2019 Lexus ES: A Brief Walk Around

The 2019 Lexus ES enters its seventh generation with a number of improvements. Lexus says the ES resides in one of the industry’s most competitive segments and, as a result, the 2019 model gets a bump in luxury, performance, and fuel efficiency. An F SPORT variant is available for those who want a little extra spice.

Here is a brief walk around the 2019 Lexus ES.

Essential Foundations

The new ES rides on the Lexus Global Architecture – K (GA-K) platform, a rigid front-wheel drive chassis. The platform employs various grades of high-strength steel to reduce weight while a new multi-link rear suspension facilitates better handling. The rack-mounted electric power steering and a V-brace mounted behind the rear seat provided engineers the flexibility to further tune the 2019 ES.

Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Power & Performance

The 2019 Lexus ES 350 is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that includes an updated D-4S fuel injection system. The engine, which creates 302 horsepower and 267 lb-ft. of torque, is paired to a new eight-speed Direct Shift automatic. Lexus says the transmission was configured with a wider spread of ratios for an optimum combination of low-end acceleration and high-end efficiency.

EPA fuel mileage estimates are 22/33 city/highway with a combined of 26 mpg. Lexus says this is a two mile-per-gallon improvement in combined driving, despite an extra 34 horsepower and 19 lb-ft. of torque for the new model year.

The new ES 300h runs Lexus’ fourth-generation Hybrid Drive System, paired with an Atkinson cycle, 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine. With lighter, more compact designs for the electric motor and self-charging hybrid system, the new ES 300h returns an EPA rating of 43/45 city/highway and 44 combined mpg.

Total system output is 215 horsepower.

Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Safety & Technology

The Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 is now standard equipment, which includes daytime bicyclist detection and low light pedestrian detection. The tech treatments are numerous, from Apple CarPlay compatibility and Siri Eyes Free voice control, to Amazon Alexa functionality.

Interior Layout

Designers wanted the driver to have a more focused view of the road. For example, the layout of the center display screen, instrument panel, and available heads-up display are meant to keep the driver engaged. On the other hand, designers wanted to give passengers a feeling of openness, spaciousness, and comfort.

The F SPORT model includes a new metallic theme inspired by Japanese swords. The Hadori aluminum trim contains fluctuating wave patterns for a three-dimensional appearance that varies depending on the viewing angle.

Lexus ES 350 F SPORT interior layout with Hadori aluminum trim. Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Pricing & Availability

The 2019 Lexus ES will arrive in September with a base price of $39,500, a $550 increase over the outgoing model. The ES 300h starts at $41,310, a $510 decrease compared to its predecessor.

The ES 350 F SPORT, starting at $44,035, includes a re-tuned suspension and 19-inch wheels and tires. F SPORT models also offer the Adaptive Variable Suspension system borrowed from the LC coupe and LS sedan with 650 levels of damping force.

Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan. He studies mechanical engineering at Wayne State University, serves on the Board of Directors for the Ally Jolie Baldwin Foundation, and is a loyal Detroit Lions fan.

Photos & Source: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

from Automoblog.net https://ift.tt/2OvRdoa

Pocket Rocket: Sticking a Ducati 250 into a Moto3 chassis

Most customs start out with a frame and motor from the same donor. But sometimes it’s a mix and match affair—and every once in a while, we see a truly exotic pairing.

This pint-sized racer from Analog Motorcycles is the most unique match-up to come our way: a 1968 Ducati 250 ‘narrow case’ motor mounted in a Moto3 prototype frame, and wrapped in a plethora of hand-made bits.

The project kicked off about three-and-a-half years ago, when chassis specialists FrameCrafters reached out to Analog’s Tony Prust. They’d built a frame for an Analog project in the past—and were itching to work with the Chicago-based shop again.

Karsten of FrameCrafters made Tony an enticing offer: He had their first prototype Moto3 chassis sitting in the shop, and would Tony like to do a build with it?

“They would take care of fitting whatever engine I chose and get it to a rolling chassis, and we would take care of the rest. I said: ‘Of course!’”

The chassis was originally developed eight years ago, and has been used by a couple of pro AMA-level racers with the engine it was originally built for: a Yamaha YZ250. It’s a bi-metal design that combines chromoly tubing with billet aluminum junction points, and it’s a thing of beauty.

Joints are either bolted or bonded with space-grade epoxy. The idea, Tony tells us, is to make production easier, and to create the perfect amount of rigidity and flex where needed.

