Autoblog

click above image for more pics of the Concept 'Cuda

It appears that whoever took the trouble to have Metalcrafters build the one-off Concept 'Cuda got tired of it pretty quickly. Just a month after the 'Cuda made its first appearance at the SEMA show, Barrett-Jackson has announced that the car will be offered to the highest bidder come January. The winner will essentially be getting a modified Dodge Charger chassis with custom 2-door carbon fiber bodywork covered in Lamborghini Pearl Orange paint, a functional shaker hood feeding air to a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 and 22-inch Zenetti wheels wrapped with Pirelli P Zero tires. Before potential buyers plunk down hundreds of thousands of dollars for the car, they might want to see if Metalcrafters would build a second, and if so, how much it would cost.

[Source: Barrett-Jackson via Motortrend]

click either image to enlarge

The SEMA Show in Las Vegas is huge, which is the only explanation we can muster for why we didn't see the Tractorri Lamborghini Mustang there ourselves. Built by John Haugh from Cleveland, OH (w00t!), the car you see is basically a 520-hp mid-engine, all-wheel-drive Lamborghini Gallardo wearing the heavily modified body panels of a Ford Mustang. Out back the rear taillamps of the Gallardo have been incorporated along with a gaping grate through which one can view the Lamborghini hardware. The interior is also mostly Lamborghini, though the door panels obviously come from the Ford.

We know, some of you are asking why anyone would embark on such a project, but why sweat the details when there's a freakin' mid-engine, all-wheel-drive Mustang staring back at you? Just count your lucky stars that there are people out there who will build something like a Mustang-bodied Lamborghini for the rest of us to enjoy. Oh, and we extend an open offer to buy Mr. Haugh a beer at The Winking Lizard in Lakewood so he can show us this insane coupe in person.

Click the Read link below to visit themustangnews.com where there are more pics of the Tractorri Lamborghini Mustang.

[Source: The Mustang News via Carscoop]

Uncle! UNCLE! Here's the scoop. Shelby's dusting off another name from the 1960s to affix to the flanks of yet another clapped out version of Ford's Mustang. Damn. Was it like this back in the day, too? Terlingua was a racing team in the 1960s that campaigned a GT350 with ferocious bunny livery. The new Terlingua models dropped at SEMA (which might as well stand for Simply Everything Mustang Always), and they're actually pretty intriguing. We'll forego the bestickered body baubelization, but in the engine room, they've gotten creative.

Rather than focus all the attention on the GT, the base V6 gets some lovin' from the Terlingua package. $7,995 buys you handling and braking upgrades as well as a supercharger that helps the V6 churn out 375 hp. That's one we'd love to sample. Armchair quarterbacking postulates that it might be a bit more nimble than a GT, with a slightly less massive mill and possibly superior weight distribution, but of course, we're just blowing sunshine without actually looking at hard numbers. Ain't speculation fun? Of course, the obligatory 20-inch rims probably do more to hinder performance, but they rev up the style, if that's your thing. Other Terlingua goodies are a continuation 1967 Mustang with more modern engineering, and a specially tweaked '65 427 Cobra.

[Source: Autoweek]

Last year at the 2006 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, we reported on a unique piece of hardware called the DashDAQ. It looks like a third-party sat nav, but it's actually an open source Linux-based computer that suction cups to your windshield. Commenters at the time went ga-ga over what could be done with the DashDAQ after plugging it into their OBD-II port. Unbeknownst to us, the company was listening and returned to SEMA in 2007 with the actual product that just went on sale a couple weeks ago.

Called the DashDAQ Series II, the $695 production model walked away from this year's SEMA Show with nine new product awards. The DashDAQ is still as open source as it was last year, but has grown up a bit and added more processing power and more inputs in the form of two serial connecters, two USB ports and an SD card slot. Any type of sensor can be plugged into the unit and its data displayed as long as you've got drivers for it. Out of the box, though, the DashDAQ can display a gauge cluster in a variety of skins, display and clear diagnostic codes, and show you data points from any of your car's sensors while simultaneously logging them for future analysis.

One of the big knocks against the DashDAQ last year was that despite looking for all the world like a navigation system, it didn't have the hardware or software to perform that function. Well, it still doesn't, but they have addressed the issue by making it simple to plug in a third-party GPS unit. A company named Elektrobit is currently developing sat nav software for the DashDAQ, but you can of course use other Linux-based GPS programs. Since it's open source, just imagine the possibilities. You could have your car's true speed or even lap times clocked accurately via GPS just like the pros, but for thousands less.

We're going to have one of our more computer literate bloggers take a DashDAQ Series II for a spin in the near future. In the meantime, the company, its engineers and software designers are listening, so tell them you think.

