Filed under: Aftermarket, Truck, Etc., Chevrolet, GM, Specialty

Reeves Callaway makes the point that his company’s Silverado program is extremely new by saying, “Anything I may have said in this conversation may not be true, ’cause I don’t know what I’m talking about yet.” Modest and super-nice, he’s emphasizing that our recent phone chat covering the details of Callaway Cars’ move into the realm of pickup trucks is about a project that’s still in its early stages of execution.

“We’ve got an outline of what we would like to do, now the task is do it, test it,” Callaway says. Having made its name building highly-modified Corvettes since the 1980s, Callaway Cars’ diverse endeavors have stretched from turbocharger kits for BMWs and Alfa Romeos to building and supporting the Corvette Z06.Rs that race in the FIA GT3 European Championship Series, so a pickup truck shouldn’t be all that shocking.

“We’ve got all of the infrastructure in place to service the Corvette and Camaro,” Callaway explains, “we figured it’s logical to do a pickup truck too, if for no other reason than the powertrain is already done. We have loads of experience with that.” While the tuning is obviously different between the V8s in the Corvette and the Silverado, they use essentially the same engine.

Callaway explains the development program has two main objectives. First, “make the power, which we looked at as the easier of the two.” Second, and perhaps more challenging, Callaway wants to do “something that nobody really has ever done, in my experience with a pickup truck, and that is [to] make it handle like a Corvette.” This is where you roll your eyes and say, “how are they gonna pull that off.” Follow the jump and keep reading to find out.

Continue reading Callaway Silverado: Reeves Callaway gives us more details

Callaway Silverado: Reeves Callaway gives us more details originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Europe

After the nearly month-long break that followed the Hungarian Grand Prix, F1 fans around the world have patiently awaited the return to business as usual on the grand prix circuit. And by business as usual, we mean nail-biting, wheel-to-wheel action and bitter rivalries. With that much pent-up anticipation, it would take some spectacle to make up for the hiatus. Fortunately, this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix – held at the legendary Spa Francorchamps circuit – provided exactly that. Follow the jump to read how it went down.

Continue reading 2010 Belgian Grand Prix packs in the action [SPOILERS]

2010 Belgian Grand Prix packs in the action [SPOILERS] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Auctions

Ivan “Ironman” Stewart has retired, and the legendary off-road racer didn’t play around when it came to getting out of the game. This weekend, 650 items from his 37-year racing career are being auctioned off, including the entire Pro Truck business he’s been running for the last ten years.

Items up for bid range from pieces of racing history like the restored Funco SS1 buggy (above) that ran the 1976 Baja 1000, to racing miscellany like antique fire sprinklers and five antique folding seats. Not bad if you want to sprinkle your souvenir room with a little bit of Stewart’s dust.

[Sources: AutoWeek, McCormack Auction Company]

Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart drives into retirement with big sell-off originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc. Auto Shows, Renault, Russia, Luxury

Renault does well in Russia, and the market is important enough to the French automaker that it’s unveiled its latest car in Moscow. The Renault Latitude is described as a “business class” sedan, which translates to a crisply-styled, generously-sized car carrying luxury and tech features. The Latitude will spread into other markets this fall, and the European version will debut at the Paris Motor Show, carrying powertrains and some altered styling details from the Russian-spec versions that just bowed.

Powering the Latitude are a 2.0-liter, 139-horsepower four-cylinder backed by a CVT, or a 2.5-liter, 177-horse version of Nissan’s VQ V6 mated to a six-speed automatic. Drivers are attended to by massaging seats, and niceties like three-zone climate control, sound systems by Arkamys and Bose, and a Carminat TomTom navigation system are some of the equipment details. Chassis bits are borrowed from both Renault and Nissan cars; the front reportedly comes from the Renault Laguna and the rear multi-link setup is from the Nissan side of the family.

Buyers can start lining up to buy the Latitude at the end of September in Morocco and Algeria, and the car will be rolled out in Russa, Ukraine and Africa shortly thereafter. The Latitude is definitely coming to continental Europe, and a decision on whether to offer the Latitude in the United Kingdom will be forthcoming. Want to know more? The press release is posted after the jump.

[Source: Renault]

Continue reading Renault Latitude debuts in Moscow

Renault Latitude debuts in Moscow originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

It might seem that the 2010 IndyCar championship is a foregone conclusion. After all, Team Penske’s Will Power has a sizable lead in the standings and there are just four races left to run. Ah, but those four are all on ovals, and Will has never claimed the top step of the podium at an oval track. Plus, right behind Power in the race for the overall IZOD IndyCar Championship are Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon – two drivers who have considerably better luck than Power when everybody only has to turn left.

In fact, Dixon leads Franchitti in the new-for-2010 A.J. Foyt Oval Champion standings. Furthermore, Dixon basically owns this week’s venue – Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois – despite never actually winning there. That might seem like a contradiction, but Scott has been the bridesmaid on five separate occasions at Chicagoland.

