All thanks to the interwebs! Full story at The Sun News

…Yeah, they’ve also got a Challenger widebody kit that extends the front fenders 3″  on either side, and parts that’ll dress up your plain-jane C6 Corvette as either a Z06 or a ZR1. And can you name any other booth at SEMA that has a new Camaro, Mustang, Challenger, and Corvette? Talk about covering all your bases. More pics below the jump!

Continue reading "Classic Design Concepts Claims First 2010 Mustang Shaker Hoodscoop" »

Chrysler CEO Ralph Gilles told me to look out for the 1320 concept over in the Mopar corral, and I have to agree that it’s the coolest thing in the booth this year. The 1320 is an SRT8 optimized for the dragstrip–the package includes a 550 hp aluminum 426 Hemi run through long-tube headers and a Corsa exhaust, a Dana 60 locking rear end with Dynashaft axles, and a stripped-out interior with Viper seats. Carbon fiber accents on the exterior include the hood, spoilers, and headlight buckets, but they’re not in-your-face carbon fiber–it’s all integrated into the 1320’s awesomely nasty acid-yellow-and-satin-black paint scheme. Clever details abound, including Mopar cop car wheels, and the two inboard headlights deleted to make room for air induction ducts. See walkaround video and gallery below the jump!

Continue reading "Dodge Challenger 1320 Concept To Deliver Straight-Line Thrills" »

Really not a whole lot to report about the Mopar booth at SEMA this year. Yeah, the Jeep Lower Forty is cool, but you already knew that. I was nonplussed by the 1320 Challenger. More pics and video after the jump!

Continue reading "Mopar at SEMA" »

Hmmm. Part of me really feels that this much intricate chrome bling overwhelms the otherwise scaled-down, satin-black-accented R/T. At the same time, I kind of dig the whole mis-matchedness of it. What do you guys think?

Continue reading "22″ Gila Wheels… On A Challenger?" »

I still think the Challenger looks great as a convertible (though maybe not with the top up). Come on Ma Mopar! More pics and video after the jump!

Continue reading "Droptop Customs at SEMA" »

This week at Talladega, the competing automakers are each officially debuting their Nationwide Series version of the Car of Tomorrow–and at least two out of the four are opting for  ponycar-based racers. Dodge’s Nationwide Challenger is the hottest ride to take to the NASCAR circuit since the 70’s, and the NASCAR-ed out Mustang, while awkward, is nonetheless going to be a huge shot in the arm for both Ford and the troubled Nationwide Series. The odd man out? (Well, Toyota is sticking with the Camry, because of course they don’t have anything less boring to base a stock car on). But Chevrolet, probably the biggest underwriter of NASCAR in the world, inexplicably opted not to build a Nationwide car based on the new Camaro. What? Yeah, they’re going to stick with the now-played-out Impala, the same nameplate they use in Sprint Cup. Chevy officials made vague PR-sounding excuses about not wanting to compromise the new Camaro’s iconic lines, citing the partially templatized body they’d have to conform to (okay, for one thing, what iconic lines? The Camaro looks like a cartoon, but in a good way–perfectly suited to the Lightning McQueen era of NASCAR). That warmed-over Impala looks nice and everything, but seriously, wtf? They think running a Camaro in NASCAR would be bad for the brand? Unbelievable.

In any case, the new cars are in final testing at Talladega Superspeedway today, and will be run in four races during the 2010 Nationwide Series, beginning at Daytona in July. NASCAR hopes to have the hot new Nationwide rides fully integrated into the series by the 2011 season. Check out a whole gallery of new Nationwide rides below the jump, and read the press release at egmcartech.

Continue reading "NASCAR: Challenger Is A Go For Nationwide Series, But Not Camaro" »

I was really looking forward to seeing this car at SEMA, and so I was pretty excited to stumble across it on the way to the media center this morning. The BASF Petty Blue paint looks fantastic and I really dig the center exhaust. Sorry, no pics of the 426 Hemi under the hood, but I do have a ton more exterior pics after the jump!

