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How a Chrysler New Yorker rally car turned father and son into best friends

Cars have a weird way of bringing fathers and sons together. You might not want to talk to your dad (or son) about politics, but if you can get him into a conversation about 1950s automotive design, then you can chat for hours. The latest video from Petrolicious looks at how Jonathan Auerbach and his dad bonded through racing in long-distance rallies in an absolutely brutish 1951 Chrysler New Yorker.
The Auerbachs have over 10,000 miles in competition on this behemoth of a Chrysler. It packs a 354-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) hemi V8 with Weber carbs under the hood, and driving it looks more akin to piloting a ship than any kind of on-road vehicle. The New Yorker can take a pounding and just keep going, too. Jonathan says that they hit two deer during one event, and the only damage to the car was some missing trim up front.
The next goal is to prep the car for the arduous Peking to Paris Rally. The big Chrysler should be quite the sight when it rolls across the finish line in France. Scroll down to hear this poignant story about a father and son becoming best friends while racing an American classic. You might want to have a tissue handy, if you're close to your dad, though.

Amazon is showcasing its big push into cars and transportation at CES

From making cars talk using Alexa's voice to managing data from factories full of robots, Amazon wants a big piece of the action in transportation, and next week at CES will unveil more about its strategy to achieve that goal than ever before. The Seattle retail and cloud services powerhouse plans to use the annual technology show in Las Vegas to unveil its plan to be a major player in self-driving vehicle technology, connected cars, electric vehicles and management of the torrents of data generated by automakers and drivers, company executives told Reuters. Amazon Web Services, which provides large-scale cloud computing and data management services, is central to Amazon's strategy. "We really are extending ourselves more and more out in the ecosystem from manufacturing to connected car," Jon Allen, head of professional services in Amazon Web Services' automotive practice, said in a telephone interview. "The takeaway message on this is if you go to CES this year we really are taking it as a 'One Amazon' view." Until now, Amazon has shown its transportation strategy to investors — and rivals — one piece at a time. Amazon has invested in self-driving software startup Aurora. It also has signed deals with automakers to deliver packages to vehicle trunks, help develop electric vehicle charging networks and use AWS to network their factories. The Seattle company will share the CES stage with partners such as virtual reality firm ZeroLight, electric vehicle startup Rivian, Canada's BlackBerry Ltd and video game software development company Unity Technologies. "It's our attempt to weave everything together in a single experience for our customers," Dean Phillips, AWS' automotive technical leader, told Reuters. "Customers don't distinguish AWS from Alexa from Amazon.com. It's Amazon."   Related: As GM readies Alexa convenience for vehicles, we ponder its dark side   At CES, ZeroLight and GM's Cadillac will demonstrate how they are partnering to develop an online vehicle configuration experience that will allow high-fidelity images of vehicles that consumers build online to be taken with them on visits to dealers, Phillips said. The process can open the door to dealers better meeting customer needs by knowing what users focused on when building their dream car. It has already boosted profit per vehicle at Volkswagen's Audi brand by an estimated 1,200 euros ($1,340), he said.

Plymouth Belmont: Running, driving, Virgil Exner-owned concept car could be yours

Concept cars are such bittersweet things. They're often gorgeous and exciting, but all too often they never see production in even the most watered-down forms. And even then, the beautiful shapes aren't usually driveable. But in the case of this 1954 Plymouth Belmont concept, it is drivable, and it could be yours. This curvaceous roadster, which appeared at the 1954 New York Auto Show and was owned at one time by Chrysler styling master Virgil Exner, is driveable because under the long hood is a 241-cubic-inch V8 coupled to a three-speed automatic transmission. It's not a speed demon with just 157 horsepower, but that's OK, because you don't want to accelerate so fast you deprive the world of the Belmont's beautiful body. For a design from the 1950s, it's impressively restrained and elegant. The flanks are completely smooth and flowing, the only interruptions being the shut lines to the small doors. There aren't even door handles on the sides. Chrome and polished stainless accents are left only to the lights, bumpers, grille, and a slender line that runs along the peak of the fenders from stem to stern. Even the fins are small and subtle (relatively). Even the interior is simple and clean. The dashboard is made of machine-turned metal with white on black analog dials and compass-like needles. Everything else is wrapped in a very light beige leather (probably vinyl), and again, polished surfaces are kept to a minimum. Of course the other great part is that this concept is something you could own because it will go for auction at Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction. There's no publicly available estimate for how much money the car may bring, but it does have a reserve, so be prepared with a little extra cash even if you have the winning bid. The auction runs from Jan. 13 to Jan. 21. Related Video: Image Credit: Barrett-Jackson Chrysler Auctions Convertible Concept Cars Classics