Here’s Proof that the El Camino Never Went Away

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

Posted by Zach Doell

 

Chevrolet may have closed the books on its car-based pickup in 1987 when the El Camino went out of production, but in the hearts of its US fans, it appears its memory didn’t depart with it. 

This, by birth, is not an El Camino. Rather, it’s quite obviously a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with a large section scooped out of the boot. It goes by the nickname “El Camonte” and allegedly tells a very interesting tale about how GM pushed to put the El Camino back in production. Interested? The current owner is selling the American ute at no reserve.

The “El Camonte” story begins back in 2004, according to the listing, when the new Monte Carlo was picked up at a dealership and promptly brought straight to a custom shop to receive its pickup truck transformation. The nip-tuck took 11 months from start to finish, to the tune of a $70,000 bill. When all was said and done, the car’s drivetrain was left completely stock with all modifications limited only to the car body, as hinted by the rear struts poking up in the bed.

Here’s where it gets interesting. According to the seller, General Motors representatives took detailed measurements and photos of this custom El Camino concept car, as at the time it was rumored that GM considered bringing the nameplate and body style back. Pontiac even made bold steps toward it with the release of its G8 sport truck concept. The validity of that story remains to be seen, but it does make for a great tale for US El Camino hopefuls.

A bit of history. Chevrolet launched the El Camino in the US for the 1959 model year, two years after Ford debuted its similar Ranchero. But the car-based pickup was hardly a new idea.

 In Australia, Ford has been building the popular coupe utility vehicles (utes) since the 1930s. In fact, Ford and Holden still do. The El Camino returned in 1964 after a brief hiatus and soldiered on in the US until 1987.
This 2004 Monte Carlo El Camino mashup sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction in 2006 for $21,450 and is said to have remained with its current family ever since, showing just over 11,000 miles on the odometer.

____________________________________

Interview: Technogym Explains the Wellness Concept Behind the Italdesign Giugiaro GEA

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Tony Markovich

 

 

Last month, Italdesign Giugiaro launched a brand new concept in collaboration with Audi and fitness company Technogym at the Geneva Motor Show. Although its exterior design wasn’t nearly as wild as the Parcour, the Brivido, or the Quaranta, the GEA presents a unique autonomous luxury experience with several mood settings to fit its passengers.

Using various screens, interior layouts, and colors, the GEA can switch between wellness, business, and sleep modes. Technogym was in charge of wellness mode and designed an environment intended to help eliminate one of the most common sedentary portions of people’s lives: driving. We spoke with International Public Relations and Media Manager Enrico Manaresi about how the concept came to be and just how effective in-car exercise can be.

What was the original concept behind Technogym and how did it get started?

 Technogym was founded by Nerio Alessandri, our President and founder, in his garage. He was a young guy in Italy who was passionate about sports and technology. He was also a designer, so he took those passions and built the first machine in his garage.

Is it more about bringing fitness into your own personal spaces?

 It’s a lifestyle. Technogym is a wellness company. Wellness is not just training in the gym a few times a week, it’s integrating wellness, health, and prevention into your daily lifestyle. So the gym is very important to us, but also at the home, with corporations, and hotels, as well.

Our idea is to integrate wellness in your day-by-day life. And our technological platform, our digital platform, mywellness cloud, allows people to connect with your personal program inside the gym to our equipment. You can take your wellness regime outside.

How has the concept for the company evolved?

 We want to be a lifestyle company. We started as an equipment company, but the idea is to really be able to provide people a complete program made of equipment, software, services, and personalized solutions. It needs to be a complete service to the consumer.

You have recently entered the automotive space with a new partnership with Audi. How did that come about?

 Yes, we launched the first wellness mood car. It’s a car which allows you to exercise while traveling. It’s an innovation concept.

Obviously driving is a major part of a lot of people’s lifestyles.
 How did that idea sprout within your brand and programs?

