By: Chris Raymond, ChrisonCars.Com

"Supercars are designed to mess with G-forces. Hypercars are designed to mess with G-strings. – Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear

In the world of automotive journalism, hyperbole is king. Words like supercar and hypercar are used to stir up the masses and increase page views. But neither of these words has an accepted definition, until my epic post "The Supercar Defined." This week we will consider a more recent entry into the automotive lexicon, the hypercar.

A hyper person is someone who is overexcited, manic, agitated, hectic, frenzied, and rabid. A hypercar is exactly the same thing, only worse. The word hypercar became popular sometime in the early 1990’s, and was used to describe cars like the Vector W8 and the McLaren F1. The accepted definition requires the vehicle to meet all the standard requirements for being a supercar, which includes: possessing a blistering top speed, having an outrageous price tag, awesome power, supermodel looks, a miniscule trunk, terrifying maintenance costs and teeny tiny production numbers…and then go way, way past it. Everything that a supercar is, the hypercar is…squared.

Depending on your views, cars like the Lamborghini Gallardo, the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Aston Martin DBS would be considered supercars. But these are just insane…the hypercar is psychotic. Instead of just being fast, the hypercar must have the ability to travel in the 240mph PLUS neighborhood…and that is about as exclusive and expensive a neighborhood as you can get. The price of a supercar is described as unholy at around 200,000 to 300,000 dollars, but the price of a hypercar is more than simply profane and can reach over 1 to 2 million dollars.

Where a supercar is designed to be the automotive equivalent of…say, Gisele Bundchin, the hypercar is Marilyn Manson, Insane Clown Posse and Adam Lambert all rolled into one. Styling is not just meant to be groundbreaking, it is meant to reach over, grab you by the throat and rip out your tonsils. People who own and drive a hypercar live in the world of the divine…gods beyond the reach of mere mortals.

Which cars actually meet these lofty standards? As I mentioned above, the Vector W8 (242 mph) and McLaren F1 (240 mph) were probably two of the first. I would add to that list the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo* (248 mph), the SSC Ultimate Aero (257 mph), the Hennessey Venom GT (254 mph), the Koenigsegg Agera (250 mph), and of course the Bugatti Veyron and Veyron Super Sport (253 and 267 mph respectively). There are others that come close, including some odd little cars made by tiny manufacturers like Keating, Dauer, and Gumpert, but they are just a little too slow at 230+ mph.

Other cars that are considered by some to be hypercars, like the Mercedes McLaren SLR, are just posers. They may have bought the right clothes, but they are missing the muscle to really be part of the club. This is a club where the average member (THE AVERAGE MEMBER!) can easily reach speeds of 230 mph, and they are getting faster all the time. Consider that the supercars of old are about as fast as the Honda’s of today, and you can imagine where this is all heading. So, what’s next on the horizon…Ultracars? Super-Hypercars? Quantacars?

* Saleen Automotive will be unveiling a new vehicle at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, August 17, 2013. Contact pr@saleen.com for more info.

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Fireball Tim Lawrence, who has one foot planted in the movie industry and the other in autodom, apparently figures that if filmmakers can use automobile derring-do to sell their product, he can use movie gossip, lore and glamour to bring readers to his new online newspaper: The Fireball Tim Wackadoodle. In his words, it features "Cars, Movies and Cool." A stunt driver and designer of vehicles, weaponry and environments for hundreds of movies, Fireball Tim also writes for three Southern California editions of Patch. He has published a book of Wacky Rides for children 4 to 8-years-old and is working on one for adults to be out in time for Christmas sale. He also will be the host of the world’s first Automotive Film Festival to be held in Monterey August 15-17 co-incident with The Pebble Beach Concours. Check the Wackadoodle for details.

Roman Mica celebrated producing and airing his one-thousandth video on The Fast Lane You Tube Channel by launching the TFLTruck web site and related You Tube channel, devoted to trucks 24/7. The original TFL has attracted 50 million You Tube viewers and reached a daily high of 173,000 viewers. . . . In addition to its weekly TV and Online Series, Moto-Man is launching a monthly interview show live from the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles. It will feature auto world shapers and displays reflecting their work and will allow a question and answer period from the audience, which will be admitted at no charge from those paying admission to the Museum.

