Consumer Reports said the Samsung Galaxy S4, is now it top-rated smartphone, dethroning the LG Optimus G, which has enjoyed the top slot for the past several months.

The S4 took the honors due to its “excellent” 5 inch, 1080p display, its many sensor-based functions and the fact that the touch screen display can be operated even with gloves on.

Another big plus for the phone is it lets you run two apps at the same time on a split-screen view so you can watch a video and check email simultaneously.

LAS VEGAS, NV– - Cobra Electronics Corporation announced the nationwide general availability of the Cobra iRadar ATOM, an ultra-compact smart detection system delivering class-leading detection performance and enhanced situational awareness for the ultimate in driver safety and information. The iRadar ATOM is available now at Amazon.com and www.cobra.com for a price of $199.95.

Based on the award-winning Cobra iRadar system, the Cobra iRadar ATOM is the most compact detector on the market while delivering unrivaled performance typically only available from units costing hundreds more. By utilizing state-of-the-art advancements in system design and the latest in component engineering, Cobra iRadar ATOM sports a 35 percent smaller form factor than previous iRadar models. The iRadar ATOM leverages Cobra’s first-to-market and rapidly evolving iRadar app family, allowing users to connect their iOS and Android devices via Bluetooth to the iRadar detection unit. Once paired with the free iRadar app, users can share alerts in real-time with other iRadar users nearby, including warnings of upcoming speed and red light camera enforcement, caution areas, dangerous intersections and live police locations.

Kenwood said it will ship in June a 7-inch WiFi tablet announced in January that is intended as a “second” screen for the rear seat when used with either of two Kenwood WiFi Connected Car Radios.

The tablet works over a WiFi networked connection to the Kenwood DNN 990HD and DNN 770HD to share movies, videos and photos between devices or between a connected smartphone.  It is not offered as a standard tablet, although it is an Android tablet that may be used outside of the car as it  runs on a USB powered rechargeable battery.

Kenwood says its LZ-T700 tablet gives new meaning to the term “dual zone,” allowing the kids in the back to view apps while mom or dad listens to music or navigates to a destination.

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest is looking for the person who will give the start to the formation lap for the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours.

A spectator will be given this honor in the context of the 90th anniversary of the world-famous endurance race. The lucky winner will be drawn by lot from among those with a grandstand seat.

As a sports organizer, one of the ACO’s priorities has always been its determination to be as close as possible to its public. Since 1923, the Le Mans 24 hours is living proof of this with an annual crowd of around 250,000 spectators.

This year, the ACO is asking one of the spectators to give the start to the formation lap of the race. Only Daniel Poissenot, the Clerk of the Course, experiences this thrilling sensation, which he’ll share for the first time this year.

An Ultimate Service Provider to Win an Ultimate Service Truck in Federated Car Care Sweepstakes

STAUNTON, Virginia – May 21, 2013 – Federated will award one of its Car Care Center members with the ultimate grand prize in the Federated Ultimate Service Truck Sweepstakes. This is not just any truck; it has been designed by renowned motorsports artist Sam Bass and modified by Matt Steele and Bruno Massel, hosts of the SPEED show Truck U.

The grand prize winner of the Federated Ultimate Service Truck Sweepstakes will also receive an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas for the 2013 Automotive Aftermarket Product Expo (AAPEX) where they will claim their truck. In addition, hundreds of other terrific prizes will be awarded to Federated Car Care Center members throughout the country.

SONOMA, Calif. (May 19, 2013) - The fourth annual Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival at Sonoma Raceway celebrated the Corvette's 60th anniversary in fine fashion, as 32 Corvettes, among an entry of more than 350 historic cars in 15 groups, raced on the 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course in the heart of Northern California's wine country today.

Three Corvettes came in first in their groups: Noel Park, of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., in his 1958 Corvette; and Ross Thompson, of Phoenix, Ariz., took two wins, one in his 1964 Corvette and the other in a 1976 Corvette.

The paddock throughout the weekend was filled with a variety of collector Corvettes, including a 1956 Corvette SR2 and a 1994 Guldstrand Corvette GS90 Coupe.

From a 1925 Bugatti T-35C, a 1911 National 40, to a 1972 Gulf Mirage M6, Can-Am cars from the 1960s and ‘70s, and the fan-favorite Trans-Am cars of the same era, an enthusiastic crowd was treated to close competition among many classic race cars from the last 100 years at the 27th annual historic-car event organized by General Racing Ltd.

AUSTIN, Texas (May 19, 2013)- In what has been an unbelievable 2013 Pirelli
World Challenge Season, GMG’s James Sofronas took his third victory of the
season during this weekend’s fourth and fifth rounds at Circuit of the
Americas.

