News

Gearheads4Life Adds Popular New Brands To Webstore

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 22:02:38 +0000

Memphis, TN – The Gearheads4Life webstore has recently expanded to include several popular performance aftermarket brands, including Tomar and Honest Charley.

As the aftermarket’s best one-stop-shop for the performance enthusiast, Gearheads4Life.com is continuing to expand its offering of shirts, hats, wall signs and other automotive memorabilia. The latest additions include items from Tomar and Honesty Charley. The new t-shirts from Tomar, the popular kart and MX clutch manufacturer, feature the edgy Tomar logo in front of a stylized kart clutch. The new Honest Charley items include three t-shirt designs featuring the iconic speed shop from Chattanooga, TN, and also merchandise that includes key chains, license plate frames and more. In addition to the new brands, Gearheads4Life has also expanded the selection in the Sale Items area, where merchandise from your favorite aftermarket companies is available at rock bottom prices.

Features & Benefits:

· Iconic Honesty Charley Speed Shop gear includes shirts, key chains, license plate frames & more

· Stylish new shirt available from Tomar, the popular kart & MX clutch manufacturer

· Expanded Sale Items area offers merchandise from your favorite companies at rock bottom prices

Auto Industry Could Lead U.S. Economic Recovery

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:46:24 +0000

Auto executives plan to do more hiring and more capital spending than executives in any other sector in the next year, according to the survey.

Sixty-two percent of auto executives said they expect to hire people in the coming year, compared with an average of only 52 percent of executives across all sectors. Similarly, 71 percent of autos executives said they expect to increase their capital spending in the coming year compared with an average of 59 percent of all executives.

Two years after the end of the U.S. recession, unemployment remains above 9 percent, U.S. consumer confidence hit a near two and a half-year low earlier this month and the U.S. government reached a last-minute deal late Sunday to avoid a U.S. debt crisis. All this has raised questions about the speed and strength of a U.S. recovery.

The U.S. auto industry was hit hard during the financial crisis, which saw both General Motors Co (GM) and Chrysler seek bankruptcy protection and government bailouts. It was hit again in March when an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan disrupted the supply chain.

While the sector is improving -- U.S. July auto sales are expected to hit an annual rate of around 12 million vehicles, an improvement over May and June -- that figure still lags the 17 million-plus number sold in 2000.

A full recovery could take years, but the next 12 months could see an improvement, according to the survey.

Seventy-two percent of the autos executives surveyed said they expect their revenue to increase in the coming year. North America is still seen as the most important market, but more revenue is expected to come from other markets including China and South America. New models and products, acquisitions and joint ventures are also expected to add to revenue.

Fifty-five percent of those surveyed expect to make an acquisition in the coming year; 5 percent expect to sell. Access to new markets, technologies and products is expected to drive the M&A activity.

The auto sector survey, which included the responses of 100 autos executives, was conducted in June. KPMG is releasing the results of its other sector surveys separately.

Source: Reuters.com

(Reporting by Clare Baldwin; Editing by Matt Driskill)

Changing The Menu To Satisfy The Customer

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:08:37 +0000

Dealerships long have been serving up aftermarket products from a menu. Now studies suggest customers are ready for a faster, more easily digestible process.

Most dealerships sell aftermarkets products from a menu in about the same way restaurants use menus to serve up entrees.

Listing items such as GAP, maintenance plans, tire and wheel coverage and dent and ding repair on a menu has helped stores sell more products and boost F&I profit for the past decade.

As a result, many dealerships are refining their menu process to appeal to busy customers without confusing them or skipping important legal disclosures.But recent studies suggest the menu presentation is giving some customers indigestion. Some complain the process takes too long; others gripe it's so short that they don't understand what they bought.

Some stores are reducing their menu offerings or bundling products into packages. Others are automating the menu and customizing it to fit the customer's needs.

"The process is more sophisticated," says Paul Taylor, chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association. "Dealers are trying to take the stress and drudgery out of finance and insurance."

Frequent complaints

EasyCare, a large, independent service contract provider in Atlanta, surveys more than 200,000 customers of U.S. new-car dealerships each month.

"The most frequent complaint we hear from car buyers is about the wait time before or during the F&I process -- when the F&I manager is doing paperwork or otherwise not interacting with the customer," says Jennifer Silverberg, vice president of marketing and customer experience for EasyCare.

"Ironically, another common complaint is the F&I manager rushing through the presentation and not taking the time to properly explain the options," Silverberg says.

Research firm J.D. Power and Associates concludes that almost one in four customers complain that the wait between negotiating the deal and beginning the final paperwork is too long.

"Vehicle buyers' satisfaction is clearly impacted by the wait time," says Jim Gaz, senior director of automotive retail research for J.D. Power.

Slimmer menu

Marv Eleazer, finance director for Langdale Ford Co. in Valdosta, Ga., who leads a Facebook discussion group for about 250 F&I managers, says less is more.

"Our menu process takes about 45 seconds to present," he says. "After objections have been dealt with and all selections have been made, the customer's visit in our office usually lasts around 20 to 25 minutes, including document preparation."

David Sukhai, finance manager at Open Road Nissan in Morristown, N.J., near New York City, says the answer is to trim the number of products on the menu.

And he's not alone. A nonscientific Automotive News survey of 257 dealerships shows about one in 10 stores reduced their product offerings in the past five years.

"You can have too many products and only a five- or 10-minute window to sell," Sukhai says.

Others offer products in packages to simplify customers' options. Nearly a third of the dealerships responding to the survey said they bundled products on their menu.

"We package-sell rather than go through a menu," says Matthew Sisson, finance manager at Bill Pierre Auto Centers in Seattle.

Sisson shows the customer a monthly payment that includes all the products the dealership sells and gives a short explanation of each. If the customer objects to the payment or any of the products, he starts deleting those products from the deal.

Customers sign a disclosure form, initializing each product they agreed to buy.

Sisson averages three products and a gross of $1,800 per deal.

Better communication

Other dealerships are trying to improve communication with customers. In some cases the finance manager meets customers before deals are finalized to gauge their needs.

Kevin Rafferty, financial services manager at Lakeshore Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram in Montague, Mich., says he sells more product because he does a presale interview.

"Once customers are brought into the office for finalization, I am able to concentrate on those core products that piqued their interest," Rafferty says.

Dealerships also are automating much of the presentation to make the process quicker and more efficient. About 51 percent of the dealerships surveyed print out a paper copy of an electronically generated menu that has been customized to the customer's needs.

About 12 percent of the dealerships complete an electronic menu presentation with the customer, and about 3 percent have an electronic menu that allows the customer to choose products using a touch screen.

Record sales

Nearly 85 percent of the dealerships responding to the Automotive News survey said it's important to use a menu consistently to sell aftermarket products.

The proof is in sales penetration figures. Industry experts say menu selling has contributed to record service contract penetration in recent years.

NADA reports that service contract penetration rates -- which include some sales of products such as GAP and tire and wheel coverage, economist Taylor says -- peaked at 35 percent of new-vehicle sales in 1986 then gradually slid to a low of 20.1 percent in 1998, in part because an uptick in leasing reduced service contract demand.

Sales penetration started climbing again in 1999. By 2003 -- when experts say menu selling was widely adopted -- it reached 31.9 percent and has stayed above 30 percent since. During the height of the nation's financial crisis, penetration almost hit 40 percent.

Dealerships may reduce the size or the look of the menu. They might automate their menu or put it online. But the menu remains a standard practice because it helps sell more products.

Source - Donna Harris, Automotive News

5 Tips for Dealing with an Automotive Recall

Mon, 02 May 2011 21:25:17 +0000

Most cars and trucks get recalled at some point in their lives. So don't be surprised if a letter arrives telling you to bring in your vehicle for repairs. Recalls address safety problems, even if they are minor.

Last year, for example, automakers called back more than 20 million vehicles in the U.S. That's the most since 2004. Just last week, a recall of the Ford F-150 pickup ballooned to 1.2 million vehicles.

Do not be alarmed if your car or truck is recalled, but do take action.

1. Do the repairs

In a recall, you'll get a letter telling you to bring your vehicle to a dealer for free repairs. Sounds simple, right? Yet 30 percent of owners never take the time to get the work done. Recalls don't mean every affected vehicle will have a problem, but why take a chance? Take the F-150 recall. The air bags could inflate unexpectedly even if there's no crash, mainly on 2004, 2005 and some 2006 models. It's only happened 269 times, but what if it goes off while you're driving?

"The bottom line is it's a free repair. Get it done. It may save your life," says Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety.

2. Be aggressive

Recalls are reported by the news media, but it takes a month or more after that for car companies to mail out letters to owners, and to send parts and instructions to dealers. If your car shows signs of the problem, don't wait for the recall letter. Call your dealer and have the problem checked. In the F-150 case, a warning light is supposed to come on before the air bag deploys.

3. Check for recalls

When automakers announce recalls, they search state databases to find owners. But if you've moved a lot or have a used car, they may not find you. It's a good idea to search the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database for recalls. Go to www.safercar.gov . Click on vehicle recalls and plug in the year and model of your car. If you find one, call your dealer or the automaker's customer service line and ask if it was fixed. They can tell from your vehicle identification number, which should be on your state registration documents and is on the top of a car's dashboard. You can also use the number to search for your car on many automaker websites.

4. Get e-mail alerts

NHTSA will alert you by e-mail when your car is recalled. You can sign up on the agency's website.

5. Other repairs.

Things often go wrong with cars that aren't big enough to cause a recall. Automakers issue "technical service bulletins" to dealers telling them to fix cars when they come in for other repairs. It's difficult for a consumer to check for the bulletins, but some information is on websites set up by car enthusiasts, said Jeff Bartlett, deputy autos editor at Consumer Reports. Otherwise, a dealer and some larger independent car repair garages can get the information.

Source - www.msnbc.com

Distracted Driving - An Epidemic

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:26:39 +0000

When a dump truck carrying 24 tons of rock salt crashed on I-81 in Pennsylvania recently, police linked the collision, which killed one motorist and injured several others, to distracted driving.

The incident is not unique. A quick search of news headlines for car accidents shows federal regulators linked texting, cellphone use and other forms of distracted driving to 5,500 deaths in 2009 — the latest year for which data is available — and to at least a half million injuries.

“Distracted driving has become a deadly epidemic on America’s roads,” insists U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the country’s leading — and perhaps most outspoken — proponent of rules that would bar drivers from texting, making cell phone calls or using other high-tech devices while behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Such measures have already been enacted in a number of states across the country. But activists believe these steps don’t go far enough. Some would go so far as to even bar the use of hands-free Bluetooth cell phones, and even some technologies that claim to improve driving safety.

Critics — and not just those involved in the automotive industry — contend that LaHood and his allies are going too far. They question some of the more frightening claims about distracted driving, and they point to the latest federal data showing that, if anything, the number of traffic fatalities has actually fallen quite sharply even as the use of supposedly distracting technologies has risen dramatically.

“If cell phones and all the other new technologies are so dangerous, why aren’t we seeing carnage on the highways?” asked Aaron Bragman, an automotive analyst with the consulting firm IHS. “We’re not. The number of highway fatalities is lower than it has been in years.”

The reality is that both sides do agree on some key issues.

“There’s no disagreement about texting, which is not conducive to safe driving,” emphasized Louis Tijerina, a senior technical specialist with Ford’s advanced engineering department.

Automakers have also come to support — or at least accept — efforts to restrict the use of handheld phones behind the wheel. Some might suggest that’s driven, at least in part, by the profit motive, since it encourages new car buyers to purchase Bluetooth hands-free calling options.

Indeed, Ford credits its voice-activated Sync system with helping generate a significant amount of sales. The technology can program everything from the radio to the navigation system through a touch screen by using steering wheel-mounted controls, or by using your voice.

But despite the carmaker’s claims that the latter method sharply reduces driver distraction, Consumer Reports recently pulled several Ford products — notably the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers — off its influential Recommended Buy list, insisting their systems were “overly complicated and distracting.”

The magazine isn’t alone in worrying about Bluetooth systems and new voice-activated technologies. A 2006 review of more than 100 experimental studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found plenty of reason for concern.

Former law officer Jack Peet, now AAA Michigan’s Group Traffic Safety Manager, is among the skeptics.

“People often tell me they’re multi-taskers, but driving itself is multi-tasking,” he warned, adding that this is another way to take your attention off your driving.

Peet even questions many of the new technologies designed to improve safety. Active Cruise Control — which uses laser or radar to keep your car running at the same speed as the traffic ahead — encourages motorists to take their eyes off the road, Peet argued. And blind-spot detection systems — which look for traffic you might miss changing lanes — makes drivers lazy, he added.

