However, in Europe, it is common knowledge that the two sports Italians, Brits, Germans, Frenchmen, Spaniards, Portuguese and Dutchmen rank as their top two are soccer and Formula One.

Jonathan Summerton

This is where 21-year-old Jonathan Summerton comes into the picture. Summerton is one of the prime candidates for a seat at the new USF1 operation, a brand new Formula One team based both in the U.S. and Europe that plans to make its series debut in 2010.

The team has announced its primary investor, billionaire CEO and founder of YouTube, Chad Hurley. It is owned by longtime Formula One veterans Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson, and its U.S. base is present in Charlotte, N.C., where a lot of NASCAR teams take up residence.

Summerton discussed the ambitions of USF1 and what Windsor and Anderson, whose pitch for the team’s plans has even made it to the New York Times, are looking to do in the lead-up to the first 2010 F1 race in Bahrain.

“It’s been a hard battle for them, as they have to develop a car, find sponsors, and do everything with a first year racing team,” he said. “They’ve done a great job with it.  I’d love to be part of the team, as one of the drivers, or a test driver, or a junior for the team to be prepped for 2011 or ’12.  Just to represent America again like I did in A1GP would be an honor.”

The team’s idea is revolutionary in trying to grow the sport of Formula One in the U.S. – and the team seeks an American driver worthy of the seat. If Summerton gets the call, he says, expect something akin to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” to take up residence in his hometown of Kissimmee, Fla.

“I think you would see fireworks in the town of Kissimmee,” he said.  “This is everything I’ve set my eyes on doing. The past 2-3 years have been nothing but struggle.  To be given that opportunity, and thank everyone supporting me, as an American in USF1, I’m kind of speechless as to what it would be like.”

The struggle he describes the goes back to time spent in American open-wheel developmental series, the Atlantic Championship and earlier this year, Indy Lights. Think of these as the respective minor leagues – the AAA and AA levels – on the path to the IZOD IndyCar Series. Both series have had graduates proceed to race in IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500.

Summerton stays true to his roots, a working class family who has supported his whole career, while moving from ride to ride on the basis of his talent and not his checkbook.  In American open-wheel racing, ironically, most drivers only race because they bring personal levels of sponsorship they have gained while racing and/or living in other countries.

“I haven’t had to shed out any of my own money, and to be honest, I couldn’t have,” Summerton said.  “My parents are fully 100% behind me, but sometimes it was a struggle to pay for flights.  I don’t want them to risk their lives and home.  My goal and determination was to do and make it to F1, without any sort of funding from family.  We have found a way to make it work somehow, some way.”

Summerton has already accrued several years worth of racing experience in both Europe and the U.S.  He’s raced, and beaten, some drivers currently in Formula One.

He’s the only American driver to have won a round of the A1 Grand Prix series, another open-wheel division that advertises itself as country versus country with race cars, much the same way as the World Cup in soccer works.

Through all this though it’s easy to forget that Summerton is normal as they come off track. He’s 21, he trains, and he chills with friends.  He gives a lot back to everyone supporting him through web-based communities of fans, and produces his own column where he engages in a fan question & answer alongside his race accounts.

“Without fans you’re nothing,” he said.  “I have always looked to thinking that you have to be level-headed, no matter how good you are, because you’re still a normal person and can easily be back at square one.  Without people behind you, you’re nobody really.”

The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport (that’s convertible for you peasant folk) is made up entirely of ridiculous numbers.  Before I even get to the truly insane “minor” details here are the ones that you really need to know.  It costs, are you ready… $2.2 million.  Yup, that is not a typo.  Let me put that price into a little perspective for you. That same kinda coin could buy seven Ferrari 599s or every single 2009 model Mercedes.   Heck, you could pick up a top-shelf Maybach and employ a chauffeur until well past the end of days for the same sum.  It’s not a particularly elegant car.  Some refer to it as resembling a squashed jellybean.  I see it as a perfect example of form following function.

Now that bank-busting sum doesn’t just buy you a million dollar carbon fiber and magnesium sculpture to park in your living room.  No.  This thing really moves.  Here are some more numbers for you.  Zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds, zero to 100 in an eye watering 5.5 seconds and wrinkles the skid pad with an even 1.00g.  This petrol-powered rocket will continue to rearrange your guts all the way to a truly terrifying 253 mph. 

Now, I’m not saying terrifying is bad.  No, terrifying is most definitely good.  People who inhabit such terrifying speeds are often assumed to be some of the most courageous people alive.  Fighter pilots and astronauts come to mind. Imagine the scene in Top Gun where the F-14’s get catapulted off the carrier deck and I think you can get pretty close to the violence of a full throttle start.  The truly scary realization comes only when you imagine your local gazzillionaire aiming this 2-ton cruise missile down your local freeway.

