Autoblog

The epic saga of Unique Performance and its fall from grace isn't over yet. An auction was held in March to help clear the bankrupt company's back debts, but it only raised $1 million. That wasn't enough to compensate the many ripped-off owners and fleeced employees, not to mention the federal government. Auction firm Rosen Systems has a new, very spare listing on its website for another Unique Performance auction coming up on the 24th of June. The scarce information offered by Rosen Systems only states "approximately 40 Mustang Fastback shells, body parts, tools, lifts." A catalog of items to be offered for this online-only event has yet to be released, but it's safe to assume that these are the items that failed to sell the first time around. We're not sure we'd consider this auction a good way to get a viable Mustang body unit, with reports of multiple gallons of body filler in each car. Thanks for the tip, Cameron!

Gallery: Unique Performance auction

[Source: 67MustangBlog]

Think of what the automotive landscape looked like nigh on 25 years ago. Mentioning "family car" in 1983 would have conjured a station wagon. Some of us dig wagons, while others think we're daft because of the stigma they still carry. There's no denying that a wagon is an excellent way to transport kids and stuff, but those beasts of yesteryear often led to yearnings for an alternative. We all remember getting carsick while sitting in the rear-facing third row torture chamber, cut off from the rest of the family and their future-looking vantage point. The tailgunner position was a great way to test out new hand gestures on following motorists, though.

When the Chrysler minivans were revealed to the world in 1983 as 1984 models, they were a revelation. The Caravan and Voyager were not the first vans based on compact chassis, but they were such a successful combination of the elements that sales took off and imitators sprang up only after Chrysler had firmly established its status as the segment trendsetter. Continued after the jump.

Click either image for exclusive pics of Inside Line's road trip

Seems like you can't revive a modern day muscle car these days without having a classic movie tie-in. The Ford Mustang has got Steve McQueen's classic Bullitt, and the Dodge Challenger has got Vanishing Point. In fact, we've already seen one Vanishing Point-inspired Challenger meet its maker on Turn 2 at Road America. Inside Line recently had its first turn behind the wheel of a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and also decided to pay its respects to Kowalski's opus. They took the brand new Challenger on a little road trip following the fateful path of Kowalski in the movie from Denver, Colorado to San Francisco, California. Just for kicks, they brought along a vintage 1970 Dodge Challenger that's a near perfect copy of the one used in Vanishing Point. The classic iron was, however, packing a slightly modified motor putting out 607 horsepower, but details, details... The article is definitely worth a read if only to vicariously absorb what it feels like to go 170 mph in a new Challenger, and the Inside Line team was also kind enough to supply us with a few of their spare high-res images for an Autoblog exclusive gallery below.


[Source: Inside Line]

Click above for a high resolution gallery of the Larry H. Miller Auto Museum

We've all imagined what we would do with a winning lottery ticket or limitless amounts of money. For us here at Autoblog, that fantasy usually involves a large number of automobiles in a multi-car garage. Larry Miller is one of those guys who's living our dream. As the owner of the Utah Jazz, numerous car dealerships, radio and television stations, movie theaters, and a race track, money is not a problem for Mr. Miller. He's used those finances to amass quite a collection of automobiles, particularly historic Shelby and Fords, that are kept at a museum at Miller Motorsports Park. During our recent visit to the track to drive the Shelby GT500KR, we took a tour of the incredible collection. The museum includes several impressive Shelbys, including the second oldest Cobra, the 1966 Le Mans winning GT40 MkII, the MkIV GT40 that won the 1967 12 hours of Sebring, and one of the six Shelby Daytona Coupes. The museum houses only part of Miller's collection, the rest of which can be found at the Shelby museum in Boulder, CO. We know you'd never forgive us if we left the museum without taking photos, so enjoy the gallery below.

In case you missed our update on the original post: mere days after rolling out a neoclassic Challenger done up like the lead character in Vanishing Point, Erich Heuschele stuffed it into a tire wall at Road America. Hey, things happen. At least only his ego was bruised; the damaged car was driven 200 miles without incident, proving that the scarring was little more than a flesh wound.

The nice thing about being in an automaker's inner circle is that you can make a phone call and get a car dropped off like a cup of coffee from an intern. Breaking the early morning stillness of a Sunday sunrise, an orange Challenger SRT-8 sporting black stripes rode into the pits at Iowa's Mid America Motorplex. One Lap rules preclude running for points after a vehicle replacement, so co-drivers Heuschele and Gillies are competing for giggles and exposure at this point. Never fear, though, the white-dunked Challenger is currently undergoing repairs, and should resurface for the Targa Newfoundland.

