Like every job, we have good days and bad days here at Inside Line. And then there are odd days. Like when European Correspondent Alistair Weaver went to Switzerland to be dragged behind a Bentley.
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Categories: Bentley,Miscellaneous,Videos
I was in Chicago this week and without my usual video team entourage, so Ed Hellwig filled in for the Week in Review. Enjoy.
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Categories: Videos
The Ram Laramie Limited -- a $45,000 luxury truck -- debuted at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. We were too busy checking out the Mossy Oak edition to catch it on the floor, but if this video is any indication, we missed something cool. I mean, why else would this lovely lady be snorkeling up to a deserted beach in night-vision goggles?
Oh, because it will be one of the stars of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition? Fair enough.
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Categories: Ram,Trucks
I may not be a Blackhawks fan, but how awesome is this thing? Ditch the vaguely offensive Native American motif with 5,000 Maple Leafs and this just might be something I'd stuff in the corner of my 18-car hypothetical garage as a laugh. Would I drive it? Well, no, it's a little embarassing (and a Camaro convertible). It would be like going to the grocery store wearing a jersey ... and a hat, shorts, sneakers, foam finger, ear ring and tattoo.
But yes, totally awesome. I mean, how cool is that grille? You could put that on your car alone and nobody would really know what the holes were until you got up close. Ditto the Chevy badge. The clear hockey puck shifter is also just brilliant and only slightly less ergonomic than the Camaro's actual shifter.
In total, however, this is still less ridiculous than this.
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Categories: Chevrolet,Chicago Auto Show
Dealing with the insurance company is any classic car owner's worst nightmare. If you've got your ducks in a row, you've had your baby lovingly appraised at every turn of the wrench. If you're slacking on that -- or don't know how reputable your appraiser is -- every time you leave it alone or drive on a public road, the "what ifs" start creeping in.
The insurance companies get this, too. State farm has come up with this innovative Jekyll/Hyde way to show off their commitment to the classics market. "...the car is being used to educate State Farm field agents on the special challenges of assigning proper values to collector cars and owner-modified vehicles. This knowledge enables the agents to accurately assess value and correctly underwrite such special-case vehicles."
On the driver side, this '68 Chevy Camaro RS Convertible is built to high-quality factory specs. The passenger side is full of aftermarket good, custom body work, and "deliberately less-exacting craftsmanship."
State Farm will be sending the two-faced Camaro to various auto shows including the Chicago auto show which is now open to the public.
Oh, and in case you were afraid that they'd ruined a perfectly good car, this particular Camaro came in as a total loss due to fire and the company's Vehicle Research Facility decided this could be a fun project.
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Categories: Chevrolet,Miscellaneous,Tuners and Modifications
Getting through this Friday alright? No? Need something to make at least a few minutes go away? Here, watch this formula car drive on the Nurburgring GP track in the snow.
If this car / stunt looks familiar, it's because they've done this before. Previously we've seen Andreas Gulden, Chief Instructor of the Nurburgring Driving Academy driving one of the Formula Cars on the Nordschleife...in the rain. His job does not suck.
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Categories: Motorsports,Videos
The Ford B-MAX concept that debuted at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show had this nifty pillarless design that we assumed would never make it to production. Without a fixed B-pullar, the B-MAX concept had the type of seat access that parents (or others who need to load a lot of awkward things into the car) would kill for. Today Ford announced that the production B-MAX would have that innovative feature.
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Categories: Ford,Hatchbacks
16-inch steelies. Non-matching bumpers, door handles and wing mirrors, no AC... I am seriously into this Toyota GT86 RC Spec.
The 86 RC is the least expensive model in the 86 line coming in some 500,000 yen less expensive than the G and aimed at the tuner/racer market. It's got a six-speed manual transmission, the same 200 horsepower flat-four from the normal one and, well, that's about it. The shifter, steering wheel and pedals are plastic. There is no air conditioning or stereo or cup holders. Significant amounts of soundproofing materials have been removed.
This adds up to not only a cheap package, but a light one as well. Curb weight here is 2,623 pounds. Unfortunately, the limited slip also gets removed for this package but that's an easy fix.
