From the Passenger's Seat

There doesn't seem to be any real car news today, but there does look to be plenty of reviews for the 2013 Lexus ES. I'll just summarize what I read in the reviews for you here. Overall, the ES has improved, as expected from a redesigned car. The handling is more precise, but not by much, in order not to alienate traditional buyers with a stiff ride. It's as quiet and comfortable as ever. The car keeps its comfort, yet feels slightly more athletic overall. The strong V-6 helps its case. There's also a new hybrid version of the ES. It drives like a Camry Hybrid. Inside, there's much more room in the backseat. The consistency of materials and such has gone down. Some features are disappointing as well.

Are you tired of the same old boring test drive around the dealer's block? Well, the Focus ST Performance Academy may be for you! You can churn out timed hot laps after getting professional driving instruction stuffed into your brain. The program will be severely limited to only New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Boston.  Ford is throwing a group of new, 252 horsepower Ford Focus STs into these cities for you to test lap. The group will be touring one city at a time, from late June to the middle of August. Of you happen to fall in love with the Focus ST test lapping it, you can bring one to your own home for $24495.

This post most likely will not matter to you as Porsche is producing 13 examples of this highly exclusive and pricey 911 that honors the 60th anniversary of Porsche Club's existence. To make matters worse, only 12 of the 13 will be for sale (Porsche is hogging the last one for museum purposes, I guess) and only Porsche Club members will be eligible for the upcoming lottery to have the privilege of grabbing $175580 to bring home this car. Currently, there is only  just over 180000 members in Porsche Club . Now, you might ask what you obtain for the extra Acura RDX over an almost identically featured non-special edition Carrera S? The most perceivable change will have to be the Brewster Green paint. There's also a body kit tacked on, and special 20-inch wheels and an iconic ducktail spoiler. This car also serves the debut of a new Powerkit that ups the horsepower of the 4 liter flat six to 430, 30 horsepower beyond the regular Carrera S. There is white "Club Coupe...

Now, this is no exotic car recall like my last recall post about Ferrari engines throwing crankshafts around, but it's still worth mentioning I guess... especially since there is absolutely nothing going on today. My YouTube subscriptions haven't posted anything, there is like two new posts on Car & Driver , four posts on Kicking Tires, and not much on CNN.  The problem of the recall is a faulty sensing and diagnostic module. In situations of hard braking, the module will reset itself. If you are braking firmly and cornering sharply simultaneously,  the side airbags might puff up unnecessarily. In a serious car accident, the airbags and seat belt pretensioners could possibly not do their job.  Owners of the 4304 cars with this defect will be told about it by General Motors the first day of June. Disconcerted owners can call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at 888-327-4236.

In what seems like the most unlikely partnership in the history of partnerships, Mazda and Alfa Romeo (part of Fiat) will come together to develop a compact, rear wheel drive sports car.  This is just a random rendering of the next Miata. Don't take it too seriously. Now, this actually makes sense for both car companies; they aren't stupid. From the time Ford got rid of Mazda, it has been running out of money for new cars and such. Fiat, in the midst of the European financial disaster, is also in need for somewhere to spare some cash. Alfa Romeo also has a long history of small, rear wheel drive sports cars, and is making use of this opportunity to continue that legacy.  For Mazda, the car in question will be the next generation Miata, which is expected to arrive to the world mid-2014. Alfa Romeo hasn't named its Spider predecessor yet, but these tow cars will have separate designs, and separate engines. For Mazda, expect a SkyActiv engine. The Alfa Romeo might empl...

In the happiness of a snappier than expected government approval of the Tesla Model S, Tesla has now mentioned a specific date that customers can drive their Model S's home. That day is June 22, a month before the previous suggestion of July.

It may be a surprise to you, but this does happen. Ferrari is recalling 74 cars. The vehicles that fall under this recall include the model year 2011-2012 California and 458 Italia.   The problem triggering this recall is weak crankshafts. When the crankshafts were made, they have been done so in a flawed manner. The crankshafts can give away, which will cause the motor to cease functioning.  This month, Ferrari will begin warning owners about this problem. Your local dealer will fix or swap out the engine for free. Owners who crave for more information can call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at  888-327-4236 or Ferrari at 201-816-2600.