[Source: DashDAQ]

click above image to watch video of the Hossfly V8 Barstool in action

When the SEMA Show is over and it's time for the exhibitors to clear out of the convention center, it makes for an interesting spectacle to watch. Vehicles forbidden to operate on the street can be seen ripping down Paradise Rd. without consequence. It just so happens that during this time we caught a glimpse of the previously posted Hossfly V8 Barstools in action. While walking away from the convention center, the crowd around us began to part like Moses and the Red Sea. We could hear a vehicle approaching that sounded like a pissed off Camaro with an open header exhaust. Turning around we discovered that the commotion was caused not by a crazy muscle car, but by two stools on wheels. We luckily whipped out the camera in time and caught a clip of the barstools in action. The video doesn't quite do justice to the amount of noise generated by these contraptions. We can also only assume that after a week of sitting idle at the show, they were on their way to the nearest bar counter for a couple of cold beers. Follow the jump to see the video.

A company called Boss Hoss was offering one of the most unique rides in Vegas last week, and that's really saying a lot. Amidst the ocean of custom vehicles, this one seemed like just the perfect thing for covering the show, motoring over to one of the after-parties and bellying up to the bar. Compact and easily maneuverable, it also had a surfeit of power should one need to get somewhere in a hurry. We can say with some certainty that it had one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any vehicle in the convention center halls at SEMA, although the top speed is limited to 25 mph. Appearing to be a mounted display engine at first glance, a quick double-take brought the steering wheel and seat into focus. Sitting atop the small-block engine was... well, the driver's seat. Called the Hossfly, this novelty transportation device is available through California Boss Hoss as a kit or in turnkey form, and is essentially a V8 barstool. Little more than an engine on wheels with an elevated seat and steering wheel, it has a 5 gallon tank and is said to be capable of hauling up to 2,000 pounds. If like us you think this would be fun for a very short trip, know that the kits start at $8,000 - minus the engine. One other note: it does have a radiator to keep things cool below the seat, at least partially.

Where 20-inch rims seemed gigantic just a couple of years ago, the massive surge in 22s, 24s, 26s and the like mean 30s are becoming commonplace. No self-respecting donk would be caught rollin' on anything less than 30s these days, and last week at SEMA we even saw 32s, 34s and a pair of 42s (!) floating around the show floor, as well. We also spotted a few creative solutions to dealing with these new monster rims, like cutting out a car's fenderwells completely and a whole new tire mounting apparatus to handle these behemoths. You've already seen a couple of these megarims in some of our previous SEMA posts, but below is a gallery of some of the most egregious examples we could find. And lest you think size is all that matters, we've also included some colorful and fanciful offerings, as well as random shots of collections, sport rims, retro rollers and even a couple of monster truck tires we spotted that might portend the zenith of the tall tire trend. Enjoy.

Click for high-res gallery of some of the lovely ladies from Las Vegas

SEMA is unique in many ways compared to the other major auto shows we cover. One of these is the reputation the show has for the number of models hired for promotion that can be found throughout the convention center. It seemed everywhere we went there was a model handing out literature, signing posters or just standing next to products on display. In a sea of thousands of goods, many of the vendors understand how much a pretty face can increase traffic and lead to more potential sales. This being Las Vegas, it was getting to the point where just a pretty face wasn't enough anymore.

The outfits these gals wear started getting more and more outrageous a long time ago. That trend thankfully stopped a year ago and took a few steps back in the interest of decency. This year's models tended to be much more modestly dressed and wholesome looking, with a few notable exceptions. Check them all out in the gallery below, and be sure to view the video after the jump that was probably more fun for us to make than it is for you to watch, but we'll let you be the judge of that.

NOTE: Comments have been turned off on this post since these ladies have graciously posed for our enjoyment, not our judgment.
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When it comes to comprehensive suspension tuning, Hotchkis has established itself as a premium player for both domestic and imported performance rides. Their WRX sway bars have proven to be some of the strongest and lightest on the market (not to mention three-way adjustable), and they've constantly been ahead of the curve by offering new products for vehicles soon after they appear on the market. Unfortunately, they're not as good about keeping their website up-to-date or being able to rattle off the diameter of their sway bars when inquiring minds, well... inquire.

Regardless, by the end of 2007 Hotchkis will begin offering sway bars for the E92 BMW 335i and they've got prototype bars for the Infiniti G37, due to be on sale in the beginning of 2008. They're already offering Stage One kits (springs and sway bars) for the Volkswagen GLI and the new Scion xB, and have begun to sell sway bars for both the Mazdaspeed3 and Audi RS4.

Wheels are like shoes for your car (deep, huh?), as they come in a wide variety of colors and styles, plus they are easy to change dependent on your tastes and budget. Unfortunately not every wheel company seems to produce original designs and even if they do it doesn't mean they're pretty. That is where Five Axis fits in. Riding on the success of their Scion concept vehicles, the design house known for its coachbuilt concepts has just unveiled its new line of wheels dubbed Five:AD at the 2007 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The light weight aluminum alloy wheels were displayed on the Five Axis Toyota Yaris Club, Lexus IS-F and Scion xB concept vehicles. The complete wheel lineup consists of five designs available in multiple finishes that are all as unique as this company's corporate-sponsored fantasy cars. The sizes range from 17- to 20-inches and feature bolt patterns available for almost any application. See the complete press release after the jump.

[Source: Five Axis, Wheel Supply Systems]