HPP Trans-Am and Camaro – Click above for high-res image gallery
Last week, when Madison Heights, Michigan-based Heide Performance Products tries to pay homage to the Pontiac Trans Am using the current as groundwork. The Trans Am, specifically, isn’t what we’d call pretty, but it’s nothing short of -spec and we’re willing to bet that there are dozens of other Camaro-to-Trans-Am conversion kits lurking elsewhere on the show floor.
The yellow HPP Camaro, on the other hand, is decidedly more sedate, though still not really something we’d want to bring home. Check out both of these one-offs in our gallery of live images, below.
The car that almost destroyed ? That’s the title of a by Popular Mechanics all about the Vega. To be honest, there are a number of vehicles to which we could assign that ignominious title, but it’s hard to argue with the disaster that was the Vega.
2010 marks the 40th anniversary of the Chevy Vega (and, incidentally, the AMC Gremlin and Ford Pinto). Unlike other American subcompacts of the day, the Vega was actually a pretty decent-looking little car, and its front-engine, rear-wheel-drive architecture was something Americans were comfortable with, so it sold rather well. All was not well in Vega Land, however.
You’d think a few Vegas would still be running around, considering that nearly two million were sold before GM halted production after the 1972 1977 model year. That’s just not the case, for two big reasons. First, the Vega’s bodies were stamped from almost impossibly thin steel to save weight and costs, and they rusted very badly because of it. Second, and perhaps most damning, the car’s innovative-for-the-time aluminum engine, which went without cylinder liners in favor of coated bores, failed at an alarming rate due in part to a cooling system that was inadequately designed. In any case, blown engines common, as were high oil usage and blown head gaskets.
Was the Chevy Vega the car that most directly sent General Motors into the downward spiral that ultimately culminated in its recent bankruptcy? For an interesting take on that story, head over to Popular Mechanics for the .
2011Chevrolet Volt plugs in at the RenCen – Click above for high-res image gallery
It’s a good idea, placing EV charging outlets, free to the public, outside its Renaissance Center Headquarters. Two stations are already operable in front of the RenCen, and there are over 100 more already installed in other properties owned by the automaker. By the end of next week, the RenCen will sport 18 stations.
The RenCen charging station, from , will be able to handle any modern electric vehicle… We wonder how long it will be before there’s a posted up for a bit of juice.
The automaker used the expo to announce that more than 5,300 home and workplace charging stations will be installed in Michigan in the coming years. We certainly think this is a good way to take advantage of the ’s arrival.
The plant the builds the Volt, Detroit Hamtramck, will get ten solar-powered charging stations. Those will be available to employees only, and since the UAW doesn’t allow imports on its lots there won’t be any risk of Leafs trying to bogart some electrons. Check out the full press release .
Niche automakers like are facing increasing difficulties with our overcrowded planet. On the one hand, emissions regulations are tightening, forcing automakers to reduce their carbon footprint across their range. On the other, big GTs like those that Aston builds, svelte though they are, are becoming increasingly inconvenient for navigating crowded city streets. Aston’s answer to both these problems is the Cygnet, and it’s just been announced for production.
The city car shown until now in concept form is based heavily on the iQ, but in Cygnet form will be hand-assembled at Aston’s factory at Gaydon in Warwickshire, England, alongside the company’s Grand Tourers. Production is slated to begin next year in 2011, with pricing and specifications due to be announced later this year. Official announcement in the press release after the jump, updated high-res image gallery below.
Mad Men’s John Slattery, Lincoln’s new pitchman. to watch the new TV spot.
wants everyone in TV land to know about its freshened model lineup. To grab their attention, they’ve gone with a heavy hitter from a pretty popular ad agency to shill the : Roger Sterling, from Sterling Cooper Draper Price. OK, fine… not Roger Sterling, but John Slattery, the actor who portrays him on AMC’s Mad Men.
Slattery will plug the new “Smarter than Luxury” campaign, which launches during coverage of the Ryder Cup golf tournament. The focus of the ads is to highlight the technology and craftsmanship that are put into each new Lincoln vehicle. The TV spots will be backed up by a full print campaign as well, highlighting the 2011 Lincoln MKX and the .
Mad Men is a huge hit, so it’s a no-brainer for Lincoln to tap into that popularity. has already signed Jon Hamm (a.k.a. Mad Men’s Don Draper) as the new voice-man for its commercials. to see Slattery pitch the latest from Lincoln.
