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THE # 1 AUTO ART DESIGN ON THE WEB !

WATCH AS MR. DETROITMETAL AND MR. BLUE
TAKE THESE TRUCKS INTO HELL !!!

( WHICH IS APPARENTLY EXACTLY WHERE THEY BOTH BELONG FOR REASONS YOU WILL SOON SEE !! )

^ STUDEBAKER CHAMP

^ TOYOTA TUNDRA

HERE WE HAVE TWO TRUCKS THAT IN SPITE OF THE DIFFERENCE FROM WHEN THEY WERE MADE,
THEY BOTH HAVE A COMMON THREAD...
THEY ARE UGLY AS CRAP !!

NOW THAT WILL NEVER STOP US FROM GIVING THESE BOTH A SEVERE THRASHING, WHICH WE ARE DOING NOW :

^ MR. BLUE IS A BIT PISSED THAT THE "CHAMP" GOT OVERHEATED....

... SO WHEN THE TOYO HIT THE MUD BATH ( WHICH DISLODGED THE ENTIRE HOOD @!! )...
MR. BLUE WAS STANDING IN DISBELIEF, BUT DID NOT MIND THE NICE COOL WET MUD.

STAY TUNED IN HERE FOR THE FULL THRASH !!!

IT GET'S WORSE....A WHOLE LOT WORSE !

MUSTANG V-6 vs SCION FR-S
GOT 25K FOR A NEW RIDE ?...CHECK THIS OUT :

Vehicle Tested:

2011 Ford Mustang V6

Base Price:

$22,995

Price as Tested:

$30,600

Engine:

3.7-liter V6

Gearbox:

Six-speed manual

Power:

305 hp @ 6,500 rpm; 280 lb-ft of torque @ 4,250 rpm

0-60 mph:

5.6 seconds

Fuel Mileage:

Ford Mustang V6 set a new horsepower/mpg record at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Mustang averaged 48.5 mpg at an average speed of 43.9 mph.
The car completed 1,457 laps at the speedway on a single tank of gas.

BRISTOL, Tennessee — It's definitely not a speed record, but the 2011 Ford Mustang with V6 engine has set a record on the racetrack nonetheless. The Mustang with the new 3.7-liter, 305-horsepower DOHC V6 and six-speed transmission averaged a very impressive 48.5 mpg over 1,457 laps of the Bristol Motor Speedway at an average 43.9 mph. The entire run used up one tank of gasoline

2013 Scion FR-S

Base Price: $24,995

Type: 2-door, 2+2, rear-wheel-drive coupe

Engine: 2.0L flat-4-cylinder

Power: 200 hp, 151 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 6-speed manual

MPG: 22 city, 30 hwy

DODGE DART REVIEW

Courtesy of :
Car Fanatics
Photo: Copyright 2012 Theodore Donnell Hicks III / Car Fanatics Forum
May 5, 2012
By: CF staff

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Every now and again, we as people come across something that changes our perception of how something is. Whether it be a presence, object or something of greater substance and value, our opinion of that subject diminishes and becomes something better. Dodge has been trying their hand at changing the minds of the mass majority about their products. The Dodge Dart is the first actual product to come from the Chrysler/Fiat marriage. So what do I think?

To start, the 2013 Dodge Dart shares a very familiar design with both its Italian uncle, Fiat, and among its Dodge brethren. In most cases, trying to make a bi-racial design is a challenge, in and of itself, especially when given a short time frame and having to do so using an already existent platform. Tie in the fact that this car had to be as aero and light as possible, due to the demand for a 40 mpg car, you'd think the Dart would have a Chevy Prizm effect to it. Wrong. The Dart is even more attractive in person than it is in pictures and immediately grabs your attention . There are 5 packages to choose from, being the SE, SXT, Rallye, Limited and R/T, all with enough customization options to have over 10,000 ways to personalize your very own Dart. Now, I could sit here and bore you with numbers, such as the co-efficient drag on this car is 0.285, gas mileage is exceptional at 25/36 (2.0 auto/manual) and 27/39 (1.4T manual), steering ratio for all Dart's are 15:1, 10 standard airbags for all models and the 2.0 and 2.4 motors were both upgraded 80% over its predecessor's. No, I'm pretty sure everyone is interested in the car itself, so we'll get right to it.

