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Dale Earnhardt Intimidator Camaro returns for 2011 [w/video]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Chevrolet, Specialty

Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet Intimidator Camaro

Dale Earnhardt Intimidator Chevrolet Camaro – Click above for high-res image gallery

Just when you thought you’d seen every special-edition Chevrolet Camaro out there another model comes along. Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet of Newton, NC has pulled the sheets back on a new Intimidator Camaro. The model follows in the footsteps of the 2001 Intimidator Camaro SS, by throwing a heap of extra horsepower at the already formidable muscle car. Under the hood, a supercharged V8 churns out 704 horsepower and 695 pound-feet of torque, while the rest of the vehicle has received suitable upgrades to cope with the increased performance. The suspension now wears one-inch drop rate springs, adjustable sway bars and new subframe connectors, along with a set of cross-drilled rotors help bring the vehicle down from speed.

A custom, single-piece aluminum shifter is part of the package indoors, as well as suede seat inserts, white-face gauges and an Intimidator logo embroidered into each headrest. Outside, the Intimidator Camaro can be distinguished from its non-NASCAR name-checking counterparts by its cowl hood, race-inspired spoilers and chrome wheels. Hit the jump to check out a video of the car under construction.

Continue reading Dale Earnhardt Intimidator Camaro returns for 2011 [w/video]

Dale Earnhardt Intimidator Camaro returns for 2011 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saab 9-3 ePower test fleet being assembled

Filed under: Wagon, Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Saab, Electric

saab 9-3 epower

Saab 9-3 ePower assembly – Click above for high-res image gallery

Despite Spyker’s adventures in Chinese business negotiation, Saab is doing everything in its power to try and push forward. The 9-4X is reportedly the only Saab vehicle currently being produced, but it seems another is also coming to life. A fleet of Saab 9-3 ePower electric wagons are being put together for testing.

Hand-assembled in a room just off the main assembly line, the 9-3 ePower is Saab’s first all-electric vehicle, and the automaker will be establishing a test fleet of 70 vehicles. The battery system is said to be good for a 124-mile range with a top speed of around 90 miles per hour. Fleet testing is scheduled to begin later this year.

Saab 9-3 ePower test fleet being assembled originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mercedes-Benz working on Bentley Continental rival?

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Xenatec Maybach Cruiserio

Xenatec Maybach Cruiserio – Click above for high-res image gallery

Last week we brought you reports of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class expanding into numerous body-styles, but the coupe, convertible and pair of sedans in two different wheelbase lengths may not be the extent of it. Reports indicate that Daimler is considering a new four-door coupe to slot in above the CLS.

The model would target the Bentley Continental in a high-end model with even more dramatic styling (for those who feel the second-generation CLS is too conservative) and a range of AMG engines to help justify the engrossed pricetag.

While the new model is being touted as a Mercedes, a potential Maybach version could also be in the cards, like the Xenatec Cruiserio coupe pictured above.

Mercedes-Benz working on Bentley Continental rival? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW 1 Series M to be one year and done?

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, BMW

bmw 1 series m

2011 BMW 1 Series M – Click above for high-res image gallery

Did you pick up your 2011 BMW 1 Series M? If not, you may be paying a lot more for one down the road. The $46,135 German sports coupe will be produced through the end of this year… and then it’s done. According to TheDetroitBureau.com, BMW admits that its latest ~~sex toy~~ pumped-up two-door will have a very limited run of one model year.

That’s not to say we won’t see another version on the future. However, it could be several years before that happens, which should make the current (and only) crop of BMW 1 Series M cars quite collectible.

After reading TDB’s report, we pressed BMW for some more insight into the matter, and received confirmation that the current 1 Series M is only sticking around for the 2011 model year. The next generation 1 Series is at least two-and-a-half to three years away, which is too much time to speculate on a future 1 Series M. Curious as to how many 2011 1 Series M coupes will be produced? So are we, and BMW can only share that “less than 1,000 units” will be produced in 2011.

Said another way… get in line. Now.

BMW 1 Series M to be one year and done? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ferrari 458 Challenge demonstrates evolution of the breed on Laguna Seca’s Corkscrew

Filed under: Motorsports, Ferrari, Racing

Ferrari 458 Challenge at Laguna Seca

Ferrari 458 Challenge at Laguna Seca – Click above to watch video after the jump

The Ferrari 458 Challenge made its racing debut last month at Monza, and the spec race car appeared for the first time here in the U.S. a few weeks later at California’s Infineon Raceway. While we couldn’t make it out to Sonoma for the latter, we did get our first look at the 458 Challenge this past weekend at the Ferrari Racing Days at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

As with its road cars, Ferrari somehow manages to vastly improve the performance of each generation of race cars, and the 458 Challenge is no exception. Ferrari says that the 458 Challenge can lap the Fiorano race track about two seconds faster than its predecessor, and that difference translated to Laguna Seca. The fastest 458 Challenge cars were turning in times more than three seconds quicker than the top 430 Challenge cars. Even the fastest 430 driver, who set a new class qualifying lap record of 1:31.630, was half a second behind the slowest 458.

You can see our photos of the 458 Challenge at the Ferrari Racing Days in the high-res gallery below, and follow the jump to watch a video of the cars tackle Laguna Seca’s famous Corkscrew.

