Advance Auto Zone

To make its Power Trio more influential, Nissan Motors entertained significant upgrades and enhancements for it. The Power Trio - composed of the Titan, Pathfinder and the Armada - is delivered by the automaker not only to attract enthusiasts but to make these aficionados succumb to its excellence.

Upgrades and enhancements include the addition of the new Titan Long Wheelbase King Cab and Crew Cab models, a new 5.6-liter V8 engine for the Pathfinder, and new exterior and interior designs for the Armada. The three new 2008 Nissan vehicles are scheduled to be available at Nissan dealers nationwide beginning in spring this year.

“The addition of the Titan Long Wheelbase models and the first-ever V8 engine ever offered in the 22-year history of Pathfinder expand the available choices for buyers of these two popular vehicles,” said Larry Dominique, the vice president of Product Planning for Nissan North America, Inc.

Dominique added, “The extensive makeover of Armada, which has topped J.D. Power and Associates’ APEAL study for the Large SUV class in 2005 and 2006, adds up to an even more attractive, more premium and more complete Armada package for 2008 – one that we think will continue to make Armada stand out in the full-size SUV class.”

Modifications were not only limited to improving Nissan antenna masts and other parts accessories. The fact that the auto industry is plagued with so many rivals and burdened by notable fluctuations, Nissan intends to improve its lineup to get a rewarding share of the market.

The 2008 Nissan Titan is offered in four models - XE, SE, PRO-4X and LE; in 4×2 and 4×4 drive configurations; in two body styles - King Cab and Crew Cab; four bed sizes - 5’5”, 6’5”, 7’ and 8’; and with the Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) capability. It also features freshened styling, a powerful 5.6-liter DOHC Endurance V8 engine which is rated at 317 horsepower and 385 lb-ft torque, 5-speed automatic transmission and utmost towing capacity.

The well-liked Nissan Pathfinder expands its lineup to cover a new 300-plus horsepower 5.6-liter V8, the first V8 offered in its 22-year history in the United States market. This more powerful option offers a significant increase in torque, rated at 300-plus lb-ft, to achieve 7,000 lbs of maximum towing capacity. Other alterations include exterior styling and refined interior. The Revised Nissan Navigation System with 9.3-gigabyte Music Box hard drive (available on LE only) is now integrated to the vehicle.

The 2008 Nissan Armada also comes with new colors and styling, more luxurious amenities and enhanced car technology. The vehicle also features new option packages. Notable auto technology advancements include the Intelligent Key with twist start, Bluetooth® hands-free phone system, Bose® sound system with 9.3-gigabyte Music Box hard drive and 3rd row speakers and amplifier, Nissan Navigation system with an XM NavTraffic™ system with real-time traffic information, and an 8.0-inch screen for the optional DVD Entertainment Package.

“The 2008 model year is already shaping up to be a tremendous year for Nissan with the previously announced Altima Coupe and all-new Rogue crossover SUV – and now new Titan, Pathfinder and Armada,” said Dominique. “Attendees at the Chicago Auto Show will have five great new reasons to visit the Nissan display.”

Katie Jones writes for a local newspaper and her beat involves the latest updates in the automotive industry. She is also working on her book on cars during her spare time. Visit

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You might think that 6 liters was enough to make the Corvette two-seater fast enough, but not for the competition department lurking inside GM. They wanted to be able to compete head-to-head with the European supercars in the international endurance races for sports cars.

To do so, they took a leaf out of Ford’s book. In the 1960s, when Ford found it could not compete with the smaller Ferraris at Le Mans with the 4.2 (ex-Indy) or 4.7 liter engines, they brought out their 7-liter mill. And it was so much bigger than the competition that they won. So the guys behind the Corvette decided to produce a 7-liter version of America’s favorite and most famous sports car.

By the way, the 7 liter Corvette more than competes with the Dodge Viper SRT-10, which could give the standard Corvette a bit of a run for its money. Of course, this is not just any old engine. This is a very special version of its GEN IV 7.0 liter V-8.

This 2006 Corvette is challenging for muscle car of the year with no less than 500 bhp on tap at 6,200 rpm. Maximum torque from this mammoth engine is 475 lb ft at 4,800 rpm. This is bound to be a stunner with a top speed of about 185 mph and 0-60 in under 4.0 seconds. GM expects the quarter-mile be under 12 seconds.

To give durability, the engine has been beefed up in a number of ways. First, the connecting rods and inlet valves are now made of titanium – these weigh about half as much as steel ones and are used in quite a number of high-performance engines. Because of the low weight, the titanium parts put less load on other critical parts of the engine - the crankshaft, bearings and in this case the valve gear as well. The titanium valves also allow the engine to rev faster safely.

In fact, titanium used to be an aerospace-only material because it was so expensive, but it is now bein gused more in exotic cars and the heads of golf clubs, helping the lesser pros feel not so outclassed by Tiger Woods as they might with ordinary drivers.

