Tuesday, October 31, 2006Filed under: Aftermarket SEMA Coupes Sports/GTs Ford  click on image to enlarge The Galpin BOSS 302 Mustang is tucked away in Ford's booth bathing in its own Grabber Blue glory. The car features the brand new BOSS 302 crate motor producing from what we hear a relatively modest 340 out of a potential 500 horsepower. Aside from that we can only go on what we see since no information was accompanying the car. What extra info do you need? It's got the BOSS 302 graphics louvers a deep chin spoiler wood-rimmed steering wheel and T-handle shifter. We have to seriously knock Galpin though for those GAS (Galpin Auto Sports) wheels that make the retro muscle car look too tunerific. Just as the BOSS 302 crate motor is a precursor to the return of the BOSS production engine the Galpin BOSS 302 paves the way for a production BOSS Mustang that's due in 2009. The production version of the BOSS engine which will share virtually nothing with the crate motor besides its name will first debut in the F-150 (remember the Hurricane engine? same thing) before showing up in a BOSS Mustang suitable for mass consumption. Until then if you're jonesing for a BOSS Mustang you'll have to hit up Galpin. PHOTO GALLERY (click on any image to enlarge):          
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Filed under: Aftermarket Concept Cars SEMA SUVs Saab  Click to enlarge Well here's a concept that's gotten our attention. The Saab 9-7x Aero on display at SEMA is the sportiest and best-looking iteration of Saab's SUV yet. Prepared by DUB the car is shod with 24" turbine-look wheels and sees its bodywork tastefully freshened with metallic honeycomb grille inserts and new similarly-trimmed custom side vents. The whole affair sits on a suspension dropped three inches making this Saab one seriously mean-looking sled. DUB finished trimming the exterior with dark tint all the way around plus smoked taillamp lenses. A Borla exhaust gives it added snarl. Inside a new suede and leather interior featuring a very upgraded audio/video system welcomes driver and passengers alike. We say this: lift the suspension back up a little reduce the wheel size to a more manageable 20" or 22" and keep the grillework and side vents as they appear here. Add the 6.0L LS2 from the Trailblazer SS put it in dealerships and let's rock. (Press release after the jump) [Source:GM]
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Filed under: Convertibles Coupes Euro Marketing/Advertising Supercars Mercedes Benz
The CLK-DTM was first sold as a coupe of which only 100 were made followed by 80 convertibles. Both were powered by a 582-horsepower supercharged V8 with stiffened suspensions beefed-up brakes and uber-aggressive bodywork that left no question these were very special vehicles capable of rocketing to sixty in under four seconds. Mercedes even shifted the range-wide 155-mph electronic speed limiter to 200. Like many limited-edition supercars the original CLK DTM was not brought over to the US because of strict testing laws here. But Spitzner says they could make a second run of the cars just for the American market. And considering the investment they'd be likely to make more than 100 this time. So what's standing in their way? Although Spitzner says some of their best customers in the US have been begging Mercedes to bring the car over they'd need to be sure there was enough demand to warrant the investment. And while touring cars generate a lot of enthusiasm in Europe the same doesn't apply in the US where (last we checked) Mercedes wasn't running in NASCAR. Another factor that could prohibitively limit the marketability stateside of the alphabet-soupercar is the upcoming CLK 63 AMG 'Black Series' that's expected to offer 530 horsepower probably for a lot less than the quarter-million dollars the original CLK DTM went for. [Source: Edmunds Inside Line]
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Filed under: Government/Legal Marketing/Advertising Chrysler  Remember the Canadian automotive journalist who was caught driving a Dodge Charger at 222 km/h (approximately 138 mph) on a public road in Quebec? Apparently Dodge does and they think alluding to the story might be a nifty way to market the car he was driving at the time the Charger SRT8. The story received a ton of press attention in Canada so making a reference to the incident shouldn't be lost on consumers. The new ad campaign shows a black Hemi-powered Dodge Charger SRT8 and the following text: "A roulé trop vite vite vite. À vendre vite vite vite. SRT8-88-8888"Roughly translated it means "Drove fast fast fast. Sell fast fast fast" followed by a telephone number that will get you more info. Dodge has also wisely added a disclaimer telling readers they should only drive that fast on a track. Of course the Canadian auto journalist in question Philippe Laguë had been testing the Dodge Charger SRT-8 on highway 132 in Longueuil near Montreal. His fine was $958 CDN ($845 US) and enough points on his license to have it suspended. Laguë brought up an interesting point explaining that car manufacturers will warn journalists to watch out for police but they usually will also discourage them from testing on closed tracks. [Source: Kicking Tires]
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Auto parts maker Visteon Corp. a loss of $177 million for the third quarter because of reduced production at Ford Motor Co.
