Road and Driver

This Car and Driver: The people and vehicles we meet.

BY JOHN PHILLIPS

Who: Bob Simpson, 66
What: Owner of Bob’s Classics, Inc.
Where: Tampa, Florida

For 18 years, you’ve sold neo-classics like Excaliburs, Clenets, and Zimmers. Why?
Because they look like million-dollar classics but are easy to maintain. You can drive them every day and not worry if they get banged up.

A lot of enthusiasts think neo-classics are dorky.
I don’t know why. Hot-rodders think nothing of a fiberglass Ford bucket-T, powered by a big-block Chevy. Why is that intellectually better or worse than a neo-classic?

What’s been your best seller?
Mercedes 500K replicas. I’ve sold at least 100.

What do you drive on the street?
An Aston Martin DB7 Vantage—my middle name is James, as in Bond—and a Dodge Viper GTS. I abused the Viper on the day Obama won, because I’m a gun collector. I’ve got 150-some handguns.

But weren’t you shot by a handgun?
I was. In 2002, a former employee forged a company check, and I confronted him. He shot six rounds at me as I was running. The very first round—his first damn shot—got me in the butt. The other five hit a truck. The scar looks like a vaccination. The bullet’s still in my butt.

Keep Reading: Are Neoclassics Dorky? Bob Simpson Votes No - Feature

Nissan’s luxury arm dishes on its plans for the future.

BY AARON ROBINSON

The windblown puddle of mercury known as the Infiniti Essence concept car shown at this year’s Geneva show tells volumes about where Nissan’s luxury division is headed both stylistically and technically. The twin-turbo 3.7-liter direct injection V-6 in the Essence will debut, sans turbos, in the redesigned M sedan due in early 2010, making about 340–350 hp. The complex direct-injection technology, in which fuel is injected directly into the cylinder rather than in the intake ports as is more common, most likely will also make its way into the G37 coupe and sedan as mid-cycle upgrades before the cars are completely redesigned in about three years. Besides making more power, gasoline direct-injection technology is also needed to meet tightening emissions and fuel-economy regulations around the world.

Where’s the Q?

As yet, Nissan remains unsure whether to replace Infiniti’s former flagship, the Q45. Infiniti’s U.S. office wants a $70,000–$80,000 car to seal its position as an aspirational luxury performance brand against Lexus, BMW, and Audi. The idea is being explored; recently, dealers from around the world visiting Japan went wild when shown a Q concept which was basically a four-door extrapolation of the fabulous Essence show car.

But Larry Dominique, Infiniti’s vice president of product planning for the U.S., says he wants to see how the economy shapes up before he decides for certain whether to invest in the project. And he has other priorities for the division’s limited resources. Mainly, he says, the division needs to keep its bread-and-butter products fresh, namely the 10Best-winning G and the M. The company also has a replacement for the QX56 sport-utility in the works, which will debut after the redesigned Nissan Armada probably later in 2010. Both trucks will be built in Japan on a traditional ladder frame shared with a new Nissan Patrol, which remains for overseas markets only.

Keep Reading: Infiniti Readies Direct Injection for M37 and G37, Unsure About New Q - Car News

This month’s articles are just a click away…

Corvette ZR1 vs. Viper SRT10, Murciélago LP640, SL65 AMG Black Series
Unnatural selection: With 600 horsepower (and then some), these supercars are at the pinnacle of the automotive food chain. Just like dinosaurs, they may be doomed.

Chevy Silverado vs. Dodge Ram, and Ford F-150
Truckin’ through the apocalypse: Under ominous economic skies, we compare the best big-iron pickups Detroit has ever offered.

Road Test

2009 Honda Insight EX
A peacock hybrid: Honda makes a grab for the Prius’s halo with a hybrid for less.

Long-Term Road Test

2008 Scion xB
Gen II: Box elder: Our Scion xB looked like a miniature UPS truck and probably performed just as many errands.

Short Take Road Tests

2009 Hyundai Genesis 3.8
Lighter and more spry than its big brother.

2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4MATIC
Undercutting the wagon competition.

2009 Aston Martin V-8 Vantage Roadster
Valet parkers will leap to their feet and salute.

Second Short Take

2009 Pontiac G8 GXP
A performance value comes at a bad time.

Specialty Files

Superformance GT40 MKII
Heroic replica seeks commensurate powertrain.

Hennessey Challenger HPE600 Turbo
Add 195 turbocharged horses to a Challenger SRT8, then notify Houston control.

Keep Reading: March 2009 - Table of Contents