Autoblog

Are you holding out for a Mahindra trucks and wondering how they stack up against more established brands? Then you need to head on over to Mahindra's Web site and sign up for some seat time.

Mahindra importer Global Vehicles is all set for a fourth-quarter 2009 launch of their first offerings from India and is taking names for early test drives. From what we can gather from the company's U.S. Web site, they'll be parading around the country soon, giving interested pickup shoppers a spin around the block in its two- or four-door diesel-powered pickup trucks. On the site, there's a lot of bragging about the two-door's seven-foot bed (Toyota's Tacoma has a six-footer), four-year, 60k-mile warranty, six-speed automatic trans, and clean-burning, four-cylinder diesel engine.

No word yet on, well, a lot of things. Like what cities this national tour will be trucking through or even when it will begin. More importantly, the company has said it has 325 dealers lined up, but still hasn't brought up pricing, EPA fuel economy numbers, crash test ratings or an exact date that sales will begin. For now we'll have to make do with the vague "fourth quarter of 2009" and the promise of an early test drive.

[Source: All Cars All the Time]

Listen up, all you people in New York, Dallas, Detroit and Atlanta. Settle down. You, too, Minneapolis. There's no excuse for the kinds of things you're doing out there on the road. That's right, we saw you. Well, not us, but your fellow drivers who tattled on a new AutoVantage survey about road rage. Those were the five worst cities for road rage incidents this year, with respondents citing hot-tempered drivers and aggressive speeding and horn honking.

But wait – there are two sides to the road named rage. Something must have set off those finger-waving commuters. And that would have been all the other drivers out there who are talking on their phones, tailgating, eating, emailing and checking Autoblog on their netbooks and iPhones. Those people, the survey says, are the ones getting on the nerves of the short-fused.

So where can a mild-mannered driver go and cruise the roads in peace? AutoVantage's survey lists Portland, Oregon as the most courteous city with Cleveland, Baltimore, Sacramento and Pittsburgh following. While we're at it, we'd like to spotlight Baltimore as a shining example of how a city can make a road-rage u-turn. That city moved up from No. 4 on last year's least courteous list. Now why can't the rest of you behave as well?

Here's a few more interesting numbers the survey offers. St. Louis drivers, 92% of them, reported seeing someone talking on a mobile phone every day. It's also a city where you're more likely to see drivers eating in their cars. A majority of Minneapolis drivers surveyed said they witness tailgating every day, and that city's drivers also reported more incidences of red light running. In Miami, you're less likely to see drivers signaling lane changes but much more likely to get a text message from a fellow driver. Maybe they're just texting their intent to come into your lane. "Can U belev I jst got cutof??? Had 2 run light 2 catch up 2 him at 90mph!!!"

Ironically, 7% of the drivers surveyed said they reacted to displays of bad driving by calling the cops... on their mobile phones, we assume.

Check out the press release after the jump. But you might want to wait until you finish your drive home. It's kinda long.

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About two years ago, there was a nasty rumor that Ford was developing sedan and wagon variants of (gasp!) the Mustang. Torches were lit and pitchfork futures soared until Ford totally debunked the rumor.

But 55 years ago, something similar took place at the 1954 Motorama in New York when Chevrolet displayed a Corvette-based wagon called the Nomad. The difference in the two stories, according to at least one Web site, is that the public absolutely loved the show car's styling. Smelling opportunity, GM management rushed the Nomad into production without even one trace of Corvette styling.

There are those who still hold a grudge against GM for not following through with a Corvette-based station wagon. For the latter fans, their 55-year wait might be over if they saved at least $2,300 a year.

For $125,000 Superior Glass Works will sell you a 1954 Corvette Nomad recreated in fiberglass and fittingly built on a Corvette C5 chassis. The choice of engine, interior and wiring is up to you after you get it home and at extra cost. A $50,000 deposit will reserve one of the 25 copies to be built. Brad Peterson, owner of Specialty, tells us that pre-orders were not taken and no cars have yet been sold. But if you're interested, he said you can check out the Superior 54 Sport Wagon in person at Back to the 50s in St. Paul, Minn. June 19-21 or at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, August 6-9.



