Blog

Friday, March 12, 2010

The $800,000 Bentley Station Wagon

At the Geneva Motor Show, Bentley just unveiled a stunning two-door station wagon or "shooting brake" model dubbed the Continental Flying Star built by Italian coachwork firm Touring Superleggera. Based on either the Bentley Continental GTC with a 560 hp twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 engine, or the GTC Speed with a 610 hp engine, only 20 examples will be built at a base price of about $800,000 apiece.
The car's completely new rear compartment features two foldable rear seats and a variable loading space. The term "shooting brake" does not refer to the braking system but originated with custom built two-door luxury estate cars altered for use by hunters and other sportsmen such as golfers, equestrians, and polo players requiring easy access to larger storage areas than offered by the typical automobile trunk.

Read original.

Labels: , , , , ,

posted by My American Motors at 12:14 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Study Reveals Most Popular Colors

They say car choices say a lot about the owners. Even colors reflect a one's personality.

A perfect example of this was popularized in the movie "Meet the Parents" where Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) had an awkward exchange of words with his soon-to-be father-in-law Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro). It went something like this:

Jack Byrnes: I'm just curious, did you pick the color of the car?
Greg Focker: Uh no, the guy at the window did, why?
Jack Byrnes: Well they say geniuses pick green.
Greg Focker: Oh.
Jack Byrnes: But you didn't pick it.



Here's an interesting article by Rex Roy about car colors and what they mean. Enjoy!

What The Top Hues Say About Us

World-Wide Auto Color Survey
According to DuPont's Nancy Lockhart, a color marketing manager for vehicle paints, the company's 2009 survey was a first-ever attempt to measure color preferences on a world-wide scale. DuPont Automotive has studied color preference in the United States for more than fifty years.

DuPont is, of course, a major automotive paint supplier and conducts its annual study to help the auto industry forecast shifts in consumer tastes.

"By gathering and analyzing color popularity data around the globe, DuPont is able to better identify trends and help our customers in the automotive industry develop color palettes for the future," Lockhart said. "The auto industry is an increasingly global business, so regional and global color data are vitally important to designers."

Apparently, DuPont color wizards will remain busy coming up with various shades of silver, black, white, and gray. These colors (or non-colors, some might say) stand as the world's favorite shades, although their ranking varies.

Color Rankings
For example, white is the most popular color in North America. It has been the US's favorite for years, but its lead over black is steadily shrinking. In 2003, 31-percent of vehicles were white, dropping to 17.8 for 2009. Black, silver, and gray trailed white in North America, but not by much.

Statistics averaged for the rest of the world put silver clearly in the lead, followed by black, white, and gray.

Blue and red scored double-digit percentages in North America. They took spots #5 and #6. These "real" colors occupied the same popularity slots in the world-wide average, but only managed to tally single-digit percentages.

Browns, greens, and yellows/golds rounded out spots #7 through #9. Showing North America's greater acceptance of color, the popularity of these colors ran higher compared to the world-wide average.

As one might expect, there are other regional differences regarding color preferences.

Green is Russia's second most popular automotive color.

India's third most favorite color is red.

What Colors Mean
Many books have studied the meaning of individual colors, so this article cannot thoroughly cover all there is to know on the subject. However, here are some things to think about: As one might expect, the meaning of colors change from culture to culture. These differences help explain why some colors are more popular in China than in France, and vise versa.

There are many cultural-specific examples, but red stands out as one color that clearly means different things depending on one's culture. The Western world tends to view the color red as sporty, bold, and aggressive. The Eastern world tends to associate red with happiness. Therefore, while a red sports car makes sense in Italy, it doesn't make as much sense in China.

Another example is white. White often symbolizes purity in Western cultures, but in some Eastern cultures, it is the preferred color to wear to a wake. Funeral directors take note...

Factors like these help drive the popularity of automotive paint colors the world over.

So, here are a few questions for you to answer:
1) What color is your vehicle?
2) Why?

Source: Rex Roy (Editor-at-Large, AOL Autos)/ Read original article here.

posted by My American Motors at 11:07 AM 0 Comments

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

SRT Engineers vs. Viper Club

Take a peek at the annual closed-track competition between SRT engineers and the Viper Club of America (VCA) at Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Grounds in Michigan.

