CarMagik

Video: Get pumped up with this 24 Hours of Le Mans historical highlight reel

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Even though Aston Martin's gone home and Audi won't have Peugeot to kick around at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, there's a heap to look forward to: a large field of entries that includes two Audi diesel R18s plus two more hybrid R18s, Toyota's TS030 LMP1 hybrid and LMP2 racers from Lotus and Morgan.

But it's the entire field that delivers the magic of Le Mans, and it's not like we need more reminders of the race's awesome history, but we're glad the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the organizer) has given us one. You'll find all three minutes of it after the jump.

Continue reading Get pumped up with this 24 Hours of Le Mans historical highlight reel

Get pumped up with this 24 Hours of Le Mans historical highlight reel originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking: Ford asks Chevrolet, then NBC, to pull Silverado Super Bowl ad

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:55:00 +0000

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, Ford

Chevrolet is having some pointed fun with its apocalyptic Super Bowl ad featuring the Silverado called "2012," only the fun is pointed directly at Ford, which finds it a little too sharp to be all that much fun. So on the eve of the big game, Ford sent Chevy a cease-and-desist letter to pull the ad and "pressured" NBC not to run the commercial, according to a report on Yahoo!'s Motoramic blog. Chevy has released a statement in response, which you can read after the jump, indicating that the ad will run despite Ford's protest.

Ford found no reason to chuckle at some of the commercial's claims, "particularly around durability." One in particular comes from a character that says of their now-deceased, F-150-driving pal, "Dave didn't drive the longest-lasting most dependable truck on the road. Dave drove a Ford."

Ford spokesman Mike Levine says his company has more trucks with 250,000-plus miles on the road than any other brand, which would appear to contradict the small print that appears in the "2012" ad that reads, "Dependability based on longevity: 1981-2011 full-size pickup registrations." Ford says its lawyers will decide what to do (if anything) after the ad airs during tonight's game, but Chevy's legal minions must have vetted the spot closely well before time.

Or Ford could take Chevy marketing honcho Joel Ewanick up on his offer and bide its time. Said Ewanick, "We can wait until the world ends, and if we need to, we will apologize."

Continue reading Ford asks Chevrolet, then NBC, to pull Silverado Super Bowl ad

Ford asks Chevrolet, then NBC, to pull Silverado Super Bowl ad originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Jaguar to close museum, looking for new location

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:34:00 +0000

Filed under: Etc., Jaguar, UK

Jaguar's headquarters and production were located at Browns Lane in Conventry for more than fifty years. Part of the complex included the Jaguar Heritage Museum and its collection of 150 cars, so when the Browns Lane site was sold in 2007 to an Australian developer, the countdown began on the museum's remaining time.

Now comes the formal announcement that the collection will vacate its current spot in September, the tragedy being that it might not relocate to a publicly accessible location. Museum reps say that the collection will continue to be in circulation, either on the historical circuit like Goodwood or on loan to other museums. Even now the Jaguar Heritage Museum only has about 30 cars on-site.

Nevertheless, unless another location is secured you won't be able to just show up, buy a ticket and stroll among cars like the 1935 SS Airline AWR564, 1950 Jaguar XK 120 NUB120 or 1956 Jaguar D-type 'Long Nose' 393RW. You'll also miss Austin Powers' "Shaguar," if that's more your style.

Jaguar to close museum, looking for new location originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Super Bowl Auto Ad Watch: All The Car Commercials [Super Bowl]

Ray Wert — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:30:00 +0000

Yeah, so, we just heard there's an actual football game that goes on in between all of those car commercials. Who knew? Our priority's always been in the right place — the car ads. More »

Woman blames large breasts for failed field sobriety test [Car Crime]

Tom Joslin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

We don't support drunk driving or any attempts to get out of an arrest for doing so, but we have give one Florida woman credit for a creative on the spot excuse when she was pulled over last weekend for speeding and swerving through traffic. More »

BMWism.com chronicles BMW designers through the eras

Dan Roth — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:01:00 +0000

Filed under: Classics, Etc., BMW, Design/Style

Chris Bangle may be the name most recently associated with BMW design, but he's just one of many men and women who have sketched and sculpted automobiles for Bayerische Motoren Werke. BMW enthusiast website BMWism.com has gone all the way back to the beginning of the brand, when a BMW was a knockoff of an Austin 7. The names we all know show up in the chronology; giants of post-World War II automotive design world like Michelotti, Bertone, Gandini, Bracq, and of course, Hofmeister.

