Autoblog

We don't know how we missed this, but earlier this year DC Designs – the car-creator founded by Dilip Chhabria – unveiled the DC Ambierod at the 2008 New Delhi Auto Expo. The coupe was supposedly inspired by the Hindustan Ambassador, on which the Ambierod is based, and Chhabria wanted to create the Indian equivalent of the Holden Efijy concept from 2005. In short, he failed – hardly a surprise considering the wannabe Roller/350Z and the $375,000 Cayenne coupe that DC concocted in previous years.

If you can avoid dwelling on the Ambierod's awkward ends and bulbous greenhouse, you can enter the plush interior through a set of hydraulically actuated gull-wing doors. The exterior's pseudo-retro theme is dropped in favor of a tech-laden interior, with a handful of LCD screens, a wireless internet connection, multi-colored mood lighting and room for rear-seat occupants, including a foot-rest occupying the space where the front-seat passenger would normally sit.

Production rumors have been circulating since the Ambierod's introduction, but we think that's about as plausible as the coupe's claimed 3.7-second sprint to 60. If the Ambierod does hit the market, expect the V12-powered coupe to crest the $1,000,000 mark. Thanks for the tip, Raul!


[Source: Domain-B, MotorBeam]

This week our guest writer/driving guide is none other than Jonny Lieberman of AutoFiends fame. Not only has the Loverman put together a route to test your testicular wherewithal, but he's set the bar for rhetorical prose -- all from behind the wheel of a Mazda5. Take it away Jonny!

When most Americans think of Malibu, they probably think of fires and landslides. And they're correct -- there's lots of those. They might also know about the fantastic roads that crisscross the seaside city and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area that separates the beach bum town of about 12,000 from the Valley. Like Mulholland Highway. But what most people fail to realize is how epically weird the area and its inhabitants are. Example: King Camp Gillette bought 588 acres right in the heart of today's drive just before the Great Depression. Not only did Gillette invent the razor you shaved with this morning, but he believed that all Americans should live in a single city called Metropolis with power provided by Niagra Falls. No, really. Moreover, every corporation would be headed up and run by a single government official. After Teddy Roosevelt declined Gillette's suggestion, King G moved to Malibu Canyon. When he died, Clarence Brown got the ranch, then Bob Hope took over the property and gave it over to the Catholic Church, which ran a seminary on the property for 25 years. This is before Elizabeth Claire Prophet got her hands on the land in 1978. Who? Her and her late husband founded one of the original crack-pot new age California religions, TSL. And this is just one plot of land. It gets better...

Want to contribute your own Sunday Drive? Send a Google Maps-formatted route and, if you wish, a story to autoblogsundaydrive – at – gmail – dawt – com.

InsideLine hosted a little soirée for Nissan/Datsun devotees to show off the 2009 Nissan 370Z ahead of its unveiling this Tuesday at the LA Auto Show, and the crew from StreetFire was on hand to provide some pics and a video of the reveal.

Beyond the trio of teasers and "leaked" images that found their way onto the Web this past week, these new shots finally give us a clear view of all the exterior styling details and a few shots of the thoroughly revised interior. The upkick in the door's edge that leads into the side windows is a particularly nice touch, as is the new steering wheel, revised instrument panel with integrated LCD and dual stitching on the leather dash.

More details and pics to come, so be sure to check back tonight for all the techy tidbits. In the meantime, check out the gallery below and the video after the jump.


[Source: StreetFire]

Within 20 minutes of taking delivery of a Pontiac Solstice GXP last year, we were on our way to our local shop to see what mods could be done to the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-pot. With 260 hp and a claimed 260 lb-ft of torque (our dyno run showed around 250 lb-ft of twist at the wheels), the Solstice is hardly lacking for grunt, and when we finally got around to driving the Chevrolet Cobalt SS, we were sure that the new engine would be embraced by power-hungry tuners in short order.

Scotia, NY-based Synapse Turbo has taken up the task and created a bolt-on kit for the Cobalt SS that puts out 371 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. From what we can gather based on forum postings and the video after the jump, the Stage 3 kit consists of a Garrett GT2871R turbo, stainless steel 4-1 exhaust manifold, three-inch downpipe, three-inch intake, TurboXS BOV, a new intercooler and aluminum plumbing. ECU tweaks were provided by the HP Tuner system and redline has been raised to 6,700 rpm. We're itching to get some time behind the wheel, if for no other reason than to see if our wrists can cope with the torque steer, but until then, the video below the fold will have to do.