You know what you'll get when you put 2 Viper-loving groups and 3 Vipers in an autocross competition-- one crazy joyride!



Feel the rush. Check out our Dodge Viper SRT10 in-stock, ready for immediate delivery here.

Labels: , , , , , , , ,

posted by My American Motors at 1:25 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Inside Jay Leno's Garage: 1970 Hotchkis Dodge Challenger 340 T/A

Watch as Jay Leno turns to suspension expert John Hotchkis to perform modifications on this 39-year-old muscle car. The 70's soul of the Dodge Challenger is outfitted with Hotchkis' suspension parts to produce a modern ride with refined drivability.


Labels: , , , , ,

posted by My American Motors at 8:59 AM 0 Comments

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Dodge Challenger's Gone Plum Crazy


  • Plum Crazy returns from the Dodge car paint code archive for an exclusive production run
  • Adding even more throwback style, Dodge Challenger R/T Classic in Plum Crazy Pearl Coat is available with matte black or new bright white dual-wide R/T body-side stripes
  • Limited-edition Dodge Challenger SRT8 Plum Crazy features performance seats with Plum Crazy accented seat stripe
  • Directly available through Mopar, Katzkin leather seat sets are available in multiple color and piping combinations to highlight Dodge Challenger's Plum Crazy exterior paint and stripes

Auburn Hills, Mich. , Oct 22, 2009 - Dodge today announced an exclusive production run of the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and SRT8 featuring the classic Plum Crazy Pearl Coat exterior color. Both Dodge Challenger models deliver the best of modern American muscle-car characteristics - unmistakable design, world-class handling, powerful HEMI V-8 engines and technology - now with an extra dose of nostalgia.

"The new Plum Crazy R/T Classic and SRT8 feature more than just memorable blast-from-the-past design cues and HEMI engines; both models exude the very core of Dodge Challenger's roots," said Ralph Gilles, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dodge Car Brand and Senior Vice President - Product Design, Chrysler Group LLC. "Our new Plum Crazy limited-edition models pay homage to Challenger's heritage while delivering the passion and excitement Dodge fans and customers demand."

The U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the new 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic in Plum Crazy Pearl Coat is $35,140, while the high-performance SRT8 model is $44,155 (both prices include $725 destination). Both Plum Crazy models are available for ordering now at Dodge dealerships nationwide.

2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic Plum Crazy
Based on the powerful 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T, the Dodge Challenger R/T Classic Plum Crazy edition is the first to offer dual throwback A-line body-side R/T stripes in matte black or new bright white. Completing the look are "Challenger" fender badges in classic script, large 20-inch polished-chrome heritage wheels with all-season performance tires, classic egg-crate grille with heritage "R/T" badge, body-color rear spoiler, functional hood scoop and chromed fuel-filler door.

When paired with the Tremec six-speed manual transmission, the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic Plum Crazy includes the performance-minded Track Pak with precision-shift "pistol-grip" shifter, anti-spin 3.92 differential and a performance-tuned dual exhaust with two low-restriction bottle resonators for maximum "throatiness." And when it's time to deliver, the Plum Crazy R/T Classic can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds with its powerful 376 horsepower (280 kW) and 410 lb.-ft. of torque (556 N m) 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine.

2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Plum Crazy
If the Dodge Challenger R/T Classic in Plum Crazy is not exciting enough, the 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 version delivers even more punch and exclusivity with its 6.1-liter HEMI V-8 engine producing 425 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque, performance-tuned ride and handling, benchmark braking and race-inspired interior with unique SRT-designed appointments.

The limited-production Dodge Challenger SRT8 in Plum Crazy is based on the 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and features exterior-matching SRT performance seats with Plum Crazy accented stripe.

Production of the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and SRT8 in Plum Crazy
Production of the all-new 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and SRT8 in limited-production Plum Crazy Pearl Coat will start in late November 2009 at the Brampton Assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. It will be built on the same assembly line as the award-winning and quality-proven Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300.

About the 2010 Dodge Challenger
The 2010 Dodge Challenger merges the best American muscle-car characteristics - unmistakable design, world-class handling, powerful engines and technology - to delight driving enthusiasts across several generations. The Dodge Challenger accommodates five passengers in a two-door coupe produced from the company's proven rear-wheel-drive platform. With three models of head-turning styling, two legendary HEMI V-8 engine choices, up to 25 highway mpg, more than 25 safety and security features and modern amenities including Uconnect- Navigation with voice-activated navigation system and real-time traffic available it's no surprise Dodge Challenger was awarded J.D. Power and Associates "Most Appealing Midsize Sporty Car" in their 2009 APEAL Study.

