When you start with a bag of Volvo S80 parts, you usually get two things: a S80 and mildly confused. But when Volvo engineers do the same thing, they come up with madness like the T6 hot rod coming to the SEMA show this week. The hand-built racer gets its twin-turbo six from the S80 mounted in the back, a five-speed Geartronic automatic sending power to the rear wheels, and a rear decklid that automatically rises as the engine temperature does, to keep the whole array cool. Volvo built the T6’s body around a tubular-steel frame and used the subframes from the S80, and crafted new control arms for the front and rear suspension. Front six-piston brakes are new, but the rears are S80 discs; the front wheels are 20-inchers, while the rears are 22-inchers. With interior trim from the S80, you’d be inclined to think the T6 is headed for a northern-lights production line—but you’d be smoking reindeer. Stay tuned for more on the T6 and more on SEMA this week at TCC.
Posted in : Enthusiasts, Industry News, Reviews, Shoppers
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Ford's the company of few words when it comes to this GTX1 concept. The roofless version of the GT supercar will be shown off at next week's SEMA aftermarket show in Vegas - and that's about all Ford is saying for now about the fiery orange concept (sketched here). Stay tuned for more from SEMA and for more on the concept.
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As Fernando Alonso swept over the finish-line of the Chinese Grand Prix and made sure that Renault won the F1 Constructors’ Championship, he broke into song, with a Spanish-accented version of the first line of the Queen standard "We Are the Champions." When the team got back home, they went one better, making the old cliché about “the music of a high-powered engine” literally come true. They took a recorder into one of their test-beds and captured the sound of a Renault V10 being masterfully manipulated to provide a complete version of the song of which Fernando could only sing the first line.
Next year F1 goes over to smaller V-8 engines, so this is truly the swan-song for the V-10.
You can
listen to it here - just click on the ‘Start’ button in the ‘Sound’ section. If you like it so much,
you can download it.
--Ian Norris Posted in : Enthusiasts, Reviews
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Listen to this WJR Auto Report
There’s been a lot written about the problems at General Motors in recent months. Indeed, the automaker seemed to almost encourage the reporting of bad news as part of its strategy in negotiating concessions from the United Auto Workers union. Now, with that deal in place, media coverage is shifting cross-town, the spotlight suddenly falling on Ford Motor Co. And with good reason. The number two automaker arguably has even more serious problems than GM to address. There are those troubled overseas operations. But the most serious issues face Ford at home. Like GM, the automaker is suffering from declining sales and market share, even as its healthcare and so-called legacy costs are rising. Ford has been wracked with turmoil, though that’s not entirely bad. Mark Fields, the new man in charge of American operations, needs the chance to put his own team in place. But a lot of good talent is leaving with the bad. Ford has to move fast to stabilize the situation even before it announces a formal turnaround plan, in January.
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It’s standard practice in Hollywood to ask your waitress what roles she’s auditioning for. But your valet? That’s the promise of California Girls Valet, which employs a squadron of 50 actress/models to perform the car-parking services for star-studded events that normally would be handled by acne-riddled teenage boys in red vests. The company, a spin-off from an L.A. valet outfit, promises sexy women in tank tops, Capri pants, and bikinis instead, as well as clean driving records and background checks. So whether you’re dropping a new record or spicing up a dour lesbian wedding in the Los Angeles area, get a quote at
www.californiagirlsvalet.com and maybe your next party will have naughty schoolgirls grabbing the keys to your new Porsche.
Posted in : Enthusiasts, Reviews, Shoppers
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Marty Padgett October 31st, 2005
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