OCTOBER 20, 2021

(Chevrolet)
From the "More Cowbell" File: Chevrolet Performance has introduced the ZZ632/1000 crate engine, "the largest and most powerful crate engine in the brand’s history," according to Chevrolet PR minions. The naturally aspirated 632-cubic-inch V-8 produces 1,004HP and 876 lb-ft of torque. “This is the biggest, baddest crate engine we’ve ever built,” said Russ O’Blenes, GM director of the Performance and Racing Propulsion Team. “The ZZ632 sits at the top of our unparalleled crate engine lineup as the king of performance. It delivers incredible power, and it does it on pump gas.” The Big Block V-8 reaches peak power at 6,600 rpm and revs to a recommended maximum of 7,000 rpm. Fuel is delivered by eight port injectors with the engine breathing through CNC-machined high-flow aluminum cylinder heads featuring symmetrical ports. While Big Blocks have traditionally been designed with variations in port shape from cylinder to cylinder, all eight intake ports of the ZZ632 have the same length, volume and layout. Similarly, all of the ZZ632’s exhaust ports are identical. This symmetry ensures individual cylinders all produce similar power. These RS-X Symmetrical Port cylinder heads are named for powertrain engineer Ron Sperry, who designed them as one of his final accomplishments in more than 50 years working on General Motors performance and racing engines. Sperry also introduced symmetrical ports to Chevy’s iconic Small Block V-8 with the Gen III LS1 engine that debuted in the 1997 Chevrolet Corvette. The ZZ632’s iron block shares a mold with Chevrolet Performance’s ZZ572 crate engines, but the castings are machined to accommodate the massive 632-cubic-inch displacement. The bore grows by 0.040 inch compared to the 572-cubic-inch V-8s, with most of the displacement gain coming from a stroke that’s 0.375 inch longer. To provide clearance for that long stroke, engineers modified both the block and the connecting rods. Four-bolt main caps and a forged rotating assembly ensure strength and durability. During development, a single engine endured more than 200 simulated drag strip passes on a dynamometer. The ZZ632/1000 crate engine will be on display at the 2021 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 2–5. Chevrolet Performance dealers will begin deliveries in early 2022. 

(Honda images)
Honda PR minions are calling the 2022 Civic Si "The best-handling, best-equipped and most fun-to-drive Civic Si ever." Pretty high praise indeed, so we look forward to seeing for ourselves. Based on the all-new 11th-generation Civic Sedan, the turbocharged 2022 Civic Si is powered by an updated high-output VTEC® 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 200HP and 192 lb.-ft. of torque at 1800-5000 rpm (SAE net). Peak torque arrives 300 rpm sooner for a quicker punch off the line and out of tight corners. A new single-mass flywheel is 26 percent lighter than the dual-mass unit used in the previous Si for faster throttle response, while also improving drivability. To maximize available traction when accelerating, power is routed to the front wheels through a standard helical limited-slip differential. Equipped exclusively with a manual transmission, Si’s 6-speed has been updated for enthusiast drivers with improved shift feel and 10 percent shorter throws. A new, more rigid shift lever mounting bracket and a new leather-wrapped aluminum shift knob similar to the Civic Type R’s contribute to the improved feel. For the first time, Civic Si features a rev-matching system directly from the Civic Type R. With the same 430 m/s response time as Civic Type R in Sport mode, the new rev-matching system will “blip” the throttle when it detects a downshift, quickly and perfectly matching revs. A retuned suspension improves ride quality and handling, with a 8 percent increase in torsional rigidity and a 13 percent increase in bending rigidity compared to the outgoing Si. Like the 2022 Civic Sedan, the new Civic Si also benefits from a 0.5-inch wider rear track for additional stability, and a 1.4-inch longer wheelbase for a smoother ride, as well as greater high-speed stability. The spring rates, dampers, bushings and front MacPherson struts are all tweaked, and thicker front (27 mm hollow) and rear (18 mm solid) stabilizer bars compared to Civic Sedan to minimize body roll. To improve stability the front compliance bushings, sourced from the Civic Type R, are 79-percent stiffer than the Civic EX Sedan. Stiffer rear compliance bushings, upper arms and lower B-arms are also sourced from Type R. Steering feel is improved using a 60-percent stiffer torsion bar connecting the steering shaft to the steering rack pinion gear. Civic Si features oversized 12.3-inch front rotors (+1.2-inches vs. Sedan), and 11.1-inch rear rotors (+0.9-inch vs. Sedan) as standard along with 235/40R18 all-season performance tires. Summer tires will be available as a factory option. Other stuff? The Drive Mode system features a new Individual setting for a customized driving experience. And the obligatory Si-specific design cues are present, including a driver-focused interior with Si-specific body stabilizing sport seats with dynamic red accents and red contrast stitching. A front spoiler hidden under the vehicle and a gloss black rear spoiler mounted atop the trunk lid add downforce to improve high speed stability. Si also features gloss black trim on the exterior mirrors and window surrounds. LED headlights and taillights are standard. 18-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels are standard and finished in Si-specific matte black. And to top things off, a new available color - Blazing Orange Pearl - is also exclusive to the Civic Si. This is also the first Civic Si with a large 9-inch HD color touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ integration and a Bose Centerpoint 2 premium sound system. Watch the remarkably uninspired - and shitty - video here. As in wow, Honda, that's all you got for an intro video?

