Autoblog

We watched a marathon of the SpikeTV reality show based on the Bullrun Rally and hosted by Bill Goldberg, but weren't too terribly impressed with the premise. It seemed one needed only a decent proficiency at reading maps, as well as a lot of luck, to win. The winning team was the father/daughter duo of Mike and Morgan Alsop from Lafayette, Indiana, who took top Bullrun honors at the helm of their 2002 Pontiac Trans Am WS6. While the finale is still sitting on our TiVo, we know that the Alsops got as far as they did by making more friends than enemies, while watching their own backs at the same time. Meanwhile, their Trans Am performed flawlessly throughout the 4,800-mile rally and proved to be bulletproof, unlike the rides brought by many of their competition.

Like true Americans, father and daughter Alsop are eager to capitalize on their fifteen minutes of fame and have put the Championship Trans Am up for sale on eBay Motors. One of the Alsop's fellow Bullrunners already put his Lamborghini Murcielago up for sale on eBay, but he didn't have the decency to give the car a tune up or fix any of the damage it received from the competition. The Alsop's sent their car to a body shop immediately following the race and ordered up a new paint job, tires, suspension components and an engine tune up. So not only are you buying a hella fast Trans Am that's proven to be as reliable as the setting sun, you're also buying a car that's seen the bright lights of Hollywood and has a few stories to tell.

Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: eBay Motors]

Since the popularity of stock car racing seems to gain more momentum as every NASCAR season passes, it seems only natural to bring another spin-off to market. "Reality Racing – The Rookie Challenge," will begin its 13-part series sometime in 2007, where 15 drivers will compete for a chance to drive in a 'NASCAR sanctioned event' and gain the much-needed name recognition to score a sponsored ride.

Tryouts are set to begin within the next few months (the dates haven't been disclosed), with the final 15 drivers assigned a series of challenges that will make up the hour-long episodes. Bobby Allison and other ex-racers will man the judging stations, where they'll be on the lookout, not just for raw racing skills, but also desire, appearance and personality.

Whatever your feelings are towards stock car racing, it's about time we showcase America's real talent.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

Nearly as fast as bidders came out of the woodwork for Aston Martin's possible sale, CBS secured new sponsorship for its hit reality-show "Survivor" after General Motors canceled its advertising. States Chris Ender of CBS, "The upcoming edition of `Survivor' has a full roster of advertisers across a wide range of categories and GM's position has been filled."

CBS would not state who was the new sponsor or if it was even another automaker. Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., and all three American brands of DaimlerChrysler declined advertising on the show. Representatives from Honda Motor Co. stated the automaker does not comment on its advertising.

Related:

• The show must go on: GM cancels advertising on Survivor

[Source: Associated Press via Fox News]

To help rectify a relative lack of automotive content in the world of TV documentaries, General Motors and the Discovery Channel are teaming up to bring a four-part series to the small screen in 2007. The new series will follow eight interns as they each take a vehicle - based on GM's hydrogen fuel cell technology - from the drawing board through the design process. The series promises a "rare look" at several aspects of automotive industry and product development process, such as the sprawling engineering centers and proving grounds where cars are born and put to the test.

Given the number of vehicles being followed and the relatively short length of the series, we're a bit concerned that several aspects of the development process will be glossed-over; however, considering that it's currently easier to find documentaries on the making of Little Debbie swiss-cake rolls than it is to find anything on the passenger car design process, we'll take what we can get.

[Source: GM; the full press release is posted after the jump]

Ford Motor Company, one of the main sponsors of "American Idol," told dealers yesterday that it is circulating a tape around various TV networks to bolster interest in a new reality TV series starring Ford and a yet-to-be-designed vehicle. The concept behind the series is that participants will work with Ford designers to develop their dream concept car.

Now all the automaker needs is a network to pick it up. Our bet is on A&E. If the Arts & Entertainment network will air this, then surely Ford has a future home on cable.