Now, turning the coupe version into a road going convertible is not as easy as taking a hacksaw to the top.  In a car that will still hit 217 with the roof off and not fold in on itself at velocities north of 250 mph takes some serious engineering trickery.  To accomplish this feat the entire chassis was reinforced via a further strengthened transmission tunnel in addition to dumping the aluminum doors to fit even stronger carbon fiber versions.  Even the “fake” roll bars, which house the huge inlets feeding the engine, are actually functional in the Grand Sport.  The result of this reinforcing is a car that boasts the strongest chassis of ANY production convertible.

The engine that catapults this magnesium and titanium missile to V-MAX is as much a technological marvel as anything on the car.  It’s an 8.0-liter W16 quad turbo tower of power that produces a mighty 1001bhp and a road rippling 922 pound feet of torque.  Such figures are seemingly more at home on a seagoing vessel much less a hyper car such as the Grand Sport.  When the novelty of punching a hole in time and space begins to get dull there is still more technology designed to reign in the warp speed.  The front brake rotors measure 15. 75 inches in diameter and are disciplined by eight-piston calipers with four pads a piece. 

 In back, things are slightly less insane with “only” 15-inch rotors with six-piston calipers with two pads assigned to each caliper.  These massive brakes will haul you and your plaything down from 70 in a scant 158 feet.  For those truly insane speeds where even brakes the size of trash bin lids can’t reign in the terror the Veyron also comes with an airbrake that doubles as the rear wing and automatically adjusts to the speed and what size crease you would like to make in the road.  Honestly I think the only way the Grand Sport would be able to stop quicker is if you happened to drop an anchor or rear-end an aircraft carrier.

Now all of this slobbering over its tremendous speed doesn’t mean that this car is without fault.  Lets start with the Grad Sport moniker.  The “convertible” really isn’t a convertible at all.  It’s really more of a targa style top that must be removed by two people and cannot be stored anywhere on the car.  For those mega-rich who haven’t yet been able to bribe God for a perfectly clear day the Grand Sport does come with an umbrella.  I’m not kidding.  Your $2.2 million dollar plaything has an emergency roof modeled after an umbrella.  Bugatti claims that this fully watertight piece fabric is good only up to 80 mph so you really should have a mouse operate the loud pedal. Anything more would instantly rip the flimsy roof off.  There are other little niggles as well.  The $30,000 Puccini audio system is completely useless once the W-16 monster starts to breathe, and the turn signal and wiper stalks, made of magnesium and aluminum, cost north of $6,000 dollars each. Do. Not. Break. Them.

But let me get to the really insane part of the car.  Maintenance.  Yes, a car that can routinely hit 253mph is going to have some pretty exacting standards to live up to.  And yes, the service intervals necessarily need to be once every 2.2 miles or so but let me tell you how much all of this pampering is going to cost to keep your very own cruise missile in tip top shape.  For starters the car has 12 radiators, and carries a combined 26 gallons of fluid aside from the gas in the tank.  Its 8.o liter engine is hand built by only two men, the tires (Veyron specific Michelin PAX tires) have so little tread life that they must be replaced every 10,000 miles to a tune of $17,000.  The wheels must be replaced every 30,000 miles and the combined total for the wheels and tires carries a price tag of $73,000. 

Think that is crazy? Just wait till I get to the really good stuff.  The 7 speed gearbox costs $173,000.  Only one piece of glass out of 30 is deemed “worthy” for a Veyron, the others are stored for future restorations.  The front grill is made from titanium to prevent any unfortunate fowl from fouling up the driving experience.  The bolts on the car are made from titanium as well and must be replaced if they have been tightened or removed.  The cost?  Eighty-five bucks a pop.  Oh and the very best part is the “comprehensive” 60K service.  At such mileage the entire car must be split in half and worked on by Santa’s elves I suppose, for it is such a magical piece of engineering.  This service can only be performed at five places in the entire world.  Or if you desire Bugatti will fly out a service station to your house.  They don’t even list how much that’ll set you back…

The Grand Sport is the ultimate expression of how mega rich your latest Ponzi scheme is making you.  It is guaranteed to get you the best parking spot at any restaurant in the world and it might just be the worlds most powerful hairdryer, provided it doesn’t rip your hair right off.  It’s biblically fast, relatively comfortable and has presence like no other.  Are there better ways of spending your 2.2 million? Sure, but for those who have positively everything else the Veyron Grand Sport is unequivocally the greatest road car ever developed.  From power to price we will likely never see such an automobile again.