Exterior

To start, again, the styling is very attractive. Based on the Alfa Romeo Guilletta, the Dart comes in at 3 inches taller, 2 inches wider and a full foot longer than its cross-Atlantic sister. The front is very rakish, with a very customizable fascia (depending upon trim level),offset by the familiar Dodge single rear tail light. The profile of the car stand out because it shows just how close this car is to actually being a midsize car. Going into more detail about the rear, the Charger's influence is represented with its race track inspired, 158-LED tail lamp. Surely, its an amazing attention grabber. Attention was paid very close everywhere you look. Move on shall we.

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Interior

The interior is well appointed, ahead of the typical compact car, even in its base form. The first thing you notice is, again, the Charger's representation on its little brother. The dash is very driver conscious, having a nice, soft touch almost everywhere. Step up to the Limited trim and you can easily compare the Dart to an entry-level luxury car. Pretty impressive, especially considering what vehicle the Dart replaces. Storage capacity is nothing short of amazing in this compact car. There are storage bins right underneath the seats (just pull the seat bottom up), the center console is pretty big with USB and iPod plug-in connectivity; the glove box has enough space to fit a laptop (I'm 6'3 and I fit my whole arm in). Upon getting into the car, you'll notice right off the bat: those seats are exceptionally comfortable. The Dodge team understands what consumers like, and I'd rate the cloth better than the best compact's leather seats. Yes, they're that comfortable, and I didn't even mention the leather buckets. Top notch. My driving partner was a heavy set guy, a bit taller than me, and he seemed to be completely comfortable, still with enough space to fit someone shorter than 6 feet behind. When I got into the driver's seat, I adjusted to my liking and could easily fit another me behind. Head, shoulder and knee room are all tops, better than what the class suggests.

Taking a moment to look at the tech features, in the base model you get your standard radio and CD player. A nice little added addition is that iPod integration and USB come standard. Stepping up to the SXT, you have the option for the 8.4 inch screen and, if you can, GET IT! The touch screen is very smooth, fast, and easy to control. The most pleasant experience I had with the screen was the back up camera. You think looking into a 5 inch screen is cool, try the 8.4. I never had to use the mirrors, space coverage was that large. Standard gauges are on the SXT, nothing special. The red and black was pretty nice, though. The TFT 7-inch screen for the speedometer on the Limited model, though, was top notch. Didn't get much of a chance to customize it, but it's very fast and easy to read. The stereo system, even on the base is nice. The 600-watt system is very clear, even at high volumes. Easily among the best in class, up there with the Focus' Sony system.

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Performance

Now, let's get to the driving aspect, which also brings up the negative bits I have to say about the Dart. Maybe its because the car automatically impressed me so much to the point where I expected better, but some things have to be improved. Of course, I could just be nitpicking, but here it goes. The 2.0 and 6-speed auto is a bad combination. Not only was this a pre-production model, but the auto is based upon the Sonata's auto transmission. Either could be the case, but it was an awkward experience. There's absolutely no power off the line. You can dig into it as much as you want, but still, no power to be found. That would be okay, of course, the Dart isn't a drag racer, but that's not what makes the auto bad. It can be rough at times, it hunts continuously, just always seems to be in the wrong gear and loves to apologize for it. This could possibly be because we were a bit hard on the car; the 2.0 is definitely made for the everyday consumer. If you do opt for the 2.0 though, I suggest the manual. Again, another place where I had to nitpick to find a negative. Only problem I can think of is clutch travel is a bit far. Other than that, it's among the best. Clutch seems to be weighted correctly, shifter ball feels great in hand, throws are perfect, the 6-speed manual is the way to go. Now, with the 2.0, you'll find yourself rowing a lot thanks to no grunt down low, but it works amazingly. On the ride/handling side, one issue is tire modulation. Its not butter smooth like the Cruze, you're gonna feel the times. Not necessarily an issue, but its there. Other than that, no complaints here at all. In fact, this area surprised me more than the interior quality. You don't even need to step up to the Rallye to have fun in this car. The brakes are amazing, albeit touchy, requiring a slight learning curve, corners very tight, no body roll and the steering is weighted very nicely, as if to mimic a hydraulic system. Driver's are going to love this car, regardless. I even found that, over not-so-smooth surfaces, the car ate up imperfections without me feeling a thing. Incredible job. Again, another feeling of entry-level luxry.

