ALMS at Long Beach

With Champ Car going the way of the dodo bird after this year's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, it looks like the American Le Mans Series is poised to take over top billing at America's Monte Carlo. The street course around downtown Long Beach, California is quite a track, with a long tradition of motorsport excitement. Everything from Formula 1 to CART to Trans-Am have run here, but very few series can match the thrill of four different classes running into the dusk like the ALMS presents. This year's sophomore running of the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach showed exactly why the series deserves more support and coverage than it gets. Not only was the on-track action enthralling, but the huge crowds that Long Beach always attracts seemed to go ga-ga over the prototypes and GT cars wearing names like Porsche, Aston Martin, Corvette and Ferrari. In case you haven't seen the race yet, the results are after the jump. Don't let that stop you from clicking through the massive high-res gallery however.
[Via: Autoblog (Mazda) ]
[Tag: alms,american le mans ser...,AmericanLeMansSer...,lbgp,long beach,long beach grand prix,LongBeach,LongBeachGrandPrix ]

Ford Adds a Fridge to the Flex [Drinking And Driving]

Ford has upped the ante in the options department by offering drivers of the 2009 Flex a $760 refrigerator upgrade that fits snugly underneath the armrest in the back seat. The fridge isn't huge, but it can hold seven 12-ounce cans (no, not beer) or four half-liter bottles—which is not bad for a road trip. It is also runs off a compressor making it a bona fide refrigerator that can take a drink from room temperature down to 41 degrees Fahrenheit in two- and-a-half hours. If you choose the freezer option, the temperature drops to a frigid 23 degrees Fahrenheit. With any luck, Ford will offer a Flex oven and Flex toilet option sometime in the near future. Then I would be ready to move in.

[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
[Tag: ]

New York '08 Preview: World Car of the Year finalists announced

With the New York Auto Show just around the corner in late March, the organization behind the "World Car of the Year" Awards has revealed its top three finalists. The top vehicles in each of four categories were chosen by an international panel of 47 automotive journalists reportedly committed to carrying out the process with the "...utmost objectivity, credibility, and integrity." Regardless of how spotless the chosen journalist's driving record is, it's still a subjective vote, so don't be dismayed if your favorite chunk of steel didn't make the list this year. Instead, be pleased that the majority of the vehicles are actually available in the States.Last month, the list included ten vehicles in each category. This week, the distinguished panel whittled it down to three finalists in each category. Check out the finalists in Design, Performance Car and Green Car after the jump.
2008 World Car of the Year Finalists
Ford Mondeo
Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
2008 World Design of the YearAudi R8
Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
Volvo C302008 World Performance CarVolkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI
Past winners include the 2005 Audi A6, the 2006 BMW 3 Series, and the 2007 Lexus LS460. We'll be on the floor at the New York Auto Show on March 20 to bring you the winner for 2008. Anybody care to place any bets?

[Via: World Car of the Year ]
[Tag: Finalists, WCOTY, World Car of the Year, WorldCarOfTheYear ]

VIDEO: Designing the Ford Verve concept car

One of yesterday's biggest stories was, of course, the introduction of the Ford Verve concept car that will be presented by the automaker at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show. The B-class show car forecasts the "Kinetic Design"-influenced next-generation Fiesta, and now you can hear from the team that created the plucky little 3-door in a short video released by Ford yesterday afternoon.

Follow the jump to see a 3-minute look at the creative process, complete with designer commentary. We'd also like to call your attention to the new Autoblog Video "bumper" attached to the beginning of the vid. It now incorporates our new logo, and is hot off our man Dan Roth's PC as of last night. Let us know what you think.
[Via:

Gallery: Ford Verve Concept ]
[Tag: design video,DesignVideo,ford fiesta,FordFiesta,new fiests,NewFiests,verve,verve concept,verve design,VerveConcept,VerveDesign ]

Five-Oh fanatics: Saleen now offering 302 crate engines

 
We're rather pleased that Saleen has seen fit to offer their excellent 302 cubic inch V8 as a crate engine. Having driven several Mustangs equipped with the powerplant , we feel qualified to say that this is an engine more than worthy of carrying on the 5.0 legacy. If you want take-no-prisoners style horsepower, consider opting for the supercharged model, which we found almost too powerful for every day use in the Saleen S302E Mustang. Perhaps a more streetable choice would be the naturally-aspirated version that we sampled in the Saleen/Parnelli Jones Limited Edition Mustang.

