Autoblog

The Cadillac Cimarron from the '80s is perhaps the very best (or worst) example of rebranding gone awry. Based on the never-meant-for-a-Caddy J Platform, which underpinned the Pontiac Sunfire through 2005, the Cimarron marked the lowest point in Cadillac's illustrious history. The Caddy-that-wasn't is so bad, in fact, that it's claimed iconic status way earlier than most of Detroit's past iron, as evidenced by our reader-submitted Future Classics post from last year.

Those of you wanting to get in on the Cimarron action before all of them are crushed the prices skyrocket should check out this posting on Craigslist. Here we have three Cimarron's from the late '80s all needing to be saved from that great crusher in the sky, and each equipped with the General's 130-horsepower 60-degree 2.8-liter boat anchor V6 engine. But wait, there's more! Act now and the seller will throw in a fourth car for parts. All this for the low, low price of just $6,000. Act now! Thanks for the tip, Matt!

[Source: Craigslist]

Click above for a few more shots of the ABF Performance MINI

MINIs have a long history of racing, though most of the iconic hatch's focus has been on its slot car-like handling than its prowess down the 1320. That's set to change with the collaboration between MINI and ABF Performance to create the world's quickest Cooper. How quick? In a taped performance for an upcoming episode of the show Pinks on Speed TV, the Cooper in question, which is an S model from 2002, scored a 10.48 second quarter-mile time while reaching a trap speed of 135 miles per hour. That's seriously quick, especially for a car driven by the wrong wheels. Powering the beast is a 1.6-liter engine that's had its stock supercharger thrown out in favor of one very large Garret turbocharger. A new computer from Motec keeps things running smoothly and allows the 650 horses to be unleashed to the front wheels.

Look for more coming in the near future from ABF, including some cool mods and parts at the SEMA Show in November. For some extra fun, watch this MINI run down a couple of hard-charging classic muscle cars on its way down the track after the break.


[Source: MINI]

Honda is set to release the fourth-generation of its City subcompact and these newest spy shots show that development is well underway. The previous generation had been based on the Honda Jazz, known in the U.S. as the Fit, but the new model moves away from that platform and grows slightly larger in the process. Expect to see either a 1.3- or 1.5-liter i-VTEC SOHC engine underhood, along with either a standard manual tranny or a CVT automatic with seven preset ratios controlled through steering wheel-mounted paddles. Although Honda has no plans -- as far as we know -- to bring the City to the States, the Fit model has managed to post a huge 73% increase in sales this year. Considering how hot fuel-sipping little cars are these days in the U.S. market, Honda could certainly do worse than to offer this attractive new subcompact car in the States.

[Source: paultan.org]

Plastics make things possible, or so say the major plastic manufacturing companies in their ads. It turns out that there's some truth to the tagline, as automakers are increasing the amount of plastic parts in vehicles in an attempt to reduce weight and emissions. While many consider steel to be the most desirable material to pound out automobiles, the use of plastic is outgunning metals pound for pound on new cars. Even luxury brands like BMW and Porsche are using more plastics in their vehicles than ever before, and both see the trend continuing. Composites such as carbon fiber and kevlar prove that plastics can perform just as well as steel when properly designed and engineered.

Despite the overall goal of reducing weight and cutting vehicle emissions, most plastics still trace their roots to petroleum. Automakers such as Mazda and Mitsubishi are experimenting with bioplastics, which are made from natural ingredients such as sugars.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Now that leasing seems to be going through a slow phase-out, shoppers looking for a good deal on a newish vehicle may take a harder gander at certified pre-owned models. GM realizes this and has responded by ambushing customers increasing the warranty coverage on the CPO models for all of its brands, minus Cadillac which has its own program. The new warranty stands at 12-months or 12,000 miles and begins when the CPO purchase is made -- an increase of up to nine-months over the previous guarantee. Being a "bumper-to-bumper" warranty, everything excluding wear items like tires and brakes are covered for manufacturing defects. The powertrain warranty remains: five years or 100,000 miles from when it was sold as new.

