AUTOMOBILE WORLD – CAR NEWS, CAR REVIEWS, CAR INTRODUCTIONS, ALL ABOUT CARS

One of the largest and quickest growing segments of the American new car market is the last half of the nineties was the full size pick up truck. Huge and brutish, these vehicles sold on their macho image rather than their utility – massive carrying capacity and the ability to tow enormous weight were merely side issues to the all important business of looking tough on the quite roads of suburbia. These vehicles were not about subtly, economy practically of discreet charm. The pick up trucks were huge, throbbing power house of industrial engineering which screamed for attention. None of them ever looked tougher than the bull nosed Dodge ram. Some 20 feet long and 2573 kg unladen it was available with a range of options that made the mind boggle. There were 200 possible drive train combinations two or four wheel drive was just the beginning. It also featured all kinds of labour saving additions to make the driver think he was driving a luxury saloon. The engine was powerful with 7997 cc, separate chassis were included with Disc/ drum brakes. Its have three speed automatic transmission along with independent front and live axle rear suspension. Top speed is 113 mph, it reached 0-60 in just 8.5 seconds.

However, it was in the engine department that the Ram truly made other trucks that were supposed to be its competition look puny. The basic power plant was a V6 but, for just a few hundreds dollars more, buyers could upgrade to an 8 liter V10. This meant Golf GTi type acceleration and a top speed electronically limited to 113 mph. for thriftier motorists, there was always the V8.

Posted March 9, 2010 Comments(0)

The Dodge Viper GTS wasn’t just a Viper with an impressive roof. About 90 percent of the car was all new. Inspired by the 60s Cobra Daytona Coupe racers, the GTS sweeping double bubble roofline gave a much batter drag factor too, helping to push the top speed up to over 180 mph. There was a bigger front spoiler with NACA intake, and louvers to stop air pressure building up. Inside the facia was all new, with the speedo and rev counter closer together and the inevitable air bag where the glove compartment was on the open topped version. However, what you lost in the glove box you more than gained in the boot. For the first time Viper had a luggage compartment, now accessed through a glass rear panel, and what’s more, it was big enough to hold two or three large cases. Best of all, the GTS had an improved, lighter V10 engine with an extra 35 bhp and 10 extra lb/ ft of torque thanks to reworked heads and block. All this was slotted into a car that was actually lighter than the roadster by 27 kg, despite the added weight of the glass and the roof.

Though still a challenging drive, improvements to the suspension had produced a car that was just that little bit more forgiving in the hands of a novice, though the razor sharp steering and strong brakes remained. Never a car for the shrinking violet, the Viper driver could at least now pose in all weathers in a car that was much more usable day to day.

Posted March 8, 2010 Comments(0)

Embodying the whole spirit of “Dependable Dodge,” the Diplomat was highly reliable, a real workhouse that endeared itself to police forces and taxi companies across the US. Its immediate design predecessor was probably the Dodge Aspen, but it is also shared design characteristics with many other vehicle of the time, it shared its production line too, with its “M” body twins,’ the Chrysler LeBaron and the Plymouth Caravelle. The Diplomat was a immediate hit, and after six months it was Dodge’s second selling car. Originally provided as a sedan, coupe and wagon versions were available for a brief spell, from 78 until 81. Somehow, the sedan body captured the spirit of the model in a way that other shapes did not. During the energy conscious early 80s, it was marketed as economical, if you had a slant six 225 engine and manual transmission, you could get an efficient 28 MPG on the highways. The 318 V8 engine was more commonly found on the road, alongside a Torquefilte 3 speed automatic transmission.  Like the most Dodge products of the time, the “M” body exterior was distinguished from its twins only through the trim and nameplates, although the up market LeBaron and several distinguished features bolted on. Throughout the later 80s, the Diplomat was sold as Chrysler’s baseline “large car”, although really, it was closer to midsize.

Performance was reliable rather than stunning, but it was the machine’s ability to soak up punishment that really made it stand out. It is sheer hardness was the deciding factor for many fleet buyers. Although the police fleet models featured several performance enhancements, the true core of the Diplomat remained unchanged, it’s stubborn unrelenting endurance.