 Wellness is something you integrate into your day-by-day life, so the idea was why not bring that to traveling long distances? Why not have the posibility to train and keep in shape in your car? There is a very strong link between our president and the chief designer at Audi. He liked the idea of integrating this lifestyle within the car, and this idea was born.

Do you have any connections with other vehicles?

 We have a long history of integrating with both Ferrari and McLaren in Formula 1. We are the official suppliers for the teams and we provide the pilots a complete training program. And now with McLaren we are also partnering with their P1 program. The car is for racing circuits, so we provide the customers a complete training regime inspired by the F1 pilots. It just launched. It’s been very positive so far. We’re talking to a target of sporty people who like to train and work out, so having training combined with their automotive passion has been met with good acceptance.

Are those training programs geared toward driving specifically
or is just wellness in general?

 There is a general component, but then a very specific component for driving. So, specifically for the neck, torsion, sides, so there are two components.

How did Technogym specifically choose the Italdesign car for the concept?

 They wanted to bring something innovative for lifestyle, so we combined our lifestyle experience with their expectation to create something new.

What do you think of the future of driverless vehicles?

 We are very specialized about physical exercise, wellness, and movement. That’s not our industry. Of course, we believe that wellness is something very wide which we can implement into different sectors, but we are not from the automotive industry. But we believe that our vision can be implemented in lots of different sectors.

For example, in a regular car, it’s a lot more cramped, and there are space limitations. But in this new concept, you can turn the seats around, it opens the space up, so having that autonomous technology opens up possibilities for you.

 Yes, it allows people to do more while you’re driving..

How was the program for the car created?

It starts with the kinesis experience we have. Basically, kinesis is our patent. It’s not just a machine, it’s a totally new discipline that allows you to train strength, balance, and flexibility at the same time, so it gives you endless possibilities with these cables. You can do any kind of movement.

Of course, we could not build the kinesis inside the car, but the postural exercises that we developed with kinesis were implemented in the car in a simpler way. The levers giving you the possibility to do stretching, to do flexibility, and to do core balance. We simplified this experience in order to provide the driver posture and flexibility. This especially matters on long-distance trips to keep in shape, to keep your back in shape, and stay relaxed and flexible.

How damaging is it for a person to be sitting in cars for hours day after day? What does that do to the body?

 Being sedentary is our No. 1 enemy. We try to fight sedentary lifestyles in any case. Of course, in a car, you’re sitting, but we try to move you a little bit. For example, in our offices, if you need to sit, we sit you on wellness balls, so you’re moving. Sedentarity is our enemy to fight, and we try to do that in every field, in every situation to find ways to make people less sedentary.

With the bars that are built into the seats, they pop up, and what can you do with them?

 You can step with the feet, and you can do postural exercises with your upper limbs.

So there are actual stair steppers?

 Exactly.

Most of the exercises focus on isometric methods, correct?

 In this case, yes. The idea is to apply our expertise and knowledge to a sedentary situation and make it less so.

How soon do you think some of these things could be incorporated into the cars?

 There are possibilities. We are experts in movement. Wellness and fitness is not just going to the gym three times a week. It’s trying to move in your daily activities. Man was born to move. Our ancestors were doing 20 miles per day to look for water and food, and today we go less than a half mile per day. Our longterm goal is to make people move.

As this car was being developed, were there people from Technogym who were giving input for the interior design?

 Of course. The interior movement concept was done by Technogym. The posture, the wellness integration, the accessories, and the programs in the screen guiding you were Technogym. Our design center within the company did that.

What do the programs do in the screens?

 They guide you through the possibilities in the car.

With the lights that change for the different moods, do you really think that makes a difference?

 It makes a difference. It creates an atmosphere. We believe that training is not just about the machine or the movement, but it’s about a mood. So that’s creating the right emotional atmosphere.

Anything else you’d like to add?

