Jet-powered Dodge Caravan – Click above to watch video
There are two ways to do jet-powered vehicles. On one hand, you have the deliciously simple and effective method of strapping a used jet engine to a car or truck, and letting the thrust do the rest.
On the other, slightly more complicated side, you can attach a turbine to a shaft drive, translating the thrust to the rear wheels via a differential. Both are viable, albeit expensive, ways of adding jet propulsion to your car. But which is faster?
Speed took it upon itself to find out, pitting a thrust-powered S-10 against a shaft-driven . The Caravan uses a helicopter engine hooked to its rear wheels in conjunction with its standard gas engine up front. The truck relies solely on good, old-fashioned thrust. to see who’s faster over an eighth-mile drag strip.
Jet-powered Dodge Caravan – Click above to watch video
There are two ways to do jet-powered vehicles. On one hand, you have the deliciously simple and effective method of strapping a used jet engine to a car or truck, and letting the thrust do the rest.
On the other, slightly more complicated side, you can attach a turbine to a shaft drive, translating the thrust to the rear wheels via a differential. Both are viable, albeit expensive, ways of adding jet propulsion to your car. But which is faster?
SPEED took it upon itself to find out, pitting a thrust-powered S10 against a shaft-driven . The Caravan uses a helicopter engine hooked to its rear wheels in conjunction with its standard gas engine up front. The truck relies solely on good, old-fashioned thrust. to see who’s faster over an eighth-mile drag strip.
Hot Wheels 3D advertisement – Click above to view video
teamed up with an Amsterdam-based company called Muse Digital to create a 3D commercial that can be projected onto buildings. In this case, Hot Wheels had Muse make them a 3D, computer-generated race between four of its iconic models.
The race was projected onto the side of the historic Sydney Customs House. So advanced are the projected 3D graphics that the building appears to get destroyed throughout the course of the race, as familiar orange track bursts through the walls and a number of other calamities ensue.
The video itself is pretty campy, but the technology behind it is seriously cool. to see the clip in its entirety.
2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery
The expanse of model ranges from German automakers keeps expanding. With , you know (with few exceptions) that when a new model debuts, it’s only going to be a matter of time until the AMG version comes along. And with the new , it’s come along today.
Destined to be unveiled at the upcoming New York Auto Show, you can look at the new C63 AMG Coupe as a C-Class Coupe with upgraded go-fast bits, or as the new unburdened of a couple of doors. Either way, you’re looking at Affalterbach’s prized 6.2-liter V8 engine driving 451 horsepower (481 with the optional AMG Development pack) to the rear wheels via seven-gear Speedshift MCT gearbox for a 4.4-second sprint to sixty and an electronically-limited 155 mph top end, trimmed by a tenth and increased to 174 respectively in dev spec.
To go with the extra power, AMG has also stiffened the suspension, widened the tracks, sharpened the steering, plussed-up the rolling stock and beefed up the brakes. Tweaks to the interior and exterior let everyone know this is no mere boulevard cruiser, details of which you can read about in full in the press blast below the fold and view in the high-res image gallery below.
The problems facing automakers in the wake of Japan’s deadly and the resulting are already manifesting themselves in the form of higher transaction prices on some Japanese cars, as U.S. dealers show less willingness to negotiate downward from the number on the window sticker, .
Automakers like , and all say they have a sufficient supply of vehicles in the U.S. that had already been imported from Japan before the disaster struck. So, if there are still plenty of Japanese cars on Stateside lots, why the hardening prices?
It’s a simple case of supply and demand, explain some dealers polled by The Associated Press. “We’re going to run out of cars. We had five [ hybrids] on the ground yesterday, and I don’t know when I’ll get another,” says Dave Conant, owner of a Toyota dealership in San Diego, CA. “The market has shifted pretty quickly and dramatically.”
Of course, some people believe dealerships are just using speculative vehicle shortages to make a few extra bucks. We suspect the truth may be a little bit of both.
“I owe our readers an explanation and an apology for the lapse that raised questions about our credibility” writes publisher Jonathan Wolman today in a response to the blowback caused by the paper’s decision to in response to advertiser demands. The decision to edit the online version of the review, which had already appeared in its original form in print, rather than sacrifice his integrity. Burgess discussed the matter this week and in , which broke the story on Wednesday.
Wolman argues that Burgess was asked to “soften a few passages,” but that “there was no effort to change Scott’s verdict or his reasoning.”
