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Watch as this 1968 VW Van Transforms into The Mystery Machine
January 27th, 2011 | 
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This 1968 VW Transporter will be remade by Leif's Auto Centers
It’s not a sports car. It looks like a box that might contain a sports car. It’s a 1968 Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter – commonly known as a microbus. On its best day, this vehicle was a utility wagon, and its 47 horsepower engine never impressed anyone with its speed and torque.
This particular 1968 Volkswagen Transporter has already had a long and useful life, and it bears the battle scars of 43 years on the road. After nearly half a century of putting along in the slow lane, this ancient “panel delivery” bus was recently purchased by Leif’s Auto Centers as a company project car. Read the rest of this entry »
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Car Quiz #5
The Chevrolet Corvette is built in what state?
a. Michigan
b. Indiana
c. Kentucky
d. Ohio
Mustang V-6 Averages 48.5 mpg in 1,457 laps at Bristol
BRISTOL, TN.– A team of drivers including NASCAR star David Ragan and four Ford Mustang engineers, drove a 2011 Mustang V-6, using a single tank of gas, to complete 1,457 laps of the Bristol Speedway in a Ford sponsored event called the Mustang 1,000 Lap Challenge. The team averaged 48.5 mpg, logging 776.5 miles during the event. The drive took 17 hours and 40 minutes at an average speed of 43.9 mph.
Great Book For Hot Rodders – “Merchants of Speed” by Paul D. Smith
Merchants of Speed – The Men Who Built America’s Performance Industry
by Paul D. Smith
Motorbooks International, Minneapolis Minnesota, 2009
240 pages, 250 b/w photos
List price: $40
ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-3567-3
One of the many cultural developments that accompanied the end of the Great Depression and the second World War was the rising interest (some might say craze) for automotive performance that continues to this day. As Americans came home and started the business of building the postwar nation, a few automotive visionaries began developing performance parts for the standard family wagons that the big three were making in Detroit.
Kansas, Oregon Drivers Are Best – New York Scores The Worst, According to GMAC Insurance
The 2010 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test released today found that nearly 1 in 5 licensed drivers – roughly 38 million Americans – would not pass a written drivers test exam if taken today. Kansas drivers scored the best, at 82.3 percent average, followed by Oregon in second place at 82.1%. New York drivers ranked last (70 percent average score). Full results can be found at www.gmacinsurance.com.
The sixth annual survey polled 5,202 licensed Americans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, gauging driver knowledge by administering 20 questions taken from state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) exams. Additional questions explored distracting habits such as texting while driving.
Recession Lightens – And Cars Become Less Affordable
The purchase and financing of an average-priced new vehicle cost 23.4 weeks of median family income in the first quarter of 2010, according to Comerica Bank’s Auto Affordability Index. That takes into account both median wages and purchase prices of new cars.
The first quarter reading showed affordability worsened by 0.3 weeks from the Index’s revised fourth quarter level of 23.1 weeks of median family income. The average total cost of buying and financing a new car increased by $500 to $27,500, an 8 percent annual rate increase from the previous quarter. That may not sound like much, but it’s the trend that we care about – car prices (including finance charges) are rising faster than incomes.
Porsche’s New GT-2 RS – Fastest Street Porsche Ever
The latest 911 is the fastest and most powerful road-going sports car ever built in the history of Porsche. The car in question is the new 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Boasting 620 horsepower in a 3,020 pound package, in road trim with all fluids on board. This car turned a lap of seven minutes, 18 seconds on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife. That ain’t slow.
With horsepower (hp) up by 90 and weight down by 154 lbs (70 kilograms) in comparison with the previous 911 GT2, the new 911 GT2 RS has a power-to-weight ratio of just 4.9 lbs (2.21 kg) per horsepower, by far the best power/weight ratio in its class. These are the ideal ingredients for an ultra-high-performance sports car with supreme agility and truly blistering performance on the road. Perfectly illustrating Porsche Intelligent Performance, the 2011 GT2 RS achieves a reduction of approximately 5 percent for both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions when compared with the previous 911 GT2.
Test Drive: 2008 Dodge Avenger
I’ve had both ends of the Dodge spectrum in the last couple of weeks. The first car I drove was the Dodge Avenger SE. This is Dodge’s economy sedan, oriented towards young people – it’s priced to be your first-ever new car at $18,220. The model we tested had a $220 easy-clean seat option (handy for new parents) and a $675 “Destination Charge”. I don’t know about you, but the first thing I’d say to the salesman is “getting it to the dealership is your part of the deal, driving it away is mine.”
So, let’s take a look at the Avenger. From the outside, it’s got all of Dodge’s latest styling cues – in fact, it looks like a 7/8th scale Charger. The styling is retro-sporty, and the car is not that much smaller than its big brothers. It’s a nice looking ride.