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Filed under: Car Buying, Convertible, Minivan/Van, Sedan, SUV, Truck, Etc., Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, GM, GMC, Mazda, Mercury, Mitsubishi, Pontiac, Saab 
Eight vehicles you can still buy new - Click above for high-res image gallery
Was your heart crushed when vehicles like the Mercury Sable, Pontiac Grand Prix or Dodge Durango got the axe? Well, fear not - these hot little numbers (and many more!) are still available from dealerships all across the country.
Automobile magazine has detailed a list of eight cars that are still on sale - brand new - even though they aren't 2010 models. And while these vehicles don't necessarily represent the sexiest cars currently sitting on dealer lots, it's probably safe to assume that they're all being offered with substantial incentive packages, not to mention full warranties (we hope).
Click through the gallery below to see high-res shots of all eight rides, and head over to Automobile to read the full details.
[Source: Automobile]Eight vehicles you can still buy new... seriously originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Lotus 
Bruce Rice with his new Lotus Evora
2010 is big for Lotus, as the new Evora has it its first full year of production and the legendary marque returns to both Formula One and Indianapolis. On the road car front, the first customer Evora in the United States was delivered to its new owner this week. Bruce Rice of Austin, TX got the keys to his bright red Evora at John Eagle European (also in Austin).
Lotus calls the Evora the world's only four-seat mid-engined sports car, but those rear seats are really only theoretical. Nonetheless, being fans of the Lotus design philosophy of adding "lightness" we can't wait for our own stint behind the wheel of Hethel's first new product in over a decade - especially in a car that's not as snug as the Exige.
[Source: Lotus]Continue reading First Lotus Evora delivered to an American customer First Lotus Evora delivered to an American customer originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Etc. 
Virtually every driver will, at some point, get that sinking feeling that comes when your car doesn't start. Digging out a set of jumper cables to boost a battery is a rite of passage. Jump-starting a car can be a slightly tricky process, though. The positive and negative terminals of the booster and "boostee" need to be connected properly or the battery can be blown up. Which is, you know, sub-optimal. Over the past decade, a number of devices have come out to help ease the battery-jumping process, including portable booster batteries and even jumper cables that plug into a 12V outlet inside the car. Those plug-in cables will never be connected with reverse polarity, but they might not be able to carry enough current to actually crank your engine.
Enter the Michelin Smart Jumper Cable. Instead of the usual color-coded clamps for your battery's positive and negative terminals, the cables are all Michelin blue. Halfway down the cable is a box of electronic smarts. Just put one clamp on the positive terminal of the battery and the other on any piece of bare metal and the electronics will detect whether you've made a complete circuit and illuminate an LED on the central box. When the second battery is connected, the electronics automatically determine the polarity and switch it as needed. A set of these smart jumper cables runs about $30 to $40.
[Source: Daily Giz Wiz, Michelin]Continue reading Never blow up your battery with Michelin Smart Jumper Cables Never blow up your battery with Michelin Smart Jumper Cables originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Motorsports, Acura, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Racing 
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) held a press conference Friday morning before qualifying for this weekend's 12 Hours of Sebring to announce an expansion of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. When it was first announced late in 2009, the three-race championship was only going to apply to the top LMP1 class. The new championship will now apply to all four main classes: LMP1, LMP2, GT1 and GT2.
The cup will be based on results from Le Mans series races in Europe, the United States and Asia. The European and American rounds will be the Silverstone and Petit Le Mans races, with the Asian event likely to be held in Shanghai. For each of the classes to be considered part of the cup, at least four cars will have to be entered. So far in P1, Audi and Drayson racing have committed. Peugeot has not yet decided whether to go to PLM or Asia.
After Le Mans, Peugeot plans to focus on development of its all-new 2011 car and may skip the remainder of the 2010 races. In spite of reduced restrictor sizes and boost, the Peugeots still managed to capture the top to starting positions for Saturday's race. The Highcroft Acura grabbed the LMP2 pole while Gunnar Jeannette got the LMP Challenge pole. In GT2, the
Flying Lizard Porsche of Jörg Bergmeister had the fastest time after Dirk MĪller's was disallowed due to a problem with his BMW.
[Source: American Le Mans Series]Continue reading Intercontinental Le Mans Cup expanded to LMP2 and GT classes Intercontinental Le Mans Cup expanded to LMP2 and GT classes originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Budget, SUV, Recalls, Off-Road, South Korea, Daihatsu 
Stop the presses! While the rest of the world has been yanking its hair out over that little dustup at Toyota, some actual recall news has been slipping through the cracks. For example, did you know that 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavors are having salted road issues that lead to fuel leaks? Or that 2005 Honda Odysseys have bad liftgate struts? Tsk, tsk. However, all that pales in comparison to the following paragraph.
Turns out, that the check valve in the fuel vapor evaporative emissions control system of 1990-1992 Daihatsu Rockys might crack, causing fumes to fill the cabin. Gasoline fumes inside your Rocky's cabin are bad (think fire, explosions), especially if you smoke. Of course, if you own a convertible Rocky, this won't be too much of an issue. Still, might as well take advantage of this NHTSA recall at your local Daihatsu dealer. Wherever that might be.
Also, in case you've been worried sick about it, there are no recalls for the Toyota Starlet. Phew!