 This shows how much wellness can be integrated into the automotive space. This experiment shows how wellness is becoming a global trend. It’s no longer a niche, but is becoming a mainstream trend.

____________________________________

Company Wants to Build McLaren P1 GTR For the Road

BOLD RIDE

 

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Jonathon Klein

 

Imagine yourself the proud new owner of one of the only 40 or so special edition McLaren P1 GTRs: the track only nightmare on wheels. You already have a regular P1 in the garage, but you have a desire to take out your P1 GTR and show it off on public roads. But due to the rules and regulations of road use, this dream can never become a reality. Or maybe it could.

According to Autocar, the British firm Lanzante, which primarily works on old McLaren F1 models — including some of the F1 race cars — plans on undertaking a conversion of the McLaren P1 GTR so that it would become fully road legal. Details on the plan are still sketchy at best, but the idea of bringing a race car to the road is definitely interesting.

The normal road going McLaren P1 already is a warp-speed capable rocket ship, but the McLaren P1 GTR is on a whole other level. The P1 GTR uses a retuned version of the P1 drivetrain. In this guise it makes 986 horsepower. That almost 1,000 horsepower combined with a seriously low curb weight of 3,100 pounds make for a seriously wild ride. Now just imagine that on the street.

While McLaren and MSO aren’t directly involved with this plan, Lanzante has enough of a history with McLaren that this project doesn’t seem too overwhelming. We’ve emailed Lanzante with a request for comment on this rumored project. Stay tuned for more information as we get it.

____________________________________

Watch a 2015 Corvette Z06 Blast to 185 MPH

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

Posted on 25 April 2015 by Zach Doell

 

 

 

When taking a recipe and working to make it even better… it pays to do your homework. In the case of Texas tuner John Hennessey, his ‘homework’ just so happens to be pinning sports cars open at full throttle and rocketing them up to eye-watering speeds. Not a bad gig. 

Hennessey and crew have turned their attention to the C7 Corvette as of late, especially the new supercharged Z06. They’ve exercised a stock test vehicle on the dyno, benchmarked it through the quarter mile, but now it’s time to test the stock Z06 on a speed run through its eight-cog gearbox. Spoiler alert: it’s pretty fast.

With Hennessey behind the wheel, the Z06 leapt from standstill to 60 mph using only first and second gear, then rifled speedily past 100 and 150 mph – the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 making quick work of the lower gears. After 47 seconds at full bore, the 650hp Z06 wrestled its way to the 185 mph mark and appears to have disposed of one sixteenth of its gas in the process, perhaps just sloshing.

You may be asking, “I thought the standard C7 could hit 195 mph?” And you’d be right. In fact the old C6 ZR1 with 638hp could hit 205 mph, but this Z06 Corvette in particular was fitted with Chevrolet’s carbon fiber Z07 aerodynamics package, which helps keep it planted firmly into the ground. A good option if you ever experience corners, flat out.
Given what we’ve seen from Hennessey in the past –
  700hp Mustangs and 1,200hp CTS-V coupes – who knows how much more can be pulled out of the Z06.

_____________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

China’s First Supercar Actually Doesn’t Look Terrible

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Jeff Perez

 

 

 

Normally when we’re reporting news from China, it typically involves them ripping off something someone else did. Today, though, there’s actually something interesting to talk about— a supercar. A completely unique not copied supercar from China. Go figure.

It’s called the Qiantu K50 Event! Even though it’s questionably named, it actually looks pretty good on display at the Shanghai Auto Show. The front end is modern and sophisticated, the side profile is unique but nonetheless appealing, and a big wing on the back lays claim to its sporty character.

Power comes from an electric motor producing 408 horsepower, and 0-62 mph is estimated in just 5.0 seconds. Power goes straight to the rear wheels, there’s carbon fiber aplenty, and on a single charge, the K50 will last up to 124 miles (200 km).

