A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird:
Dodge Hellcat brings 707 h.p. for $63,900
We live in a world where fuel economy and environmental concerns are at the forefront of everyone's mind. Well, not everyone's apparently.
For the Dodge/SRT team, something else is capturing more of their attention, and that thing is Loud Noises. The details are out on the Hellcatpowered Challenger, and they're beyond monstrous: 707 horsepower, a quartermile time in the high 10-second range on drag radials, and all for not much more than $60,000.
The Hellcat can be got with either a specially strengthened eight-speed automatic transmission, or a six-speed manual, and its suspension has been beefed up so that it can - unlike most muscle cars - actually take a corner. Is it a glimpse of the future? No way - this is a stack of Marshall amps playing one last power chord tribute to the golden age of the internal combustion engine.
For those of you who think this sort of a sledgehammer is a bit silly with gasoline prices pushing past $1.50 per litre, it's not like the Hellcat's going to be a commuter. It's a monster, and like its early 1970s ancestors, some day we're going to look back and say "remember when?" Of course, anyone who's lucky enough to have driven a Hellcat will doubtless respond with "Eh? What?" Because their ears will have melted. Awesome.
Ford Mustang specs revealed
As an entirely more sensible sort of pony car, the Mustang is actually moving forward a bit, with a new Ecoboost turbocharged four-cylinder option available on the upcoming car. Details were revealed early last week as to power outputs and weights.
The V-6 model, which was previously something of a performance bargain, sees a slight drop in power to 300 h.p. and 287 footpounds of torque. Expect to see this 3.7-litre V-6 in automatic form at your local rental lot, where your holiday will be improved by the new Mustang's bigger interior space and enhanced handling.
The 5.0-litre V-8 will continue with a bit of a power boost, now up to 435 h.p. and 400 foot-pounds of torque. Both the intake and exhaust sides of the engine have been reworked, allowing it to breathe a little better, but the GT now asks its new powerplant to pull a little more weight, with automatic versions hovering around the 1,700 kilogram mark.
The really interesting car for gearheads is the new Ecoboost model. Lighter than the V-8 by 100 kg, the 2.3-litre four-banger cranks out 310 h.p. and 320 footpounds of torque. Don't let the peak figures steal all the attention either, as that torque is going to come on much earlier than in the V-8 model.
This plus a new fully independent suspension out back could make for a weekend warrior that's still reasonable at the pumps Monday to Friday. Anyone who remembers the old SVO Mustang should start getting excited.
Stolen cheddar bus returned
Cheese it, it's the fuzz! California State police got their man this week, tracking down a trio of stolen VW buses that had been lifted from the Tillamook cheese factory.
The three Vee-Dubs were specially converted promotional tools, with the middle section hacked out of them for extra cutefactor. They look like little toon-town toys.
The thieves, who were surprisingly adult humans and not really large mice, were caught at a storage lot not far from the hotel where the buses had been parked. As part of a Tillamook promotional tour, the tiny VWs were travelling around the U.S., and are now back home safe in Washington, not even nibbled around the edges.
Hot Wheels builds giant Darth Vader car
Lord Vader, your car is ready. That was the old tagline Car and Driver forever attached to the Buick GNX. However, perhaps everyone's favourite Sith Lord might have driven around in a car shaped like his helmet.
Released for the San Diego Comic-Con to celebrate Hot Wheels' new partnership with the Star Wars franchise, a new toy car comes in a presentation lightsaber box and fits nicely on your desk. This being Hot Wheels, that wasn't good enough, so they built a full-sized one.
The rolling machine has a triangular grille and is powered by a 526 h.p. Chevy V-8 with side exhausts. Deeply geeky, but irresistible - search your feelings, you know it to be true.
James Garner dies, aged 86
Judging by the price that Steve McQueen automotive memorabilia fetches, the star of LeMans was the celebrity car guy for the ages. But I don't think so. For me, Garner had all the driving skill McQueen had - and then some - and was a far more honourable and decent man.
The tall, rangy Oklahoma native was best loved for his work on the television shows Maverick and The Rockford Files, in the latter coming up with the signature j-turn people now call a Rockford turn. Basically, reverse at full speed, then snap the wheel around and slam the transmission into drive to squeal out of sight.
Garner did most of his own stunt driving on the show, and also drove actual racing cars when filming Grand Prix, a highly realistic film that competes with Le Mans as one of the best racing movies of all time. He impressed the professional drivers with his skill, and then went on to compete successfully in offroad Baja racing, including stints with Parnelli Jones.
He died aged 86 in his home last week, and will be much missed: honest, hard working, wry, and no friend to bullies, he was a true maverick.
Watch this space for all the week's best and worst of automotive news, or submit your own auto oddities to [email protected] Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendan_mcaleer.
