October 8th, 2009
Some say that the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 from 1949 was the very first breed of muscle car. It aroused the public interest for its power and speed. It featured a powerful and innovative engine, consequentially America’s very first high-compression overhead valve or V8. This engine is present in the earlier Oldsmobile body. A magazine for muscle cars said that putting a V8 engine in the hood of a typical car and running faster like a sports car belongs to the Oldsmobile.
Some manufacturers showcased a performance of limited edition and flashy models. Chrysler is among the first ones that led such vehicles to become popular. An inspired mixture of Hemi luxury car trappings and power found in Chrysler’s 1955 C-300 became the newest attraction of NASCAR. This particular model became “America’s Most Powerful Vehicle” due to its 224 kW or 300 horsepower.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: America, car, Chrysler, Dodge, engine, hour, Max Wedge, model, Muscle, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Pontiac, power, Rambler, Rebel
Posted in Automotive News | No Comments »
October 7th, 2009
A “muscle car” is a term referring to the high performance variety of automobiles. This term usually refers to Australian, South African and American automobile models. It is generally a 2-door mid-sized vehicle with a rear wheel drive. It also has a powerfully large V8 engine and sold at a very low price.
The very first one that came out was produced between 1960s and 1970s. In most cases, the two main purposes of muscle cars are for racing and street use. They are different from GTs and sports cars. These have two seats or 2+2, intended for touring and road racing. These are different from the muscles cars because of the small size, special nature and high cost. There are varied opinions as to whether compacts, high-performance cars as well as pony cars qualify as classic muscle cars.
The country of origin and age of a car determines if it is a classic muscle car or not. The use of the term “muscle car” occurred only after the end of the vehicle’s production. During the time when the production of muscle cars is still at its peak, the American media regard them as “super cars.”
Tags: American, car, History, Muscle, performance, production, term, use, Variety, vehicle
Posted in Automotive News | No Comments »
October 7th, 2009
Have you driven a sports convertible out in the open with the hood fully down and you cannot hear anything except for the wind rushing through your ears? If you do this regularly, it can cause permanent ear damage. According to the Journal of Otolaryngology, if you are cruising at speeds of more than 50 to 70mph, your ears are exposed to more noise than a pneumatic drill. As a result, this level of exposure can cause serious damage to your ears.
They tested a whole range of car convertibles and conclude that at speeds of more than 50mph the estimated noise level reached between 88 to 90 decibels.
Here are three simple things you can do to prevent the noise level to be too high:
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: cannot, Convertibles, damage, ear, Ears, hood, level, mph, noise, open
Posted in Automotive News | No Comments »
October 7th, 2009
What makes the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla so good with fuel economy? A comparison showed that not all compact cars are able to get the same fuel economy, no matter what they may advertise. I will tell you that out of this highly competitive category the similarities are more abundant than the differences.
Most of these vehicles come equipped with a four cylinder engine as their chosen powerplant, whether they be as small as 1.5 liter or as large as a 2.7 liter. The weight ratings for the majority of compact vehicles do not exceed 1400 kg and they come in both manual or automatic transmissions.
The most obvious answers to gain the most bang for your buck when it comes to fuel economy would be to have the smallest engine pushing the least amount of weight. The manual transmission or having more gears, such as a six speed automatic or manual, has historically been the choice for fuel misers, but axle ratio on manual’s is often stronger so the initial launch of a vehicle is smoother. If this is the case, the engine’s RPM’s will be higher at higher speeds.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: amount, Corolla, Economy, engine, Fuel, Honda, liter, programming, Toyota, vehicle
Posted in Automotive News | No Comments »
October 7th, 2009
It seems more than just a coincidence that all the world’s top prestige saloon car manufacturers seem to be located in Germany. For a country with a reputation for precision and efficiency it really is no surprise that their cars have consistently raised the bar for the rest of the automotive industry to follow.
The three most popular prestige saloon manufacturers in Europe are undoubtedly Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. All three of these brands have been rolling out critically lauded models year on year for decades now. The question is; how does the potential customer decide which of these manufacturers to invest in?
The answer can be arrived at by considering your own personal driving style and matching it to the right car brand. For the rather reckless drivers, who like the boyish thrill of over-taking dangerously and approaching roundabouts in no gear lower than fifth, the BMW seem to offer the most appeal; due primarily to high torque in low revs and precision steering.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Audi, Benz, BMW, car, coincidence, country, efficiency, Europe, Germany, Mercedes, precision, prestige, reputation, saloon, Surprise, world, year
Posted in Automotive News | No Comments »