Tag: fight

Autoblog Podcast #224: Tesla and Top Gear fight, new Beetle, M5, Galibier and Hemi Wrangler

Filed under: Concept Cars, Podcasts, Etc., BMW, Bugatti, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Volkswagen, Shanghai Motor Show, Tesla

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Autoblog Podcast #224 is here. It’s staffed this week by stalwarts Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman and Dan Roth. We talk about Top Gear and its ongoing fight with Tesla Motors, Volkswagen’s decision to unveil the latest Beetle with MTV as a partner, the new BMW M5 Concept headed for Shanghai, Bugatti saying “go” to the Galibier and the possibility of a Hemi-powered Jeep Wrangler. Your feedback in our Q&A module winds us up, and we’ve embedded that in the post below, as well. Thanks for listening, we’ll see you next week!

Autoblog Podcast #224: Tesla and Top Gear fight, new Beetle, M5, Galibier and Hemi Wrangler

  • Top Gear’s feud with Tesla
  • New Volkswagen Beetle coming
  • BMW M5 Concept headed to Shanghai
  • Bugatti green-lights the Galibier
  • Hemi Jeep Wrangler?

In the Autoblog Garage:

  • 2011 Dodge Journey
  • 2011 Chrysler 300
  • 2011 Suzuki SX4


Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman
  • Runtime: 01:15:17

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Autoblog Podcast #224: Tesla and Top Gear fight, new Beetle, M5, Galibier and Hemi Wrangler originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Shelby Cobra 427 vs Ferrari 458 Italia teased ahead of $400,000 drag fight

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Ferrari

ferrari 458 italia verse shelby cobra drag race

Ferrari 458 Italia versus Shelby Cobra with $400K on the line – Click above to watch video after the jump

Take a moment and pretend you’re a wealthy man or woman. (If you’re already wealthy, take a moment to enjoy the warm green glow from your money… otherwise, time to get back to pretending.) Would you rather spend your money on a modern Italian sportscar or a classic American muscle car?

Let’s say you pick one and your wealthy friend picks the other… you’d probably want to take both to the track and see who bought the faster machine, right? That’s just what the two folks in the following video do with a Ferrari 458 Italia and Shelby Cobra.

Not content with a basic Gentleman’s Bet, the duo decide to put serious cash on the line. The winner of the race gets $400,000. The clip, which you can see after the jump, is just a teaser, but the full video is promised soon. Which car is going to make that quarter-mile trip in less time and have its owner walk away $400,000 richer, the Cobra or the Ferrari? Sound off in the comments.

[Source: YouTube via Zer Customs]

Continue reading Video: Shelby Cobra 427 vs Ferrari 458 Italia teased ahead of $400,000 drag fight

Video: Shelby Cobra 427 vs Ferrari 458 Italia teased ahead of $400,000 drag fight originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Army wins fight to keep spending money on NASCAR sponsorship [w/poll]

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising

Ryan Newman Army NASCAR

Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum is a Democrat looking at areas where the budget can be cut. Her current target is military spending. More specifically, she is focused on banning the military from spending money advertising in NASCAR. She introduced a measure to this effect, and it was shot down by a vote of 241-148.

The US Army spent $7 million in 2010 to sponsor a car in NASCAR and has a signed contract with Stewart-Haas racing to put its logo on a car for 2011. In contrast, the Marines, Navy and Coast Guard all ended NASCAR sponsorships back in 2006.

McCollum feels that spending money in this arena is an inappropriate use of military funds. Ramsey Poston, NASCAR’s Managing Director for Corporate Communications, sees things a little differently. According to 2009 data gathered by Experian, one in five NASCAR fans have served in the military, while one in three active service members are fans of the sport. Also, the Army states that it received 46,000 recruiting leads in 2010 thanks to the racing team.

And so, we ask you: Should the United States Army sponsor a NASCAR team?

View Poll

[Source: The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Inside Line | Image: John Harrelson/Getty]

Report: Army wins fight to keep spending money on NASCAR sponsorship [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevrolet MyLink brings the app fight to Ford Sync, Toyota Entune

Filed under: Technology, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM

Chevrolet MyLink

Chevrolet MyLink – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors is finally bringing the smartphone battle to Ford with the introduction of Chevrolet MyLink, an integrated infotainment system that connects to your smartphone and allows you to access apps through either the steering wheel controls or the console-mounted touchscreen.

The wraps officially came off at tonight’s Engadget Show and boasts similar functionality to Ford’s AppLink and Toyota’s recently revealed Entune system. MyLink connects your Android or Blackberry device over Bluetooth, allowing you to wirelessly access apps. And if you’re partial to Apple’s iOS devices – namely the iPhone or iPod Touch – you get the same functionality, but can only be controlled by plugging it in via USB.

At launch, MyLink is only compatible with Stitcher and Pandora radio, with other apps due to be released later this year. The Chevrolet Volt and Equinox will be the first two models to come equipped with the new system, and in addition to voice-control functionality courtesy of Nuance, both models will be available with PowerMat’s inductive charging system, so you don’t have to worry about your Bluetooth-tethered phone running out of juice. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but expect MyLink to be available within the next few months. Hit the jump for the official release and get more details at our tech-obesessed sibling site Translogic.

