Can't decide whether you want to buy a Lamborghini Gallardo or a 2007 Ford Mustang? We feel you. But thanks to handy hands and obviously demented soul of one John Haugh of Cleveland, Ohio, you needn't make that choice. You can instead buy the Gallardo V10-powered, Mustang-bodied, um, thing that Haugh built for reasons that may never be fully understood.
Tearing the V10 out of a Gallardo to implant in the back seat of a 2007 Mustang is a lot like, um, taking something of great value and appeal and putting it into something else of considerably lesser value and appeal. Actually, come to think of it a Lambo-motored Mustang is not actually like anything else at all.
Anyway, Haugh built the car for the SEMA show, the only venue where such a thing would make any kind of sense to anyone -- almost. The disappointingly named the Tractorri is now up for sale.
So for the low, low price of, well, no price is listed. Considering that Haugh once was quoted saying, "If someone were to take the amount of money I put into the Tractorri and doubled it, I still don't think I'd sell," we anticipate he's going to want quite a lot of money for what amounts to the antithesis of one of those fake-Ferraris built on a Fiero chassis.
JamesList via Jalopnik
Categories: Ford,Lamborghini,SEMA Show,Tuners and Modifications
You may remember the Ultimate Streetcar Challenge from the heyday of Sport Compact Car magazine. Editors Dave Coleman and Josh Jacquot (now Senior Road Test Editor at Inside Line) created the event to find out which reader-built cars were the real deal. The car had to do more than just go fast in a straight line, they had to stop, run a road course and be usable on the street too.
That event ended with the magazine's unfortunate demise years ago, but a similar event has taken up the cause. Dubbed the Optima Batteries Ultimate Streetcar Invitational, the modern version pits the best of the aftermarket tuning crowd in a similar contest of speed, handling and all around driveability. It was held just after last year's SEMA show and will be broadcast on Speed this Saturday at 11:00 AM EST and again on Sunday at 4:00 PM EST.
Optima Batteries Ultimate Streetcar Invitational
Categories: Auto Industry,Motorsports,SEMA Show,Tuners and Modifications
Volkswagen is considering production of an R version of its upcoming sixth-generation Jetta at its Peubla factory in Mexico. The new model is part of the company's efforts to give its U.S. lineup a greater number of image-leading performance models and lure younger customers to the brand.
The new four-door sedan, possibly to be previewed at the SEMA show in November, has been conceived to rival popular Japanese and European performance models such as the Honda Civic Si and BMW 128i.
Volkswagen won't officially confirm the existence of new model but officials at the European launch of the new Golf R in Ellmau, Austria this week indicate production plans for the Jetta R are already well advanced.
"Our modular construction and production process make it fairly straightforward. It's now a matter of formulating a sound business case to ensure the car is profitable. We don't want to leave the affordable performance sedan market in the US to our rivals but importing sporting models from Europe is proving prohibitively expensive at the moment," said a high level Inside Line source familiar with Volkswagen's North American model strategy.
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Categories: Coupes,Future Vehicles,SEMA Show,Sedans,Volkswagen
That was the exact word Lutz emphasized to Inside Line when asked whether or not we'll ever see a twin-turbo Chevrolet Camaro.
It was far from an admission of intent, but it does confirm the fact that Chevrolet is looking very closely at the idea. Lutz also confirmed a production version of the Camaro Synergy concept shown at SEMA as well as an all-black special-edition model.
Leaving the door open about a twin-turbo Camaro didn't come as too much of a surprise though. It was only a couple weeks ago that Chevrolet rolled out a twin-turbo V6 Camaro for Jay Leno at SEMA. Jay said it produced around 425 horsepower, so the potential is there for a serious Z28, perhaps.
SEMA: Jay Leno Camaro
Categories: Celebrities,Chevrolet,Coupes,Future Vehicles,SEMA Show
The SEMA show had its share of hits and misses last week. From bitchin rotary-powered Miata hardtops to plenty of Camaro catastrophes, there was something for everyone.
Out of all the displays, however, this one was our favorite. Roland Sands Designs is a one-man design powerhouse that puts together custom motorcycles of such original design you can't help but notice them. And this year, he showed off his wares in a simple display that complemented the bikes and made every other display look like amateur hour.
Roland Sands Designs
Categories: SEMA Show,Tuners and Modifications
This is the Rally Fighter, a kit car built by Local Motors, an upstart builder based in Massachusetts. Unlike most of the other custom-built cars at SEMA, the Rally Fighter was designed entirely through the use of crowd sourcing.