Some auto industry officials agree that technology can have its downside. When Volvo added the City Safety system to the XC60 crossover the automaker was worried that motorists might think this auto-braking technology could let them focus on things other than driving.

So Volvo made sure that whenever the system kicked in “it would do so quite abruptly,” explained Volvo spokesman Dan Johnston, so “it’s not something you want to depend on to stop your car normally.”

Nonetheless, critics counter the assertion that any form of new technology is a highway menace. Ford’s Tijerina questions whether it’s really more dangerous to be using a voice-controlled navigation system instead of relying on old-fashioned maps, “or simply driving around lost and confused."

He also cautions that many distracted driving studies don’t reflect real-world driving conditions.

“They tend to bias things … to make it very, very difficult,” Tijerina asserts. “Out in the real world people don’t [face] the same level of demand required in these lab and simulator studies,” and they are more likely to take appropriate steps to further reduce risks — like slowing down while dictating an address.

The critics cite studies of their own. There are preliminary reports showing little to no change in accident rates when the use of handheld phones is banned. And the critics routinely point to the highway death toll data to question whether technology is having any impact.

Figures released by the Department of Transportation last autumn recorded 33,808 traffic fatalities for 2009, a 10 percent drop from the year before, despite the fact that motorists drove more. Yet Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood cautioned “it’s not an excuse to rest on our laurels.”

Indeed, if it wasn’t for today’s better-designed cars, improved roadways and specially-trained emergency response teams, “We’d be seeing a significant increase in fatalities,” insists the AAA’s Peet.

How much of a distraction is safe — or at least tolerable — and which technologies enhance or worsen driver safety will likely remain a debate for some time. But with the exception of in-car texting, analyst Bragman doesn’t expect to see major changes in current laws.

LaHood and his supporters, he cautioned, “don’t have the support in Congress, especially with Republicans in control. There isn’t any interest in more regulations.”

Source - www.msnbc.msn.com

Top Ten Leaps Forward In Car Technology

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 23:19:28 +0000

English physicist, mathematician and astronomer Sir Isaac Newton once famously wrote — with perhaps a touch of false modesty — that “If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Thus has the car industry incrementally improved from its primordial horseless carriage beginnings to the magic carpet ride of today’s almost incomprehensibly complex machines with their raft of safety, environmental and convenience devices adding to the basic transportation function.

Here are 10 of the car industry’s most important technological changes.

1886 Benz

It all began with Karl Benz and his construction of a self-propelled, three-wheel vehicle powered by a single-cylinder 0.75-horsepower engine using a leather belt and two bicycle chains to transmit power to the rear wheels.

However modest this beginning, with its exposed engine parts and whirling bits menacing anyone who examines it too closely, the 1886 Benz launched the industry and was the foundation of today esteemed Mercedes-Benz brand. (Maybe the leather upholstery was an early clue to the company’s luxury intent?)

1912 Cadillac with Electric Starter

The electric starter — invented by Charles Kettering at his Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co. (Delco) in 1911 — became standard equipment on Cadillacs in 1912, paving the way for all cars to feature electric starters. This accelerated the industry standardization of gasoline internal combustion engines over steam and electric designs. It also put more women behind the wheels of cars because prior to the electric starter they tended to avoid using difficult-to-start, hand-cranked cars.

1914 Ford Model T

Introduced in 1908, the Model T was just another low-end car from the multitude of regional manufacturers in this country. In 1914 Ford separated itself from its rivals and became (for a while) the world’s largest industrial concern as the result of the Model T’s assembly switching from small teams of craftsmen assembling each car to a moving assembly line of unskilled workers each contributing the same small bit to every car on the line. Construction time to build each car plunged from 12 hours and 30 minutes to 93 minutes, and the car’s price fell from $690 to $360, while annual sales mushroomed almost ten-fold and Ford doubled workers’ salaries to $5 a day.

1930 Motorola Car Radio

Next time a boom car rattles your windows at a stop light, think back to the days before Paul and Joseph Galvin developed the first commercially available car radio in 1930.

The Motorola car radio overcame a host of challenges, including electrical interference, finding space in the car for the bulky radio components and making the radio durable enough to survive the pounding of primitive roads. The popular 5T71 radio debuted at the Radio Manufacturers Association convention in Atlantic City, N.J., following a demonstration drive from Chicago to prove its durability.

1940 Oldsmobile Hydra-Matic Transmission

Today few new cars are sold in the U.S. with a manual transmission and a dwindling portion of the population even knows how to use one. We can credit this dismal state of affairs to the invention of the automatic transmission and its debut in the 1940 Oldsmobile.

The original Hydra-Matic automatic transmission offered benefits in terms of efficiency that surpassed subsequent designs, but that approach was abandoned in pursuit of smoother gear changes, which were more important to drivers. The company touted the manual transmission’s ability to navigate stop and go traffic and to park without stalling the engine as the automatic’s primary benefits, and those features continue to drive the technology’s appeal today.

1946 Michelin Radial Tire

Until Michelin developed the radial, tire design had evolved little from the dawn of the car industry. The radial moniker refers to the direction of the reinforcing belts, which are turned perpendicular rather than running parallel to the direction of travel as in bias-ply designs.

The benefits include a more stable footprint, reduced fuel consumption, longer tread life and better handling. The near-absence of any kind of maintenance or attention required led the government to mandate tire pressure monitors in cars because drivers had long since stopped checking the condition of their tires.

1959 Volvo Three-Point Seat Belt

Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seatbelt in 1959. The belt appeared in the automaker’s cars that year, and within a decade the belts were mandatory equipment in all cars sold in the United States.

Bohlin’s background was in aviation, where he developed ejection seats, so he understood the necessity of securing the torso and not just the pelvis as the lap belt had done. The elegant simplicity of his solution is confirmed by the inability of newer seat belt designs to displace the three-point seatbelt 50 years on.

1996 OnStar Telematics

In our increasingly connected wireless world, the notion that the car should connect to a network over which it can share information may seem like an obvious development. But it was less obvious in 1996 when GM’s OnStar division was launched, using analog cellular telephone technology to send information to drivers and to automatically report crashes.

Today other carmakers have their own telematics services and each month OnStar is now responding to 2,300 crashes, 10,000 requests for emergency assistance and nearly 30,000 requests for roadside assistance.

1972 General Motors Airbag

While air bags didn’t become commonplace in cars until the 1990s, GM conducted a large field test of 1,000 1972 Chevrolet Impalas equipped with experimental air bags. Between 1974 and 1976, the company offered the world’s first production air bags in its cars, with the first appearing in a 1974 Oldsmobile Toronado. Though the company was prepared to build 100,000 air bag-equipped cars a year, only 10,321 were sold over three years despite a reasonable price of between $180 and $300 for the option.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety confirmed the robust construction of the early system by testing two of the old cars in the 1990s. Neither car ran and even the radio and clock didn’t work in one, but the air bags still deployed perfectly in the institute’s crash lab.

“What’s important to remember at this point is that the air bags GM put into those early cars worked fine,” wrote IIHS president Brian O’Neill in a 1993 letter to the New York Times.

1995 BMW and Mercedes-Benz Electronic Stability Control

These premium carmakers battled to be the first to introduce an electronic stability control system that automatically stabilizes a car in the event of a slide. Though these expensive V-12 models were the first to feature stability control, they quickly verified the technology’s value with significant reductions in crashes. Subsequent studies showed that stability control-equipped cars are about one-third less likely to suffer a fatal crash, a result that encouraged the U.S. government to mandate stability control for all cars starting in model year 2012. The real safety advantage of stability control is that in contrast to seat belts and air bags, which mitigate the damage that occurs in a crash, stability control prevents many crashes from happening in the first place.

There you have the top 10 leaps forward in car technology, and we have to say that we agree.

Source - www.msnbc.msnc.om

Gas Prices Could Hit $3.75 By Spring

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:49:34 +0000

Get ready for pain at the pump, and a possible economic curve ball.

Experts are predicting gas prices will go as high as $3.75 per gallon this spring, USA Today reported Monday. Gas prices were at $3.06 at the end of 2010, according to USA Today.

Another jump in gas prices could crimp consumer budgets and potentially slow the nation’s already languid economic recovery.

In 2008, Americans responded to rising gas prices by cutting back on everything from the cable bill to restaurant visits, and some even traded in the family SUV.

Average gas prices hit a high of more than $4 a gallon in the summer of 2008 before falling sharply amid the nation’s deep financial crisis that fall.

This round of pain may also only be temporary. Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service, told USA Today he expects gas prices to fall again, just as they did back in 2008.

"We learned in 2008 that when things become a little untethered, what comes up often comes down," Kloza told USA Today.

Well, we can only hope that's true because it's only the end of the third week in January and we're pushing the $3 mark. Will it really hit $4 by the summer?

Source - www.lifeinc.todayshow.com

The Year's Worst Selling Cars

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:33:29 +0000

After bottoming out in 2009, auto industry sales are slowly recovering. The U.S. will sell about 11.5 million cars and light trucks this year, up from 10.4 million in 2009. And the news only gets better: IHS Automotive forecasts sales of 12.8 million vehicles in 2011, and 17.1 million by 2015.

Total light vehicle sales are up 11.1% through November, with many brands beating the trend and gaining market share: Buick is up 53.5%, Cadillac is up 38%, Infiniti is up 26% and Ford, Hyundai and Jeep are each up 23%.

But while most carmakers are enjoying gains from last year's dismal sales levels, the bounce is not universal. Some models are just languishing on dealer lots, victims of outdated designs, lack of marketing support and intense competition.

Forbes studied industry sales figures through November to cull a list of the year's worst-selling vehicles. We tossed out brands like Saturn, Pontiac and Hummer that are being killed, and didn't count vehicles that are being discontinued like the Chrysler PT Cruiser or Kia Rondo. We also excluded cars that we know are in the midst of a model life cycle change because sales typically fall as automakers are trying to clear out the old design before ramping up production of the new one.

We found that practically the entire Suzuki lineup is in the doldrums, lost amid tougher competition. Sales are down 42% for the year overall, with vehicles like the compact SX4, Grand Vitara SUV and Equator pickup dying on the vine for lack of resources. But there's reason to hope: The new Kazashi mid-sized sedan has been well-received, and Suzuki plans to launch a new advertising campaign on Christmas. It's working to refresh its lineup, too. After ending its long-term relationship with General Motors, the Japanese carmaker is now in talks with Volkswagen about co-developing new vehicles.

Other poor performers include the fuel-sipping Smart ForTwo, which was all the rage in 2008, when gas was $4 a gallon, but has endured a two-year sales collapse. The quirky two-seater from Germany's Daimler AG is down 60% this year, on top of a 41% decline in 2009. Penske Automotive Group, which distributes the vehicle in the U.S., is now testing Car2Go, a car-sharing concept for Smart, and plans to market an electric Smart soon.

Small cars in general aren't selling as well now that gas prices have fallen and pickups and larger vehicles are making a comeback. It doesn't help if your company has taken a beating on quality issues, either. Toyota's Yaris subcompact, for instance, is down 37.6% and its Scion xD is down 31%. Both are about two years old, and face stiff competition in a newly crowded market segment. They've been tarnished, too, by Toyota's widely publicized quality recalls. Overall, Toyota sales are down 0.8% so far this year.

Also struggling to stand out from the crowd is the Mazda Tribute, a poor stepchild in Mazda's lineup of snappy coupes and sports cars. It's based on the Ford Escape crossover, but pales in comparison because it hasn't been updated with some of Ford's appealing high-tech features. Consumers have figured out they might as well buy the Escape.

In this economy, nobody really needs a sports car. Thus, the sports car segment is suffering. The Mazda RX 8 is down 50% from a year ago, and the Porsche Cayman is down 31%. Porsche hopes the newly introduced Cayman R, featuring Porsche's most-powerful mid-engine, will add a little excitement to boost sales.

Check out the pics here: http://www.forbes.com/2010/12/03/2010-worst-selling-cars-business-autos-worst-selling-cars_slide.html

Source - www.forbes.com

General Motors and Chrysler Each to Hire 1,000 Engineers

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:28:27 +0000

General Motors and Chrysler, two companies that nearly died last year before getting government bailouts, showed further signs of recovery Tuesday as each announced plans to hire 1,000 engineers and researchers.

GM’s hiring will begin immediately and run through the next two years as it adds staff to work on the next generation of electric vehicles. Chrysler said it will hire during the next four months to help handle global growth as well as expansion of its small and midsize vehicle lineup.

The moves each are a sign of confidence as the automakers come back from stays in bankruptcy protection last year. GM is making money and Chrysler has narrowed its losses, both operating with far less debt and lower labor costs than when they were near to the brink of financial ruin.