Categories: Coupes,Sports Cars,Toyota,Tuners and Modifications
Audi has just released official photos (lots in hi res after the jump) and information on the new, 'hot' TT RS Plus. The rumor mill had been grinding away at this one for some time and, as often happens, the final car is a bit more disappointing than we'd heard. It has the same 360 horsepower 2.5-liter I5 as the TT RS but is 108 pounds lighter and has these cool 19-inch 5-arm-rotor-design black wheels with red highlights. These wheels are a $400 option on the normal RS.
Visually this new car has matte aluminum accents on the front splitter, diffuser and the stalks holding up the wing ($950 option on the RS). The wing mirrors are carbon fiber ($1,900 on the RS) and there is no crossbar in the grille.
In other markets, like the normal RS, this will be available as a coupe and a hardtop with either a manual transmission or a DSG. In the US the RS is only available as a coupe with a manual transmission. We probably won't be getting this one and that's okay. Still, it's a looker. Big photos next.
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Categories: Audi,Coupes,Tuners and Modifications
Tesla CEO Elon Musk's presentation got all "frunked" up Thursday night at the unveiling of the 2014 Tesla model X crossover electric vehicle.
The stubbly-bearded entrepreneur was happily explaining the newest Tesla EV's copious cargo space to an invitation-oly audience of close to 1,000 friends, employees, customers, potential customers and the usual handful of scruffy media types when the latch locking down the front hood got stuck.
What's a hood latch got do do with cargo space? Isn't that behind the seats? Well, yeah.
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Categories: Crossovers,Electric Vehicles,Tesla Motors
To be frank, the Chicago auto show has limited importance as a venue for introducing new cars to the world through its press days. However, for regular folks visiting the show, it's probably the best in North America. For one, almost everything introduced at Los Angeles and Detroit is shown here in Chicago (not the NSX Concept, though). Then there's the sheer enormity of McCormick Place's two exhibit halls. This allows for a huge number of cars on the floor, with manufacturers capable of showcasing different trims of the same car.
There's also enough space inside for indoor ride-along events. Jeep usually puts one outside and Detroit is home to an environmentally friendly car ride-and-drive in the basement, but there are at least four opportunities for folks to experience what certain cars are like when actually moving. Toyota had a large area dubbed Toyota Monopoly Hybrid Ride Experience (I'm not sure why), while Chrysler alone had three different exhibits. The Jeep and Ram ones included a number of off-road impediments, while Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat had a stretch of road used to showcase an initial burst of acceleration, then braking. The latter actually looks as if you're going to be part of a crash test.
It all seems like good fun and adds something to the auto show experience. Journalists may be cold on Chicago, but car fans shouldn't be.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Chrysler,Dodge,Fiat,Jeep,Ram,Toyota
There aren't a lot of new cars at this year's Chicago auto show. Sure, we've got the Acadia and the production ILX, but beyond that, everything here is something you've seen before. Or, in the case of this 1993 Ford SVT Cobra R, WAY before. 1992 before.
Ford debuted the SVT Mustang at Chicago in '92 and brought this museum-quality, 4,100-mile beauty back to coincide with the anniversary. It's one of 107 Cobra Rs produced. The Cobra R differentiated itself from the regular Cobra by a factory rear-seat delete, radio delete, sound-dampening material delete, adjustable Koni shocks, external oil cooler, an aluminum radiator and these neat 17-by-8-inch three-spoke wheels. It was powered by the same 5.0-liter V8 making 235 horsepower -- that was a big number in '93.
The only thing Ford could have done to make this a more special reveal would have been to bring out the F-150 Lightning, which also debuted at Chicago in '92.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Classic Cars,Coupes,Ford,Sports Cars
Chrysler is all about limited-edition models. From the Jeep Wrangler Islander to the Dodge Challenger Yellow Jacket, these low-volume specials add a touch of customization to your car. The Ram 1500 Outdoorsman Mossy Oak Edition is, without question, customized. Mossy Oak is a brand of camouflage, and suitably it has inspired a Ram covered in leafy autumnal camo. I'm pretty sure the pictures speak for themselves here -- especially the interior.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Ram
"I sleep in a racecar bed!" "I sleep in a big bed with my wife."
This is the the newest bed from Step2 and is part of their new Corvette Collection. I want it. unfortunately, this is a toddler bed which can be converted into a twin. The base carbed costs $229 and has silver rims, for $234 you can get it with real working lights. Along with the bed are a few other Corvette-specific kids room things like a $109 tool-chest style dresser, a Corvette Storage chest and a Corvette Toy Box.
