The 2012 Dodge Challenger

Dodge has been heating up the pony car market with its high-performance Challenger coupe. For 2012 the Dodge Challenger features the kind of performance and comfort car buyers have grown to expect from the vehicle. Incorporating even more modern technology, Dodge now offers models with automatic transmissions with steering wheel mounted shift paddles similar to what’s used in many race cars.

The 2013 Ford Shelby GT500

2013 Ford Shelby GT500. Photos courtesy of Ford.

Carroll Shelby became an automotive legend by making cars that were lightweight and featured engines with mind-blowing output. It seems fitting that one of his last creations, the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500, is making huge waves in the world of cars. Based on Ford’s Mustang, the GT500 amps up the performance aspects of the car, going well beyond a thunderous engine.

Tesla Versus Dodge Drag Race: My View

A video is spreading around the Internet like wildfire right now. It features a Tesla Model S P85D drag racing a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. The big deal is that the Tesla, which is an electric car, absolutely destroys the Challenger. Quite a few people without any real knowledge of both cars are throwing around ignorant, poorly-formed opinions about the race. Considering that and my expertise as an automotive writer, I cannot help but jump in and give my two cents, so here we go.

Configure Your Fantasy Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Now!

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Image courtesy of Chrysler.

If you've been fantasizing about the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, you can now delve deeper into the dream. The car brand's website has just launched the configurator, which means now employees can waste an entire afternoon making it look like they're doing something productive.

The GT350 is Back!

2016 Ford Shelby GT350. Photos courtesy of Ford.

The Shelby GT350 will return to the Mustang lineup in 2016, after a long hiatus. Most young people know about the earth-shattering GT500, but this muscle car is completely different. Instead of being designed to tear down drag strips, the GT350 is made for carving through tight turns.

The Evolution of Fast and Furious

The new Fast and Furious movie is coming out on May 24th, and so in the spirit of the movie I wanted to talk about the evolution of franchise.

When the first movie came out I was in college and was swamped with homework, trying to balance a social life, etc. I knew vaguely of the movie but that was about it. It wasn't until the movie came out on DVD that I saw it and was intrigued by its portrayal (however unrealistic) of the tuner world. I had experience modifying cars and was adding onto my car at the time, so that made the movie that much more interesting to me. Of course the cars in the movie looked pretty ridiculous, but that was a thing among some tuners at the time (kind of like with donks now). Some of those zany looks were a way to ruffle people's feathers and for the tuners to thumb their nose at them. And of course the scene where the Supra "smokes" the Ferrari further infuriated many automotive purists that solemnly and foolishly believed a Ferrari would win any race by virtue of the prancing pony slapped on it.

A Beautiful 1970 Plymouth Cuda Convertible

It's Easter today and so this post will be short. But I wanted to share with you all this amazing video of a 1970 Plymouth Cuda Convertible I ran across.

Enjoy the holiday!

Body Roll and Riding With Friends: a Childhood Memory

1970 Buick GSX

Last week I was writing an article about handling modifications for cars. Of course the subject of body roll came up, that thing that automotive enthusiasts absolutely hate. Body roll is when the body of a vehicle literally rolls in the opposite direction a car is turning. What ends up happening if you roll the body too much is the tires on the inside of the turn actually pick up off the ground. Let me tell you that having any of your tires leave the ground is bad. You can lose control and possibly roll the vehicle, plus you at least temporarily lose forward momentum.

There are all kinds of technologies to help prevent this from happening, such as stabilizer bars and chassis braces. But back in the day when I was a kid most cars (particularly the huge land yacht American cars) handled like garbage. Those cars had body rolls like the Biggest Loser.

A strange childhood memory came flooding into my mind as I was writing the article. When I was a kid and I would go somewhere with friends, all of us sitting side-by-side in the backseat of a mom's car, we would play a little game with the car's body roll. Every time we went around a turn we would all lean with the roll like we were on a roller coaster. It sounds stupid now, but for some reason the game was fun. We would even scream like we were on some amusement park ride.

Thinking about it now, I realize that none of those moms were taking any of those turns at more than 15 mph. And I remember that even if we had tried to not sway from side-to-side in the car we wouldn't have been able to stop our sideways motion. Cars really do handle better these days, considering I have driven vehicles where I can take a 90 degree turn at 25 or 30 mph and the tires barely squeal. Anyone who complains that cars these days aren't as good as back in the day needs to stop looking through the rose colored glasses.

But I do have to admit I have a fantasy about buying an old muscle car, be it a Chevy, Buick, Ford, Dodge, etc. With a huge V8 and tire-evaporating rear-wheel-drive, I would attack the car's suspension and chassis with vigor, tightening things up so the body roll would be almost eliminated. Or I guess I could pick up a new Dodge Charger SRT8 that has a modern suspension system and have both knuckle-dragging power and incredible handling all in one package. But there's something cool about having old muscle, especially old muscle that handles better than you would expect.