Now, stepping up to the 1.4T unleashes a new monster. Somebody obviously told the Limited 1.4 that it was a track star, despite getting 39 highway. This car sounds, acts, feels and performs amazingly. You can tell this is an Abarth inspired motor. Handling is a bit better than on the base models, as is the tire modulation. The car loves to run! With just a slight amount of turbo lag, the Dart Limited 1.4T will run you to sixty right under 8 seconds and will gladly take a sweeper at around 100 mpg without even showing any signs of wear. The 6-speed manual works even better with the 1.4T as well, thanks to the beefy and highly usable torque curve. Enthusiasts, you want this model.

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So, how would I sum up the Dart? I'll use professional references. In a world where there are smooth and cocky lawyers, hard working and sarcastic surgeons; relaxed and boring office professionals; soft spoken and cost-conscious accountants and those who continue to thrive off of daddy's huge wallet, the Dart would be considered the pop singer. This car looks attractive and beautiful no matter how it's outfitted, sounds pretty well in any given situation, moves like a running back and makes you feel comfortable. This car isn't for everyone, though, as it comes with a few side effects: (1) the beauty of this car will make you crave attention, (2) the handling and performance capabilities will encourage a bit of fun while driving and (3) you might end up realizing your life is boring after hitting a nice curvy road, as this car induces smiles everywhere, even looking at the mpg counter. If you're in the market for a cardboard box, don't even think about a Dart, its not the car for you. But if you crave excitement, love the highest of quality and actually enjoy ripping a corner wide open (safely, of course), it's hard to beat the Dart. Matter of fact, I don't think it can be beat. Guess we'll have to find out.

     Now...THE AUDI Road Test :

         Audi A4 3.2 Quattro Road Test
        Transcribed by MrDetroitMetal

WELL NOW....MR BLUE & I WERE JUST CHILL'IN, AND ALONG CAME THIS DUDE WITH AN AUDI ....



...SO WE STOLE IT WHEN HE WASN'T LOOKING...
Now, we figured we had at least 20-30 minutes to "wring this new Audi A4 out"...which we DID:



From the "get go" this Audi was impressive looking, and the red color was quite attractive to both myself & MrBlue, yet he did resist the "temptation" to piss on it right away. He is "known" to do that.

The A4 with it's Quattro Drive was oddly very quick off the line, in that as we engaged the "slapshift" ( what pansy ASS would use anything else ? ) and just nailed it, ....the sensation was fast but not very much fun... as there was no smok'in tires !!! ??

....so, we went back to the driveway and started over...this time I pumped it up to 6000 rpm, then popped the shifter into 1st....

....ahhhh, that was much better (see pix above). ^^^^

The Audi managed to hit about 50mph before the end of the block, where I had to apply the brakes,...that was impressive, as it just stopped in like one "lot"...before the stop sign !!!

I coulda pushed it further & waited longer to hit the brakes !!...Nice.



Getting out of our "hood" we chose a "beeline to the Beach" as we figured our time was ticking away before our friend discovered his "Missing Audi" ... lol. What are "friends for anyway ?...huh ? "

Ahhh,...he can wait, what the hell...lets DO this.

OK, so how fast it this thing ?....FAST.

Trust us on that....& smooth.

Well Kinda, in that the AWD mechanics are a bit, make that Very Odd at first to get used to,... as it feels like the road under the car is going off in 4 different directions, which apparently that is what the car is thinking too...and it IS a but disconcerting as you round a corner at 100 mph !!!, ...which we did....more than a few times !

On the other hand it WAS a heck of a lot of FUN...MrBlue did get plastered to the rear side window on a few of those "turns"...but he was "game" and just shook it off, jumped up front to see where we were going next, grabbed a bit of the nice leather seats and all was good from there on out !...

Oh, did I mention this car was a "loaner" from the Braman Palm Beach Audi Dealer ?...no ?

Well, that's how the scratch marks on the seats got there boys...

...We are now LOBO,...!!! ( Laughing Our Butts Off ).



This Audi was quite a surprise in that it really can handle the "shiz".
We TRASHED it all over the South Florida Roads on the way to the beach, and it just kept coming back for more..... Dumb Ass Car !!!