Labels: , , , ,

posted by My American Motors at 4:20 PM 0 Comments

Monday, August 31, 2009

Clunkers Program Cut Used-Car Supply

Now that the US government's Cash for Clunkers has ended, we are seeing the immediate implications such program yields. Many critics are looking beyond the 690,000 new vehicle car sales but instead, are focusing on 2 after effects: a) decreased supply of used cars and b) higher used car prices.

As to whether or not the program will result to a continuous sales surge in the US auto industry, has yet to be determined.
------------------------------

The Cash for Clunkers program has decreased the supply of used cars and raised their prices, Virginia dealers and buyers said.

"It's taken the threeand fourand five-thousand-dollar cars off the market," said Tim Higginbotham, president and owner of New Millennium Auto Sales in Hanover County. "The people that can't afford a car payment, that's the car that they buy."

"Please explain to my [two] kids, each of whom will soon be in the market for a used car, why the prices are up because supply is down, a result of all those viable 'clunkers' rendered scrap by decree," said Robert H. Brick Jr., a communications technician from Chester.
Auto dealers reported 690,114 sales under the federal government's $3 billion Cash for Clunkers rebate program, according to final data that the U.S. Department of Transportation released yesterday.

Dealers have claimed rebates totaling $2.88 billion, the agency said. In Virginia, auto dealers have applied for $98.5 million in rebates. The federal auto-sales promotion gave rebates of up to $4,500 to owners trading in older gas-guzzling cars and trucks for new, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

"We're looking at close to 25,000 [sales of new] vehicles in Virginia alone," said Michael Allen, director of public affairs for the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association. The new-car sales also promoted more used-car deals.

"McGeorge is also experiencing record used-car sales during this period, with 124 deals during the past 30 days," said Nick Scola, general manager with the local McGeorge Car Co. Inc. "Activity breeds activity." The nation's used-car inventory has been contracting during the recession as individual owners, as well as rental-car and car-leasing companies, held on to vehicles rather than trade them for new ones.

Wholesale used-vehicle prices rose for the seventh consecutive month in July, up 17.8 percent since December, according to Manheim Consulting's monthly used-vehicle-value report. "It's driven the price of used cars way up," said Charles Devegnee with Bavarian Auto Sales, a wholesale used-car company in Henrico County. "Where we were paying 10,000 [dollars], you're now paying 12 or 13 thousand" for the same sort of vehicle.

Goochland County-based CarMax Inc., the nation's largest retailer of used cars, would not discuss the impact of the Cash for Clunkers program on its business. CarMax sold more than half a million cars last year.

Sales under the program ended Monday. Cars made in the U.S. topped the most-purchased list, from the Ford Focus to the Toyota Corolla to the Honda Civic. "American consumers and workers were the clear winners thanks to the Cash for Clunkers program," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

"Manufacturing plants have added shifts and recalled workers," LaHood said. "Moribund showrooms were brought back to life and consumers bought fuel-efficient cars that will save them money and improve the environment."

For the first six months of 2009, U.S. sales were running at the rate of 10 million new vehicles a year. Last year, dealers sold slightly more than 13 million new autos.

Source: Peter Bacque (from the Richmond Times Dispatch)

posted by My American Motors at 12:57 PM 0 Comments

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Proud Supporter of the Rolling Cones

We are rolling with Team Rolling Cones for this year's Mongol Rally happening on July 18th where different adventurists from around the globe embark on a 10,000-mile journey from the UK all the way to Mongolia- without the aide of satellite maps or GPS.

Team Rolling Cones aims to conquer the Mongol road rally to raise money for their selected charities like Mercy Corps, CNFC, etc. This group will be traveling through a well-planned route- spanning 20 different countries with elevations ranging from 60 ft below sea level to heights of over 15,200 ft- using a pink ice cream truck.

Please support the Rolling Cones on their daring adventure (for a good cause). Visit their website at www.rollingcones.net for more information on how you can help the team and donate to the charities.

posted by My American Motors at 12:59 PM 0 Comments