|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » 2008 ( RSS)
-
|
One of the most impressive things about the 2009 Corvette ZR1 is how much grip it has. Normally, sticking 638 HP into something that weighs just 3,350 LBS and driving only the rear wheels would result in massive amounts of wheel spin, both in a straight line and around corners. But in the ZR1, it doesn’t — not without significant provocation. This is partly due to the whiz-bang magnetic damping system that adjusts itself near-instantaneously to keep the car level around corners and keep the tires in contact with the road over rough surfaces. But a big part of its grip, and the resulting 7:26.4 ‘Ring time , comes down to the tires: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZPs specially developed, racecar-style, alongside the ZR1. galleryPost('zr1pilotsport', 3, 'Michelin PS2 ZP'); Specific to the ZR1, the 285/30-19 front and 335/25-20 rear tires use a different compound from that of the normal PS2s (which can also be found on the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V ), designed to deliver ultimate...
|
-
|
As expected, GM just reported a net loss of $15.5 billion (an astounding $27.33 per share) and an adjusted net loss of $6.3 billion ($11.21 per share) after charges of $9.1 billion in non-cash "special" one-time items for the second quarter of 2008. Second quarter liquidity of $21 billion, plus a credit line of an additional $5 billion. All the nitty-gritty dirty details below the jump and we'll have more analysis shortly. GM Reports Preliminary Second Quarter Financial Results Adjusted net loss of $6.3 billion, reported net loss of $15.5 billion Results impacted by $9.1 billion of predominantly non-cash special items Sales records set in three of four regions Q2 liquidity position of $21 billion, plus credit lines of additional $5 billion Second Quarter 2008 2007* O /(U) 2007 Revenue (bils.): $38.2 $46.7 $(8.5) Adjusted automotive earnings before tax (bils.): $(4.0) $1.0 $(5.0) Reported automotive earnings before tax (bils.): $(9.1) $0.8 $(9.9) Adjusted net income (bils....
|
-
|
At today's NextCruise announcement, automakers dragged out their leanest, meanest, greenest vehicles as a backdrop for the action. Of course, the fact that they were all SUVs was a bit ironic. But also on hand was a hot Corvette Z06 modified for Detroit Grand Prix pace duty and sipping E85 fuel. While no announcement was made, racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi's name is planted smack-dab on the driver's side B-pillar, making it pretty clear who's going to be at the helm during the 2008 Detroit Grand Prix. galleryPost('e85z06', 6, 'E85 Burning Corvette Z06 Pace Car'); This will be a return to a familiar place for Fittipaldi, considering he won two CART races at Belle Isle, in 1989 and 1991. The Corvette itself is pretty slick in its color-shifting paint, moving between gold and green. Way better than the '98 Corvette Indy Pace Car dressed in terrifying purple and yellow. It's kind of shocking, but even the light bar up top is kinda cool. That right...
|
-
|
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser. Why you should buy the 2008 Dodge Charger SRT8 : You never got enough oversteer from your big wheel as a kid. Your father taught you big motors and tire smoke are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The first passage in your bible reads "In the beginning, God created the Hemi and the Earth." You think global warming is not only a crock of crap, but a communist plot against all that is good and pure. You run a drag strip for orphans. You own stock in ExxonMobil. Why you shouldn't buy this car: The rumble of a proper American V8 annoys you. The soft whoosh your Birkenstocks bring when pressed against the pedal of your hybrid makes you put down your wheatgrass smoothie and smile. You think a Japanese crossover is the most responsible automotive investment you can make. You care about depreciation. You are Ed Begley Jr. galleryPost('2008ChargerSRT8ReviewDeet', 6, '2008 Dodge Charger SRT8 - Details'...
|
-
|
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser. Exterior Design: **** Let's not mince words here: The 2008 Dodge Charger SRT8 is the kid that took your sister out to a party and she came back with frazzled hair, disheveled clothes, and smeared makeup. It's a badass car and it looks it. In sedate colors it blends in like a roughneck in a polo, but when properly quaffed, it gets a solid nod as the obvious troublemaker. Something is brewing behind those headlights, and we all know it starts with a capital 'T'. Interior Design: ** Like Wert said said so eloquently in his review of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 , "the exterior was crafted with pound upon pound of love and care; the interior feels like the ginger-headed stepchild of the design process." As Challenger goes, so goes Charger. Where the exterior is tough and purposeful, the interior is disjointed and nonsensical. A car like this should be a purpose-built missile of power and fury, not...
|
-
|
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser. While Wert spent last week behind the wheel of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 , I had the muscle car's big, boorish bear of a brother, the 2008 Dodge Charger SRT8 . While the two cars may come off the same production lines, I'm finding myself using a different set of adjectives than the petals of flowery prose Wert scattered in front of the Challenger's tires. The Charger SRT8 is pitifully crude, boorish and obnoxious. As far as high performance goes, it's a complete piece of shit. But it's the most badass, tire-spinning, smoke-billowingly fun piece of shit we've ever driven. galleryPost('2008ChargerSRT8Review1', 6, '2008 Dodge Charger SRT8'); Where to begin? Well, for starters, you can completely disregard Wert's original review of the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 . That's right, set his overly verbose love-screed aside because the Charger SRT8 is, above all, about testosterone...
