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Pennsylvania dealer loves Vanishing Point, creates Kowalski Edition Dodge Challenger

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Chrysler, Dodge

kowalski edition dodge challenger

As if you needed any reminder, in the 1971 film Vanishing Point, a character by the name of Kowalski is tasked with making it from Colorado to San Francisco in a 1970 Dodge Challenger. Kowalski bets a friend that he can make the run in just 15 hours, but – Spoiler Alert – he doesn’t make it… and neither does the muscle-bound coupe. The flick has been a cult favorite for years, and one of its fans, Bob Frederick of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, got some help from Chrysler to create 10 2011 Kowalski Edition Dodge Challengers.

Starting life as a traditional 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, these white coupes have had their stripes removed and a handful of options added on. Inside, a pistol-grip shifter sits at attention and a numbered dash plaque is mounted nearby. On the outside, the Kowalski Edition Challengers sport Mopar quad exhaust tips, Scat Pack Bee decals in the rear quarter windows and a tasteful Kowalski Edition decal on the rear spoiler.

All 10 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Kowalski Edition cars have been spoken for, so if any owners are reading this and want their car delivered quickly, we can help set that up. We promise to avoid bulldozers and the fuzz.

[Source: Hemmings]

Pennsylvania dealer loves Vanishing Point, creates Kowalski Edition Dodge Challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York 2011: Jeep says point of 2012 Grand Cherokee SRT8 was better, not faster

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Performance, SUV, Jeep, Luxury, Off-Road

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 – Click above for high-res image gallery

At the 2011 New York Auto Show, we asked Joseph Grace, vehicle line executive for the SRT line, about the specs on the new 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 – specifically, why didn’t they make it… more. The previous Grand Cherokee SRT8 was said to reach 60 miles per hour “in under five seconds” while the new one is pegged at 4.8 seconds. While that’s an improvement of, at most, one-nineteenth of a second, it puts it right about square with the Mercedes ML63 AMG and at least three-tenths of a second adrift of the BMW X5 M.

But Grace said that wasn’t really the point. “The major issues customers had that we wanted to address,” he said, “were the ride, the exhaust, and fuel economy and range.” This wasn’t about making a faster SUV, it was about filling in the gaps of the previous model.

The center-mounted exhaust was swapped for dual pipes at the corners. The engine technologies – “it’s the first time we’ve coupled all-out performance with cylinder deactivation and active exhaust,” Grace said – have yielded better gas mileage and longer range.

The adaptive ride suspension developed in conjunction with Bilstein addresses the handling issues with five settings. On the matter of having a Track setting in such serious tonnage, Grace said “It was an application we had available with the adaptive damping.” It shunts a little more torque to the rear wheels, going to a 60/40 front-to-rear split instead of 65/35, but Grace says “The track setting will keep the tires on the ground and makes [the ride] stiff but it can still be used on the road.”

As for those German rivals, Grace said “We haven’t announced pricing, but in comparison to the others it will be a benchmark in performance-for-value in a super-equipped vehicle.”

Gallery: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8: New York 2011

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 at the 2011 New York Auto Show

New York 2011: Jeep says point of 2012 Grand Cherokee SRT8 was better, not faster originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study reviews break-even point for hybrid vehicles

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Sedan, SUV, Ford, Toyota

2010 Ford Escape Hybrid

2010 Ford Escape Hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery

Buying a hybrid is a responsible environmental move but, given their premium over standard cars, they aren’t always a money-saving purchase. A study by CarGurus showed that gas would have to top $7 a gallon to make most hybrids the economical choice.

Hybrids command, on average, a 17-percent markup over their standard-powertrain counterparts, which stunts their economy at the pump. The $7-a-gallon break even point is an average. For some cars, the break-even is point is even higher. For a Cadillac Escalade Hybrid to make you money, gas will need to climb to $15 a gallon.

On the lower side of the scale are the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid. The Toyota’s break-even point came out to $4 a gallon, while the Ford bucked the trend, breaking even at $2.50 a gallon.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Study reviews break-even point for hybrid vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: San Francisco’s 1989 Earthquake from the CHP’s point of view

Filed under: Etc., Videos

1989 San Francisco Earthquake

CHP responds to the ’89 San Francisco Earthquake – Click above to watch video after the jump

On October 17, 1989 at approximately 5:04 pm Pacific Standard Time, the San Andreas Fault shifted and a massive earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area. Called the Loma Prieta Earthquake, it was the largest seismic event for this fault-line since 1906. Sixty-three people lost their lives and nearly 4,000 were injured. The physical damage caused by the quake was estimated to cost around $11 billion, but of course the mental and emotional toll could never be tallied.

Shortly after the earthquake struck, the California Highway Patrol sprung into action. The efforts of the CHP, as well as the devastation caused by the quake, were captured in a 22 minute, 58 second video that is part of the public record. It’s an intriguing look back at an extremely difficult moment in California’s history that will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it firsthand. Click past the jump to view the clip.

[Source: YouTube]

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Video: San Francisco’s 1989 Earthquake from the CHP’s point of view originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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