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Autoblog Podcast #191 – With the supercar love!

Filed under: Podcasts, Classics, Etc.

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

Chris, Sam and Dan asked for your thoughts on under-appreciated supercars since 1990, and you came through with plenty of ideas. We spend the hour and twenty minutes of Episode #191 of the Autoblog Podcast offering our finely-tuned opinions. Next week, we’re back to normal podcasts, but let us know what you thought of our listener-appreciation experiment. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #191 – With the supercar love!

In the Autoblog Garage:

Lincoln MKS
Range Rover Sport Supercharged
Mazda CX-7

Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Shunk

Runtime: 78:55

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Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

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Autoblog Podcast #191 – With the supercar love! originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy

Filed under: Government/Legal, Autoline on Autoblog

GOVERNMENT WANTS 60-MPG CAFE

John McElroy Last year, when the federal government set Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards at roughly 35 miles per gallon by 2015, automakers squirmed uncomfortably. Though that should be an achievable target, it won’t be easy. It means Americans will have to buy several million more small cars a year, they’ll have to buy fewer trucks and SUVs, and they’ll have to pay thousands of dollars more for the technology needed to meet those standards.

But now it sure looks like the government is getting ready to set a new fuel economy standard of 60 mpg by 2025. According to Ward’s, both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will release the new standard next month. Is it at all realistic to think that we can double the fuel economy standard in a decade?

Remember, that 60 mpg target is a fleet average. That means all of the cars and trucks and SUVs and crossovers and vans that an automaker sells will need their fuel economy to average out at 60 mpg. That’s not going to be easy. It’s not just a matter of building the right kinds of cars, it’s about getting people to buy them.

John McElroy is host of the TV program “Autoline Detroit” and daily web video “Autoline Daily”. Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.

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Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vote for your favorite obscure supercar for Episode #191 of the Autoblog Podcast!

Filed under: Podcasts

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For Episode #191 of the Autoblog Podcast, we thought we’d hand it over to the audience. Your topic: Forgotten (and wholly awesome) supercars since 1990. There are, of course, the cars that made a splash: Ferrari’s F40, the McLaren F1, Lamborghini’s iconic Countach and its Rubenesque replacement, the Diablo all fall within the 1990-2010 timeframe, but so do comparative oddities like the Cizeta-Moroder V16t, Isdera Commendatore 112i and Consulier GTP.

You and your fellow readers can add your choices to the box below, as well as vote on the suggestions of others. We’ll skim the cars that get the most votes and offer our individual and widely varied takes on your choices. What, you’re still here? Off to Wikipedia with you!

Vote for your favorite obscure supercar for Episode #191 of the Autoblog Podcast! originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #190 – Chrysler profit, Top Gear USA and small Buicks

Filed under: Podcasts, Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Lexus, Lincoln, Earnings/Financials

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

Chris, Sam and Dan come back for Episode #190 of the Autoblog Podcast, and this time around we talk about Chrysler’s profit announcement, the Top Gear USA trailer, Honda’s latest recall, the Buick Verano. We also touch on a Ferrari-based Lancia Stratos tribute and GM’s prospects for selling Chevrolet Volts. We kick the ball around on a single question before calling it a night right at the hour mark. Thanks for listening, see you next week!

Autoblog Podcast #190 – Chrysler profit, Top Gear USA and small Buicks

In the Autoblog Garage:

Ford F450 Super Duty
Lexus RX450h
Lincoln MKT

News:

Chrysler Profit
Top Gear USA Trailer
Buick Verano
Lancia Stratos tribute
GM says Chevrolet Volt will find buyers

Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Shunk

Runtime: 67:26

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #190 – Chrysler profit, Top Gear USA and small Buicks originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Monterey Classic Car Week Calendar

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Auctions, Event Alert

As you’re reading this, several of us are on the way to Monterey, California, ready to provide tee-to-green coverage of the annual classic car week festivities. The real action starts with Gordon McCall’s Motorsports Revival – aka The Jet Center Party – tomorrow evening and with the festivities bookended by grand-daddy of them all: The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. In between there are enough other concours, races, auctions and miscellaneous car events in the mix to keep any type of enthusiast happy. While we plan on covering as much of the proceedings as possible, we hope some of you will be in attendance as well. To that end we’ve compiled a schedule of events with brief descriptions and links to keep you in the know up on the Monterey peninsula. Follow the jump to read our complete Autoblog Monterey Classic Car Week Calendar.

[Sources: See Monterey and About.com]

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Autoblog Monterey Classic Car Week Calendar originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog tours the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Etc.

Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum – Click above for high-res image gallery

While traveling the country as part of the 2010 Mini Takes The States road rally, we stopped off at Philadelphia’s Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum to get a closer look at some of the iconic cars that helped shape motorsport as we know it. This museum represents the personal collection of Dr. Frederick Simeone and features over 60 different cars from the full spectrum of automakers.

The museum isn’t as glitzy and glamorous as you might expect, but that’s not to say it’s lackluster, either. There are no spotlights or interactive displays, and there are no one-offs or custom builds. Instead, you get an array of cars that saw actual competition. LeMans, Brooklands, Sebring, the Mille Miglia – it’s all on display. What’s more, the museum regularly takes the cars out to its three-acre parking lot for demonstration days.

