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Wednesday, January 5, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER 120 f 'A V Y i n ; - reSTswvice THAT'S STATE FARM. Don't trust just anyone to insure your car, see me: FROM REAL PEOPLE. Ford Model T is Car of the Century An international jury of automotive journalists and experts has chosen the Ford Model T as the winner of the Car Of The Century award. The winner was announced last month in Las Vegas. The announcements culminates more than three years of work starting with 4,000 vehicles. W hat made the voting truly global in nature was the fact the public could cast their votes for their personal pick on the Car of the Year website (www.cotc.com) and their vote counted in the selection of the finalists. "The COTC award repre sents the hard work of many people all over the world. We salute the Ford Model T for winning this award," said Fred van der Vlugt, chairman of the board of the Global Automotive Elections Foundations. The jury of 126 automotive experts was drawn from 32 countries and are considered some of the most knowledge able in the world. The three Canadian judges were: Bill Vance of The National Post, Alex Law of the The Toronto Star and Car & Driver Magazine and Jim Robinson of Metroland Newspapers including the Oakville Beaver. The jury of expert shortened the list ROBINSON JIM Road Worthy of more than 4,000 to 200 vehicles three years ago. That was narrowed to the top 100 in 1997 and then the top 27 in early 1999. From the top 27, the world jury and the public helped pick the final five. The finalists in order of finish were; Ford Model T, 742 points; Morris Mini (all types) 617 points; Citroen DS, 567 points; Volkswagen Beetle, 521 points; and Porsche 911, 303 points. The International Jury also voted on a "Galley of Fame" to honor the people who built the auto industry over the past 100 years. The winners were: Henry Ford 1 was voted the Automotive Entrepreneur of the Century Giorgetto Giuigiaro voted the most important Car Designer of the Century. Ferdinand Porsche voted the most significant Automotive Engineer of the Century. Ferdinand Piech voted the Car Executive of the Century. All though the voting is over, the fun isn't. The Car of the Century organiza tion will continue to operate its website (www.cotc.com) as a virtual community for car enthusiasts. It is also planning to organize global automotive events. Car of the Century -- Ford Model T Volkswagen Beetle Morris Mini Citroen DS Few changes for popular Chrysler Intrepid Chrysler's Intrepid is roomy, great looking, reasonably priced and has good power. What's not to like? Chrysler is in agreement and has elect ed to do little to the smooth sedan for 2000, save for adding new interior trim bits and fabric, revised rear suspension to reduce ride noise and a few new colors. For 2000, Intrepid rolls on in base and ES trim. Both models arrive with a 202horsepower 2-7-litre DOHC V6 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. The 2.7 ES receives AutoStick, how ever, which allows the transmission to be manually shifted. Optional on the ES only is a 225-horsepower 3.2-litre SOHC V6 mated to the AutoStick transmission. Intrepids come well-equipped from the get-go with the ES receiving 16-inch cast aluminum wheels as the defining fea ture. ABS is optional on both, while leather and traction control are optional on the ES models only. Type: Sedan Base price: $25,500 Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel drive Transmissions: Four-speed automatic/four-speed automatic with AutoStick (opt.) Fuel consumption (1/100 km, cty/hwy): 11.3/7.2 Safety: Front airbags, ABS (opt.), trac tion control (opt.) Warranty: 3/60,000 Roadside assistance: Yes Chrysler Intrepid Tire buying tips Where do you do your dri ving? Do you drive mostly around town? Then you probably don't need to spend extra money for a speed-related tire (unle?s your car came fitted with them). Do you drive fre quently on gravel? Then there are cer tain tread designs you should avoid. The answer to this question can point your tire dealer to the most appropri ate and cost-effec tive tire for your needs. At what speeds do you nor mally travel? If you travel at higher speeds, or own a sports car, you may need a speed-relat ed tire. However, if you always drive at moderate speeds, you proba bly do not need to go to the expense of buying a speedrelated tire.