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Thieves still love older Hondas and pickups most, says NICB [w/video]

No one wants to have their car stolen, but a new study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau has some bad news for older Honda owners and pickup drivers. Fortunately, it has better news for drivers overall. The group is reporting that according to preliminary data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, thefts were down 3.2 percent in 2013 (versus 2012) to fewer than 700,000 cars. That's the lowest figure since 1967. That's also less than half of the peak of over 1.66 million thefts in 1991. "The drop in thefts is good news for all of us," says NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. "But it still amounts to a vehicle being stolen every 45 seconds and losses of over $4 billion a year."
Honda drivers might not find it such good news with older Accord and Civic models topping this year's theft study. Toyota and Dodge can't really celebrate, either, with two models each on the list, as well. Overall, this year's list was split evenly between foreign and domestic models, which were mostly pickups.
The 10 most likely vehicles to be stolen in 2013 were:

Dodge Viper ACR still can't quite capture Nurburgring record

Dodge Viper production ended just a few weeks ago. So in an effort to go out with a bang, a crowdfunded effort sent a pair of new Viper ACRs to the Nurburgring in order to reclaim the production-car lap record. Despite its best efforts, the team failed to top the Lamborghini Huracan Performante's time of 6 minutes and 52 seconds. The Viper's best lap was 7 minutes and 3.45 seconds, leaving a seemingly insurmountable gap between it and the Lamborghini. This past week, the Vipers went out again. Unfortunately the new time of 7:3.23 only shaved a few tenths. Road & Track reports that the hot weather played a major factor into the car's performance. August is hot in Germany, and the northern part of the track had a recorded temperature of 111 degrees. This was killing tires and therefore grip. While Kumho has been kind enough to supply the team with tires, an endless supply of rubber doesn't help if they keep getting cooked. In two hours, the team managed just two hot laps, killing 16 tires in the process. It's not over. A return trip is in the works. The team believes it can slide under the 7 minute mark. Still, it looks like it's going to take some really ideal conditions to make it work. Either way, the Viper ACR is and will remain one of the fastest production cars ever built and something of the likes we'll never see again. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Road & TrackImage Credit: Dodge Dodge Coupe Performance dodge viper acr

2020 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak will debut at SEMA

Mopar fans have countless reasons to get hyped about the 2019 SEMA show. Speedkore is bringing a twin-turbocharged, all-wheel-drive Dodge Charger Hellcat Widebody, Mopar is bringing a done-up 1968 Dodge D200 "Lowliner," Ram is bringing a diesel 1500 overlander, and Jeep is bringing a custom off-road Wrangler. But the launch of the new 2020 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak might garner the most attention from the brand's most serious customers. Prior to the show, Mopar teased a photo and a short video clip, both showing a new Dodge Challenger from the overhead view. The white Challenger showed a wide blue stripe down the center of the car with two pinstripes along each side. "Powered by SRT" runs across the top of the windshield, and Mopar logos grace both sides of the car just beneath the side windows. Red decals run back from the rear quarter panels and connect across the rear of the car. It also has hood pins on the SRT Hellcat hood and a parachute attached the rear. There's a parachute because this is the factory turnkey drag-race-focused Dodge Challenger racecar. Mopar released no other information on what type of hardware the Drag Pak will be using, or what's under the hood, but the video gives a great preview of the exhaust note in full tire-smoke mode. As some Drag Paks in the past have dropped roughly 1,000 pounds from their production starter vehicles, the 2020 model will surely utilize plenty of weight-savings methods such as the removal of all interior comfort features that don't apply on the racetrack. Mopar has also previously altered the position of the engine and changed the wheelbase to the benefit of better weight distribution. Mopar is set to livestream the unveiling starting at 7:26 p.m. ET (that's 4:26 on the West Coast, which not coincidentally coincides the the displacement of the vintage 426 Hemi engine) on Nov. 5, 2019. Until then, check out the 2009, 2010, 2011, or 2016 Drag Paks.