06 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Slt Laramie 4x4 5.9l Cummins Diesel Long Bed on 2040-cars

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Hellcat motor 'fits like a glove' in the Wrangler and Gladiator, says Jeep

Just like "technically correct" is the best kind of correct, "technically possible" is the best kind of possible. Specifically, it's technically possible to slot a Hellcat crate motor into the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, as confirmed by Jeep brand chief Tim Kuniskis. Speaking to Australian media last week, Kuniskis went on to say that "everybody" keeps asking him if the supercharged, 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 fits in the Wrangler and Gladiator, and that the answer is yes. "It fits like a glove," said Kuniskis. But — there is a but — the fitment is so close for comfort, it makes the combination one that Jeep can never produce. "There's no air space around the engine [...] so you have no crush space, you have nothing that can be used to absorb energy in a crash. It's not a problem to put it in — other than emissions and fuel economy — except it would never pass any crash tests, and that's a problem," as Kuniskis told Drive. However, since the Hellcat is now out of the bag, it's probably only a matter of time until hobbyists with access to these engines will start putting them into Wranglers and Gladiators. And with the time-honored piece of advice — just don't crash into anything — it'd be a combination worth seeing and hearing. Just to throw it out there, a "Hellcrate" engine costs less than $20,000 new. Kuniskis also said that Jeep is "gauging interest" for the J6 concept, one of the Easter Jeep Safari concepts that were just revealed. "[The J6] is just a concept at this stage. But that doesn't mean we're not going to gauge interest for it." However, he said justifying its production is apparently "tough."

Detroit's new fleet of donated police cars have safety issues [w/video]

In a show of generosity in mid-August, Detroit's business leaders donated $8 million to the Police Department and Fire Department in order to buy 100 new police vehicles and 23 EMS ambulances. But now officers have discovered - and complained - that the police vehicles have glaring safety issues, Deadline Detroit reports. It is not made clear what models of the fleet vehicles - which include police versions of the Ford Taurus, the Chevrolet Caprice and the Dodge Charger - are affected by the safety issues.
Officers reportedly have complained that the Plexiglass partition separating front-seat officers and back-seat prisoners is easily breached, and that the front passenger seat is installed too close to the dashboard. Prisoners who manage to writhe out of their handcuffs can bend the Plexiglass and reach into the cockpit, and sitting too close to the dashboard can render airbags more dangerous and make officers more vulnerable to injury in a crash.
Mark Diaz, president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, received the complaints and reportedly said the vehicles would get safety updates addressing the issues. But Deadline Detroit reports that it checked some of the offending police cars and, as of the last few days, they hadn't been updated.

Nine cars we wish were convertibles

The snow has melted, the sun is shining, and the days are getting longer. At the Autoblog Detroit office we feel like our winter hibernation is finally over. And with warmer temperatures come visions of opening up a convertible roof and cruising. You know, just turn up the bass and let the Alpine blast. There are plenty of droptops on sale in the US, and more on the way (like the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata). That said, we always want more. More! More! More! In that spirit, we cooked up a list of nine cars aren't currently sold as convertible, but ought to be. Check out our picks, below. Summer's just around the corner. Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S In some parallel universe, this car actually happened. Toyota showed us a FT 86 Convertible concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013, and we immediately started licking our chops over the thought of a rear-wheel-drive convertible based on the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S twins. These days, the MX-5 Miata is our only option for affordable roadster fun. A competitor to the Mazda seems like a no-brainer to us, especially since we have naught but good to say about the BRZ/FR-S as-is. Unfortunately in our present timeline, this car is as likely for production as a BRZ STI. Which is to say, not very. Dang. Lexus RC F Unlike the FR-S, a convertible from Toyota's luxury division might actually see the light of day. The current IS convertible is about to be phased out, and the Lexus LF-C2 concept from the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show is really a thinly veiled look at a possible RC convertible. A droptop RC would be plenty good, but let's reach for the starts. What we really want is to run topless in an RC F, complete with that powerful, loud, 5.0-liter V8 engine. Lexus says the RC F is a true competitor to the BMW M4. If that's true, it only makes sense for Lexus to mimic the Germans and offer its performance coupe in a folding hardtop form. Maybach Landaulet Maybach is bach back, recast as an upper crust trim level for Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes-Maybach S600 is seriously awesome, and more luxurious than a trip to the spa. But why not go a step into the truly ridiculous levels of extravagence and bring back that open-top Landaulet? We think your local princess will love this idea, and with better S-Class bones underneath, Jeeves will have a pretty enjoyable ship to steer, too. Besides, with that slick new Mercedes design language, a Landaulet redux wouldn't be nearly as hideous as the old model, pictured here.