2013 OCRcars Archive Stories

When Tony Stark isn't suited up in metal saving the world, the self-described genius billionaire playboy philanthropist zips around town in the all-electric Audi e-tron. At least he does on screen, in "Iron Man 3," in an early kickoff to a summer blockbuster season that will see hundreds of speeding, squealing, exploding, airborne, rolli

The only delivery I made in Nissan's commercial cargo van was myself. And while my shoulder bag was ridiculously heavy, it wasn't anywhere near the vehicle's 1,500-pound payload. So for my purposes the NV200 was overkill. But the Japanese automaker isn't targeting the white-collar crowd with its newest vehicle. It's pursuing the half a m

Dicky Riegel is such an Airstream enthusiast that he "bleeds silver." Not only does he own two personally, he was chief executive of the Ohio company that makes them. Now Riegel is proving his affection for the iconic American RV yet again with Airstream 2 Go. The first factory-authorized Airstream rental service in the country launched

Few auto designers have as much creative freedom as students, who, unburdened by corporate bureaucracy and market realities, can let their imaginations run wild. This year's crop of transportation design graduates from Pasadena's Art Center College of Design display various visions of the future in concept cars that are fanciful, yet purp

Linguistically, the Paceman is a Britishism wrapped in an Anglicism. It's a term from the decidedly English sport of cricket for a person who rolls a ball with lightning speed — a term that, when transposed to the newest car from MINI, describes a small object careening across the pavement. The seventh MINI model in its 12 years un

Rene Cormier's motorcycle has seen better days. The chain guard is held in place with cable ties. The right hand signal is broken, its mount held in place with tape. It's leaking oil and crusted with dirt. Still, "everyone wants to see it," Cormier said of the BMW GS 650 he rode for 96,000 miles through 45 countries on four continents in

Despite the hoopla over the LaFerrari hybrid, the greenest Ferrari a person can buy is a bicycle. The same goes for Porsche, whose Bike S and Bike RS are zero-emission compliments to the automaker's turbocharged 911s; BMW, which imports the performance and exclusive design of its M series to an M Bike; and a handful of other, predominant

Fiat's attempt to subvert electric vehicles' image as overpriced, underperforming do-gooders is first apparent in its color. The new plug-in 500e is offered in frisky orange. But palette is only the most overt part of an elaborate look-at-me strategy from the Italian automaker, which seeks to nullify complaints about EVs' price and range

When Aston Martin's Rapide S blazes around Germany's Nurburgring next month, it will be the first competitor to do so powered with hydrogen. The Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S will also be the first sports car in the British automaker's 100-year history to run on anything other than gas. "There are two objectives for us here," said Matthew Cla

Thirty-four tires in ten minutes. That's how much rubber Kyle Mohan will burn this weekend when he drifts his Mazda RX-8 across the asphalt as part of the Formula D season opener. Thousands of fans are expected to cram into the stands above the concrete K rails that transform Long Beach city streets into a temporary track for dozens of r

If there's a single strand of idiot buried deep in the double helix of one's DNA, the GSX-R1000 is likely to bring it out. Suzuki's bestselling superbike is so effortlessly powerful it tests the restraint of sensible riders, so joyful in its operation that lifting a rider's face shield would, more often that not, reveal a smile of giddy

German automaker, BMW, has paired with the Formula 1 race car of strollers to make the ultimate in rugged rubber baby bumpers. It's called the Maclaren BMW Buggy. It doesn't have a motor, but Maclaren is importing baby versions of many BMW technologies in a limited-edition four-wheeler for new parents who want a jump start on keeping up

Anyone who's attempted to move 700 pounds can tell you exactly how intractable that feels. It's roughly the weight of three refrigerators. It's also the astounding amount of poundage Land Rover has removed from the Range Rover for its fourth generation overhaul of the iconic luxury SUV. As automakers work toward a fuel economy go

Harley-Davidson's latest is likely to inspire déj� vu. The new 2013 Breakout is the budget version of the 2013 CVO Breakout the Milwaukee manufacturer introduced last August. But don't be confused. As with all things Harley, everything old is eventually new. In the case of the Breakout, "new" is just more accessible. Pri

Think of it as a solar panel you can ride. That's the concept behind Solar Electric Scooters, a Van Nuys company that is about to go into production with an electric scooter that uses a solar panel as both rider's platform and energy supply. Park it in the sun, and the panel will take six minutes to recharge the scooter for every minute

Riding her skateboard in skinny jeans anchored with Chuck Taylors, Aileen Melendez doesn't look like the sort of teenager who spends her free time prodding the insides of engines. But the 18-year-old senior at Anaheim's Loara High could very well become the first female to win the National Automotive Technology Competition taking place i

Fisker Automotive, in Anaheim, announced the resignation of its namesake and executive chairman, Henrik Fisker. The company, which brought the $100,000+ Karma extended-range luxury sedan to market in 2011, ceased production of the car last year and has also postponed production of its second model, the Atlantic. In a media statemen

We've all seen them: The mini vans advertising Aunt Flo's day care, the hatchbacks trumpeting maid services, notaries and plumbers. But there's a growing niche in the vehicle wrap business: Drivers who are customizing their cars with personalized graphics. "Only 20 percent of the public has started to understand this is not paint

Driving the new Acura RLX was almost a "look Ma, no hands" experience. Powering down Interstate 5 this week, there were times I let the car steer without my direction and relied on its multiple cameras to determine if I was risking a front-end collision, at which point the RLX applied the brakes on my behalf, slowing me to a dead stop wh

Only a special motorcycle inspires strangers to shout compliments from sidewalks, but the Moto Guzzi V7 Racer is that kind of machine. A rare retro beauty whose fully chromed tank is strapped with leather, the Racer is one of three new V7s the Italian motorcycle maker has rolled out for 2013 to capitalize on the relentlessly enduring caf

Driving the 2014 Kia Forte this week, I exited the car with one overriding thought: Honda should watch its back. For the fifth model year of its popular compact sedan, the Korean automaker is seriously upping its game, offering luxury-level amenities at what is likely to be a bargain-basement price. Like the 2013 Honda Civic, the 2014 Fo

Ferrari introduced its fastest-ever road car this week, one of the fastest passenger vehicles ever built. And it's a hybrid. That's the type of breakthrough happening at this week's Geneva Motor Show, where a slew of groundbreaking innovations came from predominantly European automakers whose cars represent an industry at a cross

It takes more than good genes to survive almost 100 years in the U.S. auto business. It requires grit, stamina, courage and, in the case of Lincoln, a tremendous amount of chutzpah to "introduce" a company that's been around longer than the light switch. Like 111-year-old geriatric Cadillac and the even more elderly 114-year-old Buick, Lincoln i

Jay Allerton is a self-described "car guy" who "bleeds oil," he says. In 40 years he's owned at least 55 cars, and he's modified each and every one. But cars are expensive. Their parts are expensive. For the time and money spent restoring a single vehicle, Allerton said, he could build ten bicycles that demonstrate the same vintage sensi

Wayne Raimey sped over a sandy wash, leaving plumes of dust in his wake, as his family and friends idled on their ATVs. For the better part of a Saturday, the six had roamed the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle area north of Big Bear, enjoying unencumbered landscape that stretched to the horizon on machines that climb rocks and skid through th