Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8

If any of you were stuck in traffic trying to get through the Detroit Windsor tunnel late last week, we may now know why. There was no major international incident or terrorist crackdown happening. Apparently, Chrysler Canada CEO Reid Bigland grabbed a fresh-off-the-line Dodge Challenger SRT8 and headed over to Detroit from his office in Windsor, Ontario. Agents of the Customs and Border Protection Service decided they wanted to check out Chrysler's new muscle car. Several agents spent time going over the new Challenger and asking questions about it rather than processing travelers through the downtown Detroit border crossing point. Traffic quickly got backed up and according to Bigland there was about an hour delay by the time the agents let him proceed. Oh, and they never even asked for Bigland's ID.


[Source: Detroit News]

The iPhone has been a hit since its release and Apple has ratcheted up the excitement the last couple of months, as the recently-released software development kit for the phone is already bearing fruit. In a short period of time and on what we'd guess is a very limited budget, one group of developers has designed a cool racing game called Raging Thunder that features quality graphics, a number of cars, and steering that utilizes the iPhone's revolutionary accelerometer. While the game isn't exactly groundbreaking, it demonstrates that we should see some very cool racing games when big-time developers really start to focus on the iPhone. Follow the jump to see the sweet-looking Raging Thunder in action.

[Source: Kotaku]

He usually spends his time behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger, but recently Samuel Hübinette made an exchange for something with a lower roofline. Lamborghini asked him to take a seat in a 2009 Gallardo for the filming of a European-market commercial set on the streets of Los Angeles and Palm Springs. Blowing tire smoke for the camera is nothing new to Sam since his blue Mopar-mobile has been featured in many a BF Goodrich tire commercial. Unlike the Charger though, the Gallardo isn't quite the towering elephant. It is also equipped with all wheel drive, a feature that requires a bit more driving finesse in order to pull off an extended slide. Look for the spot to hit YouTube sometime in the not too distant future. Also follow the link to see a few more of Sam's photos from filming.

Thanks for the tip, Eric!
[Source: Samuel Hubinette Blog]

Click above to view the FR500S Mustang window sticker

I'm a big fan of 'less is more' and would rather take off weight than add horsepower. I'm also an admitted Mustang fan and was wondering just how much flab could be removed from a new Mustang. Ford lists a 5-speed GT at 3,300 lbs, which isn't too bad, but can you imagine how much better it would be at 3,100 or even 3,000 lbs? My research eventually led me to the Ford Racing web site where I tried to find out how much the FR500S Mustang race car weighed. After all, they don't get more stripped down than that. They don't offer much in the way of specifications, but they do have a downloadable window sticker. Vehicle description, standard equipment, pricing information, wait...what's this? This is no ordinary window sticker. The Ford Racing guys decided to add a little bit of extra flair. For example:

Fuel economy: "Green flag: gulps fuel. Yellow Flag: sips fuel. Red flag: uses no fuel at all"
Warranty: "What, you expected 5-years, 50,000 miles?"
Estimated Annual Champagne Cost: "Big Bucks!"

Click the image above to view the FR500S window sticker and the rest of the Ford Racing funnies.

And I still don't know how much the FR500S weighs. Anybody know?

My wife is a great driver, (of course you are, honey!) but that doesn't mean that I can't suggest improvements now and then. However, the folks at MINI know I don't like sleeping on the couch, and they're willing to take the heat on this one.

On their Web site they're offering a handy "Drive Like A Pro" section full of useful tips to improve your driving. Anyone who has ever driven autocross will recognize many of them like sitting up straight, keeping things smooth, proper cornering technique and the best way to shift (again, smooth). There's even a basic heel-and-toe primer.

And, thanks to the MINI's lessons, my wife now admits her husband is right that her hands should be at 9 and 3 on the wheel, not 10 and 2.

She says I can get off the couch as soon as I admit her driving would improve even more if I bought her a new Clubman. I wonder how much change is under this cushion.