MrBlue said it reminded him of that "collie" bitch that used to come by the house...she would tease the crap outta him...and then "split" !
But he says he did manage to nail it a few times & it was still fun !!!
( I think he was talking about the AUDI,...but I am not clear on that.)

Truthfully we really LIKED this A4, with the ( did we mention it was RED ?) color comination & the gray interior, the inside feeling was that of a much larger car, yet when tromping on it, the response was like a real "Sports Car"...yeah, it would take a bit of getting used to that "quattro" system before you could REALLY fully flog it around Homestead or Daytona...but for the street....this one is SWEET !!!

Our Rating : 4 stars !...not quite a Corvette, but it kicks some ass !!

* gotta call Braman & get then to loan us a Caddy CTS-V !!!!...yeah.....

OH, MY !!!! .... THEY DID !!! ... YIKES !! .. BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR ! ,

HERE YA GO KIDS, ... THE VERY FIRST ROAD TEST OF THE NEW CADDY CTS-V COUPE :

First Drive: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is unhinged glory !!!

by Steven J. Ewing

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery

We've already discussed the complete, audacious beauty that is the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe. Not only is it one of the most attractive designs to come out of General Motors in decades, but it's arguably one of the best-looking vehicles on the road today, proving that Cadillac (and GM, for that matter) is once again capable of delivering world-class designs.

Sexy? Yes. But can she cook?

We don't have many complaints about the 304-horsepower, direct-injection 3.6-liter V6 found under the hood of the standard Coupe. It certainly means well and does a good enough job of keeping the CTS experience entertaining, but we'd be liars if we didn't say we'd rather have a powerplant with a few more stones – 252 more, to be exact.

Enter the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe. It has a supercharged V8 that makes 556 horsepower. It comes with a six-speed manual transmission as standard equipment. It's under $65,000. Not only that, but the larger cojones found on the V sedan are translated into the coupe's styling, making for a car that's at once audacious and vicious, with a beating heart of total lunacy.

In the late 1990s, General Motors gave us the Opel-derived bar of soap known as the Cadillac Catera, telling us that it was "The Caddy That Zigs." But the Catera is long gone (good riddance) and we've found a candidate that's more worthy of carrying on that short-lived tagline. Take your blood pressure medicine, folks – the CTS-V Coupe is here. And it does a lot more than simply zig or zag – it utterly dominates the high-powered sports coupe segment.

All of the design attributes we love in the CTS Coupe – the wedgy, slashtacular angles of the side profile, the seductively shapely hind quarters, the center-mount rear exhaust – are amply amplified on the V. The overall exterior dimensions are exactly the same as the base coupe, but the V-specific styling cues, namely the bulgier hood, sharper front grille, larger fog-light surrounds and the exposed dual pipes of the exhaust, define the strong character lines and overall shape. These steroid-enhanced visuals drive home the point that the CTS-V means serious business. It'll certainly draw a crowd, as we found out on several occasions during our test. In fact, one small town store owner closed up shop for ten minutes just so he and his staff could ogle the V out in the parking lot.

The sedan's 19-inch wheels wrapped in low-profile Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires (255/40-series up front, 285/35 out back) are carried over to the Coupe, and hidden behind those wheels are the same large brakes, measuring 15-inches up front and 14.7-inches in the rear. Still, the whole CTS-V package is arguably more attractive with the two rear doors lopped off. The shorter body and lower stance work well with the bolder design elements, and we'll once again reiterate how much we love the Corvette-style hidden pushbutton door handles – an expensive piece of technology that we're glad to see getting more use outside of the Chevrolet dealership. With a profile that's so strong, ordinary door handles couldn't do the Coupe justice.

But while the CTS Coupe's design is world class on the outside, it poses a few problems once you pass beyond those fancy door openers. Most noticeably, the raked rear window and chunky C-pillar make for obstructive blind spots, and even though Cadillac says that it's lowered the seat height by two inches to compensate for the squatter roofline, we're having a hard time believing what we're told, especially with the ultra-comfortable and supportive Recaro chairs up front. But holy jeez do we love these seats, and if you're shopping CTS-V Coupe, you'd be a total fool not to option up for them.

