[8695Beaters]

So I was watching the NHRA race in Las Vegas last weekend and guess what Toyota drag races in Funny Car? Not the tC like they do in Import racing. It's the Celica. A car that was discontinued 4 years ago. Is it just me or is that not really sad? So here, in my opinion, is what the auto manufacturers need to do to fill in the holes in the performance car field. Pardon my ranting as most of it is not Honda related.

Toyota: Bring back the Supra, AE86, the MR2, and give us a real FWD car. The Rolly-rolla (my nickname for the Corolla) absolutely sucks and I bet I could beat it in my beater-CRX. The tC is a huge joke and to those of you who think it's a viable race chassis, look at it this way: The 2001 Integra GS-R handles just as well, weighs less, and cost about the same. And I belive it was about as quick. The feel between the two cars is completely different. Read about SCC's tC and you'll understand what I mean. The fact that Toyota does not have a single performance car in their lineup (the IS-F is a Lexus and unaffordable to the masses) means that GM will retake number 1 by about 2020. That is my guess.

Honda: While the S2000 rocks and the Civic Si is awesome, there are some major holes. For example, nothing, NOTHING in America that ends in "Type-R." And the BS that "there is only room for one Type-R in America" died with the Integra. WE ARE WAITING HONDA!!! WE HAVE BEEN SINCE 2001!!! Let's see what has made the jump from Japan since then: the EVO, the STi, the GT-R, the bB (aka Scion xB), the Vitz (Yaris), and a few real Mazdaspeed cars. How about some R love? And have you guys seen Acura's newest cars? Pitiful. No wonder they are falling behind. It's really disheartening to see Honda following Toyota. And of course man up and build us a man's V8 that can slap the ish out of Detroit. You could put into the next NSX while you are at it. If it revs to 10K RPM, then Ferrari will go running again. Hel, a V8 would solve about 50% of Honda's problems. And some more rear-wheel drive would help too.

Nissan: Nissan was the only Japanese manufacturer that could have taken the last strong-hold of Detroit dominance: pony cars. Pickup trucks are not the only place Detorit has an advantage over Japan. The funny thing is Nissan had the car to beat the Mustang. It was called the Silvia. If Nissan had actually given us the SR20DET in the 240SX, then I am positive that the Mustang would have slipped. The Fox body of that era was decent but mostly sucked. Unfortunately, so did the 240SX. If it had a real engine and a sportier suspension, then it would have really killed in the States. Sadly, it fell on its face. Give us an S16, with a a QR25DET longitudinally mounted, and you will have a winner here. It's just like the STi, but can drift. And with a few tweaks could probably take on a Shelby. Just don't weigh it down with unnecessary features. Stick to the original formula (Japanese formula please!).

Subaru: Make the STi a sedan. Sorry, but the new car just looks goofy. And beef up the STi's engine a bit. Less plastic, more boost!

Mazda: Update the RX-8 and put the Mazdaspeed 6's drivetrain into something smaller and lighter to give us Mazdaspeed EVO.

Mitsubishi: More cars like the EVO. The Lancer Ralliart is a great start. How about that engine in an FR (but use only the manual). And use the new motor in the Eclipse. It's surprising the 3000GT did so poorly. Try that one again too.

Infiniti/Lexus: I could care less. Maybe some styling that doesn't look like it's from Back To The Future? And some variation? The cars all look the same!!! They all look the freking same! I would rather by a Jaguar. The XJ is the only luxury sedan I have ever wanted. Oh and clean up your engine bays so the engine is presentable. The wiring mess under all the plastic covers is actually nauseating. If you ever have the opportunity to see a Lexus engine without its plastic engine cover, don't. You will be sorry.

Ford: A Focus that's actually new and give us the RS too. And get some quality while you're at it. And in case you were wondering, YES THE FUSION WITH ALL-WHEEL DRIVE WILL PROBABLY HANDLE BETTER THAN AN ACCORD!!! If it didn't I would just die laughing.

GM: About the same as Ford. I hope GMPD actually turns out something good. I was sad to see the Cobalt SS lose it's supercharger. That seemed more appropriate on an American compact. Besides superchargers are just cool. And work on some finesse in the Sky/Solstice. I sat in a Sky and an Elise back-to-back and you know what? The Solstice felt like a Suburban compared to the Elise. Make that small car feel small and it will be a super winner. People who buy sports cars want them small, duh.

Dodge: I think Dodge is going to die soon, even with its new owners. The Demon will be a failure before the first prototypes even turn a wheel if Dodge uses the Chinese platform they are planning to use. It's a joke. Just like the Challenger. 2 tons? That is more than proky, that is plain fat. And no stick (in the first year)? Pitiful. And the plan may end up being a 6-speed auto and a 5-speed manual. Anyone else see the problem here? If the Challenger was built a bit more like the Mustang, then I think it will be great. As it stands, I think it will end up like the new T-bird.

I don't even want to talk about the Euros. Too much luxury crap to deal with. How they can improve is beyond my brain. Except Lotus. I think they are the only car company that has not made a single mistake in the last four years. And they are doing everything right. I think it's time to give us a new car that's not based on the Elise platform. Unless the new Elise comes with a K20. If that happens, then I think Lotus will overtake Toyota as number 1. They definetely would in customer satisfaction.

Okay, I'm done now. Performance cars may not be the bread and butter of car companies, but they are important. Going racing doesn't mean squat if you have nowhere to put the technology.