SEMA 2009: Gran Turismo Best in Show is the Trans-Cammer Mustang

by Frank Filipponio (RSS feed) on Nov 7th, 2009 at 10:33AM


Philip Koenen's "Trans-Cammer" 1970 Ford Mustang. Click above for high-res image gallery

Phillip Koenen brought a really gorgeous, miles-deep-black, 1970 Mustang to SEMA and came away with another fine piece of hardware:The Gran Turismo Best in Show award. For the past several years, Sony Computer Entertainment America has hosted these awards, which honor some of the coolest cars at SEMA.

Koenen's SOHC 427-powered "Trans-Cammer" snagged the Best Hot Rod award in addition to winning Best in Show. Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi awarded the trophy himself at the awards ceremony, which rocked The Palms' Rain nightclub Wednesday night. In addition to the the trophy, Koenen's beloved "Trans-Cammer" Mustang wins the right to be featured in a future installment of the Gran Turismo series.

Other Gran Turismo Award winners included Scott Bailey and Tony Vanillo's Ford F-250 Unlimited 2 Class short-course race truck in the Best Truck/SUV category; Chris Rado's World Racing Unlimited front-wheel-drive time attack Scion TC as Best Asian Import; KC Howet's 2009 Underground Racing Lamborghini LP560-4TT in Best European Import; and Nicholas Ashby's Moment Carbon Camaro for Best Domestic Automobile. Sounds like a dream garage to us. Follow the jump to read the official press release, and don't forget to check out the gallery as well.


Gallery: SEMA 2009: 1970 Trans-Cammer Mustang


Photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

Read more →

Laptop steering wheel desk is real. And real funny.

by Alex Nunez (RSS feed) on Nov 7th, 2009 at 9:01AM

Laptop DeskYou know, when we're driving along, eating buffalo wings and trying to manage a Super Slurpee while playing Cooking Dash on the iPhone, it sure would be helpful to have a place to keep all that stuff organized. Thankfully, there's the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk, which accomplishes all of the above AND finally gives us a place to keep our bleu cheese and celery sticks, to boot. (You see, our cupholders are already occupied by french fries.) This "Why didn't I think of that?" stroke of genius slides right around your steering wheel, which it uses as an anchor for your much-needed flat surface.

Listen, steering is overrated anyway, right? Actually, the official product description on Amazon.com says, "For safety reasons, never use this product while driving." But come on, we're excellent drivers. We're pretty sure we can handle this. Based on the user reviers, others have found this device to be exceedingly convenient. Some of the user-submitted photos suggest that the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk may indeed be troublesome in the hands of less experienced drivers, but we remain skeptical. We think we'll put one in the shopping cart with that Three Wolf Moon T-Shirt we've been eying. Then, when it arrives, we're hunting for a drive-thru pizzeria. Thanks for the tips, everyone!

[Source: Amazon.com]

SEMA 2009: Booth Professionals are anything but stock

by Frank Filipponio (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 8:00PM


Lisa Angeline, aka Catwoman - Click above for high-res image gallery

This year's SEMA show in Las Vegas didn't have quite the gravitas of years past, as the state of the economy and the automotive industry in particular seemed to be a wet blanket over the whole proceedings. Thank goodness there were plenty of friendly faces throughout the halls to keep our spirits up.

One smiling face especially caught our eye, although we weren't sure why. The eyes and smile were familiar but we couldn't quite put our finger on where we had seen them before. And then it hit us, it was our beloved Catwoman (a.k.a. Lisa Angeline) from last year's BatSmart gallery! We hardly recognized her stripped of her catsuit. We saw her in the Vertical Doors booth. We know this with great certainty because the name of the company was written in very strategic locations – like on the banner above her head and (*ahem*) elsewhere. Smart folks behind that BatSmart. But to be honest, we weren't really paying too much attention to the cars there, so perhaps this strategy is flawed.

This happened quite a bit during the week. We'd go down to shoot a certain car, and an hour later, we'd be scratching our heads wondering what we had come down for in the first place. Take a look at the gallery and you'll probably agree – down year or no, the distractions were quite spectacular.


