Continue reading Watch this garbage truck consume a Pontiac Grand Am

Watch this garbage truck consume a Pontiac Grand Am originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• For this Quick Spin, I was in the black Hurst Edition SEMA car driving behind the gorgeous pearl white example seen here, and between their audacious styling and killer exhaust notes, people kept gawking at us - ok, the cars - as if we were the buxom, bikini-clad babe seen in the aforementioned video.
• From a styling standpoint, this Trans Am is way more than just a body kit. Trans Am Depot has performed extensive changes to the Camaro's body to give it an appearance that closely resembles the 1977-78 Firebird, with unique front and rear fascias that include modern LED headlights and taillights, as well as era-appropriate down-turned quadruple exhaust outlets. Some of the minor alterations include detail work like adding front fender extractors, removing the Camaro's faux rear wheel vents and adding a little length to the tail section to give the Trans Am a flatter, more unique rear end. Hurst Edition cars are only offered in black, white and silver paint with the iconic shaker hood and Screaming Eagle, and the whole look is finished off with 20-inch, gold-accented honeycomb wheels.
• As the hood scoop suggests, the Hurst Edition uses the same 6.2-liter V8 as the Camaro SS, and an optional supercharger boosted the power to 575 horsepower at the rear wheels on my test car. There is also a supercharger kit that delivers up to 720 hp, and if that still isn't enough, a twin-turbo kit is available offering 1,100 horses. With 575 hp, the Hurst Edition still has plenty of power to break the wheels lose even with StabiliTrak on, making me wonder how crazy the more powerful versions are. More impressive than the power from this V8 are the noises it makes. Under the hood, a muffled whine hints at the supercharger while the dual exhaust belts out an incredible note under full throttle.
• Just like the extensive changes made to the car's styling, Trans Am Depot had done more than just dump a ton of extra power under the hood. A one-inch drop in the suspension helps tuck the staggered-width alloys into the wheel wells, while an Eibach sway bar upgrade should help give the heavy Camaro chassis a little more cornering bite. Sadly, I didn't have the chance to put the Hurst Edition T/A through any challenging handling exercises... it is Florida after all.
• Inside, the Hurst Edition also gets an appropriately retro theme with repatterned seats, restyled instrument gauges and, naturally, a cue-ball short-throw Hurst shifter. The black-and-gold color scheme gives the cabin a classic look while carbon fiber accents on just about every surface adds modern panache with finishing touches like the billet sill plates and embroidered headrests.
• My biggest disappointment about the interior - and perhaps the entire car itself - is a lack of the sparkly, machined-metallic-look gauge trim found on the dash of the late-'70s Firebirds. To me, this was as defining of an element as the Screaming Chicken for these old Pontiacs. What this car lacks in a single piece of '70s-era trim, though, it more than makes up for with its t-tops. Trans Am Depot used to farm out its T-tops, but has now since up with a proprietary design for improved style and function. GM, take note.
• Now, turning your Camaro into a Trans Am is no cheap ordeal. If you have a donor fifth-gen Camaro and eight weeks to spare, Trans Am Depot will turn you out a base Hurst Edition starting at $29,985. This former SEMA queen came with some optional add-ons like the $10,550 supercharger kit and a stiff $7,500 for the t-tops.
• While Trans Am Depot is limiting production of the Hurst Edition, it also offers the 7T7 model (on which the Hurst is based) with its '77 Trans Am styling, as well as the 6T9 built to look like the 1969 Trans Am and the 6T9 Goat styled after the 1969 GTO. And if, for some reason, you doubt just how much these guys love powerful Pontiacs, check out their daily drivers sitting out in front of the shop: a pair of rare Pontiac G8 GXP Firehawk sedans.

2013 Hurst Edition Trans Am originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Motor Trend does the Cuban classic car thing

Motor Trend does the Cuban classic car thing originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Poncho is dead. Long live the Poncho. Like certain other reoccurring personal maladies, the aftermarket community simply can't let the Trans Am go without another flare up. The guys at Trans Am Depot have worked up a quick commercial for their newest creation: The 2013 Trans Am Hurst Edition, and it watches pretty much like you'd expect it to. The footage is comprised of just about every TA male fantasy you can conceive of, from Daisy Dukes and white tank tops to tramp stamps, bikinis and ice cream cones. There simply aren't words for what you'll see below.

Of course, we like our T-Tops as much as the next guy. If you like what you see in the videos, you can pick up your very own TA by heading over to the Trans Am Depot site. The guys even have Chevrolet Camaro-based versions of the Pontiac GTO if the '77 TA treatment is too much for your tastes. Enjoy, but don't say we didn't warn you.

Continue reading Check out the official 2013 Trans Am Hurst Edition commercial

Check out the official 2013 Trans Am Hurst Edition commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Mar 2013 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may expand a recall campaign for faulty brake lamps. The agency is currently looking into complaints that certain 2004-2011 Chevrolet Malibu models as well as some 2007-2009 Saturn Aura sedans may have brake lights that do not illuminate when the driver presses the pedal. Alternatively, the lamps may also illuminate without input from the driver. General Motors recalled 8,000 Pontiac G6 models from the 2005 model year for the same problem, and NHTSA is currently investigating whether to add 550,000 more G6 models built between 2005 and 2009 to the list for the same issue.

In addition, investigators are currently examining 97 complaints from Malibu and Aura owners with the same trouble. If NHTSA adds those models to the recall campaign, more than one million units could be covered. GM, meanwhile, says there have been no accidents or injuries as a result of the problem.

NHTSA could add 1M cars to GM recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Official USPS Muscle Cars stamps coming to a mailbox near you originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hurst Edition Trans Am proves the Screaming Chicken will rise from the ashes originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading CNN chronicles young girl building Pontiac Fiero

CNN chronicles young girl building Pontiac Fiero originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GM recalling over 40,000 Chevy, Pontiac and Saturn models over fuel pump woes

GM recalling over 40,000 Chevy, Pontiac and Saturn models over fuel pump woes originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GM recalling 426,000 sedans over faulty transmission shift cable

GM recalling 426,000 sedans over faulty transmission shift cable originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Watch world's fastest four-cylinder set a new quarter-mile record

Watch world's fastest four-cylinder set a new quarter-mile record originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"My dad would love to own a GTO, but finances aren't there to do so, and I am really hoping to get one for him to drive around for a while. He now spends his days going fishing sunup to sundown as that is what he wants to do. I can think of no better way to get him from home to his fishing spot and back again than in a GTO!"

So if you know of anyone in the Elkhorn area willing to loan or rent their GTO for a day, Daniel Strohl at Hemmings asks you to contact him as soon as possible.

Wanted: 1967 Pontiac GTO for a special Father's Day originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Automakers tussle over owners of 'orphan' makes originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 May 2012 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

eBay Find of the Day: 1967 Pontiac GTO Monkeemobile originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Watch as Hot Rod goes from El Paso to LA the hard way

Watch as Hot Rod goes from El Paso to LA the hard way originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Happy Holidays from Autoblog! originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Inside Line attempts to name 100 Worst Cars of All Time originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 recalled over airbag concern

2008-2009 Pontiac G8 recalled over airbag concern originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GM doing fine at retaining Pontiac owners originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

eBay Find of the Day: Teutel Senior's Camaro-based 2011 Pontiac Trans Am Hurst Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.