NHRA to Offer Four Lane Drag Races

In a move to speed up qualifying and final eliminations, the NHRA has decided to use all four lanes in actual competition this March at the zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C.

With the use of four lanes the final eliminations should be shortened to around 3¹/₂ hours. Expect more excitement when four cars smoke the tires and line up to speed at 300mph for a 1,000 feet. The eliminations will air on March 28^th at 3:30^PM E.T.

-Anthony Alaniz
[Source: ESPN]

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First, I would like to thank you for stopping by and catching up on all the latest automotive news.

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Anthony Alaniz
Executive Editor

Video of the Day: Porsche 911 Turbo Official Trailer

Fiat Appoints New CEO

Fiat has appointed Harald Wester as the new CEO of Alfa Romero. Wester already holds the position of CEO for Fiat's Maserati brand. The move is part of Fiat's plan to consolidate Alfa Romero, Maserati, and Abarth operations.

The plan is to market the three brands together to display their common characteristics, and hopefully improve sales.

-Anthony Alaniz
[Sourc: Left Lane News]

Term of the Day

O-ring - A type of sealing ring, usually made of rubber or a similar flexible material, that is shaped like the letter "O" and is compressed into adjoining grooves to provide a seal.

-Anthony Alaniz

NHTSA Investigating 2004 - 06 Ford F-150

300 complaints have been issued regarding unexpected deployment of the driver side air bag in the 2004 to 2006 Ford F-150's. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has gone public that it is now investigating the complaints. NHTSA engineers have upgraded the F-150 investigation to a full engineering analysis.

Neither Ford, nor the NHTSA have come out saying if the investigation will lead to a recall, but 1.56 million F-150's are still on the road with the original design. Ford made changes in 2007 to its assembly line procedures believed to cause the problems.

-Anthony Alaniz

(Photo: 2005 Ford F-150 SuperCab Flareside XLT)

[Source: Left Lane News]

Suzuki Says No to Future VW Purchases

Suzuki, after Volkswagen purchased a 19.9 percent stake in the company, has come out and stated that it will not accept any future purchases from Volkswagen. The stake is enough for the two companies to share technologies, though Suzuki is looking at staying as independent as possible.

Volkswagen currently has no plans on taking a majority stake in Suzuki, though VW Chairman Ferdianand Piech has indicated that he would like to see the VW brand family grow to 12, helping it become the world's largest automaker by 2018.

-Anthony Alaniz
[Source: Left Lane News]

Zonda R Replacement by 2011

Horacio Pagani, founder of Pagani Automobiles, an Italian sports car company, confirmed there is a new vehicle in the pipeline. Code named the Zonda C9, it should launch by the end of the year.

Powered by a 6.0L V-12, the Zonda C9 produces 700 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. The engine was produced with Mercedes-Benz and AMG. The engine was aimed at taking on Ferrari and Lamborghini, and what ever else got wants to race.

The Zonda C9 is a new car with 3,337 new parts. It has a carbon-titanium chassis, Pirellli tires, and Bosch electronics. Styling is similar to the current Zonda, though its proportions are smaller. The new car will also meet U.S. safety standards and California's notoriously strict emission regulations.

Pagaini will be moving to a new facility and production will increase from 16 cars a year to 60. Forty Zonda C9's are expected to be produced a year with a starting price of $1.2 million.

-Anthony Alaniz

(Photo: Zonda F Spy Shot)

[Source: Motor Authority and World Car Fans]