Author: MrAngry

If you’re a muscle car junkie like I am, than you’ll know the two things we hate most are hybrids and gas stations. The hybrid stands against everything we believe in as they are generally underpowered, slow and for the most part pretty flippin’ ugly. The reason we hate gas stations should just be common sense, so I won’t even go into that one. A big question for power junkies like myself has always been: If a good looking, powerful and great performing hybrid existed, would we be interested in it? The answer: Sure, why the hell not.

I don’t want to give the impression that we totally and completely despise these things, but there is so much more to just getting good fuel economy when purchasing a vehicle. Style, sound, comfort performance – these all come into play and must be met with flying colors if we’re going to lay out some hard earned greenbacks. Shannon Arvizu, from GreenCarReports.com helps to shed some light on a few big number hybrids by giving us insight into BMW’s new 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 that produces 485 hp and 575 lb.tq. and the 2010 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid that produces 332 hp and 367 lb.tq. These are numbers that would make any die hard muscle car guy grin.

Rea more at: GreenCarReports.com

Here is something that I’m having a hard time with. Apparently a company called Narc That Car is paying people to report the license plate numbers of their neighbors automobiles in order to give repo-companies current information on where delinquent borrowers may reside. Are you kidding me? What ever happened to basic elementary school principles such as: Love thy neighbor or treat everyone as you would like to be treated? If you travel to the above website you’ll see they tout the act of betraying thy neighbor as nothing more than starting your own business.

“Thinking about starting your own business? Maybe you simply would like to earn extra income for you or your family. If so, would you like to generate your own income for simply gathering information? Want to learn more about how this opportunity works and what it takes to get started?”

One should also think of the moral and legal ramifications of going down this road. First off if ANY of your neighbors find out you will automatically be branded as any of the following: “betrayer, blabbermouth, canary, deep throat, double-crosser, fink, informant, narc, nark, rat, sneak, snitcher, source, squealer, stool pigeon, stoolie, tattler, tattletale, tipster, turncoat, weasel, whistle-blower”.

Secondly, you’ll most likely feel bad about yourself and need therapy and or a possible confession at church. Third is that if you live in a neighborhood like mine, and some select neighbors find out what you’re doing, you may not only find yourself in hot water, but sleeping with the fishes as well…

The new Audi A5 and BMW 3-series coupes may have a bit more to worry about as Mercedes is readying a new version of their C-series coupe, the CLK for a March 2011 release. The CLK has been Mercedes sporty 4-seater coupe since 1996 and has always been a handsome automobile. Released in a hard top and convertible, the CLK was always marketed as a somewhat less expensive alternative to its more expensive older brother the two-seater SL. Keep in mind that Mercedes also produces the E-class coupe which is a sexy car. This does however beg the question – will the CLK simply be a smaller version of the E-class? Supposedly yes, but with a much different look and feel. Platform architecture will be similar as the cars will share the same 2760mm wheelbase as well as some internal parts.

Although the final design has yet to be penned the above early sketch should give you an idea of where it’s headed. 2011 should be a very interesting year for Mercedes.

The weekend is over and damn if it didn’t go by in a whirlwind. Now it’s Monday morning and I find myself once again sitting at my desk with my big Houston coffee mug in hand trying to get a handle on what I have to accomplish for the week – not a fun task. Up here in the northeast the winter has finally come to an end, the flowers are starting to bloom and all those automobiles that have been hibernating for so many months are once again being brought out to roam the streets. Nowhere can this better be seen than at the racetrack.

Yesterday I was up at Pocono Raceway in Blakelee, PA doing a little track instruction. What’s nice about a track like Pocono is that there are multiple courses present, which means multiple events, which means a wide variety of cars. I drove up to the track in my Dodge Magnum SRT8 and while not the most nimble thing it does have the ability to surprise a few people if the moment allows.

There were Porsche’s of all years from vintage 356’s to GT3’s. We had a few Alfa Romeo’s, a wicked cool Lancia Superleggera and even a V-twin powered chain drive 1923 Morgan. There was also a slew of Corvettes present which is no surprise as quite honestly they are probably one of the best cars available out of the box for track duty.