Wooden Horse Newsletter reports: Motor Trend’s website will merge with MSN Autos and become Motor Trend on MSN. It is expected to launch in early 2014. Its existing print, video, radio, and iPad products will continue…Sharp is a new Canadian magazine for men. The editorial covers fashion and style, automobiles, luxury travel, technology, food, entertainment, celebrities, investigative journalism and uniquely Canadian topics of international importance. Web site: http://sharpformen.com/.

Long Beach Register will launch as a new daily newspaper on August 19. It will be available on newsstands as well as bundled with the Orange County Register. The new paper is hiring additional staff and is currently seeking a Long Beach-based office. . . .Irvine World News newspaper, Irvine, CA, will increase frequency to five-days-a-week Monday thru Friday, starting July 22. The 43-year old community newspaper was published previously two days per week, both on newsstands and inserted into the Orange County Register paper.

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Some contrasts in automotive promotion

Makes you believe it can do the job:

Dodge Brothers Wild Ride

Makes it difficult to deny the possibility of an actuality:

The Future of Transportation

Makes you want to buy . . . . the music:

"Immigrants"

(Just the song.)
 

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Ryan Beene of Advertising Age reported the top ten auto advertisers increased their 2012 unmeasured ad spending (search engine marketing, online videos, social media) by $5.82 billion, an increase of 34% from the year before and upped their TV spending year-to year by 7.3% to $6.25 billion. Their combined print advertising for the same years increased 2 % in 2012. . . . Reflecting the overall decline in all types of print advertising: The Tribune Company, following the purchase of 19 television stations, is rumored to be planning to spin off its newspaper holdings. They include the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun. The New York Times' parent company is reportedly again actively seeking the sale of The Boston Globe.

The Chicago Sun-Times has changed its title to the Chicago Sun-Times.com, reflecting its efforts to put digital before print…The Oregonian newspaper will reduce print delivery to four days a week. A newly created digitally focused media company, Oregonian Media Group, will publish the print newspaper and operate its website OregonLive.com. It is also laying off an undisclosed number of staff. . . .Conde Nast in what Online Media Daily’s Gavin O’Malley describes as "continuing its leisurely digital transformation" launched its fourth video channel, Vanity Fair, that will appear on several platforms, as do its channels for GQ, Glamour and Vogue.

In announcing the closing of 11 Canadian newspapers and the lay off of 360 employees just two months after closing two plants and furloughing 500 employees, Sun Media Corp.’s COO, Julie Tremblay is quoted by Bloomberg Businessweek’s Gerrit De Vynck, "Digital is more than a strong trend. Young people are getting their information almost exclusively from digital sources." Silvio Calabi referred his fellow NEMPA members to a recent Jaguar interactive news release that is an example of the trend to digital and unmeasured media in automotive marketing:  http://blog.interactivejaguar.com/blog.do?id=981&p=entry . . . . Lexus is providing select buff book editors with Kogeto 360 degree "JOEY" panoramic cameras to provide visuals for their own outlets and for a Lexus Instagram campaign for its new IS sports sedan.

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This Lamborghini’s Aventador LP 700-4 roadster was among the 32 cars on hand for NEMPA’s 16th annual "Ragtop Ramble & Crustacean Crawl" July 17-18. Also included in the drop top and lobster festivities for the first time was a McLaren Spyder.

The Ford Fiesta 1.0l Eco-Boost was named the "2013 Women’s World Car of the Year" in judging by women auto writers from around the world. It also won the Economy Car category to advance to the finals . . . . . Marketing executives from Land Rover and Audi are among the speakers scheduled for the Automotive News Marketing Seminar in New York City Sept. 18. Check www.autonews.com/NYseminar for more details. . . . Ann Fleming’s www.Women-Drivers.com was selected one of Dealer Elite’s 10 Most Interesting and Innovative Automotive Companies of 2013. The input of a select field of industry leaders named the group of top ten companies that are growing and innovating in a way that has a significant impact on the way the industry does business. . . . 1988 Le Mans winner Jochen Mass has been named 2014 Amelia Island Concours honoree. The dates are March 6 to 9. Headquarters are the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. The program is available here. . . . And lest you forget, the Concours D’LeMons will be held Saturday, August 17 at Seaside California’s Laguna Grande Park. Go to http://www.hagerty.com/Classic-car-articles-resources/Events/lemons to register.

