For all the family vacations, he drives to practice, the trips to the burger stand, letting us “help” when we weren’t really helping, and for not yelling at us too much when we shot cap guns at other cars out the open back window from our rear-facing seats in the family station wagon: Thanks, Dad. From all of us at Autoblog to all the dads out there, Happy Father’s Day! Got any fun dad/car stories? Share ‘em below. Happy Father’s Day from Autoblog originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Motorsports , Etc. , Lifestyle Former WRC driver Colin McRae died just before the game bearing his brand, DiRT, was released. That game didn’t get a chance to honor the 1995 WRC champion, but the game’s sequel, DiRT 2 , will make up for that. In addition to a host of off-road events that you can run in a variety of off-road vehicles, there will be a Colin McRae Memorial Cup that you can qualify for. Other drivers in the game will also be heard talking about McRae, and he is “the central figure in the narrative.” As a step to pay tribute it is commendable, and it’s good to see that Mr. McRae hasn’t been forgotten. [Source: Joystiq ] DiRT 2 will honor Colin McRae in-game originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Time Warp , Misc. Auto Shows 2009 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Day 1 - Click above for a high-res gallery The web is all about immediacy, and by that token, you should have seen these Greenwich Concours d’Elegance photos right after the event happened. Your humble correspondent, however, was juggling the Concours with his own family vacation preparations, and couldn’t deliver in a timely fashion. However, like Dick Nixon , I’m now tanned, rested and ready, so follow the jump for several themed photo galleries and the annual rundown on what you missed if you weren’t able to make the stop in Greenwich, All photos Copyright (C)2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading 2009 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance 2009 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Spy Photos , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Aston Martin A Car magazine reader has photographed the Aston Martin Rapide looking like it could have come off a dealer lot. The snapper also peeped the inside, which he said has a full-length console a la the Mercedes CLS to create four distinct seating positions. Aston has, however, said that those rear seats are for “children or two adults on shorter journeys.” The slinky black number also sports a serious set of pipes out back that we expect to put out a beautiful soundtrack. And thank goodness the car has a hatch like the Vantage, which means — in a first for current Aston Martins — it could have a proper trunk. Like the kind you can actually put things in. [Source: Car ] Spy Shots: This is your Aston Martin Rapide originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Tuners , Hatchbacks , Honda Mugen Honda Civic Type-R hatch - Click above for high-res image gallery Honda’s Euro-market Civic Type R hatchback has been called out for being a successor that hasn’t exactly succeeded. Seems a bit of the thrill is gone from the new car compared to the old one. Enter tuning firm Mugen, whose modifications to the Type R hatch should make it even better than it once was. Not much is known about the changes in store. However, based on changes made for Mugen’s Japan-spec Civic Type RR 4-door sedan, these pictures, and the fact that this car might take on the Renault R26.R, you can expect much: upgraded suspension and 18-inch wheels, giant front splitter and rear wing, huge exhaust, and a powerplant putting out 237 bhp and 160 lb-ft. If the pictures don’t lie, however, it looks like the bigger Brembo brakes might not appear, and the back seats will remain in place. You can check out the details for yourself in the high-res gallery below. Gallery: Mugen Civic Type R Hatch [Source: 4 Wheels News ] Mugen Civic Type R hatchback restores former glory originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Time Warp , Dodge , Police/Emergency Over at Clunkbucket, Mike Bumbeck has an “odd rod” feature highlighting one of the more interesting law-enforcement vehicles we’ve ever come across. Back in the early 70s, the Bay Area Pollution Control District decided to form a Vehicle Patrol section to issue citations to emissions scofflaws. Officers used a chart that told them what color color smoke was “good” or “bad” to determine whether the exhaust spewing from cars’ tailpipes was in compliance. Nowadays, this sort of endeavor would likely be carried out by humorless glorified metermaids in politically-correct Toyota Priuses. Back then, however, jauntily-dressed pollution-enforcement agents cruised the streets of San Francisco in specially-liveried Dodge Polara pursuit specials. Because, you know, when you think “clean air” you think “Dodge Polara.” Head over to Clunkbucket for plenty more photos, some additional program history, and details on the excellent replica you see above. [Source: Clunkbucket | Photo: Mike Bumbeck] Irony Police: ‘73 Dodge Polara Air Pollution Control replica originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

