Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the DARPA Urban Grand Challenge

It was the GM-powered Carnegie Mellon team that took first prize at the DARPA Urban Grand Challenge last year. Now the team will be sending its entrant, nicknamed "Boss," to the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the weekend of April 19 - 20. There, in front of cheering race fans, the autonomous vehicle will strut its stuff on the track and at speed against competitors "Junior" from Stanford, and "Ben" from the University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University.

It's a demonstration, not a race, so don't expect these vehicles to put up a fight against the ultra-fast Champ Cars (no worries - they won't be sharing the track at the same time). In all honesty, with running speeds estimated at about 15 mph, these four-wheelers will err on the slow side of caution if given the chance. Nobody can predict, however, how well the driverless vehicles will complete the 1.97-mile Grand Prix course, but we're willing to bet that the DARPA entrants hit fewer walls than the "stars" participating in Saturday's Celebrity Race.

[Source: engadget]

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the turbocharged FPV F6

Despite how it might seem, all the action at the Melbourne motor show is not happening over at the Holden and HSV stands. Dearborn's Australian outpost put on its brass knuckles too and is teasing Melbourne showgoers with Ford Performance Vehcie's latest, greatest muscle. The arrival of the new FG Falcon means that a full lineup of FPV variants follows, and the new F6, GT and Super Pursuit ute are all on display. Like HSV, which hasn't announced power numbers for its W427, FPV is keeping the stats for its new machinery under wraps for now.

We're confident that the numbers will match the cars' gloriously extroverted looks. Colors out of a gumball machine, matte black accents, and stripe packages give the cars a vintage musclecar vibe. Big wheels, big brakes and all the requisite badges and bulges complete the look. The F6 (above) is particularly evil, with its black wheels, "eye black," and visible intercooler. The interiors of all the cars appear to be very well-detailed, with snazzy instrumentation, sharp looking accessories (look at the shift knob), and very inviting seats.

As with the higher-end standard FG Falcons, power comes from either a turbo inline-six or a beefy Boss V8. FPV takes those already-impressive engines and makes them even more imposing. We know we have the Mustang and its impressive Shelby-badged factory specials, but man, what we wouldn't give for some of this Aussie muscle. We'll be eagerly awaiting the official June launches.




[Source: FPV]

While everyone waits patiently (or for some folks, impatiently) for Ford to release the new Bullitt Mustang, Blue Flame, a Japanese firm that imports and distributes Mustangs over yonder, has taken the initiative to offer its very own Bullitt package. And it looks really good. Available for both V6 and V8 Mustangs, the obvious cosmetic changes (optional blacked-out grille, side window louvers, side scoops, spoiler delete, Bullitt badging, Highland Green paint, etc.) are paired with additional features like Eibach springs, Saleen pedals, and an upgraded Pioneer stereo. Those looking for more can opt for performance and handling upgrades from Ford Racing and Saleen at added expense. Based on the pictures on Blue Flame's site, it's a very nice conversion.

If that's not enough, the company has a slick BOSS package on offer as well. Follow the jump for that one.

Thanks to Scott for the tip!

[Source: Blue Flame American Distributions Network]

Any way you look at it, Toyota's foray into Formula 1 has not yielded positive results. Despite throwing unprecedented amounts of money at the effort, their F1 team has not produced the kind of results to which the automotive giant has become accustomed. So they've apparently decided that it was time for a change in management.

Tsutomu Tomita, who saw the program through from conception to fruition, will be yielding to corporate vice-chairman Tadashi Yamashina at the end of June. Toyota has yet to announce what role Tomita will assume upon his return to corporate headquarters, but you can bet it won't be as exciting as the fast-paced world of F1 racing.

Toyota is spinning the shift as an ordinary shuffle in management, but when their F1 team has been rumored to benefit from the largest budget on the grid and has still yet to win a single race, it becomes clear that Toyota is hoping a new boss at their racing headquarters in Cologne will change their fortunes.

[Source: TSN]

If there were ever a vehicle that could pull off the color pink, it would certainly be the current Ford Mustang. The unmistakable connection to the 60's lends itself well to the same successes Ford enjoyed forty years ago, as evidenced by the rejuvenated Shelby connection, GT/CS and the upcoming Boss. Unique colors were a 60's trademark as well, and the new palette covers the spectrum with hues such as White Chocolate, Crème Brule, Dark Cherry, Grabber Orange, Merlot, French Silk, Lime Gold, Orange Frost and Light Sage. Playboy Pink, first available on a Mustang in 1967, might be next.

It seems that Team Mustang engineers have been tossing the idea of Playboy Pink model around ever since the new body was penned. Given the fact that they are currently producing the hottest model in the Ford line up, they are being given a wide breadth when it comes to the implementation of new ideas.

The new Mustang certainly has enjoyed smashing success in the marketplace, and with the continued proliferation of new models, how can they pass on Playboy Pink? What a great opportunity for some co-marketing! The question is will Ford "pony" up the dollars to Hef? We don't think so, but never fear, the fanatical Mustang fan base will quickly resurrect the name and include "Playboy" in any reference to the color.

