VIDEO: 2011 Dodge Durango heads to Virginia Beach

Dodge came out this weekend -so it's still happening- and got involved with the common folks at a half-marathon in Virginia Beach. Officially, the event is called the "Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon presented by SunTrust", but really it was just a nice chance to show off the new Durango (fully revealed here) in action as the pace car/truck/crossover.

If the Durango is the face of things to come from Dodge, the brand might finally be competing with the big boys. Now, if the Journey could get a decent refresh (or a second-generation), Dodge will have a few crossovers to entice family buyers. Tack onto that the refreshed Charger and the upcoming Fiat-based Avenger replacement and we've got a Dodge lineup that could really bring in some customers.

There's a storm brewing between the Explorer and the Durango, and now that both have been detailed and released, what do you think? Check out the vids below for some dealer input and to watch the Durango representing itself out on the road.

By Phil Alex

VIDEO: 2011 Dodge Durango heads to Virginia Beach

Dodge came out this weekend -so it's still happening- and got involved with the common folks at a half-marathon in Virginia Beach. Officially, the event is called the "Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon presented by SunTrust", but really it was just a nice chance to show off the new Durango (fully revealed here) in action as the pace car/truck/crossover.

If the Durango is the face of things to come from Dodge, the brand might finally be competing with the big boys. Now, if the Journey could get a decent refresh (or a second-generation), Dodge will have a few crossovers to entice family buyers. Tack onto that the refreshed Charger and the upcoming Fiat-based Avenger replacement and we've got a Dodge lineup that could really bring in some customers.

There's a storm brewing between the Explorer and the Durango, and now that both have been detailed and released, what do you think? Check out the vids below for some dealer input and to watch the Durango representing itself out on the road.

By Phil Alex

Holden Cruze Hatchback 2010

Holden Cruze Hatchback 2010 ,Its advancing has been accepted for as continued as its auto affinity has existed in Australia, but at aftermost the covers accept appear off: this is the 2012 Holden Cruze Hatchback - albeit, in showcar anatomy and cutting its all-embracing Chevrolet front-end.Designed and congenital in Australia, the Cruze Hatchback will be marketed as a all-around archetypal for GM - cutting the Chevrolet brand and face in best markets - with accumulation for the Australian bazaar to be agitated out appropriate actuality at home from backward 2011.

The Cruze auto is accepted to about-face to bounded assembly in the aboriginal division of abutting year.The 2012 Holden Cruze Hatchback was advised and congenital in Australia.While the Cruze Hatchback pictured actuality is a showcar only, Holden's architecture bang-up Richard Ferlazzo said today that it is a forerunner to a assembly model, advised over 12 months alongside GM designers from about the world.

"Our abrupt was to actualize an another anatomy actualization to the acceptable auto that retained the aforementioned activating accommodation that has fabricated Cruze such a success about the world,” Mr Ferlazzo said.

“We are actual appreciative of the aftereffect which will be tailored added for the Australian bazaar and accustomed an actualization constant with the blow of the Holden portfolio abutting year.”

2010 Mini-Me Sport Cars

2010 Mini-Me Sport Cars

The manufacturer calls these beautiful half-scale sports cars—from the Porsche 356 to the Jaguar above—"children's cars." Whatever. They fit an adult perfectly fine, and I'm getting one to drive straight from my bedroom to my office desk.The cars, which are manufactured with exquisite detail, include the classic Porsche 356, the Mercedes Benz 300SL, the Jaguar E-type, the Willys Jeep, and the Bugatti T35. They use composite chassis and composite body shells, and can be driven by anyone age of 6 and up. In fact, the two seat models can fit a kid and an adult.

They come with 50cc engines, but you can customize them with any racing kart engine you want, as well as choosing automatic or manual transmission.