[Source: Hemmings Autoblogs]

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Remember the Bailey Blade coupe being created by Neal Bailey in his Texas garage? Not only is Neal still at it, but he tells us he'll have at least one, possibly three, prototypes ready for testing in October. That's a big change in status from the last time we checked in on Neal in November. Back then he was having serious funding problems but was keeping the dream alive by soliciting small investments from enthusiasts.

Seven months later, things are much sunnier for what's now known as BXR Motors. Neal has moved the project out of his garage to a much larger facility at MotorSport Ranch in Cresson, Texas; hired a consultant to help work out a business plan; and, most importantly, attracted a private investor, which has allowed Neal to focus on the car's development full-time.

"Getting an investor has not changed development process of the Blade at all," Neal told us via email. "However, developing a business plan and strategy has greatly educated us in the world of business and venture capital investments. There is a great deal to learn as developing a business plan like this is almost as difficult as developing the car itself. The business plan and marketing strategy has helped us to focus on making sure that we succeed. It forces you to take a deeper look into the project and apply real numbers to see if this dream will produce real profits. As for pressure from our investor, there has been little involvement. The investor has seen our plan and the engineering behind it and simply wants us to succeed."

Neal says with the investor's funding, he has confidence he'll have at least one -- hopefully three -- Blade prototypes ready by October for road testing. Neal has stayed true to the original design, applying just a few tweaks to update the look.

Click through the jump to read much more about the Blade's development.

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Porsche owners have long reveled in their ability to smoke the competition on track and street, but now Porschephiles can also leave their marque's mark on the backside of burgers, hotdogs and ribeyes. Grill marks, of course.

Barbeques Galore and Porsche Design Studio have burned the midnight oil for two years while working on the the new X-Series Grill. Under its sleek, German-styled exterior lies some fairly hot grilling technology. Instead of the standard gas burners found in most grills, the X-Series uses four infrared burners that can crank out 52,000 BTUs using 50% less fuel with 80% fewer flare-ups. By our very rough shadetree estimates, that should be good for a zero to steak time of about 10 minutes. Or so.

With a starting sticker price of $5,999 Porsche Design's first grill comes with a motorized rotisserie, an LCD temp display with remote probe, and an insulated double-walled hood. Step up to the X-Series Island (above) for $8,499 for a stainless steel finish and concealed cupboards and gas cylinder storage.

All models are covered under a lifetime warranty for service, parts and repair. Also included is the right to brag to your numbers that you have a Porsche in your backyard.

It's official. The Feds are pissed, too. On Thursday, a federal judge did what many of us have wanted to do for a long time now. He handed out restraining orders to two companies the Federal Trade Commission says have been calling you, me, all your friends, your 90-year-old blind grandmother, and anyone else without enough sense to ignore unidentified phone calls.

"Today the FTC has disconnected the people responsible for so many of these annoying robocalls," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz in a press release. "We expect to see a dramatic decrease in deceptive auto warranty calls, but we are still on high alert.

Voice Touch, Inc. and its partner Network Foundations LLC were ordered to immediately stop making phone calls that violate the Do Not Call Registry. The Feds also ordered the companies' assets frozen and appointed receivers over them to ensure all relevant documents are preserved for a May 29 hearing. Transcontinental Warranty, Inc., a client of Voice Touch, was also given a restraining order.

Does this mean those annoying calls will now stop? Most of them, probably. Does it mean your car's warranty really isn't about to expire? Judging by the number of new cars sold in the last two years, the end of your car's coverage is probably long gone or very near. Leave your number in the comments and someone will get with you soon to discuss your options. (We're kidding, obviously.)

[Source: The Associated Press]

Sometime today, astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis are scheduled to begin fitting the Hubble telescope with three new gyroscopes. But why does Autoblog care? Well, apart from the fact that the whole mission is super cool, one of the galactic grease monkeys wielding a wrench today will be Andrew J. Feustel. He's one of us car guys who really wanted to be an astronaut and found a way to make it happen.