The GM hiring was announced by CEO Dan Akerson during a ceremony as the company prepares to deliver the first Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric cars to customers. Akerson also disclosed that GM is selling the $41,000 Volt at “close to cost,” but said its vehicles of the future will benefit from Volt technology.

Akerson, who drove the first production Volt onto a stage at a Detroit-area factory, said electric vehicles are critical to the global auto industry and ending dependence on oil. GM wants to lead in the new technology, and the new Volt, he said, is the “first step in a long journey to develop the technology in this country, in this company.”

The new engineers and researchers will work on battery technology, electric motors and power controls for electric cars, gas-electric hybrids and even hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, GM said. The technology jobs are the first major additions to GM’s U.S. salaried ranks since the company emerged from bankruptcy protection last year, spokesman Tom Wilkinson said.

General Motors Co. has retained or added around 8,100 manufacturing jobs in that time. It now has 209,000 workers worldwide, including 26,000 white-collar workers in the U.S.

Chrysler Group LLC said its new engineers and technology workers are in addition to nearly 5,000 people it has hired since emerging from bankruptcy protection in June 2009. Chrysler, which is being run by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, now has just over 49,000 workers worldwide, including 13,000 white-collar employees.

It has announced plans for 11 new or revamped cars by the end of this year, and it is integrating Fiat technology into its newest models.

GM has been making Volts at its Detroit-Hamtramck factory for several weeks but has yet to ship them as it does final quality checks, the company said. The Volt will go about 35 miles on electric power, then a small gasoline engine kicks in to generate power for the car. The Environmental Protection Agency says it will get the equivalent of 93 miles per gallon on electric power in combined city-highway driving and 37 mpg when running on just the gas generator.

GM would not answer further questions about Akerson’s comments about selling the Volt at close to cost.

In his book “Overhaul,” about last year’s U.S. government efforts to save GM and Chrysler Group LLC from ruin, former Obama administration auto czar Steven Rattner said early versions of the Volt would cost about $40,000 to manufacture, not including development costs. The car, he wrote, would not have a positive impact on GM’s finances anytime soon.

But Akerson and other GM executives said the big benefits from the Volt are learning about electric technology and convincing people on both coasts that GM is a green company. He also equated the Volt’s development to the first digital camera, which brought expertise and economy of scale to companies who now sell far more sophisticated cameras for a low cost.

GM has plans to use the Volt powertrain in more of its vehicles, including an Opel version to be called the Ampera in Europe.

“You’re going to see the electrification of the car in every size, every model over the next 10, 15, 20 years, or the migration of other Volt technologies” Akerson said after speaking to about 1,500 workers at the Volt factory.

North American President Mark Reuss wouldn’t say how many orders it has for the Volt, but the company has disclosed that it plans to build 10,000 of them in the first year of production and up to 45,000 more in 2012.

GM has had 240,000 inquiries about buying the Volt on its websites, Reuss said. The company is preparing to add production should demand be higher than anticipated, he said. The company will export Volts from the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, but it will not limit sales in North America to export the cars, Reuss said.

Although the Volt has a $41,000 base price, the company is offering a $349 per month, 36-month lease deal that could boost sales. The car costs $8,000 more than the base price of its closest competitor, Nissan’s Leaf electric hatchback. But Nissan also is offering a similar lease deal. Both cars are eligible for a $7,500 tax credit.

GM, Akerson said, is working on the next generation of Volt batteries and other components now, and Akerson said the cost will likely come down.

GM is trying to keep content and quality of the Volt high while trimming costs, he said. “That will come with volume,” he said.

GM shares rose 35 cents to $34.15 in late afternoon trading Tuesday.

General Motors Sends Mr. Goodwrench to Sidelines

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 22:52:06 +0000

DETROIT — General Motors is asking Mr. Goodwrench to pack up his toolbox.

The mechanic who served as the symbol of GM's dealer service brand for 37 years will be scrapped as of Feb. 1 in favor of "certified service" brands for each of GM's remaining four remaining nameplates, the company said Tuesday.

GM dumped four brands as it went through bankruptcy protection last year and now sells only Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac.

The Detroit automaker has been focusing its marketing efforts for the past year or so on brands rather than the corporate name because customers know the brands better than they know General Motors.

Mr. Goodwrench started in 1974 to give a common identity to service for all of its dealers and brands. The character started out as a friendly looking mechanic in a crisp light-blue shirt and evolved into a drawing of a brawny man in a striped work shirt hoisting the brand's blue G-shaped logo.

Mr. Goodwrench became well-known over the years, but was disconnected from GM and its four brands, said spokeswoman Pamela Flores. The new strategy, she said, will link buying a car with service so people have a good ownership experience.

Steve Hill, vice president of customer care and after-sales services for GM, said the move "is more than a name change."

"It is a declaration of our commitment to our customers," he said in a statement.

The company said the change will come with increased service adviser and technician training and more work on customer satisfaction, with hopes that the customers will return to the dealers for service.

"It is a declaration of our commitment to our customers," he said in a statement.

The company said the change will come with increased service adviser and technician training and more work on customer satisfaction, with hopes that the customers will return to the dealers for service.

Source - www.news.yahoo.com

The Best And Worst States For Drivers

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 22:59:15 +0000

With its politicians hiking the Appalachian Trail or facing sex charges, South Carolina draws more than its share of bad publicity nationally. So here's some good news about South Carolina: By our reckoning, the heart of the Old South is the best state to drive in, by far. The country's lowest average gas price, plus cheap insurance, good legal protections and the sixth-best rating for infrastructure/safety, make the Palmetto State a dreamland for motorists.

Using the same measures, California is the worst state to be a driver--also by far. The Golden State has the third-lowest rating for infrastructure/safety, the third-highest gas prices and the fifth-highest insurance. Legal rights for drivers aren't so hot either.

Forbes put together its ratings of the best and worst states to drive using a number of published studies evaluating different elements of the driving experience. All the studies touched in major ways on pocketbook issues. Giving the studies equal weight, we used their 1-to-50 rankings to figure out which states were friendly to motorists, and which were not.

Here are the criteria we used, and the sources:

Gas Prices
For many motorists, this is the single most important factor in the driving environment. Numerous sources provide regular updates on average fuel costs, which can vary among states by as much as 36%. We used data from GasBuddy.com. South Carolina and New Jersey have the lowest average prices, and Hawaii and Alaska the highest.

Insurance Rates
According to Insure.com, the average cost of coverage moves around even more than gas prices, with rates in some states nearly three times those of others. The cheapest are found in Maine and Vermont; the highest are in Louisiana and Michigan.

Infrastructure/Safety
For 19 years the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank, has cranked out a lengthy study--the latest is 109 pages--assessing each state on road and bridge infrastructure and safety-related indicators. Obviously better roadways reduce a motorist's costs in all kinds of ways, such as fewer gas-wasting delays and costly accidents. The latest study puts North Dakota and Montana at the top, and Rhode Island and Alaska at the bottom.

Legal Protections
The National Motorists Association periodically rates the states on 17 criteria it says look at whether police and courts are "exploiting" motorists. Areas include enforcement practices, speed traps per capita, treatment of traffic ticket defendants and whether radar detectors are banned. The study concludes Wyoming and Idaho afford the most legal protections to motorists, and New Jersey and Ohio the least.

Eating South Carolina's dust on the best list are Nebraska and Missouri. Inhaling California's fumes on the worst list are Illinois and New York.

Generally the more populous states fare worse than those with low populations, but there are exceptions. Giant Texas ranks No. 6 on the best list, while tiny Rhode Island comes in No. 7 on the worst list.

Our compilations produced some surprising results. New Jersey misses being in the 10 worst list---it ranks 13th--only because the state's many oil refineries help give it the nation's second-lowest average gas prices. North Carolina, home of Nascar, misses being in the 10 best list--it ranks 13th--because of a low score on legal protections.

Generally thought to be a good place for motorists, Montana lands right in the middle of the 50 states. High ratings for infrastructure/safety and legal protections are offset by low rankings for gas and insurance prices.

Source - www.forbes.com

62-MPG Car Standard By 2025?

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:16:57 +0000

Should new cars be required to get 62 miles per gallon by 2025? That's one scenario under an Obama administration notice filed Friday for drafting mileage standards on model years 2017 to 2025.

The fleet of new vehicles may need to meet a standard set somewhere from a low of 47 mpg to a high of 62 mpg, the administration said in its notice of intent.

An initial assessment shows the additional costs for producing high-mileage vehicles ranges from just under $800 to $3,500, the notice stated, but those costs could be "higher" when a more detailed analysis is completed by November.

The notice added, however, that the changes would lead to "lifetime savings due to reduced fuel costs of about $5,000 to over $7,000."

Moreover, the mileage gains would be the equivalent of an annual decrease in carbon dioxide emissions per mile of 3 to 6 percent.

The move is framed as a way of attacking climate change, reducing U.S. dependency on foreign oil and growing the economy through cleaner energy jobs.

The administration's notice of intent was released by the Transportation Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, laying the groundwork for a proposal to be issued in September 2011 and approved by July 2012.

It gives automakers, environmental groups and states an overview of the possible standards, describe the technologies that would be needed to achieve those goals, and seek feedback from the public and industry.

David Strickland, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the notice lays out the game plan for the proposal but that the government would not make any decisions "until we have the data and the facts and the science behind us."

The time period in question may seem "like a long way away, but it isn't," Strickland said. "We're looking at a lot of technologies on the horizon that could be incorporated into the fleet."

35.5 mpg by 2016
Cars emit about 20 percent of the nation's carbon emissions and consume about 44 percent of its oil, figures show, and President Barack Obama said in May he thought it was possible for cars and trucks to cut their fuel use and carbon emissions by half within 20 years.

After little progress during the past three decades, rules adopted earlier this year will lift the new vehicle fleet average to 35.5 mpg by 2016, an increase of more than 40 percent over current standards.

Environmentalists are behind measures to increase vehicle efficiency, but automakers argue that pushing gas mileage standards up that quickly through 2025 could force them to raise prices higher than drivers can afford.

The standards are designed to improve gas mileage across each automaker's lineup and across the nation's entire fleet of new vehicles. Vehicles must meet differing standards based on their dimensions. Compact cars must get better mileage than sport utility vehicles, for example, but requirements for all types will go up.

Environmental groups say a mix of gas-electric hybrids, electric vehicles and improvements to conventional vehicles could create a vastly more efficient fleet. A target of 60 mpg by 2025 would translate to about a 6 percent improvement each year.

Not all of industry on same page
But the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said many different factors must be considered to set the maximum feasible level of fuel economy and greenhouse gas reductions.

"The danger is that a standard is put forth that increases fuel economy too quickly, adding unnecessary cost and effectively pricing consumers out of the market," said industry spokesman Charles Territo.

Other parts of the automotive industry have a different take.

Aluminum suppliers, for example, were quick to tout the benefits of light-weight aluminum over traditional steel in vehicles.

"When it comes to shaking up the status quo on automotive fuel economy and emissions, aluminum can be a game changer," Randall Scheps, a spokesman for the Aluminum Association, said in a statement. "Weight is the enemy of efficiency and that’s why vehicle weight — not vehicle size — must be reduced significantly in concert with engine technology."

Suppliers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles also stand to benefit.

Later this year, several automakers will begin releasing plug-in electric hybrids and electric cars. General Motors is releasing the plug-in Chevrolet Volt, and Nissan begins selling the all-electric Leaf, opening a new wave of mass-produced electric vehicle options.

"You will have to go with the alternative that's on the table now," said John O'Dell, senior editor of Edmunds Green Car Advisor.com. "Some combination of electricity with or without an engine — conventional hybrid, plug-in, extended range. It will be a combination of those things."

Conventional hybrid automobiles are the only vehicles on the road today with a measure of commercial popularity that could come close to meeting new aggressive government targets for fuel savings and emissions reductions, these experts say.

Prius now at 51 mpg
For instance, the 2011 Prius achieves 51 mpg city/48 highway. It runs on a nickel-metal hydride battery pack and a gasoline engine.

Hybrid sales overall are down this year and represent roughly 2 percent of the U.S. automotive sales market, roughly 150,000 cars for 2010 through August. Prius accounts for about two-thirds of the total, according to industry sales figures.

Hybrid sales have traditionally gotten a boost from high gasoline prices, which this year have remained steady around $2.70 in 2010 after dramatic price swings in recent years. In 2008, gasoline hit a record $4 a gallon.

Government tax breaks and manufacturer incentives have also helped sales and some of those have expired.

O'Dell believes 10 percent market penetration would put hybrids in the mainstream — about 1 million in sales. A 4.5 percent annual gain in fuel efficiency over 2016 levels would put the industry at 53 mpg.

Brendan Bell, a lobbyist for Union of Concerned Scientists, believes the entire family of hybrid/electric vehicles could shoot to more than 50 percent of the market by 2025, depending on gasoline prices and incentives.

