February 7th, 2008
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Coupes, Videos, Chrysler, Dodge
Chrysler has released some video of the Challenger zooming around on some desert tarmac. We think that this video is from the same shoot that produced the
teaser pics we all salivated over before the Challenger was officially unveiled. With that, on to the video, after the jump. Hit the gallery for more stills, while you're at it.
[Source: Chrysler]
Continue reading VIDEO: Dodge Challenger romping in the desert
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Posted in b-roll, broll, burnout, challenger, desert, dodge, hemi, official, production, srt, teaser, video | Comments Off
February 7th, 2008
Filed under: LA Auto Show, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Nissan
Winding Road's man from Japan, Peter Nunn, supposedly has it on good authority that Nissan's new Z-car is headed to Los Angeles this November for its official unveiling. According to Nunn's source, the 370Z looks "fantastic," despite it being a more evolutionary design.
The really interesting tidbit from Nunn is that the new Z will be shorter than the outgoing model by around four inches. That might curtail speculation that the
spy shots we've seen of a chopped 350Z was a new rear-wheel-drive model that could resurrect the Silvia nameplate. Too bad. But the 370Z will be sporting the 3.7-liter V6 found in the Infiniti G37 coupe, a slightly wider track and, hopefully, will shed a few pounds from the outgoing model.
[Source: Winding Road]
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Posted in 370z, LaAutoShow, LosAngelesAutoShow, Nissan370z, Nissan370zLaAutoShow, NissanLaAutoShow, la auto show, los angeles auto show, nissan, nissan 370z, nissan 370z la auto show, nissan la auto show | Comments Off
February 7th, 2008
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Coupes, Dodge
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Dodge Challenger.During yesterday's unveiling of the
Dodge Challenger, Chrysler's Vice Chairman, Jim Press, confirmed what we've already known; that Dodge expects to sell between 20,000 and 30,000 Challengers a year once production goes full-bore. All 6,400 Collectors Edition SRT8 models due to hit dealers this spring have been sold and there's a waiting list for the 2009 models. Naturally, more variants will be available next year with less powerful engines and a convertible version is supposedly in the works.
According to the Freep, Press expounded on the Challenger's virtues, saying that the SRT8 has a higher top speed (170 mph) than BMW's M5. Kind of a misnomer considering that the M5's speed limiter keeps the BMW sedan below 155 mph - unleashed, it has the potential of doing 205 mph. The Freep also quoted Press as saying that the Challenger has more torque than the Porsche 911 Turbo. Ummm... no. The 6.1-liter Hemi V8 produces 420 lb.-ft. of twist compared to the
911 Turbo's 460 lb.-ft. Maybe he was misquoted (he meant or said 911, not Turbo?), since his next line gave us pause. "When you sit inside, it makes you feel younger and richer than you are." Younger? Maybe. Richer? Not quite Mr. Press. We've seen the interior and it's hardly what you'd call luxurious, let alone exciting.
[Source: Detroit Free Press]
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Posted in DodgeChallenger, JimPress, challenger, dodge, dodge challenger, jim press | Comments Off
February 7th, 2008
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Convertibles, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Mitsubishi
click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Eclipse and Eclipse SpyderMitsubishi rolled out its updated
2009 Eclipse Coupe and Spyder today in Chicago, with revised fascias that complement and simultaneously update the swoopy flanks. The nose in particular brings the Eclipse in line with the design theme spreading across the rest of Mitsubishi's model line. If you happen to have a slight sense of deja vu while looking at it, more than one of us has also noticed that the new schnoz bears more than a passing resemblance to the Nissan GT-R, as well. And lest you think the changes are all skin deep, there are several non-cosmetic updates to augment the rhinoplasty. The GT models sport a newly tuned dual exhaust that promises to not only sound better, but boost horsepower by a deuce as well, bringing the total from 263 to 265. On the inside, power comes via a new 650-watt Rockford-Fosgate audio system as part of the optional Sun & Sound Package on GS and GT models, as well. You can read more details in Mitsubishi's press release after the jump or check our lives pics in the galleries below.
