1981 Dodge 4x4 Dully 1 Ton Crew Cab on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jay Leno's 426-powered 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 is simple and simply fun

This week on Jay Leno's Garage, the man in denim presents one of his most subdued-looking cars, a 1966 Dodge Coronet 500. Despite that, it's one of his favorites. As he shows, the car is nearly free of any unnecessary options, excepting bucket seats and a console shifter. At least those are the only visible options, since the original owner also opted for the massive 426 cu. in. Hemi V8. What Leno really likes about the car is the honking huge V8 combined with the car's simplicity, especially the lack of frivolities like scoops, stripes, and wings. It's finished in a low-key, dark metallic green, and has plain-Jane "dog dish" wheel covers. The one downside to the vehicle is the lack of stopping and turning ability, Leno says, which is not surprising considering the four-wheel drum brakes and lack of power assist. And keep in mind, the Coronet is not a small car. Still, it's a mean green machine, and it sounds great. Leno also demonstrates the engine's capability to chirp the tires going into second gear, despite having a three-speed automatic and a relatively tall 3.23 rear axle gear ratio. Check out the video above to get the whole story and to hear rumbling V8 noises. Related Video:

Tesla Model S P85D shows 707-hp Dodge Challenger Hellcat how to drag race

Street Car Drags hosted a bang-up event at the Palm Beach International Raceway last weekend, with a list of massive horsepower ICE cars going up against one another and a trio of Tesla Model S P85Ds. One of those duels pitted the 691-horsepower Tesla against a 707-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, and the result was an old-school beatdown and a world record for electric cars. The Model S P85D ran the quarter in 11.6 seconds at 114.6 miles per hour, the new mark for BEVs at the drag strip. Proving its pace, it ran three more times in 11.69, 11.72 and 11.76 seconds. It got from the start line to 60 miles per hour in 3.1 seconds. The Hellcat, well, it wasn't a race, really. It was the Hellcat's driver's first time at a drag strip and his first time trying to launch it, so after an excellent burnout ahead of the lights, he rolled to the line, almost jumped the start, balked at the real start and spun his tires for the first 100 feet down the strip. The theory is that he overheated his street tires during that burnout, and the resulting greasy rubber did what greasy rubber does. By the time he got to the other end 17.46 seconds later the Tesla driver had showered and was enjoying a funnel cake. When things go right, though, Dodge estimates the Hellcat will do 11.2-second runs on street tires and it has been clocked at 10.85 seconds at 126.18 mph on street-legal drag radials. There's video of the not-quite-a-race above, and Drag Times says there'll be a rematch between the two in a couple of weeks. News Source: Street Car Drags via YouTube Green Motorsports Dodge Tesla Coupe Electric Luxury Performance Videos Sedan drag racing dodge challenger srt hellcat

The Dodge Neon is coming back... to Mexico

It's been a long time since we've seen a new Dodge Neon putt-putting around. But soon it will be back, and in North America, too, if you want to get technical about it. But this time, the Neon will be limited exclusively to Mexico. According to Ward's Auto, FCA is planning to import the Fiat Tipo to Mexico, but rebadged under the Dodge brand and with the Neon nameplate on the trunk... even if it doesn't have those signature round headlights, or a three-speed automatic transmission. Never heard of the Fiat Tipo? It debuted almost a year ago as the Aegea Project, and went into production shortly thereafter – similarly called the Egea in Turkey where it's made, but the Tipo in other European markets. It's a budget-oriented, C-segment compact with a range of four-cylinder engines, and though designed from the get-go as a four-door sedan, it rolled into Geneva last month in hatchback and wagon forms as well. The Tipo is built at the Tofas plant in Bursa, Turkey, alongside the Fiat Doblo – which is also shipped over to North America, rebadged as the Ram ProMaster City. In the Mexican market, FCA also sells the Fiat Siena sedan as the Dodge Vision, the Mitsubishi Mirage rebadged as the Dodge Attitude, and the Fiat Strada as the Ram 700 – all nameplates exclusive to our neighbors to the south. Whatever its origin, it'll be interesting to see a Neon again the next time we venture South of the Border – particularly considering that the Neon was arguably the last time that Chrysler had a competitive compact on its hands. The Caliber that followed never gained the same kind of traction, so to speak, and FCA recently ceased production (for the time being at least) of the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 to focus on larger trucks crossovers – the likes of which the Caliber tried to emulate (in style, if not in substance).