“Wow, what an incredible day,” stated Sofronas. “Yesterday’s race with Johnny
showed we knew we had a good car, and once again luck was on our side today.
The key to this entire season has been having a reliable and consistent car in
the Audi R8 LMS, and a crew that has been relentless in looking over every
detail. The support we’ve had from Audi on this program has obviously been
instrumental, and the guys have been working non-stop to get us here. I’m glad
we can celebrate with all of them.”

Following a successful test at the brand-new Austin, Texas facility, the entire Global Motorsports Group (GMG) came in to this weekend’s rounds of the championship knowing that they had a team capable of victory. With a series-record seven cars entered by the team, five of them being the Audi R8 LMS, Sofronas never lost a step in pursuit of his first series championship.

A new custom kit for smaller form tablets (like the iPad mini or Nexus 7)helps installers put tablets in the dash.

It uses the same swappable inserts for each type of tablet, and as new tablets become available, supplier Fifield Fabrications, Brea, CA, plans to make new inserts available.  The MINI-U kit includes a single “bucket”, plus separate inserts for an iPad mini, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, Nook and other devices.

The inserts click into the bucket and the tablet is secured in a magnetic mount

There are openings on the side of the bucket to fit different style connectors and cables. Custom installers then can paint or file the bucket to suit the installation at hand.

In May 1913, James Radley set off from Brown’s Hotel in London’s  Mayfair for a famous motoring adventure – the 1913 Alpine Trial.  A  century later, the same Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost driven by this  pioneer, aviator and adventurer has returned to Brown’s Hotel, ready  to depart for a re-enactment of the event.

Radley’s account of his departure in 1913 reflects the spirit of  those early days of motoring:
“We must have a bottle to christen her. Here, John, just fetch    a bottle of ‘The Widow’, will you? And there outside Brown’s was    duly christened, and a glass of champagne was poured into my radiator.”

Forming the modern-day Rolls-Royce Works Team, Radley’s car will  join a contemporary pioneer, a 2013 Alpine Trial Centenary Collection  Rolls-Royce Ghost on a faithful re-enactment of the rally in June this year.

-- All the Action from Rounds 5 and 6 at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park –

(Photo Credit: Lucas Oil Off Road)

CORONA, Calif. (May 20, 2013) – The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS), the nation’s fastest growing short course off road racing series, made its 2013 southern California premier at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park in Lake Elsinore, California over the weekend. The action started early on Friday with teams hitting the track for practice sessions in an effort to get their race cars ready for both Saturday and Sunday’s racing excitement.  The Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park saw a record number of racers and fans come out to participate in rounds 5 and 6 at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park. The three day LOORRS event in Lake Elsinore took place from Friday, May 17 to Sunday, May 20, 2013 and showcased some of the closest racing action of the year.

Lamborghinis can be challenging cars even for experienced drivers, let alone amateurs who aren’t familiar with how quickly 552 hp can break loose whatever traction the tires have and turn the bull into an unguided missile. The latest toreador to get stabbed by the bull? A Chinese journalist who totaled this new Gallardo 560-4 during a media drive.

According to reports from China, the 30-something journalist had tried to pass a slower car just beyond a toll road on wet pavement near Hangzhou when he lost control, slamming the front of the car into the highway barrier, then bounced across the road into another guardrail. No one was injured in the crack-up, and the driver was only stunned, but Lamborghini’s Chinese arm will apparently have to total one of their Gallardos, which carries a sticker price of more than $500,000 in that country.

CONCORD, N.C. (May 18, 2013) – Kurt Busch saw a potential victory slip to a fifth-place finish in Saturday night’s rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

After the four 20-lap segments in the non-points race, Busch posted the best average finish among the 22 drivers and was positioned in first place before teams were required to make a mandatory four-tire pit stop heading into the final winner-take-all 10-lap segment.

But when Busch left pit road for the 10-lap shootout, he was positioned in fifth place when the race went green for the final time. He ended the race in the same position when the checkered flag waved on Lap 90.

“Our four-segment average guaranteed us coming down pit road first for the final stop, but it didn't guarantee us leaving pit road first ,” said Busch, driver of the Armed Forces Day Furniture Row/Sealy Chevrolet. “We were one tick slow on our pit stop and one tick off on the chassis adjustment. That was the difference. You have to be perfect to win this race. We weren’t. It was an A- overall performance.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 19) – On the day when Jeg Coughlin Jr. collected his 500th round win in Pro Stock, he more importantly won the NHRA Kansas Nationals Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka, his first win of the season and first in the JEGS/Mopar Dodge Avenger.