Gallery: Chevrolet MyLink

Continue reading Chevrolet MyLink brings the app fight to Ford Sync, Toyota Entune

Chevrolet MyLink brings the app fight to Ford Sync, Toyota Entune originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Truckers upset over LA ‘clean rig’ legislation ready to take fight to Supreme Court

Filed under: Truck, UAW/Unions

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pushed his “Clean Truck Program” as a way to improve the air quality in and around the Port of Los Angeles. And while a cleaner air is in everyone’s best interest, a Los Angeles Times report suggests that it could be truckers who are left holding the short end of the stick. Semi drivers have been encouraged to replace their beat-up, high pollution diesel rigs for much newer trucks with particulate filters that trap harmful gasses before they ever reach the atmosphere.

But while the new trucks are most definitely cleaner, they’re also far more expensive; often costing over $100,000 each. Truckers are leasing the vehicles from the trucking companies for over $1,000 per month, and they also have to spring for fuel and insurance and maintenance costs are said to have risen. Some drivers say that they have been driven to sleep in their rigs at night to save time and increase earning, and even after that after paying for the bills, wages can be as low as $7 per hour.

Trucking companies say that the drivers aren’t faring nearly as poorly as advertised, and they counter that the Clean Truck Program’s real aim was to unionize the drivers. According to the LAT, that was actually supposed to be part of the plan, as Mayor Villaraigosa intended for truckers to give up on being independent contractors in favor of becoming employees of the trucking company. Teamsters President James P. Hoffa justifies unionizing the employees, adding that the drivers are “slaves” to their rigs. Meanwhile, the trucking companies have taken the government to court in an effort keep the the city from forcing the companies to hire on the workers with benefits including health care. The industry promises to continue to fight hiring the thousands of port workers even if the case needs to go to the Supreme Court.

We’re not experts on government law or unionization, but it sounds suspiciously like the city of Los Angeles chose to draft and enforce new trucking laws without working closely enough with the companies that would end up footing the bill. The good news is that the air in L.A. appears to be a bit clearer, but the bad news is that the truckers appear to be the ones making the sacrifices.

[Source: Los Angeles Times | Image: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty]

Report: Truckers upset over LA ‘clean rig’ legislation ready to take fight to Supreme Court originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Singapore Grand Prix lights up title fight [Spoilers]

Filed under: Motorsports

2010 Singapore Grand Prix

2010 Singapore Grand Prix – Click above for high-res image gallery

The naysayers will tell you that every grand prix – especially those held on newer-generation tracks – comes out looking the same. Different scenery, same story, they’ll say. But even the haters were silenced a few years back when the Singapore Grand Prix re-joined the calendar as the first night race in the history of Formula One. The spectacle of the most advanced machinery this side of a fighter jet zipping around a seaside circuit under the lights put a fresh spin on F1, and has now become a regular fixture of the racing season.

Now in its third running, the circus rolled in to Singapore’s Marina Bay against the backdrop of one of the most hotly contested championships in recent memory. Would this year’s night race crown a champion, or defer the suspense for another couple of weeks? Follow the jump to find out.

Gallery: 2010 Singapore Grand Prix

Continue reading 2010 Singapore Grand Prix lights up title fight [Spoilers]

2010 Singapore Grand Prix lights up title fight [Spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NPR: Fight erupts over ownership of ‘stolen’ 1954 Ferrari 375 Plus

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Performance, Government/Legal, Ferrari, Racing

Thursday is going to be a big one for the vintage automotive universe. This week, Ohio judge Norbert Nadel is expected to decide who is the rightful owner of a 1954 Ferrari 375 Plus – one of the most valuable Prancing Horses in the world. Right now, says NPR, one Jacques Swaters has possession of the vehicle and has performed an extensive restoration to bring the car back to life. Thing is, the family of the original owner, Karl Kleve, apparently still has the title as well as a bevy of parts that were on the car originally.

According to Kleve’s daughter, Kristi Kleve Lawson, Kleve bought the car in 1958 only to discover that it was a stolen vehicle 30 years later. Somehow, the car disappeared, and Kleve eventually managed to track it down in Belgium. For whatever reason, Interpol released the car to Swaters instead of Kleve. At least, that’s what Lawson says happened.

The story is a little different from Swaters’ point of view. According to him, he bought the car for $100,000 from an auto dealer in 1990. At the time, it was little more than pieces of a derelict shell. When Swaters learned that the Ferrari was reportedly stolen, he had a lawyer arrange a settlement with Kleve. Swaters says that paid the former owner $600,000 and that Kleve cashed the check.

Lawson says that’s just not true, and that if Swaters has a canceled check, the signature on the back must be a forgery. Meanwhile, Swaters has sued the Lawson family for failing to transfer the car’s title.

Whatever happens, you can bet someone’s going to be very unhappy by week’s end.

Ferrari only built six 375 Plus models. Of those, only four survive today. The car in question is estimated to be worth around $15 million in its current restored condition.

[Source: NPR]

NPR: Fight erupts over ownership of ‘stolen’ 1954 Ferrari 375 Plus originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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