Continue reading Chicago 2008: Mitsubishi shows off 2009 Eclipses
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Posted in 2009 Eclipse, 2009Eclipse, Chicago Auto Show, Chicago2008, ChicagoAutoShow, Eclipse Spyder, EclipseSpyder, Mitsubishi Eclipse, MitsubishiEclipse, chicago, chicago 2008 | Comments Off
February 6th, 2008
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Scion
click above to view more live high-res pics of the Scion tC Release 4.0
If you saw our preview of the Scion tC Release 4.0 and want more, you're in luck 'cause we've spotted it here in Chicago. We already knew pretty much all there was to know about the machine, including the DAMD body kit and Galactic Gray Mica paint. As is often the case, though, live photos seem to show more detail than official pics from the manufacturer, so be sure to check out our live photos in the gallery below. If you like what you see, perhaps you should act fast, only 2,300 of the 4.0s are going to be built. We're sure that Scion will sell all of them, but we think the tC is in need of a bit more freshening than this version 4.0 offers.
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Posted in Chicago Auto Show, Chicago2008, ChicagoAutoShow, ScionTc, ScionTcReleaseSeries4.0, chicago, chicago 2008, scion, scion tc, scion tc release series 4.0 | Comments Off
February 6th, 2008
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Motorsports, Coupes, Marketing/Advertising, BMW
click above to view more high-res live shots of BMW M3 ALMS race car
The American Le Mans Series is going to get a dose of Bavarian brilliance in 2009, as Bobby Rahal and David Letterman are teaming up to bring the fourth-generation M3 to the racing series. To properly battle the best competition in ALMS, BMW bumps the power quotient of its high-revving 4.0L V8 from 414 to 485 ponies, but brute force is just one facet of the M3's attack plan. The already outstanding chassis of the M3 has been further enhanced for the track, and weight has been reduced to make the deadly M even more nimble.
BMW also employed its extensive F1 knowledge into the M-racer, including computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel analyses to make the carbon fiber-winged M3 slip freely through the air. BMW Motorsport is still tweaking the M3 racer in advance of the 2009 season, and the car will be taken through its paces by Andy Priaulx, Jorg Muller and Augusto Farfus of FIA World Touring Car Championship fame. Since the previous two generations of M3 hold six manufacturers championships in nine years of US sports car racing, we're guessing this baddest M3 ever will continue to be a handful for the competition. If it drives as well as it looks, Mr. Rahal should be a happy man.
Continue reading Chicago 2008: BMW back in ALMS with Rahal Letterman Racing M3 [w/VIDEO]
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Posted in 4.0L V8, 4.0lV8, ALMS, American racing series, AmericanLeMansSeries, AmericanRacingSeries, Bobby Rahal, BobbyRahal, Chicago Auto Show, Chicago2008, ChicagoAutoShow, Sebring, american le mans series, bmw, chicago, chicago 2008, m3 | Comments Off
February 6th, 2008
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Dodge
UPDATE: video of the Challenger live reveal is available after the jump
Click image for hi-res live gallery of the Challenger SRT8
It's finally here. No, not here's-a-few-more-official-press-pics, but the actual latest challenger to the modern day retro muscle car. It was presented by Jim Press, who even made a Prius joke before launching into a passionate pitch for the orange-and-black-striped car. And even though you're drowning in info on a car you still can't buy, there were some specifics added: 0-60 in 4.9 seconds and a 170-MPH top speed; the quarter mile goes by in 13.9 seconds; 4-pot Brembo brakes go on 14.2-inch rotors up front and 13.8-inch rotors in back, and will stop you from 60 in 110 feet; performance and braking together adds up to 0-100-0 in 16.5 seconds; and the skidpad number: 0.9 g's.
click above to view more shots of the Silver and Black Challengers
So how's it really look? Just as good as in the photos. Better even. The lines are so simple that you realize you haven't missed anything when you get up next to it. As for the orange and striped car, however, when a black and a silver one showed up with the guys from Orange County Choppers... well, sign us up for the black.
Check out Dodge's official press release after the jump and tons of high-res shots of the live reveal in our
gallery below.
Continue reading Chicago 2008: Dodge Challenger SRT8 - LIVE REVEAL [w/VIDEO]
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Posted in 2008 dodge challenger srt8, 2008DodgeChallengerSrt8, ChallengerSrt8, Chicago Auto Show, Chicago2008, ChicagoAutoShow, DodgeChallenger, DodgeChallengerSrt8, breaking, challenger srt8, chicago, chicago 2008, dodge, dodge challenger, dodge challenger srt8, srt8 | Comments Off
February 6th, 2008
Filed under: Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Jaguar, Tata
As we've reported previously, Jaguar isn't waiting around to see how its future unfolds to move ahead with new product development. We've seen
spy shots of the next flagship XJ sedan, and heard rumors of
a new sportscar to rival the Porsche 911. Emerging reports now suggest that Jaguar executives have begun coordinating with
their bosses-to-be at Tata over several intriguing new models.
