1962 Chevrolet Impala 454 V8 Headers, Auto, Power Steering Sharp! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gem: 1988 Chevrolet Spectrum Sport Coupe

Before General Motors created the Geo brand for cars built or designed by its overseas partners, the Chevrolet Division put its badges on U.S.-market versions of the Toyota Corolla Sprinter, the Suzuki Cultus and the Isuzu Gemini. Those cars were known as the Nova, the Sprint and the Spectrum, and all became Geos starting with the 1989 model year. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of the last Chevy Spectrums ever sold, found in a Denver self-service yard a few months ago. Midway through 1988, the Chevrolet Spectrum abruptly became the Geo Spectrum and was assigned to the 1989 model year. This car was built in May 1988, making it one of the very last of the pre-Geo Spectrums. The Chevrolet/Geo Spectrum was available as a four-door sedan and as a three-door hatchback, from the 1985 through 1989 model years. For 1988 only, a Spectrum Sport Coupe package, featuring some trim upgrades and these rad decals, could be had on the hatchback. This car was essentially identical to its Isuzu-badged counterpart, the I-Mark. In 1988, the MSRP for the cheapest possible Chevy Spectrum hatchback (the stripped-down Spectrum Express) was $6,495, while its somewhat better-equipped I-Mark twin started at $7,439 (that's $17,128 and $19,617 in 2023 dollars). Meanwhile, the base Hyundai Excel hatchback listed at $5,295 and the Yugo GV cost a hilarious $4,199 ($13,963 and $10,941 in today's money). Power came from this 1.5-liter SOHC four-cylinder, rated at 70 horsepower. A turbocharged version with 110 horsepower was available as well. You could get an automatic transmission in the Spectrum, but this car has the base five-speed manual. This car didn't get the optional air conditioning, but at least it has the traditional Isuzu HVAC control icons featuring blow-dried hair and high-heeled dominatrix boots. Just over 170,000 miles on the odometer. Someone installed a pretty good (for the 1980s) Blaupunkt Charlotte CR148 cassette deck in the dash. This was a necessity if you wanted to enjoy full appreciation of the music of the era. The Spectrum is special! It's as slick as city rain. "I didn't spend a lot of money but with my Spectrum it looks like I did." Joe Isuzu mocked Toyota salesmen when pitching the I-Mark. As was nearly always the case during the 1980s, the JDM ads for the same car were much more fun. They should have recreated this commercial with Spectrums.

Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Boss 3.0 concept heads to SEMA

Chevrolet is presenting a new take on the Colorado pickup at the SEMA show this year. The show truck picks up where the Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition leaves off, with numerous accessories from the parts catalog as well as several custom additions. The SEMA truck is based on a Crew Cab model with four-wheel drive, painted red with rally stripes. Among the features added from the catalog are a sport bar with LED auxiliary lighting, mounted to the cargo bed. It's also stylistically augmented with fender blares, Bowtie emblems, and rocker steps all done up in black to match the 17-inch alloys shod with Goodyear DuraTrac all-terrain tires. Chevy has also equipped this truck with an automatic locking rear diff, a transfer case shield, recovery hooks at the front, a spray-in bedliner, projector-beam headlamps, fog lamps, and all-weather floor mats. Chevy has also fitted this pickup with color-keyed door handles and mirror caps, upgraded exhaust and air intake, rubber floor liners, brushed metal interior trim, and an illuminated grille badge. Public reception will determine how many of these and other additional features will be considered for production. Colorado Z71 Trail Boss 3.0 Concept Shows Off-Road Style New styling accessories, performance parts enhance trail-ready capability LAS VEGAS – The Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition is designed for those who want to blaze their own trails and Chevrolet's new Z71 Trail Boss 3.0 concept vehicle enhances its off-road style with new Chevrolet accessories and performance parts. Chevrolet introduced the new concept vehicle at the SEMA Show today, where it joined concept versions of the Silverado 1500 and HD models to demonstrate the depth and breadth of the brand's three-truck lineup. "The Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition is made for tackling the tough terrain required to get away from it all and this concept version does it with rugged style," said Sandor Piszar, director of Chevrolet Truck Marketing. "And whether it's the Colorado, Silverado 1500 or Silverado HD, there's a Chevy truck to take you where you want to go, regardless of whether there's a road leading there." The production 2016 Colorado Z71 Trail Boss is offered in extended and crew cab configurations, with a choice of a long or short cargo bed and available 4WD – as well as the all-new 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel, which takes the maximum trailering rating up to 7,700 pounds.

Recharge Wrap-up: 'Racing Extinction' Tesla, Wards praises 3 hybrids

The makers of Racing Extinction used a tricked out Tesla Model S for their movie. The artists and activists used the electric car as a platform to project images from nature in various cities to raise awareness about imperiled wildlife. In addition to a the high-powered projector, the Model S features a electroluminescent paint job that emits light to mimic creatures found in the wild, such as bioluminescent sea life. It also has a thermal imaging camera in the front of the car with a filter to view CO2 emissions. Check it out in the video above, and read more at Ecomento. WardsAuto has named the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid's powertrain to its list of 10 Best Engines. As the first plug-in hybrid to make the list, WardsAuto World Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter praises Hyundai engineers for their "impeccable job blending fuel efficiency with refinement and daily usability." Wards notes the car's smooth transitions between electric and hybrid modes, and a well-connected six-speed automatic transmission. Other electrified vehicles to make the list are the 2016 Chevrolet Volt and 2016 Toyota Prius. Read more from Hyundai, at Green Car Reports. FEV's plug-in hybrid battery pack has gone into vehicle series production. The 10-kWh battery pack, developed by the German development services provider, offers an all-electric range of about 30 miles. FEV says its battery management algorithms are just as important as choosing the right battery hardware. "The core system for the battery development is our own mature battery management system (BMS), now in its third generation, that together with optimized algorithms allows a very reliable and stable control of the battery," says FEV's Dr. Michael Stapelbroek. Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the press release from FEV below. Hybrid Vehicle Goes Into Series Production FEV development competence consists of batteries, controls, as well as complete drive systems FEV has demonstrated competence in the development of alternative drive concepts for almost twenty years. Most recently, yet another plug-in hybrid vehicle has gone into series production with technology provided by the Aachen-based developer. In addition to using an innovative transmission concept which is based on a FEV patent, FEV also developed the battery technology of the plug-in hybrid vehicle to series production readiness.