Fiat builds one-millionth 500

Fiat has constructed 1 million new 500 models. The company says that the milestone model rolled off the line at the manufacturer's Fiat Auto Poland facility. The one millionth 500 is a Lounge model with optional three-layer Bianco Perla exterior paint.

While the quirky little European runabout touched down on US shores for the 2011 model year, the hatchback has been on sale in the EU since 2007. In fact, Fiat sells the compact in more than 100 countries. While the North American model features a few aesthetic differences, including a revised front fascia, the car retains much of its European flair.

North American buyers have responded by dragging home a full 70,000 units since the model debut on our side of the globe. Each of those vehicles were manufactured at the Fiat plant in Toluca, Mexico. You can check out the brief press release below for more information on the Fiat 500 and the company's production achievement.

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News Source: Fiat

14k-mile 1990 Nissan Hardbody is an unlikely time capsule

By  Zach Bowman RSS feed

I was five years old when my father purchased his very first new vehicle: a 1990 Nissan Hardbody identical in nearly every way to the one you see above. When new, that torquey 2.4-liter four-cylinder would snap the truck sideways in second and send the skinny rubber at the live rear axle chirping through fourth. I spent every family vacation for years crammed in the back under a camper shell, plowing roads through blankets with my Hot Wheels while we buzzed our way north from Knoxville to Mackinac State Park or south to Orlando.

It suffered my long and laborious stick-shift learning curve and the even more painful slog to passable vehicle control.

Saturday mornings were spent riding around gnawing on a pack of poptarts with Dad at the wheel of our little red truck and Dire Straits on the two-speaker cassette deck. The faithful pickup piled on miles over the years until eventually, I grew old enough to take the wheel myself. By then, the paint had faded more orange than red, the chassis bore scars from a number of bumps and bruises at the hands of everyone in the family and the engine sounded like someone had dumped a bag of hammers under the valve cover every time I hit the starter. It suffered my long and laborious stick-shift learning curve and the even more painful slog to passable vehicle control.

I bounced it off of guard rails, rock outcroppings and other cars, but the machine never once came close to laying down. At some point, only the cab and doors remained of the original sheetmetal. It carried me through high school and into college before I turned my attention elsewhere, and Dad continued to drive the old Hardbody to work and back until just last year, when he finally gave in and drove what was left of his first new vehicle to the scrap yard with over 300,000 miles on the original drivetrain.

That little truck was ingrained in the heartwood of my family tree, and this 14,000-mile example in Salem, Oregon is an identical clone in nearly every way. From the gray cloth bench seat to the awkward steering wheel and homely looks, this little machine is the unlikeliest of time capsules, and if I had the $7,500 asking price, I'd pay the sentimentality tax in a heartbeat to have it in my garage. You can check it out over at Bring a Trailer or view the original Craigslist ad. Someone give this machine the home it deserves.

News Source: Craigslist via Bring a Trailer

Tip: Jarvis Jones

Category: Classics, Budget, Truck, Nissan

Ford Mustang Cobra Jet wheelies with abandon

Yes, that is a Ford Mustang Cobra Jet with its nose pointed toward the stars and its rear valance on the ground. Marvel at that image while you can, because the car doesn't maintain that posture for long. Once the front tires re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, the situation goes muddy quickly. There's a bounce or two, some sideways action and a few brief concrete kisses before the party comes to a complete stop. Anyone who says drag racing is boring clearly hasn't watched someone ping-pong their purpose-built factory drag car down the quarter mile.

Word has it the driver of this particular pony-shaped pinball walked away from the incident without injury, though we imagine it was a minute or two before his car crawled up to the Christmas tree once again. Check out the video below for a look at the show for yourself.

This is the much better looking Lexus HS 250h that we won't get

By  Jonathon Ramsey RSS feed

The Lexus HS 250h was put to rest in the US at the beginning of this year, but it is apparently being offered a way back onto the mortal coil in the Japanese market. This is reputedly a picture of what the JDM-spec entry-level Lexus hybrid sedan will look like, and what a difference 11 months makes. It appears that only the front clip changed, the brand's new design language giving it much more visual oomph than the hyped-up hybrid Corolla look we were offered.

It doesn't hurt that the front treatment virtually clones the 2013 Lexus ES, the blacked-out center bar in the spindle grille adding some aggression to the smaller package. The rest of the slow-seller's exterior looks to be carried over largely as it was when it left us, and a report by Lexus Enthusiast indicates the model's resurrection is scheduled to go on sale in Japan by the end of this month.

