Archive for the ‘chevrolet’ Category
Autoblog visits the San Diego Auto Museum, Part I – The Cars
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
While on a recent trip to San Diego to ride some dirtbikes, we decided to check out some the sights that the city had to offer. Of course, being the car-obsessed nerds individuals that we are, it didn’t take too long for us to end up at the San Diego Automobile Museum. Tomorrow, we’ll bring you the best of what we saw on two wheels, but today is devoted to the cars. From some of the earliest four-wheelers (and three-wheelers) right on through to some Italian exotics from the ’60s, ’70s and ’90s, there was plenty there to keep our interest. Our favorite has to be the rear-engined Tucker from 1948 – very cool. We’ve assembled a gallery of pics below and have captioned them where appropriate. Enjoy!
Gallery: San Diego Auto Museum Cars
Look Inside the San Diego Automotive Museum
auto museum, diego auto, diego auto museum
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2008 Ford F-150 and F-250, F-350, and F-450 Super Duty – Review – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
Thursday, July 14th, 2011
Introduction Even though its sales were down in 2007, the F-series pickup is still America’s bestselling vehicle, as well as one of the most important and profitable vehicles in Ford’s lineup. Like all pickup trucks, the range of choices is mind-boggling. The basic F-150 is available in five models plus five additional trim packages. There are three engine choices: a somewhat weedy 202-hp, 4.2-liter V-6 in the base truck; a 248-hp, 4.6-liter V-8; and a 300-hp, 5.4-liter V-8. There are 5.5-, 6.5-, and 8.0-foot bed lengths; regular, SuperCab, and crew cabs; and Styleside and Flareside box styles. And, of course, four-wheel drive is an option.
For the more hard-core pickup aficionado—or those who need a more heavy-duty vehicle—Ford offers the F-250, F-350, and F-450 Super Duty pickups. The F-250 and the F-350 are available in four models with two trim packages; in regular, SuperCab, and crew-cab forms; with three different engines; and 6.75- and 8.0-foot beds. The F-450 is a monster, powered by a 350-hp turbo-diesel V-8 engine that makes a stupendous 650 pound-feet of torque and provides a ridiculous amount of towing capacity.
Verdict The current F-150 is coming to the end of its life, but it’s still a capable, stylish truck with an interior that remains among the best in the field. The only weaknesses are the powertrains. The F-150 is saddled with an outdated four-speed automatic that lacks a towing-and-hauling feature, and the engines are outgunned by their competition from, well, every other truck in the full-size market. The Super Duty models are also competitive and include a six-speed automatic; they’re at their best when outfitted with the excellent V-8 diesel engine. With a
, there should be good deals on 2008 models.
What’s New for 2008 Since the F-150 is about to be refreshed, Ford made minimal changes for the 2008 model year. There’s a so-called cargo management system on 6.5-foot Styleside beds, which features aluminum crossbars and side-mounted plastic bins to hold all manner of cargo. A rearview camera system is new and is offered on the Super Duty pickups as well.
The most significant change for 2008, however, is the addition of the F-450 model itself; it looks like a scaled-down Peterbilt. Powered by Ford’s strong 6.4-liter V-8 turbo-diesel engine, the F-450 can pull up to 24,500 pounds when outfitted with the fifth-wheel package.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/08q1/2008_ford_f-150_and_f-250_f-350_and_f-450_super_duty-review
diesel engine, duty pickups, outfitted with, regular supercab, regular supercab and crew, super duty
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2004 Mercedes-Benz SL600 – First Drive Review
Friday, July 8th, 2011
The view out the windshield looks fake. Doctored. Computer enhanced. The French Provenal mountain scenery seems realistic enough, but the signals passing through the visual cortex are all out of sync with those the thalamus is processing from the other sensory receptors. No way could that curved guardrail be looming so quickly with so little attendant engine roar. It’s equally inconceivable that it could so suddenly begin blurring past the side windows, without any tire squeal or body roll to accompany the copious lateral-g loading. The view never rises and falls with acceleration and braking, either.
We’re scaling one of those phenomenal roads to nowhere in particular, whose construction and maintenance costs could only be justified by a community of avid drivers. The special effects are being generated by the ultimate Mercedes-Benz roadster, if not the ultimate Mercedes-Benz period—the twin-turbo, V-12-powered 2004 SL600.
In terms of having it all—sumptuous luxury and blistering performance, supple ride quality and level cornering, hardtop security and top-down wind in the hair (or top-down no wind if you prefer), plus every high-tech gizmo and gadget extant—it just doesn’t get any better than this.
We fell madly into deep, reverent, grown-up love with the original 600SL back in 1993, when engineers ground off the tallest corners of a 48-valve 6.0-liter V-12 and pressed it into a hole sized for a V-8, leaving a clearance to the structure similar to the air gap across which the sparks jumped to ignite that car’s 389 horsepower. Our first 600SL whooshed to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. This time around, the 12 was part of the program from the outset, so the whole car was engineered to cope with this detuned Maybach mill’s 493 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of road-warping torque, hence, the even greater feeling of sensory disbelief from the helm.
Mercedes claims the SL600 will waft to 62 mph in 4.7 seconds, which equals its claim for the snarling SL55 AMG that we prodded to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. That car’s supercharged V-8 is just 74 cubic centimeters smaller and is rated at an equivalent 493 horsepower, but its torque is, ahem, "just" 516 pound-feet. If the gearing were the same, the 12 would clearly be quicker, but a taller axle ratio (2.65 versus 2.82 in the SL55 and SL500) guarantees dignified throttle response in the SL600 and leaves some bragging rights to the AMG.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/03q2/2004_mercedes-benz_sl600-first_drive_review
mercedes benz, pound feet, ultimate mercedes, ultimate mercedes benz
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