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Lee Iacocca's very first Dodge Viper RT/10 nets $285,500 at auction

The first 1992 Dodge Viper RT/10 to roll down the assembly line, which was snapped up by Chrysler chief Lee Iacocca, yesterday hammered at the Bonhams auction in Arizona for $285,500, more than double the pre-sale estimate. According to a history of the car published by the auction house, Iacocca, in his introduction of the Viper to the press, pointed to the car on stage and said, "This one right here is mine." That historic Viper, with serial number 001, has never been available on the open market, as Iacocca kept the car from new until he passed away last year. The car has been driven just 6,200 miles and was being sold by his estate. Other Lee Iacocca cars offered at the same sale fared less well. A 1986 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country convertible — the ultimate expression of Iacocca's company-saving K-cars — with 20,500 miles on it sold for $19,040. That's less than the $20,000 to $25,000 the auction house had estimated the car would bring. A third car from the former auto executive's estate was a customized 2009 Ford Mustang. The pony car was one of a limited run of 45 Iacocca-branded custom Mustangs, which were reworked by Metalcrafters and sold by Galpin Ford in Los Angeles. The Iacocca Mustang, never titled and with 220 miles on it, hammered for $49,280. Related Video:     Featured Gallery Lee Iacocca's 1992 Dodge Viper RT/10 View 13 Photos Celebrities Chrysler Dodge Auctions Automotive History

Dodge Challenger Hellcat driver arrested hellbound at 160 mph

When fisherman catch big fish, they want the world to know about it. That's approximately how the Indiana State Police felt when they busted a 707-horsepower muscle car booking it at more than 160 miles per hour. The ISP were chuffed enough about the catch that they put out a press release titled, "160 Mile Per Hour Hellcat Tamed On The Indiana Toll Road." The Dodge Challenger Hellcat driver, J. Jesus Duran Sandoval, told the arresting officer that he was "just trying to get to Maryland." The incident began just after Trooper Dustin Eggert finished helping a stranded motorist on the toll road at about 7 p.m. Eggert was merging back into traffic when he saw the Hellcat blast past at well beyond the 70-mph speed limit, allegedly weaving through traffic and — shock! — not using a turn signal for lane changes. With a Bandit on his hands, Eggert took the role of Smokey, and just like Burt Reynolds movies, couldn't catch the offender. Seems that Indiana State Police Dodge Charger Pursuit vehicles are speed limited to 150 mph, allowing the Hellcat to pull away. Eggert radioed for officers ahead to look out for the red baron, but received an assist before other LEOs swooped in: Eggert caught up to the Hellcat 11 miles down the road when the red coupe got held up behind two semis driving next to one another on the two-lane toll road. Sandoval pulled over, admitted he was doing a little more than 160 mph, then delivered The "Maryland" Defense unfazed by the fact that Maryland was more than 500 miles from his location. Turns out that 38-year-old Sandoval, from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was also unbothered by driving on an expired license. The coppers took Sandoval to the LaPorte County Jail and booked him on reckless driving, bond set at $505, court date set for April 2. The ISP said this is the second time in two weeks they've busted someone doing more than 130 on the Indiana Toll Road. It's the second time in a year they've busted a Hellcat doing so — in April 2017, another pilot played Bat out of Hellcat at 158 mph, explaining his speed as a bit of show-and-tell for his friends in the car. View 142 Photos Related Video:

Ram exec: first 30-mpg pickup truck will 'win'

It is totally possible, today, to take the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel pickup truck, load it up with gear and people, and drive it from Texas to Michigan while getting 38 miles per gallon. We know because we did it. Officially, though, the 1500 gets just 20 mpg combined. A more impressive number is the 28 mpg on the highway. Bob Hegbloom, the Ram brand director, thinks that there's a more important fuel economy target to hit: 30 mpg. Whichever truck company can manage that feat, he recently told Automotive News, "wins." It's kind of an obvious thing to say, but in the 1500 with both the EcoDiesel and the V6 Pentastar engine, Hegbloom said, "fuel economy is so important." Hegbloom didn't promise that the next EcoDiesel truck will manage to get on up over the 30 hump, but he did say that Ram is not sitting still when it comes to fuel economy. "I just want to have continuous improvement and to keep gaining every day," he said. "We sat still in the past and it doesn't lead to a great place."