Located near Philadelphia International Airport, the Simeone museum is open six days a week, and admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for students and free for children ages eight and under. Group rates are available, and complete details are available over at the museum’s website.

Scroll through our gallery below for a few dozen high-resolution photos of the beautiful cars on display, and if you’re ever in Philadelphia, be sure to stop by and see the collection firsthand.

Gallery: Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum

Autoblog tours the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog hits the road with Mini Takes The States 2010

Filed under: Convertible, Hatchback, Mini

Mini Takes The States 2010 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Of all the automakers in the United States, perhaps the one with the largest enthusiast following is Mini. Sure, brands like Porsche, BMW and even Subaru have their own clubs and cult followings, but when it comes to eccentricity and personality, no one does it like Mini.

In that spirit, the pint-sized automaker is once again embarking on its Mini Takes The States cross-country road rally, an event that first occurred in 2006 and then again in 2008. This time, Mini is gathering its owners to celebrate the launch of the 2011 Countryman crossover, and we’ve been asked to tag along. We’ll be scoring some seat time in the Countryman as well, so stay tuned for our initial impressions.

Our trip started in New York and will take us to Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Columbus and finally Indianapolis before we hop a plane back home. Many of the other participants will head all the way out to Denver, where they will meet up with other groups doing similar drive routes in different parts of the country. Mini has a full host of festivities planned for the Denver crew, and many other local Mini enthusiast clubs are providing some entertainment along the way.

Mini has provided us with a Cooper S Camden Edition for the trip, which means we’ll experience turbocharged small car thrills along the highways of America. We already spent a considerable amount of time with the Camden-ized Cooper, and we’ve been getting many a thumbs-up from Mini owners out on the road. (We’ve opted to leave the Camden’s Mission Control system in the “off” position.)

Keep your eyes peeled for caravans of Coopers and Clubmans, folks. This not-so-mini road rally is taking America by storm. Want to vicariously join in on the fun? Follow the trip’s progress on Mini’s Facebook page.

Gallery: Mini Takes The States 2010

Autoblog hits the road with Mini Takes The States 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #189 – Flex sunsetting, NHTSA stars, saleable Sebrings and a cruise in the Cruze

Filed under: Podcasts, Government/Legal, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai, Lincoln, Rumormill

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid and Dan Roth are back for Episode #188 of the Autoblog Podcast. Topics this time around include rumors of a Ford Flex/Lincoln MKT phase-out after 2013, changes to the way NHTSA crash rating scores are given, patent images that could be the next Chrysler Sebring and the Chevrolet Cruze. Your feedback is incorporated throughout this hour and twenty minute extravaganza, too. Thanks for listening, see you next time!

Autoblog Podcast #189 – Flex sunsetting, NHTSA stars, saleable Sebrings and a cruise in the Cruze

In the Autoblog Garage:

Ford F250 Super Duty
Ford Mustang GT Convertible
Hyundai Sonata SE

News:

NHTSA updates its crash-test procedure
Chrysler 200C patent drawings and Sebring plant staffing boost
Ford Flex/Lincoln MKT being phased out
Chevrolet Cruze first drive

Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Shunk

Runtime: 84:26

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #189 – Flex sunsetting, NHTSA stars, saleable Sebrings and a cruise in the Cruze originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog speaks with Nissan 370Z designer Randy Rodriguez at 23rd annual Z Car Convention

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Performance, Nissan, Design/Style

Randy Rodriguez, designer of the Nissan 370Z – Click above to read the interview

It’s a rare thing to see a car penned by someone who’s a die-hard fan. More often than not, designers are assigned to vehicles they have little or no emotional attachment to, and as such, the car buying public is regularly supplied with a slurry of bland appliances that do little to acknowledge a car’s model history and next to nothing to advance the vehicle aesthetically.

Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Nissan 370Z. Randy Rodriguez, the guy behind the original design of the 370Z, had owned 10 different Z cars before he sat down to sketch out the latest iteration of Nissan’s low-buck sports machine. Autoblog had the chance to catch up with Rodriguez at the Z’s 40th birthday bash last weekend in Franklin, TN. Hit the jump to read a few excerpts from the conversation, including talk about alternatively powered future Zs and how he drew inspiration for the car’s look from the Discovery Channel.

Gallery: 23rd Annual Z Car Convention

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Autoblog speaks with Nissan 370Z designer Randy Rodriguez at 23rd annual Z Car Convention originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #189

Filed under: Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Safety, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Rumormill

Click above to subscribe to The Autoblog Podcast in iTunes

It’s time again to put your thinking caps on and ask our podcast crew anything you want to know. Don’t forget to vote on which questions deserve our attention the most, though we’ll try to get to as many as we can. Discussion topics for Autoblog Podcast #189, which we’ll record tonight, can be found below. Finally, subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven’t already to hear your question answered.

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #189

NHTSA updates its crash-test procedure
Chrysler 200C patent drawings and Sebring plant staffing boost
Ford Flex/Lincoln MKT being phased out
Chevrolet Cruze first drive

Subscribe to the Autoblog Podacast and hear your questions asked:
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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #189 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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