The rest of the V Coupe's interior is exactly the same as what you'll find in the standard CTS, which nowadays is simply competitive, at best. For a car that carries a price tag of over $60,000, you'd be right to expect higher-quality leather, plastic and wood, but this is still a chapter that GM tells us is being rewritten, and for the sake of long-term livability and sustainability, the ink can't dry quick enough.

It's easy to focus on the so-so quality of the CTS Coupe's interior when you're only dealing with the 304-horsepower V6, but when you have 556 raging stallions at your disposal, you realize that GM's R&D money went into the right place. All it takes is the sound of the V8 catching fire for you to think less and less about wanting more touchable surfaces aside of those found on the steering wheel, pedals and gear shifter. And speaking of that lever, if Cadillac is going to hand out CTS-Vs fitted with the Hydra-Matic 6L90 six-speed automatic transmission, the paddle-shifters need some serious rethinking. With your hands resting at the standard nine-and-three position, you need to really extend your fingers to properly click the cheap plastic nubs mounted on the back of the steering wheel. The easy solution? Get the Tremec TR6060 manual cogswapper (not that the auto is a slouch – just ask John Heinricy).

The CTS-V Coupe's acceleration is simply staggering, and with your foot pressed to the floor, you'll hit 60 miles per hour just before "four Mississippi" escapes your lips. Asking the rear wheels to distribute 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet of twist is a big task, and you can easily squeal the tires from every stop, even with traction control fully engaged. It's all in good fun, though as we like a car that bites back. The engine and exhaust noise emitted under hard acceleration further stimulates the thrill of full-throttle thrust, especially since there's a split second in which you only hear the roar of the 6.2-liter LSA V8 before the supercharger finishes spooling. Just as you start to take in the grumble from that fierce piece of all-American aluminum muscle, the supercharger's whine takes over; the two noises playing together in symphonic harmony.

Even though an autobox-equipped CTS-V Coupe weighs in at a relatively portly 4,237 pounds, the added 1.6 inches of width combined with the Magnetic Ride Control suspension setup make for sheer bliss when storming through corners. Putting both the suspension and transmission into Sport mode liven things up, with the MagneRide monitoring and adjusting damping rates every millisecond and the transmission altering the way it holds and dispatches cogs to keep you in the powerband as you enter, move through and exit a turn. There's always power on tap when you need it, and the CTS-V is not afraid to maintain a gear up to the redline when asked. The full 556 horses aren't available until 6,100 RPM, but having 551 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 RPM means you're riding smooth up and above 4K.

Steering inputs are immediately followed through at the front wheels with no noticeable vagueness, and the V Coupe's 54/46 front/rear weight distribution kills any sort of nose-heavy, understeer-prone tendencies. What's more, putting the Stabilitrak in competitive mode lets the rear end move a bit more freely while still keeping things in line. There's nearly no need to fully disengage the traction control during spirited drives on public roads, and we're totally okay with the fact that you have to hold the steering wheel-mounted traction control button for quite some time to completely turn off the nannies. Switch it off, though, and the CTS-V Coupe becomes a burnout machine capable of some serious antics. And if things do get ridiculously out of control, the six-piston front and four-piston rear Brembos provide ample and easily modulated stopping power – not to mention some serious brake dust after long stints of hard driving.

With the suspension set to Tour and the transmission left in its default setting, the CTS-V Coupe is as brilliant around town as it is out on the twisties. It's comfortable for long stretches of highway cruising and has enough damping power to soften broken stretches of pavement more than you'd expect from a car with such abbreviated sidewalls. When the need for power arises, the V willingly responds, but when it isn't tasked to be anything more than a muscle car wearing a tuxedo, it's graciously tamed.

Would we have one over the sedan? Hard to say. Ginsuing off the two rear doors, resculpting the body and only marginally improving the driving dynamics warrants nearly a $1,000 price increase over the four-door, but even so, at $62,990, the CTS-V Coupe is a serious bargain. An Audi S5 is cheaper and has a better interior, but the Cadillac can run circles around the Audi every day of the week and twice on Sunday. BMW M6? No thanks – it's remarkably more expensive and has too many digital safeguards in place before the V10's power can be unleashed. Ford's Shelby GT500 provides a compelling argument, but we'll pass on the comparatively pedestrian Mustang line when we can have something that's as precise, refined and, we'll say it again – sexy – as the Cadillac.