It actually sounds pretty promising, and with a starting price of ¥700,000 ($113,000), it’s reasonably priced. Though, considering it does come from China, we’ll have to wait and see if those claims actually hold true in the real world.


Source/Photo Credit: GTSpirit
____________________________________

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo: Grandpa to the Porsche 928

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell

 

 

  

Chevrolet and Porsche. The transatlantic sports car rivals have a methodology and a culture all their own, which is to say – if something works for one, it probably won’t work for the other. Nevertheless, there is one car in particular that made Detroit and Stuttgart see eye to eye – the Corvair Testudo.

 

Its story begins with a friendly competition. In 1960, the Chevrolet Corvair officially launched, mounting a rear-engined fight in the American compact car market. However General Motors executives wanted to know how it might fare in the European market, so GM styling chief Bill Mitchell sent two Corvair chassis to Italy to be restyled with a European hand – one to Pininfarina, one to Bertone.

Both design houses produced impressive concepts, but it was the stunning Corvair Testudo of Bertone’s young Giorgetto Giugiaro that turned the most heads at the ’63 Geneva Motor Show. The ‘Testudo’ – or ‘turtle’ – featured a shortened Corvair Monza chassis, the standard air-cooled flat-six engine, but came presented with a bold waistline and arching canopy evocative of a turtle shell.

Giugiaro later revealed the car opened up new design possibilities for him, no longer leading him to design in “two separate parts” or views of a car, but rather as “one part blending together.”

Ironically, the Testudo didn’t lead a wholly grandiose life as its gorgeous flanks would suggest. The concept was heavily damaged in the mid ’60s and went un-repaired for close to three decades. Its iconic lines didn’t however go unnoticed. One could argue a direct semblance between the Testudo and the likes of the Ferrari Daytona and the Bertone-styled Lamborghini Miura. But what isn’t up for debate is the Porsche it influenced – the 1977 Porsche 928.

Tony Lapine, Porsche’s design director, cited the Testudo as a driving force behind the design of the 928. It certainly wasn’t a shape he would have forgotten. Before Lapine joined Porsche, he worked for Bill Mitchell at GM and was responsible for crafting the Corvair Monza GT and SS concept cars – the Testudo’s American contemporaries – with Larry Shinoda.

The iconic pop-up headlights mark perhaps the most immediate resemblance from 928 to Testudo, but so too does its rounded rear section, which leads into a sweeping canopy, as well as its definitive waist which wraps around to meet an angular fascia.

It’s an unforgettable design, though given the Testudo is a one-off, it would be exceedingly difficult to put in your garage. The 928 on the other hand exists quite commonly in nature. This sleek blue example pictured above is a 1982 Porsche 928, which shows around 54,000 miles on the clock and features the sought after manual gearbox.

Photo Credit: RM Auctions
____________________________________

GM, Ford, And Others Want to Make Working on Your Own Car Illegal

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Jeff Perez

 

 

 

One of the inherent rights of owning a vehicle is the ability to get on one’s backside — a wrench in one hand and a grease rag in the other, and just tinker to your little heart’s desire. Since the vehicle was invented, it’s been an important facet within the community of gearheads.

 

General Motors — the same company responsible for 87 deaths related to faulty ignition switches, FYI — wants to take that right away from you citing safety and security issues. Along with a few other big names.

It’s called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). It’s been around since 2000 and started as anti-Internet piracy legislation. But automakers want to use it to try and make working on your own car illegal. Yes, illegal. The general premise is that unlike cars of the past, today’s vehicles are so advanced and use such a large amount of software and coding in their general makeup, altering said code could be dangerous and possibly even malicious.

Listing the vehicle as a “mobile computing device,” the law would hypothetically protect automakers from pesky owners looking to alter any sort of technology in the vehicle that relates to the onboard computer. Flashing your ECU would be a big no no, which could also lead to all sorts of problems for aftermarket shops.