You will see that the Corvette 7 liter is intended for the race track by the fact that the engine has a dry sump lube system. A dry sump system prevents the oil in the oil pan from slopping away from the pick-up on fast cornering – the sort you can do only on a track – and thus damaging the main bearings.

Instead of staying in the oil pan, the oil is pumped out to a tank, and then pressure fed from there directly to the engine bearings and other critical areas. Definitely a system for top supercars.

The underpinnings of the car have also been beefed up with a new aluminum perimeter frame which reduces weight. Further weight reduction comes with a new magnesium engine sub-frame. To ensure the car is stiff enough, it will be available only as a hardtop. The front fenders and wheelarches are now carbon fiber composite panels, which also reduce weight.

But there’s more…

To get all that power onto the road, and to get it to stop, bigger wheels, tires and brakes have been fitted. The front brake discs are now 13.9 inch diameter, and 19 x 12 inch wide rims are used at the back; front wheels are 18 x 9.5 inches. Such massive rear tires for a car with 50:50 weight distribution suggest that the car will have a tendency to oversteer – smoky drifts could be the order of the day!

All-in-all, this is a really special car, developed to compete with the best.

John Hartley is editor of fast-autos.com www.fast-autos.com, an online magazine devoted to fast cars and supercars. He has written from many of the world’s top auto magazines, and has written many books about cars and the auto industry, including ‘Suspension and Steering Q&A’ and ‘The Electronics Revolution in the Motor Industry’.

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The long and winding road must have been an uphill climb in the days before automobiles. Leonardo da Vinci played with the concept of transport vehicles in the 15th century, but horse drawn carriages and old, reliable walking remained the most efficient means of transportation. Thankfully, in the late 1700’s, inventors concluded, there has to be a better way. For well over two hundred years and counting, the art of transportation has been evolving. With a multitude of patents, inventors, mechanics, and researchers to thank, the modern day, fuel-injected, safety efficient automobile is light years away from the heavy, perilous steam engine powered vehicle of the early days.

There isn’t one clear cut inventor to single handedly credit with the invention of the automobile, although there is a wealth of opinions on why certain inventors should receive that credit. Contributions from Scotland”s Robert Anderson, France’s Nicholas Cugnot, Germany’s Karl Freidrich Benz, and Charles Duryea from the United States helped mold the first automobiles to provide genuine transportation.

Once the concept of automotive transportation had been realized, the next effort went into ways to produce those vehicles. These were the days long before standardized parts, so mass tooling was an issue. Individual parts needed to be of consistent size and material to make the production process more efficient. Skilled labor was the next biggest challenge to enabling every home the opportunity to own an automobile. Henry Ford’s vision to build “cars for the great multitude” helped ignite a flood of almost 500 automotive manufacturers into the U.S. market, while Mercedes and Oldsmobile helped fuel the fire worldwide.

Mass producing one of the world’s most historical advancements was no small task. The Mercedes folks needed seventeen hundred workers to produce one thousand cars per year. Henry Ford’s introduction of the first assembly line in 1913 revolutionized the business of producing cars. Major advancements in machinery and technology made the process of building cars open to the multitude of new automotive manufacturers; however, in 1927, Ford was the winner with fifteen million units manufactured.

Once the automobile had been designed, established, and mass produced, the focus shifted to how to make the most profit from it. Besides the evolution from steam to electricity to gas powered engines and the introduction of the first automatic transmission, advancements to the actual performance of the car weren’t nearly as dramatic. In fact, cars could only be driven in the summer time because antifreeze had yet to be developed. By contrast, the vast landscape of the United States transformed the desire for automotive transportation into the need for automotive transportation.

Automobiles made it possible for school systems to improve, health systems to improve, and lifestyle standards to improve, simply by connecting the city to the rural areas and the United States as a whole. The ability to transport building materials, as well as people, helped build communities and expand cultures.

By the 1900?s the United States had long established a tradition of manufacturing success. For this reason it was logical that the production of cars in America would result in larger volume at lower prices than in Europe. Of the 485,000 automobiles produced in 1913, the United States produced 606,000 of them. As a result, the market for domestic versus import cars was clearly established. Imported vehicles obviously cost more to purchase, but also cost more to manufacture. In 1912, the Model T sold for approximately $600, which was less than the average wage annually in the United States. The introduction of the Mercedes Grosser undoubtedly defined the distinction between luxury automobiles and economy automobiles. This distinction during the economically-trying war eras further developed the class system, which to this day is still somewhat defined by the type of vehicle a person owns. The Mercedes focus shifted from merely providing transportation to providing transportation in the most luxurious way possible. Luxury or economy the United States was declared “auto dependent” in the 1980’s because almost every household owned one, if not two vehicles.

The evolution of the automobile industry is a truly fascinating one that has yet to reach its final chapter. Underneath the research programs focused on designing less environmentally harmful vehicles and the business programs focused on producing the least expensive vehicles possible, the simple luxury of transportation is almost lost. In the end, the opportunity to travel the long and winding road in comfort is truly a gift.

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