SSC Ultimate Aero II

SSC Ultimate Aero II

hese absolute aboriginal photos appearance the SSC Ultimate Aero II, the additional bearing of America's fastest supercar. It's gotta new attending and a new mission: accost the appellation of world's fastest assembly car from the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. UPDATE

There already was a time area the American-built SSC Ultimate Aero TT was the world's fastest assembly car, hitting 256 mph with its 1,183-hp 6.2-liter V8. In fact, it was aloof a few weeks ago. But again ze Germans stepped in to abduct the almanac with their adorned Veyron Super Sport and its 268 mph top speed. As anon as it happened the association at Shelby SuperCars aback started talking about their affairs for an alike added ultimate Aero.

Cruze Hatchback: The Looker that Holden Designed and our Artist's Impression of the Production model

The Cruze sedan has been on sale in other markets for a while now. With it finally coming to the States, GM hopes to keep what momentum it has going by debuting the Holden-designed Cruze hatchback in Paris (full details in our previous post). A production version of the damn-fine hatchback is just around the bend, so it's no surprise that Holden will also get its own sleek 5-door Cruze.

Look no further than right above (and below for a larger image) for what a Holden Cruze Hatchback should look like. Holden's Cruze simply gets a different nose, badges, and right-hand drive to make it stand out from its Chevrolet brethren, meaning this pic we photoshopped (pound it down) should be fairly spot-on.

The Cruze Hatchback show car, designed and built by Holden at its Port Melbourne design studio, is the result of a year's worth of work using input from GM designers worldwide.

Richard Ferlazzo, Holden's chief designer, says, "Our brief was to create an alternative body style to the traditional sedan that retained the same dynamic proportions that has made Cruze such a success around the world. We are very proud of the result which will be tailored further for the Australian market and given an appearance consistent with the rest of the Holden portfolio next year."

Thankfully, this one looks so good and so production ready that GM would be hard-pressed to screw it up as much as they did the Orlando MPV.

By Phil Alex

(Photoshop: Carscoop)

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Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback Show Car

Cruze Hatchback: The Looker that Holden Designed and our Artist's Impression of the Production model

The Cruze sedan has been on sale in other markets for a while now. With it finally coming to the States, GM hopes to keep what momentum it has going by debuting the Holden-designed Cruze hatchback in Paris (full details in our previous post). A production version of the damn-fine hatchback is just around the bend, so it's no surprise that Holden will also get its own sleek 5-door Cruze.

Look no further than right above (and below for a larger image) for what a Holden Cruze Hatchback should look like. Holden's Cruze simply gets a different nose, badges, and right-hand drive to make it stand out from its Chevrolet brethren, meaning this pic we photoshopped (pound it down) should be fairly spot-on.

The Cruze Hatchback show car, designed and built by Holden at its Port Melbourne design studio, is the result of a year's worth of work using input from GM designers worldwide.

Richard Ferlazzo, Holden's chief designer, says, "Our brief was to create an alternative body style to the traditional sedan that retained the same dynamic proportions that has made Cruze such a success around the world. We are very proud of the result which will be tailored further for the Australian market and given an appearance consistent with the rest of the Holden portfolio next year."

Thankfully, this one looks so good and so production ready that GM would be hard-pressed to screw it up as much as they did the Orlando MPV.

By Phil Alex

(Photoshop: Carscoop)

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Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback Show Car

2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

Bowing to appeal for a four-door, five-seat high-output dune hopper, Ford has taken the wraps off its accessible 2011 SVT Raptor SuperCrew. It comes with a 12-inch best wheelbase, a 36-gallon ammunition tank, and alike introduces a new blush (Ingot Silver Metallic).

The Raptors f 150 old 5.4-liter V8 is gone, acceptation the 6.2-liter 411-horsepower V8 is standard. For all the specs, analysis out our antecedent column on the new F-150s.

the SuperCrew is willing to compromise performance due to its extended length, well think again.

Suspension travel is still 11.2 inches front and 12.1 inches in back on both models. In fact, everything is virtually the same on both models other than the rear legroom. Both get the big V8, both get FOX Racing Shox, and both get big BFG rubber. As for handling differences, we'll have to be patient for a review.

SVT chief nameplate engineer Jamal Hameedi says, "We spent a lot of time getting the ride and suspension characteristics of the SuperCrew similar to that of the SuperCab, and we were successful in getting the same character and flavor out of the SuperCrew. While the SuperCab and SuperCrew both have different strengths, each is worthy of the Raptor nameplate."