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Watch Honda's new brand commercial "The Origin Of Determination" here. Some interesting visuals, to say the least. -PMD

(Lexus images)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Run for your lives! It's the all-new 2022 LX600, complete with its "more cowbell" front end. The multifaceted LX brings "unparalleled capability, luxury and human-centered technology to the Lexus range," according to Lexus PR minions. There's more, of course, because this is the Big Daddy Lexus with everything imaginable. The stuff? An all-new platform with an all-new 3.5-liter Twin-Turbocharged V6 with 409HP and 479 lb-ft of torque, coupled to a Direct Shift 10-speed Automatic gearbox. The Lexus Interface has dual high-definition touchscreens and an available 25-speaker Mark Levinson Surround Sound system, plus, as you can imagine, much, much more. The LX range is expanded to five grades: Standard, Premium, Luxury, and first-ever F SPORT and Ultra Luxury. For some consumers, this new Lexus SUV will be the answer to their prayers. For us, we've reached "peak" grille and we're begging for this trend to stop. Please. -PMD

(Chevrolet)
Professional basketball superstar, gold medalist and avid car enthusiast, Devin Booker, and record-breaking performance builder and driver, Emelia Hartford, will join General Motors’ passionate engineers and designers to learn what it takes to create the all-new 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. “Putting the World on Notice,” an approximately 30-minute reveal film, will premiere on chevy.com/Z06 on Oct. 26, at 12 p.m. ET. Immediately following the film, Chevrolet will host a panel discussion featuring Corvette and third-party experts, who will share how the Corvette Z06 provides an unparalleled driver experience. Watch the teaser video here.  

The AE Song of the Week:

He looked a lot like Che Guevara, drove a diesel van
Kept his gun in quiet seclusion, such a humble man
The only survivor of the national people's gang
Panic in Detroit, I asked for an autograph
He wanted to stay home, I wish someone would phone
Panic in Detroit

He laughed at accidental sirens that broke the evening gloom
The police had warned of repercussions, they followed none too soon
A trickle of strangers were all that were left alive
Panic in Detroit, I asked for an autograph
He wanted to stay home, I wish someone would phone
Panic in Detroit

Putting on some clothes I made my way to school
And I found my teacher crouching in his overalls
I screamed and ran to smash my favorite slot machine
And jumped the silent cars that slept at traffic lights

Having scored a trillion dollars, made a run back home
Found him slumped across the table, a gun and me alone
I ran to the window, looked for a plane or two
Panic in Detroit, he'd left me an autograph
Let me collect dust, I wish someone would phone
Panic in Detroit, panic in Detroit, panic in Detroit

"Panic In Detroit" by David Bowie, from the album "Aladdin Sane" (1973)*. Listen to it here. Written by Bowie about the 1967 Detroit riots based on friend Iggy Pop's late night stories of revolutionaries he had known in Michigan and Pop's experiences during the 1967 Detroit riots. The five-day riot was one of the worst in American history. More than 2,000 buildings were destroyed, more than 7,000 arrests made, some 500 people were injured, and 43 people were killed. It gave rise to several radical groups including The White Panther party. When Bowie returned to England in early 1973 from his US tour with The Stooges, he wrote and recorded the song, making the lyrics less of a lesson in history and more of a surreal narrative of urban paranoia and failed revolution. The song follows the wild proto-punk rock of the Stooges but is leavened by non-standard chord progressions. Congas and world percussion were dubbed in later because the drummer refused to do the Bo Diddley Beat that guitarist Mick Ronson and Bowie desired. Linda Lewis, of “Rock-A-Doodle-Do” fame, provides wailing free-form vocals in the background. Rolling Stone magazine called the track "a paranoid descendant of the Motor City's earlier masterpiece, Martha and the Vandellas' "Nowhere to Run"". The lyrics namecheck Che Guevara and are also said to contain references to John Sinclair of the White Panther Party. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine printed its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Mick Ronson was ranked at #64, and "Panic in Detroit" as his "essential recording". (Knowledge courtesy of Genius.com and Lyrics.com)