Why bother, then? The excuse that “our intent was to improve the piece by making these passages less grating” is an exceptionally thin attempt to cover the paper’s backside. Nobody found it “grating” as the paper went to press, but suddenly, web readers are going to start bleeding from their eye sockets when Burgess rightly points out that while the is an improvement over the Sebring, that’s all it is? This affair hasn’t just “raised questions” about the paper’s integrity; rather, it’s all but ensured that The Detroit News will be viewed skeptically by many people going forward.
For his part, Scott Burgess states that he feels The Detroit News remains a source worthy of readers’ trust. , he says,
“I think nearly every print publication — including The Detroit News — are trustworthy. The reason this became a big deal is because it is so rare, it never happened before and it certainly won’t happen again at the paper. In 15 plus years I had never had anything close to this happen to me. Journalists are a dogged group of people who work extremely hard, are typically underpaid and want to do the right thing.
In recent years, we’ve seen a lot of polarization of issues and I think that’s been more of a threat from online the changing ways people consumer media. There are a lot more voices out there and papers shouldn’t feel threatened by them, they should embrace them. I have always enjoyed the discussion, the debate, thoughtful response and evolution of ideas. There seems to less of that nowadays.”
Advertisers must sell product, and it’s natural for an auto dealership to complain about negative reviews of the wares it sells. It’s also not a stretch to understand how a newspaper would pay attention to an unsatisfied car dealer, as automotive ads are one of the biggest sources of revenue to newspapers. Still, that doesn’t get Wolman or The Detroit News off the hook, and a carefully-worded apology is too little, too late when the appropriate action would have been to back up the staff of “expert writers” the apology glowingly brags about.
As fears of radiation from Japan’s severely compromised Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant seem to be growing by the minute, automakers have tried to assure car buyers that most of their products are produced far enough away from the crippled facility that fallout won’t end up on vehicles, but shows that wants to go a step further.
Nissan will reportedly perform a radiation inspection on all vehicles imported from Japan; a process that will continue until all threats of contamination have subsided. Nissan is following through with the inspections even though The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association announced that it has found no harmful levels of radiation in any vehicles destined for export.
Nissan, along with other Japanese automakers, is also trying to better assess any potential supply disruptions that could come as a result of the quake and ensuing tsunami. The automaker claims that its current supply of vehicles here in the U.S. stands at 50 days worth of cars, trucks and SUVs. That number could dwindle, however, as current estimates show that the carmaker has at least seven days worth of parts. After those seven days are up, the company will reportedly reassess its situation.
Maybe we watched too much A-Team when we were kids, but we just love it when a plan comes together. That’s especially true when the plan involves an open-cockpit, single-seat racer like the . Designed specifically to put hardware like the KTM X-Bow, Ariel Atom and the whole Caterham bunch in their proper places, the Mono features a carbon fiber skin draped over a space-frame steel cell. The bodywork is slick as can be, but it pales in comparison to the fact that this beast is powered by a 2.3-liter Cosworth four-pot with 280 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque.
Considering the Mono tips the scales at a feathery 1,190 pounds, that should be more than enough pep to widen your eyes. The sad part? Briggs Automotive Company is only planning to hem 35 examples of the Mono, and 10 of the street-legal heathens are already spoken for. Of course, with a price tag of £67,000 pounds, we’d have more than a little trouble getting our hands on one even if we knew which palms to grease. BAC has been so kind as to release full specs on the machine as well as a volley of photos of the production model.
2011 Ducati Multistrada 1200S Pikes Peak Special Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery
In a study conducted by Brandchannel, a company that tracks product placement in movies, tied for second with behind Apple as the most-recognized brand. The recognition isn’t surprising, given Ducati’s supporting roles in Tron Legacy, Knight and Day, Takers and The Expendables, among other recent films.
Ducati says that the response it received for a Hypermotard’s role in Knight and Day has been phenomenal. (Nevermind that some of the more dangerous stunts were performed on an Aprilia SXV 550 because the Hypermotard was deemed too heavy.)
Ducati being Ducati, officials swear they don’t pay for any of the product placement they enjoy in Hollywood. Producers choose their bikes for movies because the brand is so well recognized and prestigious. Hmmm…
General Motors has announced that the automaker is stopping production at its Shreveport, Louisiana assembly plant next week due to a parts shortage caused by the ongoing tragedy in Japan. The facility is responsible for building both the and pickup trucks, though GM says that it currently has enough vehicles manufactured to meet consumer demand for the time being. In an issued statement, GM doesn’t make mention of exactly which parts are being delayed due to the earthquake and tsunami events, but as Kicking Tires points out, however, both trucks are available with a five-speed manual transmission built by the Japanese manufacturer Aisin.