VIDEO: Bentley Continental GT Burned to the Ground in Russia

Hot on the heels of the Ferrari 458 fire recall, here's some footage of a toasted Bentley Continental GT in Irkutsk, Eastern Siberia. Now, my Russian's a little weak, so if anyone could clarify these video reports that would be greeeeeaaaat.

According to the email we received from reader Alex, it appears as if this occurred in the Baikal neighborhood of the city. The investigation is ongoing, and arson is suspected. Mobsters? Could be, but there's really no telling.

Here's the interesting part (bear in mind, what you'll read here was translated through Google): "Testimonies of two cotton suggest arson, the reasons may be the mass, such as a place of competitors, insurance payments or assume illegal parking, as the car was across the parking lot and took three cars."

That suggests that someone either couldn't afford the car anymore, or some people just plain got pissed because the owner took up more than one parking spot. If it's the former, I've got two words for the owner: MONEY MANAGER. If it's the latter, well, learn how to park properly.

By Phil Alex

Hat tip to Alex V.!

Via: Carlifeblog.ru

VIDEO: Bentley Continental GT Burned to the Ground in Russia

Hot on the heels of the Ferrari 458 fire recall, here's some footage of a toasted Bentley Continental GT in Irkutsk, Eastern Siberia. Now, my Russian's a little weak, so if anyone could clarify these video reports that would be greeeeeaaaat.

According to the email we received from reader Alex, it appears as if this occurred in the Baikal neighborhood of the city. The investigation is ongoing, and arson is suspected. Mobsters? Could be, but there's really no telling.

Here's the interesting part (bear in mind, what you'll read here was translated through Google): "Testimonies of two cotton suggest arson, the reasons may be the mass, such as a place of competitors, insurance payments or assume illegal parking, as the car was across the parking lot and took three cars."

That suggests that someone either couldn't afford the car anymore, or some people just plain got pissed because the owner took up more than one parking spot. If it's the former, I've got two words for the owner: MONEY MANAGER. If it's the latter, well, learn how to park properly.

By Phil Alex

Hat tip to Alex V.!

Via: Carlifeblog.ru

Subaru Celeno Sports Sedan Concept

New Subaru Celeno Sports Sedan Concept, Subaru's relatively boring lineup (barring the STI, and to a lesser extent, the WRX), it's refreshing to find people interested in bringing some new ideas to the brand. In the case of the Celeno, that person is budding car designer Xuacu Pérez Quesada.

for more Mr. Quesada interned for Italdesign and received an M.A. in Transportation Design from the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia; he is obviously not a person playing around on the computer with a bong and some photoshop skills (to those people out there: feel free to keep sending stuff in, we don't mind).

The Subaru Celeno is Quesada's interpretation of a small Subaru with some BMW Visions EfficientDynamics thrown in. It's a sleek four-door coupe seen down the hypothetical line created by Subaru's own Hybrid Tourer.

One-of-One 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge drop-top set to cross the auction block

Car auctions always have some interesting product to show off. Hell, I'm going to have to pick up my Boss '9 at one somewhere down the road, but that's beside the point. The one-of-one Pontiac GTO Judge convertible seen here is about to hit the block in a few weeks at Mecum's St. Charles Auction and here's a little something about it.

It's a triple-black 1969 GTO Judge convertible that's been documented - by the Pontiac Historical Society, no less - as a one of a kind vehicle out of 108 Judge convertibles built in the big 6-9.

Riding on redlines, this mack daddy comes with a Ram Air III-equipped 400-cubic inch (6.6-liter) V8 putting down 366 horsepower through a 4-speed tranny. Its option list includes a wood rim steering wheel, Rallye gauges, a hood-mounted tachometer (these need to come back, aerodynamics and legibility be damned), and an 8-track player.

For value's sake, the car's been through a complete restoration with almost all NOS (New Old Stock) parts and has zero miles on it since.

Man, I feel like I need to go haze some freshman just writing about this. Anyone got a case of beer and a paddle?

By Phil Alex

Link: Mecum