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It was mighty nice of Ford to wish GM a happy 100th birthday by strategic window-blind arrangement on their office building, but things weren't quite so friendly back in the days before the imports grabbed a huge slice of the car-sales pie. Back in '66, when the Mercury Division was gearing up to release the Cougar, they projected a huge Cougar ad… on the side of GM's Detroit headquarters! GM could have retaliated by using gasoline to burn a big Camaro ad into Henry Ford II's lawn, but they took the high road. Thanks to Mark for the tip. Image credit: CoolCats.net .
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Some heroic late-night wrenching — and a quick trip an hour north to Detroit — after yesterday's disastrous loss of a front wheel — has helped the #99 Celica get back on the track here at the Toledo-Detroit LeMons race. Jalopnik intern Andy Didorosi was at the helm when the Celica (and its Swedish roof) hit the track again around 6:30 AM. We're sure we'll have more details later this morning, as this Jalop was only able to make it down to the race for a quick one-hour check-in.
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In addition to the IRL racing on Belle Isle , we also had the fun and hard-charging swagger of ALMS racing. We has the opportunity to tag along with Corvette Racing, who snagged a swank chalet location right on the corner of turn seven this year, a perfect spot to watch the Jake-emblazoned Corvette C6.R's doing their thing. The American LeMans Series runs four different classes simultaneously; GT2, GT1, LMP2 and LMP1, each with escalating levels of financial backing. With a crowded track and hugely varying performance capabilities, it can be a treat to watch. galleryPost('belleislelmp', 18, 'Belle Isle Grand Prix'); LeMans Prototype 2 (LMP2) saw great success for Andretti Green Racing and the Acura racing program as the AGR team finished first and Acura took all three podium spots. The one, two, three finish also catapulted Acura past Porsche in the manufacturers championship as well. We're betting there was a fair bit of off-colored language amongst the Porsche...
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The Detroit News is reporting group vice president and general manager for Toyota of the Americas, Bob Carter, has confirmed the 2010 Toyota Prius will be debuting at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show and will be joined by a uniquely styled and appointed version for Lexus. The Prius was set to move upmarket relative to its former iterations, but with a Lexus version now on the way, Toyota's own marketplace may be getting crowded. But the bigger story is how this news makes things far more interesting for January's Detroit Auto Show. galleryPost('ToyotaPriusSpy', 6, '2010 Toyota Prius Out Testing'); Jalopnik Snap Jugdement : Considering we'll be seeing two all-new dedicated hybrids from Toyota, the formal debut of the 2010 Honda hybrid , who knows what from Nissan , and with the first fully-formed Chevy Volt revealed just a couple months earlier, the 2009 Detroit Auto Show is setting up to be a serious, next-gen hybrid battle royal. More interesting to us, contrary to...
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If you hear the familiar ring of the ice cream man's bell along Bellevue Street or any other thoroughfare in Metro Detroit, the purveyor of that ice cream cone is likely to be a Muslim Arab immigrant. According to a profile by Charlie LeDeuff in this morning's Detroit News , the life of the average Detroit ice cream truck driver manages to merge the experiences of the average immigrant (living with other immigrant men in an attempt to make money) and the average Detroit working class resident (not making much money). At the very least, they've found a job that's not likely to get outsourced. Times have been tough for ice cream men due to the sudden preponderance of competition, the downturn in the economy and the price of gas. Indeed, the steel-panel truck that is rented for $225 per week has no air-conditioning and temperatures inside can reach a sultry 100 degrees. The refrigeration unit continually fouls out and water must be poured on the machine to revive it. And every...