The day was busy with run session after run session taking place. Students and instructors alike were ripping it up, and in the process having a grand ole’ time on a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon. Tracking a car is a great hobby, and one that not only serves as a great outlet, but the people and vehicles you encounter are generally top notch. There is a sense of camaraderie at the track that binds drivers together, and a love for the automobile that can’t be matched anywhere else.

I know there are those of you out there that have a car in the garage and have always wondered what it would be like to drive it on a real race track. It’s not as difficult as you think as organizations exist everywhere to help you do just this. Up here in the Northeast there is NASA/PDA, SCCA and Hooked on Driving just to name a few. So if you’ve ever wanted to try your luck at track driving but have been a bit timid, now is your chance to get that car out of the garage and onto the track. No excuses people… no excuses. If you have questions about tracking a car then shoot me an email at [email protected] and I’ll see if I can help ya’ out.

Where the guys at Youdrivewhat.com find these pictures I’ll never know. As I was perusing through their vast collection of automotive comedy I did managed to come across a few choice vehicles with a particular theme. Sure, they may not be the most appropriate cars, trucks or bikes on the road, but they do have a certain style to them.

• Ya’ think they’re talking about potential passengers, or the people around them?

• SEMEN HERE! GET YOUR FRESH SEMEN HERE!

• Only a Griswald can drive this…

• I really hope this guy gets big bucks to rock this on his Monte.

• It’s perfect for little Jimmy’s birthday party!

• Where to go, for camel toe…

Back in 2005 Honda decided to take a stab at the North American pick-up market with it’s new Ridgeline light duty truck. The Ridgeline, although nice looking, always struck me as more of a car than a truly versatile truck. It did, and still does possess some pretty cool features. It was the first truck to incorporate an independent rear suspension, a unibody design and a tailgate that opened both like a car door and a traditional fold down pick-up style tailgate. Pickuptrucks.com has now reported that the Ridgeline may in fact be meeting its demise in 2012 due to languishing sales. When first released in 2005 Honda was hoping to sell 50,000 + units but alas, they fell far short of their goal. 2009 saw just 16,464 units sold, which in all honesty does not really warrant a refresh. Only time will tell, but I think the writing is on the wall for the Ridgeline.

I gave you guys a full review of Bulllrun Season 3, Episode 7 yesterday and found it only fitting that I post a little behind-the-scenes footage this afternoon. You’re watching stunt coordinator Matt Kutcher and Smoking Tire host, Matt Farah running through the Kidnap challenge course that the contestants ran on Thursday evening. When watching the show what you don’t see is the amount of preparation that goes on before hand to make sure these stunts go according to planned. Take a look at the background while watching the video and notice how many people are actually involved in pulling this off properly. The scope and sheer size of the production is actually quite amazing.

Why does George Barris continue to ruin perfectly good automobiles? He did it to the new Challenger in 2008, a Toyota Prius in 2009 and now a new 2010 Camaro. I remember seeing the new Challenger at SEMA in 2008. It was the talk of the show and there were no fewer than 30 on display. Then I spied this orange, yellow and black mess and almost fell over dead of a heart attack. Seriously, it was bad.

Fast forward to 2009, and Barris’s version of the Toyota Prius. It looks like old George inhaled WAY to many paint fumes, took a flight to the Bronx, stole a Prius and then bastardized it behind a bodega somewhere. I mean really George, green and gold with chrome wheels? You made this poor little hybrid look like a pineapple that’s been languishing on the jungle floor for far too long.

That brings us to his new rendition of Chevrolet’s redesigned Camaro. Yellow, purple and black with chrome accents. Hmm… I don’t know if it’s the pimp my ride wheels, the purple paint on the side or the grill made from used window molding. In a statement Barris said:

“Today so many custom vehicles have entirely too much work done on them”, says Barris. “I believe we have succeeded in developing a custom vehicle with just the right amount of custom features and keeping it affordable to the automotive enthusiast while being made in the USA.”

George, I hate to break it too you, but your dead wrong. Now please, stop this madness and back away from the spray booth and just relax… it’s over now.