All-electric vehicles, because they use zero gasoline, are not measured in terms of miles per gallon of gas, but their operational costs are much less and they don't emit CO2 so they would easily make a 62-mpg equivalent ranking.

Still, obstacles to wider electric vehicle deployment include securing a steady and not costly supply of materials for nickel-metal hydride, lithium-ion, and other batteries used to power those cars.

The government is also expected to soon release a proposal for first-ever fuel efficiency and emissions standards for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks beginning with the 2014 model year.

Source - www.msnbc.msn.com

The Great American Cop Car Shootout

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 23:13:10 +0000

The death of Ford's Crown Victoria leaves a gaping void in law enforcement garages. This weekend, new high-tech models from Chevy, Dodge and Ford were tested for the first time by the Michigan State Police.

For 36 years, the Michigan State Police have run an annual battery of speed, braking and handling tests on cars, trucks and motorcycles offered to U.S. law enforcement agencies. Vehicles have to pass its standards to be qualified for sale as police vehicles and departments across the country use the more detailed data to decide what to buy and how much to pay.

Yet since the mid-1990s, agencies have taken the results and simply bought the Ford Crown Victoria. Cheap, easy to service, durable and powered by a V8 engine driving the rear wheels, the Crown Vic accounts for nearly three-fourths of all police vehicles sold, despite sporting a design whose age can only be determined by carbon dating.

But time, fuel economy, and toughening safety rules finally caught up with the Crown Vic. Faced with the choice of expensive surgery on a senior citizen, Ford decided to kill the Vic next year and attempt to convince thousands of police departments to switch to a Taurus or Explorer-based successor. Seeing an opening, Chevrolet and Dodge have pushed out new or updated rear-wheel-drive competitors, hoping to become the new iconic choice of public safety professionals.

The Michigan State Police tests were the first time all the new models were fully wrung out by someone outside the automakers. The cars were so new that Chrysler tried to shield the bodywork of the 2011 Dodge Charger Pursuit, since the civilian version hasn't been unveiled. With some 400 potential buyers from across the country kicking tires, the tests turned into a shootout of brawn versus finesse.

Visit www.jalopnik.com to see the results.

Source - www.jalopnik.com

Super-Cars split $10 million in X Prize race

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:02:10 +0000

What will they come up with next?

WASHINGTON — A four-seat car that gets 102 miles per gallon is the top winner in a $10 million contest designed to encourage the development of ultra-efficient automobiles.

Edison2, a team of racing engineers from Lynchburg, Va., won the $5 million prize in the mainstream-vehicle category of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize. The winners were announced here on Thursday at a ceremony attended by organizers, teams and politicians hoping to bask in the reflected glory of the teams’ achievements.

The winners in two of the three prize categories — Edison2 and Swiss-based X-Tracer — were a foregone conclusion because they were the last surviving entrants. The third winner, Li-ion Motors of Mooresville, N.C., squeaked out a slim victory.

The few surviving teams left standing after multiple rounds of competition illustrated the X-Prize group’s success in setting a very high — but not impossible — bar for competitors to clear.

"Our mission was to pick a target at the intersection of the audacious and the achievable," said Peter Diamandis, chairman and chief executive officer of the X Prize Foundation.

The competition began in the spring with 136 vehicles, entered by 111 teams from around the world.

In the end, the Edison2 team claimed the top spot in the mainstream category for cars that seat four people, can carry 10 cubic feet of luggage, have a 200-mile driving range, can accelerate to 60 mph in less than 15 seconds and have a heater, air conditioner and stereo system. The goal is for the mainstream cars to meet most functional requirements for typical drivers while delivering at least 100 miles per gallon.

Perhaps most impressively, the Edison2 team said that the technologies used in its Very Light Car could be put into a production model that would eventually sell for less that $20,000.

The other half of the $10 million X Prize purse was given out for two categories of alternative-class, two-seat vehicles. Li-ion's Wave II car won $2.5 million in the side-by-side category, comprising vehicles that seat their two occupants side by side. X-Tracer's E-Tracer motorcycle-style vehicle won the same amount in the tandem category.

Both of the alternative-class vehicles were all-electric. Edison2's Very Light Car, in contrast, employed a conventional (though thoroughly modified) turbocharged Yamaha 250cc internal combustion engine burning E85 fuel — that is, 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

Electric vs. ethanol?
X Prize organizers had to deal with the challenge of comparing the "gas mileage" of electric vehicles with the performance of cars that burn gasoline, alcohol, diesel and other combustible fuels. They came up with a benchmark of 100 MPGe, the equivalent of the energy to travel 100 miles on a gallon of gasoline.

When the prize was announced in 2007, many thought an electric or hybrid-electric drivetrain would surely be needed to win. But Edison2 demonstrated the continuing potential of compact, lightweight internal combustion engines.

"I’m not for or against electric cars," Edison2 founder and CEO Oliver Kuttner said. "I’m for more efficient cars. Our car is a whole new philosophy of a car, and it is the philosophy of the car that makes it light, not just because we took content out. You have to look at the car as a system."

Edison2 focused on slippery aerodynamics to boost efficiency, plus light weight to provide satisfactory performance with a paltry 40 horsepower on tap. Because of the car’s superb aerodynamics, it can travel at highway speeds without the usual fuel economy penalty. "Our car gets essentially the same miles per gallon whether you are going 40, 50, 60 or 70 miles per hour," Kuttner said.

"It has the lowest drag coefficient of any four-wheeled vehicle I think ever tested," said Bob Larsen, the X Prize program's senior adviser for technical operations. "It only takes eight pounds to move that car, eight pounds of force. This concept has such power. It is really going to reshape a lot of things.

"The light, strong, racing-style steel space frame contributes to the car's fuel-sipping low mass of less than 800 pounds. In comparison, Honda’s two-seat CR-Z hybrid sports coupe weighs more than 2,600 pounds.

"The key factor of the car is the weight,” said team driver Emanuele Pirro, who has five victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race to his credit.

“It stops on a dime," he said. "As a light car it's got a lot less energy to dissipate than a heavy car. I really feel very safe in the car because of the light weight and the strong structure.”

To achieve safety with such light weight requires thoughtful management of crash forces, Kuttner explained. "The most innovative part of our car is force management," he said. "Force management is a new architecture in a car. It has repercussions in everything from price, to safety, to performance, to efficiency."

Kuttner predicted that many of the lessons learned during the Very Light Car's development will be applied to production cars in the future. "It is lighter, more aerodynamic, more practical, cheaper and better handling than just about anything you’ve ever seen. I am 100 percent convinced that in the next decade you will see a million cars that will follow in the very footprints of this car. It still has a lot of work ahead, but it also carries a big promise."

David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' auto test division, participated in some of the final testing of the X Prize contenders — and he said the Edison2 cars would need further development to succeed in the marketplace.

"It is small but can squeeze four adults in, but getting in and out is quite difficult," Champion observed. "The car is still in the prototype stage and would take a lot of work and mass to be ready for prime time."

The Edison2 team knows that better than anyone, so they are already hard at work on a follow-up design that will start to bridge the gap between the current prototype and something closer to a production-ready model. Whether it is this car, or one made by a big manufacturer using some of Edison2’s know-how, some of the Very Light Car’s features will be in production in five years, Kuttner predicted.

The Li-ion Wave II car won its category by following the outlines of Edison2's strategy, with an emphasis on light weight and sleek aerodynamics. There are significant differences, however. The Wave II holds only two occupants, is built on a composite carbon-fiber chassis rather than a steel frame and employs — as the name suggests — a lithium-ion battery-powered electric drive.

"I look at it as something you could drive to work every day, something that you could drive on your regular commute," said Li-ion team leader Ron Cerven. "It has got a great range."

John Shore / X Prize Foundation

The lime-green Li-ion Motors Wave II was nicknamed "the Frog" at the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize trials.

The company says it can get 150 miles per battery charge and can reach speeds of 80 mph. It achieved an overall rating of 187 MPGe in X Prize testing, and the team has already found improvements worth another 10 to 20 percent, Cerven said. The prismatic lithium polymer battery pack charges in eight hours or less, depending on the charging source, and is projected to last through 2,500 recharging cycles.

"Li-ion was a very professional car, [with] very futuristic styling to reduce aerodynamic drag, and as the name suggests is electrically powered by li-ion batteries," Consumer Reports' Champion said. "A great deal of work was done to this car between the first time it was tested and at the final, so it was a great effort for it to win."

Some of that work was performed by engineers and mechanics from other teams, as all of the teams commended and thanked their ostensible competition for aid rendered at various times of need. "The ZAP team came in and helped us with parts and some programming," Cerven acknowledged. "There were times you couldn’t tell which team was which from the shirts [on team members] in the garages."

The motorcyclesque E-Tracer carries its occupants in line and leans into corners on two wheels, but extends outriggers to keep it upright when stopped.

John Shore / X Prize Foundation

The X-Tracer team's E-Tracer has outrigger wheels that pop out to keep the vehicle upright when stopped.

"As a motorcyclist, if I have a passenger, I usually tell them to hold onto me and do what I do," said Jim Lorimer, U.S. representative for the X-Tracer venture, which sells gas-powered vehicles similar to the E-Tracer. "One of the great things about the X-Tracer is that the passengers don’t have to do anything. They essentially just fall back into the bucket seat and go for the ride."

Nevertheless, a two-wheeler is likely to encounter significant consumer resistance in comparison to the four-wheeled designs. "Getting in and out is again very awkward, and those of increasing age should not apply," Champion said.

Aside from sheer practicality, the swoopy sexy styling of the four-wheeled winners has the benefit of appealing to the public.

"I was driving on highways in North Carolina, and you wouldn’t believe the spectacle of people with cell phones in the windows and people taking photos," recalled Bill Bratton, Li-ion team driver. "Most people think it's cool. Especially women. They love it!”

Source - www.msnbc.msn.com

COMP Cams Memphis Street Stock Nationals Draws Near

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:41:13 +0000

Memphis, Tennessee (09/08/10) – With just over a week remaining until the COMP Cams Memphis Street Stock Nationals roars to life on September 18th, 2010, the purse and contingency list continues to grow.

The COMP Cams Memphis Nationals will serve as the culmination of the three race COMP Cams Memphis Street Stock Championship Presented By MidSouthRacing.com mini series, which will boast a $1,500 winner’s share and $100 just to start the 20 lap main event. Two “Road To The Nationals” qualifiers were held earlier in the year with Greg Alexander and Justin Glover claiming the wins and the guaranteed provisional starting spots in the upcoming 25 lap feature.

The COMP Cams Memphis Street Stock Nationals will see a format that includes time trials (with an inversion draw), heat races, b-mains, and a 25 lap feature. In the 25 lap feature, double file restarts will be utilized for the first time ever at Riverside International Speedway in the Street Stock division. Details are currently being negotiated to have a sponsor for a dash. If these details are completed, a dash will be added to the program as well.

There is no entry fee for the event, and the purse for the 25 lap feature is as follows:
1)$1,500 2)$750 3)$350 4)$250 5)$150 6)$140 7)$130 8)$120 9)$110 10-20)$100

The following contingency prizes have also been added to the feature event:
1st: $250 COMP Cams Product Certificate
1st: $250 TCI Product Certificate
1st: $250 RHS Product Certificate
2nd: $125 COMP Cams Product Certificate
2nd: $125 TCI Cams Product Certificate
2nd: $125 RHS Cams Product Certificate
3rd: $75 COMP Cams Product Certificate
3rd: $75 TCI Cams Product Certificate
3rd : $75 RHS Cams Product Certificate
4th-10th: $50 COMP Cams Product Certificate
10th-20th: Free Wheel From 45 Race Shop
Fast Qualifier: $250 Lunati Product Certificate
Hard Luck Award: Certificate for Free Holley Carburetor
Hard Charger: Quarter Master Ultra-Duty Starter Product Certificate

Anyone who would like to provide additional sponsorship to the event should contact Ben Shelton at 901-335-3037.

The COMP Cams MSRA Super Late Model tour will also be a part of the program as they wrap their season up in the 4th Annual Bartlett Hardwood Floor Service MidSouth Dirt Track Championship. The competitors will be racing topless for the first time ever at Riverside International Speedway in the biggest Super Late Model purse ever held for an event at the facility. A $3,500 to win/$400 to start, 40 lap program will round out the night’s festivities.

The Open Wheel Modified division will also be in action in the COMP Cams Memphis Nationals.

For more information on the event, please visit www.RiversideInternationalSpeedway.com or call Ben Shelton at 901-335-3037.

Ferrari recalls 1,248 supercars after fires

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:43:32 +0000

ROME — Ferrari says it is recalling 1,248 of its “458 Italia” supercars after reports of fires breaking out in five of the luxury vehicles in several countries.