|
-
|
For the very special price of $75,329 (¥7,980,000) GM's willing to give you what they're calling the Chevrolet Corvette S-Limited. Sure, it looks a lot like a regular 'Vette, but it's spec'd out with mesh inserts, a set of special wheels, a lip spoiler and with only 30 of them being offered (15 in black, 15 in white), it sounds like a sure winner to us. Heck, we're about to hop a flight over to Japan so we can get one right this instant. Can you tell how super awesome excited we are for the chance to buy a limited edition of the number one best super car from America? Well, that could be because we're actually not at all excited at the prospect of purchasing a special edition Corvette that looks like the only thing special about it is it's been given the Pep Boy "#4" kit. We mean, why should we be getting excited over a Z06 for the same price or a 2009 Corvette ZR1 for 133% the price when we could get an S-Limited? Who seriously asks — man...
|
-
|
newVideoPlayer("Renault_Kangoo_Simpsons_France_476.flv", 506, 423,""); Remember when Renault announced that they'd made a deal with 20th Century Fox to use characters from The Simpsons to shill the Kangoo minivan? Well, here's the result, which has been floating around the Internet for a while but hasn't landed here yet. It's about as entertaining as a French minivan could be; we're especially impressed with Homer's Donut Belt and the "money" he uses to buy a new Kangoo. What's next, Jodie Foster selling Civics?
|
-
|
Barack Obama made his first visit to the Motor City on Monday, telling a crowd gathered at Joe Louis Arena that, "We are going to build the cars of the future right here in Detroit, right here in Michigan, right here in America." The Detroit metro area has one of the highest rates of both unemployment and foreclosure, so Obama's message found a receptive audience. Popular Mechanics is expected to post a sketch of Obama's "car of the future" later today, including an artist's depiction of its flight capabilities. Sen. Obama continued with a message of alternative energy development, an industry for which many experts say Southeast Michigan's workforce is ideal. "We're going to create alternative fuels for our plug-in hybrids," he said. "We are going to help the auto companies. If you are ready for change, we are going to create a brighter energy future right here in America." [ MLive ]
|
-
|
A 6-speed manual-equipped wagon that's big enough to hold all your enfants terrible, gets 34 mpg (US) and has hydropneumatic suspension? Of course it's not sold here. But the folks over at Popular Mechanics did get the chance to test a 2008 Citroën C5 during a rainy English holiday, discovering that the big Frenchie demonstrates "supreme competence in areas that most owners appreciate most often." That's not even the worst part. Even with the plummeting dollar, their optioned-out Exclusive model retails for the equivalent of $42,700. Suddenly, that 2009 Ford Flex doesn't seem like such a bargain, does it? No mention of the Citroen C5 's patented Très Difficile seating system though. galleryPost('citroenc5pm', 6, 'Citroen C5'); [ Popular Mechanics ]
|
-
|
Automotive News reports convertible registrations, which grew steadily the past several years in the United States, slumped in 2007, dropping 8.6 percent. It's the first year since 2003 there's been a drop in registrations of vehicles designed to let the sun shine on in — even including a 1.2% drop for both No. 1 New York and the 2006 leader, Los Angeles compared with the year before. Apparently the economy hurts everything — convertible sales included. Will the market for 'verts drop even more in 2008? Guess we'll find out about a year from now. [via Automotive News (sub. req.)]
|
-
|
A few months before I started writing for El Jalop, one of the few Mercedes-Benz F-Cell fuel cell cars parked on my block for while, and I'm still kicking myself for not photographing it. The anonymous tipster who sent in the shots of a Tesla Roadster he found parked in Palo Alto, on the other hand, had his camera primed and ready when the moment of truth arrived. Good work, anonymous tipster! galleryPost('DOTSBETesla', 6, 'Tesla Down On The Palo Alto Street');
|
-
|
Amusing, it's taken a little over two years but the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 has gone from a concept revealed on the show floor of the 2006 Detroit Auto Show to parking on the roof of Cobo during the 2008 SAE World Congress. This shiny red one was parked staring straight at the GM RenCen buildings almost like some bruiser looking for a fight with a Camaro. This one even has a little battle scar on the front passenger side fender to prove it can hang with the tough kids. galleryPost('challengersrtsix', 9, 'Challenger SRT8 Six Speed On Cobo Roof');
|
-
|
Amusing, it's taken a little over two years but the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 has gone from a concept revealed on the show floor of the 2006 Detroit Auto Show to parking on the roof of Cobo during the 2008 SAE World Congress. This shiny red one was parked staring straight at the GM RenCen buildings almost like some bruiser looking for a fight with a Camaro. This one even has a little battle scar on the front passenger side fender to prove it can hang with the tough kids. galleryPost('challengersrtsix', 9, 'Challenger SRT8 Six Speed On Cobo Roof');
|
-
|
newVideoPlayer("Robot_chasing_man.flv", 475, 376,""); We keep telling you the robot wars are going to happen any day now, and you just don't listen. While this is more like some version of a robot dog nipping at your heels, we still don't know what the mechanical marvel is going to do with that ball when he catches his prey. Okay, we kid, we're pretty sure this is another one of those TARDEC toys (where do they get those marvelous gadgets?) paid for with your tax dollars, but it looks like it could throw down if properly equipped for robot war.
|
More Posts Next page »
|
|
|