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The TACH Report: Porsche/Harley Team Up, Zig-Zag Zanardi $2 Million Richer, Eighty one Cars For La Carrera Panamericana

24 October 1997

Porsche and Harley Davidson have each anted up $10 million for design work and production of new power train products. They have been sharing secrets for 20 years.

1997 PPG/CART champion Alex Zanardi has earned $2,096.250 for driving his race car for Target Racing. Don't know what that amounts to per lap, but it's a bunch of dough for the former pizza pie delivery guy. Gil DeFerran, Jimmy Vasser and Mo Gugelmin all went over the million dollar mark in earnings. Even out of work driver Parker Johnstone collected over a half million bucks for crashing several cars.

In F-1 news Jackie Stewart has re-hired Ruebens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen for 1998, rear view mirrors on the race cars will be larger, and each car will be allowed 17 sets of tires for the weekend.

Loyal Truesdale's La Carrera Panamericana five day race across Mexico continues to appeal to lots of drivers: eighty one cars are entered for the upcoming event, including a D-Jag, four Healeys from Bermuda, Lancia Aurelia, Studebaker, Chrysler, Packard, and a gaggle of Porsches.

A blue Corvette will pace 1998's Indy 500.

McDonald's has signed on as sponsor with Bill Elliott's NASCAR Winston Cup team, once more.

The new Bill France race track planned for Kansas city will have 75,000 seats.

The 1998 Lincoln Town car, long thought to be the car you most likely would see parked outside menopause manor, is being advertised to a younger set of buyers for 1998: 55 year olds--rather than todays buyer, who is 67 years young. The newly styled car is three inches shorter than the '97 car and costs $500 more.

Toyota expects to sell 1000 Prius electrics per month. It has 58 hp.

The Republic mega-dealer chain plans to sell cars in Japan in a few years.

Honda Civic and the Chevy Cavalier both beat out the Ford Escort for small car sales for 1997.

There's a big Craftsman NASCAR truck race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Nov 9, and Winston Cupper Bill Elliott will run in it as a partner to Mike Bliss. If Elliott's Ford F-150 is as fast as Bliss' truck, it will be a 2-car race.

The very interesting Super Touring Car race series is dead. Chrysler has pulled sponsorship and cars, and the series has gone kaput.

BMW has introduced an exclusive edition Dakar Yellow Z3 roadster. It has trick wheels, black leather upholstery, a roll bar, and a Harmon Kardon sound system.

Keep the TACH in the black!

Bill Maloney -- The Auto Channel