But the best part about the CTS-V Coupe is that, when it joins the sedan and upcoming Sport Wagon later this year – and we're on the edge of our Recaros for that last one – it will stand out as the most attractive vehicle in a full line of supercharged Caddies. We'd probably buy the wagon, but we'd kick ourselves every day for not getting the two-door. The sedan would save us the most money, but it's not nearly as functional or eye-catching as the load lugger, and it's bound to be more common. For the first time in quite a while, Cadillac has given us too many choices – not too few. But as conundrums go, this is one we can live with.

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Posted 23 March 2010 - 05:03 PM ( courtesy of CHEERS AND GEARS.COM )

2010 Camaro SS Full Review

Resized to 68% (was 1024 x 680) - Click image to enlarge Posted Image

By Justin Loyear
Cheers and Gears

Biggest Fan - Head turning looks in a comfortable package. Oh, and 426 horsepower!

Toughest Critic - Premium stereo needs improvement for when you don't want to listen to the engine.

_____________________________________________________________________________

For the driving enthusiast, the automotive holy grail is a performance car that also maintains everyday practicality and affordability. With the Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport starting at $33,725 for V8 power and muscle car fashion, one can expect a lot of bang for their buck.

The exterior is the most important selling point of the Camaro. When driving the Camaro SS, everybody looks at you. The Imperial Blue Metallic paint on the test car is the perfect combination of stealth and notoriety. The Camaro stands out the most when the sun light hits the dark blue and the metallic finish accent Chevrolet's careful sheet metal sculpting. The RS appearance package adds painted 20" rims, HID/ halo headlights, special taillights and body color moldings on the roof for a reasonable price of $1,200.

Chevrolet's Small block V8 is the centerpiece to the Camaro's Super Sport trim. The SS 6.2 liter V8 engine is offered in two variants. If mated to the standard Tremec T6060 6-speed manual, Chevrolet installs the LS3 variant with 426 horsepower. If the buyer chooses to pay a premium of $1,200 for GM's 6-speed automatic transmission, the L99 variant costs 26 horsepower, but gains Active Fuel Management. From the moment you start the car, you can feel the power. The exhaust note is very subdued, but the engine's powerful growl certainly can be called upon at a moment's notice.

The interior of the Camaro at first glance may appear to be cramped and uncomfortable. At 6'4'', I had no problems finding a comfortable seating position. The test Camaro fortunately didn't have the optional sunroof, which is every tall person's enemy. A 6-way power adjustable seat plus a tilt and telescoping wheel are also standard features allowing for a variety of driving positions.Visibility was only challenged by the large wheel housings covering the rear wheels when trying to make lane changes.

The blue LED accent lighting and the throwback gauges are the two nicest visual features of the interior. HVAC controls are designed artistically and quite functional. The digital information center between the speedometer and the tachometer provides clear and large digital speed readouts. If the driver chooses to navigate to another information screen, the alternative analogue speedometer needle is so large it's not useful. The needle's size causes it to function more like a five mile per hour range finder than a mile per hour indicator.

The Boston Acoustics stereo was lacking in real rich sound. Both the high and low ends sounded flat no matter what I tried to do with the equalizer. This was a concern for me as it appears it would be difficult to install an aftermarket stereo since the radio is heavily integrated into the center stack. The MP3 integration in the center console is a great feature. Just plug in your MP3 and control it from the radio buttons or the steering wheel buttons. When you leave the car, your MP3 player is out of sight and secure.

I drove the car from Fresno, California to Las Vegas, Nevada. The roads between Fresno and Las Vegas are some of the most heavily traveled in the United States which allowed for a few revealing features in the Camaro. Wind noise was never a problem in the car. However, noise caused by the large performance Pirelli tires was pronounced. The tire noise created whining on the concrete portions of Interstate 15 in Nevada and thunking noises on the cracked and sealed California Highway 99. Some road noise is to be expected with large performance tires, but it was not overwhelming and did not detract from the overall driving experience of the Camaro.

Round trip to and from Fresno to Las Vegas was 524 miles. The Camaro stood up to its EPA figures with an average fuel economy of 23 miles per gallon. Using Premium fuel is preferred and beneficial to the LS3, however GM does OK the option of using regular. Total fuel used on the trip was about 23 gallons making the total cost $76.00 at $3.34 a gallon. City driving saw the MPG drop to around 15, but utilizing skip shift with 1st, 4th, and 6th gears certainly helped improve mileage without compromising drivability.

