The 2013 Camaro ZL1, in topless flavor. Image: GM Corp.
If you thought that the announcement of the 650-horsepower 2013 Shelby GT 500 meant the end of the pony car wars, you’d be wrong. Al Oppenheiser, the chief engineer on the Camaro ZL 1 program, was his normal outspoken self in a a letter to the faithful on the Camaro5 website. Read More…
The Fiat 500 Abarth: too late to save Laura Soave. Image: Chrysler Group LLC
Here’s what we know: the former head of Fiat North America, Laura Soave, is no longer with the company. That’s a recent development, since she still held the position at last week’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Replacing Soave in the lineup is Timothy Kuniskis, who formerly held the title of director of product marketing for Fiat and Chrysler brands. There’s no word on when Kuniskis learned of his new role, but we’re guessing it was probably on his way through the door on Monday. Read More…
XBOX, PS3, smartphones and Facebook. These are four things that have the ability to totally wipe-out a childhood. You see today every kid out there is so entrenched in electronics and social media that getting them to do anything involving real life activities is somewhat of a nightmare. Back in the 1960′s though, things were different. Back then if you wanted to have fun you needed to make things happen for yourselves. You grab a bunch of your buddies and head outside to play kick-ball, ride BMX bikes and or light things on fire find ways to amuse yourselves. The other thing about being a kid back in the day was that there were no shortage of big companies that tried to kill you on a daily basis. Take WHAM-O for instance, they’re the creators of this super-cool wheelie bar, a contraption that was almost guaranteed to cause injury as soon as you installed it. Simply install it on the back of your bike, pull-up on those handlebars and PRESTO – instant superstar!
Granted things like the WHAM-O Wheelie Bar would never see the light of day in today’s day and age, however it’s good to know that there was once a time when kids could just be kids, even if it did mean getting the occasional concussion here and there.
Source: Youtube.com
*This AMX was powered by a Chevy LS-engine that looks as though it was made to be there – simply stunning conversion!
A few weeks ago I was walking around the SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV oogling the thousands of amazing show cars. The entire show is one gigantic aftermarket spectacle that must be seen to be believed, as it showcases just about every trend the automotive spectrum has to offer. One such trend that caught my eye was the crossbreeding of parts (power plants in particular) from one manufacturer to another. For instance, it seemed as though every hot-rod, rat-rod and pro-touring car out there had some type of GM LS motor under the bonnet. Now granted it makes sense, because in the scheme of things, who wouldn’t want a stout 600 hp, aluminum small block under the hood.
The Fiat 500 Cabrio. Image: Chrysler Group LLC
When Fiat rolled out launch plans for its diminutive 500 city car, the Italian automaker was ambitious. Initial projections called for a network of 130 Fiat dealers selling some 35,000 cars in the U.S. this year. Instead, construction delays limited the number of dealerships for most of the year (although the total is now at 130), and a lack of advertising has left buyers confused about Fiat’s return to the U.S. market. Read More…
2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1. Image: GM Corp.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but Chevy opted to release pricing on the 2012 Camaro ZL1 on the very same day that Ford announced its new, 650 horsepower 2013 Shelby GT500. If you’re a bowtie fan, $54,995 (including destination charge) will buy you a car that runs from 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds, runs the quarter-mile in 12 seconds flat at 119 mph and tops out at 184 mph. It’s all but guaranteed to win you tickets and points on your driver’s license, so if you planning to buy one, now is the time to dig up dirt on your insurance agent. Read More…
The 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is the worst kept secret in years. First there were spy shots, followed by teaser images showing a headlight here and a wheel there, but Hyundai has finally grown tired of releasing the new Genesis Coupe one bit at a time. Today, the Korean automaker posted these images to its worldwide Facebook page ahead of the car’s intended launch at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Read More…
The year is rapidly drawing to a close, and Chevy is nowhere near the 10,000 unit sales of its extended-range EV, the Volt, that the automaker had projected. Through October, Chevy had sold just over 5,000 Volts year-to-date, nowhere near on-track for the 10k sales that GM CEO Dan Akerson had projected. Read More…
It isn’t likely that Hyundai will drop its new Tau V8 into the Genesis Coupe, since (in its eyes at least) it would make the Genesis Coupe too expensive and could potentially pirate sales of the Genesis R-Spec sedan. Lucky for us that Rhys Millen Racing doesn’t worry about details like this, since they’ve created a 5.0-liter V-8 powered Hyundai Genesis Coupe for SEMA 2011. Read More…
The 2012 Honda Civic Si. Image: Honda
It wasn’t that many years ago that automaker Honda could do no wrong. It was the darling of the Consumer Reports staff, but it was also loved by tuners for building affordable but entertaining cars. And then something went wrong. Product quality began to slip, younger buyers avoided Honda dealerships in droves and even Consumer Reports began to say bad things about Honda’s latest crop of cars. Read More…
