'Top Gear USA': Adam Corolla and pilot studio audience spill the beans

Worst-kept secret No. 749. Although not yet formally announced, NBC reportedly is creating an American version of the BBC's popular "Top Gear" automotive TV show. Last week, a pilot was shot in front of a studio audience and many audience members, who each signed nondisclosure statements, along with the host, comedian Adam Corolla, are spilling the beans on the cast and format all over the auto blogosphere.

They’ve just unplugged the last light and thrown the remaining paper coffee cups into the trash after filming "Top Gear USA: The Pilot." The presenting team are Carolla (providing the jokes), racing driver Tanner Foust and "TV construction guru" Eric Stromer, who should raise a female pulse or two.

Following the format from the successful BBC series, NBC’s version even has the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment. Every week, a different celebrity will drive the same vehicle (in this case, a Kia Rio) on the same test track and have their times posted on a board. For the pilot episode, the star was none other than David Hasselhoff. By all accounts, he delivered a great interview and his name will be at the top of the leader board for at least one week.

So, who would you like to see driving the reasonably priced car in an attempt to wrest the Hoff from his top spot? I think Frankie Muniz from "Malcolm in the Middle" should be a contender, because he’s already competed in the Pro-Celebrity Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix. So has "Grey’s Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey. I’m sure you could come up with some others.

-- Colin Ryan

Photos: NBC, Kia

Premium gas? Not in my Ford! Or my Lexus, or my Mercedes...

Ford Motor Co., which currently sells one trim level of one model that requires premium fuel, is now bragging in a press releases that not one of the cars and trucks in its 2009 lineup (except that one trim level car) will require premium fuel.

That's right, a car maker that essentially does not make and has not made something is pleased to announce and that it will continue not making that thing, all in the name of saving its drivers cash. From the release:

With per-gallon prices hovering around $4, customers are sensitive to every penny spent at the pump, and Ford Motor Company is leveraging technologies to help consumers avoid an even further hit to their wallets. Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles, including luxury models like the all-new 2009 Lincoln MKS, run -- and run well -- on regular unleaded gas, a true competitive advantage given today's skyrocketing fuel costs.

Whether this is news or just some half-baked piece of public relations spin is beyond this forum's scope. But it does raise the endlessly debated topic of whether most cars, including high-end, $80,000 European luxury machines, actually need the high-test fuel that their user manuals so strenuously recommend.

California car sales running on empty

Everything’s bigger in California — including the slump in new car sales.

Auto dealers in the not-so-Golden State have seen sales of new cars and light trucks plummet by more than 18% in the first half of the year, according to figures from the California New Car Dealers Assn. That's compared with a nationwide drop of 10%. Not counting sales to corporate and government fleets, California dealers had sold 634,577 cars, SUVs, pickup and minivans through June, versus 779,778 in the same period last year.

The association says the state’s dubious distinction as one of the epicenters of the current housing crisis gets most of the blame for the slide. Homeowners who are having trouble paying their mortgages aren’t spending much time kicking tires on dealer lots.

The state is also feeling the same effects of high gas prices that are sinking auto sales around the country. Four-dollar gas dries up dollars that otherwise could be used for buying a car. It also drives consumers to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles, and there just aren’t enough of those to go around. (Just ask anyone who’s tried to buy a Toyota Prius lately.)

Here are a few other tidbits from the dealers association report:

• Toyota/Scion was the top-selling brand in the state, with a 22% market share, followed by Honda (12%) and Ford (11%). Another Japanese brand, Mitsubishi, came in last with a share of less than 1%.
• Domestic brands account for about 34% of new vehicle sales in California. Nationally, the Detroit Three capture 48% of sales.
• The top-selling models in the state were (in order) the Toyota Camry, the Honda Civic, the Toyota Corolla/Matrix, the Honda Accord and the Toyota Prius.
• The Ford F-series and Chevy Silverado were the top-selling full-sized pickups, easily fending off a challenge from the Toyota Tundra.
• Cars (as opposed to light trucks) have accounted for almost 60% of new vehicle sales in California, compared with around 54% nationwide.

The automakers are expected to report July new car sales on Friday. Analyst Michelle Krebs of Santa Monica-based Edmunds.com is expecting another "dismal" month.

-- Martin Zimmerman

Photo: Bloomberg News

A chat with Ewan McGregor about 'Long Way Down'

Ewan McGregor is fast becoming the Steve McQueen of the modern generation. A movie star with a passion for motorcycles, McGregor, 37, has (once again) combined the two in a new documentary, "Long Way Down."

15,000 miles. 20 countries. 85 days.

Terrorism training. Monkeys. Sand.

