The Sad Life of many Sports Cars

This is a 2008 BMW M3. This 4 year old car may look friendly and sociable, but lurking beneath its calm and collected exterior is a monster trying to break free. With a 4.0 liter V8 that generates 414 hp and 295 lb.-ft. of torque this deceiving sedan begs to be driven like a bat out of hell. The sport tuned suspension, oversized brakes and a sticker price of over $60k, back in 2008, are further proof that this is no ordinary family car. So only a diehard M fan with gasoline surging through his veins would dish out more than most peoples’ annual salary on a car like this, right? Well, sadly, no. Hit the jump for more!

Retro Corrado Commercial

Volkswagen has produced some pretty interesting commercials throughout the years. In this retro advertisement they sacrifice a  Beetle with the intent of proving how fast the G60 Corrado is. With a supercharged 1.8 liter churning out 158 HP the "Rado" was a pretty quick V-dub back in it's day. Pay attention to that rear spoiler too. Only the finest Supercars have similar spoilers nowadays. Check it out!  

2013 Ford Focus ST

Back in highschool one of my buddies parents' drove a first generation Ford Focus. Occasionally my friend and I would borrow the car for school or football practice, etc. and I specifically remember thinking how horrible the car was. The inside was cheaper than a coupon shopper and the ride was horrendous. Maybe I'm exagerrating a little but I honestly felt like the car was going to break down every time we drove it. Then about 6 months ago my wife and I flew to Wisconsin and ended up renting a 2011 Focus while we were there. This time around though, I was blown away. The car was spectacular. It was sportier and more aggressive. The trend continued inside the car with it's sleek lines and high quality materials. The ride was also monumentally better than what I remembered in my buddies Focus. It drove great and the steering was quick and responsive for a compact. I was very impressed to say the least. When the time came to return the car I was a little bummed that I'd be back driving my wife's 2007 Elantra at the end of the day. My point in all this is that the Ford Focus has made leaps and bounds of progress since it was introduced in 98'. Well now Ford's about to take their success with the Focus another step further with the introduction of the ST. Hit the jump for more!

Neil Armstrong's 1967 Corvette

Do you want to be friends with Neil Armstrong? If so you should probably find another dream because it's most likely not going to happen. But if you want to feel like you and Neil are best buds without going golfing together on the weekends then you could always buy his 1967 Stingray Corvette that's for sell on Ebay right now. It may not be in the former astronauts hands anymore but it was given to him by Chevrolet to drive for a year after he conquered the moon back in 69'. After he had his fun in it he turned it back into the dealership who then sold it to another NASA employee who drove it for awhile and then parked it in his garage where it's been sitting for the last 31 years. The seller purchased this gem from the NASA employee this February and is now hoping that the car's rich history will bring him an even richer bank account. His claim to the car's authenticity is the Protect-O-Plate which is a piece of metal that Chevy installed which was stamped with Armstrong's data. But even if it was this American hero's car would you pay the current bid of $245k for it? Check out the Ebay ad for more pics! 

Via Yahoo Motors

2013 Ford Taurus SHO

When I was 9 years old my dad traded in our 1995 Ford Taurus for a 1993 Ford Taurus SHO. At the time I thought he was crazy for trading in his recently purchased car for what I thought was the same exact thing aside from the white paint and wheels, leather interior, and weird SHO logos plastered all over it. But after driving in the car for a couple days I realized that the SHO had more than mere cosmetic differences from its cheaper counterpart.

My dad explained to me that SHO stood for Super High Output and that his new baby was actually a sports car disguised as a family sedan. What an awesome idea. A sports car disguised as an everyday driver. I thought my dad was a pretty cool guy after that. Well that was 15 years ago and a lot has changed since then. GM had to be bailed out by the Government, Toyota proved to be mortal and Hyundai became a top competitor in the auto industry. One thing has remained the same through the years though and that is the niche of drivers that demand a high performance sports sedan. It’s that group of driving enthusiasts who refuse to conform to the hot hatch world that we now live in and instead yearn for the practicality of a full size sedan with the heart and soul of a Mustang. Ford understands this group of people which is why they recently resurrected the SHO. But the new SHO is nothing like the one I grew up with. In fact it’s a completely new beast. Hit the jump for more!