The current 6.1L HEMI has been the heart and soul of Chrysler’s SRT-8 line since 2006. It packs 425-horsepower and 420-lbs/tq. and pulls like a hammer. Over the last four years we’ve also heard about Chrysler’s 6.4 liter HEMI and those of us with SRT’s have literally been drooling at the mouth in the hopes that this engine would find itself in the new upcoming crop of SRT-8 models. The engine, as of November and according to Ram trucks chief Fred Diaz, was originally supposed to appear in Ram’s heavy-duty trucks. Now however things seemed to have changed as Joe Veltri, Chrysler VP of product development stated that the new engine was designed not for heavy hauling, but for performance and will indeed be the mill of choice for hopeful SRT-8 owners.
Fernando Alonso made the best of his new job driving for Ferrari by taking the win in Bahrain. The two time world champion appeared unable to hang with polesitter Sebastian Vettel in the early stages of the race, but got lucky when Vettel experienced an exhaust problem following the final pit stop. Vettel’s misfortune proved to be an opportunity for Alonso as well as his teammate Felipe Massa, who took second. Lewis Hamilton, driving a McLaren Mercedes finished third.
Massa’s second place finish was particularly remarkable in light of his crash in qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Gran Prix. Massa was hit in the helmet by a spring from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn and received serious head trauma. His return to racing was in doubt, let alone his ability to return and compete at the top levels of the sport.
Seven time champion Michael Schumacher finished in sixth and complained that the car, “was not to his liking”. Schumacher’s teamate, Nico Rosberg, apparently liked his car much better, finishing in fifth spot some four seconds ahead of Schumacher.
The Crown Vic may be headed to the great scrapheap in the sky, but Ford has an ace up their sleeve to replace it for law enforcement use. Based on the 2010 Ford Taurus, the 2012 Ford Police Interceptor is not your dad’s FWD police car.
I’m a pretty easygoing guy, and I’m generally not one to lecture on wrong versus right, especially when it comes to issues of style. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and nothing says that louder than the car you drive, how you treat it and how you customize it. There are a few sins I can’t forgive, because everytime I see them it’s like nails across a chalkboard inside my head. Please, people, for the love of God, don’t do any of the following to your car.
After a long winter without open wheel racing, the F1 and IRL seasons both kick off this weekend. The F1 season opens in Bahrain, and Sebastian Vettel (driving for Red Bull) has put his Renault powered car on the pole. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) has the outside of the front row, followed by Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes) and Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) to round out the top five. Rosberg’s teammate, seven time world champion Michael Schumacher, qualified in seventh spot, followed by current world champion Jenson Button in eighth.
Ok, so you’ve got this car in your garage that you’ve done a butt-load of bodywork to. It’s straight as an arrow with a quick primer coat on it. The interior and gauges are installed and mechanically your baby is ready to roll. There is however one small problem. You’ve put so much money into the car already to get it to this point that you don’t have the capital for the paint job. Now it’s springtime and the car you thought would be ready will now just be taking up space in the garage unless you find an alternative.
Maybe you’ve been looking for something different. You know, that certain car that will stand out in the crowd of Camaros and Coronets that clog-up your favorite Friday night car show. You want to be noticed, regarded and most of all talked about. Well then, look no further because your old friend Mr. Angry has found the car for you.
I’m generally not a big fan of police pursuit videos, because I’ve seen about a million of them. Something about this one stands out. Maybe it’s the driver, who actually stops at one point to yell at police. I’m reasonably sure she’s insane, or tripping her face off. Or insane and tripping her face off.
Maybe it’s the car, because I sure as hell wouldn’t try to outrun anything in a Scion Xb. The driver does a fair job of it, though. Who knew a Scion Xb was so nimble?
Or it could just be that it’s Friday, and I was looking for any excuse to put off redesigning the cover sheet for my TPS report. The weekend’s here in a few hours, so enjoy the vid.
Ok, I’ll admit it – I’ve tried repeatedly to emulate the sound of a big block V8 or import tuner by using nothing but my vocal cords. It is unfortunate, but I am generally unsuccessful and my impressions are more are less mistaken for a bad case of gas than anything even remotely automotive. This guy however has his shtick down pat and is rolling with some mad vocal skills. Hondas are no problem and dirt bikes are a cinch. Hell, he’s even managed to make Subaru’s sound better than they do in real life. The absolute best part though is the shifting… seriously; if you don’t laugh at this there is something seriously wrong with you.