What GM, and even tractor companies like John Deere, argues is that you, as an owner, don’t actually own your car. Rather, you’re sort of just borrowing it for an extended amount of time and paying for the rights to use the technology. If it sounds ridiculous— it is. But it gets even more ludicrous.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, John Deere argued that “letting people modify car computer systems will result in them pirating music through the on-board entertainment system.”
That’s right— pirating music. Through a tractor.

DMCA does give a little bit of leeway, though. While the act could hypothetically lock customers out of key safety features, it would still allow owners the ability to repair other areas of the vehicle’s onboard computer as they see fit. It’s a slim compromise, but one that may be more closely based in reality.
As it currently sits, there are 13 (!) large automakers on the list supporting the DMCA. Want to know who they are? Of course you do:
General Motors Company
BMW Group
FCA US LLC
Ford Motor Company
Jaguar Land Rover
Mazda
Mercedes-Benz USA
Mitsubishi Motors
Porsche
Toyota
Volkswagen Group of America
Volvo Cars North America
Ironically, one of the brands that relies most on technology in its vehicles — Tesla Motors — in not in support of DMCA. While other American companies like GM, Ford and Chrysler all agree that working on your own vehicle should be punishable by law.
Funny how three brands that pride themselves on American ingenuity don’t want customers to work on their cars.


____________________________________

Paul Walker’s ‘Fast and Furious’ Supra Needs a New Home

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell

 

 

 

If ever a car needn’t an introduction, this would be it. It is, of course, the late Paul Walker’s Toyota Supra from the 2001 smash hit The Fast and the Furious. Brash, bold, fast, quite orange, and inherently furious. It’s also looking for a new home. 

 

The Supra has been offered up for sale and will race across the Mecum Auctions block in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 16. Interested? Find yourself a 10-second car, crank up the Ja Rule tunes, and get yourself to Indiana.

While the Fast and Furious movies have showcased innumerable amazing vehicles over the years, for many, it’s undercover cop Brian O’Connor’s Supra that rises to the top. In the film, the Supra boasts a tuned twin-turbo setup, sports suspension, nitrous tanks, shouty Bomex body kit, competition seats, APR rear wing, Dazz wheels, and the iconic graphics.

In the real world, the original Supra hero car does too. This ’93 Toyota Supra was however one of a number of stunt cars built for filming. As such, it boasts all the performance bits from above, minus the turbochargers. The Toyota 2JZ engine under the hood is the naturally aspirated variant, good for 220 horsepower out of the box – a minor detail in this car’s extensive history. As Jesse said in the film, “This will decimate all, after you put about $15 grand in it, or more if we have to overnight parts from Japan.”




This stunt car in particular made its silver screen debut during the memorable final race scene, which sees Walker and Vin Diesel line up for one last go at the quarter mile. A train shows up, so does a semi trailer, and Diesel’s Dodge Charger is sent airborne and over the top of the Supra. And to think, you were bummed it didn’t have two turbos.

The Supra stunt car is estimated to bring between $150,000 and $200,000 when it gavels next month. From what we understand, stolen DVD players and Nissan SR20 engines won’t be an acceptable form of currency.

____________________________________

‘Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman’ Documentary is Beyond Excellent

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

 

Posted by Jonathon Klein

 

For many, Paul Newman isn’t a household name anymore. Most likely associate him with a line of grocery products rather than a movie icon. Although his spectacular movie career has been widely forgotten, almost no one outside of a small group of automotive enthusiasts even remember his additionally impressive racing career. That, though, will hopefully change with the release of a wonderful movie, Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman.

We were given the chance to be at the film’s premiere in Hollywood, and it did not disappoint.

In that small group of gearheads that know the history of Paul Newman’s racing career, there is a singular minded individual: a person that had been studying Newman’s racing career and gathering up all his old race cars for years. That man is Adam Carolla.