2011 Ford Mustang GT vs Camaro SS, Challenger SRT8

The guys over at Motor Trend are always good about bringing us great videos and today is no exception. One of the darlings at last weeks New York International Auto Show was Ford’s new Mustang GT 5.0. It’s not only great looking but a powerhouse as well. The new 5.0 V8 manages to pump out 395 rwhp, which is simply awesome. Because of this Motor Trend wasted no time in getting it together with its two rivals. The Camaro SS and Dodge’s Challenger SRT8. The nice part about the video is that you can tell that the editors were having a blast. We have burnouts, drifting, braking and drag racing, all in the name of testing… go figure. So, feel free to sit back and watch the hoonage commence.

Source: Streetfire.net

If you’ve ever followed a lifted 4X4 down the road you’ve probably unknowingly stared at the cover that houses the rear differential. You may have not known what you were looking at but odds are you saw it. They usually come in one of two ways – either covered in road grime and leaking (this is the majority) or chrome plated. Sure, you sometimes get that individual that wants to stand out in the crowd by painting it, but the majority of them are like those previously described.

Until recently the above mentioned covers were really the only two options if you wanted to play dress-up with your 4X4. Times are a changing though and the folks from Zingology think they have the answer to your custom woes. Sculpted by artist Raymond Gibby of Nobility Bronze these new differential covers are sure to give your 4×4 the new look and feel you may, or may not have been looking for.

I suppose there is an appeal to these things, after all they are different. I think the biggest drawback to these would be having to answer all the questions that come with owning one. Like the title of the posts states, my first question would be WTF?

Right off the bat I’m going to tell you that this video is about 4 minutes too long. It’s the story of a gentleman who explains why BMW’s make much better road cars than drag cars. He’s not a mechanic or a race car driver, he’s just some Dude that f*cked up his M3 at the drag strip and unfortunately paid the price… you know, the cash money price. I do have to give him some props as the video, albiet being too long is quite entertaining, especially around 7:02 in. Those of you out there that own one of these ultimate driving machines, you may want to take heed at what this owner says because at the end of the day, I think he’s right.

Bullrun is back from its little hiatus so fans around the U.S. can now relax and get back to rooting for their favorite teams. We’re now halfway home and 6 teams remain to battle it out for the $200,000. Any alliances that are left are now fragile at best and the teams are now all out for blood. Some short term friendships will be formed but only out of sheer necessity.

The first leg took our teams in route to Christmas Valley, Oregon, a place where the collective tooth count looked to be about seven – this was straight up deliverance country ladies and gentleman. Some changes also began to take place on this leg as Team Lambo was scaling back on their usual antics. Team NSX however was all hot and heavy to ramp up theirs and make things interesting. With NSX still riding high from their last challenge win and their confidence level boosted, they now began screwing with everyone. From their little fuel stunt, to hiding in the weeds playing automotive commando, Team NSX was intent on taking the bad guy role away from Team Lambo. This is great news for Team Lambo, but bad news for Team NSX.

The first into checkpoint one was Team Hemi Cuda with the rest of the teams scrambling to find it. For some reason this checkpoint confused the crap out of everyone as they were driving in circles for what seemed like hours. There was also the little matter of the local police busting chops, as teams BMW and Challenger got pinched for no apparent reason.

Once everyone got the new route cards they began the long trek to their next checkpoint in Alfalfa, Oregon and back into deliverance country. Along this route we saw Teams Lambo and Hummer team up, but only for about 5 minutes until Team Hummer dissed them by not giving them the right information, otherwise they were all buddy buddy. Teams Hummer, Lambo and NSX were first to the route card, with Challenger, Cuda and BMW bringing up the rear. The next and final destination was in Oakridge, Oregon where the teams would compete in the challenge: Kidnap.

Coming in first place with the best leader board time was Team Hummer. These guys have slowly been kicking ass in not only navigation but the challenges as well. It’s great to see them excelling at the game. The bottom two teams were BMW and Challenger. Now, when it came time to choose a team to put in, Team Hummer wanted to draw numbers which really wasn’t a bad idea in my opinion. For some reason this pissed off Team NSX as they felt that Team Lambo should have competed. Obviously they felt all high and mighty because they had the immunity wrench and wanted everyone to know it. However I think they probably would’ve kept their mouths shut if they hadn’t gotten it. Like I’ve said before, it’s all about how you play the game.