Gallery: SEMA 2009: Booth Professionals


Photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

SEMA 2009: What we didn't get to cover

by Frank Filipponio (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 7:30PM


2009 SEMA Show Las Vegas - Click above for high-res image gallery

Every year at SEMA, we fill the week with posts featuring special vehicles and products that we felt were important enough to share. Generally, they are the most newsworthy projects and new model introductions, but sometimes they are just things that caught our eye. When all is said and done, we think we've given all of you a good taste of what's on offer here in the desert.

Of course, there are always things we see and shoot that don't make it into the regular posts from the days we are here. We end up with a few hundred photos of random weirdness and cool stuff that just didn't make it into a dedicated post. That's what this post is for. It's basically a chance to dump some of that random wackiness and wonder that is SEMA into one big bowl and invite you all to take a sip. Click on the gallery below and you'll see race cars, hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles, wheels and more. None are labeled, but all should provide a unique look at what we saw at SEMA 2009.


Gallery: SEMA 2009: Random sightings


Photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 11.06.09

by John Neff (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 7:20PM

First Drive: 2011 Kia Sorento finally crosses over

2011 Kia Sorento – Click above for high-res image gallery Sometimes it's hard to remember what you did just yesterday, but think back to 2003 when Kia first introduced the Sorento mid-size...

SEMA Sweeps: Win one of five Sony PSP/Gran Turismo bundles - Day 5

We've made it to the last day of our SEMA Sweeps! We've given away four limited-edition PSP/Gran Turismo bundles, but we've got one left. Yesterday's winner has been randomly selected and...

REPORT: Toyota execs deny cover-up after feds rebuke automaker over runaway car investigation

Remember Toyota's massive 3.8 million unit unintended acceleration recall that was attributed to pesky floor mats? It appears defective floor mats doesn't tell the whole story, as the Department...

Also of interest:

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy

by John McElroy (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 7:00PM Featured

CHRYSLER CONSIDERS GETTING BACK INTO BIG RIGS

One of the more intriguing tidbits that dribbled out of Chrysler's grueling 8-hour press conference on Wednesday is that the company is considering getting back into the heavy truck business. They're not talking about heavy duty pick-ups, they're talking about 18-wheelers.

Up until the early 1970's Dodge sold heavy trucks, including semi-tractors. In fact, Dodge trucks were famous the world over. But like GM and Ford, the Chrysler Corporation decided to get out of that business at a time when the commercial truck sector was under pressure.

When times are good heavy trucks generate a significant amount of profits. Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Renault, Toyota (Hino), Nissan and Mitsubishi (Fuso) are still in the business. But it takes a lot of capital investment to get into and stay in the highly cyclical heavy truck segment, which is why the American car companies abandoned that market years ago.

In this case, the idea to get Chrysler back into the heavy truck market is Fiat's, not Chrysler's. And that is precisely why this could actually happen.

____________________________________________________________________________________

John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Read more →

Quieter Spirit: Rolls reportedly planning hybrid Ghost for 15% better economy

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 6:30PM


Rolls-Royce Ghost - Click above for high-res image gallery

If you've been pondering getting on the list for a Rolls-Royce Ghost but you're hesitant because of the negative environmental impact (and social standing) of the big, beautiful boat's V12 engine, we've got good news for you. British site Autocar is reporting that a hybrid version of the Ghost is in the works. It's rumored to be based off the mild hybrid system of the BMW ActiveHybrid 7, which makes sense considering that the two luxury sleds utilize the same platform. The nearly 18-foot long Ghost will likely still sport a 6.2-liter V12, but the brutish powerplant will be aided and abetted by a 20kW electric motor capable of an extra 15 hp and 155 lb-ft fitted into the baby Rolls' eight speed ZF auto transmission.

Battery power will reportedly come courtesy of a .6 W/h lithium-ion battery pack fitted to the Ghost's substantial trunk. The reported hybrid Ghost won't have the ability to run on battery power alone, but the luxury barge will employ start/stop tech and due to the battery's presence it won't need an alternator, either. The net result of the of the (relative) greenification of the Ghost will reportedly be a 15% bump in fuel economy.

A 15% efficiency bump probably won't do much to improve the Ghost's likely miserable fuel economy figures, but the added twist from the Ghost's electric motor may help it hit 60 mph more quickly than the gasoline-only 4.8 seconds (U.S. spec).

