The General Motors LS1 aluminum V8 has a reputation for getting around. That technological wonder will wile its way into just about any engine bay it can. Example? How about a BMW E30. A father and son combo out of Washington state have managed to wedge that potent engine and the six-speed transmission that accompanies it into a svelte Bavarian shell. Turns out the iron lump and head four-cylinder that came stock in the BMW weighs nearly exactly the same as the big V8. That means these guys now have a 350 horsepower E30 sleeper. Perfect. Hit the jump to see the car in action. [Source: BimmerForums]

Happy Thursday everyone, Big_Blocker here for a new installment of Muscle Car of the Week. Hopefully you all enjoyed last week’s post on one of the only late 70’s muscle cars. Today we take a drive back in time to the year 1968 where manufacturers were throwing out quality muscle cars like they were going out of business. Most muscle car people are huge fans of the Chevrolet Camaro, but what a good deal of those people don’t know is that you could get the looks of the Camaro with more power in the form of the 1968 Pontiac Firebird.

Like the Camaro, the Firebird was introduced to get into the lucrative pony car market that Ford had already almost monopolized with the Mustang. The GM engineers had been playing catch-up since 1964 and finally had a platform suitable to contend with the Mustang by the start of the 1967 model year. The result was a fresh new design with sexy features that combined with a host of performance goodies. Although the Pontiac Firebird is less well-known than the Camaro, its unique styling cues and numerous engine options made it quite the performer on the street. The Firebird and Camaro shared the same front and rear fenders, doors and decklid. The beaked hood, GTO-style taillights and trademark split Pontiac grill set it apart from its divisional brother and gave it an aggressive look on the street and strip. The Firebird remained mostly unchanged in 1968, the only differences were slight power increases in engine options (see below), making it the obvious choice for this post.

Power options for the Firebird were pretty extensive when compared to the Camaro. The most powerful inline-six cylinder engine was rated at an impressive 215 horsepower but if you wanted real muscle you chose a nice round number. That number was 400 cubic inches of stroked V8 power. When properly equipped with the Ram Air II package, the 400 produced a solid 335 horsepower and a massive 430 lb ft of torque. That power was good for a 5.5 zero to sixty time and a 100 mph quarter in low 14’s. For all those not too impressed with these numbers, think about something else before rushing to judgment. Pontiac was attempting to enter the pony car market without encroaching on their already popular GTO, so making the Firebird more powerful wouldn’t really help Pontiac that much.

None the less, the Firebird still still survived the muscle car era despite being consistently outsold by the Camaro. Pontiac still sold over 105, 000 Firebird’s in 1968 so it wasn’t like there wasn’t a large amount of people interested in them. The original Firebird served as a good initial platform for many big blocks of the day and eventually transformed into a potent machine when it was given a different name a couple years later. Anyone know what was?

Big_Blocker out.

Howdy Webriders! Dr. VW here with a San Diego Auto Show Update. As previously mentioned, one of the main attractions at this year’s show was the Hyundai Ride and Drive and event. Free of charge, anyone over the age of 18 could come out and take one of Hyundai’s latest models for a supervised spin down the road. While the actual course doesn’t allow you to really “test” the limits of the car and the ride was too short and too slow to really make any deep evaluations, it did allow me to glean some important first impressions. Hit the jump to read about my ride in the Hyundai Genesis!

First, I have to make a clarification. There is a catch 22 on the “anyone over the age of 18″ bit. They fail to mention that the aforementioned rule applies to every vehicle EXCEPT the Genesis. It was the only car (including the ones offered for testing by Ford and Toyota) that required you to be 21. Annoying? Yes. Necessary? Maybe. Despite the fact that I had a press pass and had called previously to make sure I could drive it, I was still denied the drivers seat. It ended up not being a problem, since my Old Man was with me and was able to drive in my stead. While not a huge deal, it bears mentioning.

Aside from that little annoyance, my initial impressions were all good. As I walked up to the car, I took notice of the exterior and its presentation. The ride height was just right for a luxury sports sedan. Not too high, but not scraping the ground either. The wheels on both the V6 and V8 were different, but both were tastefully sporty as opposed to the usually more refined looking choices by say, BMW or Mercedes. It was getting dark, I couldn’t really examine the black and dark blue paint schemes on the respective cars, but the build quality appeared exceptional; certainly equal to or better than any BMW or Mercedes. My only complaint was that the lights and body lines were too… generic. There was nothing specifically wrong or distasteful about them; they just didn’t really differentiate themselves from the other makes in any significant way. Safe maybe, but certainly not innovative.