[Source: MINI]

Dogs are common sights in the cabs of pickup trucks. Sometimes you'll see one riding back in the bed. But underhood? Not so common, but that's exactly what Walter Witthoef found in the engine bay of his F-150. There, head poking up behind the motor, was a growling but otherwise healthy pit bull. Somehow, the dog wound up stuck inside the engine compartment, where it whiled away the time by using the fuel lines, distributor wires, some hoses, and pretty much everything else within reach as chew toys. After her discovery, Animal Services arrived on scene and freed the pooch, who was reunited with her people the next day. Hopefully they'll be willing to pick up the $1,000 tab for the additional damage she allegedly caused to Mr. Witthoef's ride. Bad dog! No biscuits! Thanks for the tip, Ben.

[Sources: KPIX TV, PickupTrucks.com]

Think of what the automotive landscape looked like nigh on 25 years ago. Mentioning "family car" in 1983 would have conjured a station wagon. Some of us dig wagons, while others think we're daft because of the stigma they still carry. There's no denying that a wagon is an excellent way to transport kids and stuff, but those beasts of yesteryear often led to yearnings for an alternative. We all remember getting carsick while sitting in the rear-facing third row torture chamber, cut off from the rest of the family and their future-looking vantage point. The tailgunner position was a great way to test out new hand gestures on following motorists, though.

When the Chrysler minivans were revealed to the world in 1983 as 1984 models, they were a revelation. The Caravan and Voyager were not the first vans based on compact chassis, but they were such a successful combination of the elements that sales took off and imitators sprang up only after Chrysler had firmly established its status as the segment trendsetter. Continued after the jump.

While parts sales don't typically show up in quarterly earnings reports, they can comprise a big chunk of profits. Ford is protecting its parts investment by filing a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington against eight companies that are reproducing Mustang parts without the Blue Oval's consent. Ford parts affected are the hood, bumper, fender, side-view mirror and tail lamp assemblies, which are all covered under Ford's 14-year design patent on design elements. Chicago-based LKQ Corp and its Keystone Automotive Industries are named in the complaint along with several companies in Taiwan. Ford has already come out victorious in a similar case involving some of the same suppliers and the F-150, and Keystone is currently appealing. With Ford already winning a similar case, and what we'd assume is a much larger legal budget than the defendants', the Blue Oval will likely come out on top in this ruling, as well.

[Source: Detroit News]

The Ford GT is on the short list of coolest cars in the 21st century, with up to 600 horsepower, killer retro looks, and Ferrari F430-beating athleticism. Buyers were more than happy to accept a limited edition Ford supercar, but many owners were less than thrilled with Ford's corporate key and fob. While it sounds a bit petty, sharing a key with an F-150 just doesn't scream exotic track star.

The creative key kit crafters over at ExotiCARe have remedied the situation with a limited edition kit that turns your pedestrian keys into a car starter worthy of a Ford GT. The easy to install kit is nothing more than silver-finish covers for your existing keys, which doesn't exactly seem like $295 well-spent, but for those who can afford a $175,000 sports car it may be a deal. ExotiCARe is only making 350 of the kits, so there is an exclusivity factor, as well. Is $295 too much for nothing more than key decoration that you have to assemble yourself? You tell us after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Andrew!


[Source: ExotiCARe]

Vägverket, the Swedish Road Administration, is reporting that General Motors used ten human cadavers for crash research. While it isn't clear which GM vehicle hosted the corpses on their one-way trip into a wall, a spokesman for Vägverket said it was most likely the Saab brand. The spokesman was also quick to point out that all of the cadavers were people "who had donated their own bodies." (Well, that is comforting to know!)

While cadavers were used in the earliest crash tests (first started in the late 1930s), most of us were under the assumption that fully-instrumented million-dollar synthetic crash test dummies, or computer simulations, had replaced human remains in current testing. Apparently, some folks at GM may have been thinking otherwise. As of today, neither General Motors or Saab have acknowledged any tests involving dead bodies, but our hunch says this issue hasn't been laid to rest. Thanks for the tip, Will!

UPDATE: Saab called to let us know that neither it nor General Motors use "postmortem human test subjects" for safety research, nor do they have the facilities to even do so. They do, however, provide funds to certain bio-mechanical research projects, often through universities, the results of which they use to make better crash test dummies.

[Source: The Local]