All of this is by way of preparation for yet another case of things not being exactly what they seem. The subject of this test, the Fiat 124S, is not a 124 sedan face-lifted for 1970 but rather a separate model which has been in existence all along. Fiat builds an enormous selection of cars, most of which are not imported into the U.S. and consequently unknown in this part of the world. The 124S is one of these, along with two larger sedans, the 125 and the 130, and a pair of $6000 Dino sports cars.

To be realistic the 124S is very similar to the 124 sedan that has been available here since 1967, but there are some important differences which make this new sedan a very considerable automobile in this time of strong competition in the small car market. Visually both cars are similar—for the most obvious of reasons. Both use the same body. Most of the mechanicals—suspension, brakes, and the layout of the drivetrain—have not been changed either. But that doesn't matter be­cause they were all pretty well good enough before. The things that count, like the en­gine, have been helped in no uncertain terms. Fiats are noted for their small en­gines. small even for small cars, and the yawning deficiency in the 124 sedan was its tiny 1197cc engine. It had good per­formance for its size but it was short on flexibility and wasn't really happy unless it was being revved and shifted with the kind of vigor that most economy-car buy­ers, by definition, don't have. Enter the 124S—a real big-bore Fiat with all of 1438cc to propel it. Besides the big engine you get Pirelli Cinturato 155 SR 13 tires, four headlights, more comfortable seats and a very attractively restyled instrument panel. You get all of this for $2015, up $50 from the old 124. Competition is ex­tremely tough in this market segment and $100 either way on the price puts you up against an entirely different group of cars. The toughest of this Fiat's competitors should be the $1995-plus-everything Mav­erick and the $2035-Datsun PL510 4-door. When Toyota finally gets its Corona Mark 11 into the dealers' showrooms it should fall into this area too, as would the 4-door 1204 Simca if Chrysler could get the world to take notice of it.
Our love affair with Fiat's delightful 124 sports cars still rages on but we find the sedan's appeal to be far different from that of the sports cars with the same num­ber designation. The sedan has its priorities straight in that it's practical first and fun only if you take pleasure in well-executed function. In fact, that should be the defi­nition of an efficient economy car. It's precise in its operation like the sports cars but it lacks their highly refined personality.
Read more: http://ivicars.com/fiat/1970-fiat-124-review.html

1956 Chevrolet Corvette:
This very early production model showed a willingness and ability to be driven fast and hard under almost all conditions and demonstrated an even greater potential for competitive use. In my opinion, the Corvette as it stands is fully as much a dual-purpose machine as the stock Jaguar, Triumph, or Austin-Healey.

Unfortunately, at this writing accurate information both on the Corvette itself and on their future plans is not available, and the air is rife with rumor. SCI's test car was chassis #1002, and was obtained from the Chevrolet Motor Division through the combined efforts of Shelly Spindel and Alvin Schwartz Chevrolet of Brooklyn, N.Y. Finished in two-tone turquoise with a matching hard top and a white convertible top, it was a real traffic-stopper, and was specifically destined to make a New York TV appearance. As such, it had the full range of options, including whitewalls, the hard top, power windows, radio, heater and windshield washer. To our joy it had the close-ratio stick shift, but less happily had the higher, 3.27:1 rear end ratio. It was, all in all, a lot of car and I regret that at this time Chevrolet was not ready to discuss prices. There is little question, though, that it is to be competitive with the Thunderbird.
Entry and exit over the wide sill on the passenger side is easy, for a sports car, but as the driver slides under the steering wheel he becomes aware of one of the car's few major faults. While it is handsome, and provided with more than enough finger ribbing, the wheel is too close to the driver and is non-adjustable. Ex-Jag drivers may find the position natural, but I personally felt that more arm room would be useful, particularly for competition. You also sit close enough to the door for the integral arm rest to be in the way.

The seats themselves are very handsome, and very deceptive. They look like a true bucket type, and the seat bottoms are comfortable enough, but the backs are bolt upright and provide no lateral support for the torso. Adjustment of rake and a more definite "bucket" would improve them greatly and would obviate a certain amount of fatigue that now occurs. Fore-and-aft adjustment is not extensive, there being just enough room for a six-footer. Leg room is excellent; the left foot can roam about under the suspended pedals, and the brake and throttle are well-placed for heel-and-toe downshifting.

Read more:  http://ivicars.com/chevrolet/1956-chevrolet-corvette-review.html

Introduction

In the small car big leagues, Chevrolet has never had a competitive player. The mediocre Cobalt (SS version excepted) and the generally terrible Cavalier that preceded it were doomed to dwell in the minors as rivals consistently outperformed them in key areas such as overall build quality and performance. But unlike those farm team disappointments, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is ready for the show.
Breaking with the Chevy tradition of offering a larger-than-average engine in a small car, the Cruze offers a pair of fuel-efficient yet peppy small power plants. Whether you get the 1.8-liter non-turbocharged inline-4 or the 1.4-liter turbo mill, you'll get class-competitive performance along with the promise of high fuel economy.

