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2011 Monaco Grand Prix is as tight as it gets [spoilers]

Filed under: Motorsports, Europe

2011 Monaco Grand Prix

2011 Monaco Grand Prix – Click above for high-res image gallery

The funny thing about speed is that it’s relative, at least in a cognitive sense. Sure, you can measure the pace at which a moving object travels over ground, water, air, or even space. But place a Formula One race car on a wide-open track-say, Turkey’s Istanbul Park, for example-and it doesn’t look or feel like it’s going nearly as fast as the same car does along the tight, winding streets of Monte Carlo. That’s what makes the Monaco Grand Prix so exciting. This year’s especially, packed as it was with nail-biting action. Follow the jump to read how it went down.

Gallery: 2011 Monaco Grand Prix

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2011 Monaco Grand Prix is as tight as it gets [spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 May 2011 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2012 Chevrolet Camaro 45th Anniversary Edition shows off at Indy

2012 Chevrolet Camaro 45th Anniversary Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors officially unveiled the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro 45th Anniversary Edition to a crowd of dealers and enthusiasts on the eve of the Indianapolis 500. The droptop muscle car boasts a slew of tweaks that are destined to eventually make their way to the greater Camaro lineup, including new soft-touch materials on the dash, a new steering wheel that’s not ridiculous to use, and a few suspension changes. GM tells us that SS models will be equipped with the new FE4 suspension package, born from the development the upcoming Camaro ZL1. V6 Camaros will now pack 323 horsepower, a gain of 11 over the 2011 model-year cars.

GM will produce the Camaro 45th Anniversary Edition to meet demand, so there should be plenty to go around. In addition to the interior and mechanical adjustments, the car wears special logos on the fenders, seat backs, door sills, steering wheel and dash to separate it from the rest of the Camaro stable. Pricing will be available closer to the convertible’s fall launch date. Hit the jump for the full press blast.

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2012 Chevrolet Camaro 45th Anniversary Edition shows off at Indy originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 May 2011 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster unveiled

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Convertible, Performance, Mercedes-Benz

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster – Click above for high-res image gallery

After the endless parade of rumors, conjecture, spy shots and even official information, Mercedes-Benz has finally dropped the full batch of details and photos of its latest flagship: the SLS AMG Roadster.

The new droptop loses the gullwing doors of its coupe counterpart, but those German engineers have gone to great lengths to ensure it loses nothing else in the process. Chopping the roof, fitting conventional doors, and stiffening the body as required results in a convertible that only weighs 88 lbs more than the coupe. The roof-available in black, red or beige-can be dropped or raised in just eleven seconds at speeds up to 31 mph.

Top speed is electronically limited in either position to 197 mph, while officially quoted acceleration times, for some reason, drop from 3.8 seconds in the gullwing coupe to 3.7 in the Roadster. Along with the convertible roof, Mercedes has also packed in a new electronically-controlled Adaptive AMG Sport Suspension, AMG Performance Media system to track and display vehicle telemetrics, and an AMG Drive Unit to control it all.

The Roadster – which beats the anticipated convertible versions of the Ferrari 458 Italia, McLaren MP4-12C, Pagani Huayra and Lamborghini Aventador to market – will be officially unveiled this fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show, around the same time that deliveries are set to begin Stateside. In the meantime, you can follow the jump for all the details and check out the extensive photo gallery for a closer look.

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2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster unveiled originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 May 2011 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster unveiled

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Convertible, Performance, Mercedes-Benz

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster – Click above for high-res image gallery

Continue reading 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster unveiled

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster unveiled originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 May 2011 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: How not to flip a car carrier back over

Filed under: Videos

car hauler tips the wrong way

How not to flip a car carrier back over – Click above to watch the video after the jump

We’ve seen a lot of how-not-to videos over the years. How not to load your Porsche Carrera, tow your Chevrolet Corvette, rescue your truck from a frozen lake, and many more. It’s also become clear that tow trucks frequently play a big part in these matters. Today’s example is no different.

Hit the jump to see what happens when a tow truck attempts to return a tipped auto transporter to the upright position. Hint: It probably wouldn’t have been posted to YouTube if it ended well.

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How not to flip a car carrier back over originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 May 2011 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Mopar confirms full Ram Runner kit details

Filed under: Aftermarket, Truck, Chrysler, Dodge

mopar ram runner

Mopar Ram Runner Kit – Click above for high-res image gallery

Are you a Ram Truck owner? Are you tired of watching Ford SVT Raptor drivers effortlessly fly across desert sand dunes and mall parking-lot curbs? Well, it’s payback time. Mopar is ready to sell you the Ram Runner Kit.

