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They say everything is bigger in Texas, and now it seems everything might be faster too. The House of Representatives in Texas has approved a new transportation bill, and it includes legislation that would allow the Texas Department of Transportation to raise speed limits to 85 miles per hour. The state’s Senate is presently considering a similar measure.

The DOT cannot simply go out and slap up a fresh new set of 85-mph speed limit signs. Both engineering and traffic studies must be done before motorists are given a green light to those increased speeds. Don’t feel too bad for those speed-restricted Texans, though. 85 mph wouldn’t be much of a stretch for Texas, since the state already enjoys 520 miles of highway with an 80-mph speed limit.

[Source: Chron.com Image: University of Michigan]

Texas House approves nation’s fastest speed limit at 85 mph

We’ve seen Jeep Wrangler pickup trucks before that never had a chance at production. They’re the kind of teasing that many die-hard Wrangler lovers just can’t handle, so the folks at Mopar are giving owners of the four-door Unlimited a chance to make their own Jeep pickup.

The Wrangler JK-8 Independence is a new Mopar kit that provides a 50-inch pickup truck bed with 44 inches of width between the wheel wells. The folks at Mopar aren’t ready to talk price just yet, but they promised two variants of the kit. One is a weld-free bolt-on setup that mechanically inclined Jeep owners can put together “over a weekend.” The second is a show-ready kit that can be fitted at the dealership or a specialty body shop. The parts for both kits will reportedly cost about the same, but labor costs for the show truck version will cost extra. The kit will reportedly be available in every color that you can currently get the Wrangler Unlimited.

In all, Mopar tells us the kit includes a bed floor, all the necessary body panels, the fiberglass cap and a new bulkhead. To build your own JK-8 Independence, you’ll need to remove all the interior parts behind the front seats. The new body panels will cover the second row entrance, and a short fiberglass cap provides enough covered space for your gear.

The bright yellow JK-8 show truck, which is based off of a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, features a Mopar/Dynatrac ProRock 44 front axle and a stock 44 rear axle with 4.88 gears. Thirty-seven inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain KM2 tires and a 4.5-inch long-arm suspension kit make sure this makeshift truck doesn’t get stuck even in the most inhospitable terrain. Special off-road capable bumpers round out the modifications, and all of the above modifications are available straight from the Mopar catalog.

Click on the gallery below to check out the official Jeep Wrangler pickup truck that you’ve all been waiting for.

Photos copyright (C)2011 Chris Shunk / AOL

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Jeep JK-8 Independence kit finally turns your Wrangler into a pickup truck

Jeep JK-8 Independence kit finally turns your Wrangler into a pickup truck

Chevrolet is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a fitting tribute to racing driver turned entrepreneur, Louis Chevrolet. The brand’s founding father raced in four Indianapolis 500s from 1915 to 1919, and though he never managed a victory, his motorsports expertise helped guide his car company from the outset.

In observance, the 2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette gets a special coat of “Carbon Flash” black paint and carries logos on the B-pillars with the number 100 and a likeness of Mr. Chevrolet himself. Inside, there’s plenty of Alcantara and contrasting red stitching to set off additional black trim, and the headrests are embossed with the same 100th anniversary logo as the B-pillars.

Outside, the Centennial Edition gets special 18 or 19-inch for the Grand Sport and standard Corvette and 19 or 20-inch rollers for the ZR-1 and Z06.

The Centennial Edition package is available on every Corvette model they sell, meaning you can get your Z06, ZR-1 or Grand Sport gussied up just the same as your standard coupe or convertible. All of the cars with the 100th anniversary package receive red painted brake calipers and Corvette’s optional (and excellent) magnetically adjustable suspension.

The Centennial Edition Corvettes go on sale this summer, but the first one will be auctioned off by Barrett-Jackson tomorrow in West Palm Beach, Florida. Proceeds of the sale will go to the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. Full press release and video after the jump, gallery below.