Since NSX was immune Team Hummer chose Team Hemi Cuda to face off against BMW and Challenger. Mark, The Ice Man from Team Cuda, did not seem pleased with this, but since he shows absolutely no emotion whatsoever I’m purely going on speculation. The challenge was called Kidnap and consisted of chasing down the Bullrun Mustang and rescuing your co-driver from the Bullrun clutches of doom. Once safely back in the passenger seat you needed to drive back through an obstacle course and park in the stop box.

I have to preface this next part by saying that if you have a car with traction control and you are going to compete in the challenges LEAVE THE F*CKIN’ THING ON!!! All you boneheads turn it off and end up messing yourselves up. BMW, this is twice that you’ve turned it off and twice that it bit you in the ass. Once on the dirt track where you spun and then again last night when you almost lost it going up that hill. It’s there to help you, not hurt you so unless it’s a drifting event don’t touch that button! BMW hit the course, and aside from the aforementioned almost spin, they did quite well.

Next up was Team Hemi Cuda and as usual Mark “The Iceman” Janos nailed it. Keep in mind that we have 5 teams remaining after last nights episode and out of those 5 teams and based on what I’ve seen, Mark is really the best and only hot shoe in the bunch. Teams, I’d be VERY worried about coming up against him in any type of challenge. Team Challenger was up next on the course and according to the footage they seemed to do ok. This was in fact the first time that I wasn’t clear who won. I mean it was kinda’ clear that Cuda nailed it, but I had no idea about Challenger and BMW. When the times were tabulated it was Hemi Cuda on top, BMW in second and Challenger in last. Guys, I’m really sorry to see you go. You were a great team and a lot of fun to watch and I was really hoping that you guys were going to hit top 3. Congrats for making it as far as you did and I hope you enjoyed the ride. Until next week… Angry Out.

God I hate this Tit for Tat bullshit. My car is faster than your car, my car can beat your car to 60 mph by .08 of a second, my penis is bigger than yours… bla, bla, bla. Is this really what the pony car wars have come down to? A back and fourth exchange from manufactures about who has the biggest V6 winky? When Ford came out and said the 2011 Mustang V6 had 305 hp it apparently tweaked the undersized panties of the guys at GM. So much so that they are now claiming the 2010 Camaro’s V6 was in fact underrated at a measly 304 hp, when it in fact makes a whopping 312 hp, 7 hp more than the Ford Mustang.

Really guys, at this point just live with the fact they are both good cars and leave the he said, she said crap out of the discussion.

Source: Autoblog.com

Switzer Performance is a performance tuning company that is based out of Oberlin, OH. They specialize in modifying your Nissan, Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz or VW so that when its done, it’ll take you straight to jail if you let it. Take their current creation for example – the mighty P800 Nissan GTR. Stock the big Nissan managed to pull off some impressive numbers in the way of 416 WHP and 379 TQ. on the dyno.

Switzer then decided that this wasn’t good enough and created what they call the P800. They then threw it back up on the dyno and clicked off 701 WHP and 618 TQ. People, these are numbers that would make any super car, from any manufacturer run for cover.

Want to see 800 horsepower from 93 octane pump gas? Don’t care about voiding your warranty? Got an extra $18,500.00 you don’t need? The P800 package includes a unique ECU calibration and test pipes to replace the catalytic converters. What I really like about Switzer Performance is the fact that they want to create a car that YOU, as the consumer want to drive. Check out their mission statement and see if you don’t agree:

We believe that anyone can sell you “performance” parts you don’t need. At Switzer Performance, we choose to stand apart by actively listening as you explain your goals, understanding exactly what you hope to accomplish, and delivering a unique, finished Porsche built to YOUR individual and exacting standards.

Art is a very subjective thing, it makes you look and question what someone else has envisioned as pleasing to the eye. It evokes reaction and emotion and in some cases creates controversy. Me personally, I see art in the form of automobiles. Some may disagree with me but the fact of the matter is every car that has ever been designed started with someones internal vision and a clean sheet of paper. They are the creative thoughts of a designers imagination carefully crafted into usable and functional transportation devices. The majority of us see these four wheel beauties everyday and most of us, myself included have a tendency to take them for granted. There are however places where these masterpieces of technology and motion are on display for everyone to see. They’re called museums (just so you know) and we’ve managed to round up 10 great ones for you.