The Italian carmaker said Thursday it wants to replace an adhesive that in some circumstances can melt due to overheating and possibly ignite.

Fires in the car that sells for €197,000 ($253,000) have been reported in California, Switzerland, China and France.

Ferrari spokesman Stefano Lai says the company will be asking the owners of 1,248 cars produced before July 2010 to bring them in to have the glue replaced with mechanical fasteners.

Source - www.msnbc.msn.com

Sorry folks, and maybe it's just us, but if we pay a quarter of a million dollars for a vehicle, we just expect it to work and not catch on fire. Is that wrong or do others out there feel the same way we do? Sound off for us.

Toyota Recalls Total More Than 10 Million

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:36:53 +0000

Toyota recalled 1.33 million Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks in the U.S. and Canada Thursday because their engines may stall, the latest in a string of quality problems at the Japanese automaker.

The recall covers vehicles from the 2005-2008 model years sold in the U.S. and Canada. Three accidents and one minor injury have been reported, though Toyota said a link to the engine issue has not been confirmed.

Toyota's latest recall is one of its largest since it began recalling cars and trucks last October. The automaker has now recalled more than 10 million vehicles worldwide for problems that run from faulty gas pedals and floor mats that can trap accelerators, to problems with its Prius hybrid.

Toyota said Corollas and Matrixes equipped with 1ZZ-FE engines may contain a defective engine control module, the computer that regulates the performance of the engine. In some cases, a crack may develop on the module's circuit board, which could prevent the engine from starting or could cause harsh shifting or an engine stall.

Separately, General Motors Co. is recalling 200,000 Pontiac Vibes in North America due to the same problem, GM spokesman Alan Adler said. The Vibe is similar to the Matrix and was built under a joint venture between Toyota and GM at a now-closed factory in Fremont, Calif.

Both automakers said they will replace the engine control modules on the recalled vehicles at no charge. The companies will begin mailing notifications to owners of the affected vehicles in mid-September.

The engine control module with the possible defect was manufactured by Delphi Corp., a large auto parts supplier headquartered in Troy, Mich., according to documents filed with federal regulators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating the possibility of engine stalling in the Corolla and Matrix models since late November. On Tuesday, the traffic safety agency said it had intensified its investigation.

NHTSA spokeswoman Olivia Alair said Thursday that the probe is ongoing.

Toyota spokesman John Hanson said the automaker is cooperating with the safety agency on the probe.

Shares in Toyota Motor Corp. fell 46 cents to $68.60.

Source - www.msnbc.msn.com

Motorsports Hall of Fame 2010 Inductees

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:20:12 +0000

Some of the greatest names in motorsports, including the late NASCAR champion Alan Kulwicki (stock cars) and stunt driver Joie Chitwood (historic), will be among the 2010 inductees into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on Wednesday night at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit.

The racing celebrations kick off today at the Detroit Science Center (DSC) with a Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association luncheon, which will be attended by motorsports greats such as Mel Kenyon (midgets), Tom D’Eath (powerboats), Bob Bondurant (road racing/sports cars), Danny Ongais (Indy cars) and Shirley Muldowney (drag racing). A public autograph session will follow today’s luncheon at the DSC at 2 p.m.

Wednesday's Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be hosted by Chip Ganassi, the NASCAR Sprint Cup and IZOD IndyCar Series team owner. Other inductees in the class of 2010 are Dale Armstrong (drag racing), Jeremy McGrath (motorcycles), Ken Squire (at large), Jerry Titus (sports cars) and Rich Vogler (open wheel).

A 2010 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Heroes of Horsepower inductee reception will be held tonight at 7:30 at the DSC and is open to the public. It will be hosted by ABC/ESPN racing announcer Marty Reid.

Source - Freep.com

This tells you the inductees but you tell us - who do you think was left out?

Ford & GM Top Customer Satisfaction Survey

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:05:36 +0000

The painful years of restructuring appear to be paying off for at least two of the Big Three automakers.

For the first time ever, Ford’s Lincoln Mercury and GM’s Buick received the highest customer satisfaction rankings among all automakers, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index released Tuesday. The ACSI measures customer sentiment about a number of products and industries, including this annual auto survey.

The results offer one more piece of evidence that U.S. automakers are starting to see the payoff from years of painful layoffs, corporate restructuring and quality improvements.

But the two carmakers also benefited from the series of recalls that have plagued Toyota and its luxury brand, Lexus, said Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI study and a professor of business administration at the University of Michigan. Both the Japanese brands saw their customer satisfaction ratings fall this year, creating an opportunity for the American brands.

“No doubt they’re benefiting from (the recalls), but they’re also doing more things right,” Fornell said.

Still, the survey — which has tracked customer satisfaction with vehicle brands since 1995 — was a bittersweet victory. Overall, customers were less satisfied with all vehicle makers than they were last year, when the Cash for Clunkers and other incentive programs generated a lot of good deals, and goodwill.

“Remember what happened last year. It’s going to be very difficult to match,” Fornell said.

Still, Fornell noted that in general U.S. automakers have gradually gone from huddling near the bottom of the pack in customer satisfaction to being seen as on par with many foreign competitors.

David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, who is unaffiliated with the customer satisfaction study, thinks U.S. automakers also are benefiting in part from a bigger push to “buy American” in the wake of the recession. He also thinks GM and Ford have done a good job offering vehicles that can compete against the European and Japanese automakers on both reliability and price.

“The competitive position for the domestics is just absolutely unbelievable,” Cole said.

The survey showed that customer satisfaction was up slightly over last year for Lincoln Mercury and stayed steady for Buick, the top two performers. (Ford plans to discontinue the Mercury brand as part of its restructuring to focus on the Lincoln brand.)

BMW ranked third, having fallen slightly from the previous year, and Cadillac ranked fourth but also saw a drop in satisfaction from 2009.

GM's GMC brand ranked lower on the list but also showed improvements over last year, while Ford namesake brand fell slightly. Fornell noted that it's expected for luxury brands to receive higher marks for customer satisfaction than more economical brands.

Ford has undergone massive changes in recent years, and GM took a trip to bankruptcy court to deal with its massive debt and other problems. But both companies appear to be on the rebound, with GM preparing for a public offering and Ford recently reporting a fifth straight quarterly profit.

Chrysler, which went through bankruptcy and is now run by Fiat, is not faring as well as the other two major U.S. automakers. Customer satisfaction with the Chrysler brand fell slightly, according to the survey, and its Dodge and Jeep brands were at the bottom of the list.

Cole thinks Chrysler is still struggling with quality issues and also is still too heavily focused on SUVs and trucks. But he expects that to change as Fiat incorporates more of its smaller vehicles into the lineup.

In general, Fornell said automakers are not out of the woods yet. He expects that all of them will continue to struggle amid continued high unemployment and other economic woes.

“The mood has changed in Detroit. They are clearly on an upswing,” Fornell said. “What they now have to fight against is the economy, which is not on the upswing.”

Source - www.msnbc.msn.com

10 Questions With Carroll Shelby

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:07:23 +0000

What are the greatest differences between performance enthusiasts when you first started back in 1962 and today?

Electronics have changed everything. Today, with government regulations it is more difficult to create performance cars. People have higher expectations. In the ’60s everyone wanted speed, but now they want speed with a/c, stereos, reliability and performance, all at a low price. Car enthusiasts like packages that match everything up. They want someone to install it too.

What are the most significant performance advances you’ve experienced during your five decades in the business?

Electronics have made things possible that we couldn’t dream of. Tires and brakes have also improved so much since I raced. We could always build horsepower, now we have brakes and tires to match.

Do you have a favorite personal Shelby American vehicle?

The next car we’re going to build.

What non-Shelby cars of today impress you the most?

The Corvette is a fantastic car. Ford’s Mustang is a great car. Aston Martin builds beautiful cars, and the Viper is still a lot of fun.

Where do you see the most need for educating folks about performance products?

Too often people are afraid to work on their own cars. They need to learn how to do that themselves.

Today cars are offered with increasingly powerful engines. Can you have too much power?

Personally I don’t think so. You can always use an extra 50 to 100 horsepower. The problem is government and public backlash. In the ’70s performance cars went away for a long while and some think it was because of the horsepower wars.

Other than more power, what targets are you trying to hit when you build a Shelby vehicle?

They need to have balanced performance, and be reliable enough to be driven on pump gas. Most of all the cars need to be fun to drive.

I know you were friends with Zora Duntov. If he were alive today, what would you talk about?

I would talk to Zora about how to take weight out of cars when the government keeps adding more and more regulations. It’s a constant fight.

What innovations in engine development do you think we will see in the next fi ve years? Ten years?

The main thing will be a big push on improving fuel economy and lowering emissions, which will impact everything. In the next five years I see more turbo and super charging of smaller displacement engines. I see the use of light weight and exotic materials. In the next 10 years, hybrids and diesels will become a bigger part of the mix.

Of the thousands of innovations and accomplishments that mark your career, what do you most want to be remembered for?

As an old hot rodder who was able to build some great cars with wonderful people. We were always the underdog and always seemed to win. And I’m very proud of my charity and believe it’s important to give back to the community.

Source - www.powerandperformancenews.com

Swede could face huge speeding fine — up to $962,000

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:14:54 +0000

One Swedish motorist could be facing a gargantuan speeding fine — up to $962,000 — after he was caught driving 180 mph along a Swiss motorway.

Police seized the Swede's driver's license and 570-horsepower black Mercedes-Benz after he was released from police custody, The Local, a website that covers Swedish news, reported. He could face a penalty of up to 1 million Swiss francs — or $962,000 — depending on his income level, The Local reported.

In Switzerland speeding fines are based on the severity of the offense and the offender's income level.

Police said the 37-year-old motorist was driving so fast in this $240,000 sports car that it took him nearly half a mile to stop.

Swiss officials did not know if it was a record, but that it "looks very close to one," federal roads office spokesman Thomas Rohrbach told AFP.

"We have no record of anyone being caught traveling faster in the country," a police spokesman told Britain's Daily Telegraph on Friday.

The driver's explanation to officers: "I think the speedo on the car, which is new, is faulty."

A speed camera on the A12 highway between Bern and Lausanne captured the transgression.

Police said he had eluded being zapped by numerous radars en route simply because he was going too fast and they were unable to clock speeds beyond 125 mph. A newer camera perched along the motorway was able to snap his offense.

It's not the first time someone has had to pay such a hefty fine in Europe for speeding. And even lower speeds can generate big fines.

In January, a Swiss court slapped a $290,000 speeding ticket on a millionaire Ferrari driver who drove 60 mph (nearly twice the 30 mph limit) through a small village.

The head of Finnish communications giant Nokia was ordered to may a $103,000 fine for his speeding ticket in 2002. Officers pulled over Anssi Vanjoki on his cherry red Harley Davidson in Helsinki after he was clocked driving 47 mph in a 31-mph zone.

In Finland, traffic fines are also proportionate to an offender's crime and income level.

Source - www.msnbc.msn.com

Is Harley-Davidson Leaving Milwaukee?

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:08:53 +0000

MILWAUKEE — It's the roar that made Milwaukee famous — the distinctive throaty rumble of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. But that much-loved racket could be rumbling away to another state if the company cannot bring down its labor costs.

Harley-Davidson warned employees in April that it will move its Wisconsin manufacturing operations elsewhere if it cannot cut millions of dollars at the factories that build the bikes known as "Milwaukee Iron."

Harley's corporate headquarters would remain here, but that's small consolation to a community that has already endured repeated blows to its civic identity.

"When you think of Milwaukee you think of beer, brats and Harley-Davidson," said Steve Daily, a researcher at the Milwaukee County Historical Society. "Right or wrong, that's what it is."

But that's been changing. For example, the corporate parent of beer giant Miller parent moved its U.S. headquarters to Chicago in 2008 after joining its domestic operations with Molson Coors Brewing Co. Then there was Schlitz, which billed itself as "the beer that made Milwaukee famous" until financial and labor problems forced it to sell out to a Detroit company in the 1980s.

That leaves Harley-Davidson Inc. as the city's lone signature brand. It's also a magnet for tourists, many of whom want to visit the factories where Harley engines are made.

"We get asked frequently where the plants are," said Paul Upchurch, the president of the VISIT Milwaukee tourism bureau. "A lot of people around the world associate Milwaukee with the home of Harley."

Harley chief executive Keith Wandell said the company will make its decision on whether to move in the next two months. Harley executives are already scouting out other states, though Wandell will not say which ones.

The company, he said, would also be open to incentives to keep the 1,630 manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin. But the idea that it could move production elsewhere stuns many Harley loyalists.

