It is being billed as...
It is being billed as an affordable, high-performance entry-level coup탩. Slotting in below the 350Z, this pocket rocket could revive the 240Z badge, which has not been seen since production of the original model ceased in 1974.
The curtain raiser for...
The curtain raiser for 2007’s NASCAR season – Sunday’s Daytona 500 – welcomed two significant new faces: ex-F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya and, far more controversially, Toyota.
Much heralded rookie Montoya contested a handful of warm-up races last year, but his new career kicked off for real at Daytona’s Super Bowl.
The Colombian had announced his arrival by leading 18 laps of a mid-week qualifying race, but was never in contention for victory in the 500-mile main event. He finished down the field in 19th position, well behind winner Kevin Harvick in a Chevrolet.
Toyota’s debut was far more contentious. Despite widening its national and international appeal, NASCAR’s heartland remains in the patriotic southern States and the arrival of the Japanese giant was never going to be accepted with open arms. And so it proved after the team running the car of lead driver, two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, was caught tampering with its fuel in qualifying.
It led to indefinite suspensions for two of Waltrip’s top employees, plus a 0,000 (÷£51,000) fine – the largest in NASCAR history. It was so embarrassing Waltrip almost packed up his car and left, even though many rivals believed he got off lightly.
Toyota could only hope that when the racing got underway, the focus would shift to on-track performance, but its Camrys proved to be well off the pace. Winner Harvick survived a multi-car pile-up on the final lap to edge out team-mate Mark Martin.