GM hopes that this increased coverage has a corresponding effect on its CPO sales. What's more, the automaker also believes that this action will have a desirable effect on its vehicle's residual values.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click above for high-res gallery of the VW CC Gold Coast

Volkswagen has used the occasion of this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance to unveil its new CC Gold Coast edition. The most obvious change that sets the CC GC apart from more plebian CCs is the tri-coat paint – DuPont's light brown 'Pepe Pepper' to be specific, which reportedly has gold, brown and silver tones all mixed in for your ocular pleasure. Of course, such a high-end exterior color must be paired with an equally special interior hue, in this case it's leather done up Starbucks-style in 'Latte Macchiatto Cornsilk' with Bronze Piping on the seats and matching accents on the dash and door trim. Also on the docket are 19-inch propeller style wheels that fill the wheel arches rather nicely. A unique ground effects package rounds out the visual mods. Underhood is the familiar 3.6-liter TFSI engine with 280 horsepower and 265 lbs.-ft of torque mated to the automaker's stellar DSG double-clutch 6-speed automatic transmission. We know the regular CC is arriving this fall with a starting price tag around $27,000, but no details on the availability or pricing of the Gold Coast edition have been released yet.


[Source: Volkswagen]

Click on the image to enlarge and view another angle of the Rossi 66

There is a trend in the works that takes a modern Corvette chassis, jettisons the stock fiberglass bodywork and adds a new shell that mimics the look of an older, classic 'Vette. We have seen Classic Reflection Coachworks' take on the '62 'vert with C5 underpinnings, and now a company by the name of Blue Fusion has tackled the iconic split window. One problem: their press release continually refers to the 1966 split window, which doesn't exist as the only year the two-piece rear glass was produced was '63. But, let's not let silly little things like facts get in the way. The resultant Rossi 66 cribs the workings of a modern C6 Corvette and adds a unique Sting Ray look.

Blue Fusion plans to debut its Rossi 66 at the upcoming SEMA event in November, assuming that the company is able to find the funding it needs to actually produce its first car. So far, all we have to look at are the renderings below, though we can clearly see that the '66 '63 body looks much better grafted onto a modern platform than the '62 does. We'll see if it makes an appearance in Sin City later this year.


[Source: Blue Fusion via Jalopnik]

Another British track tool is going up against the drool-worthy Ariel Atom, KTM X-Bow and the Lotus Elise. The Jetstream SC250 is styled by Brian Rossi, the same man behind the retro-tastic modern Ford Thunderbird, and although it's not exactly pretty, the SC250's wedge-shaped bodywork is sure to produce a good bit of downforce. Sitting over the rear axle is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger cribbed from the euro-only Astra VXR, giving the SC250 the same front/rear weight distribution as the aforementioned Elise. That spells good things for the handling, as do the wide rubber patches at each corner. Reading over the first road test at Autocar and watching the video posted after the break, those who get behind the wheel quickly forget the controversial styling. However, until we get a chance in the cockpit, this one's taking a distinct back-seat to the Atom.

[Source: Autocar]

Click above to watch a video with slides of the production Chevy Volt

We got our first sneak peek at the production Chevy Volt last week, but a recent presentation by Bob Boniface, director of design for the Volt, has revealed a bit more. We've pasted a video of the presentation and slide show after the break, and in it Boniface notes how the concept's straight lines and tight corners have been smoothed over and rounded out in an effort to reduce turbulence. This streamlining improves the Volt's fuel mileage, range on electricity and the amount of regenerative braking that can be captured. Also seen for the first time is a rear shot of the Volt, showing a pronounced "vertical fin," and a new rear spoiler design. Likewise, the side-view mirrors' mounting arrangement was revised for reduced aerodynamic drag. These changes, along with countless others which have not been fully revealed, have allowed the Volt's engineers and designers to increase EV-only range by six to seven miles.

While we're salivating over all the little tidbits of information on the Volt, we look forward to its official debut expected in Paris at the Motor Show this October. However, recent rumors indicate that the extended-range electric-vehicle could be seen at GM's Centennial celebration on September 16. Thanks for the tip, Emil!


[Sources: GM-Volt, Green Fuels Forecast, The Detroit Free Press]

Lovers of both fuel mileage and torque can finally rest easy; Volkswagen of America is now officially selling its 50-State-approved, clean diesel engine in either the Jetta sedan for $21,990 or Jetta SportWagen wrappers for $23,590. Equipped with the six-speed DSG transmission, both Jetta gets an EPA rating of 29 miles per gallon in the city and 40 on the highway. We expect to see better real-world numbers, though we're a bit wary of VW's advertising its alternate rating of 38/44 -- a number that is impossible to compare with anything else currently available. In any case, the $2,000 premium for the TDI engine will be lessened somewhat by the Fed's $1,300 tax credit which applies to either TDI model. Look for an early test of the oil-burner on these pages shortly.

[Source: Volkswagen]