The Cruze's handling is also notably sharper than the Cobalt's and its interior is light-years ahead in terms of quality and styling. In terms of features, even the base Cruze LS comes pretty well equipped, with 10 airbags being one notable standard equipment highlight. The Cruze is also quite roomy (the EPA actually classifies it as a midsize car), though rear seat comfort is only so-so for taller folks.
Even so, Chevrolet has done a lot right here. When compared to this segment's traditional leaders, the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, the Cruze is fully competitive (or even better) in terms of design and driving dynamics. Certainly, you'll still want to check out the few other big hitters in this group such as the all-new, upscale 2012 Ford Focus, the redesigned and very impressive Hyundai Elantra and the feisty Mazda 3. But the fact that we're saying "other big hitters" in reference to the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze speaks well of this competent new player.
Read more: http://ivicars.com/chevrolet/2011-chevrolet-cruze-review.html

2010 Scion xD:

Tech specs
Model	2010 Scion xD
Trim	n/a
Power train	1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, five-speed manual transmission
EPA fuel economy	27 mpg city/33 mpg highway
Observed fuel economy	28.5 mpg
Navigation	Optional flash-drive-based system
Bluetooth phone support	Optional
Disc player	MP3 compatible single-CD
MP3 player support	iPod integration
Other digital audio	USB flash drive, satellite radio, HD Radio, auxiliary input
Audio system	Six speakers
Driver aids	None
Base price	$14,800
Price as tested	$19,510

Scion raised the idea of dressing up cheap economy cars with accessories to an art, encouraging brand camaraderie with styling and performance upgrades. But underneath the gear still sits that sub-$20,000 economy car, as we found with a TRD-equipped 2010 Scion xD.

Read More : http://ivicars.com/scion/2010-scion-xd-review.html

Chevrolet's injection is a premature baby, but it's still alive and kicking. It was prematured by a sudden jolt from the collective Plymouth and Ford styling departments, and without a major body change Chev needed a potent sales weapon. The decision to bring out fuel injection was made very, very late in 1956-virtually on the introduction deadline.

At that time it was still what engineers call a "breadboard layout"-a combination of units that work properly, but aren't fully developed and integrated into one mechanism. It's still very much that way. Moreover, the Rochester engineers are very competent carburetor designers, but didn't have nearly enough time to adapt their techniques to the wholly different problems of injection. In spite of the fact that the new arrival had long been expected, its arrival was not without complications.

The above are facts, but in spite of them the Chevy "Ramjet" constant-flow injector works very well indeed. The big question, of course, is: How does it stack up against carbs? To find out, we set up a full transcontinental '57 Corvette road test, involving our entire testing staff. On the West Coast an injected machine was obtained from the factory representatives, while on the East Coast a dual-quad version was provided by Alvin Schwartz Chevrolet and Shelly Spindel, of Brooklyn.

As a result we have a lot of the answers, but not all, the doubt being due to slight variations between the cars tested, the injected car, with the hardtop alone, weighed 120 pounds less than the carbed machine, which was toting the more complex soft top mechanism. Also, rear end ratios were 3.70 with the injector and 3.55 with the carbs. Advantage is taken of the better fuel distribution of FI by upping the compression ratio to 10.5/1, while the standard car had 9.5/1. This is a logical follow-up step, and does not "favor" the injection so far as our tests are concerned. The same can't be said of the weight and rear end discrepancies, which would tend to help the FI car at the bottom end, though very slightly.

Starting the dual-quad car was easy, by twisting the ignition switch, though some care was needed to avoid flooding on hot starts. Once warmed up, the idle was low enough at 500 rpm, but it was full of lumps and shook the car bodily. This can be handed to the competition cam, which was installed in both cars and checks out as seen in the above sidebar.

The power from this cam comes on strongly at about 2700 rpm and stays that way until about 5300, after which it falls off rapidly, apparently due to valve gear. At the end of a fast run, the idle was extremely bad, and after each stop in the braking test the carbs would stall the engine dead. The dual-quad setup is by now a familiar one, so rigged that the rear carb runs all the time and the front one cuts in only at about 2/3 throttle.

The engine was cold when we first twisted the switch on the Ramjet Corvette, but the engine caught on the first spin, bursting into a wholesome clatter of solid tappets jingling at a warmup idle at 1400 rpm. We raised the hood and studied the injection system. It looked purposeful but very different from the racing-type setups we know best...at present. A tiny copper tube, about the diameter of a pencil lead, runs from the pump to each of the nozzles which are located on the manifold at each of the intake ports. The tubes look fragile. We looked with distrust on solenoids, diaphragms, flex-cable drive, and complex linkages each of which might be a point of failure.