Adam is widely known for his time hosting The Man Show with Jimmy Kimmel or his remarkable comedy background. Yet many aren’t aware of his huge love for the automobile. For years, Adam has used his ample comedic talents to fund his automotive bliss and has amassed a large collection of cars. Although, it’s talking about Newman’s life and driving Newman’s own race cars that really excites him and that’s why he made this film.

Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman is the story of a man that falls completely in love with racing and then struggles between the two passions within his own soul. Does he stay in acting or does he fully commit to the irresistible tug of racing?

One scene in the film is especially poignant to that struggle when Robert Wagner is talking about Newman and his first interaction with a racing car on the set of their movie, Winning. Wagner, after a few laps, is ready to call it quits. But Newman just sat there in the cockpit of the vehicle and seemed to be transfixed on the steering wheel. Wagner said that when he came up to Paul, his eyes were different. As if he was a changed man. And indeed from that day on, he was.
Newman went on to compete in and win multiple SCCA championships, competed in IMSA, and raced at Le Mans where he and his team won their class and achieved a staggering second overall in 1979. All of which is frankly amazing, due to the fact he never took time off from acting to enjoy his passion. He wasn’t just an actor that wanted to play racer, though. Even though many drivers mistook him to be just that. Newman was as good as any of the pro drivers he raced, and that’s what he really wanted to be known for: racing.

For quite some time, Carolla had been trying to get this documentary off the ground. Pushed on by the successes of both Senna and One, and believing that the star power of Paul Newman himself would help the film along, Carolla had high hopes a studio would pick it up. In the end though, no one wanted the project. Unwilling to allow Newman’s fantastic story to die, Carolla set on financing and directing the film himself. This, by a stroke of genius, is what sets this film off.

This film not only highlights Newman’s racing life expertly, but it allows us enthusiasts to look introspectively. Many of us have similar circumstances as Paul Newman did. We have day jobs to fund our passion— his was just on a grander scale. However, Carolla’s fandom makes this documentary shine brilliantly.

 Without that childish joy, that devotion he feels towards Newman, this wouldn’t be the wonderfully crafted documentary it is. Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman is by far one of the best documentaries I’ve seen in quite some time. And while I don’t want to give away any spoilers, I urge you to go see it.
Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman will be released in theaters and video on demand April 22.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

_____________________________________

3 Reasons to Love the BMW i8 This Earth Day

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Jeff Perez

 

 

 

Happy Earth Day— today we’re celebrating all things green. And that means cars, too. One, in particular, is the BMW i8.

In a segment filled with impressive performers like the Porsche 911 and Jaguar F-Type, BMW dared to be different by building a hybrid sports car for its latest offering. And although the i8 hit the scene last year, there’s still plenty of reasons to love it now in 2015.

Concept Styling

When the BMW i8 debuted as a concept in 2009, it was immediately one of the most dramatic things anyone had ever seen. So dramatic, in fact, that it gained a starring role alongside Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.

But the best part of it all was that BMW, surprisingly, didn’t actually change much from concept to production styling. The butterfly doors, the dramatic rear-quarter, and the laser headlights all transferred nicely from the Vision EfficientDynamics to the i8.


Alternative Powertrain

With only 362 horsepower, it might not be the most impressive car in its segment. But unlike the Porsche 911 or Jaguar F-Type, the BMW i8 provides something that neither of those cars do: a hybrid powertrain.

A teeny tiny little 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine sits next to a 7.1 kw lithium-ion battery and returns near 30 mpg. It might not sound like much, but when you consider how this car performs, it’s actually pretty impressive.

Future Possibilites

And then there’s the most exciting thing of all: what BMW can do with it going forward. I wasn’t blown away by the i8 when I initially reviewed it, but it did point in a positive direction for BMW and hybrid sports cars everywhere.

Automakers can build a fun, sporty hybrid after all, and it doesn’t need to cost $1 million. And this is just the beginning. The i8 might not be the most perfect car in the world, but it is one of the most exciting, given the possibilities. Small-displacement engines are quickly and constantly getting more powerful, battery tech is improving for longer life, and at this price range, materials are getting lighter and cheaper.

