2007 Dodge Caravan Se on 2040-cars

Auto blog

From Maseratis to rental cars | Autoblog Podcast #511

On this week's podcast, Mike Austin and David Gluckman are in a huddle room (again), because the studio was already taken (again). We talk about the all-wheel-drive Dodge Challenger GT (again), as well as the Jeep Wrangler, Maserati Levante, Miata RF (again), and then David waxes poetic on mediocre rental cars (or similar). The episode wraps up with the traditional doling out of Spend My Money buying advice, with some input from an S2000 owner on advice discussed last time. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And if you have other questions or comments, please send those too. Autoblog Podcast #511 Topics and stories we mention Dodge Challenger GT Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Maserati Levante Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Used cars! Rundown Intro - 00:00 What we're driving - 06:11 Spend My Money - 32:45 Total Duration: 55:30 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes Podcasts Dodge Jeep Maserati Mazda Nissan mazda mx-5 rf dodge challenger gt

Mopar Hellephant crate engine sells out in 48 hours

This happened so quickly that we're only just catching up with it. Mopar opened pre-orders on the 7.0-liter Hellephant Hemi crate engine on April 26, which is Hemi Day. According to Allpar, hubbub on social media not long after that day claimed Mopar had gone through all of its Hellephant stock. When Allpar asked Fiat Chrysler for clarification, a spokesperson e-mailed, "Given the high demand and the hand-built, time-intensive build process, we have closed preordering for the 426 Hellephant Supercharged HEMI crate engine. Based on preorders, the engine sold out in just two days. Customers can visit www.cratehemi.com to receive future information and updates on the 'Hellephant' engine." No one is certain how many engines Mopar sold. Allpar wrote, "Industry insiders believe Mopar may be making around 100," but reiterated that it's a guess. The engine and the ordering process have their peculiarities. Mopar Insiders explained that Tool Engineering International helped create the 426-cubic-inch block, and that the Hellephant engine "shares nothing except for displacement with the rumored upcoming 7.0-liter 426 Hemi V8." On the Hellcat.org forum, a poster wrote that the engines "can only be sold through a dealer and that the dealers can only order 1 engine per week." The Hellephant doesn't come with Mopar's three-year, 100,000-mile warranty, either. During a press briefing last October, FCA officials said they weren't sure about offering any warranty. Based on the motor being given a part number starting with the letter P, there is a bit of protection, but it's a 90-day limited warranty covering "defects in materials or wokmanship," and only applies to engines not used in competition. For those who didn't get the opportunity to drop $29,995 for 1,000 horsepower and 950 pound-feet of torque, the best bet is to hope for the return of Apollyon's pachyderm. Motor1 wrote that "Rumors hint at... another limited run scheduled for next year due to overwhelming demand." That's thin thread to hang a Hellephant from, but it beats bupkis.

Legacy Classic Power Wagon First Drive

Shortly before the US entered World War II, Dodge supplied the military with a line of pickups internally codenamed WC, those letters designating the year 1941 and the half-ton payload rating. From 1941 to 1945 Dodge built more than a quarter million of them, and even though "WC" came to refer to the Weapons Carrier body style, the WC range served in 38 different configurations from pickup trucks to ambulances to six-wheeled personnel and weapons haulers. The story is that soldiers returning from active duty badgered Dodge for a civilian version of that indefatigable warhorse, so Dodge responded with the Power Wagon in 1946. Even for those no-nonsense times the truck was so austere that the first three names Dodge gave it were "Farm Utility Truck," "WDX General Purpose Truck," and "General Purpose, One Ton Truck." "Power Wagon" was the fourth choice, not finalized until just before it went on sale. Nothing like today's Power Wagon, the original could be seen as either a glorified tractor or a slightly less uncouth military vehicle – hell-for-leather meant going 50 miles per hour. But it would go nearly anywhere. The civilian version was still built like it had to survive, well, a world war; power take-offs (PTOs) ran all manner of ancillaries; multiplicative gear ratios helped it produce enough torque to make an earthquake envious. Said to be the first civilian 4x4 truck made in America, any organization that needed a simple, sturdy mechanized draught animal knew it needed a Power Wagon. If history, the aura of war, and ruthless functionality attract you but mean comforts and 70-year-old manners don't, then you need to get in touch with Legacy Classic Trucks. If that history, the aura of war, and the ruthless functionality attract you but the mean comforts and 70-year-old manners don't, then you need to get in touch with Legacy Classic Trucks. The Jackson Hole, WY, restorer retains every ounce of the Power Wagon's orchard-work aptitude, decorated with present-day amenities and the best components. Each job starts with having to find a usable donor. The city of Breckenridge, CO, bought the red truck in our gallery in 1947 and used it as a snowplow for the next 30 years. In 1977 a log-home builder bought it from the city and used it for another decade as a company hauler. That's the kind of grueling longevity that lets Ram put a five-figure premium on the 2500 Power Wagon pickup it sells today. Legacy Classics founder Winslow S.