Camaro Continues to Dominate Pony Car Sales War


You can see the September numbers here. So are all the Mustang guys just waiting for the 400 hp 2011 Mustang GT at this point?

Camaro Dominates Pony Car Sales War For Fourth Straight Month



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The Holley is reborn!

Holley2bbl_7702_resized

I just received my long-awaited package from Holley. By the looks of it this is a brand-new carburetor. Besides the obvious new plating, everything has been replaced; all brackets, rods, linkages, choke assembly, and new fuel bowl. And every screw, bolt and spring is new, too. As soon as I bolt it down and connect all the lines I’ll let you know if it performs as good as the Holley rep said it would. Upon completion of its rebuild the Holley technicians fine tuned it on their flow meter, setting the air-fuel mixture and making all the necessary adjustments to the idle circuits and choke so the engine will run perfecto from the get go. We’ll see……

Holley2bbl_7704_resized

Holley2bbl_7707_resized



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2009 Saleen Dark Horse Mustang Released, Camaro SS Grabs Its Ankles

One of the baddest ‘Stangs Ford has engineered to date, the new ‘09 Saleen Dark Horse has made finally made its fearsome debut. With Speedlab’s SuperShaker ram-air system mated with the Saleen Port Matched Series VI Integrated Screw type supercharger the Dark Horse tears it up on the track, putting out a whopping 620-hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. Aesthetically, the 2009 Saleen Dark Horse gets the Sleepy Hollow treatment with an intimidating Flat Back exterior package, fender identification badge, Saleen serialized engine plaque, and an endless array of interior extras.

Bottom line: it’ll put some hair on your chest.

View gallery after the jump

[Photo Source: Autoblog.com]



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Geneva 09' Preview: Rolls-Royce 200EX Concept Details Leaked

rolls_royce_200ex_concept.jpg
The Daily Telegraph has apparently broken the embargo on the Rolls-Royce 200EX Concept that will be officially unveiled next month at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Rolls-Royce 200EX Concept previews the new smaller Rolls-Royce RR4 that will be released in 2010.

Rolls-Royce chief designer, Ian Cameron, said: "The 200EX has a dynamic edge to its styling and is noticeably less formal than previous models. Its size, style and expression broaden the appeal of the car, making it more appropriate for a wider range of circumstances.

"It is a touring saloon with more than a little panache and perhaps more bravado than one might have expected from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. What you see is a modern car that is immediately recognisable as a true Rolls-Royce, even from angles that obscure the grille and Spirit of Ecstasy. Design elements such as the elevated prow, long bonnet, short front overhang, sharply raked A-pillar and elegant tail give the 200EX an air of informal presence – powerful but unobtrusive."

The 200EX shares about 20 percent of its parts with the BMW 7 Series and is expected to be powered by an all-new V12 engine. The production version of the RR4 is expected to be unveiled in Frankfurt this fall.



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Mazda Smart Idle Stop System (SISS) Arrives In 2009

In hybrids, a portion of fuel savings is derived by automatically turning off the engine while the vehicle is stopped and its engagement again well after the batteries have brought the vehicle up to speed.  In Europe this concept is extended even further to regular cars as well.  However, in those cars, automatic start-stop systems typically use the conventional starter motor to re-start the engines after a stop.  Depending on the driving conditions, this could be quite a strain on the car’s starter.  Now Mazda has devised a new system that they claim will provide quicker, more consistent re-starts.

SISS Diagram
SISS Diagram

Mazda has developed an idling stop system, called the Smart Idle Stop System (SISS), which improves fuel economy by about ten percent in urban areas where vehicles frequently stop at traffic lights or in heavy traffic during operation.  Idling stop systems save fuel by shutting down the engine automatically when the car is stationary, and restarts it when the driver resumes driving. The Mazda system relies on direct injection to function.  When the engine is stopped, sensors are used to stop the engine with the pistons in a precise location. This will allow one of the cylinders to have a specific amount of air in the combustion chamber. When the time comes to re-start, fuel is injected directly into the cylinder and ignited. The expansion of the burning fuel is used to get the engine turning to re-start the engine. This all happens in a split second, Mazda claims the engine can re-start in 350 milliseconds, about half the time of a conventional starter. The re-starts are rotated to different cylinders so that the same cylinder isn’t used every time.  Mazda claims a 10 percent reduction in fuel consumption during testing in Japan.  It would seem logical that if this sort of technology could be adapted by other automakers it might have a huge impact on gas consumption in America.  Much of which is wasted with drivers negotiating congested roadways and urban centers.  At the very least, Mazda parent company Ford should be able to integrate this into a wider variety of vehicles. Those, like me that are interested in this technology can look towards Mazda plans to introduce this technology to the marketplace in 2009.



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2009 Kia Soul Debuts In Seoul, Korea…How Cute

On Monday, September 22, 2008, Kia Motors debuted Scion xD look-alike, the 2009 Kia Soul, at the Seoul Motor Show in Seoul, South Korea. Intended to be the flagship vehicle for Kia’s brand new design direction, the Kia Soul illustrates the heavy influence of newly hired head designer, Peter Schreyer, formerly of Volkswagen.

Intended to hit dealer showrooms in the U.S. next spring, the Kia Soul’s most distinctive feature is its redesigned grill, which will be used as the “seal” for each redesigned vehicle in Kia’s line-up. Described as an “urban crossover”, the Soul is powered by either an 124-hp 1.6L or 142-hp 2.0L engine and is expected to be extremely fuel efficient. Although official details will be withheld until its grand entrance at the Paris Auto Show in October, the Kia Soul Hybrid concept reportedly averaged 50 mpg, which experts predict will translate to about 30-40 mpg for the production version. Pricing for the U.S. has yet to be announced, but the 2009 Kia Soul is listed in Japan for 14 million won, or approximately $12,600.

[Source: Edmunds]



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