Automotive News

Filed under: Etc., Crossovers/CUVs, Subaru

click above image to view a gallery of the Subaru Tribeca stretch limo

Wow… um… just wow. Words don’t do this stretch Subaru Tribeca limousine justice. It was reportedly built by Ernie Boch Jr., a powerful Boston area dealer that apparently has a penchant for long limousines. Before this he built a stretch Subaru Forester, which happened to be the catalyst for what you see above.

The story told on the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club forum goes like this. Ernie was in Japan for a meeting with executives at Fuji Heavy Industries, to whom he showed them his stretched Forester and then pitched his plan for an elongated Tribeca. They loved the idea and got the Tribeca’s engineers involved, who then shipped plans for stretching the Trib’s chassis to engineers at Subaru’s plant in Indiana. The limo was then built right on the same assembly line as normal Tribecas. The interior, however, had to be done by a custom coachbuilder.

Apparently both the Forester limo, which we’ve heard has been sold to another dealer, and the Tribeca limo, are seen frequently around New England. It’s a crying shame the updated 2008 model wasn’t available at the time, seeing as its new 3.6L boxer six has more ponies and twist available to pull around the limo’s extra metal. Of course, when you’re in the back of a Tribeca limo, you want to go slow so everybody sees you, right?

[Source: NASIOC via Carscoop]

 

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Filed under: Time Warp

click above image for a gallery of the buried Belvedere’s unveiling

Don’t know how we missed this, but apparently the winner of the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere that was buried with a time capsule in Tulsa, Oklahoma some 50 years ago has been determined. His name is Raymond E. Humbertson, and 50 years ago he guessed that the population of Tulsa would be 384,743 in 2007. He was off by 2,286 people, as the population of Tulsa stands today at 382,457. Nevertheless, Humbertson’s guess was the closest, which makes him the winner.

Unfortunately, Humbertson died of cancer in 1979 and his wife also passed away in 1988. His closest living relatives are two sisters, who will take ownership of the prize - a completely rusted 1957 Plymouth Belvedere. The announcement of the winner was made on Friday, June 21st at the East Tulsa Dodge dealership where the car was on display after it had been exhumed from its watery tomb. It’s since been moved to a storage building.

Perhaps it’s tragically fitting that the man who has won the buried Belvedere is no longer with us, as Humbertson is likely cruising in the afterlife with his ‘57 Belvedere that’s equally deceased.

Thanks for the tip, Tom!

[Source: buriedcar.com]

 

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Filed under: Convertibles, Auction Action, Rolls Royce

click above image to view more high-res pics of the Drophead Coupe from RR

Giving to charity is a good thing, no doubt, but what better incentive is there for budding philanthropists than dangling the keys to a brand new Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe in front of their compassionate eyes? One guy took the bait and dropped £800,000, or a little over $1.6 million, at the 9th Annual White Tie and Tiara Ball’s charity auction for a new Drophead Coupe. His cash will go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, while the Drophead Coupe will arrive in exchange later this summer. A new RR Phantom Drophead Coupe costs “only” £260,000, but in comparison to what the undisclosed auction winner paid, that’s beginning to sound like a bargain.

[Source: Newspress]

Continue reading Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe bought at charity auction for $1.6 million

 

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Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, BMW

click above image for a huge gallery of high-res shots

We’ve all seen the spy shots, read up on the crucial details, taken a look at the competition, but now it’s time for the final step. A review of BMW’s new M3. Not due to go on sale until September, the world’s media were invited for a drive of the car and here’s a quick synopsis of what the lads from CAR Magazine thought about Munich’s latest Bahnstormer.

Sporting a new V8 engine, the former model’s trademark metallic rasp is now gone, replaced with a muscle car burble synonymous with performance eights. The powerplant’s high-revving nature means there’s a hole in its low range torque so it needs to be worked to see results. The same six-speed manual carries over from the outgoing version but expect to see a new dual-clutch box to follow soon after.

The final verdict? The car isn’t as hard edged as the previous E46 version - a cost of trying to please a more general audience - but it’s still very fast, practical and well built. Now the wait is on for the hardcore, track-focused, CSL version.

[Source: Car Magazine]

 

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Filed under: China

In China’s capital Beijing, smog levels have gotten so bad that the State Environmental Protection Administration will be removing one million cars from the city’s streets. The Chinese government announced this week that a partial driving ban would be in place between August 7 and 20 in a hope that Beijing’s perpetual smog will disappear. A previous ban of all government cars earlier this year saw traffic jams ease and blue skies return to the capital.

The city has already spent more than $15 billion on trying to improve its air quality, especially now that the Olympic Games being hosted there are only a year away. The situation in Beijing has become so bad that officials measure the performance of their initiatives by counting how many days of blue skies they have in a year. By that measure, these initiatives are having an impact. Last year saw 241 blue sky days compared with less than 100 only ten years ago.

