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Chevy Corvette Z06, Ford F-150 Raptor join Lego Speed Champs

Get ready to park some performance machines on your desk: Lego's 2016 line of Speed Champions kits will add seven new vehicles for next year, according to an update to the database Brickset. These include some serious muscle like a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and Ford Mustang GT. There's also a listing called "Chevrolet Camaro Drag Race" and a very cool combo titled "Ford F-150 Raptor Ford/Model A Hot Rod". Fans of European performance don't need to be jealous, though. The database shows a kit called "Porsche 919 Hybrid and 917K Pit-Lane." Plus for fans of the Four Rings, the Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro and R8 LMS Ultra are also getting their own Lego models. Fourtitude appears to have some leaked shots, if you want to see what these kits will look like. Lego has partnered with Porsche, McLaren, and Ferrari and offers Speed Champions kits for vehicles like the Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren P1, Ferrari 458 Italia GT2, and LaFerrari. The models in the series aren't as heavily detailed as the massive Mini Cooper or Volkswagen Bus sets, but they make up for that in value. The individual cars retail for a fairly affordable $14.99. The Formula One playset tops the current range at $99.99, but it comes with a truck, racecar and team figures.

1970 Chevy Camaro gets 650-hp crate engine for SEMA

The latest edition of the Chevrolet Performance catalog arrives at the 2015 SEMA Show, and to demonstrate the insane creations that are possible with it, the company has a seriously powerful machine in tow. This custom 1970 Camaro RS boasts the new LT4 crate engine that makes a staggering 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. The offering gives hot rod builders the ability to put the Corvette Z06's 6.2-liter supercharged V8 into any project where they can make the mill fit. This Hyper Blue Metallic Camaro should offer neck-snapping performance with its massively powerful engine and a T-56 Super Magnum six-speed manual gearbox. Chevy's show car is about more than just packing copious horsepower into a classic shape, though. The builders also overhaul the suspension with coilovers at the front and rear, in addition to a four-link setup at the back. Behind the 19-inch aluminum wheels, the coupe has Z06-based brakes at both ends. For better visibility, it wears LED headlights and taillights. Plus, the interior gets custom gauges and a six-point roll cage. With pieces like titanium intake valves and forged aluminum pistons, the LT4 crate engine comes ready to offer serious performance, but Chevy also gives builders a few options to fit their application. The mill is available with either wet- or dry-sump lubrication. Depending on the version, there are kits to fit front-end accessories, air conditioning, and power steering, as well. The new Chevy Performance catalog features other high-performance components like Z06-based parts for the standard Stingray and an array of performance upgrades for the 2016 Camaro, including suspension lowering kits, brake upgrades, and more. We look forward to seeing this vast collection of goodies at SEMA this year. Related Video: Classic 1970 Camaro Shows Supercharged LT4 Heart Contemporized muscle car highlights new Corvette Z06-based crate engine LAS VEGAS – Chevrolet Performance is showing off the new LT4 crate engine in the most attractive way possible – under the hood of a classic 1970 Camaro RS. The concept vehicle was introduced today at the SEMA Show, in Las Vegas. As the supercharged 6.2L heart of the Corvette Z06, the LT4 is rated at 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful production-vehicle engine ever from General Motors. The new crate engine – offered in dry-sump and wet-sump versions – allows builders to use the high-tech performance engine in their hot rod projects.

Farley reacts as UAW expands strike against Ford, GM

Members of the United Auto Worker union walk out of the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant as Lance Williams from Lansing, Ill., waves the UAW flag Friday. (AP)   As the United Auto Workers walk off the job at an additional Ford and General Motors plant, Ford CEO Jim Farley addressed investors and members of the media Friday, pleading the case for the company's latest overture to the union and addressing both public and investor concerns regarding the core issues facing American manufacturing.  Farley made a public case for Ford's efforts to resolve the dispute, expressing frustration with the ongoing stalemate and noting both the concessions Ford offered before the strike began and the signing of a contract with Canada's Unifor. Farley also acknowledged UAW President Shawn Fain's success in getting the union's message out, quipping: "Shawn has been on TV more than Jake from State Farm at this point." The first-ever simultaneous strike against the Detroit Three automakers enters its third week with threats of continued expansion, but little in the way of obvious concrete progress.  "If the UAW’s goal is a record contract, they have already achieved this," Farley said. "It is grossly irresponsible to escalate these strikes and hurt thousands of families." Farley also lamented the fact that EVs have become the subject of partisan conflict, with the company's recently announced battery production facilities taking heat from both pundits and investors as Ford was forced to press pause on the venture while negotiations continue. Former President Donald Trump dropped in to Michigan this week to declare EVs the enemy of blue-collar jobs. "They've become a political football, and that's a shame," he said. Friday saw an expansion of the UAW strike to Ford's Chicago assembly plant and GM's Lansing, Delta Township, Michigan, assembly plant, covering about 7,000 workers, Fain said in an announcement, bringing the total number of workers on the picket lines to 25,000. The strike will not include any additional members at Stellantis, where talks have reportedly been more productive. The Ford and GM plants went on strike at noon Eastern today (Friday). Ford builds the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator in Chicago. GM's Delta Township plant builds Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave. "Despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress," Fain said in a video address Friday morning.