The interior though, absolutely blew me away. I sat in both the front and rear seats and both were extremely comfortable, certainly equal to any of the upscale BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, or Infinity cars. The leather was soft and the cushioning just right. Nothing looked “cheap”. Even the plastic looked like it was upscale quality. The doors open and closed with a smooth precision that made the soft thump sound rich and sophisticated rather than cheap and clumsy. More importantly, once all the doors were closed and the V8 roared to life… I heard silence. Calming, muffled silence. It was like sitting in a cozy ski lodge or a very private library. Now in some cars, engine and road noise are preferable; but in a luxury sports sedan, it ought to be nearly silent. A small chapel of calm and tranquility removed from the usual racket going on outside. In this regard, the Genesis certainly outdid itself. The rest of the interior was equally good; the lighting was ambient and calming in an ice blue hue that neither blinded the eyes nor left the interior too dim. The Nav system was first rate, and the click wheel was intuitive. The back up camera was also easy to use and not grainy. As reported by my father, the steering was neither dead nor overly raw feeling, and it should be mentioned that for a sedan of its size had an impressively tight turning radius.

As for performance, we could only get some minor impressions, since the course didn’t allow for any freeway, or curvy stretches of open road. However we did test out the brakes, and they worked very well without any pedal chatter. The acceleration was free of dead spots and the torque curve was phenomenal, the 4.6L V8 easily and effortlessly bringing us up to cruising speed. The 6 speed automatic transmission was so smooth that my Dad initially thought it was a CVT!

In all, from our short trip we came away VERY impressed with the overall quality of the Genesis. For a first entry into the Luxury Sport segment, Hyundai really exceeded all expectations and shattered previously long held assumptions about the brand. Combined with the blanket 10 year 100,000 mile warranty and 5 years of unlimited roadside assistance that applies to ALL Hyundai models, the Genesis is more than a quality choice– its a steal and truly the best bang for the buck. Even better is the new Hyundai Assurance program, which is just icing on the cake. The Genesis certainly gets Dr. VW’s choice, once again, for San Diego Auto Show car of the year. Be sure to check out the galleries of both the Genesis and the Coupe that was on display at the show! This is Dr. VW– out.

I want to start this off by applogizing because it has been a while since a I posted a new installment of Muscle Car of the Week and you may have had to stare at my last post a little too long on the blog page for your weekly dose of big block American muscle. To make up for my absence, I have decided to feature one of the biggest muscle cars ever made by Chevrolet, the 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS.

When some think of the Monte Carlo they think of a whacked out 1980’s car with a small block V8 that had a rather square front end with a ‘nothing too exciting’ sort of look. What most people don’t know is that the Monte Carlo was first born in 1970 and not only was it huge, but it packed some major horsepower to move all that metal.

In response to little brother Pontiac’s success with a bigger Grand Prix, the boys over at Chevrolet decided to produce something that would rival the success of their internal competitor. Under the direction of Chevy general manager Elliot Estes the Monte Carlo was designed taking some modern styling elements from Cadillac and homologating them with pieces of the already existing Chevelle to make a unique looking car that sold well to the public (145,000 units) as a four seat luxury model. Instead of redesigning lengthening the cabin portion of the Chevelle frame Chevy engineers instead lenthened the front in order to lay on one of the biggest hoods ever put on a muscle car and move the wheelbase to a ‘large and in charge’ 116 inches.

Now, with all that hood space you would be correct in your assumption that Chevrolet had a host of V8 options to go along with the Monte Carlo. Availible engines ranged from a 350 cube V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor that made 250 horsepower all the way up through the new 400/402 Turbo Fire V8’s that packed around 330 horsepower and 410 pound feet of torque. Now, for those that wanted some serious ‘gitty up’ you checked off the migthy LS5 454 V8 rated at 360 horsepower and 500 pound feet of torque to really get that boat moving. Any muscle car followers will note that the LS5 454 was a different engine than the LS6 powerplant, for the LS6 that was found in SS Chevelles and El Caminos was rated at a staggering 450 horses (for more info on the LS6 package check out a previous post). Although the LS5 was the biggest engine availible for the Monte Carlo, there were 6 that got out of the factory and on to the streets with the 450 horsepower LS6. Transmission options ranged from a 2-speed powerglide (on 350’s) to the venerable 3-speed auto Turbo-Hydromatic 400.