Posted March 7, 2010 Comments(0)

A classic American ‘muscle car’, the Dodge Charger was a full size fastback coupe. With its buttressed rear pillars and tastefully simple front, the twin headlights were mounted behind electric flaps; it was a far cry from the chintzy gin palace American cars of the 1950s. The first car to bear the Charger name a bold, but somehow bland, fastback that was announced in 1965 had lasted just a couple of seasons. The 1968 shell however, was a last with minimal changes, until 1970. Myriad options meant that the Charger could be tailored to customer requirements, some had quite mild 5.2 liter engines but for those in the know it was the 1968 R/T (road and track) model that was the one to have or the one to dream about having. Under the bonnet was a 7.2 liter engine, giving 375 bhp and an abundance of tyre smoking torque. Off the line, the Charger could out pace most Italian exotica with 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time of six seconds, steaming up to 100 mph (160 km/h) in 13 seconds with wheel spin in every gear. If you mashed your foot to the floor, it would eventually wind up to 150 mph (240 km/h).By bolting the heavy duty suspension down rock hard and fitting scaffolding sized anti roll bars, Dodge actually made the Charger R/T handle, too.

Like most American cars, the Charger came as a three speed automatic, but for serious drivers there was also a heavy duty Hurst manual gearbox. The Charger model line lasted until 1978, but its credibility as a performance car progressively faded away as the American industry moved its emphasis from performance to luxury and safety.

Posted March 6, 2010 Comments(0)

Early Dodge viper was designed and built in a shed by team of just 17 men. The designer team used whatever they could to build this monster. But now in these days it will become the fastest and the stylish car you never seen before.  It got 8 liter v10 engine which kicks up 500 bhp. It’s been the product of 21^st century made by America. This car serious performance on the road as well as on the track. If you want to derive this car. You first read all the precautions written on the panels and seat of the car. This car is massive and produces superb power. You just only place your foot on the throttle and with in 1 second you find your self in thrilling g forces. It just goes to 60 in 3.9 seconds. The actual speed of this monster is 195 miles an hour and this is incredible speed for this sporty car. Its paddles can be easily adjusted, using electricity. This car is very impressive in its business all over the world.

The original name given by the production team is srt10. Dodge is absolute animal. Its handling is perfect, excellent grip on the road. While deriving, when you reach the limits, it kills you with thrilling forces on you head and chest. Because of huge tires this car got excellent grip and this helps to go very fast. This car is only design for pushing limits. Interior is fine and styling. Seats are comfortable. Gear is soft and easily being adjustable while deriving. Finishing in this car is perfect. In other words, this car is perfect in al aspects.

Posted October 5, 2009 Comments(0)

Muscle cars are always popular on the rough racing side. These have built quite a lot of for themselves and have also proven their existence to even high performance exotics and tunes. If somebody is looking for a fearsome muscle car then one company he must turn towards is Dodge. The muscle car line of this company reflects the true spirit and passion of a muscle heart and never lets the horse power lovers down. One of their proud productions is that of the Dodge Charger SRT-8. This one is built for two things only: Comfort and Old school horse power.

The design of the new Charger is quite different from its predecessors. It comes with newly designed head lights that take ones breathe away and one does not dares to look it straight in the eyes. The hood has also been improved giving the Charger an air intake from the hood too. The truth is that it is so sleekly designed that one can not figure out that it is a four door car in actual. The designing to the rear door has been done so efficiently that the door itself is not quite visible. The wheel has been changed from the basic charger to a 5-shooter custom wheel.

The Dodge Charger SRT 8 is powered by a 6.1 L Hemi engine which enables it to produce 425 hp. The new charger also features Brembo brakes along with updates in the exterior and the interior too. The engine by far is the most powerful 6.1 L engine put in by Chrysler in production car. The power is transmitted by a 5-speed automatic transmission system. In the world of muscle cars and also exotics, if you are equipped with a Dodge Charger SRT-8 you have got all the tools to say:”Don’t mess with me!”

