Fiat Tempra (Foto: Wikipedia)

As montadoras brasileiras, representando o maior parque industrial automobilístico da América Latina e o décimo segundo do mundo, trouxeram o GM Ômega, com destaque para a perua, lançada para substituir a Caravan; o Fiat Tempra 2 portas, fabricado só no Brasil; o VW Gol 1000 e GTI e a VW Parati com motor AP-1800 à gasolina; a nova linha Ford Escort, com motor de 2 litros e injeção eletrônica; e o Gurgel Supermini, lançado para substituir a linha BR-800.

Na grande festa dos importados, da qual participaram também as montadoras estrangeiras instaladas no País, destacaram-se o VW Audi 100 Quattro, o VW Chico (protótipo urbano, com tração mista, elétrica e a explosão, apelidado pela imprensa de “Fusca do ano 2000″), os Ford Ghia Via (esportivo) e Explorer (utilitário); os Toyota 4500GT, Corolla e a picape Hilux; os Mazda 626 (sedan) e B2200 (picape); o Honda NSX (esportivo), Civic Del Sol e Accord (sedan e perua); os Suzuki Sidekick (jipe) e Vitara; os Mitsubishi Mirage (sedan), Eclipse e 3000 GT(esportivos), Pajero (jipe) e L200 (picape); os Subaru Legacy (sedan e perua) e SVX (esportivo); o Hyundai Scoupe 1.5 Turbo; os Kia Sephia 1.5i, Besta (perua) e Ceres (picape); os Mercedes-Benz 600 SL (o mais caro do Salão, US$ 280 mil) e 300G – 4×4 (jipe); os BMW 325i, 704i e a perua Touring 525i; os Citroën A-X1.3, BX (uruguaio), ZX e XM (sedan e perua); os Peugeot 405 Turbo (vencedor do rali Paris-Dacar ’90), 205 GTi (versão elétrica) e 505 (argentino); os Renault Clio, Safrane e a perua Nevada (argentina); os Volvo 440, 850 e 960; o SAAB 9000 CSE Turbo; o Lada Samara (três volumes).

Honda NSX

Na área dos caminhões também houve muitas novidades, com destaque para a carreta “cegonha” fabricada pela Translor, uma transportadora de veículos.Nos estandes “duas rodas”, a novidade foi o motoscooter Honda CT-90, montado em Manaus, além de modelos importados da Honda, BMW e Kawasaki.

Os fabricantes de autopeças — com 145 expositores, entre os quais, nove de equipamentos para oficinas e postos de serviço — mais uma vez brilharam, repetindo as vendas do Salão anterior, visitados por cerca de 900 compradores estrangeiros. Mas a grande surpresa foram os negócios efetuados com os carros estrangeiros: 577 unidades vendidas, com destaque para a Suzuki, com 110 veículos. A Kia, por sua vez, anotou 600 pedidos firmes para sua perua Besta, a ser montada em Manaus. Finalmente, como a sublinhar a importância internacional adquirida pelo Salão do Automóvel, cabe registrar a manifestação feita pela entidade ecologista Greenpeace, que estendeu no alto de uma coluna do Pavilhão um enorme ”auto de infração”, multando os fabricantes de veículos por poluirem o ar.

My home town of Vancouver Washington is not a place where you would normally expect to see exotic automobiles.  Nevertheless, one occasionally sees something unusual, expensive, and / or lightning fast.  Vancouver’s mean streets have played host to the new Challenger and Camaro, and I once even caught a ride in a vintage Rolls Royce when my plebian Mazda 626 broke down.

But this post is all about 2 black cars from opposite ends of the spectrum, both sighted in the last month or so, right here in “The ‘Couve“.

Latest sighting first… I was out being run around on Fourth Plain (my dear sweet Merkur XR4ti is temporarily benched), and up ahead I espied the cute little butt of a petite black roadster.  As we drew near, I saw it was sporting a removable hard top and BMW “M” badges.

Aha! A BMW Z4 M convertible. Talk about quick and sexy!  Oh, honey.  Front and rear wheel arches widely flared, lots of fat tire under each corner of the beastie, and as we watched it launch from the next traffic light (with a throaty 4 cylinder roar), it made impressive use of all that power and all that rubber.  Nice.

Next upon the stand – something completely different.  Also black, also European, but from an entirely different “neighborhood”.

Several weeks ago, cruising along Mill Plain (east of I-205), my highly trained eye was caught by a black hatchback up ahead.  I tilted my head this way and that, trying to fit what I was seeing into my brain.  Is is a Nissan?  Is it a Fiat? Did someone jack up the back end of a 1989 Toyota Tercel?

No, dear friends! My wondering eyes were beholding a marvel of Russian engineering in the form of – a Lada Samara (I think it was a Samara – I’m sure it was a Lada).

The young feller behind the wheel looked and sounded American born, and was very excited that I recognized the car, as we shouted back and forth and I favored him with a “thumbs up” for taking on the awesome responsibility of driving such a rare vehicle.  (Parts are easier to find these days, thanks to The Interwebz, but the FedEx charges will kill you.)

Not a lot of Americans pay attention that closely, as I’m sure many of you have discovered.  Too bad, really.  There’s a lot going on out there in traffic – and in the world – and a lot can be learned if we merely pay a little attention.