Continue reading Ferrari 458 Challenge demonstrates evolution of the breed on Laguna Seca’s Corkscrew

Ferrari 458 Challenge demonstrates evolution of the breed on Laguna Seca’s Corkscrew originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: NHTSA expected to mandate black boxes in all cars next month

Filed under: Technology

electronic data recorder Are you ready for a black box to be installed in your car? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration apparently is. According to a new report from Wired, NHTSA is expected to rule next month that all new cars will need to carry just such a device.

Now, before you get all “Screw the Gubment!” in the comments, you should know that many modern cars already have black box systems installed – you might have one and not even know it. General Motors, for instance, has been installed the electronic data recorders since the 1990s, on almost all vehicles fitted with airbags.

The concern for most drivers, however, lies with what type of information is captured, and who has access to it. Also, different automakers use different Electronic Data Recorder devices. A black box standard needs to be developed, which would allow for the data retrieved from an EDR to be consistent regardless of the vehicle make it’s pulled from.

Some view this mandate as an invasion of motorists’ privacy. However, the data recovered from the black box systems can provide crucial insight into crash dynamics. Exactly who’s allowed to view that information varies by state, of course, and only 13 states currently have legislation in place regulating the release of EDR data.

What do you think, is this a good idea, or a bad one? Have your say in Comments.

NHTSA expected to mandate black boxes in all cars next month originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking: Chrysler repays the rest of its federal loans… are SUVs to thank?

Filed under: Government/Legal, Chrysler, Earnings/Financials, Fiat

chrysler banner announces government dept paid off

It’s Official: Chrysler has announced that it has repaid its multi-billion dollar obligations owed to both the United States and Canadian governments. Adding up both loans plus interest, Chrysler has just shelled out a tidy $7.6 billion. The U.S. receives $5.9 billion and Canada will get $1.7 billion.

Chrysler was able to secure new means of financing, which allows the automaker to pay off its government obligations a full six years ahead of the original payment schedule. While this new financing still involves debts, it saves Chrysler an estimated $350 million per year in interest. This move also allows Chrysler to remain liquid, with more than $10 billion in assets ready to roll.

Under the direction of the U.S. government, Chrysler partnered up with Fiat, and the goal was to bring smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles to the states. Yet as an opinion piece in The Detroit News sagely reminds us, it wasn’t really the smaller cars that helped Chrysler, but the newly refreshed sport utility vehicles. The all-new Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee models helped push sales up 17 percent in 2010.

Regardless of how they got there, this move should serve to instill confidence in the U.S. car-buying public. Chrysler continues to add new or redesigned vehicles to its lineup and has a strong media campaign behind those vehicles. Will high gas prices slow the positive momentum that Chrysler has built up, or is this the chance for the Fiat portion of the relationship to step up and shine? Sound off in Comments, and check out the full press release posted after the jump.

Continue reading Chrysler repays the rest of its federal loans… are SUVs to thank?

Chrysler repays the rest of its federal loans… are SUVs to thank? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: BMW X3 M getting ready to rumble

Filed under: Performance, Crossover, BMW

2011 BMW X3

2011 BMW X3 – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to the wizards at Europe’s CAR magazine, sources within BMW have confirmed that the high-performance X3 M could launch as early as 2012. A stupid-fast X3 hardly seems necessary, but then again, that’s what we said about the larger X5 M and X6 M before falling in love after our stints behind the wheel.

CAR states that the X3 M will likely be powered by a tweaked version of the new six-cylinder engine bound for duty in the M3. In the X3, this engine will reportedly produce somewhere around 450 horsepower, and could use a brand new tri-turbo system – one electric turbocharger paired with two exhaust-gas-driven units.

A 450-horsepower X3? With three turbochargers (one of which is electric)? Sounds absurd (and is to be taken with a grain of salt… for now), but based on our experiences with the rest of BMW’s M range, consider us totally stoked.

BMW X3 M getting ready to rumble originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Tour the LAPD’s new Chevrolet Caprice PPV with Translogic

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Safety, Technology, Videos, Chevrolet, Police/Emergency

Chevrolet Caprice PPV

Chevrolet Caprice PPV – Click above to watch video after the jump

By now, you’ve probably committed every detail of the new generation of police cruisers to memory. With so many potential successors to the Ford Crown Victoria throne, it pays to know exactly which models to look out for on the road, especially if you dabble in extra-legal speeds. The guys from Translogic recently got the chance to get up close and personal with the new Chevrolet Caprice PPV courtesy of a tour by the Los Angeles Police Department. Along with getting the full scoop on what the vehicle has to offer in terms of officer and criminal comfort, we’re also introduced to some of the killer tech on board the new cruiser.

Officers are now treated to an easy-to-navigate touch screen that handles everything from HVAC controls to advanced crime-fighting tech. License-plate recognition software combines two front-mounted cameras with a criminal database to alert officers of potentially threatening drivers and an additional super-sensitive infrared camera can even detect a perpetrator’s footsteps at night. Go go gadget awesome.

Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself.

Continue reading Tour the LAPD’s new Chevrolet Caprice PPV with Translogic

Tour the LAPD’s new Chevrolet Caprice PPV with Translogic originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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