It was all part of an epic journey McGregor took with his pal Charley Boorman from May to August last year. The new film is the follow-up to "Long Way Round," the motorcycle adventure that had McGregor and Boorman traversing 19,000 miles through 12 countries in 115 days from West to East in 2004 aboard BMW adventure bikes. "Long Way Down" went just ran from North to South, from Scotland to South Africa.

There are big-screen and small-screen versions of McGregor's and Boorman's journey. A 10-episode TV series kicks off on the Fox Reality Channel Aug. 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. A condensed, two-hour version will also be screened at 430 theaters nationwide on July 31. A list of theaters and show times and tickets are available at the Fathom website.

The next episode in Porsche’s Targa saga

The updated Porsche 911 Coupes and Cabriolets have already broken cover, and now, in record time, the latest permutations of Stuttgart’s ne plus ultra of sports cars are the 2009 Porsche 911 Targa 4 and Targa 4S. This is the one with the sliding glass roof and the flashes of chrome over the side windows.

The roof is made up of over 16 square feet of glass. It’s in two sections: the front part slides back to give occupants nearly five square feet of sky to appreciate, which it does in seven seconds. The rearward segment lifts up to become a handy tailgate. Porsche says a set of golf clubs can be placed in the Targa’s rear quarters with ease. A newly designed electrically operated sunblind comes as standard and works independently of the roof. The glass itself is of a special tint that protects against UV radiation and excessive heat, even in bright sunshine.

Like the rest of the 911 range, Targa models offer either the standard six-speed manual transmission or the seven-speed double-clutch gearbox (the PDK, or Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe). The latter replaces the old Tiptronic auto system and is, Porsche claims, super-fast (60% faster than a conventional slush box) and super-smooth. It’s also about 20 pounds lighter than the old system.

As their names suggest, both models have all-wheel drive, which is now controlled electronically. The ‘entry-level’ engine is the 3.6-liter flat six that develops 345 horsepower and enables a zero-to-60 time of 5.4 seconds. The S model has a 3.8-liter version that’s good for 385 hp and 4.9 seconds; the PDK transmission shaves off another two-tenths in each case. Both feature direct fuel injection that results in a power increase of up to 8.5%, yet reduces consumption by 11.2% and carbon dioxide emissions by 13.6%, depending on the model.

Both models will be available from October. The 4 has an MSRP of $89,500, the 4S $100,100. Equipment upgrades include touchscreen controls for audio and navigation, plus Bluetooth, satellite radio, and iPod/USB sockets.

-- Colin Ryan

Photos: Porsche

More from Monterey: Would you buy a used car from Oprah Winfrey?

For sale: Aston Martin, one careful lady owner. Oprah Winfrey is selling her 1997 DB7 Volante, plus a 1998 Rolls-Royce Corniche II Convertible and a gorgeous 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing. Sadly, she’s not just putting them in the Los Angeles Times classifieds, or even eBay. All three will be auctioned off during the Pebble Beach event up at Monterey, taking place this August 16 and 17. Officials from Gooding & Company will be wielding the hammer.

The Roller, a gift from long-time friend John Travolta, has only covered 31,000 miles and has been kept at Winfrey’s Southern California home. She bought the DB7 new, choosing the color scheme herself. The real gem of the three, though, is the Benz, an automotive icon. It used to belong to the DuPont family and has been restored to a level that only someone as well off as Winfrey could afford. But thank goodness there are people out there with the money and inclination to keep such cars in pristine condition.

So why is the talk-show diva scaling down her car collection? The proceeds are to benefit the Arts and Culture Workshop at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls -- South Africa. Winfrey has already donated $40 million to this cause.

-- Colin Ryan

Photos: Gooding & Co.

Alfa Mito: Where and when, and will they accept my firstborn?

A few weeks ago we had a story on the new Alfa Romeo MiTo which is now in the running for the sexiest small car on the big blue ball. Looking like a pocket version of the 8C Competizione, the MiTo -- the name is a mashup of Torino and Milano (the industrial and styling centers for Alfa) -- caused a small panic among readers desperate to get something both fun and fuel efficient. Where and when can I get one!? they demanded in tones of increasing incivility.

Nothing is definite, you understand, but since the story came out, Alfa and BMW have announced details of their broad-based partnership. Item A: BMW, through its Mini Brand, will help Alfa Romeo return to the USA by 2010. This will help Alfa's problem of having, ahem, no dealerships in the U.S. Item B: BMW and Alfa will share B and C (small- to mid-sized) platforms: Item C; Alfa wants its first car in the States to be small five-door premium hatchback, a small wagon. BUT, the Alfa MiTo could be federalized for sale in the U.S.