[Source: MotiveMag]

Nissan is planning not one, but two, separate events to reveal the new Nissan 370Z to a select group of gearheads ahead of its unveiling next week at the LA Auto Show. But Nissan's worst-kept secret keeps leaking out. So in addition to a handful of teasers, a few game-play screen caps and a trio of spy shots, GTRWorld has seven pics of Nissan's newest Z car out in the open.

While the new head- and tail-lamp treatments have garnered the most attention, a few elements haven't been in clear view until now. The slight indentation in the roof matches the revised hood, while the shortened hatch and new bumper eschews the outgoing model's harsh creases for a more bulbous back end. Inside, the rear strut tower brace that seriously compromised the 350Z's trunk space has been moved just aft of the doors and everything in the engine bay looks ready for production. Check the images in the gallery below for more.


[Source: GTR-World]

The German uber-tuners at 9ff have come to the conclusion that 253 mph just isn't fast enough, so work is currently underway on a hotter version of its GT9 supercar.

The "standard" GT3-based 9ff GT9 puts out 973 hp and 711 lb-ft of torque, but with a few tweaks to the ECU and a slight increase in boost pressure, the 4.2-liter flat-six will be putting out 1,120 hp and 774 lb-ft of twist. The chopped roof, lengthened body and widened haunches will carry over to the GT9R, but a new front fascia, splitter, wheel well extractors, brake cooling ducts, roof-mounted air scoop and wing will be added to the package. There's no word on what 9ff plans to do with the GT9R, but don't be surprised if it hits the circuit next year.


[Source: 9ff via Supercars.net]

From our friends at the Axis of Oversteer comes a story of determination, fortitude, and a healthy dose of Darwinian law.

With less than a mile left in a stage of the Ralley de Serrians in France, the throttle cable in our hero's Renault finally gives up the ghost. Does he give up? No! Does the team try to push their way to the finish? Hell no! The driver tells his co-pilot to man the wheel while he hops into the engine bay, pulls the hood over himself and then manually controls the throttle cable bracket to a heroic finish. The picture above speaks for itself, but the video after the jump tells the whole tale.

[Source: Axis of Oversteer]

With all the news surrounding General Motors and Chrysler's slicing and dicing to profitability, it's a breath of fresh air to hear that Ford is taking a different tack. The Blue Oval is betting the farm on new models that will lure consumers into showrooms rather than reworking existing models and cutting back development spending.

Speaking with the Detroit News, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said, "We're only going to be in business if we create products that people really do want and value. This is the essence of creating a viable Ford."

Part of the automaker's plan is to invest in the development of small cars in the U.S. and to make those models as profitable as their European counterparts. The recently renegotiated contracts with the UAW should help, but offering the features U.S. consumers crave in a small, inexpensive packages could prove difficult. And new products are only part of the solution.

Ford plans to cut back on advertising spending, reduce salaried payroll by 10% and cut executive bonuses to net between $8-9 billion. All that, along with asset sales and working with Ford Credit, could bring things back into the black (hopefully) and more compelling products have to be part of the plan.


[Source: Detroit News]

We weren't surprised when Chrysler decided to nix plans for a Dodge Challenger convertible. The LX-based coupe wasn't developed with a drop-top variant in mind and it would've taken far too much cash to shore up the chassis with the roof removed. And if you hadn't heard, Chrysler isn't doing too well in the cash department.

Now, MotorTrend is reporting that General Motors is delaying the launch of the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible for the same reason, putting off the introduction for another year as the General attempts to keep its head above these financially troubled waters. Spending on such extravagances is hard to justify for both GM and consumers, and if the Federal bailout goes through, it's safe to assume that legislators and the public us would have hard time seeing our tax dollars being used to sell a niche vehicle.


[Source: MotorTrend]

Top Gear's unofficial motto, "ambitious but rubbish," has placed our favorite motoring show trio in a number of unfortunate – albeit highly entertaining – challenges, and This January Parajet will take to the skies on a 4,000-mile trip from London to Timbuktu in a flying car.

The TG crew will be piloting A Parajet Skycar will take off from London, fly over France, Spain, Morocco and the Sahara, then – God-willing – arrive in the Malian capital. The Skycar makes use of a biofuel-powered Yamaha bike engine to power either the rear wheels, when stuck on the ground, or a propeller, when taking flight. Cruising speed is an achingly slow 68 mph at 3,000 feet, but the Skycar can supposedly reach altitudes of 15,000 feet. And yes, parachutes are part of package.

UPDATE: Our bad. The trip won't be manned by Clarkson, Hammond and May. It's being put on by Parajet in an effort to prove that flying cars are both useful and safe. Sorry for the confusion, but we'd still like to see Top Gear take up the challenge.

[Source: Top Gear US]