Wide Open Throttle

Roadkill's David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan join Jessi Lang, Angus MacKenzie and Jonny Lieberman on this episode of Wide Open Throttle. The panel answers your most burning Roadkill questions and gives a little insight into what it takes to create the show every month. The discussion then turns to muscle cars, including what the new Dodge SRT Challenger needs to do in order to compete with the Ford GT500 and the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.

On this episode of Wide Open Throttle, Jessi Lang, Jonny Lieberman, Angus MacKenzie, Ron Kiino, and Greg Emmerson of European Car, talk about Greg's recent Head to Head comparison of the BMW E30 M3, Volkswagen GTI, and Scion FR-S and ask the $25,000 question: Do you buy new or used? The crew then discusses the "Entry-lux squeeze". With Scion announcing they would like to move up into the entry luxury market, and and Mercedes and Audi moving down into the same market with the CLA and A3 sedan, it's getting awfully crowded. They also address Fisker's downward spiral and compare it to Tesla's success within the same segment.

Special guest Ian Callum, Director of Design at Jaguar, sits down with Angus MacKenzie, Ed Loh, Kim Reynolds and Jonny Lieberman to talk about the new Jaguar F-Type and the inspiration behind the new two seater. The completely new roadster, arguably Jaguar's first pure bred sports car in decades, pays homage to the spirit of the E-Type of the '60s and '70s and features a range of powertrain options; from a 340-hp 3.0L supercharged V-6 to a 5.0L supercharged V-8 making nearly 500 horsepower. The crew also discusses the challenges of balancing engineering with design, and the safety regulations and legal limitations that need to be factored into designing a car.

On this episode of Wide Open Throttle, Ford Truck's Marketing Manager Doug Scott sits down with Ed Loh, Jonny Lieberman, Allyson Harwood, and John Cappa to discuss the show-stopping Ford Atlas Concept and its controversial debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. The crew also compare the fuel efficiency of Ford's popular EcoBoost V-6 to the updated V-8 offered in the 2014 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra and the new Ram1500 diesel. Scott also addresses Ford's take on the small truck segment, and their response to Toyota's complaints regarding the SAE Towing standard.

On this episode of Wide Open Throttle, the crew sits down to discuss which of the BMW M3's are their favorite in the wake of Carlos Lago's BMW M3 Ignition. They also discuss the aftermath of Jonny Lieberman's Head 2 Head featuring the 2013 Range Rover vs. the 2013 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, as well as the obstacles small automotive start-ups face in the beginning.

Special guest Ted Klaus, Global Development Chief at Acura, sits down with Angus MacKenzie, Carlos Lago, Ron Kiino and Jonathan Wong to talk about the new Acura NSX and the development process behind creating Acura's new Halo Car. The NSX will utilize a form of the new hybrid Super Handling-AWD (SH-AWD) system. The V-6, likely a 3.5- or 3.7-liter, will drive the rear wheels by means of a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Unlike the current SH-AWD system, which would send power to the front wheels by way of a driveshaft and a mechanical differential, the NSX's front wheels will instead be powered by a pair of electric motors. As each motor is assigned to a wheel, the system has the ability to accelerate the outer wheel in a corner, creating a yaw moment that improves the car's ability to turn in and rotate.

On this episode of Wide Open Throttle, the crew sits down to discuss Angus MacKenzie's recent trip to watch the Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse set the world record for fastest production convertible. They also discuss the aftermath of Carlos Lago's Head 2 Head featuring the 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Pack vs 2014 Audi R8 V-10 Plus, as well as the pricing and value of the new Chevrolet Corvette.

On this episode of Wide Open Throttle, the crew talks Lamborghini's 50th Anniversary, Bentley Flying Spur in China and reaction to Australian V8 Supercar racing in America. In true Lamborghini fashion, the Italian automaker held a rally to celebrate their 50th birthday. The Grande Giro is a tour across Italy starting in Milan and ending at the factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese. Angus and the Boys talk about what the next 50 years looks like for Lamborghini and of course, some of their favorites. Also up for discussion, Angus' recent trip the Circuit of the America's for the debut of Australian V8 Supercar Racing on US Soil, as well as Jonny's experience driving the 2014 Bentley Flying Spur in China.

Roadkill's David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan join Angus MacKenzie, Carlos Lago and Jonny Lieberman on this episode of Wide Open Throttle. The panel discusses the inspiration and future of Roadkill's leaf-blower supercharged Chevrolet Monza Spyder, debates the recent Head 2 Head battle between Volvo's S60 and Audi's S4, and mourns the recent loss of Ford (RIP Falcon!) in Australia.

Special guest Sebastian Vettel, professional Formula 1 Driver, calls in to discuss his most recent win at the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix as well as his love for the sport he is currently dominating. Also joining the roundtable is longtime Motor Trend guest host and former professional race car driver Justin Bell to discuss his new program, World's Fastest Car Show, airing every Friday on the Motor Trend Channel. To round out the discussion, Art St. Antoine is on hand to talk about Jaguar's fastest production sedan, the XFR-S and his Epic Drive from Sebring International Raceway to the brand new Circuit of the Americas.

On this episode of Wide Open Throttle, the guys sit down to discuss the current batch of Hypercars being developed including the Porsche 918 Spyder, Lamborghini Veneno, Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Acura NSX. Is this new hybrid technology and implementation the future of Supercars? Also discussed is Carlos Lagos recent Ignition featuring the highly tuned and very powerful Crawford Subaru BRZ along with the current state of modern tuning and what the future holds for those tuning companies.

On this episode of Wide Open Throttle, the Roadkill guys reveal how they got ahold of a tank for last week's episode, their motivation behind crushing a Toyota Prius, and why they didn't do a crazy engine swap in either the Prius or the AMC Gremlin. Plus Jonny Lieberman talks about his recent experience piloting the BMW M6 Gran Coupe around the newest Formula One track, Circuit of the Americas and Carlos Lago raises the sticky issue of price versus performance after driving a $100,000 (!) Porsche Cayman S on the latest episode of Ignition.