|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » Chicago Auto Show » Coupes ( RSS)
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Time Warp , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Dodge If you ever ask a 1960's Mopar fan who the king of high performance is, they'll instantly tell you "Mr. Norm!" Owner of Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago, Norm Kraus was known for fitting performance parts to all types of Mopars, and even started the development for factory cars like the 383 and 400 Dart GTS. The king of all Mr. Norm's cars, however, was the Hemi GSS Dart. Each of the cars was fitted with a 426ci Hemi V8 with a pair of Holley carbs, a heavy duty cooling package, and aftermarket headers. In an effort to save weight, a fiberglass hood and front fenders were used, as well as a front bumper and doors stamped for a lighter gauge steel. In addition, the radio, rear seats, exterior mirrors, and window mechanisms were all removed. The result was a non-street legal drag car that could run down into the 10's in the quarter mile, making it the fastest factory built muscle car ever produced...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Coupes , Videos , Chrysler , Dodge Chrysler has released some video of the Challenger zooming around on some desert tarmac. We think that this video is from the same shoot that produced the teaser pics we all salivated over before the Challenger was officially unveiled. With that, on to the video, after the jump. Hit the gallery for more stills, while you're at it. [Source: Chrysler] Gallery: 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Continue reading VIDEO: Dodge Challenger romping in the desert Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Coupes , Dodge Click above for a high-res gallery of the Dodge Challenger. During yesterday's unveiling of the Dodge Challenger , Chrysler's Vice Chairman, Jim Press, confirmed what we've already known; that Dodge expects to sell between 20,000 and 30,000 Challengers a year once production goes full-bore. All 6,400 Collectors Edition SRT8 models due to hit dealers this spring have been sold and there's a waiting list for the 2009 models. Naturally, more variants will be available next year with less powerful engines and a convertible version is supposedly in the works. According to the Freep, Press expounded on the Challenger's virtues, saying that the SRT8 has a higher top speed (170 mph) than BMW's M5. Kind of a misnomer considering that the M5's speed limiter keeps the BMW sedan below 155 mph - unleashed, it has the potential of doing 205 mph. The Freep also quoted Press as saying that the Challenger has more torque than the...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Convertibles , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Mitsubishi click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Eclipse and Eclipse Spyder Mitsubishi rolled out its updated 2009 Eclipse Coupe and Spyder today in Chicago, with revised fascias that complement and simultaneously update the swoopy flanks. The nose in particular brings the Eclipse in line with the design theme spreading across the rest of Mitsubishi's model line. If you happen to have a slight sense of deja vu while looking at it, more than one of us has also noticed that the new schnoz bears more than a passing resemblance to the Nissan GT-R, as well. And lest you think the changes are all skin deep, there are several non-cosmetic updates to augment the rhinoplasty. The GT models sport a newly tuned dual exhaust that promises to not only sound better, but boost horsepower by a deuce as well, bringing the total from 263 to 265. On the inside, power comes via a new 650-watt Rockford-Fosgate audio system as part...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Scion click above to view more live high-res pics of the Scion tC Release 4.0 If you saw our preview of the Scion tC Release 4.0 and want more, you're in luck 'cause we've spotted it here in Chicago. We already knew pretty much all there was to know about the machine, including the DAMD body kit and Galactic Gray Mica paint. As is often the case, though, live photos seem to show more detail than official pics from the manufacturer, so be sure to check out our live photos in the gallery below. If you like what you see, perhaps you should act fast, only 2,300 of the 4.0s are going to be built. We're sure that Scion will sell all of them, but we think the tC is in need of a bit more freshening than this version 4.0 offers. Gallery: Scion tC Release 4.0 Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Motorsports , Coupes , Marketing/Advertising , BMW click above to view more high-res live shots of BMW M3 ALMS race car The American Le Mans Series is going to get a dose of Bavarian brilliance in 2009, as Bobby Rahal and David Letterman are teaming up to bring the fourth-generation M3 to the racing series. To properly battle the best competition in ALMS, BMW bumps the power quotient of its high-revving 4.0L V8 from 414 to 485 ponies, but brute force is just one facet of the M3's attack plan. The already outstanding chassis of the M3 has been further enhanced for the track, and weight has been reduced to make the deadly M even more nimble. BMW also employed its extensive F1 knowledge into the M-racer, including computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel analyses to make the carbon fiber-winged M3 slip freely through the air. BMW Motorsport is still tweaking the M3 racer in advance of the 2009 season, and the car will be taken through its paces by Andy...