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Filed under: Motorsports PSA
The champ watched the Rally of Australia on Sunday from his home in France as he recuperates from a mountain bike injury. His main rival two-time champion Marcus Gronholm (driving a Ford Focus) failed to finish in the top four in Australia giving Loeb an air-tight twenty-one point lead securing the title early. Between the two of them Gronholm and Loeb won 13 out of 14 races so far this season virtually locking out the rest of the field. Two rally stages remain in New Zealand (November 17-19) and Wales (December 1-3). But with the pressure off the French driver is likely to focus on his healing and rehab a little longer before hopefully returning for the final stage in Wales. The win is even more remarkable when you consider that Loeb races for Kronos Racing a private team supported by Citroen Sport while other rivals race for full factory works teams. Congratulations to Sebastien along with wishes for a full recovery as he sets his sights on the future to break the records of Finnish drivers Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Makinen who each hold four championships. Next season Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena leave their old Citroen Xsara behind and move into the new C4. [Source: Motorsport.com]
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Filed under: Coupes Sports/GTs Videos Hyundai
The clip features some artful cinematography placing the new Coupe (as it's plainly called in overseas markets) in dramatic settings to highlight its styling. Some of the car's features like the blue LED instruments six-speed shifter and air intake hole (yes "air intake hole" is considered a feature now) are underscored in the promo video which ends with the question "What do you worship?" While we doubt many people would testify "a Hyundai" in response to that question the video's still worth watching. [Source: The Auto Channel]
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 What do the 1980 Chevy Monza and the 1973 VW Microbus have in common? They are among Car Talk hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi's Top 10 Scariest Cars list. Of the Monza they say " Whenever one of these beauties reared its ugly grille in front of the garage every mechanic with more than six weeks' experience would go running for the men's room and lock the door." Another car on the list the 1987 Ford Festiva gets this derision from the brothers: "We once got in trouble for saying this car came right from the factory with a funeral wreath on the grille." If these cars aren't scary enough submit your own nomination. The whole list after the jump. [Source: cartalk.com]1969 Ford Mustang Scary for: Bystanders and other drivers 1969 Pontiac Trans Am Scary for: Bystanders and other drivers 1971 Ford Pinto Scary for: Firefighters and plastic surgeons 1973 Volkswagen Microbus Scary for: Drivers 1974 Volkswagen Thing Scary for: Onlookers 1980 Chevrolet Monza Scary for: Mechanics 1986 Suzuki Samurai Scary for: Drivers 1987 Ford Festiva Scary for: Drivers 2004 Hummer H1 Scary for: Society the environment and therapists 2005 Pontiac Aztek Scary for: Onlookers
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Filed under: Aftermarket Concept Cars Trends  American Muscle is the theme of this year's SEMA show. Usually a single automaker is honored as manufacturer of the show and enjoys a little extra exposure during the week. With this theme however all three Detroit auto companies are celebrated. Muscle cars their impact on American culture and the current resurgence of American iron dominated the discussion at the keynote luncheon on Monday. With a current Mustang and the Camaro and Challenger concept vehicles parked just off the dais a panel of six industry experts talked about the renaissance of high-powered vehicles and the legacy of speed that was born in the '60s. Motor Trend editor Angus MacKenzie (far left in photo) was the moderator. Included on the panel were (left to right):
The '80s generated laughter as Gilles said motorsports was the "one thing that didn't go away" and MacKenzie noted that trucks were the only vehicles igniting any passion. "We listed to bad music and wore bad clothes" added Webb trying to explain the onslaught of boring vehicles in that era. Hoover said technology spurred the muscle car resurgence and will spawn a new generation of enthusiasts. Schievoni agreed and sees "real growth" in muscle cars for the next 15 years. Added Gilles: "Technology like stability control allows anyone to drive a 400-horsepower car." In closing Hoover suggested that designers "keep the door cracked just a little bit for a sleeper approach" acknowledging his preference for fast motors in unsuspecting bodies. To which MacKenzie responded: "More engine less car; it's the '60s all over again!"
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Filed under: Sports/GTs Euro  Our friends at Hemmings came across an article in Blackpool Today that reports about an angry mob of TVR loyalists that are intent on voicing their opinion about the plant's closure en masse. A TVR club is organizing the convergence and is expecting over 7000 members to show up in Blackpool on November 3rd. Earlier in the month Nikoloi Smolensky announced the impending closure of the plant and the fallout from locals unions and the die-hard fans has been obvious. If you're a reader and plan on attending the event we'd ask you to bring along a camera and send us some shots here. [Source: Hemming's Auto Blog and Blackpool Today] Related Posts:
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