[Source: Chevrolet]

Continue reading 2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette is all about racing history [w/video]

2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette is all about racing history [w/video]

Turbocharging Adds Welcome Spice To This Handsome Soft-Roader

There’s no replacement for displacement. Ask any man or woman who dined on the muscle cars that Detroit was serving in the ’50s and ’60s, and they’ll tell you to always order the largest engine offered if you want to have any fun. Thing is, that tired old axiom just isn’t accurate in the modern era. Downsizing is what’s for dinner these days.

Before anyone older than 60 has a heart attack, know that the ever-escalating horsepower wars are alive and well. As it turns out, there is a replacement for displacement: technology. Take one part modern computers and the hundreds of sensors that feed them, add the classic trick of turbocharging and sprinkle on the relatively newfangled mechanical magic of direct injection, and you’ve got yourself one tasty recipe for performance. And you don’t need a cup that measures power in cubic inches to get it.

Look no farther for proof than Kia. The Korean automaker is working hard to change its hard-earned image of offering low-cost, basic transportation to something more like the sportier side of a dual-headed Korean conglomerate that also includes Hyundai. Its SX trim level is part of that plan, and the latest two vehicles to bear those letters only have a less-is-more strategy of power production on the menu. We’ve already sampled the turbocharged, direct-injected Optima SX and were left wanting seconds; now it’s time to taste Kia’s well-received and attractive compact crossover, the Sportage, in turbo flavor.

Continue reading Review: 2011 Kia Sportage SX…

Photos copyright (C)2011 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Kia Sportage SX

First Drive: 2011 Kia Sportage SX

No, we don’t have any video yet of the pilot episode for Adam Carolla’s The Car Show, which we announced yesterday has just been picked up by SPEED for a 13-episode run. But what we do have are the first still images from the pilot episode, which give a quick glimpse into what may become America’s real Top Gear competitor.

What we can see are the show’s hosts, which include Adam Carolla, Pulitzer Prize-winning auto scribe Dan Neil, former NBA star John Salley and Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire, in various states of taping and posing around cars. The three images show a wide variety of vehicles, including obvious supercars like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Chevy Corvette ZR1, but also odder additions like a Volt, DeLorean, Toyota Camry and what we think is a Ferrari 308 or 328. We can also see some of the set where they’ll be taping the in-studio segments, as well as the outdoor arena where they’ll be testing cars.

As we mentioned yesterday, don’t get too attached to the show’s current name, The Car Show, despite its presence on a monitor in one of these images. Chances are it’ll be changed by the time the show airs. That is, unless the show’s producers can convince The Consumer Automotive Repair Show to give it up.

First look at Adam Carolla’s The Car Show

Land Rover models are high-end luxury SUVs with an ardent fan base. But while these pricey utes are popular, they’re also quite thirsty at the pump, and between rising gas prices and increased legislative pressures regarding C02 emissions, the British automaker has undertaken an alternative fuel strategy that should begin paying off soon.

Land Rover Brand Director John Edwards tells Inside Line that the Tata Motors-owned automaker will start its production alt-fuel strategy with a gasoline hybrid under the hood of the Range Rover in 2013, followed by a range-extended hybrid in 2014. The Chevrolet Volt-like range extender will likely involve a larger battery pack and motor that do most of the work and a small gasoline engine that will charge the battery. This top-down approach means that bigger, more expensive Rovers will receive the hybrid tech first. The move will reportedly result in a greater impact on overall emissions, and lower-end models like the forthcoming Evoque may not receive battery assistance any time soon. Bigger models are typically more expensive, too, which means that the cost of the electric propulsion tech can be better hidden in the MSRP.

Also unlikely, according to IL, is a diesel-powered hybrid like the Range_e concept from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. While very efficient with a theoretical 85 miles per gallon and a 20 mile electric-only mode, the diesel engine coupled with all that battery tech would make the utility vehicles far too expensive.

Keep in mind that Tata Motors also owns Jaguar, so you can bet that any gas-electric technology used by Land Rover will also be used by the Leaping Cat.