Other SS package elements included heavy duty suspension, SS stripes and badging, beefier battery and rally wheels  to round out the muscular look. Performance wasn’t great with the LS5 and such a heavy car with zero to sixty times coming in at about 7.6 seconds and low 16’s to high 15’s in the quarter. Hope you all enjoyed a look at the Monte Carlo SS and stay tuned for next week’s new muscle car.

Big_Blocker out.

Greetings, Big_Blocker here for another installment of Muscle Car of the Week and this week I plan to feature another MOPAR A-Body from the boys over at Plymouth. Although this car does not in fact “got a Hemi”, it does sport a peppy little small block V8 that made it an affordable performance car back in 1970. I’m talking of course about the 1970 Plymouth Duster.

The Duster debuted in 1970 on a small car platform known as the A-Body. Due to the fattening of the Barracuda and its subsequent transformation into the legendary Cuda, Plymouth designed the Duster as an entry into the budget performance market with eyes on young people with limited income that still liked the sound of a healthy V8. This strategy was the same one that gave birth to the Roadrunner in 1968 however this time on a smaller scale. The formula was simple: take a small car, modify the suspension for more ponies, drop a beefy V8 between the fenders and add an assortment of high impact colors and graphics and BOOM, you have your budget muscle car.

The engine of choice was the reputed 340 that had built up quite a reputation as a little engine that delivered and on several instances brought an arrogant big block to its knees. This potent little package was the same one that could be found in the 1970 Cuda (minus the 6-Barrel Option) however due to its better power-to-weight ratio, the Duster was faster. The 340 was topped with a 4 barrel carburetor to cram air and fuel into the cylinders and backed by either a standard 3-speed manual, heavy duty 727 automatic or a 4-speed gearbox. Other performance goodies included standard disc brakes, dual exhaust, extra rear leaf springs and a front stabilizer bar. All that made for a factory rating of 275 horses (real estimates were around 325) and 340 pound feet of torque that would propel the Duster down the 1/4 in 14.7 seconds and do zero to sixty in 6.0 flat. Not bad for a 3,100 pound car, and with a sticker price of just over $2,500, this was one bargain for performance as it was a full $400 dollars cheaper than the base Roadrunner.

The Duster was a success from it’s inception, however it was too bad that it came to be just a couple years before rising insurance premiums and increasing tensions with oil producing countries forced the detuning of muscle cars…It is a shame that the Duster wasn’t granted a couple more years to really stretch its performance legs because we might have seen a 340 6-Barrel or a 383 Duster. Can anyone say Hemi? As it was the Duster made it all the way to 1976 but by then it was only a shell of its former self sporting a Slant Six engine and achieving 30 mpg…not muscle car material at all. Big_Blocker out.

*Note: Dodge also made a similar A-Body platform car in 1970 based of the Dart platform however called their performance model the Demon. It was powered by the same 340 with similar options*

Greetings WebRides faithful, for all those wondering what happened to the MCotW last week allow me to explain. Last week I had intended to post the newest installment of MCotW when AT&T decided to take a s*** on my plans. You see, apparently when AT&T asked my dad if he wanted to bundle our internet and phone services together with no interruption in service they really meant to ask if they could f*** up our entire week with phone calls attempting to get the internet turned on. After countless hours on the phone and another few spent in anger management classes the internet got turned on this last weekend and after spending a few days in SLO moving into a new apartment I am back and ready to deliver one hell of a muscle car, the 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle sYc or Yenko Chevelle. Now this wasn’t any ordinary Chevelle SS396 mind you, getting your hands on one of these beasts in 1969 meant you had to know a few tricks up your sleeve. Hit the jump. Now.

