Letters

Automotive Industries, Nov, 2001

Hot Rods Then and Now

For all of Ken Gross's experience, he's not up to speed on the sport compact car market (see AI, Aug. 2001, pg. 19).

Automotive Performance Systems Inc. has been a major player since about 1971-72, and is the oldest, most experienced company in this field today. It is acknowledged as the founder of this specialized market The companies Gross mentioned are relative newcomers.

Automotive Performance Systems markets its brand of parts under the trade name NEUSPEED, the most respected and well-known name in the marketplace. Neuspeed popularized the first water-cooled VW Rabbit in 1975 as a "pocket rocket." Motor Trend knicknamed Neuspeed project car the "Thunder Bunny" after a test session.

Neuspeed specializes in suspension, performance and appearance parts for Volkswagen, Audi and Honda. Specialization means making better parts, rather than trying to make parts for everything in the market Unfortunately, the boys in Detroit don't have a clue about this market And why should they? They never asked us what to build.

Bill Neumann

CEO/Founder

NEUSPEED/Automotive

Performance Systems, Inc.

Oops...not only did I omit Neuspeed (I wanted to list a few representative firms and I didn't mean to exclude it), but it turns out Bill Neumann is, in hot rod terms, THE Bill Neumann -- his channelled '32 roadster was a favorite of mine when I was a teenager. It was last seen in Florida. -Ken Gross

Stephens Had It Right

I knew Tom Stephens when I worked in Cadillac Engineering in Detroit and developed great respect for him. Tom is the father of the Vortec engines, and these engines with obsolete pushrod technology are taking on the competition and winning.

GM had many V-6 engines, all compromised by the bean counters, and still the best V-6 GM has is a derivative of a Buick V-6 that came out in 1962. Some progress. V-6 engines want to be 120 degree but try selling this to the beancounter crowd. I once asked him why he went along with Catera using that lousy German/English 54-degree V-6. He said he was against it, but marketing wanted it and they prevailed.

The ideal engine is an I-6, particularly in diesel, which is the engine of the future. If GM would come out with an updated RWD 1955 Chevy with modem 1-6 gas and diesel engines they would have a sellout.

And no more of this stupid wedge with restricted rear vision. How dumb can designers get? GM has not had a styling honcho worth his salt since Bill Mitchell, and the worst yet is Wayne Cherry. Aztek, Vibe, the Cadillac door stops? Need I state more? Lutz is nevermore needed.

James Byrne,

Hertford, N.C.

English Measurements, Please

I enjoy AI and read each issue that comes to my office. But, I've got to tell you, in more than 40 years of reading "car magazines" and talking to car people, including automotive engineers, I've never met anyone in this country that cared a flip about how many Newton meters of torque, or kilowatts of horsepower an engine makes. Nor have I ever met or talked to anyone in this country that cares how many kilograms a car weighs. Now, I know you have international circulation. I also know many companies think it's chic to project a "globalist" image. But the fact is most of your readers live in the U.S.

Roger Johnson

Via e-mail

Let's Fix It

Andy Cummins expresses what we all feel in our soul but don't have the courage to verbalize (A1 Sept. 2001, pg. 48). Yes, it is time to stop whining and to start fixing. And it won't happen till we quit blaming each other.

We can start by accepting that the other guy is not out to get us or is not ignorant but simply has a different point of view or a different set of information. We can start by giving each other the benefit of doubt If we can start by just respecting each other for our differences and trusting each other so we can work with each other, maybe we'll start designing products with a soul, coming up with products that'll stir the soul in our customers. Maybe with patience, over time, we will once again have exciting American cars in America I, for one, dream of it.

Name Withheld

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