Kurt Ernst

VW Golf24 Heads To Nürburgring

February 11, 2011 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

I’ll give you the bad news up front: you can’t buy what may be the coolest VW ever built. It’s got a turbocharged 2.5 liter, inline five engine good for 434 horsepower and 398 ft lb of torque, a six speed sequential gearbox, all wheel drive and a stance that’s chock full of attitude. Those are some meaty fender flares, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Renault R5 Turbo 2 of the 1980s. Want some good news? This isn’t just a design study, and VW will be racing the car in the upcoming 24 Hours of Nürburgring event, held from June 23 to June 26. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Import Tagged With: AWD, Cars, Golf24, Nordschleife, Nurburgring, VW

Chevy Unleashes The Mother Of All Camaros

February 10, 2011 By Kurt Ernst 1 Comment

Image: © GM Corp.

Chevy chose this week’s Chicago Auto Show to make their most heavily anticipated product debut since the return of the Camaro. Instead of giving the audience the expected Z28, Chevy dug deep into their history to bring up a legendary (if obscure) product name – the ZL1. If you’re a vintage Camaro guy, you probably know that the ZL1 was a single year (1969), aluminum block racing engine option for the Camaro. Only 69 were built, and the cars command a stratospheric price when they show up at auction. Chevy though it was appropriate to use this legendary performance name on the most powerful Camaro ever built, and I tend to agree with them. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Domestic Tagged With: Camaro, Camaro ZL1, Cars, chevy, Chicago Auto Show

Car Warriors: A New Reality Show For Gear Heads

February 9, 2011 By Kurt Ernst 4 Comments

I’m still not sure if this is a good idea or a really, really bad one, but I’m reasonably sure that I’ll tune in to watch. Starting on Wednesday, February 23, Speed is launching a new reality TV series called “Car Warriors”. The premise is simple: customizers from around the country will compete against a team of pros in a classic car build off. Each team has access to the same tools, the same go-fast parts and the same number of workers. The catch? You only get 72 hours to turn the car from a junker into a stunner. Does that sound interesting or horrifying? Check out the videos below for details. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Soap Box Tagged With: Cars, Custom, TV Shows

Road Trip! 1,200 Miles In A Lamborghini Countach

February 8, 2011 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

Harry Metcalfe is the managing director editor of Britain’s Evo magazine, which means he makes more money than most auto journalists. He also gets to take cool road trips, like the one in the video below; I don’t know about you, but I’d jump at the chance to drive a Lamborghini Countach from the French Riviera, across the Alps, through the Euro Tunnel and to the Cotswalds in the U.K. Unfortunately, I don’t get offers like that and I don’t make the kind of money needed to buy, feed or maintain a Lamborghini Countach. Currently, I barely make the kind of income needed to feed and maintain a Mazda Miata. Feel free to drool while watching the video below. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Import Tagged With: Cars, Lamborghini Countach, Road Trip

Dodge Prepares You For The Snowpacalypse

February 7, 2011 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

Snowpacalypse? It's Snowmageddon!

I don’t live in the snow belt any more, but I have to say the beginning of this video is pretty accurate. Thanks to the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it predictions from weather forecasters at the slightest inclination of bad weather, even moderate snowfall brings an all-out assault on the grocery store, as shoppers stockpile enough food to withstand a 90 day siege. I can only imagine how bad Chicago was just prior to this last storm, but I’d be willing to bet the video below is pretty accurate. It makes me wonder how we all survived in the days before Doppler radar and overpaid, panic-inducing weathermen. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Domestic Tagged With: AWD, Cars, Dodge, Trucks

More Grunt For The Next Civic Si?

February 4, 2011 By Kurt Ernst 1 Comment

Honda's Latest Civic Si Concept. Image: Honda America Motors

The Civic Si is a great car, but like all of Honda’s current performance cars it relies heavily on hotter intake cam timing to make serious power. The Si, for example, really doesn’t come alive until the tach hits about 6,000 RPM. From there to the car’s 8,000 RPM redline, the motor pulls hard enough to make you wonder if there’s a low pressure turbo under the hood, but it’s just VTEC. Top end power is fine for the racetrack, but in the real world low end torque is much more beneficial. Tuners have been modding Honda K20 engines to make more low end torque for years, but not everyone wants to go the tuner route. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Import Tagged With: Cars, Civic Si, Honda

McLaren’s MP4-12C Heads To Production

February 3, 2011 By Kurt Ernst 2 Comments

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button put in a hard day's work.

McLaren has announced the start of production for their MP4-12C supercar, the long-awaited successor to the storied McLaren F1. Initial cars will be built in McLaren’s state-of-the-art Technology Center, with production moving to the brand new Production Center as soon as the facility is complete. McLaren will be able to produce approximately 1,000 12Cs in 2011, with the potential of building more in subsequent years as demand dictates. Do I want one? More than I want Scarlett Johansson, rubber sheets, a bottle of peanut oil and a tube of klister ski wax. Just in case you need to ask why, the video below should explain well enough.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Import Tagged With: Cars, McLaren, Supercars

Vaughn Gittin, Jr. Flies The Ford Raptor

February 2, 2011 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

As the 2010 Formula Drift champion, Vaughn Gitten, Jr. knows a thing or two about car control. When the editor of Wrecked magazine asked him if he’d like to spend some time flogging a Ford Raptor around the Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) track in Las Vegas, Gitten wisely took him up on the offer. I’m not sure that Ford pushed the Raptor this hard in development, and they tried pretty damn hard to break the truck. Some of Gitten’s jumps are epic, and it’s hard to believe that a stock, production truck (even one as stout as the Raptor) can hold up on a course designed to destroy full-on race trucks. Prepare to be amazed below. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Off Road, Trucks and Utilities Tagged With: CORR, Ford Raptor, Off-Roading, Vaughn Gittin Jr.

2011 Hyundai Elantra: The Compact Sedan, Redefined

February 1, 2011 By Kurt Ernst 2 Comments

Image: Hyundai Motor America

Following up on the success of the all new 2011 Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai has launched an all new Elantra for 2011. The second new sedan to benefit from Hyundai’s “fluidic sculpture” styling, the 2011 Elantra is the first compact car from Hyundai that buyers are likely to snap up on looks alone. Fuel economy and content aside, the Elantra is a stunning design that doesn’t look like everything else on the road. Even the Elantra’s lines are distinct enough from the Sonata to not be a scaled down version; the family resemblance is there, but the Elantra’s exterior styling stands on its own. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Car Reviews, Import, Reviews Tagged With: Car, Car Reviews, Hyundai, Hyundai Elantra, Import

Jay Leno Drives The Lamborghini Reventon

January 31, 2011 By Kurt Ernst Leave a Comment

Let’s say you had $1.7 million to spend on a exotic car. You’d want something that no one else had, but you wouldn’t want to compromise on performance. You’d want something that was both flashy and subtle, because the car would draw enough attention without being painted in some garish color. If you could make the car as invisible to radar and laser as possible, that would be good thing since driving at legal speed limits would be out of the question. If those are your only criteria, let me make it easy for you: you want a Lamborghini Reventon. Video below. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Import Tagged With: Car, Jay Leno's Garage, lamborghini, Reventon, Supercar

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