Although Tata is not in a position to sign off on the development of new models at this point, it reportedly received the sportscar project with the most enthusiasm. While executives reportedly favor basing the Porsche rival off the XF's steel chassis, Coventry engineers are pushing to modify the XJ's aluminum platform; the engine bay would be able to accommodate both V6 and V8 engines. Jaguar also presented its hosts with plans to lop off two doors and a couple of inches of roofline from the new XF sedan to make a coupe version, although a convertible variant was ruled out. Lastly, and perhaps most dramatically, a plan was presented to lengthen the XK coupe and add two more doors to build its own rival for former corporate cousin Aston Martin's upcoming Rapide. This last development contradicts earlier reports that suggested the next XJ sedan would adopt the four-door-coupe approach, offering instead that the new XJ would include more interior space than the model it replaces.
[Source: Just-Auto.com - sub. req'd]
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Posted in Jaguar911Rival, JaguarAstonMartinRapideRival, JaguarF-type, JaguarPorscheRival, JaguarTata, JaguarXfCabrio, JaguarXfConvertible, JaguarXfTwo-door, JaguarXkFour-door, jaguar, jaguar 911 rival, jaguar aston martin rapide rival, jaguar f-type, jaguar porsche rival, jaguar tata, jaguar xf cabrio, jaguar xf convertible, jaguar xf two-door, jaguar xk four-door, tata | Comments Off
February 5th, 2008
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Coupes, Dodge
click above for 89 high-res pics of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8Just over two years after debuting as a concept at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, the Dodge Challenger is now ready to hit the streets for real. The Challenger is reviving a name last used in the late '70s and early '80s on a compact, four-cylinder Mitsubishi-built coupe. This time, though, Chrysler is going back to the roots of the brand with a big muscular rear-wheel-drive coupe, initially available exclusively with a 6.1L HEMI V8 that will power the new Challenger 60 mph in the low 5-second range, according to a very conservative Chrysler. It shares the automaker's LX platform with the Charger and Chrysler 300, and in final form, the car has changed remarkably little from the concept. The most noticeable differences are up front and include the loss of the cross-hair grille and a slim black air dam at the bottom of the bumper. Other changes are pretty subtle, such as some reshaping of the lower air intake.
Out back, the rear bumper is now more prominent and the detailing of the taillights has been revised. A flat black lip spoiler is now mounted on the trailing edge of the deck lid while the Challenger badges on the rear fenders have been dumped. The rear driver side fender now also features a prominent chrome fuel filler cap. The wheelbase of the LX platform has been shrunk from a gargantuan 120 inches for the sedans to a merely large 116 inches for the Challenger. That puts the span between the axles at 9 inches longer the Mustang, which aids interior volume. Read on after the jump for more.
[Source: Chrysler]
Continue reading Chicago 2008: It's here - 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8
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Posted in 2008 dodge challenger srt8, 2008DodgeChallengerSrt8, Chicago Auto Show, ChicagoAutoShow, DodgeChallengerSrt8, breaking, chicago, chicago 2008, dodge challenger, dodge challenger srt8 | Comments Off
February 5th, 2008
Filed under: Convertibles, Coupes, Hybrids/Alternative, Green
Last Friday, Tesla chairman Elon Musk took delivery of the first production
Roadster, which carries the name P1 (Production vehicle 1). The black coupe was flown in from Hethel, England, where all Teslas are being built alongside the Roadster's cousin, the Lotus Elise. When the Roadster arrived at the start-up's R&D facility in San Carlos, California, it was pushed into the garage and had its Thailand-produced battery pack installed. After the battery was fitted and charged, Musk led a pack of four other Roadsters on a quick drive and AutoblogGreen was able to
procure a video of the run. For those of you who wanted to hear how the Tesla Roadster sounds while accelerating, we've embedded the video after the jump.
[Source: Earth2Tech.com, Image: Stephanie Lawrence]
Continue reading Elon Musk takes delivery of first production Tesla Roadster
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Posted in TeslaRoadster, TeslaRoadsterFirst, TeslaRoadsterFirstProduction, TeslaRoadsterProduction, roadster, tesla, tesla roadster, tesla roadster first, tesla roadster first production, tesla roadster production | Comments Off