We’re pretty excited about the prospect of highly efficient Range Rovers, but this sort of technology has a way of taking longer to get to market than automakers initially forecast. Land Rover has a bit of time before 2013 happens, though, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Live photos copyright (C)2011 Noah Joseph / AOL

[Source: Inside Line]

Report: Land Rover confirms first production hybrid coming in 2013

The Apple iPhone has thousands of approved apps that can do just about anything, from gaming to finances. But there is also a seedy, unauthorized set of jailbreak apps that some cutting edge iPhone users can’t live without. Apple is likely none too pleased with these independent apps, but the tech conglomerate hasn’t expended much effort to eradicate them from this planet. Yet.

We’re guessing that it just hasn’t been worth the fuss (or legal bills) to shut down app stores like ModMyi, since the apps aren’t raking in the money that Apple craves. But then something happened. Toyota, of all companies, began to advertise its Scion brand on ModMyi, which no doubt wrinkles Apple’s feathers due to the fact that it started the iAd program to collect revenue.

The aforementioned app apparently didn’t sit too well with Apple, which reportedly asked Toyota to cease its agreement with ModMyi. TUAW (a sister site of Autoblog) reports that the Japanese automaker has fulfilled the request. The company responsible for the ad buy reportedly called and canceled the advertising, adding that Apple called Toyota directly to kill the ad. Toyota pulled the ad to “maintain their good relationship with Apple.”

[Source: TUAW]

Apple asks Toyota to quit advertising on jailbroken iPhones

The annual Edison awards that celebrate innovation in goods and services have been handed out, and Ford and General Motors have taken no prisoners with regards to all things automotive. Ford was the big winner, with three gold metals and one silver. Further, CEO Alan Mulally was named a 2011 Edison Achievement Award Winner.

Ford won the Applied Technology gold thanks to the inflatable seatbelts that were introduced on the 2011 Explorer. The Blue Oval took both gold and silver in the In-Car Driving Aids segment, with MyFord Touch and Sync finishing one and two, respectively. MyKey took the last gold for Ford under the Remote Driving Aids segment, besting GM’s MyLink, which took silver.

GM’s Chevrolet Volt won the top spot for the Personal Transportation category, beating The Copenhagen Wheel (silver) and the Nissan Leaf (bronze).

Hit the jump to watch a short interview with Alan Mulally, who discusses manufacturing and its impact on jobs and the economy.

[Source: Edison Awards]

Continue reading Ford cleans up at 2011 Edison Awards, Chevy Volt wins Gold [w/video]

Ford cleans up at 2011 Edison Awards, Chevy Volt wins Gold [w/video]

It took seven months to find the right candidate, but it appears Hyundai has found their new marketing boss. Automotive News is reporting that the Korean automaker has hired former General Motors marketing exec Steve Shannon to run its U.S. operations. Shannon had been away from GM since March, 2010 when he was cut as part of a larger marketing shakeup lead by former CEO Ed Whitacre. Shannon’s last role at GM was head of Cadillac marketing.

Hyundai’s move to hire an ex-GM guy comes after The General hired away two of the automaker’s best and brightest. Former Hyundai marketing boss Joel Ewanick now heads GM’s marketing department. Ewanick then hired away Chris Perry from Hyundai to run marketing for Chevrolet.

Hyundai U.S.A. CEO John Krafcik appears plenty pleased with his new hire, calling Shannon a “marketing innovator with strong convictions about serving the customer.”

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Hyundai taps ex-GM exec Shannon for top marketing post

The Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic may be the most iconic of the Art Deco-era French teardrop coupes, but it isn’t the only one. Which is a good thing, because there’s only two or three of them in existence (and we had a photo session with one of them). The Talbot-Lago may not be as well known today – probably because the company’s not around anymore – but it’s arguably just as beautiful, and this one’s crossing the auction block.