Posted August 17, 2009 Comments(0)

Muscle cars are as politically exact as Bernard Manning in a Nazi identical these days, but that hasn’t clogged America’s big 3 makers reincarnating the variety. Neither has it thwarted the buzz of enthusiasm surrounding the rebirth of archetypal names that, until of late, seemed departed and buried. What Dodge’s designers tried to do was reconstruct everyone’s reminiscence of the original Challenger. They kept back the hooded headlights, extended bonnet (inclusive with vents) and what they call the personality line that runs from stem to stern, which we all bear in mind so fondly. Thankfully, they’ve binned the over bodied glance of the unique with that beaky nose that most of us have elapsed about…

The consequence is a good-looking car that’s also rather impressive, but that’s merely because of its absolute size. The Challenger is dependent on the similar running gear as Chrysler’s 300C and is barely four inches shorter than its sister saloon. So although Chrysler bosses say there are presently no plans to make a right-hand drive edition, it’ll be potentially easy for them to modify their corporate mind. Wretchedly, a pricing pinch will mirror that move. Presently the top SRT8 sculpt sells in the US at around £20,000 – for a 6.1-litre V8! Drivers with more of a sense of right and wrong can plump for a 5.7-litre R/T or the ‘fuel proficient 3.5 SE. But whichever representation they go for it’s protected to say that this car won’t be bought by populace worried about the cost of petrol.

Posted January 27, 2009 Comments(0)

The Dodge Viper top-ranks in the list of fiercest, most raw, visceral units sold in showrooms anywhere. Only a small number of cars come as close as the Viper to a street-legal race car: Ferrari F430 Scuderia, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Porsche 911 GT3RS, Chevrolet Corvette ZO6, Honda S2000CR. Only 2 of these cost less, and not an iota come within 95 hp of the Viper. For the majority of automotive tasks the Viper is overkill, like banging a 6-pound sledgehammer to smack a fly. Preposterously fast and able to swill your eyeballs about in their orbit rounding a bend or in heavy braking, it didn’t really necessitate any more power.

But with archenemy Corvette Z06 at 505 hp, that’s just what Dodge did for 2008. They created the engine just 0.1 liter bigger but boosted 95 horses to make a fastidious round 600. The fly would still be smacked, but now you possess a brutal bigger hammer. The 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 is proffered in 2 variants, the convertible Roadster ($83,145) and GTS coupe ($83,895). An ACR version is due soon. The government spokes in a Gas Guzzler Tax to this, however. Viper comes standard with air conditioning, power adaptable pedals, tilt steering column, full instrumentation, and so much more to be listed.

Posted September 28, 2008 Comments(1)

As the time flows, the well known American brand reveals more and more about the supercar animated by Dodge Viper propulsion and the news aren’t good at all for the competitions from Europe, including Bugatti Veryon. This car will have it’s entire potential around a V10 of 8,5 l twin-turbo with 1000 hp (engine used under the hood of Viper Venom) but Hennessey announced recently that it will be available a special kit, what will reveal from the same car 1200 hp and 1490 Nm.
Like everything wouldn’t be just perfect, Hennessey informs that the car will have not more than 1255 kg, that means that the ratio between weight/power will be closer of 1 kg/hp. Explained in another words, the “supersonic” accelerations will be a piece of cake, the Americans saying that Venom GT will reach 100 km/h in just 2,5 seconds and around 300 km/h in approximate 14 seconds. More vertiginous is the maximum speed of Huston’s rocket, evaluated to 421 km/h – with almost 14 km/h more than Bugatti Veryon and with 11 km/h more than the actual holder of world record, SSC Ultimate Aero TT.
Venom GT will have a classical structural solution in the world of supercars – central engine and rear traction – the engine will give it’s entire power to a manual gear with 6 positions. The Hennessey bolide will have to stop from time to time in some cases for urgency. For this will be installed a disc braking system made of carbon fiber (356 mm diameter), pulled by etrier with 6 pistons. Hennessy put in mind to make from Venom GT a global supercar, this way will offer a wheel on the right side, and then like the first customers don’t find the end in the first tree they hit, the Americans will offer a book with directives for the car, like the ones which will drive exploit at maximum the 1000 hp. Expect like this beast appear first as a concept, event which will consume somewhere in 2009.

Posted December 20, 2007 Comments(0)