The Kenyan half brother of US president Barcak Obama has been arrested over a cannabis issue.

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Motorsports, Auction Action, Misc. Auto Shows, Event Alert

Thanks to your suggestions, we added a Google Calendar after the jump so you can bookmark it and constantly receive updates as we add them. We appreciate all of your input and hope you find our calendar a useful tool. We also appreciate your comments listing events we might have overlooked or that are just near-and-dear to your hearts. Event cancellation notices are also greatly appreciated.

Highlights for February include the Chicago Auto Show, which we will be covering obsessively from McCormick Place; the kickoff of the NASCAR and NHRA seasons with the Daytona 500 and the Winternationals, respectively; and the RetroMobile show in Paris. There’s plenty of other fun stuff scheduled all over the country and indeed around the world.

As always, we want to give a shout-out to our two favorite sources; The New York Times automotive calendar for national and international stuff, and for local stuff here in Southern California, our buddy Dave Lindsay’s SoCalCarCulture pages. Dave’s photographic coverage of these local events is fantastic. So check out the February event calendar we put together for you after the jump and start adding to it. Happy Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day to everyone as well!

Continue reading Event Alert: February Calendar of Automotive Events

Event Alert: February Calendar of Automotive Events originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Auction Action, Ford, Special/Limited Editions

It might not be the very first production Thunderbird ever made, but it is a pretty special T-Bird nonetheless, and it is up for auction, not at Barrett-Jackson, but rather on eBay Motors. Item number 190283235126 is a rare, 1 of 4, 1995 Ford Thunderbird SVT Concept prototype. The description tells us that the other three were crushed by the Blue Oval, making this the sole survivor. What makes this SVT concept special is the engine. It features a turbocharged 4.8L V8 instead of the supercharged V6 that went into the production Thunderbird SC. Black with a gray leather interior, it appears to have aged well, with nearly 70,000 miles on the clock. The car has been with one owner for the past ten years and was featured in Makes & Models Magazine in 2005. Unfortunately, it has a few non-stock “upgrades,” including a racing fuel cell and a fiberglass hood with an airbrushed bird on the underside. Check out the gallery and click over if you feel its worth at least the $30,000 starting price.

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: Sole remaining 1995 Ford Thunderbird SVT prototype originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Economy, Hatchbacks, Hyundai, Rendered Speculation

It is codenamed “green baby,” and it is Hyundai’s answer to the Toyota iQ. A Hyundai Europe insider hinted that the car could be funkier and “more basic and functional” than the iQ. The iQ Concept had a pretty neat interior, but there really isn’t much space between it and the backstop of basic transportation – at least, not when it comes to anything you’d want to sit in.

Drivetrains and engines haven’t been discussed, but the 12-valve 4-cylinder with 66 hp from the i10 would probably be in the cards. Hyundai has said that i10 is too small for the U.S., so the even smaller “green baby” will probably be offered only in Europe at first, and could be on sale by as soon as next year.

[Source: Autocar]

Hyundai planning Toyota iQ rival originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Etc., Videos, Audi

Who needs snow? Audi says just use what you’ve got. In its newest Audi S4 ad for the European marke, the German brands shows a downhill skier doing his thing through the streets of San Francisco, with nary a snowflake in sight. Appropriately titled “San Francisco Abfahrtski!”, the video features some cool effects and presumably shows you the visceral thrills that you’ll experience while piloting your new supercharged S4. Follow the jump to see the spot for yourself, and pay close attention for the parking meter slalom and the cable car dodge.

Continue reading VIDEO: Audi invents new sport in S4 advert

VIDEO: Audi invents new sport in S4 advert originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here
Powered by SmartRSS

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos

Super Bowl commercials always generate buzz, and this year, Hyundai’s going to have company in the automotive sector. Bridgestone signed Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head for one of two commercials that will air during the big game, and a teaser video offers a tantalizing glimpse of what we’ll be seeing as we gulp down nachos and wings. The February 1st event will be the Potato Heads first outing in a Super Bowl ad. Out for a little bit of top-down motoring in their Pontiac Solstice, the starchy couple suddenly find themselves bearing down on a pack of sheep in the road. We’ll have to tune in to the halftime show to see if it ends with mashed potatoes, but for now, at least there are cool behind-the-scenes videos to watch (after the jump).

