Travel on cars

Filed under: Maintenance, Trucks/Pickups, Etc., Chevrolet, Driving

Talk about finding a good used car. Frank Orsenick bought his ‘91 Silverado in 1996. At the time, it had 41,000 miles on the clock. After 11 years of service (and a lot of driving), the old pickup is about to reach a milestone. Frank had the oil changed last week, just as he has every 3,000 miles since acquiring the Chevy, and it’s sure to be the last one it receives as an everyday-use vehicle. You see, it’s just 1,200 miles away from spinning past the 1,000,000-mark on the odometer. When it hits the big number, Frank is going to put his faithful ride into retirement. As for how he got this far, Orsenik credits regular maintenance and “a little luck.” We should all be so lucky. (more…)

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Chrysler, Dodge

click above to view the video

The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR is a racing machine, that’s what the three letter suffix denotes (American Club Racer), of course. You don’t even have to be within 100 feet of the Viper ACR to know what it is, that wing on the back clues you in. Somewhere, a 737 is missing an elevator flap. If you were to somehow miss the gigantic horizontal stabilizer, the ACR’s paint scheme with its wicked-looking asymmetrical stripes announce what it is from a mile away. (more…)

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Chrysler

click above to watch the first commercial from Chrysler’s new campaign

Chrysler wants to get the message out that its listening to customers and responding quickly to improve its products. To that end, the privately-owned automaker is kicking off a new ad blitz this weekend with three commercials set to air in conjunction with the Super Bowl. The three ads you’ll see this weekend are product specific and focus on the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander (the Jeep spot can be watched after the jump), though there are a total of eight product specific ads that will eventually be aired during Super Tuesday programming, the Indy 500 and the Oscars. In addition, Chrysler’s also got an animated cross-brand ad titled “Listen to You” (screen shot above and more in the gallery below) that shows a kid creating his own car company by, what else, listening to what people want. The whole campaign is called “It’s A New Day”, and you’ll likely be seeing it everywhere soon. (more…)

Filed under: Motorsports

Jason Priestley, best known for his deft portrayal of Brandon Walsh on “Beverly Hills, 90210″, has entered into a partnership with Jim Freudenberg, the former general manager of Kelley Racing, to start a new IRL team called Rubicon Race Team. So far, the team has only one race in which it plans to compete: the Indianapolis 500. Priestley is known as an avid racer, though he hasn’t been behind the wheel much since he hit the wall at Kentucky Speedway going 180 mph in August of 2002. He broke his back and both his feet, but not his fondness for speed. (more…)

Filed under: Euro, Lincoln

We distinctly remember hearing last year that Ford had absolutely no desire to export its Lincoln brand to other markets besides North America. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the post in our archives to back up what our memory swears is true. That said, in these tough times when a turnaround puts every crazy idea on the table, it seems that Ford is genuinely considering making Lincoln a global brand to compete with the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and even Cadillac in markets like Europe and Asia. This according to an interview given by Ford CEO Alan Mulally to the German outlet Auto Motor und Sport. (more…)

Filed under: Aftermarket, Safety, Motorcycles

This just in: Motorcycles are dangerous. Don’t tell the surgeon general. But Randall Dale Chipkar, author of Motorcycle Cancer?, has been awarded a patent for a motorcycle seat that would block electromagnetic radiation permeating from the engine to the rider.

According to Chipkar’s research, extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field radiation produced by a motorbike’s engine will not be stopped by steel or even lead, but only by specially-developed “highly-processed” materials. Without such shielding a whole array of unmentionable nether-regional organs are susceptible to cancer and other health hazards. Chipkar intends to license his patents in order to get them on the market as soon as possible, at which point we’re sure every Hell’s Angel and speed freak will run out and buy one at full speed. Press release after the jump.

[Source: motorcyclecancer.com via Inside Line]

Continue reading Inventor patents cancer-shielding motorcycle seat

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Chevrolet

click above to view high-res gallery of the 2008 Chevy Malibu

They’re not quite done putting it through the paces, but Consumer Reports for the most part is liking Chevy’s new Malibu. They’ve opened up the car’s logbook on the magazine’s blog, and here are a few of the positive quotes they shared:
(more…)

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Wagons/Estates, Crossovers/CUVs, Audi

click above for more spy shots of the 2009 Audi A4 Allroad

Currently, the only vehicle in Audi’s lineup that offers a go-anywhere Allroad version is the A6 Avant (wagon), but that will change soon with the addition of a smaller A4 Allroad based on the A4 Avant. Though merely a rumor early last month, an A4 Allroad is all but a lock now thanks to spy photographers who caught a mule testing in snowy Sweden. Yes, what you’re looking at is the new A4 sedan, but that’s only because Audi has yet to debut an A4 Avant and is using the sedan body for testing. Clearly visible is a raised ride height, grippy snow tires and thick fender flares that appear to do a good job of grabbing snow that’s kicked up. (more…)

Filed under: Time Warp, Trucks/Pickups, Auction Action, Chevrolet

click above for more pics of this Old Navy 1950s-era Chevy display truck

Chances are that any car nut who visits Old Navy in the mall has closely inspected one of these 1950s-era Chevy pickups while waiting for a significant other to try on the hottest new skort or cargo pant. It seems that at least one Old Navy store is getting rid of its display truck. eBay Motors is hosting an auction for one that’s being sold by the company hired to remove it from the store. The pickup is not a runner, as its engine and transmission have been removed, but the body looks to be in good condition and some interested buyers have already commented that a few individual parts, like the grille, are worth hundreds of dollars on their own. (more…)

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Coupes, Scion

Toyota won’t be having much in the way of new models at next week’s Chicago Auto Show, but its hip urban sibling will be showing off a new version of the tC. The Scion tC Release Series 4.0 RS (whew) ups the style quotient of the base model with a DAMD body kit, new upper grille and rear spoiler, all coated in Galactic Gray Mica. The interior benefits from a leather-wrapped steering wheel, black leather and dark wood RAZO shift knob and gray and black seats swathed in Alcantara with “tC RS 4.0″ embroidered into the front and rear seats. (more…)