As of right now, there’s no indication as to when the Shreveport facility will resume operations. No other U.S. manufacturing plants have been shuttered as a result of supply problems from Japan so far, though some have scaled back production slightly. Hit the jump for the full press release from GM.
Jonathan Klinger’s 1930 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan – Click above for high-res image gallery
Spend enough time shuffling through buff books or clicking around enthusiast blogs and you’ll eventually come up against the term “appliance” used with a derogatory bent. For fans of the automobile, few things are more terrifying than the degradation of the car’s reputation. Whereas vehicles once required their operators to possess intimate knowledge of an encyclopedia’s worth of quirks to get them to function properly, they’ve now slipped into the same realm of soulless servile technology occupied by washing machines, refrigerators and the Shake Weight.
But there are still a few relics of this long-forgotten Age of Involvement bumping around. Just ask Jonathan Klinger. The guy has taken on a brave quest to pilot a 1930 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan as his daily transportation for a full year. Through snow, wind, rain and heat, Klinger will turn no wheel other than the wire-spoke rollers of his A.
There are two main categories of stock; common and preferred. The preferred stock costs more, but that added price tag comes with a few extra perks. For example, preferred stock represents ownership in the company, and those shares receive priority over common stock in the event of a liquidation. GM’s pricier stock also appears to have another perk – quarterly dividends.
GM announced today that preferred shareholders will receive a dividend of 59 cents per share on June 1. Anyone who holds the shares by May 15, 2011 will have rights to the extra coin, which adds up to $59.4 million for the automaker. The dividend will be the second of the year, as The General shelled out another 65 cents per share in January. Hit the jump to look over GM’s brief press release.
Chip Ganassi’s underground test track – Click above to watch video
Floyd Ganassi Jr, better known as Chip, is a fixture in the motorsports industry. He currently operates vehicles that run IndyCar, NASCAR and Grand-Am races. That requires knowledge of a variety of racing vehicles, and Ganassi has a unique way to test his vehicles – in a mile-long tunnel built into a Pennsylvania hill.
Opened in 1940, the Laurel Hill Tunnel was originally intended to be a railway tunnel before becoming a part of the local turnpike. Ganassi has since turned the tunnel into his own test track. Vehicles run down the straight roadway, hit a pre-determined speed and then coast while aerodynamic forces are measured. At each end of the tunnel sits a turntable so that the vehicle being tested can quickly be rotated and sent back in the other direction.
A hiker walking by the tunnel managed to capture beautiful noises emanating from within, and you can listen in by . We also recommend underneath this hill in Pennsylvania.
Stuart Appleby’s BMW M5 Ute – Click above for high-res image gallery
Turns out the we showed you yesterday isn’t the first to be turned into a sport pickup. Back in 2008, PGA Tour golfer Stuart Appleby had his E39 BMW M5 turned into a ute by Australian custom shop Southern Rod.
Appleby has a deep-seated love of utes from his childhood on an Australian dairy farm, and has loved M cars since he first laid eyes on them. Appleby has a history of tearing into his rides, trying to squeeze each extra pony from them. His first M5 hadn’t gone 4,500 miles before the engine was torn down and pushed to 460 horsepower.
The build was finished in October 2008, and used an undamaged M5 to make a factory-looking build as easy as possible. The build took months and left no stone unturned making sure the car retained its original stiffness and functioned like a normal Ute.
We dig the finished product, and we dig that Appleby doesn’t care what people think of it. Along the way, the car got a sport suspension to go along with the 460-horsepower engine, thanks to a chip, headers and exhaust.
The California court system has found that Motor Insurance Services does not violate the state’s consumer warranty law. According to Automotive News, a court of appeal found that the contracts offer enough services outside of the factory warranty to be considered legal. Toyota was originally sued after Weber DeSiqueira purchased a then-new 2007 . At the time, the vehicle came with a three-year, 36,000 mile warranty, but DeSiqueira also laid down $1,145 for a Toyota Extra Care Vehicle Service Agreement. The lawsuit alleged that the service agreement covered the same items as the factory, putting the Japanese automaker in violation of the California warranty law.
But a Los Angeles judge dismissed the case without allowing it to go to trial. DeSiqueira appealed, and a three-judge panel unanimously decided that the automaker’s service agreement and the factory warranty are not identical. The plaintiff sought damages and retribution in the form of a refund for the price of the service agreement for himself and other car buyers who had opted into the program.
Despite the fact that the appeals court effectively scuttled Desiqueira’s lawsuit, one judge did suggest that the consumer may have a legitimate claim that Toyota engages in deceptive sales practices by leading buyers to believe that the service agreement offers greater protection than it actually does.
