1956 Chevrolet Corvette on 2040-cars

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1972 Dodge Challenger on an M1009 CUCV military frame is YES

The subject of this post is cause for celebration, not reason to ask "But why?" We don't know why this random Craigslist seller chose to marry the body of a 1972 Dodge Challenger with the frame and axles from a 1987 Chevrolet M1009 military vehicle. We're here to appreciate it, thanks to The Drive, and maybe spend some time after dinner considering whether to buy it. Now that we're on the same page, an owner in Tucson wants to rid his garage — or his Bullet Farm — of what appears to be an exceptionally well built conversion. Starting from the bottom, the M1009 CUCV, for Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle or "Cuckvee," emerged from a program turning K5 Blazers into supply rigs that were meant to support hardcore hardware like the AM General Humvee. The M1009 got GM's 6.2-liter Detroit Diesel V8, a TH400 transmission, an NP-208 chain-driven transfer case, a 10-bolt rear axle and 3.08 gears. Produced from 1983 to 1987, they returned "less than desirable" results in the field and the military unloaded them. Not much of that remains for this build. The diesel got dropped, replaced by a 5.7-liter GM gasser with a four-barrel carb and long-tube headers, shifting though a 4L80E automatic transmission attached to a U.S. Shift Quick 1 transmission controller in the cabin. The seller doesn't mention output, but if it's a more recent Chevy 350 then it'll certainly provide a healthy bump over the maximum 160 horsepower from the diesel, especially running through a custom Flowmaster dual exhaust. An NP-205 two-speed transfer case switches between 2H, 4L, and 4H. The Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear axles feature lockers and 3.52 gearing in back. Skyjacker Black Max provides the suspension to keep the 37-inch BFG KM2 on the pavement or the dirt. About 11,000 miles ago the owner rebuilt and upgraded the drivetrain, installing new accessories like a high-rise intake, four-core radiator, new alternator and Holley fuel pump. Losing the K5 body for an E-body Challenger cap means losing M1009 features like the rifle rack and gas can mounts. But you gain style, something real hard to find on a vehicle stout enough to back you up when you tell the crew, "I've been to hell and I'm going back." As part of that rebuild a few miles back, the minimalist interior got all new panels, dash and custom gauges, headliner, seats, and a Sony audio system with Alpine amps, a sub, and Kenwood speakers.

Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards

The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money Awards picks winners by looking at the average transaction price, five-year total cost of ownership, the regard a car has from the automotive press, reliability figures from J.D. Power and Associates and safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The result, according to the magazine, is "the best combination of critical acclaim and long-term value."
Ford nabbed six of the 21 categories that received awards this year, the Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Escape and Edge getting trophies. Toyota and its Lexus and Scion sub-brands took another five, the Tacoma and Tundra owning the two categories given to pickup trucks. The other ten awards were split between Honda with three, Buick with two, and one each for Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Chevrolet and Mazda.
Follow the link to see all the winners and read about why they were chosen.

Sunday Drive: Performance comes in many shapes and sizes

The Chevrolet Corvette has always stood out as a bastion of reasonably priced performance, and the latest 'Vette has that in spades. And while its expected starting price of around $120,000 certainly isn't cheap, it's an undeniable deal in the supercar world – remember, this thing'll do 210 miles per hour thanks to its 755-horsepower supercharged V8 engine. And did you get a load of that massive rear wing? Team Corvette's longtime foe, the Porsche 911, is similarly hellbent on ultimate performance. And as a reminder of how long the Corvette/911 rivalry has been melting tires we present the 1990 Porsche 911 as reimagined by Singer you see below. It's beautiful, it's green, and it's packing 500 air-cooled horsepower. You don't have to burn gasoline to go fast, as proven by the second-generation Tesla Roadster, which was revealed as a surprise late last week. Elon Musk says it'll be the quickest car in the world with a 0-60 time of just 1.9 seconds. And while you may not think of a semi truck when you think speed, the Tesla Semi can do 0-60 in 5 seconds flat unloaded, or in 20 seconds with a load of 80,000 pounds. Compared to today's crop of diesel semis, that's amazing. Continuing the truck theme, we present an artists rendering of what the next-generation Ram 1500 pickup may look like. Spoiler alert: Ram's mini-semi look is giving way to something much more modern. There may even be a first-of-its-kind split tailgate at the rear. And if you don't think the Ram 1500 has anything to do with performance, we should remind you that it's one of the cheapest ways to get a tire-shredding Hemi V8 engine in America. 2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1: All hail the 755-horsepower C7 king This is the first Porsche 911 to get Singer and Williams' 500-horsepower engine Tesla Roadster surprise reveal | 'Quickest car in the world' Tesla Semi Truck revealed: Here are the key details This could be the next-generation 2019 Ram 1500 2019 Ram 1500 spotted with split tailgate