1. Mercedes Benz Museum: Stuttgart, Germany.

With 16,500 sq. ft. of space, the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany is an architectural masterpiece located directly outside of the Dailmer factories main gate. The structure houses over 160 vehicles that span Mercedes vast automotive history.

2. Petersen Automobile Museum: Los Angeles, CA

The Petersen Automotive Museum is dedicated to the exploration and presentation of the automobile and its impact on American life and culture using Los Angeles as the prime example. Encompassing more than 300,000 square feet, its exhibits and lifelike dioramas feature more than 150 rare classic cars, trucks and motorcycles.

3. Galleria Ferrari

This is the real and true keeper of the Ferrari myth. The official museum of Ferrari in Maranello, Italy gathers in its halls the cars, the images and the trophies that wrote the Ferrari successes in the world.

4. The Henry Ford Museum: Dearborn, MI

It began as a simple yet bold idea to document the genius of ordinary people by recognizing and preserving the objects they used in the course of their everyday lives. It grew into the ultimate place to explore what Americans past and present have imagined and invented. It is a remarkable destination that brings American ideas and innovations to life. The sweeping, single-floor space with its soaring 40-foot ceilings covers nine acres dedicated to showcasing the finest collection of its kind ever assembled.

5. GM Heritage Center: Sterling Heights, Michigan

The GM Heritage Center serves as a showplace for the vehicles of the GM Heritage Collection, and as the home of the Heritage and Media Archive. Located in an 81,000 square foot facility in Sterling Heights, Michigan, the Center has approximately 200 vehicles on display, while the archive houses 15,000 linear feet of shelving containing significant documents, manuals, brochures, and artifacts documenting GM’s rich history of innovation.

6. The Porsche Museum: Stuttgart, Germany

Porsche is both the smallest independent German automaker and the world’s most profitable automaker. This is based on decades of experience in automotive manufacturing and in motor sports. The history of Porsche sports cars begins in 1948 with the legendary Type 356 “No. 1,” but the conceptual basis of the brand is the result of the lifelong work of Professor Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951), which was continued by his son Ferry (1909–1998).

7. The Volo Car Museum

The Volo Car Museum in Volo, IL is not so much about preserving automotive history as it is about showing it off. Think of it as Disneyland, but with automobiles. Show cars, movie cars and TV cars are all on display for the entire family to enjoy.

8. Lamborghini Museum: Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy

So you like Ferrari’s, but you LOVE Lamborghini’s eh… well then, this is the place for you. The museum opened in 2001 as a sign of Automobili Lamborghini’s commitment to celebrate, with the new millennium, a new breed of dream cars.

9. The National Corvette Museum: Bowling Green, KY

Since 1953 the Corvette has been America’s Sports Car. The National Corvette Museum was established as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit foundation with a mission of celebrating the invention of the Corvette and preserving its past, present and future.

10. The BMW Museum: Munich, Germany

The museum brings the BMW heritage to life in an experience encompassing all the senses and invoking the spirit of the innovative, dynamic character of the BMW brand. The museum architecture, and exhibition and media design form an ideal setting to present the rich tapestry of themes in a very special way. The BMW Museum takes new approaches by integrating contemporary architecture with the historic buildings in the same way as the brand is always setting new and innovative benchmarks for engineering and design.

Ever watch that show How It’s Made on the science channel? It’s a great program that really gives us an inside look at how things we take for granted are produced. Don’t get me wrong as I’m not saying I take the Dodge Viper for granted, hell I’d just take a Viper anyway I could get it. The above video follows the build of the ACR Viper from start to finish. Engine assembly, exterior panel fitment, electronics are all touched on here. To be honest the entire process is actually quite amazing. Earlier today I did a piece on how 2010 was going to be the last hooray for the Viper line so if you are one of the chosen few that are plunking down some hard earned greenbacks for one, at least now, you can see how your baby is made.