Around the time FrameCrafters pitched the idea, Tony came across three bikes’ worth of bits and pieces from vintage Ducati 250 singles. There was at least one complete engine in the pile, originally built for racing, so he sent that off to FrameCrafters to start mocking up the chassis.

They stretched the Moto3 frame one and a half inches, not only to wedge the motor in, but also to make mundane maintenance tasks easier. “It could have probably fitted without lengthening,” explains Tony, “but then you would need to drop the engine to check or change a spark plug, and that was not going to work for us.”

FrameCrafters whipped up two front engine mounts, and a rear mount to attach the back of the engine to the frame and swing arm. Analog designed the subframe, which FrameCrafters then welded in to the Moto3 chassis.

Bill Bailey, machinist whiz and regular FrameCrafters collaborator, milled all the aluminum junctions by hand. When everything was buttoned up, Analog spent several hours giving the aluminum a brushed finished, then had it powder coated clear to preserve the hard work.

The Ducati rolls on rebuilt Showa suspension from an Aprilia RS125. A set of 17” Sun rims was laced up to a modded Honda CB550 front hub and a custom made Barnes quick-change rear hub.

Braking duties are handled by a full Beringer brake system, with HEL lines. Dunlop rain race tires round out the package: a KR189 up front, and a KR389 at the rear.

While FrameCrafters were fine-tuning the chassis, the leftovers from Tony’s pile of Ducati bits went to TJ at DemonTech. He put together another 250 engine, adding a 12V conversion and electronic ignition from Electrex along the way.

Other upgrades include a NOS Dell’Orto VHB27 carb, and a custom gearshift linkage to convert the bike to a left-side shifter. The kickstart lever had to be modified too, so that it would clear the rearsets and linkages.

As soon as Tony had the rolling chassis back in the shop, he started working on a wooden buck for the new tank and tail. “I had been wanting to make all the body work myself this time. I had a mentor by the name of Devlin Hunt coming in and helping me hone the metal shaping craft a bit more. I was already doing fenders, seat pans, number plates, etcetera—but not a tank yet.”

“I learned so much working with him, and he was an incredible mentor. He was a retired engineer and two-stroke guru, and was a self-taught metal shaper. He would not do any of the work; he showed me and then made me do it, which is exactly how I learn.”

“He unexpectedly passed away in February 2017, and that pulled all the wind out of my sails on the project.”

Tony put the Ducati on the back burner and went back to customer projects for almost a year. “I worked on the metal shaping craft a little bit more in the meantime, building the KTM ‘ArchDuke,’” he says.

“So when I got to the Ducati fairing, I was a little more prepared. That was a big undertaking for me, and I am really pleased with how it came out.”

Giving the bodywork a racing theme to match the Moto3 frame was a no-brainer, but Tony also worked in a few nods to Ducati’s back catalog. The paint is a Pantah TL Europe-only color scheme, laid down by Artistimo Custom Design. The stacked headlights reference the 999, and the air vent bump on top of tank the 900SS.

Poking out under the tail is a stainless steel Cone Engineering ‘Big Mouth’ muffler, hooked up to a one-off stainless steel pie-cut header. The tail light—an Analog catalog part—is mounted under the subframe; “similar to that of a GP bike set up for rain,” says Tony.

The smaller details almost outweigh the headline features on this firecracker. There’s a new wiring loom, built around a Motogadget m.unit blue Bluetooth-enabled controller. The speedo and bar-end turn signals are also Motogadget parts, the clip-ons are modified Vortex items, and the grips are from Cole Foster.

There’s a custom-mounted steering damper too, and Free Form Design machined up caliper mounts and rear set brackets. Capping it off is stellar upholstery from Dane Utech of Plz.B.Seated.

“We wanted it to have all the race parts and trim, and look fast sitting still, but using a beautiful old Ducati single engine. Just to make people scratch their heads a little when they look at it—and think to themselves, ‘Why?’”

“To which we respond, unapologetically: Why not?”

Analog Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Photos by Grant Schwingle

from Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2OtwuRO

Automoblog Book Garage: Pontiac Trans Am

I have been staying up at night recently, scraping the depths of the interwebs for three vehicles: a 2006-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP, a 2005-2006 GTO, and a 2009 G8 GT GXP. I have a soft spot in my heart for Pontiac, which comes from my time as a Service Advisor at a GM dealership. These slightly older Pontiacs are on my list of dream cars.

If they existed as new models, I would be beside myself. I miss Pontiac.

Grit & Guts

With today’s vehicles, it’s often about connectivity; Bluetooth this, smartphone that. But these Pontiac cars were never about infotainment and internet connections. They were about performance. They were about those sweet engines. They were about grit and guts.