In addition to the Italian hired guns who sketched for BMW at one time or another, a few surprising names dot BMW's history. Josef Ganz, the largely unsung automotive engineer responsible for much of the original Volkswagen Beetle, also did contract work for BMW. Aerodynamicist Wunibald Kamm based his Kamm-Coupe on BMW 328 mechanicals. Raymond Loewy's mid-century lines were wrought upon at least one BMW 507, and Albrecht von Goertz was a colleague of Loewy's before he designed the 507.

In more recent years, it's intriguing to note the diversity of backgrounds. You've got Bangle, Henrik Fisker, current design chief Adrian van Hooydonk (the man actually responsible for the "Bangle Butt"), and Z4 designer Juliane Blasi. Perhaps the most understated of all BMW designers is Jojii Nagashima, the man responsible for the outgoing E90 3 Series, the iconic E39 5 Series, and, along with Boyke Boyer, the E36 3 Series. Taken as a whole, BMW has a pantheon of automotive design big-thinkers, a trend that doesn't look to be slowing anytime soon.

BMWism.com chronicles BMW designers through the eras originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can you identify a 1973 AMC Matador? [Video]

Tom Joslin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:00:00 +0000

If you find yourself asking "What's a Matador?" it appears you are not alone. From the looks of this self deprecating AMC commercial the company had accepted that even two years into the model run, people still didn't know what a Matador was. More »

Official: Force India F1 team reveals 2012 VJM05

Noah Joseph — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:31:00 +0000

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

Force India has come a long way. What started out as Jordan Grand Prix and changed hands (and names) several times before landing in the stewardship of Indian bazillionaire Vijay Mallya has become a solid mid-field contender on race days. In 2011, the team finished sixth in the constructors' standings, behind front-runners Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Lotus Renault GP. In 2012, however, Force India aims to challenge Mercedes and Lotus for fifth place using the car shown above.

The VJM05 bears the same unfortunate stepped nose of the just-unveiled Ferrari F2012 and Caterham CT01, a trend we expect to see across much of the field as teams deal with F1's technical regulations. Engine, transmission and KERS are again provided by Mercedes-Benz through a partnership with McLaren, and while former DTM champion Paul di Resta returns for another season in the cockpit. Adrian Sutil departs the team in the wake of his assault conviction, his seat now occupied by Nico Hulkenberg.

We'll be watching to see if the young duo can continue to move Force India up the F1 hierarchy. For now, you can check out the press release after the jump and photos from the car's unveiling - which included the first on-track session of any 2012 F1 cars revealed thus far - in the image gallery above.

Continue reading Force India F1 team reveals 2012 VJM05

Force India F1 team reveals 2012 VJM05 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skiing behind vintage Porsches is "the world’s most dangerous sport" [Video]

Tom Joslin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000

These days vintage Porsches are high dollar collector items, but in Bavaria in 1955 they were merely tow vehicles for some crazy skiers. This vintage video takes a look at "the world's most dangerous sport" which evidently involved being towed around a track by motorcycles, Volkswagen Bugs, Porsche 356s and even a Porsche 550 Spyder. More »

Ford Tells GM, NBC To Pull Apocalypse-Themed Chevy Super Bowl Ad [Video]

Matt Hardigree — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:20:00 +0000

UPDATED! Ford's not pleased with the Chevy truck super bowl ad that implies Ford trucks aren't built tough enough to survive the Mayan apocalypse. How upset are they? They're so pissed the automaker's sent letters to both GM and NBC asking them to pull the ad from tonight's big game. More »