Continue reading "Petty Garage Dodge Challenger at SEMA" »

Hot Rod Magazine just annouced the dates and route for the 2010 Hot Rod Power Tour:

Saturday June 5, Iowa Speedway, Newton, IA 

Sunday June 6, Springfield, IL 

Monday June 7, Du Quoin, IL 

Tuesday June 8, Bowling Green, KY 

Wednesday June 9, Chattanooga, TN 

Thursday June 10, Birmingham, AL 

Friday June 11, Mobile, AL

I’ve already got my hotel rooms reserved and I signed up online for the Power Tour at familyevents.com. See you all out there!

Ok, I know I’m biased, but I think Mopar always has the best OEM booth at SEMA. And it looks like this year will not disappoint, despite the whole bankruptcy thing. Just check out this Wrangler “Lower Forty” with its 40-inch tires! Badass! Apparently there is no suspension or body lift on this Rubicon. But the fender flares are four inches higher and an inch wider. I really dig the chopped, integrated roll cage.Three more concepts after the jump, and you can read more about these vehicles over at Autoblog

Continue reading "SEMA Preview: Four Mopar Concepts" »

You can see the September numbers here. So are all the Mustang guys just waiting for the 400 hp 2011 Mustang GT at this point?

This pic is from JEANANDSONS’ 2010 Camaro ride page.

I fully and freely admit that I’ve test driven a couple cars, and boy did I give ‘em hell. I’ve raced on public roads, I’ve done my share of burnouts, but I’ve always had enough sense to perform such shenanigans in the safety of open space. Apparently when a car salesman began encouraging a prospective buyer to “see how fast it’ll go” while test-driving a 2009 Dodge Challenger, he didn’t realize that a car was coming in their direction, and they slammed into the Mercury Sable head on at over 100 miles per hour. The two in the Challenger survived, but unfortunately the two people in the Sable died at the scene. Thirty year-old Brian Lee was charged with reckless driving and vehicular manslaughter.

According to Bryan Lee, he thought he was driving around sixty miles per hour. The salesman was a little more honest with seventy miles per hour. Good thing all new cars come with black boxes that record crash data, because both were caught in a lie. The driver is the only one being charged, the salesman and Lee’s brother who was also in the car at the time of the crash aren’t currently in any legal trouble over the situation.

This has angered me to the point that I become dizzy just thinking about it. Where the hell were this guy’s priorities? I’m game for a spirited test-drive and all, but where do you get off pulling such dangerous stunts on a busy inner city street, especially with two other people in the car?  This is why one family just lost two of their loved ones, and this is why two others nearly lost theirs (Bryan and his brother, and the salesman). Obviously this is why insurance rates are as high as they are, and this is why my state of Kentucky has the highest rate of automotive deaths in the country. Looking at the photos, you can see that the passengers of the Sable didn’t stand a chance.

Continue reading "Deadliest Test Drive Ever?" »

So, remind me again why Ma Mopar decided not to do a Chally vert… More pics at JEANANDSONS’ Dodge Challenger ride page!

If I had the money, this is the Challenger I would order: a 6 speed B5 Blue R/T! More pics at Roy’s ride page.

What a spectacular event!

This past Friday was “THE WORLD FAMOUS MALIBU GOLF CLASSIC” where hundreds of people converged for fun, golf, cars and babes. Hollywood Stars even rose from the grave to attend this puppy! And with great sponsors like REACTOR WATCHES, LEI LANA, DUKES OF MALIBU and BIOMETICS, the festivities rocked.

There was a performance by the hot new artist Hannah Mulholland, Megastar Humphrey Bogart (Celebrity Impersonator, John Tobin) and a slew of MOVIE CARS from the bad boys of STAR CAR CENTRAL. They brought in cars from Starsky and Hutch, Herbie, Vanishing Point and Adam 12.

All in all, a wild event with Golf Kart Drifting and awesome play action. A “Fireball Tim’s WORLD OF CARS” episode will appear here in the coming weeks, but check out last year’s episode here.

More photos on the FIREBALL BLOG!

Continue reading "Hollywood and Star Cars Invade Golf Classic" »