This is a video from the ScottieDTV YouTube channel. Scottie is a North Carolina based hot rod spotter that goes to shows and shops to film cars that he finds interesting. This particular show had a trio of interesting hot rod trucks.
Scottie actually updated his channel today with a video of a hot rodded 1953 Ford Wrecker:
Here’s another video of the C7 Corvette that debuted last week at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. You guys seemed to have some mixed opinions on the styling when I posted a picture of the C6 next to the C7 on our Facebook page. Some people liked it while others thought it didn’t look like a Corvette and then we even got accusations of GM stealing styling cues from other manufacturers like Lamborghini. The interviews in this video talk about the decision to push the design to the extreme in order to make it a futuristic interpretation of the classic Stingray theme. It would also be fair to say that the interior is just as revolutionary with design, materials and high tech gauges and driver interface systems. The more I find out about the C7, the more impressed I am with GM’s push to raise their standards on keeping the Corvette a world class performance car.
The concept for the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was born when the question of “What can we do with the Corvette if we allowed the price tag to exceed $100,000?” GM’s answer to that question was a highly capable ZR1 version of their Corvette that stood alone in the American Supercar class. That was until the performance division of Dodge, SRT, decided to make a new Viper. I wouldn’t be surprised if the SRT engineers bought a ZR1 to use as a benchmark because many of the performance specifications are nearly identical. Naturally we have to see which is the better car. Thankfully Motor Trend’s Johnny Lieberman and Randy Pobst are on the job with some hot laps around Laguna Seca.
Cadillac just debuted the ELR extended range electric vehicle last week at the Detroit Auto Show. The ELR is the production version of the Converj concept and is based on technologies from the Chevrolet Volt. Csaba Csere from Car and Driver interviews the engineering, design and marketing minds behind the ELR to get to some of it’s finer details. Right off the bat, this new model is a lot more than a badge swapped Chevrolet Volt. Even though the drive train shares components, the controls programming allows for more power output due to a better understanding of the battery discharge profiles. Cadillac has also decided to add more driving modes including one where the battery energy can be saved for a specific part of your journey. This is great for people whose commute starts on the highway and ends in the city where the electric motor is more efficient. A version of the hold-mode was first available on the European version of the Volt, the Opel Ampera. The ELR will also allow the driver to dial in specific amounts of regenerative braking with shift paddles located behind the steering wheel. The exterior of the ELR was specifically styled “not to scream electric car” which is to say it looks sporty and aggressive. It’s a 2-door coupe that will be about the size of the ATS (which is almost the exact same size as a BMW 3-series). The chassis has also been upgraded with 20 inch wheels, wider tracks and different suspension components for better handling. Cadillac thinks they’ll be pioneering a new market segment with the premium sport luxury extended range electric vehicle. Lets hope they’re not the only ones.
There are a plethora of things that I could talk about that make this Porsche 917 significant. The only one that I will mention is the fact that it combines two very incredible things: Bacon and Race Cars: