BMW X6 in the wild

This barely-disguised X6 was parked outside the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History last weekend. Hiding in plain sight, or a subtle marketing ploy to build buzz? Either way, it's coming soon.

Really, folks, taping over the roundel while leaving the grille in plain sight doesn't hide much.

(Judy Bradt photos)

Global Noun Shortage

The last five cars we tested:

XC90
WRX STi
S60R
9-3
LS430

What happened to car names? Have the numerologists won at last?

Is GM Lining Up Pontiac for the Kill?

Forgive us for asking, but --

-- Pontiac withdraws from NASCAR

-- The Pontiac name will be found nowhere on the new GTO

-- Coincidence?

Anybody want to call John Rock?

(You know, a GM with Chevy as the bread and butter and performance division, Cadillac as the luxury brand, and Buick in the middle market could work...)

Jay Leno was at the Detroit show to introduce the new Maybach 62 for DaimlerChrysler. After the intro (and fighting his way through throngs of journalists-turned-autograph seekers), Ford design head J Mays gave Leno a personally-guided tour of Ford's latest concept vehicles. What did the Tonight host like at the show? Here's part of our exclusive interview:

Hard Drive: What have you seen that you liked?

Jay Leno: Oh, well, I like this (the Maybach 62), of course; I like the GT40; Crossfire’s pretty exciting. I like to see the cars getting back to cars. I’m not a big crossover vehicle guy. I live in Hollywood, I see enough crossover people, you know? I like trucks that are trucks, I like cars that are cars. I don’t like to mix the two.

HD: Is there anything here that’s going to wind up in the acres-wide Leno garage?

JL: Oh, yeah. Oh, I think so. I think so. I want to get me an SLR, that’s a pretty cool car, that’s the new Mercedes. Maybe a GT40 – or the GT, they’re calling it. You can’t call it 40.

JJ: Understood. The Maybach 57, you love to drive; the Maybach 62, you love the back seat. How do you reconcile that?

JL: Well, when you lose your license, you can ride in the back seat. But for now, I like to drive. It’s an amazing car to drive. It’s amazing how fast it is. You know, I’ve got a lot of classic cars, and the big Packards, the big Duesenbergs – those are the cars of the Thirties. And it kind of hearkens back to that image, you know – a lot of cylinders, heavy but with, obviously, suspension and handling improvements that are beyond what they could have thought of in those days. But it’s a lot of fun to drive. I mean the 57 actually does go around Nurburgring faster than the Boxster S, which is an amazing – amazing feat, when you realize it’s almost three tons.

Recently heard:

The President says there's a madman overseas with enormous power, and that we don't know what he's up to, but he threatens values we all hold dear.

And he's talking about Chris Bangle.

Watch for a new 2-door coupe from Audi, based on their just-released A4 Cabriolet.

Upcoming tests:
Acura 3.2 CL Type S
Honda Civic Si
Honda Civic Hybrid
Nissan 350Z (You asked for it)!