[Source: CarDomain]

Click on the image to see more high-res shots of this '78 SE Trans Am

Mid-to-late 70's Pontiac Trans Ams have really been picking up steam on the collector car market. While not nearly as powerful as their more muscular 1969-1974 forebears, the later TAs certainly have a unique and gaudy manly-quality about them, helped in no small part by their association with '70s icon Burt Reynolds and, of course, the Smokey and the Bandit movie franchise. The vehicle you see in this auction is a particularly nice example of the breed. As a 1978 Special Edition Y/82 Trans Am equipped with the desirable Pontiac 400 engine with 4-speed manual tranny, this is already a collectible vehicle. The original Hurst Hatches and AM/FM/8-track player and CB radio along with the rare rear-console add to this bird's rarity.

For real Burt Reynolds aficionados, though, this fire-breathing Poncho offers something truly special: his signature on the dash. Not only that, Burt drove the vehicle around while he was in Georgia helping to develop Year One's Bandit Edition replica car and it has been on television numerous times. With all it has going for it, don't expect this car to come cheap. In fact, it's already past $46 grand with days still to go in the auction.


[Source: eBay Motors]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Dodge "Vanishing Point" Challenger

It's good to know that there are folks at Chrysler who are still having a good time despite the rubbish state of auto sales in the U.S. The best evidence of this is the automakers's entry this year's One Lap of America "cross-country" race. Chrysler's Vice President Ralph Gilles and Erich Heuschele, Vehicle Dynamics Supervisor for SRT, are entering a blank white Challenger inspired by the 1970 Dodge Challenger that stars in the cult film Vanishing Point from 1971. The plot of the original movie revolves around a guy named Kowalski who has to deliver a white 1970 Challenger from Denver to San Francisco. He's aided by a blind DJ named Super Soul who listens to the police band and delivers helpful if not clairvoyant info to the protagonist over the radio. It's fitting then that Gilles and Heuschele have entered the One Lap race this year under the names of Kowalski and Super Soul, and the car they'll be driving is the very first preproduction Challenger prototype that was ever driven on public roads. It's been rescued from the crusher and slightly modified with a fresh coat of white paint (the first ever seen on a new Challenger) and new wheels to more resemble the original. Check out our gallery of the "Return to Vanishing Point" Challenger below, and glimpse the fun film Chrysler produced after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Michelle!


[Source: Chrysler]

While the irony of a comeback for a racing series of retired drivers themselves making a comeback has not escaped us, we're actually excited by the prospect of the Grand Prix Masters resuming its race schedule.

The racing league ran a few races back in 2005-2006, when big names like Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi – both of which hold F1 and CART titles – competed against each other and other retired drivers in their 40s, 50s and 60s on identical machinery. The series folded, however, after running only three races. A group of new investors, however, has purchased the fleet of 15 cars – specially built by Delta Motorsport based on Reynard 2000-spec Champ Cars powered by 650-hp Cosworth-based 3.5-liter V8s – and is planning on re-launching the series in September or October 2008, apparently under the modified F1 Masters name. Among the drivers interested is Jacques Villeneuve, who is likewise a CART and F1 champ, but at 37 is substantially younger than those who raced in the previous GP Masters series and far more recently retired (or was forced into retirement) from racing. But the prospect of seeing Villeneuve going head-to-head with drivers of different eras has us fantasizing on dream-team draft levels.

[Source: AutoWeek, Photo by Clive Mason/Getty]

We got our first look at Shelby's 85th Commemorative GT40 back in January at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale. It's as close as you can get to the real thing without spending millions on an original GT40 with the chassis and body nearly perfectly replicating the original. Shelby Distribution has now issued an updated press release as well as the official photos. The GT40, built by Superformance but officially badged a Shelby, celebrates both Carroll's 85th birthday as well as the dominating 1-2-3 Le Mans win in 1966. It's available in all three colors of the original race cars - Arcadian Blue, Black, and Red - as well as unique Shelby badging on the door handles, headlights, side graphics, and floor mats. No engine specs are available since each comes as a rolling chassis, but the engine bay is built to accommodate any Shelby-badged V8 crate engine. Anything but a 427ci V8 would be just plain crazy, though. Follow the jump for the press release and check out nearly fifty high resolution photos in the gallery below.

[Source: Shelby Distribution USA]

Click above to view the LRX concept in hi-res

Is it just us, or is every carmaker celebrating its sixtieth anniversary? The end of WW2 in 1945 and the resumption of industrial activity across Europe certainly played a big role, but the coincidence is still staggering. Ferrari celebrated its 60th last year. Saab celebrated sixty years the year before, while Bentley celebrated 60 years at its Crewe factory. Lotus is marking its 60th anniversary this year a few years early, while the Ford F-Series pick-up is blowing out its sixty candles. Porsche is also counting sixty years in business. Add to those celebrations that of Land Rover, which premiered its original Series 1 off-roader in 1948.

Land Rover, now under new ownership from Tata, is planning an array of birthday celebrations around the world. The Goodwood Festival of Speed will mark the occasion by showcasing Land Rover as its featured marque this year, where the iconic off-road outfitter will unveil a new automotive sculpture by artist Gerry Juddah. In its sixty year history, Land Rovers have arguably scaled more mountains and traversed more wilderness than any other motorized vehicle in the history of mankind.

[Source: Land Rover]