Culture|Garage

Looks like the ‘ol UAW gremlins are at it again. This week, GM has announced a massive recall on recently manufactured vehicles due to a major fault in the windshield wiper system. It catches on fire. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ok, so this is mildly embarrassing, and dad if you are reading this…I still like girls (not that there’s a problem with that).  But, I have a weird habit of watching Bravo’s Project Runway.  Usually, the Saturn sponsorship of the show feels a bit forced.  But, GM/Saturn/Bravo did a good job on this one.  In the most recent show, they designers had to pillage through five new Saturn Vue Hybrids and use material from them to make their designs.

The results were rather surprising, seat belts were the most popular material, but shift boots, seat covers, etc also helped piece together the outfits.  And finally, the whiny guy with the expanded earrings got the boot.  now if only Blayne would get kicked off, I am sick of hearing “-ilicious.”  If you are interested in a re-cap, read here.

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Well, it’s getting closer.  The c|g 24 Hours of LeMons team will be headed to Toledo soon.  After some issues with…well not having a motor or transmission, we switched from a 1995 Saab 9000 to a 1991 Saab 9000.  After a lot of work the last few weeks we have a car that is actually running.

Our plans are to take it to Brainerd International for a shakedown session and see just how well this thing does.  Keep your fingers crossed for us.  We will be sure to update with pictures and video.

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It’s kinda weird. I have been on a bit of a Camaro kick lately, and it’s cars like this that keep me coming back for more. Although I am loathe to use terms like “murdered out,” I think this Camaro is the definition of the phrase. Actually, I think “knockout” is more accurate, as it is sure to have you falling all over yourself with desire upon first glance. Starting life as a complete, clean 1969 Camaro RS, the builders at G-Force Design Concepts took things a bit further, and, well- just look at it. Read the rest of this entry »

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McRae is a legend among rally and motorsports fans alike.  His iconic grin is well documented and his personality was untarnished.  He was a man you could proudly call a role model.  On Sept. 15th, 2007, Colin and his son died in a helicopter crash.  The rally community still mourns the loss of one of their greatest namesakes.

For the upcoming Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, in Perthshire, Subaru of America and their agency, Carmichael Lynch have created a tribute ad that will run in the program guide.  The headline poignantly states, “There will be other champions. There will not be another Colin McRae.” The copy of the ad goes on: “There will be more races and there will be more drivers but there will never be anyone as passionate about rallying as Colin McRae. Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.”

R.I.P. Colin

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Pictured above is the E46 M3 CSL (Coupe Sport Lightweight) which in my opinion was the best M car to roll out of Bavaria. It was comparable in performance to the Ferrari 360 for half the price. Today M Division boss Luwig Willisch has confirmed that the E92 M3 CSL will not be see production due to insufficient demand and the M Division will be focusing more on the M versions of the X5 and X6. But do we really need another SUV/SAV with gobs of power that isn’t track-worthy?

The E92 M3 CSL was expected to drop up 100kg in weight due to the extensive use of much lighter components and its power would have been increased to 450bhp-470bhp.

These news come to us after BMW also has confirmed that they will not be making any Audi R8 rivals or a production version of the M1 concept which paid tribute to the original M1. So be sure to keep an eye out for the M versions of the X5 and X6 in suburbia driven by soccer moms real soon.

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Jeremy Clarkson would probably cringe at these road tests- in fact, he probably has in one of his rants. However, back in the heyday of television and much of the car world, Bud Lindeman and Car and Track, a televised competitor with Car and Driver, wrung then-new cars out in a series of tests that are both entertaining and informative. While the music isn’t much to write home about- then OR now- the footage of these beasts being wrung out is too neat to pass up. Thus, with YouTube user “MaccalIsntDead’s” posting of these videos, we can all get a good look back in time at what cars were like brand new. The only drawback? YouTube won’t let me post ‘em here- so you’ll have to go check ‘em out for yourself. See all sorts of good stuff, like a Gremlin being put through it’s paces, or a big ‘ol Torino romping through a slalom. Enjoy!

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The first official images of the new RS6 sedan were released last week, now Audi has released a sweet video from its studio detailing the beautiful styling of the new model. The front end remains the same as the RS6 Avant which debuted last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but the rear end of the sedan reminds us of the new B8 Audi A4 and the recently facelifted regular A6 sedan.

Spec wise it’s no different from the RS6 Avant, both feature a 5.0-liter Twin-Turbo V10 engine producing 580 hp (426 kW) and 650 Nm (480 lb-ft) of torque, mated to a six-speed tiptronic automatic transmission system and power is passed to all four wheels via Audi’s permanent all-wheel drive system.

Performance for the RS6 sedan has increased from its Avant sibling, with power-to-weight ratio of just 3.4kg per HP, the RS6 sedan sprints from sprints from 0-100km/h in just 4.5 seconds, shading an extra 0.1 seconds off the Avant’s time. The top speed is electronically limited at 250km/h (155mph) although consumers have an option to raise this to 280 km/h (174 mph).

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