2008 Suzuki Sx4 on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1991 Geo Metro LSi Convertible

Americans lost the ability to buy a new Detroit-made convertible starting in the 1977 model year (unless you count aftermarket conversions), not regaining it until drop-top Chrysler K-Cars showed up in showrooms in 1981. This gave convertibles a certain magical quality that lasted for quite a while here, and so it seemed to make sense for GM to offer an open-air version of the Geo Metro. Here's one of those cars, spotted in a self-service yard in northeastern Colorado. The Metro was really a second-generation Suzuki Cultus, successor to the 1985-1988 Chevrolet Sprint. While a four-cylinder engine became available in the later Metro (which got Chevrolet badges when the Geo brand got the axe in 1997), all Chevy Sprints and early Metros got this 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine. You're looking at 55 Suzuki horsepower here. The XFi version of the Metro (not available with a convertible top) managed to get better than 60 highway miles per gallon with an engine rated at 49 horsepower. There was an automatic transmission available… for 465 bucks (about $993 in 2022 dollars). That would have added nearly 5% to the cost of this $9,740 car ($20,805 today) and killed the fuel economy, so nearly all Metro buyers got their cars with three pedals. Do you like simple instruments in cars? You'll love the Metro! This one is good and rusty, with some really scary corrosion underneath. I think it sat in a field, buried to the axles, for many years. However, the bra tells us that it once had an owner who loved their then-shiny red convertible. No 1991 competitor could offer a new convertible with a price tag even close to that of the $9,740 Metro LSi. Oh, sure, a ragtop version of the wretched Yugo was available in 1990 and maybe 1991, but that doesn't count. A new Miata cost $13,800 that year, with a Mazda-based Mercury Capri going for $12,588. The 1991 VW Golf Cabriolet cost $16,175, and prices for convertibles just got higher with other competitors. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. How much? No way!

Land-speed racer Bill Warner dies from motorcycle crash at 285 MPH

Motorcycle land-speed record holder Bill Warner died yesterday after crashing during an attempt at setting another record. The 44-year-old was clocked at 285 miles per hour on the runway of a former air base in northern Maine, before he lost control of his modified Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle and veered off the runway.
It is not known what speed he was traveling when things started to go wrong and unclear what caused the crash, which happened shortly before 10:00 AM. Warner's crew suspect there were mechanical difficulties on his last run, in addition to a slight breeze, according to the video news report. Warner was conscious and able to speak after the crash but died an hour and 15 minutes later at a hospital in Caribou. The event and runway were closed for the rest of the day as police investigated the incident.
Warner was participating in "The Maine Event" at Loring Air Force Base in an attempt to reach 300 mph in one mile. Warner's best land-speed record, set in 2011, was 311.945 mph in 1.5 miles on the same runway, according to the Loring Timing Association, a record that still stands today for open-cockpit motorcycles. After that run, Warner said the scariest part was stopping the bike before the end of the runway. Be sure to check out the video news report after the jump.

Larger SX4 to lead raft of new or revised Suzuki models

A few weeks ago, we showed you what is likely in store for the next-generation Suzuki SX4, but What Car? now has some insider info of what might be in store for other products in the aging Suzuki lineup... at least in the UK.
When the official design sketch of the Suzuki S-Cross concept was released, Suzuki said that the concept car would be a C-segment crossover, closer in size to the Grand Vitara, and going up against some higher-volume rivals like the Ford Kuga (Escape) and Nissan Qashqai (similar to our Rogue). The Suzuki Grand Vitara is also due for a redesign, and both models will likely be on showroom floors together, with the Grand Vitara acting as the more rugged alternative to the hatchback-like SX4 replacement. Not much is known about the new Grand Vitara, but a new satellite navigation system is expected to debut in the SUV and eventually spread into other Suzuki models.
Suzuki will start selling the new SX4 and Grand Vitara in the United States this fall, and these two new crossovers should be a welcome addition to the company's diminutive U.S. dealer network that has been starved of product since the early 2000s. Automotive News adds a little gloom to this topic by pointing out that, after the introduction of the new SX4 and Grand Vitara this fall, American Suzuki has no new products planned through the 2015 model year. Suzuki dealers in Europe are more fortunate, as a refreshed version of the Jimny (formerly known as the Samurai here in the States) and an all-new Alto will both be joining the lineup.