The bottom line is: who is best suited to purchase a Camaro SS? Well, anybody who is looking for a powerful car which turns heads and doesn't have to give up an armored truck full of cash. Yeah, the Camaro has a back seat, but only kids in safety seats will fit back there. As the sales have indicated, the Camaro is outselling the Ford Mustang month after month. Although Ford keeps throwing new and different setups at the Mustang including the new 305hp V6 with 31mph highway rating, the Camaro should be able to maintain its sales superiority with the confirmed convertible on the way and rumored more powerful base V6 plus top of the line Z28 both possible. The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport is certainly a market contender, if not the leader, in performance, practicality and affordability.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK TO CHEERSANDGEARS.COM FOR MORE REALLY GREAT GM NEWS & MUCH MORE !!!

......AND NOW FROM THE "THE REST OF YOU PLEASE JUST GO EAT SHIT & DIE" DEPT. ......:

Quick Spin: Hennessey V700 is crazy, fast [w/video]

COURTESY OF AUTOBLOG

by Jonny Lieberman (RSS feed) on Mar 26th 2010 at 12:03PM

2010 Hennessey V700 - Click above for high-res image gallery

There are two kinds of people in the world. The first kind drives Cadillac's supercharged CTS-V, experiences the thrill of 556 horsepower paired with 551 pound-feet of torque and declares, "This thing is a monster. This is the fastest, most incredible American performance sedan ever made." Then you have the other type of person, the kind that takes the 4,300-pound CTS-V to 60 miles per hour in just over four seconds, runs the quarter-mile in 12.5 seconds at 115 mph and says, "Meh." Should you fall into that second category, John Hennessey has got a car for you.

John's calling it the Hennessey V700 and, as you might have ascertained, it's a Cadillac CTS-V pumped up on the best auto-steroids available in the Houston area. One crank of the fake key and your ears quickly explain that the gnashing, metal-on-metal-on-lava sounds leaking out from beneath the floor pan don't come from some run-of-the-mill super-Cadillac. No, something special is going on under that thar tortured hood. Viciously special. Follow the jump to find out exactly what.

First, a little background on the V700. As the muscular 6.2-liter LSA engine is already supercharged, Hennessey found it didn't have to do much to extract plenty of additional power. Official numbers are 707 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 717 pound-feet of torque at 3,200 rpm. Die hard CTS-V fans will have already noticed that Hennessey raised the redline. The stock CTS-V hits the limiter at 6,200 rpm; the V-700 keeps going to 6,600 rpm. It should also be pointed out that while those are the official numbers, peak power is actually closer to 735 hp. That's right, we're talking around 650 hp to the wheels. On lame-old California-grade 91 octane, too. This particular V700 is a six-speed manual, but if slushboxes are your thing, Hennessey will convert an automatic CTS-V into a V700 if you wish.

So how'd Hennessey and his engineering boffins crank up the output? They increased the cold air intake diameter to four inches and attached a smaller blower pulley and a larger crank pulley, which ups the boost from the factory's 10 to 13.5 psi. The front-mounted heat exchanger has been swapped out, upping the intercooler's capacity by one gallon. Then they ported and polished the heads, upgraded the valves, valve springs and injectors. There's a new cam, too, as well as 1 7/8-inch stainless exhaust headers feeding into high-flow catalytic converters then into larger three-inch pipes. Finally, they remapped the ECU. The results are... total lunacy.

Hennessey claims that 0-60 is down to 3.7 seconds, which makes the Hennessey V700 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 quick. It can run the quarter-mile in 11.07 at 128 mph, which is half a second faster than the Nissan GT-R. But the number that makes us sit up and take notice is the V700's standing mile time. A Corvette ZR1 can achieve 181 miles per hour in the standing mile. The V700 hits 185 mph. That's neck snapping, head against headrest banging, laughter inducing flat out nuts performance.

Let's stick to laughter. The first time I really goosed the V700's throttle, photographer Drew Phillips and I both burst out squealing. Nervous laughter of course, the kind you emit after surviving the first big drop of a roller coaster. My foot came off the pedal after perhaps two seconds. We were breathing hard. We were looking at each other in disbelief. One of us might have been swearing. We simply weren't prepared for the fury of the V700.

