Cars

Despite Mercedes’ efforts to keep the 2013 SL under wraps, photos have been leaked and are circulating around the web faster than a zombie apocalypse. The Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster was scheduled to make an appearance at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January but because of the leaked images, Mercedes released official photos of the car.

I have to admit, I’m not a fan of the exterior styling at all. The front fascia has definitely been influenced by the Mercedes SLS and that same influence is being spread to other vehicles Mercedes is offering. The Mercedes SL appears to be having an identity crisis. Although I’m sure the car performs very well in the wind tunnel testing, the car doesn’t seem to have a very nice overall flow when looking at it from various angles and it lacks the aggressive styling I was hoping for.

I’d be remiss to talk about sixties muscle cars without paying homage to one of the best of breed: the first generation 1967 to 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. But, it’s also extremely difficult to write about the Camaro, for two main reasons. Reason one: How do you come up with any original topic about a car that has already been written up about in so many ways and from so many angles? Reason two: There are a lot (and I mean a lot) of Camaro guys that know every possible factoid about the first gen. If you want to write about the revered Camaro, then you had better be prepared to be repeatedly corrected by a Camaro enthusiast who intimately knows every nut, bolt, number, and high speed chrome muffler bearing on one. So today, the plan is to ‘build’ my own 1969 Fantasy Camaro: an original in the sense that all choices from the factory order sheet have been selected by me. Most of my Camaro option reference information is taken from internet sites, meaning there may be some cases where erroneous information slips in – I’m not claiming to be a Camaro expert, just a Camaro lover. Everybody, into the WABAC machine!

The snake is back and it’s back with a vengeance.  The 2013 Dodge SRT Viper was officially unveiled at the New York Auto show, although Dodge had been showing teaser photos for a while on Facebook.

Although the exterior styling is more of an evolution of the previous generation Viper, the interior is where the Viper finally looks as good as its competition.  But that’s not what this car is about, the Viper is all about foot to the floor, tire shredding action and the new car shouldn’t disappoint in that department.

Most of the cars tuned by German car tuning firm Mansory are utter crap in my humble opinion, Mansory proves the say “money can’t buy you class” and their latest creation is no exception.  This time Mansory has tuned a Ferrari 458 Italia Spider Monaco Edition and made it look like the Ferrari Enzo, at least in the front.

I don’t have a problem with the 458 Italia looking like an Enzo, the problem I have is with all the carbon fiber pieces added onto the car that look like

If there is one vehicle out there that is being milked like crazy, it has to be the Mini. There are already six variants of the Mini not including the special editions and the company has just introduced the seventh edition to the lineup, the Mini ClubVan.

The vehicle is supposed to be the first premium compact delivery van and is based on the longer Mini Clubman. For it to function as a delivery van, the Clubvan no longer has rear seats and the boot floor which allows for more cargo space.

Ah, memories… does anyone else besides me seem to have indelible memories from their teenage years imprinted on the brain? More so than childhood or middle age memories? Here’s my cherished, deeply ingrained memory of a shotgun test drive in a 1969 Z/28 Camaro, one of many Trans-AM muscle cars. I’d had my own muscle car for just one year, and was already searching the used car market for my next ride. I had been bitten by the horse power bug and wanted more than I already had. I liked the 69 Camaro; especially the Z/28, which I had been told would match and likely (depending on who you talked to) even out-run the 1970 Boss 302 Mustang that a buddy’s older brother had. Sweet! I could just taste it; after all, that big brother wouldn’t even let us ‘tool bit losers’ close enough to breathe on his pride and joy Mustang.

Most people have a love-hate relationship with the Hummer (especially the H2 and H3); they either love it or hate it.  Personally, I can’t stand the H2s and H3s, not because I’m some sort of an environmentalist, I just think they’re big, ugly, and useless!  So, the electric Hummers created by luxury car tuners Prindiville still look ugly and useless to me but they might please the environmental crowd.

The Prindiville Electric Hummer is an officially licensed design by General Motors and is a miniature and eco-friendly version of the big SUV.  The vehicles come in a 3-door configuration with room for two passengers and their cargo; the vehicles measure 9.8 feet (3 meters) in length, 4.6 feet (1.4 meters) in width, and 4.6 feet in height.