Automotive Einstein

When Alfa Romeo reenters the North American market in 2009, it will do so with a range of new cars. But the model that will resonate most passionately with Americans will be the reintroduction of the Alfa Spider. The Duetto Spider, you might remember, was the gorgeous little roadster immortalized by Dustin Hoffman in the 1967 film The Graduate.

Photo Gallery: 2008 Alfa Romeo Spider – New Car, Truck, and SUV Road Tests and Reviews – Automobile Magazine

The first thing you notice about the Honda S2000 Club Racer (CR to you and me) is that giant rear wing. Then you see the more-than-a-little-dorky headrest fairing and the garish yellow stitching on the seats. Oy, you think, it looks like a cartoon.

Photo Gallery: Driven: 2008 Honda S2000 CR – New Car, Truck, and SUV Road Tests and Reviews – Automobile Magazine

Klaus Nesser, CEO of Mercedes’ Maybach and SLR divisions stood in front of a room, facing a gaggle of eager journalists waiting to hear the details on Mercedes-Benz‘s newest and most highly anticipated supercar, the 2008 SLR McLaren Roadster. He seemed to be searching for the right approach with which to begin his presentation. Then, as if having been struck by a moment of clarity, Nesser grinned and got right to the point. “Well, we took the top off.” And with those words, we were introduced to the fastest convertible on the planet.

Photo Gallery: Driven: 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster – New Car, Truck, and SUV Road Tests and Reviews – Automobile Magazine

Let’s get this out of the way right now: I will declare a winner in this, my first comparison test. No thumb-twiddling that the winner “depends on what you like.” The winner doesn’t depend on what you like; it depends on what I like. Since that’s simple enough to figure out, and you’re smart enough to ascertain if my priorities are in line with your own, let’s get on with it.

Photo Gallery: Miami Heat: BMW M6, Jaguar XKR, and Porsche 911 Carrera S Convertibles – New Car, Truck, and SUV Road Tests and Reviews – Automobile Magazine

Horse Thief Mile Raceway is halfway up a mountain in California’s high desert, perched just above and to the north of Willow Springs International Race- way. A modern outgrowth of Willow’s half-century-old main track, it’s really nothing spectacular. Save for an overwhelming lack of runoff, most of Horse Thief’s corners are relatively benign. A few of its turns decrease in radius, but only one of them qualifies as truly intimidating.

Photo Gallery: 2007 Dodge Demon Concept: We Drive it! – New Car, Truck, and SUV Road Tests and Reviews – Automobile Magazine

Hurling out of Road Atlanta’s esses, my heart is crossed with steering lock, my left ear is buzzed with exhaust blat, and the horn-button growler is baring teeth to bite my chest. The Cozzi-Jaguar Special strains at its leash as it sweeps through turn 5, scratching Dunlop claws into asphalt warmed by the noon sun. When I leg the throttle to leap out of the bend, the engine takes that opportunity to show who’s boss. Instead of more roar, I get a sneeze and a stumble. Air and fuel demand a meeting to settle grievances. A gentler nudge of the gas is what the tall six needs to shoulder the load and hustle my red racer along the back straight.

Photo Gallery: Cozzi-Jaguar Special – Latest Car, Truck, and SUV Road Tests and Reviews – Automobile Magazine

A line of cypress trees marches to the horizon in perfectly ordered ranks, defining the borders of this dusty Tuscan trail. In the middle distance, a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coup broods, roof up, on the side of the road. It is covered with a thick coat of blond Tuscan dust, and when the driver finally twists the key, the dual exhausts kick up a roiling swirl of talcum-fine dirt. Rarely in my experience has a car come to life with such drama, both figuratively and literally.

Photo Gallery: 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe – Latest Car, Truck, and SUV Road Tests and Reviews – Automobile Magazine