This particular example – a 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Teardrop Coupe – is one of only 11 examples that featured the second-series “New York” bodywork by coachbuilders Figoni et Falaschi that made the Talbot-Lago the poster child that it is. (This writer had a purple one up on his wall as a child.) Underneath the unspeakably gorgeous sheetmetal (one of only a handful with a factory-installed sunroof) sits a shortened race-bred chassis and a 140-horsepower 4.0-liter inline-six with pre-Mopar hemispherical combustion chambers and triple carbs, along with an independent front suspension. Chassis number 90112 was the subject of a full restoration completed in-house by RM Auctions, and was decorated at both Pebble Beach in 2009 and at Meadowbrook in 2010. And we even like the color…

As if that’s not enough, there’s a 1937 Bugatti 57SC Atalante Coupe (the slightly more common – but still rare by any other standard – production counterpart to the Atlantic) also on the docket. One of just 40 examples produced, chassis 57551 was named Best of Show at Pebble Beach in 1976. The pair join the Bertone Museum collection and the Ford GT40 Roadster on which we already reported at RM Auctions’ inaugural sale on the shores of Lake Como at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Read more about the Talbot and the Bugatti in the press releases after the jump, and do be sure to check out the images in the high-res gallery below for a closer look.

[Source: RM Auctions Images: shooterz.biz, Troy Wood/RM]

Continue reading Art Deco French dream machines to cross the auction block at Villa d’Este

Art Deco French dream machines to cross the auction block at Villa d’Este

Subaru has, like many other Japanese automakers, struggled to get its factories up and running in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. But the automaker appears to be making strides towards that goal, as Automotive News reports that the car maker will restart vehicle production Wednesday at its Gumma plant.

The facility produces the Legacy, Forester and Impreza; three vehicles that are very important to the automaker’s success in the U.S. Subaru spokesperson Kenta Matsumoto told AN that the plant will run at about half of its typical run rate while the automaker assesses its parts situation. Matsumoto says Subaru has no intention of stopping production now that the plant is coming back online, but added, “The situation with every part isn’t entirely clear.”

Photos copyright (C)2011 Zach Bowman / AOL

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Subaru ramping production back up after quake

The Elkann brothers are moving in, ladies and gentlemen. First, Luca di Montezemolo handed over the chairmanship of the Fiat group to John Elkann. Now, reports from Italy are indicating that the affable Marquis di Montezemolo could be preparing to abdicate the Ferrari throne in favor of John’s rakish younger brother Lapo. (That’s Lapo in the picture at right, wearing the blue suit and sneakers, next to his brother John at the Alfa Romeo press conference in Geneva this year.)

Montezemolo had assumed the Fiat chairmanship after the passing of Gianni Agnelli, as the controlling family waited for its scions to become ready to take control. Once they were, the Marquis gave up the group chair to John as reports proliferated of Montezemolo’s political aspirations. These were followed by public calls from within Italy’s political echelon for Montezemolo to lead a coalition to eject the troubled Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is currently under trial for alleged relations with underage prostitutes.

If Montezemolo does make the long-anticipated move from business and sports into politics and statesmanship, reports indicate that Lapo Elkann could be at the top of the list to take over, instead of promoting someone like CEO Amadeo Felisa, Vice-Chairman Piero Ferrari (son of company founder Enzo) or Stefano Domenicali, director of the Scuderia (a position from which both Montezemolo and Jean Todt ascended to overall control), from within Ferrari’s own management.

Lapo himself has had a colorful past, driving a denim-clad 599, reportedly overdosing on cocaine with a group of transsexuals, lending a hand at a Lakers game, working for Henry Kissinger, and perhaps most pertinently, directing Fiat’s marketing department.

[Source: OmniAuto.it (translated) Image: (C) Noah Joseph/AOL]

Lapo Elkann to take over from Luca di Montezemolo as Ferrari chairman?

Nearly four years ago we heard rumors that Mercedes-Benz was considering dropping the diminutive A-class from its lineup. Oh how times have changed. The German automaker is prepping an all-new A-class (M270), and we get some insight into what it will look like courtesy of the Concept A.

