Shift Emag May. 28, 2012

May 29, 2012 | By admin More

12 Cool things to read in this edition of Shift

1) The return of the greatest name in sports-car history . . . that you’ve never heard of . . . the Acura NSX. — by Tom Jensen, SPEED.COM and Jeff Melnychuk

2) Here’s a free-fall from the ugly tree. Key West, Fla., or should we say Kitsch West? There are traffic cops everywhere, but seriously, where are the taste police when you really need them? — by Garry Sowerby

3) You’ll never guess what sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona. Give up? OK, we’ll tell you: Jay Leno’s tractor . . . for charity, as were many other vehicles. — by Tom Jensen, SPEEDTV.COM

4) Is the manual a dead-transmission-walking? Even our very own Courtney Hansen can’t stem the mass exodus from manual transmissions.

5) New Sensations from the Detroit Auto Show: sexy and shapely cars that make our loins tingle without any of the fantasy. — by Malcolm Gunn.

6) What’s the shortest-stopping car in the land? What car is the greenest? Who’s setting unattainable sales goals? What Japan-based luxury brand will share a platform with Mercedes-Benz? The Sleuth, our industry insider, tells all and much more.

7) How do you keep bare-metal parts looking like bare metal without painting or powdercoating or never using those parts? Now there’s a way in this week’s Top Gear tools-gifts-gadgets-parts column on Page 4.

8) Anyone who owns a Mini understands that the car is as much about attitude as ownership. Well, meet “Mr. Attitude,” Jim McDowell of Mini. — this week’s profile, by Steven Reive

9) What was one of the best cars that Ford ever made? To say the Taurus was pivotal is an understatement. It spelled success that has been difficult for Ford to duplicate with subsequent models. It was a home run right out of the box. — this week in Fine Lines, by Malcolm Gunn

10) Is a 429-horsepower V8 Hyundai sport sedan really that surprising? No, it’s shocking, actually. — AutoPilot new-vehicle review by Malcolm Gunn

11) Most people geek out over horsepower numbers, but as you’re about to find out, you don’t drive the engine dyno. This week in Overhaulit, we dyno our project Corvette’s engine for a lot of reasons. Find out what those are this week. — by Jeff Melnychuk

12) Did you make a couple of New Year’s resolutions without a plan to actually fulfill them? Well, there’s an easy and fun one that editor Jeff Melnychuk thinks you should try, in this week’s Page 2 commentary.