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Dodge Click image for hi-res live gallery of the Challenger SRT8 It's finally here. No, not here's-a-few-more-official-press-pics, but the actual latest challenger to the modern day retro muscle car. It was presented by Jim Press, who even made a Prius joke before launching into a passionate pitch for the orange-and-black-striped car. And even though you're drowning in info on a car you still can't buy, there were some specifics added: 0-60 in 4.9 seconds and a 170-MPH top speed; the quarter mile goes by in 13.9 seconds; 4-pot Brembo brakes go on 14.2-inch rotors up front and 13.8-inch rotors in back, and will stop you from 60 in 110 feet; performance and braking together adds up to 0-100-0 in 16.5 seconds; and the skidpad number: 0.9 g's. So how's it really look? Just as good as in the photos. Better even. The lines are so simple that you realize you haven't missed anything when you get up next to it. As...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Coupes , Dodge click above for 89 high-res pics of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Just over two years after debuting as a concept at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, the Dodge Challenger is now ready to hit the streets for real. The Challenger is reviving a name last used in the late '70s and early '80s on a compact, four-cylinder Mitsubishi-built coupe. This time, though, Chrysler is going back to the roots of the brand with a big muscular rear-wheel-drive coupe, initially available exclusively with a 6.1L HEMI V8 that will power the new Challenger 60 mph in the low 5-second range, according to a very conservative Chrysler. It shares the automaker's LX platform with the Charger and Chrysler 300, and in final form, the car has changed remarkably little from the concept. The most noticeable differences are up front and include the loss of the cross-hair grille and a slim black air dam at the bottom of the bumper. Other changes are pretty subtle, such...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Convertibles , Coupes , Mitsubishi click either image for more shots of the updated 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Mitsubishi has seen fit to bestow upon us a whole slew of new high-res images showing the updated 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT and Eclipse Spyder doing their groove thing on the road. As we mentioned last week when we previewed the vehicle , the styling changes are evolutionary and include a new front end housing a blacked-out trapezoidal grille that mimics the maw of the Lancer Evolution, as well as a blacked out rear apron where a new dual exhaust system peeks out that provides the car's V6 with another 2 horsepower and 2 ft-lbs. of torque for a grand total of 265 and 262, respectively. We actually dig the new grille and think it works well with the already established body style of the Eclipse, and more power is more power (i.e. a good thing). But it's tough to overlook the fundamental flaws of the Eclipse, which include being a heavy front...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Mitsubishi Click image for photo gallery While a certain coupe over at Dodge is going to garner the lion's share of attention in Chicago next week, there are other reveals scheduled. Yesterday brought news that a facelifted Mitsubishi Galant will appear. It's about as noticeable and inspiring as the pre-facelift Galant, so we'll forgive if you happen to have missed it. The big Mitsu won't be alone in its booth, however. For 2009, the Eclipse also gets an update, mostly in the form of a facelift that apes the front end of the Lancer Evolution. Gone is the monochrome look, replaced by a darkened trapezoidal maw in the grille area. Out back, a diffuser-style insert takes up residence in the rear bumper (at least of the GT V6 model). The interior is essentially unchanged, and a new dual exhaust for the V6 adds 2 horsepower and 2 lb-ft of torque for a grand total of 265 hp/262 lb-ft. All well and good, but we'd still...