Whenever I’m out and about, sitting at a light, I look around me, and most of the time, I see my fellow primates staring fixedly at the light, waiting for it to turn to green.  Hey you – WAKE UP! Life is going on while you’re marking time, thinking about where you believe you “need” to be next.  You’re gonna miss all the fun.

And all the cool cars, too, you dork.

(… not to mention, that hot chick over there in the crosswalk.)

Homenagem a Flávio Gomes.

Injector engine 1,6 l., 80 l.s, 5-ti mortars. K.P., basket “hathback”,, – forehand baskets with oblong headlights, original bumper, baskets cowlings of thresholds, spoiler of luggage rack, painted in a color with an additional stop-light, plastic protective straps (moldingi) on doors, – evrosalon (edging of doors and luggage rack), evropanel, managed steering column, a back seat is folded, increasing aluggage separation.

Lada 21144

Car lada 2114 — created on the base of car of vases 21093 with the modified form of basket, making better aerodynamics of car. Car of tune 2114 a modern design, renewed comfortable interior of salon, new panel of devices, distinguish. Optimum price on vases 2114 makes accessible this car. One of the most functional representatives of brand LADA, VAZ 2114 became in truth a functional and necessary car, dictated by a requirement in a machine, able to be a faithful helper to the proprietor.
One of distinguishing features of LADA 2114 the renewed engine became, in execution with 16 valves. It told on power, added both in speed and in an acceleration. A car is able to arrive at high speed a to 175 km\hour, and from a zero, a to 100 km is dispersed no more than for 12,5 seconds.

Lada 2114 there is ordinary, functional, stand and durable car and developed for those users, which need good machine, able to transport small loads. By the special popularity of VAZ 2114 uses in the less inhabited locality, out of megapolisov, because he neprikhotliv to quality of roads and brilliantly declared oneself both in the conditions of small cities and on distant distances.
A basic category of buyers is domestic people, needing in passenger and trucking industry, often visitant large wholesale markets, and summer residents. Of necessity back seats at the model of LADA 2114 folded so that an even horizontal floor turns out. It increases the volume of luggage rack to 750 litres, and transportation of load becomes possible to 500 kg of weight at comfortable sizes.
But it yet not all. Car of VAZ 2114 to 50 kg give placing of load on a luggage rack, rooftop.

But functionality of car thereon is not closed – there is possibility of placing of trailer behind, with brake power to 1000 kg of weight. As see, it is an indeed durable car and irreplaceable helper in an economy, on what did support at his development. Lada 2114 possesses the increased basket due to the special construction, and it is not unfounded assertion. Enough hard tests were conducted in different terms, up to the severest, on different roads and breadths of Russia. Thus, however surprisingly, model Lada 2114 rotined excellent results under various conditions, giving to the driver and passengers a smooth and smooth movement on the road.

A salon is enough spacious, to 4 passengers, not putting restraint each other and not interfering with a driver during a journey, can take place quietly in him.
Lada 2114 – one of the most successful developments of this brand, as proprietors assert. Landing of front driving seat is constructed so that any driver, be that fragile little woman or enough large man of high growth, will feel after a helm very comfort. One of pleasant additions in this model the powerful heating system of salon, and novelty expected a long ago, became among domestic cars – elektropodogrev of seats.
Price on VAZ 2114 enough acceptable, both for a townsman and for those, who lives in country, representatives of middle class. At a desire a machine can be purchased not only in base acquisition, but to get it in the already improved acquisition practically straight from a conveyor.

It is desirable to mark that a car is advantageous not only due to the price, functionality and good quality. As compared to western analogues, executing the same functions, enough advantageous and price on VAZ 2114 repair parts, subsequent maintenance and many other charges on maintenance car.

1953 Porsche 356 American Roadster

1992 Porsche 911 Turbo, Type 964.

In a May 2006 survey, Porsche was awarded the title of the most prestigious automobile brand by Luxury Institute, New York; it questioned more than 500 households with a gross annual income of at least US $200,000 and a net worth of at least US $720,000. The current Porsche lineup includes sports cars from the Boxster roadster to their most famous product, the 911. The Cayman is a hard top car similar to the Boxster in a slightly higher price range. The Cayenne is Porsche’s mid-size luxury SUV. The Carrera GT was phased out in May 2006. Future plans include a high performance luxury saloon/sedan, the Panamera.

Porsche was awarded the 2006 J.D. Power and Associates award for the highest-ranked nameplate in its Initial Quality Study (IQS) of automobile brands.

As a company, Porsche is known for weathering changing market conditions with great financial stability, while retaining most production in Germany during an age when most other German car manufacturers have moved at least parts of their production to Eastern Europe or overseas. The headquarters and main factory are still in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, but the Cayenne (and formerly the Carrera GT) is manufactured in Leipzig, Germany, the SUV also in Bratislava, Slovakia. Most Boxster and Cayman production is outsourced to Valmet Automotive in Finland. The company has been highly successful in recent times, and indeed claims to have the highest profit per unit sold of any car company in the world.

2005 Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S

Porsche has for many years offered consultancy services to various other car manufacturers. Audi, Studebaker, SEAT, Daewoo, Subaru and Yugo have consulted Porsche on engineering for their cars or engines. The Lada Samara was partly developed by Porsche in 1984. Porsche also helped Harley-Davidson design their new engine in their newer V-Rod motorcycle.