Sure, if this hybrid Rolls ever sees the light of day it'd make the already massive Ghost even heavier and more costly, but the negatives pale in comparison to the gratification of telling other rich people that your chauffeur drives a hybrid.


Gallery: Hands-On: Rolls-Royce Ghost


[Source: Autocar]

Funny Car Commercial of the Day: Ready for winter?

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 6:01PM

Ready for Winter? Click above to watch the video after the break

As someone who happened to have grown up in snowy climes of the Great Lakes States for the first 25 years of life, this author knows exactly how nasty it can be in the morning to walk out of your nice, toasty house on a cold and blustery winter day. It's even worse when you need to drive somewhere and your car is covered in a hard-as-rock coating of ice and snow.

Having since moved to the sunny state of Arizona, however, dealing with the scenario particular situation isn't on this blogger's agenda any time soon.

That said, it is in the forecast for many Autoblog readers, and so we've decided to dig up this oldie-but-a-goody Statoil commercial to get you in the mood. Click past the break to watch the video and check out veryfunnyads.com for more gut-busting ads from around the world.

[Source: veryfunnyads.com]

Read more →

SEMA 2009: Chevy Graphics Camaro not bashful about changing in public

by Frank Filipponio (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 5:30PM


2010 Chevrolet Camaro graphics options - Click above for high-res image gallery

Chevrolet decided that it might be fun to have a contest to pick out a new decal pack for its hot new Camaro. They posted six different possible decal sets on Facebook a while back and after letting their online friends vote, the automaker chose four finalists.

Those four looks were applied to a silver Camaro over the course of the four-day SEMA show in Vegas. We stopped by the booth every day except Friday and took some pics to show you how the stickers looked in person. We've assembled a gallery so you can peruse each and then head over to the Camaro's Facebook page to cast your vote for the winner.


Gallery: SEMA 2009: Chevy Graphics Camaro

  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
  • Thursday

Photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

SEMA 2009: Galpin builds custom '69 Mustang right on the show floor

by Drew Phillips (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 4:57PM


Galpin Auto Sports '69 Mustang build - Click above for high-res image gallery

While those of us in the media walked around the show floor at SEMA looking for the cool, the crazy, and the just plain awesome, there were people doing actual work. Real work. No, we're not talking about the security people that wouldn't let us in the show before 9:00am no matter how we tried to convince them, nor the food vendors charging $40 for a lousy pizza. We're talking about the guys at Galpin Auto Sports who spent each day of the show building a custom 1969 Ford Mustang from scratch.

The Mustang started off at the start of the show in literally thousands of pieces, and every time we walked by, we could see that the car was just a little bit closer to completion. The 427ci V8 was already in the Mustang the last time we saw it, and while we left before we could see the car completed, everyone at GAS seemed pretty confident that it would be finished by the time the show ended this afternoon. From the looks of all of the individual pieces, the end product should be pretty cool looking. Check out our high-res gallery below to see just how many parts it takes to build a '69 Mustang.


Gallery: SEMA 2009: Galpin '69 Mustang Build


Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Next Page →






Autoblog Podcast #151: With Car and Driver's Eddie Alterman

Eddie Alterman wades in with Sam, Chris, Dan, and Jonny to talk about SEMA and other recent events.

 
 

Featured Galleries

  • SEMA 2009: HPP Daytona Challenger
  • LA Design Challenge 2009 Competitors
  • SEMA 2009: 1962 Chevrolet Corvette C1-RS
  • SEMA 2009: Bigfoot
  • SEMA 2009: Black Bison Toyota Alphard
  • Ford's Inflatable Seat Belts
  • 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder
  • Shelby Turbocharged Mustang
  • Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition
  • SEMA 2009: Ringbrothers 1964 Ford Fairlane
  • SEMA 2009: Lexus F-Sport
  • SEMA 2009: Hennessey HPE700 Camaro
AOL Autos

Find Your Next Car

Resources

10 Most Searched Cars on AOL Autos

Autoblog Video

Autoblog Green

Daily Finance

Download Squad

Engadget

Joystiq

Autoblog Spanish

Switched.com

FanHouse

Asylum