2011 COTY
WTF! I am a bit behind on news and just learned that Motor Trend picked the Chevy Volt as the 2011 Car of the Year. Give me a damn break. The over-hyped piece of junk is no Car of the Year. Did Motor Trend sell out to boost the model and the GM brand? Lame.
LA Auto Show
Time for the LA Auto Show. The show starts today and runs through Sunday, November 28. I may post updates through next week, but may not as many automotive sites will have the latest and greatest updates.
Facebook Whip
What the hell? Is the below a Facebook marketing tool or an example of automotive styling gone wrong? Is Zuckerberg trying to target the urban crowd? Is a Facebook urban clothing line in the works? How about an official Facebook rap? Whatever.
Jeep Black Ops Edition
Check this out Black Ops fans. Activision and Jeep bring you the 2011 Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: Black Ops Edition. Want one? Pony up $30,625 for the two-door model and $33,500 for the four-door model (check dealer for final prices of course).
Smoke Ring
Check out the video of the badass Aston Martin One-77 at Nürburgring. The limited edition Aston is powered by a 7.3L V12, which pumps out 750 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. The Aston can accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds and tops out at 200+ mph. Nice!
RIP Pontiac
Well, another one bites the dust. The Pontiac brand is officially dead. Government Motor's agreement with Pontiac dealers expired yesterday, October 31st. R.I.P. Pontiac. Check out the Pontiac site for warranty and service information.
2011 CL63/CL65 AMG
As mentioned yesterday, new production models are debuting at the 2010 Paris Auto Show including the Mercedes-Benz 2011 CL63 & CL65 AMG models. Let us put the subtle exterior changes aside for a minute, so we can take a look at the pony factory.
The CL63 loses the 6.2-liter for a new 5.5-liter twin-turbo. The new power plant is rated at 563 hp and 664 lb-ft torque. The badass CL65 keeps the 6.0-liter V12 twin-turbo, but gets a few more horses. The beast is rated at 621 hp and an asphalt smashing 738 lb-ft torque.
2010 Paris Motor Show
The production car debuts are out. Mercedes-Benz is showing their badass 2011 CL63 AMG and Nissan is pimping their restyled 2012 GT-R. Porsche, Ferrari, and others have some nice rides in the queue too. I will take the GT-R in White or Black, thank you!
Video Credit: GTBoard
Crazy Fast Chevy II
Check out Larry Larson's awesome 6.95 second quarter mile run. The run was filmed at Hot Rod Drag Week 2010 last week. The crazy fast Chevy II averaged 7.0725. Jeff Lutz was not far behind with an average of 7.1848. Damn!
Unlimited Class Winner (ET/MPH)
- Hebron, OH - 7.1220 @ 189.3900
- Clermont, IN - 7.0150 @ 205.5100
- Milan, MI - 7.1581 @ 204.5900
- New Alexandria, VA - 7.1114 @ 184.2800
- Hebron, OH 6.9560 @ 209.1000 (Crazy Fast)
Volt Prediction
GM has announced pricing of the Volt. Are you ready? The base model price is $41,000 and the fully loaded model is a whopping $44,600. Are you kidding? I can purchase a fully loaded Toyota Prius for $15,000 less. Why should consumers buy a Volt?
Here is a prediction. GM will rely heavily on the $7,500 federal tax credit to pimp the Volt to consumers. The 18-month "pilot" program will sell less than 10,000 cars. General Motors will discontinue the model or cancel the national rollout. Any bets?