"You can't describe it. They've got so much history here. They've just become the blood of the community," said Tom Steepy, a lifelong rider and the director of the suburban Milwaukee chapter of the Harley Owners Group, or HOG. "If they moved their manufacturing, it would just create a void you can't fill."

Harley has been a local fixture for more than a century. It all started in 1903 when 23-year old William S. Harley and 22-year old Arthur Davidson began selling motorcycles built in a cramped wooden shed.

The company later built motorcycles for the U.S. military in both world wars, which helped introduce the bikes to a global audience that saw them as an American icon.

They symbolize the classic American values of independence and hard work, freedom, all those values," said Kanti Prasad, a marketing professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee business school. "Harley-Davidson is a uniquely American phenomenon."

And a Milwaukee phenomenon. Prasad said when he travels to Europe, China or Japan most people respond blankly when he says he's from Milwaukee. Then he points out it's Harley's hometown and their faces light up with recognition.

As storied a company as Harley has been, it's weathered some rough spots, too, most notably in 1984, when a banker had the option of allowing the company to refinance a $90 million (68 million euros) loan or forcing them to declare bankruptcy.

At the last minute, the banker allowed the company to refinance. According to the story, it's because he owned a Harley.

The famed motorcycles have also had a long history with Hollywood. They've appeared in films from "Easy Rider" to the more recent "Simpsons" movie. Elvis Presley rode one.

So if the Milwaukee-Harley marriage is so solid, how could the company even think of straying?

Company spokesman Bob Klein said Harley wants to remain faithful, but its production schedule needs to be more closely aligned with seasonal demand, a change that would require approval from labor unions.

Negotiations with the unions began in late July. The president of Harley's largest union did not return multiple messages seeking comment.

Prasad, the UW-Milwaukee professor, doesn't see Harley's threat to move simply as a negotiating tactic. A company with a 107-year history is more concerned with the next 100 years than with making idle threats to extract short-term advantages, he said.

Harley benefits the city's image and its bottom line. When the company turned 105 two years ago, some 100,000 fans from around the world joined the Milwaukee celebration.

But even if Harley's production goes elsewhere, there's still a tourist draw here — the popular Harley-Davidson Museum. Whether that's enough to help Milwaukee cling to the brand that keeps it on the map is another question.

Source - msnbc.msn.com

Top Ten American Automotive Pilgrimages

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:45:32 +0000

The relative young age of the auto industry means our automotive history is as old and rich as anyone's...and of course, more American. Below is a list of ten great American automotive pilgrimages for those that worship at the altar of wheeled transportation.

10. The National Corvette Museum (Bowling Green, Kentucky)
Nothing says America like the Corvette, and no place better preserves the spirit and history of the classic American sports car than the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky, near the production site of the Corvette. Get a look at historic Corvette models, learn about the production history and get your own Corvette specially detailed (if you have one). It's like Mecca, but less crowded. [Corvette Museum]

9. Auburn - Cord - Duesenberg Museum (Auburn, Indiana)
Believe it or not, there was once an automotive operation in the U.S that wasn't based in Detroit. The Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana preserves the unique story of these three companies, all important in their day. The museum also remembers the seven other brands of cars produced in Auburn. The Gallery of Classics shows off cars from the "classics era" that competed to be the cream of the cream. [ACD Museum]

8. Jay Leno's Garage (Secret Location, California)
When Jay Leno does something interesting or noble with cars, like rescuing a Duesenberg, the resulting cars end up in the Big Dog Garage, which houses cars powered by turbines, steam and the engine out of a Patton tank. Though not exactly on the map, we totally think it would be worth it to just show up and beg to be let inside (you could also break a window, but then you might damage a car). We hear the Popular Mechanics boys know where it is, go ask them. [Jay Leno's Garage]

7. The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village (Dearborn, Michigan)
What would an American automotive pilgrimage be without a trip to the greater Detroit area and The Henry Ford Museum? Though not everything is car-themed, there's an amazing collection of automotive history, including Rosa Parks' bus, the Lincoln in which JFK was assassinated and the relatively untragic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. If you leave "The" out of the museum's name, they cart you off to the turn-of-the-century jail outside in Greenfield Village, a place of make-believe designed to capture the spirit of the American Industrial Revolution. Also, they have really good pies. [The Henry Ford]

6. Indianapolis Motor Speedway & Museum (Indianapolis, Indiana)
The self-proclaimed "Racing Capital Of The World," the Brickyard has a lot to offer in the way of a journey for racing fans. In addition to the famous track, the accompanying museum includes historic footage, a large trophy collection and timing equipment from the older days. Of course, there's always a collection of dozens of rare vehicles, including the Le Mans-winning Ferrari 250LM and the more American 57' SSI Corvette. If you know who to tip, you may even get a chance to head down into the basement because that's where the real magic is stored. Non-disclosure agreements prevent us from saying anything more. [Indy Motor Speedway]

5. The ArtCar Museum (Houston, Texas)
For those more inclined toward customization and personalization, the ArtCar Museum (a.k.a. The Garage Mahal) contains a large collection of outstanding testaments to our rolling culture. There's also a rotation of cars, sculptures, photos and paintings that chronicle the evolving art of cars. [ArtCar Museum]

4. Petersen Automotive Museum (Los Angeles, California)
Covering over 300,000 square feet and four floors, the history of the automobile is lovingly detailed at the relatively new Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Current exhibits include "The Art of Cars," "Nascar: 60 Years" and the totally meta "From Autocamp to Airstreams: The Early Road to Vactionland." It's like the Library of Alexandria of cars... but without the tragic destruction. Petersen Museum

3. Historic Route 66 (Chicago to Los Angeles)
Though no longer marked as an actual highway, there are plenty of resources to help you make the trip from the Second City to the City of Angels along Route 66, the Mother Road. Whether you do the entire journey or a small historic portion of the road, like Holbrook to Topock, there's plenty to see along the way. If you make it through the Texas panhandle, we recommend the leaning water tower in Groom, Texas, which was built to attract tourists making the journey. [Historic 66]

2. Carhenge (Alliance, Nebraska)
A detailed recreation of Stonehenge made from 38 spray-painted classic American automobiles, Carhenge is an undeniably weird and awesome destination for those with a car-spiritual nature. The stewards of the site have worked with artists to place other car-based sculptures, such as a take on Vivald's "Four Seasons" made with Fords. [Carhenge]

1. Deals Gap (Blount County, Tennessee)
Considered by many to be the best driving in the country, the portion of U.S. Highway 129 in rural Tennessee is a must-visit for those with superior automobiles (or not) and a thirst for spirited transportation. The Tail of the Dragon, in particular, is said to contain more than 300 curves in less than 11 miles. Lacking any serious development, it's mostly uninterrupted driving... with the exception of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Be safe, be quick but be wary of the flashing lights. [This is what it looks like In An Audi TT]

Source - jalopnik.com

History of the NHRA & Drag Racing

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:52:23 +0000

NHRA history: Drag racing's fast start

Born on the backroads of America in the post World War II years, drag racing's roots were planted on dry lake beds like Muroc in California's Mojave Desert, where hot rodders had congregated since the early 1930s and speeds first topped 100 mph.

One could even argue that drag racing was born in Goltry, Okla., in 1913, with the birth of Wally Parks, who nearly four decades later would found drag racing's most successful and influential sanctioning body.

Parks' family moved to California in the early 1920s, and Parks had an early interest in cars. He attended his first dry lake speed trials event in the 1930s, which whetted his fascination for performance. In 1937, Parks was one of the founders of the Road Runners Club.

Organized drag racing

In 1947, Parks, a military tank test-driver for General Motors who served in the army in the South Pacific in World War II, helped organize the Southern California Timing Association and later became its general manager.

The first SCTA "Speed Week," held at the famed Bonneville Salt Flats in 1949, was the result of a diligent effort of Parks, then its executive secretary. It was here that racers first began running "against the clock" - actually, a stopwatch - coaxing their vehicles to accelerate quicker rather than simply to attain high top speeds.

The first dragstrip, the Santa Ana Drags, began running on an airfield in Southern California in 1950 and quickly gained popularity among the Muroc crowd because of its revolutionary computerized speed clocks.

When Parks became editor of the monthly enthusiast magazine Hot Rod, he had the forum and the power to form the National Hot Rod Association in 1951 to "create order from chaos" by instituting safety rules and performance standards that helped legitimize the sport. He was its first president.

NHRA's first races

NHRA held its first official race in April 1953 on a slice of the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds parking lot in Pomona, Calif. Four decades later, that track has undergone a $6-million expansion and renovation and hosts the NHRA season-opening Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals and the season finale, the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals. The aggressive upgrading of facilities to stadium quality, with fan amenities, VIP towers, and tall grandstands, was the passion of NHRA President Dallas Gardner, who took the reins in 1984 when Parks became board chairman. In 2000, Tom Compton became just the third president in NHRA history as Gardner ascended to the role of broad chairman and Parks became chairman of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.

In 1955, NHRA staged its first national event, called simply "the Nationals" in Great Bend, Kan. Six years later, as the Nationals hopscotched around the country to showcase the growing sport before settling in Indianapolis in 1961, the Winternationals became NHRA's second event.

Incredible success

Now in its fifth decade, NHRA is the world's largest motorsports sanctioning body with 80,000 members, 140 member tracks, more than 35,000 licensed competitors, and more than 5,000 member-track events.

"No one could have conceived what has happened," Parks said of the NHRA's tremendous growth and success. "But we did have ambitions of its becoming a national sports entity. We weren't planning or marketing geniuses or anything like that. Things happened and we went with our instincts.

"We just had an idea and a strong desire to be self-sustaining ... to control our own destiny and be our own masters. We wanted to build the organization on its own merit. We saw a need -- that being an avenue for safe drag racing -- and with the help of a lot of good people and a little luck we seem to have had some success."

About the term "drag racing"

Although the tire tracks of its history are clear, the origin of the term "drag racing" is not. The theories are almost as many and varied as the machines that have populated its ranks for five decades. Explanations range from a simple challenge ("Drag your car out of the garage and race me!") to geographical locale (the "main drag" was a city's main street, often the only one wide enough to accommodate two vehicles) to the mechanical (to "drag" the gears meant to hold the transmission in gear longer than normal).

The first "dragsters" were little more than street cars with lightly warmed-over engines and bodies chopped down to reduce weight. Eventually, professional chassis builders constructed purpose-built cars, bending and welding together tubing and planting the engine in the traditional spot, just in front of the driver; the engines, and the fuels they burned, became more exotic, more powerful, and, naturally, more temperamental.

Like almost all racing cars, they have undergone tremendous evolution as racers upgraded, experimented, theorized, and tested their equipment.

Safety and innovation paved the way to rear-engine Top Fuel cars in the early 1970s, and once drag racing legend Don Garlits - himself a victim of the front-engine configuration when his transmission, which was nestled between his feet, exploded in 1970, severing half of his right foot - perfected the design, the sport never looked back. Today's Top Fuel dragsters are computer-designed wonders with sleek profiles and wind-tunnel-tested rear airfoils that exert 5,000 pounds of downforce on the rear tires with minimal aerodynamic drag.

As racers became smarter, the speed barriers fell: 260 mph toppled in 1984; 270 in 1986; 280 in 1987; 290 in 1989: and the magic 300 mph barrier fell before the wheels of former Funny Car champion Kenny Bernstein on March 20, 1992. Just seven years later, Tony Schumacher became the first to top 330 mph in February 1999 in Phoenix.

Over the years, NHRA racing has lived up to its claim as The Extreme Motorsport^TM.

Source - nhra.com

Free Shipping

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:22:47 +0000

You can get FREE SHIPPING on any order that you place that totals over $50!!! What more could you ask for?

Simply place all of the items you want into your shopping cart and if your order totals $50 before tax and shipping, you will automatically receive free shipping on your entire purchase. What are you waiting for - start shopping today.

NHRA Unleashed

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:08:38 +0000

NHRA Unleashed to be broadcast on Fox Sports Net

NHRA has announced that Fox Sports Net will be the television home for NHRA Unleashed, an event and television series like no other, featuring Pure American Horsepower and celebrating the American muscle car and the passionate world of NHRA grassroots racing.

NHRA Unleashed events will be featured nationwide on Fox Sports Net in a series airing on consecutive weeks in November and December. Two half-hour shows will be produced from each of the four NHRA Unleashed events, at Atlanta Dragway (June 11-13), O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis (Aug. 6-8), National Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio (Sept. 10-12), and Gainesville Raceway (Nov. 5-7).

The shows will be produced by Disrupt/ive Studios, led by Jack Schaeffer and Stephen Pullin, who have produced the popular Pinks, Pinks All-Out, and Pinks All Outtakes shows.