During the runs with the injected car, we were looking mainly for flat spots--the transition points in fuel/air metering that are often among the defects of the carb-fed, rather than injected, engine. There were none. The beef in the FI engine permits you to take off from standstill in top gear just by revving up to 1500 or so and letting the clutch out slowly. Our zero to 60 (actual) time in top gear alone was 13.8 seconds. Then we lugged the engine down to its smooth-running minimum in top gear, 14 mph, and accelerated using both full and partial throttle openings. There was no faltering, there were no flat spots. Power was generated smoothly and at an increasing rate until about 2800 rpm when the cam hit its stride and the car hunkered down and steamed into the distance. Elapsed time for 14 to 60 mph in high was 12.3 seconds, on the injected machine.

The same continuous flow of power held good during hard cornering and braking. Under these conditions with the dual-quad car, the contents of the carb float bowls were slung away from their intended orifices and left the engine gasping for fuel. There was no trace of this with the FI Chev, which feels as though it could be driven upside down.
In all the recent prophecies concerning FI, we've been assured that fuel economy will be improved. In SCI's tests, the FI version registered as much as 15 percent better gas mileage--in spite of a lower gear ratio. Part of this gain is due to the FI job's 10.5 compression ratio. In spite of the high compression our test car's engine did not detonate even when lugging heavily in top gear.
In the U.S. far more interest is shown in cars' sheer performance than in their fuel economy and we therefore normally restrict our fuel consumption figures to averages obtained in overall running. But because of the novelty of FI and because of the fuel consumption claims made for it, we ran precise fuel checks at steady speeds, using a Donat Gauthier 1/10-gallon fuel-measuring burette. The surprisingly good results for so potent an engine are shown in the data table. They suggest the fuel economy that's possible if you should choose to drive one of these injected cars sedately...which is not the kind of use they're built for. More important, they indicate the improved operating economy that can be expected when FI does become sufficiently inexpensive to be fitted to normal touring cars.

To get more expert opinion than our own on Chev's FI, we turned our test car over to racing FI specialist Stuart Hilborn, asking that he drive it and give frank comment. This was Hilborn's first behind-the-wheel encounter with Chev FI and he gave the car a careful, critical workout. Then he said, "It's good. All I can find to criticize is its hot-start behavior and its complexity."

As an addendum to the performance figures obtained, and to the comparison curve from our '56 Corvette test, we might mention the net horsepower ratings of the two 1957 cars tested--in other words, the actual output at the clutch with all accessory leads subtracted. The injected engine delivers 240 bhp at 5600 rpm, while the dual-quad rig turns up 230 bhp at 6000. Last year's Corvette engine was very modestly rated at 225 horses, so the improvement this year is just what you'd expect from an added 18 cubic inches.

Corvette is a long-existing model of vehicles and is rather famous in the sports car category. As time passes, new generations come stronger and powerful, while other go as their time has passed. But what if it hasn’t? What will happen if we take an old Corvette and adjust it to the new modern life needs? A group of experts has tried to do that and not with any kind of classic vehicle, but with the 1958 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster.

So, it took three years for this endeavor to be completed. And…the result is magnificent. The result is a Corvette modernized vehicle which is made of Corvette elements meaning that there are no elements originating from other auto brands. The Corvette has a Spectrum Turquoise color. The first generation featured an engine capable of producing power of 283 hp. The 1958 Chevrolet Corvette has replaced this engine with a new-fashioned Corvette LT1 Generation II 350 engine capable of developing power of 420 hp. The Corvette also features a 700 R4 automatic transmission with 4 speeds. If you want to own this princess you will have to set aside “humble” 119,900 dollars which is not that much having in mind that this vehicle is usually supposed to have price of about 200,000 bucks.

Exterior and interior!

The owner of the car in the last fifty years remains unknown, but the team had to make an immense effort to revive the car for which it took three years. The team had to use sodium to get rid of the broken parts of the vehicle. Then they made a SR3 Motorsports frame for the vehicle colored in turquoise with the usual white details on the doors. The Corvette also features a top painted turquoise vinyl with a glass window which is characteristic for the 1958 model. The inside of the Corvette is also turquoise with white details on the dash. The interior has not been changed at all with exception of few minor alterations such as the bit smaller steering wheel and the Loker transmission shifter. The interior is covered with leather

Engine!

As already mentioned the 1958 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster has a LT1 Generation II 350 engine featuring a 700 R4 automatic transmission with 4 speeds. The transmission has a cooling system. The engine has aluminum heads, electronic fuel injection and cast iron and it is connected with dual exhaust system. The engine is powerful enough to produce 420 hp.

Prices!

If you want this car, you can find it a t the RK Motors at a price of 119,900 dollars.
Watch the Amazing Video from the 1958 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster!