1956 Dodge Custon Royal Lancer D-500 on 2040-cars

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Question of the Day: Most heinous act of badge engineering?

Badge engineering, in which one company slaps its emblems on another company's product and sells it, has a long history in the automotive industry. When Sears wanted to sell cars, a deal was made with Kaiser-Frazer and the Sears Allstate was born. Iranians wanted new cars in the 1960s, and the Rootes Group was happy to offer Hillman Hunters for sale as Iran Khodro Paykans. Sometimes, though, certain badge-engineered vehicles made sense only in the 26th hour of negotiations between companies. The Suzuki Equator, say, which was a puzzling rebadge job of the Nissan Frontier. How did that happen? My personal favorite what-the-heck-were-they-thinking example of badge engineering is the 1971-1973 Plymouth Cricket. Chrysler Europe, through its ownership of the Rootes Group, was able to ship over Hillman Avanger subcompacts for sale in the US market. This would have made sense... if Chrysler hadn't already been selling rebadged Mitsubishi Colt Galants (as Dodge Colts) and Simca 1100s as (Simca 1204s) in its American showrooms. Few bought the Cricket, despite its cheery ad campaign. So, what's the badge-engineered car you find most confounding? Chrysler Dodge Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Suzuki Automotive History question of the day badge engineering question

Demon's NHRA competition ban: Good talking point, bad feature

One of the biggest headlines for the Dodge Challenger Demon is that, in stock form, it's so fast that the NHRA won't allow it to compete in the organization's events. It's the ultimate humble brag, "I can't drag race my car because it's so fast it was banned by the sanctioning body." Certainly Tim Kuniskis, head of FCA brands in North America, was excited. He told the press that he hugged the guy that brought him the letter banning the Demon from competition. Unfortunately, the reality is that not being NHRA-legal is kind of silly, and frustrating for owners who would want to actually race. Before we go too much farther, we should explain exactly why the Demon is illegal for NHRA competition. The car is capable of a sub-10-second quarter-mile time both on racing fuel and 91-octane pump gas. Cars that fast are required by the NHRA to have a full, certified roll cage, and the Demon doesn't. Now there are certainly ways to get around this. The most obvious would be for a Demon owner to have a company install a roll cage. Using less grippy tires than the barely street-legal Nitto cheater slicks would probably help bring that time down, too. There's also the option of putting the car into Eco mode, and, yes, the Demon has one. In Eco mode, the Demon makes just 500 horsepower, and trips the lights at the quarter-mile in 11.59 seconds, which will avoid the roll-cage requirement. However, none of these options are ideal. For one thing, if you bought an 840-horsepower car, you're not going to want to limit it when you get to a closed course such as a drag strip. Similarly, you're not going to want to ditch your super-sticky tires at the strip, especially when they're standard equipment. Finally, having to go aftermarket for a roll cage is an inconvenience at minimum, and it seems like a strange oversight considering the rest of the car. This is a car from the factory that comes with drag radials, no passenger seats, a racing fuel tune, air conditioned intercooler, and even skinny front wheels for drag racing. Its purpose is clear, but for some reason, Dodge stopped short of giving it a roll cage that would allow it to compete. Perhaps adding a roll cage would've made it difficult to pass safety regulations, and we would be more disappointed if the car wasn't allowed on the street. Even so, it seems like an odd stopping point.

Vin Diesel's Fast 8 Charger has fake jet power, sounds mean

With filming for Fast 8, the eighth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, well underway, we've gotten some sneak peeks into the actors' vehicles. Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, will once again get behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger. The Charger, which was revealed as Toretto's ride in Iceland, has been heavily modified and even features a jet turbine. Sadly, the turbine is purely cosmetic, but the sound from the car's V8 is glorious. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The videos, which were posted to Jadatoys Instagram account, capture the Charger's incredible sound when it starts, revs, and idles. While the V8 sounds amazing, there's no word on what engine lurks behind the Charger's hood. The previous vehicles from Furious 7 featured 500-horsepower V8 crate engines from General Motors, which may make another appearance in the upcoming film. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Despite being a prop, Fast 8's film crew will surely find a way to bring the turbine to life in the movie that, according to Diesel, will come out on April 14, 2017. If the movie is anything like previous ones, it should have over-the-top action and an incredible selection of cars. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Star Wars Stormtrooper Dodge Charger | Beauty-Roll