Trulyvintage Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Motor Trend 2013 Car of the YearAmerican Made Tesla Model S2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year: Tesla Model S - Motor TrendJim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 So that now puts the Tesla in the same category as such notable COTY winners as the 1958 T-bird, the 1960 Corvair, the 1961 Tempest, the 1971 Vega, the 1972 Citroen SM, the 1974 Mustang II, the 1975 Monza (watch those spark plug changes), the 1976 Aspen/Volare, the 1980 Citation, the 1981 K-cars, the 1983 AMC/Renault Alliance, the 1993 Probe, and the 2010 Volt.Winners all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 That actually raises an interesting question: Has anyone ever correlated the MT COTY list with those lists of 50 worst cars of all time as published in the NYT and other such forums? Just sayin'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john2dameron Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 So that now puts the Tesla in the same category as such notable COTY winners as the 1958 T-bird, the 1960 Corvair, the 1961 Tempest, the 1971 Vega, the 1972 Citroen SM, the 1974 Mustang II, the 1975 Monza (watch those spark plug changes), the 1976 Aspen/Volare, the 1980 Citation, the 1981 K-cars, the 1983 AMC/Renault Alliance, the 1993 Probe, and the 2010 Volt.Winners all... Don't forget that POS that won in 1978 or 1979 called the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon. Someone should have did time for fostering those things off on the public. I also think the car of the year should be afforable by at least 10% of the population. I don't think a Tesla is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john2dameron Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 That actually raises an interesting question: Has anyone ever correlated the MT COTY list with those lists of 50 worst cars of all time as published in the NYT and other such forums? Just sayin'...Joe, just add a few more names to the list you started and you'll have your own "50 worst of all time list". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stock_steve Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 That sucking sound is the last trace of any credibility that Motor Trend magazine may have had quickly disappearing into oblivion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 Since 1949 ... The first electric car choice by Motor TrendThe first unanimous choice by the Judges285 mile tested range on a single charge3.9 second to 60 m.p.h.74.5 electric equivalent m.p.g.Its' the futureIts' American MadeThat is so very great .... Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 As flaky as some of the MT COTY choices might have been over the years, their current criteria includes . . . Must be new in the particular model year. In other words, a 2nd-year version is not allowed to be considered. THAT puts a whole different light on things, sometimes. So it all relates to the best of the new models in their group of "contenders". This can also whittle the total number of posibilities down to a more manageable number, too. I think I've already seen the Tesla on a "soon to be out of business" list?In the 1960s, their award went to a brand's total car line, as 1966 Pontiac and 1964(?) Ford (with their "Total Performance" orientation. Can't do that now!From my observations, some of those "50 Worst _______" vehicles were some really nice vehicles when they were new. Some had issues later on in their lives. Others were funky because the dealers didn't order the correct equipment mix of options for best customer satisfaction. Others had issues with the demon rust, as they aged (again, somewhat related to the dealer's actions of NOT ordering the cars with factory undercoat or getting it done at the dealership). Vega GTs were some pretty neat cars, if you ordered them right. Same with Aspen/Volares. And, until you've driven a Chevy Volt, you can't imagine how nice it really is. Wouldn't mind a '58 T-bird, either!Just some observations . . .NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Mellor NJ Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 How did the 58 Bird beat out the 58 Edsel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Vega GTs were some pretty neat cars, if you ordered them right. Same with Aspen/Volares. And, until you've driven a Chevy Volt, you can't imagine how nice it really is. Wouldn't mind a '58 T-bird, either!Just some observations . . .NTX5467Vegas left the Lordstown factory having been bolted together out of body panels that had been dipped in a bath of rust-preventive undercoating. Unfortunately the engineers didn't figure out that when you dip a panel you have to invert it in the solution to get rid of air bubbles that prevent the coating from adhering to the panel. How do I know this? My uncle spent the first year and half of the car's assembly period bolting the right front fender onto Vegas in the Lordstown plant. He claimed (with no pride)that at least 1/2 of the 1971 and 1972 Vegas rf fenders were his handiwork. The Aspen/Volare was no better. I recommended one to my father in 1976 based on the Dart's reputation. He bought a nicely loaded Aspen sedan in Forest Green Metallic. 9 months later the car wouldn't pass mandatory PA safety inspections (and was therefore not street legal) due to rust perforation of both front fenders and the hood. Dodge gave us a front clip under warranty (the car was later recalled for this very problem, but this was before there was any such program being considered), but we had to install the clip and have the car painted. (Try to imagine getting away with that today!)My dad was not a wealthy man. Earl Scheib got the job for $99. Our family (it passed from my dad to my grandfather to my brother in less than 3 years....it had other issues as well) was stuck with a brand new car that had an unmistakable $99 semi-gloss mettalic forest green paint job. It must have killed my dad to write those payment book checks! :(=================================BTW, there is a large General Electric assembly plant nearby, and this summer they bought a fleet of Chevy Volts for their executive fleet/company cars. I've heard complaints that the seats are too firm from some, but in general they are being very well received! :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Since 