NHRA Unleashed will air each Sunday beginning Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. on Fox Sports Net-owned and -operated regional networks nationwide. The eight-week series will conclude the last Sunday of the year, Dec. 26. NHRA Unleashed will air in a minimum of 75 million households through Fox Sports Net’s regions throughout the United States.

The Disrupt/ive Studios team will document every aspect of these events to highlight the excitement and lifestyle of NHRA competitors and fans. For the first time in television history, NHRA Unleashed will bring to the screen an in-depth look at the drivers in the outlaw racing classes, true adrenaline addicts, as they pack 2,000 horsepower in a standard production chassis. Each program will take the audience deep into some of NHRA’s most passionate drivers, as hundreds of weekend warriors journey to NHRA Unleashed to win a coveted Wally trophy.

The broadcasts also will feature exciting stories from off-the-track action, including the autocross course, chassis dyno, show 'n' shine, and NHRA Unleashed Center Stage.

For more information, log on to www.nhra.com/multimedia/unleashed.aspx.

Disrupt/ive Studios and NHRA are evaluating on-air talent for the shows, which will be announced at a later date.

Source - www.nhra.com

NASCAR Penalizes Edwards & Keselowski

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:35:34 +0000

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR has penalized the No. 60 team and the No. 22 driver for rule violations committed during last Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Gateway.

The penalties come as a result of violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing/aggressive driving) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.

Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60, has been penalized with the loss of 60 Nationwide Series championship drivers' points, fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Car owner Jack Roush has been penalized with the loss of 60 series championship owners' points.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22, has been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

"The incident at the end of Saturday night's race at Gateway was unfortunate not just for Penske Racing and the No. 22 team, but for all of the teams that were caught up in the aftermath," Keselowski said in a statement. "There was unnecessary damage done to a lot of race cars as a result of the incident, including one of our best cars. We support NASCAR's decision and we look forward to putting this behind us."

TV analyst Larry McReynolds agreed with Keselowski in regards to all the unnecessary damage but doesn't think the penalties go far enough.

"Feuds, rivalries and wars of words are good for any sport and they're part of what makes people tune in. But in my book, this deal had gone beyond a feud or rivalry. NASCAR could take 600 points from Edwards, fine him $500,000 and put him on probation until the end of 2015, but it doesn't repair those race cars that got torn up behind these two during their fun and games on the last lap -- teams that don't need to be tearing up race cars.

"This thing had gone well beyond NASCAR's intentions of "have at it, boys." Is that going to put an end to it? I feel strongly that only two people can put an end to this -- Jack Roush and Roger Penske because they do carry a lot of weight in this sport. If I was Jack Roush, my point to Carl would be, 'Yes, thanks for another win because they're few and far between here at Roush Fenway right now, but I've got two destroyed race cars that were behind you.'"

Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith acknowledged the penalties in a statement and said the team will look at this internally.

"We have received notification of NASCAR's penalties against Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski and Roush Fenway Racing related to Saturday night's race at Gateway," Smith said. "As with all NASCAR actions of this nature, we will internally evaluate the penalties, and the underlying explanations, prior to making any decision about next steps. We look forward to watching Carl and Brad as they continue to compete on a weekly basis for the championship in the Nationwide Series."

Source - www.nascar.com

The 900 Pound Gorilla

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:27:08 +0000

The 900-pound Gorilla
by Larry VanZandt

Posted on 7/15/2010

“It’s the economy, stupid!”

Money.

It makes the world go ‘round.

And just in case you didn’t notice, there’s not a whole lot of it to go round, or to be precise, there’s too much of it out there, as a result of excessive money printing, which means that the cash in your back pocket isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on….as a result of double-digit inflation since the early 1990’s.

But since this is a NASCAR-based, online publication of sorts….how exactly does the imploding economy apply to NASCAR racing itself?

It’s simple, really.

Look at the empty stands.

I don’t know if anyone noticed this, but after reading reports of declining ratings, and diminishing track attendance by race fans, I spend a lot of time staring at the grandstands during NASCAR Sprint Cup races. Were any of you aware that during the July 3^rd crashfest at Daytona, the entire backstretch grandstands were….empty? There were also great open patches of seats in the frontstretch grandstands as well….

This shouldn’t be a great shock to anyone, as I’ve noticed a heck of a lot of empty seats during every race that I’ve watched this season. However, to see if this might be a problem only pertaining to NASCAR, I’ve been keeping track of other racing series….and they aren’t doing as great, either.

The NHRA (National Drag Racing Association) showed up at Seattle this last weekend, and it was an unmitigated disaster. Empty stands, absolute horrible track conditions (a veteran racer commented on how even Ray Charles could see the bumps in the track surface….not to be confused with NHRA pro-stock driver Warren Johnson, who suggested that an undead, brain-eating zombie Ray Charles could drive a top-fuel car), a debacle where the Pro-Stock class declared mutiny and pulled out of the staging lanes when track conditions were thought to be so unsafe, that someone might actually be killed out there, to the tragedy of top-alcohol dragster driver Mark Niver dying in an on-track accident that brings into question whether or not NHRA should actually shorten their tracks….

Couple that with the costs associated with running top fuel nitromethane cars, and NHRA’s sitting on their hands about what to do about reducing the costs, meanwhile, the top two teams, John Force Racing, and Don Schumacher Racing, are winning everything in sight….gee, doesn’t that remind you of another racing series?

Cough….cough….cough….NASCAR….cough cough….

The band plays on in the NHRA, while the Titanic sinks, and as long as the top two dogs continue to win event after event….it’s one o’clock, and all is well! In addition, the heads of the National Drag Racing Association, along with NASCAR, continue to astound and amaze us all on how many different ways they can manage to alienate both racers and fans alike.

Reminds me of the old saying, ‘Same ----, different racing series’.

Oddly enough, the NHRA’s implosion is the canary in the coal mine for NASCAR, in that while the type of racing differs drastically between the two series, management missteps with a failure to reduce costs for both fan and racer alike have resulted in drastically-reduced fields; you have 16 open slots…and only 15 show up….what’s the point of qualifying, again? NHRA doesn’t have the money to reward ‘start and park’ operations, so field fillers don’t exist.

So you have two different racing organizations that do absolutely nothing to reduce the costs for both racers and fans (you know, the people who show up to watch), and refuse to assist in the worst economy since the Great Depression, and we’re just supposed to shut up and race/watch, anyway?

This blows space monkeys on sooo many levels.

I’ve been alive for 38 years now, as of June 17^th. So far as what I do here at home….if you haven’t read my bio thingie (wait, it may not be listed in there anymore, whoops), I am an auto mechanic in my spare time, and used to own a repair/modification/restoration service shop.

I got out of that field, simply because I can’t stand working on customer cars anymore. It’s not that I wasn’t any good at it….I am….it just got to the point where I’d have something approaching a panic attack if I have to open just one more car hood. I think it had something to do with it being fun as a hobby, but when it got the point where I had to do it for a living….it drove me insane.

I have three cars; a Honda Odyssey minivan (wife’s), a beater 1989 Chevy DisAstro van RS as a daily driver, and my project car, a 1992 Ford Thunderbird Sport 5.0 HO Northwest Edition, calypso coral metallic green, with black leather interior. I inherited this car from my mom when she died in 2008, and it was her hot rod. I picked it out for her when she wanted a decent car, and I modified it bit by bit, as the years passed by, to the point where it was considerably faster/quicker than when she first got it.

I liked the car for several reasons; it had a pushrod V8; hey, they ran them in NASCAR; the 1989-1997 Thunderbird borrows styling cues from a BMW 635i (and the chassis engineering), and handles phenomenally better than anything else in the Ford lineup during the 1990’s, even the straight-rear-axle Mustang GT/Cobra. With some chassis mods….the MN12 frame platform that the Thunderbird and Cougar are based off of can really shine on a road course, or back-road twisties.

However, there’s a small (okay, large) problem with owning this car.

Ford motor company engineers/bean counters are morons.

If you know any actual car guys, who can’t afford to buy everything new, or refuse to, or even simply can’t get it new, there’s something we’d like to call ‘the wrecking yard’. If you’ve owned an old car, you’ve probably gone scrounging for ‘upgrade’ parts from different types of cars, in order to boost performance, braking, handling, or even interior parts….Chevrolets from the 1960’s, 1970’s, even the 1980’s can go back and forth so far as implementing parts from various types of car platforms to others in the General Motors lineup. Want to improve the handling of a Chevelle? Hey, a Camaro Z28 sway bar fits….what about improving brakes on a 1980’s Malibu? Hey, 1980’s B-body Impala/Caprice wagons sometimes have 12” front disc brakes….

This happens a bit with Ford cars….but not as often. However, the Fox body Mustang, produced from 1979-1993, is quite possibly the most popular car out there since the 1969 Camaro and ’55 Chevy, and several companies grew into existence due to initial parts offerings for the Mustang.

Long and short of it, it’s stupidly easy to find upgrade parts for Mustangs.

Thunderbirds? Good luck with that. This car is part Mustang, Part Taurus (wheel bolt pattern), and part….uh….whatever.

Needless to say, this car isn’t cheap to modify, like a Mustang or Camaro.

However….if you own a hot rod, of ANY type, whether it be a Ford, Pontiac, Cadillac, Buick, Dodge, Chrysler, Mercury, Lincoln, Chevrolet, Studebaker, Plymouth, Oldsmobile, AMC….and I’m forgetting someone, I just know it….something miraculous has occurred over the last decade.

It’s now a heck of a lot easier to find replacement/modification parts for what used to be considered ‘oddball’ cars.

Even my T-bird, which is a complete and total wasteland so far as replacement/modification parts are concerned….stuff that wasn’t available even five years ago is now available….via’ parts companies, or home-grown guys who make stuff in their garages. Nobody makes headers that fit these cars yet, and I’m still working on that angle….but hey, that’s what they make welders and J-bend pieces of exhaust pipe for, right?

Here’s the problem:

With the economy going further and further down the toilet….with the exception of guys who already ‘have theirs’, meaning retired folks with pensions, or business types who already made their millions….nobody cares about the cornucopia of goodies that await them, and their money. It’s not a matter of nobody actually caring about whether or not these parts exist, because we are excited about what’s now out there….it’s a matter of worrying first about whether or not we’re going to eat next week.

I’m on several internet message boards….and I have never seen as many cars and parts for sale. Jobs going away, and never coming back, and an administration that appears Arkansas-bent on reducing this country to a 3^rd-world nation are making people park their toys, and at times, their reason for living….simply because we don’t know how bad it is going to get. My T-bird has been sitting in the garage since late 2008, and I’ve done nothing with it, other than piddle around with starting it every now and then. I’ve found several screaming deals on parts….but I can’t take that chance. Too many people now can’t take that chance.

Couple that with for the first time in history, some truly wonderful cars are being produced by car makers around the world. Ford has a winner with their regular 2011 V6 Mustang, and the Mustang GT 5.0, which, unofficially, might be making around 460 horsepower to the flywheel….and getting great gas mileage in the bargain….that has never occurred in an American-built musclecar, sorry. BMW has done something awe-inspiring with their M3 (it’s on my ‘must buy someday’ list, in addition to a 2011 Mustang GT, and an Audi RS6 Avant V10…and of course, there are some other cars…).

2010 has seen the return of competent musclecars from all three domestic automakers. Chevrolet has some fearsome offerings in their Corvette line, in the ZO6 and ZR1. The small-car segment of the American automakers is finally getting some much-needed attention. You’ve never been able to buy a better American light truck.

The issue at hand?

None of it really matters now. Until matters are sorted out…unless you have a lot of money to play with….or you can afford to pay cash for it….nobody has any business buying a new car.

Businesses are being forced to stop hiring new employees, expand, buy more inventory, invest back into their business, whatever, simply because they don’t know where they’re going to be hit next. In addition, banks aren’t providing loans for either houses or businesses, so construction has ground to a halt, and improvements to existing homes and businesses aren’t being made.

We’re being reduced to a nation of hoarders, loathe to spend even a dollar on anything that’s not important, and NASCAR wants us to continue to go to the races, to see formation flying on boring-as-bad-poetry tracks, week in and week out, with the same two or three guys winning every weekend, and watch cookie-cutter cars that have had no noticeable outward changes since the 2007 season?

Sorry, but that formula is broken. People are staying home, people are changing the channel. I write about this series, and I’m finding it almost impossible to watch a race from beginning to end…and I’ve completely lost my kids concerning their wanting to spend time with me while I’m watching what they consider to be garbage. I’d have more luck attracting Marines in to watch Hannah Montana episodes than luring my kids in to watching another NASCAR race.

The 900-pound gorilla here is the economy, folks. We acknowledge its presence. We know what’s going on out there, we know that we’re going to have some rough times ahead, maybe even before the year runs out. I know this is a racing news site, and I should be focused on ‘racing stuff only’….that racing should be an escape….the problem is that the economy is going to wipe out racing as we know it, unless we take some drastic steps in the voting booth in November.