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Coupes , Scion Toyota won't be having much in the way of new models at next week's Chicago Auto Show, but its hip urban sibling will be showing off a new version of the tC. The Scion tC Release Series 4.0 RS (whew) ups the style quotient of the base model with a DAMD body kit, new upper grille and rear spoiler, all coated in Galactic Gray Mica. The interior benefits from a leather-wrapped steering wheel, black leather and dark wood RAZO shift knob and gray and black seats swathed in Alcantara with "tC RS 4.0" embroidered into the front and rear seats. All that extra kit comes at a $2,700 premium (an extra $285 if you want the spoiler too), with the automatic model coming it at $20,500 and the manual-equipped version for $800 less. Both prices don't include the $620 destination charge. Only 2,300 examples will be available when sales begin this March. Toyota's press release is available after the jump. [Source: Toyota] Continue reading...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Dodge click above to enlarge and view more official '08 Dodge Challenger images None of us happen to subscribe to AutoWeek anymore, so we have to take Inside Line Senior Editor Ed Hellwig at his word that the latest issue of the weekly car rag includes another embargoed image of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 that you're not supposed to see until next week. It's a good one, though, being the first official pic to get out that shows the production derriere of the Challenger . Obvious changes include a different light bar across the back that's comprised of traditional lamps instead of the slick set up on the concept car. The rear back up lights have been combined into a single unit that now sits in the middle of the taillamp assembly, and light markers on the rear fenders have been moved down, as well. There's the new black spoiler perched on the Challenger's deck lid, which, combined with the black front lip...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Concept Cars , Podcasts , Spy Photos , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Trucks/Pickups , Audi , Chrysler , Dodge , HUMMER , Suzuki Episode #86 of the Autoblog Podcast is well-caffeineated. We spend a good bit of time talking about the excitement that's filled the Autoblog garage lately. Damon used a handily available Audi R8 as a chase car when we went to drive the Tesla Roadster, and Alex has been sampling the Subaru Tribeca and STI, as well as a rogue Volvo S80. John has been having a blissful month rocking the 1999 Oldsmobile Alero Coupe, too. There's lots of good car talk, and we take a detour into cupholder minutiae before getting to actual news. A few embargoes fell in front of the upcoming Chicago Auto Show . Car and Driver's blatant cover poll opened the door for Challenger images. Subterfuge aside, the Challenger's a knockout, despite its interior that's granted refugee status to the Sebring's trappings. Trucks will make some news at...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Dodge , Misc. Auto Shows click above for more shots of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 We're definitely geared up for the official unveiling of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 at the Chicago Auto Show next week. But for those who don't live near the Windy City, you can check out Chrysler's modern day muscle car in person at the 2008 Philadelphia Auto Show where it will debut simultaneously. The interesting thing is that the Challenger will debut on Wednesday, February 6th during the press preview days of the Chicago Auto Show. Chicagoans not accredited with a media badge will have to wait until the weekend to see the car in person. Philadelphians, however, will be able to view the car the very same day since the Philly show is already open to the public at that point. Considering the Royal Rumble we expect to ensue in Chicago after Chrysler invites the media up on stage to view the car, perhaps we'll have a blogger on...
|
-
|
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Spy Photos , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Chrysler , Dodge Click image for a gallery of Challenger spy photos As we get closer to the official unveiling of the Dodge Challenger, tips continue to arrive in our inbox from reader who've eyeballed the car themselves. One such reader is Darryll, who encountered a still-camouflaged Challenger R/T 6-speed as it took a breather from winter testing. The open hood left the 5.7L HEMI plainly visible , and the interior was not shrouded, allowing Darryll to snap off a couple of photos of the instrument panel from outside the driver's side window. Combine this view with the shots published last week to get a good ballpark estimate of what to expect. As we saw before, the car uses a pistol-grip shifter for the manual gearbox and an uncomplicated three-dial HVAC control setup. As with the Challenger concept car , the instrument cluster is trimmed out in the same metallic finish as the center console area, and the gauges...
|
More Posts Next page »
|
|
|