By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Citing an informed and confidential source within GM’s executive ranks, Automotive Traveler has confirmed that not only will Pontiac’s highly regarded G8 sedan migrate to the Chevrolet brand, but it will be built in North America at GM’s Oshawa, Ontario plant.

Late this morning, Automotive Traveler learned through confidential sources at GM that the G8 (based on GM’s Global Zeta platform, a lighter, more efficient version on the chassis that currently underpins the G8) will be built in Oshawa, Ontario, right alongside it’s stable mate, the Chevy Camaro. We have learned that the new car will most likely be called the Caprice, and that it will be launched within 18 months, most likely at the start of the 2011 model year after Pontiac gets its last rites. Read more at Automotive Traveler.

By Ryan Brutt

HemiPwr70

Well let’s just say the past few weeks haven’t gone quite as planned. The original plan was to take my new 2009 Challenger R/T Classic on the Power Tour. Unfortunately, Chrysler filed for bankruptcy the day my car was to be finished, and delayed me receiving the vehicle for a few months. I decided to concentrate on my 1971 Dodge Challenger for the Tour, but that didn’t work out either. I discovered some damage to the front end. I knew when going through the damage that it would take a bit of work to get straightened out. So out came the Caprice for its second Power Tour.

The Caprice isn’t a hot rod in the typical sense, but I’ve upgraded and modified the car. It will move with the other cars in the pack, just like last year. The old girl has a V8, cop car suspension, a/c, overdrive and plenty of truck space to carry anything I need or my friends. It is the perfect cruising car.

My best friend Mike was going to do the Tour with me, but stuff came up for him at work, so he is no longer traveling with me. I’ll be doing the Tour solo this year.

Last year I had an incredible time, even after a few issues. I expect that this year will be even better then the last. I’ll  try to post daily updates up until the Tour, so stay tuned.

Continue reading "Hot Rod Power Tour: Always Have Plan A, B, C, D and E Ready" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Click through to King’s ’96 Caprice ride page and find out!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Yes yes, I know you all hate donks and think they’re silly. But admit it: if you had something sitting on 26″ rims, you’d probably want to take a lot of sexy low-angle pics of it, too. See more nice shots of mrsaudi’s ’76 Caprice on his ride page!

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

I’m putting headers on my ’84 Caprice pretty soon. I bought them from a friend last summer who never installed them, but did decide to give them a rattle-can paint job.  Not liking the finish from the spraycan, I sanded them meticulously until they were clean. Left with bare headers, I asked myself:  what now–to wrap or to paint?

Continue reading "To Wrap or to Coat, That Is The Question" »

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

The Caprice wagon you see in this rather poor photo from about ten years ago was my first attempt at a demo derby car. The good news for the Caprice is that it never saw a demo derby.

The whole thing started on a whim. I happened to see a flyer stapled to a telephone pole announcing a local fair hosting a smash-‘em-up derby. That same day my friend Jess mentioned that her parents were looking for someone to take their old family car, the Caprice wagon, to the junkyard, as it had been living in their driveway for far too long and no one wanted it.

I offered them 50 bucks and the promise to have it out of their driveway by the end of the week. It was, as everything I take home, not running. On the way home dad and I grabbed a cap and rotor, plugs, a battery, carb cleaner, and some ether. We zipped the tune-up parts onto the motor, gave it some juice and a zap of ether, and the wheezy 305 sprung to life. We were going to be in the derby business!

Continue reading at BangShift.com

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

We’re a bit put off by the $10,000 price tag, but man, we’re loving the hell out of this car. Talk about a sleeper: it’s a stock looking ’82 Chevy Caprice coupe with a swapped-in LT1 and a single turbo. The dude selling it claims that the car goes 12.20s @ 107 mph on only 7 pounds of boost. He made those runs at E-Town and has the timeslips to prove it.

We’ve always had the thought in our head that these cars could be wicked with the right motor combo under the hood and this one seems to have it. With the right amount of sweet talking and the requisite amount of information withholding, including welding up the hood so no one could peek in, you’d have yourself a money maker.

Once we blew up the LT1, we’d swap in a 468 and hang a pair of turbos on it and set our minds to running some real ETs, but until then this thing would be a comfy commuter, it would knock down decent mileage, and it would embarrass large percentages of the stuff at grudge night. Hit the link and try to wheedle this guy down!

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I love this pic on page 5 of Joshua’s Chevy Caprice ride page. And the rest of his ride page is worth a look, too.

I kind of like the vintage-newsreel treatment on this video. It makes the ’76 Caprice look a lot more old-school than it actually is.

Back in the ’70s, Jack Nicholson was probably on a bunch of stuff, but he was already thinking about getting off oil. In this clip, he’s hyping a venture that proposed using solar power to make hydrogen, then using that "green" hydrogen to power cars converted to run on it. And while the 16 acres of hydrogen-producing solar panels along the California/Nevada border never materialized, this footage does feature Nicholson driving a hydrogen-powered Caprice, and he also fires off some sweet quips for the cameras. There’s a pretty choice one about Preston Tucker’s failed battle with the auto industry, but my favorite was; "If nothing else, of course, [hydrogen cars] will revolutionize suicide. Instead of carbon monoxide poisoning, you’ll just get a steam bath." Is Jack the best or what? Enjoy.