The Mercedes-Benz Concept A is a stylized version of the upcoming 2012 A-Class. Falling in line with the rest of the family, the squared-off nose is aggressive and wears the Tri-Star emblem well. From the side, the Concept A shows hints of the CLS and even the R-Class. Though most of the swoopy lines seen above are concept-cool, we expect the production A-Class to to share lots of design notes with the Concept A. Yet we doubt the star-filled nighttime sky grille will make the cut.

A front-wheel-drive Benz, the Concept A will benefit from both turbocharging and direct-injection. A BlueEFFICIENCY 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is fitted under the hood, and produces 210-horsepower. That four-banger is paired with a dual-clutch transmission.

More than a styling and propulsion exercise, the Concept A aims to add first-rate features to luxury compact segment. A radar-based collision-detection system will be the first of its kind in this segment and, when paired with Adaptive Brake Assist, can help lower the risk of having someone rear-end your 2012 A-Class.

We’ll get to see this concept car in person when it debuts at the 2011 New York Auto Show. Mercedes is also bringing the Concept A to Auto Shangai 2011. Until we can bring you live images, the gallery below will have to do. Be sure to click past the jump for the full press release.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class hatches ahead of New York and Shanghai

Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class hatches ahead of New York and Shanghai

What would you do if you won the lottery? Surely you’ve thought about it. You know, the typical stuff: Tell your boss to take this job and shove it (since my bosses are reading this, I’m just kidding), buy a fancy house and a fancy car, a yacht… maybe a small island in the South Pacific.

But those are all too obvious. Reach for the stars. You did just win the freaking lottery! What you really want to do is Segway Jousting, even if you don’t know it yet. That’s right. We said Segway Jousting, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Plus, since you’re now filthy rich, you can afford to invite your friends and pay through the nose for extremely high production values when you make a video of your exploits.

PS. Yes, we know that Segways aren’t cars. We don’t care, this is still awesome. Also, these aren’t actual Segways. Look closely and you’ll see that they are actually cheap Segway knockoffs that have – get this – four wheels. More carlike than you thought, eh? No? Whatever. Just watch the video after the break.

[Source: Washington Lottery via CrunchGear]

Continue reading Video: Slow-motion Segway joust has nothing to do with cars, is awesome

Video: Slow-motion Segway joust has nothing to do with cars, is awesome

Here’s something you don’t see everyday. We’re a little short on details – there’s no description provided and we didn’t watch the race live – but the video after the break appears to have been taken at the start of the second SuperSport race in Daytona, Florida, earlier in 2011.

According to Cycle News, race two started off with quite a bang, as two riders collided in turn two, sending both to the ground, while a third bike was left riderless but with both wheels still on the ground. That happens often enough that there’s a term for it – ghost riding – but generally the machine only goes a few hundred feet before falling over or hitting something solid. Not so in this case.

Somehow, the ghost-ridden bike managed to stay upright long enough that it veered back onto the track, barely missing the race leader and forcing the second- and third-place riders to high-side themselves to the track. Fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt in the incident… and it was all caught on tape.

Click past the break to watch the video… clearly, at least one bike was not ready to score a lowly DNF without putting up a proper fight. Thanks for the tip, Milan!

[Source: Streetfire.net]

Continue reading Video: Runaway ghost-riding motorcycle wants to keep racing

Video: Runaway ghost-riding motorcycle wants to keep racing

Review: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

General Motors has given rise to what could possibly be the perfect evolutionary species to bridge the gap between hybrid and full-electric motivation – the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

Subaru shows us a side of the 2012 Impreza

Ahead of its official debut at the New York Auto Show, Subaru has unleashed this lone image of the 2012 Impreza sedan. Like what you see?

2012 Shelby GT500 Super Snake with 800 horsepower headed for New York

Super Snake. 800 horses. New York Auto Show. ‘Nuff said.