Considering only a handful of Chinese own cars and the fast growth of the economy, we wouldn’t be surprised if this is just the beginning of drastic measures taken by the government to curb the country’s pollution.

[Source: Times Online]

 

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Trucks/Pickups, GMC

Ironhide as he appears in the film, Transformers

Of all the GM rides playing Autobots in Transformers, one of the favorites around here is Ironhide (above), who rolls as a completely tricked GMC TopKick 6500 pickup truck when he’s not kicking ass, taking names, and intimidating Chihuahuas as the Autobots’ weapons specialist. Monroe Truck Equipment, which modifies rides like the TopKick for business owners, has partnered up with Hasbro to offer the ultimate adult Transformers toy: an exact Ironhide replica (minus the giant transforming robot element, of course).

Ironhide buyers get twin big-rig-style smokestacks, 20″ black wheels wearing massive tires in lieu of the TopKick’s standard dualies, custom, powder-coated front and rear bumpers, and a monster winch up front. The only real differences we see on the Monroe Truck version are the amber running lights (Ironhide’s are blue) and the non-aero mirrors. As for the look of horror on Prius drivers’ faces when you thunder by in this thing, well, that’s an intangible that you can’t put a value on. Ironhide effing rules!

[Source: Inside Line]

 

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Green, Chevrolet, GM

Click image for photo gallery

It won’t hit dealerships until October, but the Chevy Malibu Hybrid is now officially on display in San Francisco at the MLB All Star Game’s Fan Zone, which opened to the public today. The Malibu Hybrid is basically the fraternal twin of the Saturn Aura Green Line we recently reviewed at Autoblog and AutoblogGreen. Powered by the same mild hybrid setup, the Malibu Hybrid boasts a 24/32 city/highway EPA fuel economy rating, a slight upgrade over the non-hybrid 4-cylinder. Unlike the standard 4-banger, however, this one should be eligible for a tax credit. By introducing it at the All Star Game, GM gets to kill two birds with one stone: it’s puts the new Malibu in front of a lot of faces that probably haven’t seen it yet, and it tells the public that a Hybrid version’s on the way. Malibu will also be available with the aforementioned non-hybrid Ecotec as well as GM’s smooth-operating 3.6L V6. Follow the jump for the press release issued by GM.

[Source: GM]

Continue reading Chevy Malibu Hybrid making debut at MLB All Star Game

 

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupes, Audi

Click image for photo gallery

On the heels of its latest creation the Abt TT Roadster, Abt Sportsline has released the first renderings of its forthcoming AS5 coupe. Based on the hot new Audi A5 powered by the European-market 3.0 TDI engine, the AS5 gets all the thing’s you’d expect from a tuner like this: updated bodywork, a new wheel/tire package, a choice of engine upgrades, a new exhaust system, and more.

The AS5’s new aero kit is typical of the work Abt has done before, with tastefully inplemented skirts and spoilers, along with a rear diffuser and fender-mounted side extractors. Quad exhaust outlets lend musclular looks and sound to the after portion of the car, and the TDI will be upgradeable to power levels of 272 or 300 horsepower. Sport suspension and brake upgrades will also be made available, and owners can top everything off with a two-tone paint scheme if so desired. We’re very curious to see how that looks in the metal.

[Source: Abt Sportsline]

Continue reading Abt Sportsline announces Audi A5-based AS5

 

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Filed under: Convertibles, Auction Action, Etc., Ford

If you’re a Mustang fan and you like model cars, this is the eBay auction for you. Exotic Playboy show Headlights and Tailpipes used this pull-apart 2006 Mustang as the grand finale of its final episode, and now this otherwise beautiful yet almost completely useless Stang is up for bidding. That’s right, the aftermarket rims on this Mustang are truly just for show, as the only way it gets around is on casters, and the car can be pulled apart into four pieces in about two minutes. The auctioneer says this worthless pile of metal can be used as a promotional tool, but unless you own a bodyshop or you’re promoting ways to destroy an otherwise fine sports car, we don’t see where this Lock-Block special can help. This four-piece puzzle cost thousands of dollars to “construct”, but it’ll undoubtedly sell for a fraction of the cost. Check out the gallery of pics to see this famous Mustang in its various forms.

[Source: eBay via Mustang Evolution]

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertibles, Geneva Motor Show, BMW

The recently uncovered BMW 1-Series is sure to inject additional sales volume and revenue into the luxury car juggernaut Bavarian Motor Werks. The folks over at Carscoop captured a canvas-topped mini-Bimmer when nobody was looking, and the resulting shots prove that a topless 1-Series will join the budding lineup. The move makes sense because retractable top BMWs tend to sell well, they demand a price premium, and they just look good. BMW decided on a cloth top as the material of choice, no doubt because of cost and weight concerns, as well as to minimize the impact on the smallish trunk. Expect the 1-Series cabrio to bow at Geneva in 2008, just before BMW’s smallest ride goes live.

[Source: Carscoop]

 

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