Chevrolet Vega Car & Track segment – Click above to view the video
“The goal is to be nifty.” Quite a gem of a quote from look into the work behind bringing the Chevrolet Vega to market. C&T was among the first national television shows that covered both auto racing and road tested the cars of its day, and their videos remain fun to watch and offer a glimpse into the past to see cars that have become both famous and infamous in their original context.
Looking at the Vega’s design, testing, engineering and construction, C&T calls it “the most precisely engineered car built in America.” Uh-huh. Thankfully, ‘precisely engineered’ means something rather different today, and even if we don’t lust after the Vega like some other cars from its era, we can still enjoy a glimpse inside some of General Motors’ vehicle development and testing methods from some forty years ago. Check out the video – and be sure to scroll down to see what C&T has to say about the one-and-only 1971 AMC Gremlin, too! Top tip, Tom!
We aren’t quite sure why the exists. What was once an economical is now a fuel-sipping (weird) with a lavish interior and a price tag that will make your heart skip a beat. We understand that vehicles like this work well in the congested, small-car-friendly cities of Europe, but it remains to be seen if microcars have a place here in the United States. The has proved to be a flop in the States, though we’ll chalk most of that up to its unimpressive fuel economy and downright awful driving dynamics.
The U.S. is set to get a of the Toyota iQ in early 2011, but a report from Automotive News states that Aston Martin could import its angry-looking Cygnet counterpart to our shores as early as 2012. It would share the same 1.3-liter gasoline powerplant as the Scion, though an electric-only version with a 60-mile range could arrive in 2013.
We’ll wait until Aston Martin gives us the official word before we start jumping to any conclusions, but consider our outlook on a U.S.-spec Cygnet similar to that of a half-empty glass.
confirmed this morning that November 11, 2010 has been set as the official Job 1 date for the . The news initially reported by was verified to AutoblogGreen by GM spokesman Rob Peterson. November 2010 has always been the targeted production launch timing for the Volt, but a specific day couldn’t be set until other development milestones were met.
Now that development and testing is virtually complete and certification testing is underway, production and customer deliveries will soon start unless there are any showstopping issues. Generally, dealer deliveries start about three to four weeks after Job 1, so those early models should be rolling off trucks and onto dealer lots in early December.
However, with California being one of the launch markets for the Volt, we would be surprised if GM doesn’t hold some kind of event to deliver the first customer car in conjunction with the press days for the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 17-18. Between now and November, the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant will continue building the pre-production units that are going into GM’s captured test fleet for use by employees for real-world evaluation.
Remember the documentary “” Director Chris Paine created the film in 2005 and 2006 to bemoan the decision of some automakers to kill off their electric car programs. It’s now five years later and Paine and company are back with a vengeance videotaping “.”
In the original film, was reviled for its decision to deep-six the innovative EV1 all-electric two-seat car. But thanks to the impending production of the , GM is now considered one of the reasons that the EV is on the comeback trail. Paine and his crew were allowed access to The General’s Detroit Hamtramck plant to witness – with cameras rolling – the assembly production of pre-production Volt number 100. And to think that five years ago Rick Wagner and his crew would have been more likely to lend a size 14 boot to Paine’s rear end than allow him to film inside one of the company’s most important plants. My how times have changed.
There is no solid timetable for the release of “Revenge of the Electric Car” right now, but the documentary will likely align very well with the release of the Volt and Nissan , which are followed by an not long after.
Stars and Stripes. Peanut butter and jelly. and sidecars. Okay, fine – one of those pairings is not like the others, but H-D does have a long history of adding a third outrigger wheel to its line of heavyweight motorcycles, starting back in 1914. That’s over now.
Harley-Davidson just announced that 2011 will be the final year it offers sidecars as a factory option, and it will no longer accept new orders for them. The good news is that The Motor Company will continue to provide warranty service for current sidecar owners and will stock replacement parts at its dealerships.
We have an unhealthy affection for offbeat sidecar motorcycles, and if you also happen to fall into that category, and are ready to serve your needs. As for Harley, check out its official statement after the break.
The has some serious performance chops. The potent angular coupe is loaded with a blown 6.2-liter V8 capable of 556-horsepower, 15-inch front and 14.7-inch rear Brembo brakes and a Magnetic Ride Control suspension setup. Impressive stats to be sure, but does Cadillac’s sleek two-seater have the goods to take on the and ?