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By: Mac Gordon

There's no stopping diesel as a gotta-have car fuel now.

Despite diesel fuel's gradual acceptance on the U.S. market, it remains a rare fuel of choice for seekers of economical engines. According to R.L. Polk's tabulated registrations, about 6.2 million diesel vehicles were in operation on North American roads in 2012.

Only about 800,000 of these were passenger cars and SUVs, the rest were heavy-duty pickup trucks and SUVs.

Diesel-powered vehicles have escalated in number, but only 0.6 percent of sales have gone to diesel-fuel powerplants, according to Polk data.

The shortfall in the share of vehicle purchases going to diesel fuel is occurring in spite of all-out marketing efforts by the German automakers.

Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, has called for German automakers to lead in sales of electric and hybrid as well as diesels, but the Germans have not fared so well on the hybrid front, while diesel sales have been gaining momentum thanks to Mercedes-Benz global plans to field eight diesel models in the 2014 lineup, including a 4-cylinder C-class entry-level sedan. Driveability is another factor favoring diesels over hybrids.

The electric engine does call for what NY Times critic Lawrence Ulrich in his July 21 review described as a “hassle (or inconvenience) whereas hybrid driving brings tricks including obsessively avoiding the gas pedal.”

Diesel advocate Doug Skorupski, tech strategy manager for VW of America, dismisses hybrid-engine driving as “subnormal,” compared to diesel-engine driving. BMW has other reservations, and will phase out its 4-cylinder turbo-diesel 328d sedan in 2014.

These drivers have found the “turbo” half of “turbodiesel” operations detrimental to the Bavarian automaker's reputation for power smoothness and mileage-per-gallon results.

Just as “turbo” spells power in a Porsche Cayenne supercharged V-6 or in the entry-level range between a 20 MPG Toyota Prius and a 49 MPG Chevrolet Cruze Diesel (yes, that's right) the domestic Big 3 are into diesels big time and all still needs a salute from President Obama to challenge Chancellor Merkel on an alternative engine race, including hard-to-get diesel fuel.

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regional news

NEW ENGLAND

Silvio Calabi alerted his fellow NEMPA members to the re-invention of the wheel – a folding wheel manufactured by MORPH Wheels that facilitates traveling with a wheelchair – even in a taxi. For more information, check http://morphwheels.com.

(For more on mobility for the handicapped see California Regional News, this issue).

Calabi also called attention to two articles providing an overview of computer-controlled cars: Crash Course: Training the Brain of a Driverless Car by Susan Kuchinskas in Scientific American and a cover story in The Economist: Clean, Safe and It drives Itself.

Tom Tom has an opening for a PR Manager in its Boston area headquarters. Click here for a complete description,

ATLANTIC STATES

Tickets are on sale for the 2013 IMPA Test Days in Monticello, NY. Further information can be found at www.impa.org . . . A 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi is being offered by the International Motor Racing Research Center as its 2013 raffle car. Donated by Greg Galdi, the car has been driven fewer than 1,500 miles. The raffle is the Center’s major fund-raiser of the year in support of its work of preserving the history of motorsports. Raffle tickets are $60 for one or two for $100. Only 2,308 tickets will be sold. The drawing will be on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Center at 610 S. Decatur St., Watkins Glen. Ticket holders do not need to be present to win. Tickets can be purchased by calling (607) 535-9044 or by emailing research@racingarchives.org. An order form is available on the Center’s website at www.racingarchives.org.

As best we know, U.S. News and World Reports is still in need of an auto editor who, presumably will be based in Washington, D.C. Check here: Online Autos Editor/Technical Writer, U.S. News & World Report - Washington, District of Columbia

SOUTHEAST

The Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association (GAAMA) hosted its first-ever signature event, the 2013 Family Choice Challenge, at Lake Lanier Islands Resort, near Buford, Georgia. Automotive press members evaluated 21 models from 15 brands and selected five class winners plus one top choice, They were:
Top Choice: Mazda 2014 CX-15; Adventure Choice: 2013 Nissan Pathfinder; Technology Choice: 2013 Ford Fusion; Luxury Choice: Audi A8l and GAAMA members named the 2014 Mazda 6 as the Green Car Choice for families. The group also elected Robert Palermo its president for the coming year.