Designed for installation on 2009-2011 Ram trucks, seven component sets compose the full Mopar Ram Runner Kit (they can also be purchased separately if you want to do the build in stages). The largest and most expensive item on the list is the Pre-Runner Stage II Lift Kit. Priced at $13,270, it includes a five-link coil-spring rear suspension, 4130 chromoly lower control arms, upper control arms, rebuildable high-angle ball joints, and forged steel, high-angle tie rods. Couple that with three-inch internal bypass shocks from Fox, and you now have fourteen inches of suspension travel.

All those suspension components can be dressed up with a variety of Mopar exterior upgrades. An off-road bumper, front and rear fenders and a Mopar sport performance hood are offered as individual add-ons. Mopar also offers a rear tire carrier and a cat-back exhaust system to let your 5.7-liter HEMI breathe a little easier.

Click past the jump for full details and more pricing information.

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Mopar confirms full Ram Runner kit details originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 May 2011 18:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Folding motorcycle helmet nominated for Dyson Award

Filed under: Etc., Motorcycle, Design/Style

Proteus folding motorcycle helmet

Jessica Dunn’s Proteus folding helmet – Click above for high-res image gallery

Twenty-five-year-old Australian Jessica Dunn spent five months riding a motorcycle in Indonesia as a foreign exchange student, and that meant hauling a helmet around all that time. Weary of that grind after just 150 days, Dunn developed the Proteus folding helmet and it is now shortlisted for the James Dyson Award.

An outer layer of polycarbonate covers polystyrene foam, and the innermost layer is a material that’s pliable during normal use but instantly hardens when it registers an impact. The helmet itself collapses in a manner reminiscent of a hardtop convertibles, the visor slides back on top while the sides and back fold into the helmet’s interior cavity. The Proteus helmet has been engineered to meet Australian safety standards, and when folded fits into a standard backpack. Have a look at the gallery of high-res images for a better view, and if you think that’s funky, you should check out Julien Bergignat’s Tatou helmet.

Folding motorcycle helmet nominated for Dyson Award originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 May 2011 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyundai announces 5 million units sold in Europe

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Hyundai

Hyundai i30

The UK-market Hyundai i30 – Click above to enlarge

It’s official: five million Hyundai vehicles have been paired with paying customers in Europe since 1977. It began with a Hyundai Pony sent home with a UK buyer, and the latest milestone was achieved with the sale of an i30 (pictured). Although it works out to roughly 147,000 cars per year over those 34 years, the Korean firm didn’t hit the million-sales mark until 1996. The second million came in 2001, the third million in 2005, and it’s been another million every three years since.

More than half of those sales are accounted for by just five European countries, with Germany in the lead at 714,260 units. There’s a press release after the jump with all the info.

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Hyundai announces 5 million units sold in Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 May 2011 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Chrysler-owned dealership under California DMV scrutiny

Filed under: Government/Legal, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat

Chrysler Motor Village LA

Automakers have traditionally had little luck owning car dealerships, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying. A recent effort by Chrysler led to the creation of Motor Village in downtown Los Angeles, but the local dealer association is none too pleased about the facility’s location.

Back in 2008, Chrysler purchased La Brea Avenue Motors and in January, the automaker moved the operation to its current downtown LA location. The $30 million facility is now home to Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep and Fiat stores. Unfortunately, it resides within 10 miles of three other Chrysler dealers, which is a violation of California franchising laws. The local dealer association brought the matter to the attention of the California New Motor Vehicle Board back in March, and the agency has since voted unanimously to have the California DMV open an investigation.

California makes one-year exceptions to the franchise law-for example, if the automaker partners with a local dealership that invests in operational improvements and plans to buy out the OEM stake-but in the case of the Motor Village, Chrysler doesn’t qualify. Lawyers for the automaker tell Automotive News that the Chrysler has attempted to find such an investor but has been unsuccessful so far. The search for a partner continues, but for now, Chrysler says the store “a test bed for new retail and marketing ideas.”

If the DMV finds Chrysler to be in violation of the franchise agreement, California could pull its business license.

Chrysler-owned dealership under California DMV scrutiny originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 May 2011 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: NHTSA investigating some Nissan Altima, Jeep Wrangler models

Filed under: Sedan, SUV, Recalls, Safety, Jeep, Nissan, Off-Road

2010 Nissan Altima – Click above for high-res image gallery

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into two vehicles from the 2007-2008 model years: the Nissan Altima and Jeep Wrangler. The Altima has been the subject of 20 non-injury complaints regarding a loss of stopping power. The culprit is supposed to be a brake fluid leak which, if left unaddressed by drivers when the warning light “is ignored,” decreases braking force. There are 440,000 Altimas included in the investigation. Nissan recalled 180,000 Sentras from the same model years for the same kind of leak.

There are also 220,000 Jeep Wranglers under investigation for non-deployment of drivers’ airbags due to a failed electrical circuit. 29 non-injury complaints were received, and at least six of the Wranglers were found to have been right-hand-drive models.

NHTSA investigating some Nissan Altima, Jeep Wrangler models originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 May 2011 12:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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