Minutes later we found an isolated stretch of road and got set for a launch. With the traction control fully on, I dumped the clutch at around 4,000 rpm. What happened next is more comic book than car review. The V700 lurched back on it's haunches, a bit of tire smoke appeared in the wing mirrors, the tach climbed to 6,000 rpm and the boost gauge pegged itself at 15 psi. Were we moving forward? Hard to say, as all I really remember was the manic whir of the supercharger and the throaty blat-blat of the exhaust. Then I shifted into second.

You know those test-of-strength machines that Popeye would bop with an oversized hammer, sending the metal weight/can'o'spinach up the pole? Imagine that but laying on the ground. The massive 305/35/20 Michelin Pilot Sport 2s finally hooked up, and in a big way. We flew, crazy-style and a little bit sideways, but we flew nonetheless. While my ham-fisted/footed machinations were without question one of the slowest ways possible to move the V700 down the road, it very well might have been the most viscerally fun method. Our proof is how hard we were laughing, which is to say crazy hard.

Subsequent "testing" revealed more of the same. The V700 sounds like Mel Gibson's V8 Interceptor from the Road Warrior when he flips on the supercharger. An inadvertent twitch of my knee caused a 40 mph increase in speed and nearly made Drew swallow his tongue. The V700 is so powerful it's actually intimidating to keep the throttle to the floor for longer than a moment. To wit: We hit 70 mph in first gear! I'd like to point out two things here: I'm old enough to remember that back in the '80s, the fact that the Lamborghini Countach could achieve 55 mph in first gear was big buff book news. Second, the V700 can actually go faster than 70 mph in first gear – at the time we mistakenly thought the redline was still 6,200 rpm and I backed off by mistake.

Then came the burnout. Drew Phillips and I have been doing a lot of burnouts lately, partly because we're both quite childish but mostly because they're too much fun not to do. They usually work like this: Rev it up, dump the clutch, wait a few moments, scoot forward to clear the smoke and go home. Not with the Hennessey. To begin with, it the took the mighty motor all of three seconds to totally envelop the car in smoke. So much so that the smoke got in front of the car and was being sucked into the cabin through the vents. I rolled forward, hoping to get clear of the smoke, but it didn't clear. The smoke got so bad that I thought the car was on fire, especially as I could see tire smoke coming out of the hood. It turned out that everything was fine, just super smokey. But for one split second, I was terrified. Did we mention it's the stock CTS-V clutch?

Downsides? The bigger wheels mess with the stance a bit, making the V700 ride high. Hennessey thought about lowering the springs because of the looks, but they're worried about messing up GM's suspension tuning. The V700 also felt a little bit twitchy, and that made us hesitant to really muscle the car around corners. It could be that the V700 just takes some getting used to, or it could be that we've been spoiled by the E63 AMG. Failing those, it could be that the big wheels necessitate a retune. Also, we have reason to suspect that the Hennessey V700 isn't very good on gas.

A Cadillac CTS-V will ding your checkbook to the tune of about $62,000. Hennessey then charges $19,950 for the V700 package, $5,950 for the 20-inch, one-piece forged aluminum wheels that are three pounds lighter per corner than the stock hoops and $2,000 for the massive, but still-no-match-for-the-mighty-motor, tires. All in you're looking at about $90,000 for a legitimate supercar beater with a one-year warranty. Besides, recent studies have proved that laughter is quite good for you.

Bonus Video: Here's the same V700 we drove (literally, same car) ripping off a 11.07 quarter-mile at 128 mph. Apparently, since the car generated 0.99 g of acceleration, this upset GM. Have a look:

Filed under: Aftermarket, Sedan, Performance, Videos, Cadillac

Tags: cts-v, featured, Hennessey, Hennessey CTS-V, Hennessey Performance, hennessey performance engineering, Hennessey V700, Hennessey V700 CTS-V, HennesseyCts-v, HennesseyPerformance, HennesseyPerformanceEngineering, HennesseyV700, HennesseyV700Cts-v, John Hennessey, JohnHennessey, quick spin, QuickSpin, V700, V700 CTS-V, V700Cts-v

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