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Rare Dodge Shelby Dakota is a very '80s sport truck

The late-great Carroll Shelby built an incredibly successful career of making all sorts of cars faster, more often than not, with a bigger or more potent engine under the hood. The icons are well known—legends like the Shelby Cobra, GT350 Mustang, and the big GT500. But by the 1980s, Shelby was plying his trade over at Chrysler, at the behest of chairman Lee Iacocca, churning out special editions like the Dodge Shelby Charger, zippy CSX, rorty GLHS, and this—the 1989 Shelby Dakota muscle truck. 1,500 of these racy pickups were built for just one year and a whole two-and-a-half decades later they still turn heads. This one especially. The spotless pickup recently turned up for sale online , and its odometer reads a claimed 25,307 miles. So what makes these rarified work trucks special? As with most Shelbys, it starts under the hood. Up until 1989, the standard Dodge Dakota pickups were offered in only four-cylinder and V6 variants. But Dodge (and Shelby) wanted more, so the larger 5.2-liter Magnum V8 from Dodge's full-size pickup was shoehorned into the midsize Dakota, albeit not effortlessly. To fit, Dodge had to swap the V8's belt-driven fan for an electric unit mounted in front of the radiator. That did the trick, as well as earned the V8 a few extra ponies, pushing the special Dakota up to 175 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque. That performance may sound paltry by today's standards, but in 1989 it was seen as quite sporty, and netted a zero to 60 mph dash in 8.5 seconds. A four-speed automatic with lockup torque converter transmitted that power to the rear wheels. Additional Shelby performance goodies included a limited-slip differential, transmission cooler, along with a host of eye-catching body mods, including a unique air dam and bumpers, Shelby floor mats, monogramed seats and door panels, a "CS" steering wheel, 15-spoke hollow alloy wheels, and shouty body graphics. While the Shelby Dakota didn't return for 1990, its V8 legacy did continue, and in 1991 the 5.2-liter eight-cylinder became an option on new Dakotas. Of the 1,500 Shelby Dakota pickups built, 860 were dressed in red while a rarer 640 came adorned in Bright White. This '89 is said to be #245 of those white trucks, sold new to its original (and sole) owner in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, for $15,985 (the Shelby package cost $3,933 in its day). Currently, it's demanding bids north of $10,000 for its low-mileage originality. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.

Camaro driver clocked at 171 miles per hour

Chevy's 2016 Camaro SS is a fantastic piece of automotive engineering. It is also, apparently, very, very fast. This latter fact was perfectly illustrated when, on April 8, a Camaro SS driver was nailed in Two Harbors, Minnesota for doing 171 mph. According to WFAA, the unnamed speed demon was flying down Highway 61 near Two Harbors when Hermantown, MN Deputy Police Chief Shawn Padden clocked him at an eye-watering 171 mph. He then recorded the speeder at 168 and 141. At the time, Deputy Chief Padden was working with Minnesota State Patrol on an anti-DWI program called "Toward Zero Deaths". Padden, who was interviewed by the Duluth News Tribune, said he was surprised at the driver's sheer speed. "When he went by me, it was a blur," Padden told the News. "You get used to seeing people going 65 or 70 and what that looks like. But I've never seen anything like this. It's like a rocket on wheels." Fadden chased the Camaro down eventually, but it took some doing. To catch the Camaro, he pushed his Dodge Charger Pursuit to 135 mph just to get into range so the Camaro could see his emergency lights. The speeding driver was ticketed for careless driving, but may lose his license due to a Minnesota law that gives courts the option of revoking licenses for drivers caught doing more than 100 mph. News Source: WFAA, Duluth News Tribune Weird Car News Chevrolet Dodge Driving Safety Coupe Police/Emergency Performance Sedan camaro ss camaro

Chrysler extending production of current Dodge Avenger, Jeep Wrangler, Grand Caravan

Are you hesitant to pull the trigger on a brand new Dodge Avenger in hopes that a new one will be coming? Well, don't hold your breath. According to The Detroit News, Chrysler will be extending production of the current Avenger sedan through the end of 2015.
Originally, we heard that the company would kill the Avenger to better focus its midsize sedan efforts on the Chrysler 200 replacement. But then new reports stated there would indeed be an Avenger successor, and that we could see it as early as next January. This Detroit News report cites supplier sources confirming the extension of Avenger production, though Chrysler has not released an official statement on the matter.
These same suppliers say that the current Jeep Wrangler will live on through mid-2018 - that's right, another five years. The Detroit News reports that a replacement for the iconic, go-anywhere Jeep was due in mid-2016.