1949 ... The first electric car choice by Motor TrendThe first unanimous choice by the Judges285 mile tested range on a single charge3.9 second to 60 m.p.h.74.5 electric equivalent m.p.g.Its' the futureIts' American MadeThat is so very great .... JimThe road back to significance, here Motor Trend comes!!!:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PhippsAuto Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 We have a good friend who now works for Tesla, showing these cars through their storefronts in malls so that people can order them. They have a waiting list right now of 9+ months to get one of these cars. The basic model is about $57,000 ($50,000 after a government rebate), which isn't as high-priced as a car that apparently performs this well might have been expected to be. She is completely taken with the car and thinks it's a winner. Her husband has classic cars, BTW, and might even be a member here; not sure about that. (Bill Price is his name, Oregon area) Anyway, it is the nicest-looking electric car I've seen yet. I do love that it's American made. This is not the only "car of the year" award the Tesla has won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I suspect there are many people who are "pulling" for Tesla to do well enough to make some money . . . especially the dealers. To me, though, the fact it's "all electric" takes it out for me. Just like to have some "backup" power, when needed, which the Volt has.The Tesla's stellar acceleration is the result of an electric motor having its greatest torque at low motor rpm. Plus that wheelspin can probably be better modulated than it might with an internal combustion motor. Just a suspicion . . .+++++++++++++The Vegas were very revolutionary at the time, probably a little too much in some respects. They were shipped in special railcars, which had them "on their nose", which also necessitated them being shipped "one quart low" on motor oil . . . or at least that was for the first year or so, according to "Popular Science" or "Popular Mechanix" magazine, back then. From what I saw down here in TX, the cars which had the least problems (engine) were the ones which were driven harder, while the ones which seemed to have problems were driven more normally (or very easy). We did sucessfully re-ring many of them with higher miles on them, for customers who couldn't afford the factory reman short blocks. Same alloy used in the Mercedes V-8s, just that the Chevy engine was "open deck", which has some dynamics related to cylinder wall shapes. In the DeLorean book, he mentions that HIS engine proposal was more Italian in nature, higher revving, shorter stroke, etc. than "The 14th Floor Proposal" (which is what was built).We never did see any of the rust issues down here that y'all probably saw in the PA region. Down here, the Aspen/Volares did as well as anything else did, regarding rust issues . . . which means if they got any, it was years down the road. But then our local dealer always ordered the factory undercoat package . . . for what it's worth.Enjoy!NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Saw one a few weeks ago in the Stop & Shop parking lot. Changing a light bulb is the high point of my electrical ability, not something I'd be buying. Wonder how you drive one? Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Bob, you have already paid for a significant part of each Tesla that ends up in the hands of some well heeled buyer. Let's see, this is a $57,000 vehicle, solidly out of the "basic transportation" class and the government pays the buyer back $7,000. This on top of the funding Tesla has already received from us to bring technology that so far, is not ground breaking as it relates to electric cars. Ouch... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 This on top of the funding Tesla has already received from us to bring technology that so far, is not ground breaking as it relates to electric cars. Ouch...Not groundbreaking?:confused:285 mile tested range on a single charge3.9 second to 60 m.p.h.74.5 electric equivalent m.p.g.Tesla claims it has 250 patents covering the Model S, and more pending. The body is light, thanks to its all-aluminum construction, yet strong and stiff. The front and rear suspension are also mostly aluminum. At the rear are extruded rear suspension links that provide the strength of forgings at much lower cost, while up front are hollow-cast front knuckles that weigh 25 percent less than a conventional knuckle of similar strength. The electric motor sits between the rear wheels, contributing greatly to the 47/53-percent front/rear weight distribution. The motor is an AC-induction type, the basic principles of which were demonstrated in the 1880s by Nikola Tesla himself, and it doesn't need expensive rare earth metals. Tesla offers three lithium-ion battery packs for the Model S -- 40-kW-hr, 60-kW-hr, and 85-kW-hr -- that are claimed to provide ranges of 140, 200, and 265 miles, respectively. The base 85-kW-hr powertrain delivers a stout 362 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, while the performance version makes 416 hp and 443 lb-ft.The battery packs are assembled at Tesla's plant in Fremont, California, using Panasonic cells with nickel-cobalt-aluminum cathodes. Situated under the floor, the battery pack is a stressed member that further improves torsional rigidity, and helps lower the car's center of gravity to just 17.5 inches, about the same as a Ford GT's.--2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year: Tesla Model S - Motor TrendJust what would it take to get to the level of "groundbreaking" if this isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Dave, while technically impressive the Tesla is really a high performance version of an electric car, I am sure the 362 HP delivers a thrilling ride, which is great, but this is essentially a toy - Admittedly, I LOVE toys but I think the Fed has no business funding that to the degree it has. As noted above, their future is questionable at best - I guess we'll see if they ever reach their corporate goal of making a less expensive unit. One way to get there quicker might be to focus on that rather than a boutique performance car with taxpayer money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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