*Please note all pictures and performance figures came from the following sources.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/09q3/2009_bugatti_veyron_16.4_grand_sport-first_drive_review/one_man_27s_mania_page_2

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/exotic/112_0906_bugatti_veyron_grand_sport_review/acceleration_and_facts.html

http://www.wired.com/reviews/product/pr_veyron_convertible

Going green and looking glamorous in the process is the M.O. for California-based Fisker Automotive, a relative newcomer to the automotive scene. Say hello to the Karma, the flagship car that should officially launch Fisker into the national spotlight.

Last month, it was announced that Fisker had been awarded upwards of $500 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to create affordable, fuel-efficient plug-in luxury hybrids.

“We believe eco-friendly cars don’t have to sacrifice style or performance,” said Fisker spokesman Russell Datz.  “There’s a reason we fall in love with cars and driving and there’s no reason to lose those elements to be responsible.”

Fisker is the fourth manufacturer to receive funds as appropriated as a part of the department’s $25 billion Advanced Technologies Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program, created by Congress in November 2008.

The company has set some ambitious goals in wanting to produce more than 100,000 units by 2012. The company’s Web site has said more than 1,500 have already been pre-ordered in advance of its anticipated summer 2010 public debut, Datz said.

“We are confident we can achieve, even exceed, our goals,” Datz said. “Independent market research shows plug-in hybrids will be the fastest growing auto segment in the coming years.”

These cars are no slouches to look at – they have the styling of an Aston Martin DB9 at first glance, which would make sense considering Fisker Automotive CEO Henrik Fisker is a former Aston design director.

The eco-friendly nature of the car offers tailpipe-free emissions that one could expect to find on an electric car. It’s expected to exceed more than 100 miles per gallon (mpg) and its Q-Drive powertrain is expected to produce more than 50 miles emission-free, and a total of more than 300 miles on a full charge of its Lithium Ion battery.

It’s got more than enough kick for a full size sedan, as its on-board generator still churns out an efficient 260 bhp four-cylinder gasoline engine.

The price tag of $39,000 MSRP after tax credits is anywhere from $12-$17,000 more than a Toyota Prius, long considered the most recognizable hybrid. However, the Karma’s fuel capacity is nearly double what a Prius can offer (51/48 mpg).

The Karma has the glitz and glamour of a luxury roadster while saving the buyer two kinds of green: your wallet in the long run and the environment, if you didn’t catch the hint.

Launched in 2007 by auto design veterans Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler, the company has plans to not only create as many units as they plan, but save and create jobs in the process.

Datz said at least 5,000 jobs will be created in the U.S., including the company’s California our headquarters, its development facility in Michigan and also among suppliers and vendors.

With a name like “Karma,” it has to be a positive, right?

It is merely a simple four letter word, yet one that literally keeps the world going every second.

And now, it is the subject of the Marquette Journal’s newest weekly column, “Drive Time.”  In the weeks and months to come, Danny Fink and yours truly, Tony DiZinno, will examine the automobile industry in several different areas.

“Drive Time” will run weekly online at marquettejournal.org, with Danny and I alternating weeks writing.

Danny’s always been one to get ridiculously pumped out of his mind – and let’s be honest, he’s not the only one – when a new and sleek Ferrari, Mercedes, Jaguar, Mustang or Corvette rolls up.

So he decided, what the heck, why not cover it? Fink’s going to look at supercars, exotics, auto shows, and the general fun side of cars. Nice work if you can get it.  Still, we all can dream, and now you can read what the man has to say.

While Fink will cover the sexy side of speed, my bi-weekly column takes a look at the bottom line. I’ll examine the finances of the auto industry, with an eye on business transactions, the economy, and the innovations coming out of auto racing to the showrooms. 

When you think about it, we all care how it affects us in the wallet.  And as far as auto racing, there is an old adage that says “race on Sunday, sell on Monday.” In our case, it’s “read our column on Saturday.”

I don’t know if we truly realize how big a role automobiles play in our lives.  I think we take them for granted. 

We dodge them every day on the way to class, crossing Wisconsin Avenue.

We love the history of cars, from ’67 Shelby GT Cobras to the eye-popping Enzo Ferrari. 

We are examining the future of cars, focusing on the new technologies emerging such as hybrids and alternative fuels, while trying to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

We also collectively roll our eyes when some poser in a ’92 Integra rolls up with side skirts, a modified nose and rear end, and most of all, a ridiculous rear wing.  You know you’ve laughed at them at some point in your life too.

So that’s the plan.  Call it a synopsis of speed as Danny and I throw schedules out the window. Strap in and sit down because now, you’re on Drive Time.