Author: Tabitha

It’s difficult enough, if not downright impossible, to use your touch-screen tablet or smart phone while wearing a normal pair of gloves, much less a pair of work gloves. But that problem has been solved by the folks at Mechanix Wear. The company has created a line of work gloves that allows you to use your computer or tablet while you work on your vehicle. Each machine-washable mitt features touchscreen-compatible material on the thumb, index and middle finger in addition to four designated contact points so you look up part numbers, instructions and shop manuals without removing your glove. Each…

When you think of “horse” and “Ford”, you might automatically think “Mustang.” But, there might be a second horse coming to the corral. Rumor has reach The Sleuth that Ford is seriously considering bringing back an updated version of the original off-road machine (as opposed to the one that a certain pro football player used to lead the cops on a widely televised low-speed chase a couple of decades ago). Frankly, The Trenchcoated One can’t understand what has taken the Blue Oval automaker so long to reintroduce the Bronco, given the company’s penchant for keeping once-popular names and nameplates around.…

The second generation of the BMW X1 smallest tall wagon, launching this fall, packs more interior space, efficiency and technology into its compact form than did the first-generation model. The first X1 sold what was for the German automaker a satisfying 62,000 units in the United States since its debut in 2012. The X1 xDrive28i will be the exclusive model in the U.S. at launch, featuring a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive. Styling is more dramatic than the first-gen X1, while inside the cabin has been fully redesigned with more people and cargo space and a…

Electric-car startup Tesla was poised to begin deliveries of its Model X at the end of September, to United States customers who had already reserved a copy of the luxury tall wagon. Those who ordered the premium Model X Signature series, priced between US $132,000 and $144,000, were to get theirs first at a handing-over ceremony at Tesla’s Freemont, Calif. factory, reported industry watchdog, Automotive News. A third, cheaper vehicle, the Model 3 starting at $35,000, will begin production “in about two years,” tweeted Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Among other features like self-parking and enhanced sound systems, the limited-edition Signature…

The Hellcat you say! With forthcoming stricter fuel-economy standards set to kick in by 2025 in the United States, you just had to know that the end would eventually come for Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s vaunted 6.2- and 6.4-liter “Hemi” V8 engines. And what he’s hearing is that the phase-out will begin following the 2018 model year. That’s when FCA’s top performance trims, including the 707-horsepower Charger and Challenger Hellcat models, will be replaced by models with smaller high-revving twin-turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines. This should also mean that smaller, lighter coupes and sedan designs will replace the current crop of…

The word reaching The Sleuth is that Jaguar is planning to launch a special-edition F-Type SVR coupe and roadster in 2016 that will each use the same supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine that was developed for the automaker’s Project 7 concept. That means at least 575 horsepower will be on tap, and quite possibly more. Equally exciting is that the SVR will come with standard all-wheel-drive. To keep the supercharger on the boil, the SVR will feature massive air intakes on both sides of the grille. Additionally, light-weight and fade-free carbon-ceramic brakes are part of the package. The Project 7 concept…

Less than a year after selling its seven-millionth gas-electric hybrid car, Toyota has crossed the eight million mark, demonstrating its continuing global domination of the hybrid market. Those eight million cars, the company says, have saved a combined 58 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise have gone into the atmosphere. The sales figure represents vehicles from Toyota and its luxury Lexus brand. Toyota meanwhile debuted its next-generation Prius on Sept. 8. The car is touted as having 10 percent better fuel economy than the outgoing model, with smaller and lighter hybrid components. It’s also longer and wider…

Ford has made a patent filing for an 11-speed automatic transmission, in three variations with differing combinations of gears, clutches and brakes. The company had already confirmed plans to launch an all-new 10-speed transmission in its aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup truck in 2016. Multi-gear transmissions have been cited as a main technology allowing automakers to meet ever-tightening corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. Along with direct fuel injection, lightweight construction and downsized engines fitted with turbocharging, advanced transmissions are helping automakers meet CAFE standards without resorting to electric and hybrid powertrains. To date, Ford’s 10-speed automatic has only been confirmed for…

Removing frozen or stripped lug nuts is no longer a major headache with the Lug Ripper from Metal Edge Products, Inc. This specialized professional-grade tool is made from carbide metal that was originally designed to drill through four inches of solid steel up to 200 times before wearing out. It works by cutting out the 17-, 19- or 21-inch-diameter nut from the inside, thereby exposing the stud that will need to be replaced. However a primary benefit the process can be completed without damaging the rim. The complete Lug Ripper kit sells for $200 and includes a cutting tool, three…

This isn’t an automotive-related item, but who wouldn’t want an office chair as unique as this one. It’s an actual ejection seat from a Boeing B52 Stratofortress bomber that was first flown by U.S. Air Force pilots in the mid 1950s and is expected to remain in service for another 25 years. MotoArt, the company responsible for creating these unique chairs, modifies them for civilian use by attaching an aluminum swivel base with industrial casters and adding leather or vinyl seat cushions in your choice of colors. MotoArt claims it takes about 100 hours to produce each made-to-order office chair,…