Just think about it like this: It’s the first time BMW made anything like this. Who produces the ultimate result on the first try? This is building block No. 1, and performance and efficiency can only go up from here. That’s one reason we should all be happy that it exists this Earth Day.

_____________________________________

Every Stormtrooper Needs a ‘Star Wars’ Lamborghini Huracan

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Nicole Wakelin

 

 

It’s a tough job being an Imperial Stormtrooper. They make you wear clunky white armor and chase after droids in the desert, all while under constant threat of being Force Choked by Darth Vader. That’s why a stormtrooper needs a really nice ride, like this Lamborghini Huracan, for blowing off some steam when Vader’s not around.

The timing is perfect with the release of the second trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens making its debut last week at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim. Jonsibal has come up with this rendering of a Lamborghini that will prove your Imperial allegiance.

It’s black, of course, with an Imperial logo prominently displayed on the hood and even a uniformed stormtrooper sitting behind the wheel. This open-topped Huracan looks like the kind of ride Vader should be driving, but somehow a stormtrooper has managed to get his hands on one.

Although, at the rate they go through stormtroopers in the movies, you have to figure his time behind the wheel will be brief. He should at least take off his helmet and enjoy the fresh air before a wayward blaster bolt spells his doom.

Via: The Supercar Kids

____________________________________

First COPO Camaro and Cadillac CT6 Bring $500,000 at Barrett-Jackson

BOLD RIDE

 

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

 

Posted by Zach Doell

 

  

If you were hoping to nab the very first 2015 COPO Camaro or 2016 Cadillac CT6 sedan, bad news, they’ve both been accounted for. The first examples of both production runs sold this weekend at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Palm Beach, Florida, for a scintillating $500,000.

 

The COPO Camaro took the high bid, bringing in $300,000 in exchange for the rights to the first of 69 official Chevrolet race cars. Buyers of the limited-run series can choose between 350ci, 396ci, and 427ci engines. This special car comes with the blown 350 – good for 555hp – and mates to a three-speed automatic racing transmission, with all proceeds benefitting the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans.

The very first 2016 Cadillac CT6 took home $200,000 for the Karmanos Cancer Institute, though its buyers will have to wait until production ramps up to receive their hotly anticipated sedan. The CT6 packs a twin-turbo V6 in highest trim, good for an even 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. Need an even more stratospheric number? Across three days of the auction, Barrett-Jackson shifted a massive $22 million worth of cars.

General Motors was kept in the spotlight this weekend after another of its cars took a high bid. A 1987 Buick Regal GNX showing only 362 miles sold for $165,000 – setting a world record. Top dollar, low-mileage Fords weren’t to be discounted either. A 2006 Ford GT with a mere 19 miles brought home a whopping $319,000. The Ford GTs continue to climb in value. A 13-mile ‘Heritage Edition’ sold for $475,000 earlier this month.

And remember the Herbie movies? One particular ‘Herbie the love bug’ that squirted oil on a police officer in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo sold at Palm Beach for $126,000 and in the process set a world record for Volkswagen Beetles.


____________________________________

The Sci-Fi Futuristic Chevrolet FNR Debuts In Shanghai

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Nicole Wakelin

 

The Chevrolet FNR made its debut in Shanghai looking like something that jumped right out of a Sci-Fi flick. Instead, it’s what the real future of cars may look like when the world is filled with autonomous electric vehicles.

 

The concept car was developed by GM’s Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai as a joint venture. The idea was to combine futuristic design elements to complement the car’s futuristic technologies. It starts with a unique shape that looks like a pod with crystal laser headlights and taillights and dragonfly dual swing doors. There are also magnetic hubless wheels, electric motors and a wireless auto-charge system.