If you cruised up next to one of these cars at a stoplight back in 1969 and you thought you could smoke it in your GTO Judge Ram Air III, you would be making a gross error because there was no 375 horse 396 sitting between those fenders. If you paid close attention you may have noticed the sYc emblems on each headrest as well as the subtle decals and emblems that read: Yenko. As the mighty L72 melts the Polyglass tires and the bow-tie rockets past you, you may begin to question whether it was a good idea to underestimate what you thought to be a run of the mill Chevelle.

That mistake is one that I am sure was made by at least more than one person who was unaware what Don Yenko was doing to a select group of Camaro’s, Chevelle’s and Nova’s back in the late 1960’s. Yenko, a former racecar driver and Chevrolet dealer in Pennsylvania had a serious need for speed and was looking for a way to creep around the General Motors engine ban that limited the displacement in mid-sized cars to 400 cubic inches. The tried and true 396 motor was constantly being beaten by Mustang and Barracuda alike and Yenko was fed up with it. He went around the ban by placing select customer orders through the Chevrolet central office (known as a COPO’s, Central Office Production Orders) in order to get the L-72 code Corvette 427 dropped between the fenders of a Camaro, Chevelle or Nova. With the mighty 427 weighing down the front ends of these cars, Yenko added his own graphics including signature headrests, emblems and decals. Now some of you may be asking me: Why pick the Chevelle out of those three models? The answer is 99, and although at first one may be confused, allow me to explain. The Chevelle only received Yenko treatment for the 1969 model year, and only 99 of them were ever made, making them far more rare than a Camaro or Nova (there were less Nova’s made in total but they were still produced over a two year period). It is important to note that other dealers such as Baldwin Chevrolet placed COPO for Chevelles and over 200 427 Chevelle’s were built in total, however Yenko only built 99 and I like him more. So there.

The 7.0 L 427 that sat between the fenders made serious power, and by serious I mean a s*** ton of power. Rated at 425 horsepower and 460 pound feet of torque, the Yenko Chevelle could move. And by move I mean zero to sixty in 5 seconds which was no easy task for such a heavy car. Quarter mile times clocked in at 13.3 seconds at 108 miles per hour, a full 1.2 seconds faster than a standard SS with the 396. Transmission choices were limited to a close ratio Muncie 4-speed or the stout 400 Turbo Hydromatic 3-speed auto. Power went out the drive shaft to the 12 bolt rear end sporting 4.10 gears to handle all that power.

So the next time you catch a glimpse of a 1969 Chevelle, look a little closer because there may be a monster lurking under the hood. Big_Blocker signing off.

Good afternoon everyone, Big_Blocker here for the newest installment of Muscle Car of the Week. In recent weeks I have noticed that I have been giving a lot of attention to General Motors and MOPAR muscle cars, but what about those Blue Oval guys? Not being much of a Ford fan myself, I do appreciate what Ford brought to the table in the muscle car age and have decided to feature one of my favorite Ford’s this week: the 1969 Ford Fairlane Torino Cobra. Hit the jump to read more about this budget racer powered by the beefy 428 cubic inch Cobra Jet V8.

The Fairlane has a long history, dating back to the mid-1950’s if you can believe that, and was Ford’s main mid-size car for some time. However, with the introduction of the GTO in 1964 and the beginning of the muscle car wars, Ford began beefing up the car. Ford introduced bigger and more powerful V8’s as the decade wore on which ranged from 390 cubes all the way up to the famous 427 Side-Oilers and 428 Cobra Jets. The Fairlane was restyled in 1968 and performance packages were available by simply checking off appropriate options at the dealership. As was a common theme in the late 1960’s, the Fairlane was fitted with a sportier fastback roof design and a recessed grill. The Torino line was added as a no-frills version of the preexisting GT package and featured bucket seats, badging, decal package and a special lighting package.

For the 1969 model year, Ford rolled out the Torino Cobra package which was less decorated than the sporty GT package but did feature the trademark snake emblem that Ford still uses on the new Shelby GT 500 KR. The 428 Cobra Jet that came standard was factory rated by Ford at 335 horsepower but in reality put out around 400. Automakers were notorious for rating engines well below their true output due to rising insurance premiums that would eventually spell disaster for the muscle car era. Torque output was a staggering 440 lb feet at 3400 rpm, good for hard launches especially if equipped with the gas eating 4:30-1 gears in the rear end. With all the performance goodies the Torino Cobra hustled from zero to sixty in 5.5 seconds and flew down the quarter mile in 14.4 at just over 100 miles per hour. Also included in the Cobra package were bucket seats, wider tires and a stiffer suspension.

