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The Army goes off-roading with a hydrogen Chevy Colorado

The Chevrolet Colorado is joining the service. General Motors is working with the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC) to build a Colorado powered by a commercial hydrogen fuel cell stack, and the Army will use it in "extremes of daily military use for 12 months." TARDEC is the department that tests "advanced military automotive technology" and integrates them into ground systems. The aim is to see how well the benefits of a fuel cell vehicle can be adapted to the battlefield; hydrogen-powered vehicles are quiet, torquey, produce water, and can be used to provide electricity in the field. GM says the design sketch above "foreshadows" the Colorado that will go to boot camp and beyond, making it clear that this won't be the average midsize pickup. The press release below has more. Related Video: GM and U.S. Army to Demonstrate Extreme Off-Road Hydrogen Fuel Cell Chevrolet Colorado Agreement focused on proving unique utility and viability of fuel cell propulsion WARREN, Mich. 2015-11-19 – General Motors and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC) are modifying a Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup truck to run on a commercial hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and will expose the truck to the extremes of daily military use for 12 months. "Hydrogen fuel cell technology is important to GM's advanced propulsion portfolio, and this enables us to put our technology to the test in a vehicle that will face punishing military duty cycles," said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM's Global Fuel Cell Engineering activities. Fuel cell propulsion has very high low-end torque capability useful in off-road environments. It also offers exportable electric power and quiet operation, attractive characteristics to both commercial and military use. "The potential capabilities hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can bring to the Warfighter are extraordinary, and our engineers and scientists are excited about the opportunity to exercise the limits of this demonstrator," said TARDEC Director Paul Rogers. "FCVs are very quiet vehicles, which scouts, special operators and other specialties place a premium," he said. "What's more, fuel cells generate water as a by-product, something extremely valuable in austere environments." GM and TARDEC have fuel cell development and research facilities located 20 minutes apart in Pontiac and Warren, Mich.

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee head for auction

This month at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ, the customized 1992 Peterbilt 379 of Optimus Prime from the Transformers series and director Michael Bay's own 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Bumblebee will cross the block. The company will sell both with no reserve, and they'll come with letters of authenticity. This specific Bumblebee is the mean-looking restomod from Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth installment in the franchise, and Bay apparently liked it enough to hang onto the aggressive coupe after filming. He even autographed the car for this sale. The Camaro would make a great star in a Hollywood chase scene with its LS3 V8, six-speed manual gearbox, Wilwood brakes, and custom suspension. Bumblebee also wears a menacing satin black body with yellow accents and custom carbon fiber fender flares. Optimus Prime's Peterbilt appeared on-screen in the first three Transformers films, the auction house's spokesperson Aaron Cook told Autoblog. An Autobot emblem sits proudly on top of the grille, and the truck wears a flame paintjob. Barrett-Jackson's description says that the semi is fully functioning but no longer street legal and is now for display only. It would likely be the ultimate piece in anyone's Transformers collection. CRAIG JACKSON'S BARRETT-JACKSON TEAMS UP WITH MICHAEL BAY, PARAMOUNT PICTURES TO AUCTION ICONIC TRANSFORMERS VEHICLES Paramount Pictures is auctioning Optimus Prime® (Lot #1325.1), the iconic truck featured in the first three Transformers™ films American filmmaker Michael Bay will auction his 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS (Lot #1325.2), which starred as Bumblebee™in the blockbuster movie, "Transformers: Age of Extinction" SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Jan. 4, 2016 – Barrett-Jackson, The World's Greatest Collector Car Auctions®, announced today that Paramount Pictures and American filmmaker Michael Bay will auction two vehicles that starred in the Transformers movie franchise, during the company's nine-day 45th Anniversary Auction, from Jan. 23-31, 2016, at WestWorld of Scottsdale. Up for sale at No Reserve is the iconic truck, Optimus Prime (Lot #1325.1), featured in the first three science fiction action films. Bay has consigned a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS (Lot #1325.2), which was cast as Bumblebee in the latest film, "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction." "The hottest Hollywood stars at Barrett-Jackson come in all shapes and sizes," said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson.

Seventies super-salesman challenges new car-sales record

Some of the fondest memories from my youth were the Sunday afternoons spent walking between rows of new and used cars. This preceded the advent of widely available internet, so the cars didn't sell themselves online: A tentative buyer had to come see the cars in the metal, with old-school salesmen taking well-earned smoke breaks after putting someone behind the wheel of a new Saab 900. All-inclusive subscription services were unheard of. If you open a Guinness records book and look up car salesmen, you'll find Joe Girard. The definitely old-school Detroit salesman regularly sold over 1,000 new cars per year, with a particular high point of 1,425 cars in 1973 guaranteeing him a mention in the Guinness book. To reach that kind of sales figure, you had to be a pretty special salesman, and Girard was. He didn't take breaks unless absolutely necessary, and even his lunch hours were dedicated to selling more cars instead of shooting the breeze with other sales persons. By 1977 he was worn through, having sold over 13,000 cars in his career, and his physique couldn't take it anymore. He's been a motivational speaker since. Now, 44 years later, a Dearborn, Mich., Cadillac and Chevrolet salesman named Ali Reda has reportedly broken Girard's record. The books at Les Stanford Chevrolet Cadillac say Reda sold 1,530 new cars and 52 used cars in 2017, averaging 130 vehicles per month. But after Girard, 89, heard of the sales record, he called his attorney, not letting his record be broken without a fight — or at least an audit. The Dearborn dealer isn't too concerned about Girard's doubts, at least according to Gary Stanford, whose father founded the dealership. "It's very official, trust me," said Stanford to the Detroit Free Press. "Ali is the hardest worker I've ever seen. And if someone doesn't believe the data, well, they're more than welcome to consult with GM. It's all there in black and white." What Girard doesn't get is that Reda was honoring him with the accomplishment. "I read his book, 'How to Sell Anything to Anybody,' and it said it would teach you how to become the best," said Reda, who at age 44 was a newborn when Girard hit his peak. "He's an absolute legend in the industry. Your whole career, you're chasing his name.