IndyCar’s return to the ovals also means bigger fields, with 29 drivers lined up to run for the checkers on Saturday night. Among those 29 were a record five female drivers – Ana Beatriz, Milka Duno, Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick and Simona de Silvestro. Would Dixon finally take the win in Chicago? Would Dario claim victory and close the gap on Power? Would one of the ladies break through and be the first across the stripe? Follow the jump to see how the 2010 Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 from Chicagoland Speedway played out.

[Images: Jonathan Ferrey, Streeter Lecka/Getty Images | Skip Stewart, Nam Y. Huh, Warren Wimmer/AP]

Continue reading IndyCar: 2010 Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 [SPOILERS]

IndyCar: 2010 Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 [SPOILERS] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Celebrities, Rumormill

We saw this one coming; the BBC has apparently sacked The Stig. Britain’s Daily Mirror tabloid reports that the Stig, a.k.a. Ben Collins, has been let go and that a new Stig has already replaced him on Top Gear. In fact, the Mirror says it already have pics of the new Stig at a N

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Filed under: Videos

Click above to watch the video after the jump

Pixar’s Cars proved what most of us have known since we were little kids: the front end of a car looks a lot like a face. A company named Carlashes hopes to cash in on the whole “car as face” theme by offering big, curly headlamp eyelashes that would make Betty Boop jealous. Seriously. This aftermarket glamification is apparently available for $24.95, but that’s not all! If ridiculous eyelashes aren’t enough, you can add “Crystal Eyeliner” for an additional $19.95. That clear, rhinestone-style bling appears to attaches directly to the paint. Like you, we’re astonished and horrified.

Carlashes’ e-commerce site has apparently endured some intermittent downtime due to elevated traffic levels, likely from a combination of genuinely (and inexplicably) interested window shoppers and people like us, who simply had to see it to believe it. You won’t find us placing an order – ever – but you can hit the jump to watch a pair of videos showcasing the brilliance of Carlashes. Can’t stop staring? There’s a whole photo gallery of these things adorning everything from a ’55 Caddy to a Toyota 4Runner on the company’s Facebook page.

[Source: Car Lashes]

Continue reading Yes, This is Real: Carlashes

Yes, This is Real: Carlashes originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Europe, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Porsche, Volkswagen

Volkswagen continues its executive shell game. The company has announced that Klaus-Gerhard Wolpert will take the reigns as its new chief product strategist. If you follow the comings and goings of auto execs, Wolpert’s name likely sounds familiar. He’s the hardy soul who brought the most successful model in Porsche’s history to life: the Cayenne. Wolpert will slide into the void left by Matthais Mueller, who takes over as the new CEO of Porsche.

Stay with us, now – this where things get tricky.

Michael Macht, Porsche’s former CEO, will step into Jochem Heizmann’s old role as VW production boss. Heizmann, meanwhile, will stay on the company’s board as the head honcho over its truck division.

This sort of interbreeding between Volkswagen and Porsche was bound to accelerate once the two seriously joined forces. VW is well on its way toward taking over vehicle manufacturing operations at the sports car company, and in the future, we’re likely to see the two share platforms and even engines.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Musical chairs continues with execs at VW/Porsche originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Toys/Games

For a show from another country that only produces 14 episodes a year, Top Gear is everywhere. And it’s going to be even more everywhere soon, thanks to a licensed video game reportedly being developed for PC, console, mobile and tablet platforms. There’s no word on exactly how the developers plan to game-ify the Top Gear television experience, but we guess we’ll find out soon enough – it’s due by the end of the year.

[Source: Know Your Mobile]

Report: Top Gear game headed to iPad, mobile phones originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Hybrid, Truck, Dodge

While recently shooting some cloaked Chrysler and Hyundai prototypes, Automotive Traveler‘s Rich Truesdell came across several completely undisguised Ram 1500 pickups the other day. As Rich tells it:

Upon closer examination, I figured out why: They are near-production-ready versions of the rumored 2-Mode Hybrid version. Judging by the complete lack of cloaking, I’d assume they are undergoing final validation, possibly to establish their published tow ratings. Don’t be surprised if the Ram is an early-introduction 2012 model to reach showrooms in the spring.

We’ve talked about these hybrid pickups before, and if a schedule posted at Allpar is to be believed, Chrysler will kick off production of this new Ram 1500 Hybrid on November 16, so they may be badged as MY2011 Ram 1500 Hemi Hybrids and not MY2012 as Rich supposes. Either way, the hybrid Ram is expected to employ the same 5.7-liter Hemi V8, two-mode hybrid powertrain that was used in the short-lived Dodge Durango/Chrysler Aspen hybrids in 2008, backed by a transmission supplied to Chrysler by General Motors. Expected mileage ratings should be similar to GM’s hybrid trucks, with a city number of about 21 to 22 mpg.

Check out Automotive Traveler for more photos of the 2011 Ram 1500 Hemi Hybrid.

[Source: Automotive Traveler]

Spy Shots: 2011 Ram 1500 Hybrid uncloaked originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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