News Source: Lexus Enthusiast

Category: Hybrid, Sedan, Japan, Lexus, Design/Style, Luxury

Shelby American to keep going, promises new models for Detroit, Chicago and NY shows

By  George Kennedy RSS feed

In May, the automotive world was saddened by the passing of racing icon Carroll Shelby. Following that sad event, it did not take long for attention to quickly turn to the future of the performance brand. Given the significance of Shelby American in the aftermarket and performance worlds, that makes some sense.

According to Autoweek, business partner John Luft was told by Carroll, to "Keep Shelby American alive," in his waning hours. Following his late chief's request, Shelby American is set to roll out new products at the North American International Auto Show in January, as well as the Chicago and New York shows. So we know product is on the way, but what can we expect?

The report was foggy on details, but claimed the Las Vegas-based performance outfit would look towards the Ford EcoBoost family of engines, and to wringing more power from smaller displacement. Shelby has already taken advantage of forced induction with smaller engines, in the form of the 475-horsepower supercharged V6 in the Shelby GTS. The GTS is considered an entry-level Shelby, with a $35,000 price tag, making it accessible to more enthusiasts.

Also part of the plan will be the continued relationship with some 2,300 Ford dealers, through which Shelby American markets parts. Both Roush and SVT compete for this business.

Meanwhile Jim Farley, global VP of marketing at Ford, issued a statement that Shelby, "will continue to influence Ford performance cars for many years to come." While that may not be a confirmation of future product, all of these efforts point to a brand that is positioned to live on long after Carroll Shelby's passing.

News Source: Autoweek

Image Credit: Copyright 2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

Bentley EXP 9 F to be redesigned, renamed Falcon?

By  Jeffrey N. Ross RSS feed

Posted Nov 22nd 2012 5:00PM

In concept form, the Bentley EXP 9 F had neither the styling nor the name to impress us when we first saw it earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, and while we already knew some sort of design change was imminent, we're unsurprisingly now hearing that a name change is also in the cards. Automobile Magazine is reporting that the eventual production Bentley SUV will get a complete redesign from what we saw in the EXP 9 F, and it will wear a new name as well: Falcon.

The article says that Luc Donckerwolke, Bentley's newly appointed director of design, is giving the SUV a complete redesign from the concept vehicle, which goes against what we last heard of the vehicle in August that a "radical redesign" was not in the cards. Donckerwolke has been on the design team at various Volkswagen Group automakers since 1992, helping to pen such memorable designs as the Lamborghini Gallardo and Murciélago, but now he is tasked with giving Bentley an SUV worthy of its lineup. Last we heard, the model could go into production in 2015, but there is no indication whether the Falcon will get three-row seating or a plug-in hybrid version as has been previously rumored.

News Source: Automobile

Image Credit: Copyright 2012 Drew Phillips / AOL

Category: Concept Cars, SUV, Bentley, Luxury

Dodge Dart falls short of Consumer Reports Recommended, Caddy XTS and Lincoln MKS, too

By  Zach Bowman RSS feed

The Dodge Dart, Cadillac XTS and Lincoln MKS all failed to earn a "Recommended" rating from Consumer Reports. When it came to the compact Dart, the organization's testers thought the vehicle offered a quiet cabin, solid-feeling chassis and nimble suspension, but the new model ultimately fell short of the coveted rating due to powertrain issues. The institute's reviewers found the base 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine to be underpowered and noted "drivability issues" when the available turbocharged 1.4-liter four was paired with the optional dual-clutch transmission (some of our editors disliked it paired with the six-speed manual). CR also dinged the latter powerplant for sounding "raspy." For what it's worth, we think the forced-induction engine offers an excellent and playful exhaust note, but that's just us.

As for the XTS, CR lauded the car for its luxurious cabin, but the vehicle's experience was dulled by its finicky CUE infotainment interface. Overall, the big Cadillac scored much higher than its cross-town rival from Lincoln. While testers found the American luxury sedan to offer a quiet ride and quality fit and finish, they felt the MKS delivered a "cramped driving position, ungainly handling, uncomposed ride, and limited visibility." Ouch. At the end of the day, both cars fell short of rivals from Japan, Germany and Korea. Check out the full press release below with more details, along with CR's musings on the Chevrolet Spark and Lexus ES.

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Related Gallery2013 Cadillac XTS: First Drive

Related Gallery2013 Lincoln MKS EcoBoost: Review

News Source: Consumer Reports

Image Credit: Copyright 2012 AOL