MIDWEST/BORDER STATES

Brett Berk’s Vanity Fair column, Stick Shift, called attention to an outstanding automobile as art exhibit in Nashville’s First Center for the Visual Arts. Curator for the show was Ken Gross who gathered 18 automobiles from the art deco era and two motorcycles for a display he titled "Sensuous Steel." The Bugatti is one of several models validating the headline. The show lasts through Sept.15.

Automotive design and technology will be a featured session August 7 at this year’s Car Management Briefing Seminars in Travis City Michigan. The seminars are organized by the Center For Automotive Research and annually attract experts from various areas of the car industry. Check www.cargroup.org for more information.

WEST

Roman Mica reports that the Rocky Mountain Press Association’s series of ten racetrack performance reviews of new cars proved popular among readers of The Fast Lane Car and viewers on AOL or You Tube.

RMAP’s next event is the Rocky Mountain 4XFall Sept.13, an off-road rally from Boulder, CO to the ghost town of Caribou, CO, and back, we trust. Click here for more info.

In Texas, TAWA members have until July 30 to enter the group’s annual excellence in craft competition. Prizes are awarded for: best magazine, best newspaper and best Internet articles in English and in Spanish and best radio, video and photography entries. Entry rules are available here.

FAR WEST

The 25th anniversary gala of the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, Calif., near San Francisco, will be held Saturday, August 10 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. For more information and reservations email: museum@blackhawkmuseum.org  . . . Just about 140 miles east of San Francisco the Ironstone Concours d’ Elegance in Murphys will once again enliven historic California gold rush territory on Saturday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to 4:30p.m. No guarantee of striking gold but the17th annual Ironstone Concours d'Elegance will feature over 300 antique, classic, special interest, sports and racecars. For more information go to www.IronstoneConcours.com. Or, telephone 209-785-4234. Proceeds support agriculture programs for youth.

In the Los Angeles area The Palos Verdes Concours d’ Elegance promises 200 classic cars in 20 competitive classes on the grounds of the Trump National Golf Club. September 15. Some of the automotive designs by event Grand Marshall Peter Brock will be on display as well. For more information and tickets go to www.pvconcours.com or telephone: 1-866-522-7746. . . . There will be six million wheelchairs built in the U.S. next year but how many vehicles will be built or modified to accommodate them is not so certain. MPG members were told by speakers at its June luncheon that the demand for mobility vehicles is growing because veterans who come home disabled need transportation to get to work and baby boomers are getting older and encountering disabilities that come with age. Also, information about vehicles for the disabled is not readily available and different ailments can require different accommodations. In his piece for the July issue of MPG’s MilePost Journal, Brad Nelson noted that automotive media can help get information out on this neglected market segment.

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Geoff Day, director of communications for Mercedes-BenzUSA departs that post in August for parts unknown (or unannounced) . . . Marketer Michelle St. James (nee Radin) has a new email: michelle.stmyers@csmconsolidated.com . . . Dale Wickell is no longer writing About.com’s truck column but he remains active and can be emailed at: dwickell@citcom.net . . . Canadian freelancer Lesley Wimbush’s updated email address is: lwimbush@cogeco.ca . . .Javier Moreno has supplanted Mira Sleilati in corporate communications at Toyota’s New York offices. . . .Cathy Droz is now specializing in automotive marketing and public relations for small-sized companies and non-profit agencies in the Phoenix, Ariz. area. Her email remains: drozadgal@aol.com . . .  Cam Benty is now Brand Manager, Exhaust Products at Holley Performance Products . He can be emailed at: cambenty@holley.com  or telephoned at 270-782-2900 ext.1507. . . . Alan Colvin is founder, publisher and editor of Restoration Highway Magazine. He can be reached at alan@alancolvin.com . . . Roger Hart, long-time AutoWeek staffer, is now Director of Michigan Photography at the University of Michigan. He can be reached at rhart76@gmail.com . . . .  Sherrie Williams Candland former marketing director for Kindig-It Design hot rod customizer in Salt Lake City, has opened her own shop there, Bleu Door Marketing with Kindig a lead client. . . . Automotive News has added two new staffers: Omar Gardner, formerly with the Detroit Free Press, joins as a news copy editor and Shiraz Ahmend as a web producer. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s school of journalism. Automotive News email format is: first initial last name@Crain.com. . . Brendan Flynn is in the same lane but with a new title - Sr. Director of Marketing and Communications for the L.A. Auto Show. . . . Nic Garcia has moved into Greg Montoya’s spot as editor of Out Front Colorado. His email is nic@Outfrontonline.com . . . Justin Ceslar is now freelancing and has not been replaced as Tec. Editor for GM-HighTech Performance. Send material to editor Scott.Parker@sorc.com. . . . Joel Arellano also departed Automotive.Com at Source Media and has not been replaced.