Next comes technology like sensors and roof-mounted radar that let the car drive autonomously and enables Chevy Intelligent Assistant and iris recognition start. Drivers won’t have to do a thing as the car will be able to figure out the best way to every destination.

This will free up the driver to chat with passengers. The seats swivel 180 degrees to facilitate conversation. At any time, the driver can take back control of the car with a simple gesture. You might want to be careful if you’re prone to talking with your hands.

____________________________________

Dodge Vipers Recalled Because the Doors Could Pop Open

BOLD RIDE

 

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Keith Griffin

 

 

With an 8.4-literV10 engine that delivers 640 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque, the Dodge Viper is plenty fast. You just don’t want the doors coming open when you tap all that power.

Apparently, that’s a possibility with 2013 and 2014 Dodge Vipers. Fiat Chrysler Automotive has announced a recall for the two-door sports car that serves as FCA’s halo car. It covers every single model sold for those two years— and then some.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration recall, “Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Dodge Viper vehicles manufactured October 1, 2012, to February 6, 2014. Moisture may get into the door switch, resulting in the driver or passenger door opening unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion.”

And, in classic legalese understatement, the government proceeds to explain why that might be a problem: “If the driver or passenger door opens unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion, there is an increased risk of a crash and injury.”

A total of 1,451 Vipers are subject to the recall. That doesn’t sound like a big number initially, until you realize only 591 Vipers were sold in 2013 and 760 were sold in 2014 for a total of 1351. There must be 100 Vipers sitting at the factory or on dealer lots unsold.

FCA says the problem was caused by a short in the door switch when moisture gets past the switch. The short can be caused because a hot melt adhesive was used instead of a specified two-part epoxy. An unidentified Tier 2 supplier is blamed for the error.


____________________________________

Is This a Tron Lamborghini or a Carolina Panthers Lamborghini?

BOLD RIDE

 

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Nicole Wakelin

 

 

A real Tron light cycle would be cool, but imagine if there was also a real Tron Lamborghini. That’s exactly what this car looks like in Forza. It was done up as an homage to the film, but Carolina Panthers safety Roman Harper sees it in a very different light.

 

If you’re familiar with the NFL team, then you immediately understand. The colors of the Tron Lamborghini are also a perfect match to the team colors of the Panthers. This was not lost on Harper who tweeted his approval of the team-themed car.

A Panthers colored car seems a little crazy until you think about just how much money a lot of these guys spend on their rides. They also do all sorts of custom work to their already pricey cars, so why the heck not make one that doubles as a tribute to your team and a Tron light cycle?

Roman hasn’t said that he plans to make this a reality, but he does like the look so you never know what we may see him driving in the future. It could be done to any car, although it looks especially perfect on the sharp lines of the Lamborghini.

Via: CBS Sports

____________________________________

Tesla Model S Gets a Sharp Makeover Thanks to Larte Design

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Nicole Wakelin

 

The Tesla Model S has gotten yet another makeover thanks to an aftermarket company that thinks the car wasn’t quite good enough the way it rolled off the line. That company would be Larte, which has facilities in both California and Germany and has set its eyes on giving the Model S a bit of an overhaul.

 

That overhaul includes things like custom bumpers, grilles and fender vents that make the somewhat tame sedan look a lot more aggressive. It looks good, but now it also sounds, well, like a car. They’ve added an electronic motor sound to the Tesla in the interest of safety— so it doesn’t catch some unwitting pedestrian by surprise.

The kits are made out of basalt fiber which is made from lava rock. It is very light and very strong with a high strength-to-weight ratio. Larte’s special bumper weights less than 30 pounds. The stuff is also used in bulletproof vests, although, don’t get any ideas about testing that feature with your Tesla.

It’s also resistant to things like moisture, salt solutions, alkali and acids so that it will better stand up to the rigors of daily use. Larte designed the kit to not just look good, but improve the car with better materials and an overall reduction in the vehicle’s weight.

_____________________________________