[Source: NHTSA | Image: Wikimedia Commons]Recall: 1990-1992 Daihatsu Rocky has check valve issues originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Lamborghini, UK 
Initially, authorities in England charged Glenn Knowles and Richard Mant with trying to defraud their insurance company. The pair of men co-own a Lamborghini, or at least they did, until Knowles misplaced it during a night of binge drinking. Prosecutors weren't buying the story that Mr. Knowles took the car and then drank until he erased his mind as a way of coping with a bad time in his personal life.
The matter went to trial, and after six days, a jury conceded that it didn't seem like fraud, ultimately acquitting the pair. It's not the first time Knowles has lost a car. He once tucked a Mercedes behind a nightclub so well that it took a deep search to find it. This time, the Lamborghini seriously cannot be found, despite having a tracking system installed. Mitigating the charges of fraud are the long history of high-end car ownership by the two men, and their ability to keep making payments. So, despite the nutty insurance claim, it didn't strike the jury that this was an attempt to bilk the company. Perhaps, even though exonerated, Mr. Knowles might do well to be sentenced to a period of walking. Then, he'll only have to worry about losing a shoe.
[Source: Telegraph.co.uk]Report: UK man claims he lost Lamborghini while drunk, beats insurance fraud charges originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: SUV, Etc., Jeep, Toys/Games 
Rugged Ridge's Pinewood Derby Jeep CJ8 - Click above to enlarge
While some of us have never tried to fashion a Pinewood Derby racer out of a block of wood, the chances of such an endeavor turning out half as well as the work of art that is the Rugged Ridge Jeep CJ8 is next to nothing.
The Jeep Scrambler is a classic, and this wooden Derby version is impressively accurate, right down to fender flares, mirrors, off-road lights, jerry can, Hi Lift Jack, tube steps and spare tire carrier - all hewn from a single block of pine.
While we're not experts on the subject, we imagine the scale Jeep's aerodynamics are about as good as the real thing - which is to say, pretty darn bad. Still, the Pinewood Derby Jeep CJ8 managed to snag a third place finish in its racing debut. Nicely done!
[Source: Rugged Ridge]Pinewood Derby Jeep deserves a merit badge of excellence originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Chevrolet, Porsche, Racing 
The 57th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring is set to begin tomorrow at 10:30 AM, and with Audi out and Peugeot already dominating the LMP class in the qualifying sessions, the attention turns to the ALMS GT cars - specially the Porsche and Corvette teams.
The rivalry between the Flying Lizards and the Corvette C6.Rs has been stoked (even further) by Chevrolet's new racing webisodes, and after last year's final lap at Laguna Seca, the GT-class feuding is sure to make for some great racing.
After the jump you'll find a video documenting the Lizard's practice session yesterday, including Hans Herrman - the winner of the 1960 race - taking a lap around Sebring in a immaculate Porsche RS 60 Spyder. If you're planning to tune in tomorrow, you can download Andy Blackmore's stellar spotter's guide in all its high-res glory here and read our breakdown of this year's season here.
Continue reading Video: Porsche vs. Corvette prequel at the 12 Hours of Sebring Video: Porsche vs. Corvette prequel at the 12 Hours of Sebring originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Coupe, Performance 
McLaren MP4-12C - Click above for high-res image gallery
If you read our deep dive on the McLaren MP4-12C, you're thoroughly up to speed on the automaker's first full-on foray into supercardom. However, something was missing. McLaren hadn't provided the rudimentary performance figures to keep bench racers and keyboard jockeys frothing at the mouth. Until today.
According to recent reports the MP4-12C is able to crack the 60 mph mark in "under three seconds" when utilizing the launch control feature on its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Partnered with its 2,870 curb weight (there's still some debate if that's "dry" or fully loaded with fluids) and 600 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, the more telling stat is its 0-124 mph time of "under 10 seconds."
For those of you keeping track at home, the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo hits 60 in 3.2 seconds, the Corvette ZR1 breaks the mark at 3.5 seconds, with the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 and Ferrari 458 Italia coming in at 3.4 and 3.3 seconds respectively - not to mention the Nissan GT-R's 3.5-second run. So, is Maranello losing sleep tonight? Not likely. But there's officially a new player in the supercar set, and we can't wait to get our grubby paws on it.
[Source: Car and Driver]McLaren MP4-12C performance stats have arrived originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep 
Chrysler Pentastar V6 engine begins production - Click above for high-res image gallery
The artist engine formerly known as Prince Phoenix has officially hit the assembly lines at the Chrysler Group's plant in Trenton, Michigan. The first version of the mill, which now bears the Pentastar moniker, displaces 3.6 liters and will see its first production application in the engine bay of the brand new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Expect this all aluminum, 60-degree, dual-overhead cam (with variable valve timing) powerplant to see lots of use in the near-term future - Chrysler boasts that the Pentastar V6 will replace seven current V6 engines. In the new Grand Cherokee, the Pentastar will put out 280 horsepower (a 22-percent increase) at 6,400 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque (an 11-percent improvement) at 4,800 rpm.
Just as importantly, Chrysler tells us that the new engine will be 11 percent more fuel efficient than the unit it replaces, and it will run on either regular 87-octane gasoline or E85. This family of engines represent a $730 million investment, and the 822,000-square-foot Trenton facility will be able to produce more than 400,000 engines per year. See the complete press release after the break.
Continue reading Chrysler kicks off production of Pentastar V6 engine, formerly known as "Phoenix" Chrysler kicks off production of Pentastar V6 engine, formerly known as "Phoenix" originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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