Regardless of your choice of induction, the base engine will have started life as one of Ford's 4.6 liter modular blocks. After being bored and stroked to the requisite five liters, the block receives bigger injectors, ported aluminum heads, performance camshafts, forged-aluminum pistons, forged-steel connecting rods and a forged-steel crank. Power levels range from 390 to 580 horsepower, depending on your choice of options. You can peruse the complete press release after the break.

[Via: PRESS RELEASE

Saleen Introduces New High Performance 302 'Crate' Engines

TROY, Mich., April 28 -- Sa ]
[Tag: 5.0,5.0 mustang,5.0 mustang gt,5.0 mustang v8,5.0-mustang,5.0-v8,5.0liter,5.0mustang,5.0MustangGt,5.0MustangV8,parnelli jones,parnelli jones mustang,parnelli-jones-mustang,parnellijones,ParnelliJonesMustang,saleen,saleen 302,saleen 5.0,saleen crate,saleen mustang,saleen s302 extreme,saleen-302,saleen-5.0,saleen-crate,Saleen302,Saleen5.0,SaleenCrate,SaleenMustang,SaleenS302Extreme ]

Obsidian SG1: 800 hp, twin-supercharged uber-Stang

We first saw this insane Mustang at SEMA in 2006 where it stood out among the hundreds of other customized cars. It was recently highlighted in the March issue of DuPont Registry as the Publisher's Choice, and we now have the full specs on the car as well as some gorgeous high resolution studio shots in our gallery below. There's too many details to list, but highlights include a twin-supercharged and intercooled 392ci V8 producing 800+ horsepower on pump gas, as well as fully custom bodywork, a 5-speed manual transmission with paddle shifters, hidden roll cage, and a 3000-watt sound system. Apparently the car is for sale, and since only one will ever be built we're guessing the asking price is pretty hefty. Visit the the Obsidian SG1's website for more information and complete specs on the car as well as photos of the build process, videos, and you can even make an offer on the car.

[Via: Autoblog ]
[Tag: 1967 Ford Mustang,1967FordMustang,Obsidian Mustang,Obsidian SG One,Obsidian SG One Mustang,ObsidianMustang,ObsidianSgOne,ObsidianSgOneMustang ]

Apocalypse Preparation: Geiger Ford F650

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Geiger Ford F650.

When the fit hits the shan, we've got two phone calls to make: our Cayman Islands-based banker and Geiger cars. For 99,000 euro we can protect our loved ones while punching through some of the most wicked terrain this side of Dakar in the robust luxury of the German tuner's interpretation of the Ford F-650. Weighing in at 5.2-tons and stretching over 21-feet long, the Geigerfied uber-truck finds motivation from a tweaked 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel putting out 320 hp and 738 lb.-ft. of torque. Grunt is shoveled to a six-speed Allison 3000 automatic gearbox and on down to a biggie-sized driveshaft that powers the four, 22-inch rear wheels. Both the suspension and brakes are air-powered, and if we're willing to shell out a bit more cash, we can get chrome fuel tanks, leather, navigation and, surprisingly, gull-wing doors. We think this would compliment our imaginary post-apocalyptic stable that also includes our all-time favorite RV, the Wothahellizat

 

[Via: Tuning News ]
[Tag: cars,f-650,ford f-650,ford f650,FordF-650,FordF650,geiger,geiger cars,geiger cars ford f650,GeigerCars,GeigerCarsFordF650 ]