Author: Tabitha
Most people use toolboxes for organizing their various shop tools. You can also get a junior-sized office version for storing all of the stuff that normally clutters up your workstation. The Busted Knuckle Garage, a company that clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously, sells a nifty scale-replica metal toolbox in the appropriate shade of red, just like the larger units. It even comes with a set of rolling casters for added authenticity. The faux drawers don’t open, but the hinged lid has a realistic grooved rubber mat flips up to contain your work stuff. The unit measures nine inches wide…
Most sports-car fans are familiar with the Ford-powered AC Cobra and Sunbeam Tiger. Less popular was the TVR Griffith that was produced in limited quantities from 1964-’67. The man behind this project was Jack Griffith, who purchased TVR rolling chassis from England and had them shipped to his Long Island, N.Y., assembly plant. Each one received a Ford 289-cubic-inch V-8 and four-speed manual transmission and was renamed the TVR Griffith. These crude fiberglass-bodied coupes were greased-lightning-quick (zero-to-60-mph in 4.2 seconds), but were fraught with mechanical woes. As one of two Griffith test drivers (the other was racer Mark Donohue), author…
A victim of sluggish sales, low gasoline prices and a consumer rush to tall wagons and small SUVs, the compact Dodge Dart ceases production in September to make added capacity for Jeep Cherokee production. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne announced in April (but didn’t say when) the Dart and midsize Chrysler 200 would be taken out of production at their Belvidere, Ill., assembly plant to boost production of more trucks and tall wagons. The Dart never lived up to FCA’s sales hopes, says alternate-vehicle web magazine Green Car Reports. It served another purpose, however: meeting a stipulation of the…
Nissan has slipped a hybrid into its Murano tall wagon utility vehicle line without officially saying so. Car and Driver enthusiast magazine made the discovery of a ‘mild’ hybrid, one whose electric motor isn’t generally powerful enough to propel the vehicle except under limited circumstances. Producing the equivalent of just 20 horsepower, the motor is paired to a supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Combined powertrain output is 250 horsepower, which is 10 less than the 3.5-liter V-6 gas burners used in other Murano versions. Other companies have tried mild hybrids (so called because the electric motor can’t operate by itself) such…
There has been much talk of late concerning the return of the Wagoneer to the Jeep fold. The Spymaster hears the once-upscale nameplate is to be joined by a separate Grand Wagoneer model. The former will be a cut or two ahead of the top-end Grand Cherokee Summit, while the latter seven-passenger model will be an ultra premium off-roader that will take direct aim at the Land Rover Range Rover, Lexus LX, Cadillac Escalade, Mercedes-Benz GL and the like. In other words, the Grand Wagoneer could be the first Jeep to sticker at or above the $100,000 plateau. There’s no…
Die-hard Dodge fans are in for a shock when the top-to-bottom revamp of their favorite muscle car launches in a couple of years. The Sleuth hears that Dodge’s rival to the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro will be more competitive, starting with a modern rear-wheel-drive chassis originally developed for Alfa Romeo (part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles). It will also come with Alfa’s twin-turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 276 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Another Alfa engine, a turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 that produces 505 horsepower will likely become the Challenger R/T powerplant. Word is that the top dog Hellcat model…
Fully electric and capable of operating like a set-route bus or an on-demand taxi, the Navya Arma carries up to 15 people at a top speed of 28 mph, and is already in use in parts of France, reports emerging technologies Web magazine, Gizmag. ‘Efficient, useful, slow and unexciting, it’s much like what we can expect when self-driving cars hit the roads en masse.’ The writing is on the wall, says the website: they’ll be cheaper, safer and more efficient. ‘Our grandchildren (heck, even our children) will probably never learn to drive if they live in an urban environment.’ French…
Audi will intensify its commitment in the world’s first racing series for fully electric racing cars, starting in the 2016/’17 Formula E season that opens in Hong Kong Oct. 9. ‘Electric mobility is one of the key topics in our industry,Ó said Stefan Knirsch, Audi board member for technical development. ‘We intend to evolve into one of the leading premium car manufacturers in this field. By 2025, every fourth Audi should be an electric vehicle.’ The first model is planned to be a tall wagon that will debut in 2018. Adapting its motorsport program and taking up a commitment in…
The Sleuth reports that Cadillac’s attractive base model (that lines up against the Audi 3-series, Mercedes-Benz CLA and BMW 3- and 4- series) models will move a bit more up-market for the 2017 model year. As a result, the ATS sedan will no longer be available with the 202-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Instead, the previously optional 272-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder will become the new base powerplant (it’s already standard in the ATS coupe). As a starting-point engine, the 2.5 was outclassed by virtually all competing models from Germany, Japan and England. Pricing is expected to increase by about $1,500 as…
Now that the all-new and enlarged 2016 Civic models are out and about, Honda is going to work on the next-generation CR-V tall wagon that is based on Civic platform. That means a significantly larger CR-V that will use the optional Civic-based turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder as the base engine. The Civic’s version delivers 174 horsepower, but buyers can anticipate about 15 extra horses in the heavier CR-V. Another hot rumor suggests that, for the first time, the CR-V will also offer an optional third-row seat, which would match the Nissan Rogue in that department and also necessitate the need for…