Through competitions on its Web site, Local Motors asked users to submit designs and let the community choose its favorite. The Rally Fighter came out on top, so Local Motors commissioned the build and used crowd sourcing for everything from the engineering to the materials.
It uses a BMW twin-turbo diesel power plant and various off-the-shelf parts to keep costs down. Local Motors says it plans to eventually build as many as 3,000 Rally Fighters and sell them for around $50,000 apiece. Other models are expected to follow, all chosen and designed by committee.
It's an interesting idea and the Rally Fighter looks to have turned out well. But to be clear, the Rally Fighter is not a car, and Local Motors is not a new kind of car company. At least not yet. Click through to find out why.
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Categories: Diesels,SEMA Show,SUVs,Tuners and Modifications
So there I was walking the halls of the SEMA show when, from nowhere at all, I was assaulted by a hogpen of ugly cars. Turns out, every one of these nasties was there to "make green cool." Or at least that's what the banner said.
Truly awful autos after the jump. Look out!
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Categories: Concept Vehicles,Hybrids,SEMA Show
Sitting in the middle of the GM booth at SEMA is Robby Gordon's Hummer H3 Dakar racer. This tube-frame, carbon-fiber-bodied beast uses a LS7 V8 and sequential gearbox to drive the rear wheels. And it looks utterly bad ass.
Gordon's third place finish in this year's event means he's a real contender for the 2010 edition which starts on January 1.
More photos after the jump.
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Categories: General Motors,HUMMER,SEMA Show
We stumbled across this little gem sitting silently on SEMA show floor yesterday with no crowds and no fanfare It's called the Gumpert Apollo. Evolution Motorsports in Tempe, Arizona is the U.S. distributor of the Apollo and we'll be calling them soon to see if we can get some test numbers on the Gumpert.
Haven't heard of a Gumpert? What? It just happens to be one of the fastest road cars in the world. Next thing we know you'll tell us you haven't heard of a Donkervoort. The Apollo held the Top Gear track record for a while and is powered by a 4.2-liter Audi V8.
Make the jump for a video that explains it all.
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Categories: SEMA Show
Why would anyone want a temporary Ford tattoo? Your guess is as good as ours.
Categories: Ford,SEMA Show
You can't find this stuff just anywhere.
Categories: SEMA Show,Trucks,Tuners and Modifications
Have you seen the shocks on the Ford SVT Raptor? They are about as big and burly as you're every going to find on a stock truck. But compared to the other race applications built by Fox Racing Shox, the Raptor's units are comparatively tiny. They're on the right, Fox's 4.4 external bypass dampers are on the left.
Ford SVT Raptor XT Debuts at SEMA
Categories: Ford,SEMA Show,Trucks,Tuners and Modifications
This is yet another attempt to bring back the Trans Am glory days. It has the name and a big 455 V8 up front, but the Lingenfelter 455 T/A just doesn't look right.
Essentially a new Camaro with a heavy makeover, the LPE 455 T/A's proportions are all wrong. If anything, this vehicle highlights the size differences between the new Camaro and the first-generation version. Add on all the Trans Am bodywork and it only gets worse.
At least there's some real muscle under the hood. Lingenfelter built an all-aluminum 455 that the company claims makes 655 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque. There's a heavy-duty clutch setup and reinforced half shafts that feed the power to 20-inch honeycomb wheels with 315/35ZR20 tires.
Categories: Chevrolet,Classic Cars,Coupes,Pontiac,SEMA Show,Tuners and Modifications
Mazda doesn't have a booth at SEMA and is displaying only two cars. The 2.5-liter MZR four-cylinder in the Mazda 3 sedan (top photo) is fitted with a turbo kit from Tri-Point Engineering, the company that builds Mazda's racecars for the World Challenge Series. The kit utilizes a cast-iron exhaust manifold that feeds a Garrett GT2871R turbo tuned to pump out 10 psi. The car also uses Mazdaspeed 3 brake rotors and calipers up front and Mazda 5 rotors and calipers out back.
The lower photo is a very mildly tuned Mazdaspeed 3 that's fitted with Stoptech brakes and an AEM intake. Both cars use forged 19-inch wheels from the RX-8 R3 and 225/40-19 Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires.
We're told the sedan will be available for testing soon.
Josh Jacquot, Senior Road Test Editor
Categories: Mazda,SEMA Show
We only know three things about this truck.
1) It's kickass.
2) It's called Training Day -- Vigilante.
3) It was built by Outlaw Customs in Henderson, Colorado.
Categories: Diesels,SEMA Show,Trucks,Tuners and Modifications
