbox, hopefully not with plastic hardware, as that IKEA desk we tried bolting together was always falling apart. [via touringcartimes] (

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    New Sharp Mobile Phone Will Unlock Car Doors, Start Engine For Owner

    Eliminating the need to stuff both car keys and a mobile phone in your pockets, Nissan has partnered with electronics maker Sharp and mobile phone company NTT Docomo to create a phone that can do everything your car keys do, plus make phone calls. The gadget may not be able to help you open packages or stab muggers in the face like a traditional key can, but it can still operate your door locks and start up your engine. It does this by tapping into Nissan's Intelligent Key system which is alread

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    Citroen Subtly Blends French Cars, Disco And Transformers

    Before Michael "Awesome" Bay brought Transformers to life on the big screen, Citroen had a series of advertisements with similar transforming robo-cars. This ad for the new Citroen C4 continues where the old ads left off, but now the robo-car has come to New York City and has apparently developed a taste for disco-era Bee Gees music. Of course, Citroen doesn't sell their cars in the US, but that doesn't mean they can't come over here to dance in the streets.

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    Ten Best Used Bargain SUVs...And One That Isn't

    Since owners are fleeing their SUVs like rats from a sinking ship, it seems like a great time to put together a list of the top used SUV bargains. Luckily, Popular Mechanics has put together just such a list. After all, some people out there actually need a purposeful wagon to take them off-road or help them haul a trailer and family. As such, there isn't a single crossover on the list, but you can be assured that these rugged trucks will get the job done without forcing you to work a second job

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    Caterpillar 793, World's Coolest Dump Truck, Now With Electric Drive

    The colossal Caterpillar 793 is one of the coolest pieces of heavy machinery on the planet. Traditionally powered by immense 16-cylinder engines churning out over 2000 HP, we're now being told by Caterpillar that a new electric-drive version is on the way. But don't think that means it's going soft. The new 793F AC can carry about 250 tons of junk in its trunk, and that's just the entry-level model. The burly 795F AC can take about 400 tons. That's like having Arnold Schwarzenegger possessed by

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    Top Five Reasons Your Tires Fail

    Mike Allen over at Popular Mechanics put together a handy list of the top five reasons for tire failure. We figure it's important stuff since, you know, your tires are pretty much more important than any other part of your car — they're what the whole rest of the vehicle rides on. Believe it or not, there's more that can be wrong with your tires than just underinflation, so check out the list below the jump. 5.) They're Damaged So... you're telling us damage is bad? Wow. Guess we'll have to stop

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