His official NASA bio reads like your typical lab-coat-wearing science geek. He graduated from Purdue with an M.S. in geophysics and from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario with a Ph.D. in geological sciences. Under "Organizations" he lists membership in the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the American Geophysical Union and, to top it off, the BMW Car Club of America.

ABC's World News Tonight interviewed Feustel in his garage as he worked on his M3. In the background is the 1966 Austin Healy he gave his wife. To help pay for his college education, Feustel restored old cars. His son races karts. In short, Feustel is one of us. He's a car guy. And today, he'll be looking for 4mm sockets several miles above the planet.

Good like Andrew. If you get time, we'd love to get our first comment from outer space.

[Source: ABC World News Tonight]

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Loving all that is automotive is slightly different than living all that is automotive. One of the distinguishing factors is how automotively-influenced your furniture is. If you bought your sofa because it reminds you of your M3's upholstery, you're in the love group. If, however, you can actually drive your furniture, you, my friend, are living it.

But our eBay Find of the Day defies simple categorization. It's a fully-functional couch that resembles something Boyd Coddington might have sketched while doing shots after having his eyes dilated. The outrageous sunset orange pearl paint covers a hand-formed, all-metal body with working headlights and leather seating surfaces. But it doesn't even have wheels, much less do burnouts on the street. With a starting bid of $45,000, shouldn't it at least do that?

The auction description says that the, um, unique sofa can be taken apart to "fit in most rooms." We can tell you right now that our spouses will quickly disqualify "most rooms" in our houses. We aren't even allowed to have the six-speed plunger in our throne rooms. The seller's name, cartisticdesigns, is from London, Ontario, also the home of Cartistic Designs autobody repair. Maybe the auction should say it would "fit in most autobody repair shops. Auction ends May 16, but so far, it looks like nobody's spouse has given the $45k approval.

Thanks for the tip, Rico!

You're tired of them. We're tired of them. Most people with a phone number and a low tolerance for spam are tired of them. But finally, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York has gotten one of those highly-annoying car warranty calls and has vow to put a stop to them.

Altogether now: It's about damn time.

According to an article by The Associated Press, it only took 140,000 complaints to the Better Business Bureau to get the attention of Sen. Schumer. Oh, that, and several states that have already taken it upon themselves to go after the scam artists. But Schumer said at a news conference this week that he wants a more concerted effort at the federal level that involves the Federal Trade Commission wielding the power of the Do Not Call registry.

Will the senator get anywhere? Hard to say since, as we've already reported, these phone spammers are as easily found as a Mazda Miata with an Alaska license plate. But some progress has already been made against a company called USfiidelis, an extended warranty company recently sued by Missouri officials.

[Sources: The Associated Press via Kicking Tires]

It's been 45 years since Ford introduced the Mustang, and the Blue Oval chose Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL as ground zero for the big pony car celebration. Track officials estimated more than 38,000 people came out to see about 2,000 Mustangs on display from 15 different countries, and Autoblog was among the revelers.

The Mustang Club of France showed up with a dozen or so 2010 Mustangs they'd rented, Steve Saleen was signing autographs, Ford CEO Alan Mulally made a surprise appearance and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge had two rounds of competition. There were fully-restored, low-mileage Mustangs trailered in from as far away as California and one dirt-encrusted, 1966 GT350H brought in straight from its 29-year stint in an Alabama shed. All three levels of the track's paddock area were full of Ford's iconic muscle car, as were the grassy fields normally reserved spectator parking.

When the track wasn't being used for racing, vintage and late-model Mustang owners got the chance to see what their cars could really do. The distinctive whine of Roush superchargers melded with bassy roars of 40-year-old small-blocks for a pulse-quickening aural collage, providing a singular soundtrack for the event.

Looming clouds began to gather on Saturday afternoon, but only a few sprinkles had fallen by mid-day Sunday. For the most part, temperatures in the upper 60s made walking around the landscaped track a truly memorable experience.

Happy Birthday, Mustang. Here's looking forward to another forty five!