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First Drive: 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR

I have to admit that I'm biased when it comes to the Dodge Viper. I've had a soft spot for the venomous snake since the GTS coupe hit the streets in 1996. The aggressive design, powerful 8.0-liter V10 with 450 horsepower (doesn't sound like much now, but it sure seemed like a lot then), and the blue paint scheme with white racing stripes were the ideal combination for my dream sports car. I'm going to be that guy at the 2030 Barrett-Jackson purchasing a mint, low-mileage, numbers-matching 1996 or 1997 Dodge Viper GTS, and, of course, you'll be the one watching on SPEED commenting how I'm paying way too much for a classic American muscle car.
posted : 8/9/2008 @5:38:50 PM
VIDEO: Sam Hubinette cuts it real close

We know Sam Hubinette has incredible drifting skills. The Crazy Swede is a two-time champion in Formula Drift and makes a living doing stunt driving, but that still doesn't mean we would put our life in his hands. Streetfire.net's Creative Director Alexis Godschalk, however, seems to have more of either faith or bravery than we do. While filming a video intro StreetFire, Hubinette sends his Viper hurtling towards Godschalk and doesn't even flinch.
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posted : 8/9/2008 @5:29:30 PM
Blown HEMI: SMS announces new 296 supercharger system

Steve Saleen grabbed our attention when he announced his new company SMS Limited and gave us a preview of his upcoming versions of the Dodge Challenger, the 570TM and 570XTM. Since the preview only showed a rendering of the vehicle, we figured it would be quite some time before we saw an actual product. Our expectations were exceeded, however, when SMS sent us news of their very first product: the 296 Supercharger system for the 5.7L and 6.1L HEMI V8. The system features a massive 2955 cc of displacement as well as an internal intercooler, eight-rib pulley, by-pass valve, high-volume heat exchanger and more. The kit can increase horsepower by as much as 45%, all while fitting neatly underneath the stock hood.
posted : 8/9/2008 @4:54:21 PM
eBay Find of the Day: Uncle Rico's Van

In the market for a sweet ride? Consider Uncle Rico's van, which is currently on eBay and located in Columbus, Ohio. The van in question is an orange 1975 Dodge Santana Camper van, which isn't all that noteworthy by itself... but this one was featured in the 2004 cult-classic Napoleon Dynamite, making its new owner an especially lucky fellow. It's got a couple of beds, a stove, a refrigerator and a sink, though a Liger is not included. Take a good look at all the pics in our gallery below and remember to Vote Pedro for President.
posted : 8/9/2008 @4:39:56 PM
Chrysler and Nissan consider sharing mid-size carLending further credence to earlier rumors of platform sharing between Chrysler and Nissan, The Wall Street Journal reports that Chrysler is in talks to base its next mid-size sedan on the next-gen Altima platform. Chrysler's "Project D" focuses on finding or designing a suitable replacement for the current Sebring and Dodge Avenger, models which have fallen on their faces with consumers. Other rumors point to Fiat being the chosen platform-supplier. After all is said and done, Chrysler could have a line-up which consists of a small car from Chinese automaker Chery, another small car from Nissan, a mid-size sedan from Nissan and a line of full-size sedans, pickups and SUVs of its own design. While Chrysler's main goal is to become profitable once again, there is certainly some danger in becoming a re-brander of cars from other companies, especially in the hotly-contested mid-size sedan market.
posted : 8/9/2008 @4:21:12 PM

Customers swoop into Chrysler dealers for last-minute leases

A quick look at July sales figures shows that Chrysler saw a massive 34% drop in its Daily Sales Rate vs. July 2007, but the bottom line could have looked worse. Chrysler's recent announcement that its financing arm would exit the leasing business by July 31 had lead to a rush of customers visiting local Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealerships. Some dealers sold four times as many vehicles as usual for the last couple days of the month, giving the stores some relief from an otherwise bleak July. Now dealers are worried that the increased sales volume could lead to a still more bleak August, since many customers pulled forward their purchase decision.

Some dealers are trying to find third-party banks willing to get in on the leasing game, but a tight credit market and massive losses at automaker credit arms have made leasing look very unattractive as lease price begin to rise. Chrysler is hoping a fresh round of incentives will help cushion the blow, as zero percent financing and plenty of cash on the hood is the order of the day for now. Chrysler historically leased about 20% of the vehicles it sold, so if a whole new round of juicier incentives doesn't entice customers to "Shop til you Drive", August may look even worse than July

posted : 8/8/2008 @7:39:49 PM
AutoblogGreen tries out Chrysler's new Aspen Hybrid

Later this month Chrysler will finally launch the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango hybrids. These are the first non-GM products of the 2-Mode hybrid partnership that also includes GM, Daimler and BMW. Chrysler hopes that the hybrid models can revive its big SUV sales, but if GM's experience with the Tahoe and Yukon Hybrids is any indication, there may be cause for concern. With that in mind, Chrysler has priced its hybrids $8,000 lower than the comparable GM models in that hopes that doing so will kick-start sales. Back in June, AutoblogGreen drove the Chrysler Aspen hybrid from Portland, Maine to Boston, Mass. Head over to ABG to read all about how it fared and how much the hybrid system boosts the truck's mileage. Hint: it did better than expected.
posted : 8/8/2008 @1:51:59 PM

Rendering pays homage to BMW M1 and Dodge Challenger

Combining a Dodge with a BMW doesn't sound like a good idea. But then again, sound and sight are two different things. So just when we thought we'd seen it all, we're thrown for a surprise.

A Russian illustrator by the name of Remio, evidently quite skilled with the Photoshop and CAD, has managed to blend the new Dodge Challenger with the BMW M1 Homage show car, and the results are rather surprising. While some rendered speculation can prove to be quite close to the mark when the subject goes into production, we'll have to file this one squarely in the "never gonna happen" folder. Shame.

posted : 8/8/2008 @1:45:13 PM
Chinese companies selling $1,400 Dodge Tomahawk knock-off

Back before Chrysler was bought by Cerberus, you could always count on the automaker to roll out something truly special at the Detroit Auto Show. Whether by stampeding an entire herd of cattle through downtown Detroit or putting motorcycle bits all around the V10 engine of a Viper, Dodge has always found a way to capture people's attention. The Viper-inspired Tomahawk motorcycle was especially memorable. It seems that some are still miffed that Dodge never offered the fabled bike as a regular production machine, though a few were in fact created and sold as non-runners. Now a company (or companies, who knows?) in China has decided to offer a motorcycle based on the design of Dodge's original concept. We should stress that this is in no way a replica, as the original V10 engine has been replaced by a single cylinder 150cc engine and CVT transmission from a scooter. It's not street legal and also cannot be sold in California. As with all small-bore motorcycles and scooters coming from China with questionable origins, we really cannot recommend you purchase one for yourself with visions of riding it to work. If you just want to see it in your garage though, it'll surely work as a rolling sculpture quite nicely.
posted : 8/8/2008 @1:38:55 PM
The "jeeps" of Iceland: here there do be monsters

Not too long ago, we posted a bit about Iceland's "jeeps". This blogger has just returned from ten days in the North Atlantic with those very brutes, and they're every bit as massive -- and cool -- as they look. We even got to go for a spin in one, get a look at another one, and take pictures of a whole bunch more. What was it like? The same thing we said before: "big-wheel badness."
posted : 8/7/2008 @8:27:56 PM
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