"We've been knocking on the door all year," said Coughlin, who last won at the Brainerd event in 2010. "We've had our ups and downs and never quite been able to seal the deal and get a race win. We came out of a test in Tulsa earlier this week really happy with what we had and were extremely aggressive all four runs."

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 19, 2013)– For the first time in his career as a professional NHRA Funny Car driver,
Johnny Gray is leaving a national event in sole possession of the points lead
and hoisting the Wally for the second straight race. Gray, driver of the Pitch
Energy Dodge Charger R/T and winner of the race in Atlanta just last weekend,
scored the sixth Funny Car win of his career today with a final-round victory
over John Force Racing's Robert Hight at the 25th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals.

The closing round at
Heartland Park Topeka was familiar territory for the friendly rivals as it
marked the fourth time that Gray and Hight had met in the final at a national
event. Despite the fact that Gray had ousted Hight in the opening round at the
most recent two races on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour, the fact of
the matter leading into the round was that Hight held a 3-0 advantage over Gray
in finals.

1976 Daytona 24 Hours winning BMW 3.0 CSL also highlighted BMW History and Heritage on four wheels and two on display from May – November, 2013

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – May 17, 2013… Andy Warhol’s 1979 BMW M1 Art Car will be the center piece of the exhibition “BMW – The Ultimate Driving Machine”, which opens this weekend at the Saratoga Automobile Museum. The exhibition will also feature the BMW 3.0 CSL which won the Daytona 24 Hour race in 1976. The exhibition, which features a retrospective of BMW cars and motorcycles, will run until November 3, 2013. The array of BMW automobiles will include road cars and race cars, both from the modern era, as well as pre-war. The exhibition will also celebrate 90 Years of BMW Motorcycles.

IZOD
IndyCar Series
Fast Friday Report: 97th Indianapolis 500

Michael Andretti, team owner
"Well... I think we're in it, I think we're not as quick as we would like to be, but, because I think Will Power's gonna be the guy to beat without a tow. We still got a little bit of work to do and hopefully we'll be able to improve the cars that little bit that we need to get the pole tomorrow."
On predicted pole speed:
"I think it's gonna be around 229, I believe."

E.J. Viso, No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA CITGO Chevrolet

With a lap at a 229.537mph, the Venezuelan holds the fastest time of the month going into tomorrow's Pole Day qualifying. Viso also stands as the driver with the most laps recorded with a total of 403 laps in the six-day practice window.

Cisco has started working with car makers to bring a broadband pipeline into the car.  Its software will let an in-car router switch between 3G, 4G, WiFi and other services automatically,  in a manner that keeps the user connected.

The company plans to introduce a proof of concept in-car broadband system in August. It also gave us its views on the aftermarket’s role in future in-car communication.

Cisco’s  software will run on hardware that’s placed in the head unit or telematics unit or an antenna, it said.

For years, Tim DeFoor had seen a red 1969 Camaro Z28 driving around his neighborhood in Macon, Georgia. Although the car was already an eye-catcher with its blown 454 big-block engine and turbo 400 transmission, DeFoor was dying to get his hands on it and make it his own.

Eventually, DeFoor had the opportunity to purchase the car and brought it to Pratt & Miller Restorations in New Hudson, Michigan, a shop that had built three other cars for him. Originally, DeFoor was only looking to give the car some minor updates, but once he started working with the team at the shop, the build quickly escalated.

By Ashley Majeski Smissen

Photos by Erin Henk

“It ended up being a full-blown restoration with ground-pounding performance and beauty all in one,” says Mike Atkins, the shop’s program manager for restorations. “Tim couldn’t stop once we got started.”

Motorcycle audio is more than a side line for some car audio retailers.  In fact, there are some 12 volt dealers who have converted to mainly bike shops, because it proved a bigger business for them.

Motorcycle audio has even been called, “the next chrome,” by Harley Davidson, said Fred Lynch of Arc Audio; with chrome representing Harley’s ultra-lucrative accessories market.

More car audio companies are branching into the market including Scosche, and JL Audio.  JL says it will introduce new products in the coming months.  Arc Audio said the category has been growing steadily.

DETROIT – The Buick brand celebrates its 110^th birthday this weekend. After a few years of experimenting with automobiles built at his home in Detroit, David Dunbar Buick – a former plumbing inventor and businessman – incorporated the Buick Motor Company on May 19, 1903. A State of Michigan historic site marker outside General Motors Global Headquarters at the Renaissance Center commemorates the day.

The first production vehicle, the Buick Model B, was offered to retail customers the following year. Today, Buick produces a range of luxury vehicles including the Encore and Enclave crossovers and the LaCrosse, Regal and Verano sedans.