Both Motor Trend and Car and Driver have obviously been pondering the same question, as the competing buff mags dusted off their camcorders and cut up a pair of comparison videos featuring the three super coupes doing a ménage à trois of the automotive kind.
to experience both videos. In the first video, MT goes all-out with its comparison, bringing both Editor-in-Chief Angus McKenzie and the spanking new CTS-V Coupe to Germany to take on the pair of well-established Bavarian competitors. The second video shows the unique C/D approach, with no first, second or third place finishers and not a single word is uttered. C/D just let the hot coupes speak for themselves with beautiful pictures and heavenly exhaust notes.
President Obama toured the ‘ where the automaker will build (can we say “is building” yet?) the today, and as any good PR person will surely agree, you can’t let an opportunity like that go by without making an announcement of some sort. So, GM has something to say and it’s big news, too: GM will increase Volt production capacity by 50 percent in 2012.
Details are as follows: Instead of making 30,000 Volts in the U.S. in 2012, GM will now make 45,000. These numbers are lower than , but they’re good news for fans of plug-in vehicles. Is the increase a response to positive reaction to ? Maybe, GM said in a statement that, “In the past few weeks, more than 25,000 people have joined the Chevrolet Volt enthusiast list.”
The news is good for the President, too, since the White House is pushing message this week. Part of that is an interactive version of the White House map showing places where the government has supported automakers, which you can find .
Chevrolet Volt in ‘Victory Red’ – Click above for high-res image gallery
Remember how big a deal made about the upcoming ? Well, you can now forget about it. According to USA Today, the Feds have decided not to use the preliminary testing procedure that produced that mythical 230 mpg figure, and a new methodology for rating electric vehicles has yet to be finalized. Don’t expect a revised mileage figure any time soon. In fact, an actual mpg equivalent rating may not come until the Volt is just about ready to hit the market at the end of the year.
This revelation was revealed this afternoon during an event at GM’s Michigan battery plant in Brownstown Township, and we were in attendance. When we arrived, we were greeted by the sight of the first-ever red Chevrolet Volt. This “Victory Red” example is one of between 30 and 40 manufacturing validation vehicles built so far at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. Those cars were preceded by about three dozen production verification cars built since late March of this year. This particular example was built about one week ago.
In the next two to three weeks, General Motors will start building so-called “salable” Volts that will go into the captured test fleet for GM employees to accumulate miles and catch any last minute glitches before the cars enter full production in November.
What do you think – does Victory Red suit the Volt? Have your say in ‘Comments.’
Gallery:
Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: ]
ArmorTech BMW X6coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery
It’s been tried before, making a coupe out of an SUV – or an SUV out of a coupe. AMC tried it back in the early ’80s with the . Both and tried it with the . And of course tried it with the . The trouble with the X6 is that it has two doors too many to be considered a coupe. The solution? Off with their doors, courtesy of aftermarket firm ArmorTech.
In the process, the Russian coachbuilder crafted longer front doors, jockeyed the positioning of the B-pillar and side glass, and fitted new front seats that can tilt and slide forward to gain access to the rear seats, the access to which never having been a strong suit of the factory X6 to begin with. A number of additional enhancements are also on offer, from suspension, wheels and brakes to exhaust, body kit and custom upholstery.
So, does the removal of the rear doors make the X6 look any better? Give us your thoughts in ‘Comments.’
The Detroit auto industry’s annual summer shutdown is a tradition that goes back many decades, but this year, is taking a pass. It comes from a time when the new model year started in September for every car and they all debuted simultaneously, usually in dealer showrooms. The shutdown was the two week period in the summer during which all the plants installed updated tooling for the new models.
In more recent times, the practice has persisted as a time to do maintenance and other work that might interfere with production – even if it hasn’t coincided with the launch of a new model. This year, however, GM’s inventories on many models are running so low that nine of the automaker’s 11 assembly plants will keep producing vehicles during the designated shutdown period. Among the plants that will stay open are the Detroit-Hamtramck plant that builds the Cadillac DTS, the Delta Township plant builds the Lambda crossovers and the ChevroletCorvette plant in Bowling Green, KY. Full press release after the jump.
