Continue reading "Burly Brits" »

Anyone who has ever done customer service knows that it sucks, and that people are terrible. This transcript on NotAlwaysRight.com is hilarious. Best line? "Your car might be there forever." Here’s the news:

• The egg chair was a hip piece of furniture back in the ’70s, and buying a high-quality one on eBay will cost you a pretty penny. Now a Chicago company is bringing it back, in the form of a child seat. Looks pretty rad, but is it safe? Auto Express
• Though the Tundra has a V8, fully boxed frame and is able to pull off all kinds of wicked stunts on TV, that didn’t help January sales. But Toyota isn’t worried, and says it’ll let Detroit take the lead on incentive programs. Ouch. Automotive News
• According to BMW, the X5 diesel hybrid it will unveil at the Geneva Motor Show will be as clean as a modern sedan. Let’s just not mention how much work modern sedans need. AutoWeek
• Sure, it ain’t easy being green, but it just might be cheap. In LA, GM is set to offer drivers E85 at  .85 cents a gallon. That’s cheaper than a bottle of water! World Car Fans

Ken’s 1984 Starlet has a Toyota V8, Hiace differential, Corona front suspension and Altezza wheels and brakes. The new fiberglass flares make it look pretty darn burly. Can’t wait to see it finished!

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that higher gas prices would have an effect on the demand for cars equipped with thirsty V8s. This has been especially apparent in the luxury area–CNN reports that sales of Cadillac STS sedans equipped with V8s dropped from 26% last year to 17% this year. Last week Chrysler announced the obvious and said that the Hemi is not the engine of the future. And Bob Lutz has been whinning endlessly about the new CAFE standards. So yeah, the future of the V8 doesn’t seem especially bright. That’s cool with me. In fact, I’d be thrilled if most people drove efficient little four bangers, hybrids and electric cars. Just keep building Mustangs, Vettes, Challengers and Camaros, and please keep V8s on the option list.

This is the second SBC MGB that Bill has built. He seems to be going all out this time. He’s using a 305 with a Jag rear end. And he’s fitted some pretty big wheels to the car–18 x 9s in the rear! Obviously he has a ways to go, but I’m guessing it’s gonna turn out pretty cool.

CarDomain Blog readers favor the Dodge Ram over the Ford F-150, by a margin of just less than 2 to 1. Here’s one of the trends that emerged: respondents who preferred the Ram often cited appearance as the deciding factor, while at least one commenter mentioned the resemblance of the Ram’s face to the 2005-and-up Ford Mustang. Both Ford and Ram supporters claimed to base their decisions on build quality, and brand-loyalty tempers flared more brightly than in most previous new-vehicle battles. Maybe that’s because those pissing-Calvin stickers are exponentially more popular among this demographic? Hehe. 

With all the buzz in the blog lately about pickups, I gotta chime in. Being a long-time truck owner, my position is that if you own a house, you have to own a truck too. Taking stuff to the dump, picking up that new generator that just won’t fit in your car, renovations, new furniture—there are just so many scenarios where only an open-bed truck will cut it.  Most pickups these days closely mirror the convenience and functionality of a car–many have four doors and great ease of access.  Essentially they’re station wagon with the rear cargo area open to the sky.  Maybe Studebaker had the right idea with its Wagonaire, all those years ago.  Anyway, it’s only 24 days into 2008 and already the gloves are off: both Ford and Dodge have revealed what their new trucks will look like, so GM and Toyota will have to wait and see if their less-thoroughly-revised 2009 models will stand up to the new trucks. With demand for pickups declining and manufacturers scrambling to outdo themselves by loading their trucks with incentives and great new features, 2009 is sure to bring us a truck-buyer’s market. Let the games begin! I’m just glad I’m not in the market for a new truck because I’m sure I’d go crazy trying to decide.

Yesterday, I linked to a article which said Toyota might best the General to become the world’s number one automaker. Well, they either did, or they didn’t, depending on who you believe. Automotive News is calling it for Toyota, and the Detroit News is going with GM. Personally, I’m blaming Florida. Here’s the rest of the news:

• There’s no cladding on the drop-top Aston Martin DBS in these shots. Maybe the testers figured all the snow would work just as well: Auto Express
• Bob Lutz says that even with gas prices at record highs, US drivers won’t embrace small cars. Maybe he just wants to sell more V8s: Automotive News
• Of course, he might be right. Maybe consumers will just shun cars altogether, and start taking the bus: Seattle Times
• One company that is betting American’s will embrace small cars is smart. They’re so confident, they’re relying on word-of-mouth to move units: Automotive News
• Tesla says they’ve solved the tranny issues that have been plaguing its Roadster, and they’re going to start cranking them out in March. But that’s not the whole story: Wired

Jay stuffed a V8 in this 240Z, but it made it too nose heavy so he went back to the drawing board. He removed the entire firewall and most of the trans tunnel to set the engine back as far as possible. And with the body kit he was able to stuff 11.5" wide rims up front with 305/30/18 Kuhmo V700 tires, and 12.5" wide rims in back with 335/30/18s. On Friday this was the #1 car on CarDomain, and now it’s SOTW. You can check out some videos of the car here.

In its February issue, Motor Trend confirms that GM will be bringing a version of the Holden Ute to the US market. It will be known in the States as the Pontiac G8 ST ("Sport Truck"), and is due to become available this fall. The ST will be available with either a V6 or a V8, and unfortunately at this point, only a 6-speed automatic. A special edition with a 6-speed manual is rumored to be in the works. Another potential Aussie import that has enjoyed significantly less fanfare is the "SW," which, you guessed it, stands for "Sport Wagon." GM has confirmed that it will not be offering a Pontiac G8 SW on the domestic market, amidst dwindling interest in wagons among US buyers. Solid details on the US Ute are still far and few between at this point, but that wont stop me from staking out the local Pontiac dealership come September!