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Glenn F. Campbell
Publisher
autowriters.com

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talk back

Brock Yates

"Honoring Our Best"

Dear Glenn:

As you may know, Brock Yates, he of Cannonball, One Lap of America, and Car and Driver note, has suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for several years. He is in good physical health but is no longer the man who served as an inspiration to so many of us.

My friend Doug Beachem of Atlanta became a friend of Brock’s, and a friend of mine, during the first One Lap of America. As an event, the first One Lap was a lot like Brock: a little off-center at times and great fun. But I wander.

Doug has established the Brock Yates Tribute Fund within the framework of the Alzheimer’s Association, and we want your readers to know about it.

Let me explain the what and the why of the BYTF. First, know that Brock is taken care of in every way without the Fund. The Fund exists for two reasons: to help the Alzheimer’s Association help others and to honor Brock. That’s it.

Now that you know the what and the why, you should know the how—as in how you can contribute. Access the Alzheimer’s Association page using this link. That should work. If it does not, go to www.alz.org and click on "Donate," then click on "Tributes" in the menu on the left. Next, click "Find a Tribute" and then type "Brock Yates" in the search box. The rest you can figure out.

When a donation is made, the Association notifies Brock Yates, Jr., who in turn notifies the family.

Please join us in helping Alzheimer’s sufferers and, in so doing, give a round of applause to one of our great automotive writers.

Thanks for reading this far.

William Jeanes

###

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The 18 regional automotive press associations provide information and background not easily found elsewhere. If they are too distant for you to attend their meetings, belonging usually gives you access to transcripts or reports of these events and other benefits.

AARWBA
American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association, Inc.

Norma "Dusty" Brandel
President, Exec. Director
dusty@aarwba.org
www.aarwba.org

APA
Automotive Press Association
Detroit, MI

Mark Phelan, President
www.autopressassociation.org

ARPA
American Racing Press Association

Stan Clinton, President
stanclintonarpa@aol.com
americanracingpress.com

EMPA

Eastern Motorsports Press Association
Ballston Spa, NY

Ron Hedger, President
www.empa.org

GAAMA

Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association
Atlanta, GA

Davis Adams, President
www.gaama.org

IMPA
International Motor Press Association
NYC, NY

Dave Kiley, President
davidjkiley@yahoo.com
www.impa.org

MAMA

Midwest Automotive Media Association
Chicago, IL

Kirk Bell, President
www.mamaonline.org

MPG
Motor Press Guild
Los Angeles, CA

Aaron Gold, President
motorpressguild.org

NEMPA
New England Motor
Press Association
Boston, MA

Keith Griffin, President
www.nempa.org

NWAPA
Northwest Automotive Press Association
Portland, OR

Nik Miles, President
nik.j.miles@gmail.com
www.nwapa.org

PAPA
Phoenix Automotive Press Association, Phoenix

Cathy Droz, President
drozadgal@aol.com
phoenixautopress.org

RMAP
Rocky Mountain Automotive Press
Denver, CO

Nathan Adlen, President
www.rmapmedia.com
info@rmapmedia.com

SAMA
Southern Automotive Media Association
Miami FL

Jaimie Flores, President
www.samaonline.org  

SEAMO
Southeast Automotive Media Organization
Charlotte, NC

southeastautomedia.org

TAWA
Texas Auto Writers Association

Michael Marrs
michael.marrs@txann.com
www.TexasAutoWriters.org

TWNA
Truck Writers of North America

Tom Kelley, Executive Director
tom.kelley@deadlinefactory.com
www.twna.org

WAJ
Western Automotive Journalists
San Francisco, CA

David Ray
www.waj.org

WAPA
Washington Automotive Press Association
Washington, D.C.

Melanie Batenchuk, President www.washautopress.org

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