It adds up to this: MiTo is a strong candidate to be the second Alfa in the U.S. market in the second half of 2010. Mebbe.

--Dan Neil

Photos: Alfa Romeo

Enzyme Icare: The Dark Bike

Batman’s motorcycle in The Dark Knight is getting a lot of attention at the moment, appearing in all the trailers and such. And why not? It’s a very cool thing. So the machine here might seem like a case of life imitating artifice.

This is the Icare, from Enzyme, a French design studio. Its creators claim the inspiration for its styling came from high-end products like Apple, Bang & Olufsen, Audi and Porsche. Power comes from a Honda 1.8-liter flat-six engine and, although it’s hard to tell in this picture, it has four wheels instead of two. Among the slick, smooth lines is a weld, running like a scar across the fuel tank.

In a most Batmobile-like fashion, the Icare is shrouded in aluminum from the seat forward when parked. Only the tangled sculpture of its exhaust being partially visible.

The panels disappear, as if by magic, into the bike’s nooks and crannies when the engine is fired up. Enzyme says that although it’s still in the concept stage, the tech behind it works.

If it ever goes on sale, the Icare won‘t be cheap.

-- Colin Ryan

Photos: Enzyme, Warner Bros.

Rate your favorite Citroen: The World Wants to Know

As the tsunami of desire for the Alfa MiTo suggests, small-car fever has gripped America, and America has noticed that -- not to put too fine a point on it -- most small cars over here are really lame. Why can't we have cool European cars? They ask, not unreasonably. This from one of our readers:

"...We were in France in May (and also July last year). I LOVE the Citroen line of vehicles. Something fuel-efficient for everyone, from the C 1, 2, 3, 4, to the Berlingo and Picasso minivans. WHY doesn't someone make these or import these for the USA market?"

First, because Citroen doesn't have any infrastructure here and the U.S. market is vast. A company needs scores of dealerships just to have a minimal presence in the U.S. Second, because European NCAP and U.S. DOT crash test requirements are different. A move to make crash test standards the same worldwide -- "harmonize" is the term of the art -- is moving forward so that, by 2015, most cars will meet the same standards, whether they originate in Asia, Europe or the U.S. Third: Citroen's partner, Peugeot, ALSO doesn't have a presence here. That means no possibility of manufacturing stateside and that means taking it in the shorts because of the strength of the Euro.

All that is stipulated. Still, the craving for efficient, stylish cars is huge, and Citroen could come back. So which Citroen would you like?

PS: Dan's favorite luxury sedan under $100,000 is the Citroen C6. Yum. Gush. Smack!

-- Dan Neil

Photos: Citroen

Mamma Mia and Oy Gewalt, Volvo!

The pigment-challenged Swedish musicologists over at Volvo are riding the ABBA wave by releasing their choice for the top 21 (?) "summer road trip songs" that will "help you and your family endure hours in the car..." (Just a note to the press-release writers: "endure" doesn't really help convey the joys of a road trip in your shiny new Volvo, does it?) Also, this moldy-oldy list seems guaranteed to make your teenager wish for death a thousand times over.

Besides, it is a matter of Biblical fact that the greatest road song EV-AR is "Radar Love" by Dutch supergroup Golden Earring, and Volvo didn't deign to include it on their list. Sheesh! I was in Italy a few weeks ago when I met a journalist who was writing a "biography" of 'Radar Love," which was -- according to him -- the biggest Dutch hit since, um, Rembrandt.

Please consult my trenchant analysis of "Radar Love" here.

For true devotees of "Radar Love," behold the band's utterly nutty proto-video for the song here:

The grammology of road songs in further explored in my story from 2005 -- "Running on Empty."

Lastly, here is Volvo's list of top road songs:

"Born to Run" Bruce Springsteen
"S.O.S." ABBA
"Ramble On" Led Zeppelin
"Me and Bobby McGee" Janis Joplin
"Dancing Queen" ABBA
"Jackson" Johnny and June Carter Cash
"Take a Chance on Me" ABBA
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" Meatloaf
"Stuck in the Middle With You" Stealer's Wheel
"Mamma Mia" ABBA
"Born to Be Wild" Steppenwolf
"Highway to Hell" AC/DC
"Low Rider" War
"Running on Empty" Jackson Browne
"Southbound" Allman Brothers
"Waterloo" ABBA
"Highway 61 Blues" Bob Dylan
"Little Deuce Coupe" The Beach Boys
"Knowing Me, Knowing You" ABBA
"Drive My Car" The Beatles
"On the Road Again" Willie Nelson

--Dan Neil

Photo: AP