Wednesday, July 2, 2008

EXCLUSIVE: Challenger Drag Pack



Those of you steeped in drag racing lore are undoubtedly familiar with the 1968 HEMI-powered Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas. These limited edition, track-bound '68 package cars brought out some of the biggest names in drag racing and helped solidify the automaker as a force to be reckoned with down the 1320. When Dodge unveiled the Challenger drag race package at SEMA, we knew the Mopar crew had something serious up its sleeves, and we've got an exclusive clip of what's to come.

Chrysler isn't releasing the details on this non-street-legal, drag-race ready model yet, but earlier reports suggest an overall weight savings of around 800 pounds by stripping the interior down to the bare essentials (one seat, a set of gauges and no sound deadening material), nixing the wipers and A/C and replacing many of the body panels with composite material. The front brakes will also be modified, along with the rear end and front crossmember, and a roll cage is assuredly part of the package. As for power, expect a big HEMI V8 under the hood producing over 500 hp and close to 500 lb.-ft. of torque. All of that is speculation for now, but expect official word from Mopar shortly. Check out our exclusive video above to keep you satisfied in the interim.
via:autoblog


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Jaguar XK-R Facelift Spy Photos with Better Camouflage


Apparently, Jaguar didn't like the last batch of photos taken by spy photographers of the XK Facelift so they covered the restyled front bumper fascia air vents on this XK-R more sufficiently this time. The Jaguar XK Facelift, which is expected to debut in Paris this October, will receive a restyling front bumper fascia with more pronounced air intake vents below the headlamps, slightly restyled rear bumper fascia, LED taillights and a new shark fin antenna mounted on the deck lid. Engines stay the same, but suspension gets more taught and steering feel is revised while the interior gets fitted with Jaguar’s new drive-select transmission interface seen in the XF.More Photos


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BMW M1 Procar Revival at Hockenheim


BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen, for one, is looking forward to the event: “The M1 was unveiled 30 years ago as the first car created independently by the then BMW Motorsport GmbH. It was a racing car which BMW customers could also drive on the road, a unique project which had to overcome some tricky administrative hurdles before getting off the ground.” In order to gain Group 4 homologation, 400 units of the super sports car had to be built within a period of 24 months. As Theissen continues: “The idea of organising a single-make series was born out of necessity – i.e. the requirements of homologation. Nobody expected the BMW M1 Procar series to go down quite so well. Just a mention of it today still triggers an enthusiastic reaction. This revival serves as a ‘thank you’ to the fans.”
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