I’m sitting here, trying to come up with something positive in all this, trying to ignore what’s going on outside, and it simply isn’t happening. At some point, escapism via’ auto racing is going to go away, unless something drastic is done by the racing series organization in question, the France Cartel. Sometime soon, NASCAR, unless it does something approaching the level of epic to attract fans back to the tracks, and on TV, is going to end up being about as pointless as dialogue in an adult movie.

We know this.

NASCAR doesn’t.

When at first you don’t succeed, call it ‘the Car of Tomorrow’.

Source - www.speedwaymedia.com

Corvette Moving?

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:36:29 +0000

Since 1984, Chevrolet Corvette has rolled out of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Yet, a news report made by a Michigan television station suggests that America’s Sports Car might be moving back to Lansing. Recently, GM said that a $190 million project is planned that could bring 600 jobs to to the devastated Michigan area struggling to keep afloat by creating a new facility to manufacture or assemble GM cars. Inexplicably, some are speculating that production of the Corvette may be in play for the new plant.

When a Lansing television station, WLNS-TV contacted Mike Green, local UAW president for comment, he replied, “Anything’s possible.” Green continued saying that Bowling Green could lose the iconic Corvette because it’s the only car built in the plant. Conversely, Green explained that the Grand River plant in Lansing can manufacture (or assemble) a variety of cars. “Corvette or Camaro or Buick, ya know, there’s a lot of different product lines you can run.” Green concluded.

But what the Corvette and the Cadillac (the Caddy being currently built in the Grand River plant), have in common is rear wheel drive. Economist Jim Luke feels this, more than anything else could be the deciding factor. “It’s fairly expensive to keep a plant alive just for one car or one platform”, Luke stated. Mike Green continued, “With ours you’re looking at one of the newer plants that’s been built in North America, so it would make sense.”

GM’s final decision isn’t expected for another couple of months.

Read the whole story here: http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/gm-move-corvette-production-lansing-2891.html

Source - lsxtv.com

Camaro, Mustang & Challenger: 3 of Forbes' Fastest Cars Under $50K

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:43:34 +0000

Camaro, Mustang & Challenger: 3 of Forbes' Fastest Cars Under $50K

Let's say for a moment that you're digging through the attic, looking for your baby picture album to prove to your kids that you once had the ability to grow hair, and you come across a $100,000 bill tucked between the pages of the family Bible. After spending half of it to buy 500 houses in Detroit, what car would you buy with the remaining $50k? Fortunately, the dollar-to-speed exchange rate has never been more in your favor, and Yahoo! Autos (with a little help from Forbes) has come up with a list of the fastest cars fifty grand can buy.

The list is based on Kelly Blue Book or manufacturer specs for 0-60 times for all coupes, sedans, and roadsters sold in the US that come in with an MSRP under $50,000.

Ford Mustang GT500 - 4.3 seconds, $48,645
Chevy Camaro SS - 4.6 seconds, $33,945
Dodge Challenger SRT8 - 4.9 seconds, $41,230
Audi TTS - 4.9 seconds, $45,900
BMW 135i - 5.1 seconds, $36,050
BMW 335s - 5.1 seconds, $42,600
Nissan 370Z - 5.5 seconds, $33,410
Infiniti G37 - 5.5 seconds, $37,000
Lexus IS350 - 5.6 seconds, $37,595
Porsche Boxster- 5.6 seconds, $47,600
BMW Z4 - 5.6 seconds, $46,000

http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/camaro-mustang-challenger-3-forbes-fastest-2866.html

Source - www.lsxtv.com

New Nationwide Cars Debut at Daytona

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:45:14 +0000

After more than three years of work, countless hours in the wind tunnel, millions of dollars spent by teams and manufacturers and numerous on-track tests, the new Nationwide Series car debuts this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

The Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang and Toyota Camry usher in a new era in the series, an era NASCAR hopes creates a new identity for the Nationwide Series, as well as improves safety and decreases cost over time.The Subway Jalapeno 250 is the first of four races for the new car -- don't call it the "car of tomorrow," NASCAR insists -- in 2010, with a full implementation next year. Many Nationwide Series teams fought the rollout of the car, and NASCAR backed off initial plans to use the car full time this season.

But after grumblings and complaints about the costs of the switchover, 44 cars are entered for this weekend's race, one more than a full field.

"We think it's very, very important for the Nationwide Series," Nationwide Series director Joe Balash said. "We've been working on that project for a number of years now to try to put together what we feel is the best package to move the series forward, to continue to help us in all our safety aspects and to continue to tighten the competition on the race track. And that car is basically the formula that we put together to do that. We're pretty excited about that launch in Daytona."

The chassis is based on the Cup Series version of NASCAR's "certified chassis," with a few modifications. NASCAR has said more than half of the Nationwide chassis certified in its research and development center have been converted Cup cars.

Since the new car is more tightly controlled than the older car, NASCAR hopes teams will need fewer chassis in their fleets. Also, since variations of the new car are smaller, the field eventually could run closer together.

"We were worried about falling behind some of the Cup-affiliated teams," Braun Racing's Jason Leffler said. "But I think that the playing field is pretty level, which is going to be a help to us."

As for the race itself, drivers and teams face some unknowns. At a two-day test at Daytona in May, only about half the field showed up, and the largest draft pack was a little more than 20 cars. Drivers reported the cars being a handful, though crew chiefs and engineers worked to get them to handle better.

"The complaints of the [Cup new car] when it first came out were how tight it is so they took that, they fixed it for the Nationwide car now, and it's pretty unbelievable," Trevor Bayne said. "I think the Daytona race is going to be a lot of crazy stuff happening just because they are so free.

"We were looking at our data from the test and we had more wheel to the right than I did to the left sometimes, but they're fun to drive and I think it's going to go back to making the cars handle rather than just go fast even at those superspeedways. They're still easy to adjust, so I think it's going to be good racing."

Source - nationwide.nascar.com

Carjacking Gone Bad

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:46:00 +0000

How funny could this be? We feel sorry for the poor man who was carjacked, but on the brighter side of things he did get his truck back and was unharmed. How did he get the truck back, you ask? The would-be thieves couldn't drive a manual transmission!

A manual transmission may have saved an Orange County man some damage to his truck.

Two juveniles are in custody after being accused of carjacking the man on his way to work this morning, the Sheriff's Office said, but the theft was a bust because the kids could not drive a straight-shift vehicle.

Just before 6 a.m., the man was on his way to work when he got out of his truck to remove a bicycle from the road, according to the Sheriff's Office. As he was moving the bike, two young males approached. One had a handgun.

The man ran. One of the juveniles chased him for a while and then returned to his accomplice at the truck, the Sheriff's Office said. They left the truck when they realized they could not drive it.

A K-9 officer twice tracked a trail to the 2700 block of Environs Boulevard, where deputies set up a perimeter and asked occupants of the home to come outside. One did, the Sheriff's Office said.

A search of the home led to the second juvenile and a handgun believed to have been used in the incident.

The juveniles, 17 and 16 years old, were arrested and charged with carjacking with a firearm. One of them admitted they put their bikes in the road to stop a vehicle, according to the Sheriff's Office. The driver of the truck was not injured.

Source - OrlandoSentinel.com

Flying Car

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:06:33 +0000

Can we just say, "Wow." The flying car is actually about to hit production lines. According to CNN.com, "Going from plane to car 'takes about the same amount of time as putting down your convertible top,' and the transition takes place from inside the cockpit. After landing, a cockpit-operated system folds up the wings, and the pilot can drive away."

Really, does somebody really need that capability? And it's not inexpensive at $194,000.

Read the whole story at http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/06/30/transition.flying.car/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn. What will they think of next?

Story from www.cnn.com.

Barrett-Jackson Orange County 2010

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:31:45 +0000

Check out some of these rides being auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson in Orange County, California this weekend, June 25-27. The famous auto auction is new to Southern California this year with hopes to make it a regular event, it looks like. We wouldn't mind driving these cars. See what's up for auction.

http://www.barrett-jackson.com/application/onlinesubmission/currentcarlist.aspx?aid=343&sd=06/25/2010&ed=06/27/2010

General Lee Corvette ZR-1

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:46:21 +0000

We've seen our fair share of General Lee clones, both authentic recreations of the infamous moonshine-running '69 Dodge Charger and well, others that weren't so much, including Ford Pintos, Russian-built Ladas, Toyota Carollas and so many more. But, we haven't seen a General quite like the one HELIX Drinks sponsored for this past June 8th-13th Gold Rush Rally, a five day race from Seattle, WA. to Las Vegas, NV.

Starting with a 2010 ZR-1, the gnarliest Corvette GM's ever built, HELIX had the racecar-for-the-road wrapped in the iconic orange paint scheme (replete with "01" door markings and Dixie flag on the roof) made famous by the CBS' show's river jumpin', Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane-outrunnin' Duke boys so many years ago. Making 638 horsepower, this General Lee definitely overpowers the Chargers from before, as most of the Dodges used for the show touted wimpy 318 small blocks (contrary to all of our hopes that a 426 HEMI propelled John Schneider and Tom Wopat down those twisty trails). The 'Vette touts the Dixie horn too, along with a pulley, tune, exhaust, and full Caravaggio interior.

Check out the pics and read the full story at here: http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/general-lee-corvette-zr-1-a-2827.html.

Story provided by www.lsxtv.com.

National Car Collector Day

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:27:47 +0000

The United States Senate, at the request of SEMA and its councils, particularly the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO), recently declared July 9, 2010, as Collector Car Appreciation Day.

Individuals, car clubs and automotive businesses are encouraged to join in the effort in raising awareness of the vital role that automotive restoration and collection plays in American society by organizing auto-related events on or around July 9, 2010.

A list of Collector Car Appreciation Day events taking place throughout the country can be found by clicking here. To read more, click here.

**Information provided by www.sema.org.**

2010 Hot Rod Power Tour

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:11:50 +0000

See highlights from the 2010 Hot Rod Power Tour. Visit www.cpgnation to see the trip from the COMP Cams perspective or www.hotrod.com to see Hot Rod Magazine's pics.

Gearheads4Life.com Launches Online Store

Wed, 12 May 2010 16:04:24 +0000

Gearheads4Life.com is the automotive aftermarket’s newest one-stop-shop for memorabilia, merchandise and more

Gearheads4Life.com is a new web store featuring apparel, decals, banners, wall signs and much more from your favorite aftermarket brands, including COMP Cams®, TCI®, RHS® and ZEX™. The new online store allows you to shop for your favorite brands in the safety and convenience of your own home - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Gearheads4Life.com has safe, secure checkout and a Wishlist feature that allows you to save a list of your favorite items so friends and family can shop for you without the guesswork. Never receive a gift you don’t want again – create your Wishlist today. Visit often to see updated offerings, discounts and special offers.

Throughout 2010, Gearheads4Life.com will be sponsoring the “Gearhead Babe of the Month” contest. Simply follow the instructions found at gearheads4life.com to send a picture of your favorite Gearhead Babe (tastefully) clothed in her favorite performance brand apparel. Beginning in April of 2010, a winner will be chosen each month and featured on the web page and will also receive an apparel prize package. At the end of 2010, all Gearhead Babe winners will be featured in a wall calendar that will be available for purchase on the website.

Become a Facebook fan or Twitter follower of Gearheads4Life.com and receive special promotional codes for discounts, free shipping and other offers. Visit us online at www.gearheads4life.com today.

Welcome to GearHeads4Life.com

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:03:10 +0000

Gearheads4Life.com is the automotive aftermarket’s newest one-stop-shop for memorabilia and merchandise.

This new webstore features apparel, decals, banners, wall signs and much more from your favorite aftermarket brands, like COMP Cams, TCI Automotive and Racing Head Service and allows you to shop from the safety and convenience of your home. Visit us often to see our updated offerings and discounts. Shop Gearheads4Life.com – you can’t afford not to!

For your convenience, Gearheads4Life.com offers a Wishlist feature that allows you to add your favorite items from our webstore and will then let your family and friends shop for you without the guesswork. Create your Wishlist today!

Gearheads4Life.com will be sponsoring a “Gearhead Babe of the Month” throughout 2010. Simply click on the link on our homepage and follow the directions to send us a picture of your favorite Gearhead Babe (tastefully) clothed in one of our designs. Beginning in April of 2010, a winner will be chosen at the end of each month and will be featured on our webpage and will also be the recipient of an apparel prize package. At the end of 2010, all Gearhead Babe winners will be featured in a wall calendar.

With so many discounts and special offers, as well as our Wishlist feature and other fun ways to be involved with Gearheads4Life.com, what’s there not to love?

GearHeads4Life.com