[Source: stangsunleashed]

click on image to enlarge

The Galpin BOSS 302 Mustang is tucked away in Ford's booth bathing in its own Grabber Blue glory. The car features the brand new BOSS 302 crate motor producing, from what we hear, a relatively modest 340 out of a potential 500 horsepower. Aside from that, we can only go on what we see since no information was accompanying the car. What extra info do you need? It's got the BOSS 302 graphics, louvers, a deep chin spoiler, wood-rimmed steering wheel and T-handle shifter. We have to seriously knock Galpin, though, for those GAS (Galpin Auto Sports) wheels that make the retro muscle car look too tunerific.

Just as the BOSS 302 crate motor is a precursor to the return of the BOSS production engine, the Galpin BOSS 302 paves the way for a production BOSS Mustang that's due in 2009. The production version of the BOSS engine, which will share virtually nothing with the crate motor besides its name, will first debut in the F-150 (remember the Hurricane engine? same thing) before showing up in a BOSS Mustang suitable for mass consumption. Until then, if you're jonesing for a BOSS Mustang you'll have to hit up Galpin.

Both images are available in hi res, by clicking.

For the past few years, one engine has garnered more attention than any other: Chrysler's Hemi. Between garish badging and a sublimely ridiculous TV advertising campaign, 'Hemi' has become synonymous with large displacement, American power. Ford wants a piece of that branding action too and has re-introduced the Boss 302 V8.

Originally called the Hurricane, the newly developed V8 underwent a name change to distance itself from a certain disaster off the Gulf Coast. The project was originally shelved in 2005, but Mark Fields decided that the development costs were necessary to compete in a market rife with clever branding strategies.

The 5-liter V8 will make anywhere between 340 and 500 HP, with the base block costing about $1,800 and a fully built unit running between $5k and $10k.

Although the engine is only available in crate form now, the new Boss will find a home under the hood of the 2008 F150, the Shelby GT, a 40th anniversary version of the pony car in 2009, the Boss Mustang, due the same year, and a few other special edition vehicles over the next three years.

More information and live pics are on their way. As always, stay tuned.

[Source: Ford, BlueOvalNews and the Detroit News]

Musclecar collecting is as speculative as the oil market. Prices on the same model can vary as much as 1000% depending on how they are optioned. HEMI, Boss, Shelby, RS/SS, Z/28, COPO, Cobra Jet, L89. To the musclecar enthusiast, these legendary nomenclatures are musclecar gold.

With the vast array of information available today, the unscrupulous among us have become quite adept at building "clone" cars. These cars began life as an entry-level model and are transformed, quite accurately, into the fire-breathing monsters that bring the big bucks. That's where the website http://www.decodethis.com steps in.

From any Internet connection, even mobile phones and PDA's, they can decode the VIN for many of the hottest musclecars. 1965-73 Mustang, '67-'71 Camaro and Firebird, '53-'74 Corvette, any 1966-70 Chrysler (Dodge, Plymouth or Chrysler), '60-'69 Fords, and '60-'65 Chevrolets, quite a comprehensive list.

Take a minute to check this out. You guys at the auctions now have one more tool to be sure that the Hemi Dart you are bidding on wasn't born with a Slant-Six! Wherever there is money, counterfeiters will surely follow and as we all know, money doesn't always come with brains attached.

Thanks to Richard Brown for the tip!

[Source: decodethis.com]

Think captains of industry are all driving top-of-the-line luxury sedans like the Mercedes S-Class or Jaguar XJ8? Think again. Business Week theorizes that most CEOs just want a simple set of wheels that will reliably get them to and from the corner office and to their next appointment with a minimum of fuss.

According to a pole conducted jointly by Cars.com and CareerBuilder.com, the average CEO spends less than $25,000 on a car, while only 19% of those poled drive luxury cars. The largest portion is driving run-of-the-mill passenger cars (29%), followed closely by SUVs (24%). Some, like the heads of construction companies, prefer the utility of a pick-up truck (13%) or vans (9%), while a small percentage opt for sports cars (6%). (The size of the companies whose CEOs were surveyed was not specified.)

Related post:

• What do billionaires drive? Same cars as the rest of us...

[Source: Business Week via StraightLine]

Most people are happy to have a PC that simply gets the job done. There are a lot of hardcore enthusiasts and gamers, however, who go to great lengths to modify and personalize their computers. Craig Tate (aka Tech Daddy) is recognized as one of the premier modders out there today, and his latest creation is something the staff here at Autoblog would pretty much kill for: The BOSS FX-57.

Craig is a big fan of the 1969 BOSS 302, and used that car's styling cues as the design inspiration for his new PC. Painted in that familiar orange, and sporting custom BOSS striping, the FX-57 designation goes where you'd normally find the "302," replacing the car's displacement with the name of the AMD Athlon 64-bit processor that gives this BOSS its horsepower.

A custom hood scoop mounted on the top of the case acts as the exhaust port for an "blow hole" fan. "Supercharged 6800GT" adorns the sides, a reference to the machine's video card. Around back, the exhaust fan grilles are made of RC car wheels (brilliant), and the open side panel shows the world perhaps the coolest (and simplest, according to Craig) mod of all: a real air filter mounted atop the CPU heatsink fan. We're not worthy.

Custom lighting adorns everything, and the mouse and keyboard are also painted to match the case. We'll admit to not knowing of any other auto-themed custom PC's, but we're going to go out on a limb here and say that Craig Tate's one-of-a-kind BOSS FX-57 is the benchmark against which all others will be judged.

Check out Craig Tate's complete photoessay on the build at Bit-Tech.net.

[Source: Bit-Tech.net]