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A streak of panic hit us this morning as we read that the facade of the old Packard plant would be going up for auction on August 2nd. The famous landmark serves as chicken soup for the urban blight-lover's soul, and has stood as a testament to the ebbs and flows of the auto industry since the company vacated in 1956. In the last decade, it has become one of the top destinations for urban explorers in Detroit, but time, and scrappers, are taking their toll. The facade, inscribed with the Packard name, will be sold off by RM Auctions in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and a little piece of old Detroit will go with it. [ Hemmings ]
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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 ]
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Through the end of April, Chrysler had dropped fleet sales by 45,000 vehicles, a 17% decline from a year earlier, GM reduced its fleet sales by approximately 40,000 vehicles, a 14% drop and Ford posted a 9% decline in fleet sales, translating to 25,000 vehicles. Yes friends, Detroit automakers are avoiding the temptation to suckle at the teat of fleet sales, even in the face of significant sales drops. While the sales reductions will appear as another negative on an already battered sales report, fewer fleet sales — especially to daily rental fleets — should improve residual values for the "Detroit 3" in the long run. And we're all for the hometown folks taking a longer-term view of things for once — but the rental sales aren't the only part of the automakers non-retail strategy. While daily rental fleet sales have dropped, corporate and government fleet sales remain an important part of domestic automakers' business strategy. Chrysler spokesperson...
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Do you have some free time this summer? Want to help out at your favorite auto enthusiast site? Jalopnik is looking for interns. Metro Detroit residents strongly preferred; if you can rebuild a Torqueflite that's a big plus too. E-mail detroitjobs@jalopnik.com.
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ABC has reportedly ordered up a new hour-long drama pilot, based upon the auto industry and set in our very own Motor City. The Prince of Motor City is said to contain "Hamlet overtones" and is set to begin filming at the end of June, airing this winter as a mid-season replacement. According to the casting call on the Michigan Film Office Web site , they're seeking actors for a variety of roles, including at least one apparent Dr. Z lookalike. More details and full release after the jump... Herr Merkel sounds awfully familiar: "Tall, handsome German man meets with Cora Neel and the other board members about buying Hamilton Motors." And, as if you need more than a drama about the car biz based in the D, apparently Andie MacDowell is already on board. Poor Yorick: We thought that was your head we saw rolling down Jefferson. THE PRINCE OF MOTOR CITY To be an auto tycoon... or not to be? That's the problem plaguing philosophy lecturer Billy Hamilton. His father,...
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Just a final reminder — Krogers parking lot at 13 Mile and Woodward. Look for the red Corvette and the Continental. We may go into Four Green Fields. Yes, I'm buying the first round.
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Tonight in Royal Oak at 13 Mile and Woodward, Krogers parking lot. Weather looks nice and crappy — until around 6:00 PM. Good timing. RSVP below, check the site at 3:00 PM for updates.
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The complaints about the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) staged yearly in January in Detroit fall into three categories A) it's in January B) It's in Detroit and C) Cobo Hall is just too small for the event. Well after the plan was announced to expand Cobo Hall by some 120,000 square feet, the organizers are concerned the politicians in Lansing will be politicians and fail to deliver the goods on the deal. Such fears are leading to statements from show chair Joe Serra like "We want to keep it here, but time has run out." The Detroit News has an in depth article stating show officials are considering selling the rights for the show to Chicago or just shopping it around to other cities. Perhaps talk like this is only meant to light a fire under Lansing's butt, but the idea of losing the NAIAS sure would be a boot to the neck for the local economy. [ DetNews ]
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Our gadget-obsessed brothers at Gizmodo got us the scoop yesterday on Honda's Asimo taking a run at the job of conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra two nights ago. Little did we know Jalopnik friend of friends Fabrizio Costantini (check out his site — the man's a genius with a camera) was in charge of putting together a little video of the performance. Without further ado, here's Asimo the wonder robot. Enjoy.
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Having just finished up the major auto shows, it's probably not a bad time to ask if America's auto industry is headed in the right direction. As auto enthusiasts we like the idea of ass-kicking, high-output RWD rides like the 2009 Dodge Challenger , 2010 Camaro and Pontiac G8 GXP as much, if not more, than the next guy. But will they sell? A weakening economy, higher gas prices and a general perception that it's cool to be green sort of runs counter to the aims of all these vehicles. What are the foreign automakers doing? Hyundai has the Genesis Coupe , which promises great performance with a V6 at a lower cost. Subaru has come out with another capable Forester while Ford will soon be selling the seemingly contradictory Ford Flex and Transit Connect . It's "A New Day" at Chrysler. Or is it? Are the "Big 3" seeing what the market wants and delivering, or grasping at straws? Quo Vadimus? Where are we going?
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