J.D. Power and Associates has released its annual Vehicle Dependability Study for 2011, and there are a few surprises in store for those who religiously keep track of who outperforms who on the automotive reliability front. For the first time ever, , with 101 problems per 100 vehicles, leads the chart, followed by with a score of 109.
Number three on the list is also something of a surprise: , who’s score of 112 problems per 100 vehicles seemingly proves not all leaping kitties leave unwanted presents outside the confines of their litter boxes. (114) and (122) round out the top five. The industry average comes in at 151 problems per 100 vehicles, which of course means that some brands perform rather poorly in J.D. Power’s rankings.
Bringing up the rear in this year’s study is , with 221 problems per 100 vehicles. That’s not good. BMW’s smallest brand is followed by (214), (212), (206) and (202). The study also ranks individual models in each category, and Toyota’s seven individual segment victories gives the Japanese automaker more individual victories than any other brand.
A brief explanation of how this particular study is compiled: J.D. Power polled 43,700 original owners on problems experienced during the past 12 months on 2008 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. As such, this study is not ranking the latest vehicles by any given manufacturer, but is instead intended to help consumers predict the durability of a potential automobile purchase.
There’s lots more detail in the press release and graphs found after the break, so and put your number-crunching hats on.
Still think the is a dumb idea? Well, you’re not alone, but given that the “Sports Activity Coupe” has reportedly sold more than double its original projections, you’d also appear to be betting against the market. Apparently can’t ignore those kind of numbers, spurring reports that Ingolstadt is preparing a coupe-like crossover of its own.
Tentatively dubbed (predictably enough) the Q6, the slant-roofed Audi crossover would slot in between the and . Sources suggest it will be based on the same platform that underpins the and (as well as the Audi Q7, albeit in an extended form).
Engines would naturally borrow from the Audi parts bin, but a hybrid version like the Touareg and Cayenne is also reportedly in the cards. As is a potential RS version, which would have another go at the , reports of Quattro GmbH delving into the hyperpower CUV game to battle the AMG-fettled Mercedes-Benz ML and and .
2011 Honda Civic – Click above for high-res image gallery
has released notice of a recall for its compact. The issue stems from a malignant fuel pump, which may have modules inside that became damaged during production. So far, no accidents or injuries have been reported as a result of the faulty fuel pumps. However, the damaged unit could cause fuel to leak onto the emissions canister in the event of a roll-over crash, potentially turning a bad accident into a fiery tragedy.
This recall comes on the heels of models. This new voluntary recall affects 18,056 vehicles, and Honda plans to begin notifying owners beginning in mid-April. Peek beyond the jump for the official press verbiage with all the details.
Mercedes-Benz F-Cell World Drive – Click above for high-res image gallery
The F-Cell World drive recently rolled into Hollywood, California, a full 5,651 miles from where we last parted ways with the round-the-world hydrogen-promoting caravan. After , the group finished up their Western Europe route in Portugal. The three hydrogen-powered vehicles (and their support contingent) were then airlifted from Lisbon to Miami aboard a 747 cargo jet. Wheels firmly on U.S. soil, the convoy crossed the country with stops in New Orleans, San Antonio and Phoenix before arriving in Southern California. After a brief stay, they will head north to Vancouver before a second overseas flight to Sydney to start another cross-continent jaunt.
While checking out the car, still riding on snow tires even though temps were in the mid-70s, we were fortunate enough to meet Vance Van Petten, the Executive Director of the Producers Guild of America. He happens to be the owner of the first first F-Cell to be delivered to a customer in the United States (technically, the vehicle is acquired on a a special ).
Van Petten was kind enough to give us some insight as to what it has been like living with a hydrogen vehicle for the past several months. Long story short, the F-Cell’s three high-pressure hydrogen gas cylinders (holding about 8.2 pounds of fuel) are good for about 150 “real world” miles between fill-ups in the Los Angeles basin, says Van Petten. While that operation circle isn’t bad (especially compared to the pure-EV offerings), consumers will likely demand at least 250 miles between fuel stops if the technology is to replace combustion engines. Van Petten says his F-Cell (thankfully painted silver, not fluorescent green like the World Drive models) has been fun to drive and perfectly reliable. It also gets more than its share of attention – he spends a lot of time explaining the difference between his F-Cell’s fuel cell technology and hydrogen vehicles that consume liquid hydrogen via combustion (like the ).
Check our our high-res image gallery below… after all, with so few of these cars roaming the roads of the world, you’re not likely to see one live and in the flesh on a roadway near you.