In a second commercial, a pair of astronauts tear around some other planet in a hot rod moon-buggy. Again, we’ll have to tune in for the answer to the question “Whats the hottest thing on four wheels?” While the Tater spot has the big-name talent, we’re more intrigued by what otherworldly treat might be in store for us when the answer to Bridgestone’s question is revealed. This is the second year Bridgestone has advertised during the Super Bowl, and the company is also sponsoring the halftime show with Bruce Springsteen. Looks like we’ll have to make that halftime break a quick one. Teaser spots and behind the scenes videos posted after the jump

[Source: Bridgestone]

Continue reading VIDEO: Bridgestone Super Bowl spot stars Mr. Potato Head

VIDEO: Bridgestone Super Bowl spot stars Mr. Potato Head originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Government/Legal, Chrysler, LLC., Ford, GM, UAW/Unions

Detroit automakers are frantically working to cut costs in an effort to stay out of bankruptcy court. A very big piece of the puzzle is labor, and leaders from the Canadian Auto Workers Union are reportedly ready and willing to make concessions. Talks are set to begin next week in advance of a February 17 deadline for the Detroit automakers to submit their viability plans to the Canadian government. The CAW would like to exchange wage concessions in return for job guarantees.

With the CAW and Detroit heading for discussions to cut wages and benefits, there are bound to be some unhappy workers. CAW president Ken Lewenza sums it up best by saying, “Labor costs clearly did not cause this worldwide crisis in the auto industry and labor concessions cannot possibly solve that crisis.” Perhaps, but changes must be made in order for Detroit to become competitive verses its foreign competition.

The CAW received a big scare last week when GM turned down $3 billion in loans from the Canadian government. The move could have meant that the General was focusing on US factories, where the UAW has shown some openness to benefit concessions. GM of Canada did mention that it was instead focusing on short-term cash preservation in lieu of additional loans, but that it could pursue the loans at a later date.

[Source: BNN]

CAW ready to talk with Detroit 3 before gov’t deadline, willing to deal originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Time Warp, Trucks/Pickups, Subaru

For reasons unbeknownst to this blogger, he receives Drive, the Subaru owners’ magazine, in the mail. It’s usually good for a 5-minute thumb-through, after which it lands in the circular file. The Winter issue, however, wound up providing a good read, thanks to the ’78 BRAT shown above. You see, the little ute was purchased by Ronald Reagan for use at his Santa Barbara ranch, and it belonged to the former President until 1998.

In ’98, the Young America’s Foundation bought the Reagan ranch. The BRAT had given to a friend of the family, and was ultimately sold on eBay in 2004. A year later, however, the Young America’s Foundation acquired the then-tired-looking trucklet, bringing it back to the ranch where it had spent most of its existence. Enter Subaru of America, former National Security Advisor Richard Allen, and a group of other supporters and Subaru enthusiasts. The BRAT was torn down and completely restored by The Westside Group to its original specs. Parts were donated; when necessary, they were fabricated. The end result of the project is what you see above: an essentially perfect specimen. It lives in a barn at the ranch, where we can imagine Reagan’s ghost sitting in the driver’s seat every now and then… with a smile on his face.

[Source: Drive]

One for the Gipper: Ronald Reagan’s Subaru BRAT restored originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

Michigan is a state of contradictions. The authorities there are so worried about your focus on the road in front of you that it’s illegal to hang anything on your rear-view mirror. Yet if you want to triple tow – that’s pulling two trailers at one time, like an RV camper and a boat – you can do it after you pay $10 and take a 15-question test. And you just need to get 12 answers right.

The only caveat worth mentioning is that the total length of the tow vehicle and two trailers can’t exceed 65 feet. That’s about the length of a semi-trailer combo, the differences being that a semi-trailer has only one articulated point and the folks who drive them need expensive specialized training and commercial driver’s licenses.

Incredibly, Michigan is not only not alone with this, it is not the most permissive: Wisconsin and other states allow 65-foot triple-towing combinations, South Dakota allows 75 feet, and Wyoming gives drivers a whopping 85-foot towable length. No wonder Wyoming is the state of The Bucking Horse and Rider…

[Source: Automobile]

What CDL? You don’t need no stinkin’ license to pull two trailers in Michigan! originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki hails a largely peaceful landmark vote for new provincial councils across the country as a victory.

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]