MINI E - click above for high-res image gallery Denmark is one of the countries on the leading edge of pushing vehicle electrification. They were one of the first countries to hook up with Better Place to roll out a charging infrastructure. Now, the Danes want to do a test that combines wind power and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. While wind power is a tremendous renewable resource, the wind often stops blowing. Thus some mechanism is needed to store energy when the wind blows and feeds it back it out when it stops. That’s where the V2G comes in. Electric vehicles could be used as a temporary buffer during calm air periods. Denmark plans a V2G test on the island of Bornholm, a place that already has enough wind turbine capacity to meet 40 percent of its electricity needs, but only gets 20 percent of its power from wind because of inconsistency. Denmark will use plug-in vehicles to evaluate whether capacity utilization of wind power can be improved by feeding power from the cars back into the grid. If the project is successful, more wind turbines will be added with the goal of getting half of Bornholm’s power needs from the wind. Thanks to Mart for the tip! Gallery: Quick Drive: MINI E [Source: The Guardian ] Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Filed under: EV/Plug-in Denmark to combine wind power with vehicle-to-grid in new tests originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Lifestyle , UK , Celebrities World of Top Gear Exhibition opening day - Click above for high-res image gallery From the impossible-to-kill Toyota pickup truck, to the amphibious cars the three presenters created to cross the English Channel, to the Reliant Robbin Space Shuttle they tried to put into orbit, our fondest memories of Top Gear over the years almost always seem to center around the ridiculous vehicular challenges that the show’s producers provide for Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond. Soon, anyone wishing to catch a first-hand glimpse of these machines will get their chance as the U.K.’s National Motor Museum just opened the doors to its new World of Top Gear exhibition. Also on display will be a full-scale reproduction of the stage where Top Gear is filmed before a live studio audience, the infamous Cool Wall, and the Celebrity Lap Time board. Want to know more? Click here to visit the official website and hit the jump to read the press release. Gallery: World of Top Gear Exhibition [Source: National Motor Museum Beaulieu] Continue reading World of Top Gear exhibit opens in UK World of Top Gear exhibit opens in UK originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Dodge How It’s Made: Hurst Hemi Dodge Challenger - Click above for a high resolution gallery At SEMA last year, the legendary shifter company Hurst made huge waves with its Hemi Challenger . We’ve been following Hurst’s progress of the cars ever since, and even got the chance to get behind the wheel of the prototype car for a brief stint. We recently made the trip down to Hurst Performance Vehicles’ headquarters in Irvine, CA to see just how stock Challengers are transformed into one of their limited edition muscle cars. You might think that Hurst would be hard pressed to find customers in today’s economy, but we were surprised to see their building overflowing with Challengers. There were completely stock cars that had just been delivered, cars getting superchargers and suspension upgrades, and plenty of complete cars waiting to be delivered to their lucky new owners. Hurst was kind enough to give us a full tour of the facility, and showed us exactly what goes into making one of their Challengers, whether it’s a base Series 2 model or a full blown Series 5 with all the bells and whistles. Follow us on our tour in the gallery below, which includes high-res photographs and detailed descriptions that follow a Hurst Challenger from start to finish . Gallery: How It’s Made: Hurst Hemi Dodge Challenger Photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc. How It’s Made: Hurst Hemi Dodge Challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Government/Legal We’ve all heard stories about ways you can avoid or get out of a ticket, but how many people do you know that have actually pulled it off? One? Two? None? Virginia traffic attorney Andrew Flusche probably knows a thing or two about fighting moving infractions, and he came up with a list of some of the “get out of a moving violation free” ticket myths. You’ve all heard this one: “the officer won’t show up in court if you fight it.” According to Flusche, that’s flat-out wrong in most cases. In fact, some municipalities pay police overtime for court time, making it that much more enticing to show up, and as Flusche points out, it’s the officer’s job to show up. Another common myth is that you can simply plead to the judge that you were going with the flow of traffic. That’s the traffic infraction equivalent of “the other kids were doing it.” That didn’t fly with your parents, and it won’t fly with the judge. The third myth Fusche brings up is the argument that the radar system was poorly calibrated. To successfully argue this point in court, Fusche says that you must first obtain evidence that the equipment is faulty. You can request calibration dates and data, and you can research the information online, but the burden of proof is on you. Without the evidence, the judge will rightfully side with the guys and gals in blue. [Source: Dumb Little Man via Life Hacker | Image Source: Ramzi Haidarr/Getty/AFP] Beware of speeding ticket myths originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments