2014 Ram 1500 Tradesman/express on 2040-cars

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Sunday Drive: From a mid-engine 'Vette to a restomod RV

Automotive enthusiasts are a diverse bunch. As proof, we present last week's top posts on Autoblog, starting with some really good spy photos of the upcoming mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette. Will it be sold alongside a classic front-engine 'Vette? We have no idea, but we can't wait to find out. Up next is a pickup truck. Can't get much further from a supercar, right? At least both the Corvette and the 2019 Ram 1500 – which will debut a radical new design that appears to eschew the mini big-rig look of past Rams in favor of something more refined – are both American. Decidedly not American? The Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV. The boxy off-road 'ute looks a heck of a lot like the old one, which is probably a good thing, but we know it'll be fancier and more luxurious than ever before. Check out the leaked images below. Also hailing from Germany, but sharing absolutely nothing else in common at all, is the Audi A4 Allroad. We've been driving this all-wheel-drive wagon for a while now, and we like it quite a bit. And, last but not least, is a 1959 bus that's been converted into an RV. Like we said, y'all certainly are a diverse bunch. Mid-engine Corvette — our clearest pictures yet 2019 Ram 1500 shows its full face 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class revealed in leaked photos 2018 Audi A4 Allroad Drivers' Notes Review | Wagons still rule This Mercedes O 319 restomod camper van shames your VW Microbus Audi Chevrolet Mercedes-Benz RAM Truck Coupe Minivan/Van SUV Future Vehicles Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars mid-engine corvette recap sunday drive

Dear Ram: 'GT' doesn't belong on a pickup

When word of the forthcoming Ram G/T models hit our inboxes on Tuesday, my first reaction was one of confusion. The notion of a "Grand Touring" package for anything with a pickup bed struck me as entirely foreign and left me feeling conflicted. Have pickup trucks really come so far that a GT-inspired model makes sense, or am I just married to an antiquated notion that has been co-opted and subsequently bled to death by the endlessly churning automotive marketing machine? One could reasonably argue that "GT" has come a long way from the days when it was closely associated with its namesake term (whether you say "Gran Turismo" or "Grand Touring" really makes no difference) and plenty of not-so-sporting automobiles have already borrowed the nomenclature to denote trims with faster-looking body kits or larger wheels. If that's the model we're choosing to acknowledge, Ram's is arguably ahead of the game. Its G/T package adds a cat-back exhaust and cold air intake (more of a performance nod than some other "GT" models enjoy), paddle shifters, a console-mounted gear lever, unique bucket seats with high bolsters and metal covers for the gas and brake pedals. If this were a package for a Dodge Charger or Challenger, it would certainly check the right boxes. Heck, the whole thing was essentially parts-binned from the TRX with an assist from Mopar's factory accessory catalog.  A Ford Mustang GT and a Mercedes-AMG GT. Note how similar they are to a half-ton truck. In my quest to decide just how out-of-touch I am, I first asked Ram whether G/T actually stands for anything. It doesn't. It was chosen simply to "signify a sporty model within the lineup." There's no apparent significance to the slash aside from being an obvious nod to Dodge's R/T (Road/Track) models, of which even the Viper was one. Even with SRT having supplanted R/T atop the Mopar performance heap, the latter still denotes models with a significant performance increase.  But that means G/T is precisely what we think it is — a trim meant to impart notions of performance, even if there's little of it to be found. It doesn't quite sit with me. The domestics have already pretty much forced us to accept the notion of both high-performance and luxury-oriented pickups, so something splitting the difference doesn't really seem that outrageous.

Italian coachbuilder wraps a modern-day Citroen van in a retro skin

Italian coachbuilder Caselani resurrected an obscure, often-forgotten model from Citroen's past to offer van buyers an additional retro-styled option. Called Type HG, it's based on the current-generation Citroen Jumpy. One of the French carmaker's best-known vintage vans is the Type H, which was built with only minor changes from 1947 to 1981. It's aged into a sought-after classic that's popular as a food truck and as a camper from Paris to Sydney. Few realize Citroen planned to release a smaller model named Type G which looked almost exactly like the H but used an air-cooled flat-twin engine shared with the 2CV. Several prototypes were made, but the project was canned in favor of the 2CV-based, nine-horsepower AU van released in 1951. It's this little-known prototype that only exists in Citroen's official heritage collection and in the minds of the most indoctrinated French car enthusiasts that Caselani chose to bring into the 21st century. And, because the Type G (shown below) was a shrunken copy of the Type H from a design standpoint, making a body kit that fits the Citroen Jumpy was relatively simple. Caselani liberally borrowed styling cues from its modern version of the Type H, which is based on the larger Citroen Jumper sold as the Ram ProMaster in the United States. It adds a new-look front end with a vertical grille, chromed chevrons, and round headlights positioned as far out of the body as regulations permit, corrugated body panels, and a redesigned rear end. Whitewall tires are optionally available. Caselani offers the Type HG as a passenger van, a crew-cab van, and a panel van. Pricing starts at 29,400 euros before taxes are factored in, a sum that represents about $35,000 and that corresponds to a short-wheelbase panel model powered by a 100-horsepower, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine. Alternatively, motorists who already own a Jumpy can purchase the transformation kit on its own for 14,800 euros (about $17,500). For added peace of mind, Caselani pointed out the conversion was created with Citroen's input, and the brand authorized the kit. We know what you're thinking: what on earth is a Jumpy? Glad you asked! It's a van positioned in the middle of Citroen's commercial range. It slots between the Berlingo, which competes in the same segment as the Ford Transit Connect, and the Jumper, which is marketed as an alternative to the Ford Transit.