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Jay Leno drives a 1970 Dodge Charger with 1,650 horsepower

When Jay Leno says a vehicle might have too much horsepower, he's got our attention piqued. That's exactly what he thinks about the 1970 Dodge Charger Tantrum from Wisconsin-based SpeedKore Performance. While it still looks like a classic muscle car, the front end now features a carbon fiber hood and fenders. Underneath the lightweight parts, there's a twin-turbo, 9.0-liter Mercury Marine offshore boat racing engine with an astonishing 1,650 horsepower, or an only slightly less asinine 1,350 hp on pump gas. Jay is very mechanically intrigued by the Charger at the beginning of this video, and puts it on the lift to take a look at the underside. The engine plumbing is a thing of beauty, and the mill packs a massive radiator and intercooler to keep things running cool. Leno's drive in the Tantrum is especially interesting. The beastly engine is difficult to control, and anything above half throttle in most gears can spin the rear tires. The significant turbo lag also makes the power unpredictable. When Jay finally finds a straight piece of road, he puts the hammer down and rockets into the distance. And, of course, you know Jay's not going to end the video without some suitably smoking tires. Related Video:

SRT partners with Bondurant for performance driving classes

Dodge and Bob Bondurant have announced a new partnership that will see the latter become the former's official high-performance driving school. The deal will see the Bondurant school's entire fleet of nearly 100 vehicles switched over from mostly General Motors products to Dodge Chargers, Challengers, and Vipers. It will give paying customers the chance to drive models like the new Hellcats and even the Viper ACR (for those deemed qualified to drive it) on the track in Arizona. The arrangement won't only benefit Bondurant clients, though. Anyone who buys or leases a new SRT model will get a one-day course at the school, including professional instruction on track. They'll have to pay for their own travel and accommodations, but the instruction will hopefully show more drivers of SRT vehicles how to handle all that muscle they've got at their disposal. DODGE/SRT PARTNERS WITH LEGENDARY BOB BONDURANT SCHOOL OF HIGH PERFORMANCE DRIVING The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving Is Now "The Official High Performance Driving School of Dodge/SRT" - All customers who buy a new 2015 or 2016 model SRT will receive one full-day session of high-performance driving with professional instruction and time on the track as part of the Dodge/SRT package - Bondurant attendees will get to experience the full line of Dodge/SRT vehicles, including the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger Hellcats - Bondurant's entire fleet of cars is being converted over to Dodge Chargers, Challengers and Vipers - Non-Dodge owners can purchase racing instruction through Bondurant and experience their full line of Dodge SRT vehicles on the track - Racing participants who qualify will get to experience the Dodge Viper ACR, the fastest street-legal Viper track car ever November 3, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - New Dodge/SRT buyers grab your racing shoes and helmets – Dodge is teaming up with the legendary Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving to create "The Official High Performance Driving School of Dodge/SRT." Starting Jan. 1, 2016, Dodge customers who purchase or lease a 2015 or 2016 Dodge/SRT can experience a high-performance driving class with professional instruction and time on the track where they can develop their racing and driving skills in a one-day performance-packed adventure. Dodge will provide the rides – nearly 100 SRT vehicles – including the 707-horsepower Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcats.

IIHS says these are the safest cars of 2013

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has revealed its annual list of Top Safety Picks, an award that highlights automobiles it says offer "superior crash protection." A new and still more significant award, the Top Safety Pick+ honor, is given to those vehicles that earn good ratings for occupant protection in four out of five areas of measure. And while some 117 vehicles were given the TSP seal of approval for 2013, just 13 passed muster for TSP+.
To be fair, IIHS only evaluated 29 vehicles with its new testing procedures for TSP+ (we'd expect that the number of qualified cars will rise substantially for 2014). Luxury and Near Luxury midsize cars were the first groups evaluated, followed by midsizers in the Moderately Priced Cars category - unsurprisingly, it's only midsize cars that you'll find among the class this year.
Only two luxury sedans made the list of 13 for 2013: the Acura TL and Volvo S60. The other 11 cars on the list included entries from domestic, Japanese and German car makers: Dodge Avenger, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord (sedan and coupe), Kia Optima (but not its close kin, the Hyundai Sonata, strangely), Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Outback, Suzuki Kizashi and the Volkswagen Passat all made the grade.