I only gravitate toward the GXP models and the more modern GTO because they are what I would deem the essential Pontiacs of my generation (I’m approaching 37). But the truth is, there is an entirely different Pontiac that represented an entirely different generation. And as the youth would say today, it’s cool “AF.”

Cue the Trans Am.

By 1979, the Pontiac Firebird was the last performance car standing, and 117,108 Trans Ams were sold that year out of 211,454 Firebirds. Americans still wanted an automobile with V8 power and trendsetting style – and the Trans Am delivered. Photo: Tom & Kelly Glatch.

The Eagle & The Horse

Pontiac Trans Am by Tom Glatch is a deep dive into a car that tore up race tracks, thundered down main street, and blazed across Hollywood’s silver screens. On the heels of the GTO, the Firebird had its work cut out when it rolled onto the scene in 1967. Across town, Ford’s Mustang was raking it in, an instant sensation among baby boomers. And so it was: the screaming eagle would clash with the charging horse.

Glatch takes us through the entire history, from 1969 when the mighty Firebird Trans Am arguably ruled the roost, to the quiet years of the 1970s, to a reemergence in the 1980s. When muscle cars became dormant for a generation, it was this classic Pontiac that revived American performance.

If you feel that itch – that one modern cars can’t quite scratch – this book is for you. Pontiac Trans Am: 50 Years is available through Amazon and Motorbooks. 

Author

Since 1983, Glatch has contributed hundreds of stories and photographs to major collector, Corvette, Mustang, muscle car, and Mopar magazines. Glatch grew up during the muscle car era, later owning a 1970 Plymouth Duster 340, described as a “very quick” machine.

He and his wife Kelly have contributed photographs for others in the Motorbooks family. When not pursuing old muscle cars, he works for a Fortune 500 company as a data and systems analyst and developer.

Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan. He studies mechanical engineering at Wayne State University, serves on the Board of Directors for the Ally Jolie Baldwin Foundation, and is a loyal Detroit Lions fan.

Pontiac Trans Am: 50 Years Gallery

from Automoblog.net https://ift.tt/2v0QB1v

2019 Ford F-150 Limited: Rolling Out The Red Carpet

It’s kinda like having a Raptor if the Raptor were wearing a suit and tie. That is how one might describe this latest news from truck country: the 2019 Ford F-150 Limited is getting the Raptor’s high-output EcoBoost V6. The “Limited” trim is exactly how it sounds – it’s the fancy F-150 likely described as “loaded” by the dealer.

In this instance, it’s about combining the best of both words, something Ford says their customers wanted.

“They wanted more power, so we combined Raptor’s engine with Limited’s business-class features to deliver Baja fierceness, boardroom style, and the grit to tackle tough jobs,” said Todd Eckert, Ford Truck Group Marketing Manager.

Power & Performance

With the Raptor’s engine, the 2019 Ford F-150 Limited should provide plenty of grit. We recently dove the new PowerStroke diesel F-150 and thought the same thing – now we’re talking 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft. of torque, which means Ford has the most powerful truck in the segment at the moment. The high-output EcoBoost is attached to a 10-speed automatic.

An added bonus is the new dual exhaust system, which Ford says is “smoothly integrated into new rear bumper cutouts.”

Translation: we copied Ram.

Photo: Ford Motor Company.

Red Carpet Treatment

Premium amenities include a Miko suede headliner, leather-topped instrument panel, and Camel Back two-tone leather seats. The front seats have the “Active Motion” feature, meaning they provide extra lumbar support with a massage function for those longer trips.

“It was important for us to get this interior just right as we continue to raise the bar for premium pickup trucks,” said Aileen Barraza, Ford Color and Materials Manager. “The materials we chose to incorporate are authentic, distinctive, and durable.”

Ford’s designers didn’t leave anything to chance – they wanted the F-150 Limited to be tough, like a truck should be, but as elegant as a luxury car.

 “The gradated ash swirl trim is like something you see in a fine instrument,” Barraza continued. “Each piece is hand-finished, and a halo around the edges with a heavily polished center really brings out the natural beauty of this wood.”

Even the holes in the micro-perforated leather are enlarged to improve the cooling performance of the ventilated captain’s chairs. There’s a heated steering wheel, twin-panel moonroof, and a special laser-etched plaque on the center console armrest which displays the truck’s serial number.

“F-150 Limited customers create their own success,” Eckert explained. “The truck is their reward.”

Technology & Availability

Years ago, a tape player was considered a luxury in trucks, but the 2019 Ford F-150 Limited comes to the party with a standard B&O PLAY audio system by HARMAN. Toss in the Wi-Fi access for up to 10 devices and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and it’s a rolling hot spot.

Those big towing jobs are helped along by an integrated trailer brake controller and a 360-degree camera with a split-view display, useful when hitching up. Optional is the Pro Trailer Backup Assist feature; drivers rotate a knob to control its direction, with the F-150 automatically steering to follow the course selected.

Expect the 2019 Ford-150 Limited in dealerships later this year.

Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan. He studies mechanical engineering at Wayne State University, serves on the Board of Directors for the Ally Jolie Baldwin Foundation, and is a loyal Detroit Lions fan.

Photos & Source: Ford Motor Company.

from Automoblog.net https://ift.tt/2mQktcu

Stunning Sigrid: A most unusual BMW R90/6 from Titan

There’s a downside to the current popularity of BMW customs: a certain ‘sameness’ creeping in. After all, there are only so many ways you can tweak that familiar frame and boxer engine.

This new build from Austria’s Titan Motorcycles is very different, though—and unlike many builds that try to be different, it works beautifully. You’d never guess, but it’s based on an R90/6 from the 1970s, which means it has the 898 cc version of the venerable air-cooled motor.

Titan’s Michael Siebenhofer came across the R90/6 while browsing an Austrian online classifieds site. “It was was offered as ‘individual parts’,” he recalls. “The bike was not complete at all.”

Michael was primarily looking for an engine, because two-valve airhead motors are becoming rare in Europe. So he met up with the retired gentleman selling the BMW, in a carpentry workshop in the middle of nowhere.

Moments later Michael was the new owner of a very old engine, as well as a frame, a set of forks, and a few other ancillary parts.

Back in Graz, Austria’s second largest city after Vienna, Michael debated whether to resell some of the parts on eBay, to earn back a few Euros—or to invest many more hundreds to make the R90/6 a functioning motorcycle again.

He decided to rebuild. After tracking down as many missing parts as he could, he tore down the engine and the Bing carbs in the basement of his house. “Out of public view,” he explains. “If a man works hard during the week, he’s got the right to have a hobby in his leisure time, okay?”

An R75/5 gearbox was grafted onto the engine, and an R45 swingarm to accentuate the vintage vibe. Michael didn’t want to take any chances with the shaft drive though, so he’s installed a newer R80/7 kardan setup.

As the months passed by, the old BMW started to take shape. Michael pillaged the shelves at Titan for what he couldn’t find online, and also stocked up on maintenance and repair items from a local BMW dealer. “It’s a good thing that the German spare parts network is almost at 100%, even for 1970s machines.”

A concept started to form in Michael’s mind. “I had a 1920s tank concept, like a museum piece, or a racing bike from pre-war times,” he recalls. “But that style was not really feasible, due to the high frame beam of the BMW.”

Then Michael got his hands on an old tin tank from the 1930s, which he modified to fit—and then gave a subversive twist with BSA branding.

The seat support is welded directly onto the tank, with the original subframe brackets bearing the weight of the rider. It’s a neat arrangement, not least because Michael didn’t want to cut into the valuable R90/6 frame (which, incidentally, is homologated for sidecar use as well).

The Art Nouveau-style seat itself is a real highlight. It’s crafted in the style of the classic ‘Thonet’ Vienna coffee house chair, with contours cut out of a 50mm thick piece of oak plank.

Michael calls it ‘the real Austrian coffeehouse racer look,’ with milled grooves and an original Wiener Geflecht Viennese mesh insert. We’re told it’s very comfortable too.

The electrics, we’re glad to note, are straight out of the 21st century. A fresh loom is plugged into the latest version of the Motogadget m.unit control box, which feeds a Motoscope Mini speedo and m.switch pushbuttons. The turn signals are a mix of Motogadget and Kellermann, and the bars are LSL’s 22mm Drag Bars.

‘Stunning Sigrid’ was finished just in time for June’s famous Club of Newchurch Festival, which attracts 15,000 bikers every year to the beautiful Austrian Alps.

We’re not surprised to hear that the R90/6 won the Professional trophy in the festival’s Custom Bikes show.

And yes, it’s sacrilegious to sit a BSA tank on a BMW frame. But it’s also a much-needed touch of humor in the homogenous world of airhead customs.

Titan Motorcycle Company | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Clemens Humeniuk

from Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2OnUp54