Hope you enjoyed a look at a lesser known muscle car, be sure to catch next week’s installment when we take a look at a car that peaked the muscle car era…can anyone say Hemi? This is Big_Blocker signing off.

A new host of pictures have arrived for the Ferrari California that are NOT rendered. These new pictures of the Italian supercar show its roof being lowered, engine shots, and some interior shots. The roof is a retractable hardtop that rests in the trunk area after the trunk lid/tonneau cover tilts towards the back of the vehicle. Shots of the engine show off the standard Ferrari matte red valve cover with the prancing horse logo prominently displayed at the front. Interior photos show off the gorgeous tan leather that covers every surface of the California’s interior. We can catch a glimpse of the Manettino dial that is standard on all Ferraris – The California’s dial shows three settings: Comfort, Sport, and CST (striked out).

The Ferrari California is a grand touring convertible sports car that is targeted for MY 2009 and later. It first debuted at the 2008 Paris Motor show and is destined to be the first Ferrari to feature a front mounted V8 engine as well as a dual clutch transmission. The car will be powered by a 4.3 Liter V8 engine that has an estimated output of 453 BHP. This mdoel will be available with carbon ceramic brakes as a standard option.

The “California” name is a throwback to the 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder LWB which was brought to the public’s attention from it’s appearence in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, where it served as the hero car.

Click here for a full gallery of the Ferrari California

Source motivemag.com

What averages 22 miles per gallon, high speed and city driving, over 600 miles, weighs two tons, has four doors, a big trunk, all wheel drive, a slick six speed automatic, the most comfortable seats in the industry, a direct injected twin scroll turbo charged three liter six with 285bhp and 295 lb-ft of torque at 1500rpm?Well, you’ve got it! The Volvo S80 T6 hauls butt and is built like an Abrams tank with the highest safety rating.

I had the pleasure of living with the new 2008 Volvo S80 T6 AWD sedan for four days. I hammered the S80 T6 out of LA on Interstate 5 over the Grape Vine, to Highway 99 through the Central Valley, and finally to Fresno. It rained buckets, but the T6 was glued to the road at 90+mph with gobs of power even at the higher altitudes, thanks to the direct injected twin-scroll turbo six. There is no evidence of turbo lag. Braking on those long high speed downhills was excellent!

The S80 T6 was well composed in the wet, dry, twisties and straights. Our car wasn’t equipped with the adjustable suspension, which gives you normal, sport and performance. But I would not bother ordering it, having driven a Volvo V70 R wagon with the adjustable suspension. For some reason, the adjustable suspension suffers on rebound on rough road surfaces, producing a rather harsh ride.

The usual complaint on front wheel drive and all wheel drive cars is the tendency of the front end to push in the corners, also known as understeer. Manufacturers set cars up for understeer because it’s safer than oversteer (the tendency for the car’s rear to swing out during turning), which is harder for many people to control. The S80 T6 possesses very neutral in the corners as long as the driver is smooth on turn in with smooth power application through the corner. Stay away from heavy late trail braking, which will induce quite a bit of understeer.

I liked the quick shifting six speed auto, which has a sport shift mode used for performance driving and better utilizes the engine’s power band.

I surprised a few wanna-be drag racers at stop lights with its 6.6 second zero to sixty times.

The turning radius for the S80 T6 is 36.7 feet compared to the V8’s 40 feet. 36 feet is the turning radius of a Corolla!

The weak point of the S80 is the interior, which is flat and unexciting. The instrument cluster design falls short of cars costing one half of the S80 T6’s $46,000 price. The wood trim is finished in flat natural which looks like the owner is supposed to finish it. Brushed aluminum trim is the way to go with this ride.

There is a tendency to view the S80 as a large luxury car. In reality, the S80 is not a big car in over all dimensions but fits in the mid sized luxury market next to cars like the Acura RL.

In summary, the S80 T6 delivers good mileage, distinctive styling, excellent performance in the luxury category and good handling. Forget the V8, it is heavier by 90 pounds over the front wheels, less turning radius, poorer mileage and only 26 more horse power.