Also of interest:

• Ford shows off 67-mpg Focus Econetic ahead of Amsterdam debut
• Spy Shots: 2012 Nissan Tiida hatch (pronounced: “Versa”) caught ahead of Shanghai reveal
• Exclusive: Adam Carolla’s The Car Show gets picked up by SPEED
• BMW developing adaptive 8-speed transmission that predicts curves, road conditions
• Toyota and Microsoft hook up on next-gen telematics

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 4.6.2011

Images and details of the BMW M5 Concept have been soaking up the Internet’s bandwidth for the past few days now, but the fierce four-door hasn’t even motored onto its plinth at the Shanghai Motor Show yet.

Given its production-ready appearance and the Bavarians’ propensity for such things, there appears to be precious little about the Shanghai show car that’s actually conceptual, but even so, we haven’t had a clear bead on where the salable F10-based BMW super saloon will show up – until now.

Autoblog has learned that the 580+horsepower production M5 will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September, and by the time it makes the scene, BMW’s elves will no doubt have fitted a full interior and spec sheet.

Production 2012 BMW M5 will debut at Frankfurt Motor Show

Thirty years ago, Walter Röhrl and his co-driver Christian Geistdörfer very nearly won the San Remo Rally, after a comeback that would have been one for the ages. Röhrl and Geistdörfer were up against a field of faster, more powerful four-wheel-drive cars in their rear-wheel-drive Porsche 911 SC, and somehow managed to pull within an eyelash of victory.

Unfortunately, a broken driveshaft forced the pair to retire, leaving Michele Mouton’s Audi Quattro to run away with the race. Now, exactly thirty years after their heartbreak in San Remo, Röhrl and Geistdorfer are back in their 911 SC for the five-day, 2000-km Targa Tasmania. The rally starts today, and you can follow Röhrl and Geistdörfer’s progress here at Porsche UK.

The car that Röhrl drove in the 1981 San Remo rally was thrown together last minute because he was without a drive until just before the start of the race. The ill-fated San Remo run was the car’s only outing in professional competition. For this year’s Targa Tasmania, the car was found in a garage and restored to its 1981 competition specification.

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading Porsche’s Walter Röhrl, Christian Geistdörfer team up 30 years later for Targa Tasmania

Porsche’s Walter Röhrl, Christian Geistdörfer team up 30 years later for Targa Tasmania

California Toyota dealers may or may not be running out of Priuses, but the hybrid is most certainly still popular. How else to explain the news that one million of the iconic fuel-mizers have been sold in the U.S., as Toyota just announced.

Back in mid-2008, the company said it had sold one million Priuses around the world, which was a big enough deal. To reach that landmark, it took around five years; the first Prius was introduced over a decade ago, but it was the second-generation Prius (above), introduced in 2003, that really sparked sales. It took Toyota only two more years to sell another million Priuses, and Toyota has sold over three million total hybrids as of October 2010. That sounds impressive, but Charlie Sheen got 3.4 million followers on Twitter in, like, a minute, so let’s keep things in perspective.

Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Milestone Accomplished: Toyota sells one million Prius hybrids in U.S.

Milestone Accomplished: Toyota sells one million Prius hybrids in U.S.

Chances are that just about every car you’ve ever owned featured some form of fuel injection, but the long-standard engine tech remains foreign territory in NASCAR. The sport has used carburetors since the racing series began in 1949, but that looks set to change later this year.

NASCAR reports on its website that fuel injection testing could happen as soon as July 7 at Kentucky Speedway. The date has been singled out due to the fact that this is the first time the Cup Series has raced there, and NASCAR has given racing teams an extra four hours of testing on the Thursday before the race.

Danny Lawrence, chief engine builder for Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines, is hoping NASCAR comes up with specifications so the teams can prepare, adding “I know they’re working on it really hard, and hopefully, they’ll have it figured out in a few days.”

NASCAR is working with McLaren and Freescale Semiconductor to develop and manufacture engine control units to manage fuel and ignition systems. A wiring harness has reportedly already been developed, and the fuel-injector specification will be the next step. Teams are still wondering at this point if they’ll receive a specification for the fuel injection system or if NASCAR will provide systems that everyone must use. Hat tip to Pawager!

[Source: NASCAR Image: Todd Warshaw/Getty]

NASCAR could test fuel injection as early as July