Xenatech conversions – Click above for image gallery
Wonder where this firm Xenatech came from? The German company made headlines a couple of weeks ago with sketches of a it intends to bring to market, but as you may well have guessed, the luxo-Merc isn’t the first chop job the company has undertaken.
Swing by the company’s website and you’ll find photochops of all manner of vehicles – most of them German, natch – that have been turned from sedan into coupe, coupe into sedan, and much more. The first few look like simple stretch jobs of sport-utes and sedans like the , and Bentley Continental Flying Spur. But delve a little deeper and you’ll find an Vanquish shooting brake, coupe and pickup versions of the and . A few of them are even a little prophetic: a and and .
The best part is that Xenatech claims some of these have actually been made, though it isn’t saying which. Our fingers are crossed for that with the extra headroom. Check out some of our favorites in the gallery below.
Opel Ampera – Click above for high-res image gallery
Due to an old-school system used in China that requires automakers to file patents or risk having vehicles copied by others, we’ve learned that the may very well debut in the as a model and not one bearing the Chevy or Opel badge. When filed its patent for China, it submitted the Voltec-powered Opel Ampera and not the Chevy Volt, indicating that the version coming to China will definitely not bear a Golden Bowtie. So why not an Opel then? Well, Opel has virtually no name recognition in China, leaving the obvious choice of branding the Voltec-powered vehicle as a Buick, .
Perhaps it only makes sense that the Ampera will be sold under the Buick name in China as various other Opel products have been rebranded as Buicks once they’ve reached the Chinese mainland. The Opel Astra transformed into the Buick Excelle and the Insignia switched over to the in China. So what will the Opel Ampera become once it reaches China early next year? Will it simply be the Buick Ampera, or something else altogether? Should we start a naming contest on this one?
For what it’s worth, assuming that there will be a Chinese Buick Volt, it will become the fifth Voltec model, joining the 2011 Chevy Volt, Opel/Vauxhall Ampera and Holden Ampera, all of which will initially be produced at . Now we’re just waiting for the Voltec-powered Daewoo model for the Korean market so that GM can call it a done deal.
Gallery:
Photos Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: ]
When one thinks of advanced technology, the AMC Gremlin rarely (if ever) pops to mind. In fact, these days, unless you happen to be watching re-runs of the first season of True Blood you likely wouldn’t think of the Gremlin under any circumstances. Today’s eBay Motors find is a very special hydrogen-powered Gremlin that we’ve never heard of before.
As the story goes, back in the early 1970s, 64 university teams built cars to compete in the Urban Vehicle Design Challenge, with this machine coming out of the labs at the University of California – Los Angeles. The Gremlin was donated to UCLA by American Motors and Ford provided a 351 Cleveland V8. The UCLA team worked with suppliers such as Hooker, Edelbrock, Union Carbide and none other than to get the supplies needed to convert the V8 to run on hydrogen and get the car competition ready. The Impco-provided hydrogen tanks in the back only gave the Gremlin a 68-mile range, but considering the lack of fuel injection and sophisticated electronics, that’s not bad.
The wanton nostalgics among us aren’t just drawn to the car’s eccentric powertrain, but also to its period-appropriate mustard yellow paint, tire-tread bumpers, vintage Polyglas tires, and a couple of racing buckets that we’d like to mount on swivels and have in the Autoblog Living Room.
Incidentally, the Gremlin ultimately won the competition based on the fact that the steam emanating the from the tailpipe was cleaner than the air going into the carburetor. At this point, there are no bids on the car and it’s not clear if it runs, but we’d stand we-hell back before firing it up for the first time.
Ah yes,Top Gear USA. We had nearly given up hope for the American version of the hit British television series until friend-of-Autoblog Adam Carolla let slip details of the series’ subsequent on The History Channel during a taping of one of his CarCast episodes. At the time, it was thought that Carolla would be the only one of the original three cast members from the pilot to make the reborn series. As it turns out, . What gives?
Apparently, Carolla has a pilot sitcom that he’s currently taping for NBC, and the Peacock wouldn’t let the funny man away long enough to join History’s Top Gear USA. Sad for all, as reports from those who attended the taping of the NBC pilot almost universally praised Carolla’s performance on the show.
Perhaps the most disappointed of all is Carolla himself, who openly dishes on the May 17 edition of his CarCast that he hopes his NBC sitcom is canceled so he can rejoin Top Gear. Click here to listen to the entire episode, but know that there’s some foul language.
