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1968 Dodge D200 'Lowliner' adds low-down diesel torque to a lowrider

When Mopar does a custom classic car, it's always spectacular, whether it's a Dodge muscle car like the 1,000-horsepower Super Charger or the monster Jeep Five-Quarter off-road pickup. For SEMA this year, Mopar skipped another Dodge sports coupe in favor of a 1968 Dodge D200 pickup truck done up as a lowrider, but with a twist. Or more accurately, with lots of twist. Under the gorgeous candy red metallic body is a 5.9-liter 24-valve Cummins turbodiesel straight-six. It makes an estimated 325 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque, and it's paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Representatives from Chrysler estimated the weight of the engine and transmission alone at 1,100 pounds. The diesel engine's power goes to the rear wheels, which are 22 inches in diameter and 11 inches wide with fat 325-mm tires. The front wheels are a tad narrower at 9.5 inches. 1968 Dodge D200 View 7 Photos As cool as the powertrain is, the exterior and the interior of the truck can't be ignored. This generation of Dodge pickup is already intriguing with its distinct character line with a little kink at the end and ribbed and louvered hood. These unique styling cues are accented now that Dodge removed various other details from the body such as the door handles, metallic trim and such. The bumpers were also reshaped to better fit the contours of the body, and the front wheels were pushed forward to reduce the long overhang of the stock truck. The bumpers, grille, and "smoothie" style alloy wheels were also painted in a solid cream color rather than chrome, which both accents the deep red body and gives the truck a more workmanlike feel, as low-trim cars typically had painted trim instead of chrome or stainless steel. The red paint also features subtle Cummins logos on the fenders and Dodge block lettering on the tailgate. The interior continues the simple and classy theme. The original bench seat remains, but with saddle brown leather upholstery. Leather trim has been added throughout, and exposed metal parts have been painted in the same color as the exterior. Simple gray cloth floor mats cover the bottom of the cab, and the instrument panel uses new Mopar gauges in a machine-turned metal housing. The original steering wheel remains, but a custom shifter with red Cummins shift knob sticks through the floor.

Bob Bondurant driving school closes a month after entering Chapter 11

On Oct. 2, the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In its filing, the 50-year-old racing school said it owed between 50 and 99 creditors an amount between $1 million and $10 million, and had $1 million to $10 million. The school released a statement at the time saying, "Our plan is to emerge from this process as a stronger company and continue to drive this company into the next 50 years." Instead, on Monday, Nov. 12, the Chandler, Arizona-based facility closed its doors with no official explanation. On top of its classes for aspiring racers, law enforcement authorities, and general population students, Bondurant has been the official driving school for Dodge SRT vehicles since 2015. Over the past two years, Dodge has included a one-day training course for any SRT buyers and lessees, redeemable within a year after finalizing the deal for the vehicle. To read the tale of one Hellcat owner at the Hellcat.org forum, even the school's instructors didn't see the closure coming. Forum member Av62nv arrived at Bondurant Monday to start his four-day experience. After a lengthy pause in the middle of the day, Av62nv wrote that the instructor walked in and told the class, "Sorry guys, don't know how to say this, but as some may know the school is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and it looks like 7 now. We are closed." Another poster in the forum, CubeMan, wrote that "Technicians and staff loaded their toolboxes, and paychecks have apparently bounced." Apparently family scion Jason Bondurant arrived and tried to explain; the short of it was that the good thing had come to an abrupt end, but there was "a chance it could come back." Other posters in the forum noted how they have reservations as far out as June 2019, or haven't been able to get to their classes yet because of delivery delays with their SRT cars, and have no idea what's happening. The website is still up, but a Bondurant spokesman confirmed the closure to Classic Cars, and a note on the school door reads, "School is closed. Direct all inquiries to Pat Bondurant." Pat is Bob Bondurant's wife, who married the former race driver in 2010 at the Monaco Grand Prix. A month ago, Bondurant's Chapter 11 bankruptcy statement said, "We will continue operating and serving our students and corporate groups as usual while we develop new business relationships to ensure the vitality of the company in the future." Obviously, that won't happen.

Florida Highway Patrolman seen watching YouTube in traffic

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating allegations of a trooper watching YouTube videos on his official in-car laptop while driving. Lee County Florida resident James Peebles caught the alleged offender during his morning commute in early April, NBC2 reported. After exiting I-75, Peebles said that the FHP cruiser rolled up next to him at a stop light where he could clearly see the trooper inside watching a car race on Youtube on an official FHP laptop. Peebles put his car in park and snapped a picture of the cruiser before continuing to work. Later that day, he posted the photo to Facebook where it quickly went viral. "It blew my mind," Peebles told NBC2. "Everybody's human though, so I do know that we all make mistakes." NBC2 contacted the FHP for a statement after speaking to Peebles. An FHP spokesperson told the station that troopers are allowed to use their laptops while driving squad cars when carrying out official duties such as "simple inquiries" and "reviewing the nature of incoming messages". Other Florida motorists, like Jim Kosmerick who was interviewed by NBC2 for this story, don't consider watching an old race on YouTube to be official FHP business. "It's not official business, there's no way you can convince me otherwise," said Kosmerick. The FHP says that they are now aware of this fast moving viral image, and that they are taking the issue very seriously. They state that an investigation into the matter is underway, and that troopers are expected to abide by department policy and lead by example. Related Video News Source: NBC2 Government/Legal Weird Car News Dodge Driving Safety Police/Emergency Videos Sedan distracted driving Dodge Charger Pursuit