I want it bad. It's debuting at the 2012 NYC Toy Fair and should be on sale during the summer of 2012.
(ChildMode)
Categories: Chevrolet,Miscellaneous
It may be tough to tell by these pictures, but Toyota has freshened the Land Cruiser for 2013. The front and rear have been given a subtle update, along with the cabin. The big V8 also carries over unchanged.
So what's the big deal, then? The 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser now comes in only one fully loaded trim level. There are no options for Toyota's flagship SUV, which should cost more than $70,000. Standard items now include adaptive cruise control, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, a heated steering wheel, a center console cooler box, navigation, JBL premium audio and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system. Should you want more, the Lexus LX 570 has also been tweaked for 2013.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Toyota
Surely you remember all those hot sport-compact cars of ten years ago? Well, we can barely remember them ourselves, but it turns out that tire manufacturers do, because they built ultra high-performance tires for them. Fortunately all that tire technology has not gone to waste.
As we learned at the introduction of the BFGoodrich g-Force Sport Comp-2 the other week, the tire companies initially thought ultra high-performance (UHP) tires would never be more than a marginal market segment, just like hot sport-compact cars. Instead the market for Z-rated tires since 2006 has grown 10 times faster than the overall U.S. tire market. It’s expected to double in size by 2016 when it will become 8 percent of the overall tire market.
We’d guess that this means a Z-rated tire is probably coming to your car sometime soon, and we’ll bet that it will be a lot like BFG’s Comp-2.
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Categories: Car Tech,Dodge,Trends
We could have sworn the V12 Zagato production car had already made its debut, but no, we've only seen the concept plus a couple racecar prototypes that Aston raced in the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Turns out we'll get to see this top car in the Vantage series next month at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show, following its official debut this month in Kuwait. We imagine it won't have gotten any cheaper by the time it arrives in Switzerland, but we'll enjoy looking at it all the same. Aston will build 150, and deliveries begin this fall.
Just don't name this one Zig... OK, guys?
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Categories: Aston Martin,Geneva Motor Show,Luxury Cars,Sports Cars
In just its second public coming-out after an unveiling at last month’s Detroit auto show, the 2013 Cadillac ATS still was under scrutiny at the Chicago auto show this week – that’s Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik sneaking a peek in this underexposed snap – and we picked up a few interesting new details from global Vehicle Line Executive Dave Leone.
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Categories: Cadillac,Chicago Auto Show,Sedans
Note to Android users: Ha. Note to iOS users: As you can see here, we have seriously upgraded the Edmunds.com app for iPad. Actually, maybe you don't see, because maybe you don't yet have the Edmunds.com app. Well, now's the time to get it, because the navigation is incredibly slick and the content is extraordinarily rich -- so much so that you may never need to turn on your laptop again.
Basically, what our mobile team has done is revamp the Edmunds app to take full advantage of the iPad's lovely display... looking at photos and reading our reviews has never been so, so, awesome. Moreover, slider bars make it easy to move between model years and types of content (options, specs, colors, safety, dealer inventory, etc.). Optioning out a car is easy and fun (just tap the check boxes), and we've improved the logic, too, so that you don't inadvertently select conflicting options.
In short, Version 3.0 of the Edmunds iPad app is pretty great. It's also free. And if you already have the app, just run the latest update from the App Store, and presto, you'll have the nice new version.
(Download the app from iTunes)
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Categories: Miscellaneous,Trends
Nissan's contribution to the 2012 Chicago Auto Show was the slightly refreshed 2013 Nissan 370Z. If you've got good eyes and are familiar with the 370Z, you'll notice that this new car -- on sale in June -- has a new front fascia with LED DRLs, new 19s on models with the Sport Pack (new 18s on the rest), red-finished brake calipers, Euro-tuned shocks and a red reflector on the rear fascia where there was previously a black cover. The Z is also now available in Midnight Blue. Apart from the minor appearance differences, this new Z gets two additional speakers with two subwoofers for the Bose Premium pack.
There are no changes to the Z's 332-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 or the 6MT/7AT.
The Nismo Z doesn't get Midnight blue, the new front/rear fascias or the new shocks.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Coupes,Nissan,Sports Cars
