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Archive for April, 2011

The 2009 Mahindra Scorpio All Muscle

The 2009 Mahindra Scorpio is all power and muscle which is what its makers would like this SUV to be associated with. Its tagline runs thus: brawn to rule. This statement makes intentions clear. This models aggressive theme is pitched as much against the competition as much as it is in the consumers minds. The body bumper for instance it says is designed is remind you of the armour on a gladiator. Theyre toughened to defend the body. And tailored to demean other cars. This is just one of the themes the 2009 Mahindra Scorpio has adapted.

The Scorpio is given a few changes here and there but the most important is the engine itself. The 2.6 CRDe which powered the vehicle till now will no longer be available with this vehicle. The new CRDe engine is a top mounted intercooler intercooled 2.2litre fourcylinder fourstroke turbocharged mHawk diesel which now carries slightly increased power over the previous versions at 120 bhp. This engine comes with Scorpio Micro Hybrid technology which allows the engine to switch to standby mode in situations in which it is not required to rev up. This Mahindra believes saves gas. This engine glides on a fivespeed manual transmission.

The new features for this year consist of a signature front steel grille that is now more pronounced multifocal headlights new fog lights new bumpers embossed side cladding chunky door handles footstep that is integrated into the rear bumper power rear mirrors and a new bonnet scoop.

Other features are the usual ones like the tyre pressure monitor which is called by another name tyretronics. An added feature is the intellpark which is basically a set of sensors installed in the rear bumper of the vehicle. What this does is to warn the driver of the presence of any obstacle in the vehicles path when it is in reverse. The absorbers have been upgraded to perform better too. They now come with five independent links allowing the vehicle to absorb most ups and downs on the roads.

The 2009 Mahindra Scorpio consists of a set of important elements to give it style and good appearance although these are not very dramatically different from the previous years models. Some of these embellishments are its steel signature wide grille alloy wheels air dams and mud flaps and decals.

The 2009 Mahindra Scorpio has a good number of amenities for its interiors. Some of these are middle row sliding seats centre armrest on second row seats tiltable steering and heating air conditioning and ventilation.

Twotone interiors power windows central locking power steering rear wash and wipe rear demister follow me home headlights illuminated footboards illuminated key ring side step cruise control and audio control are some of the other conveniences given to the 2009 Mahindra Scorpio.

These go with a long list of accessories that come with this model. One can have roof mounted air conditioner entertainment systems rear spoiler wheel plates bull bar baby seat body cover and a choice of security systems are among these.

The 2009 Mahindra Scorpio has a host of safety features that make travel in it a good ride in most Indian conditions. It comes with a collapsible steering column which crumples on its own in the case of frontal accidents thereby taking the impact of the crash off. The body has crumple zones at major points which again neutralizes the severity of some kinds of crashes. Fireretardant cushion tubeless tyres and antilock braking system make up some of the other important safety aspects of this vehicle.

This is a vehicle that fits Mahindras claim of its being a muscle SUV. It can take the rough with the smooth and is versatile to conduct itself on most Indian conditions.

About the writer:  Carazoo.com

The 1955 Chrysler C-300-the Beautiful Brutes

If ever a nickname was appropriate the one writer Karl Ludvigsen came up with was perfect when he called the 1955 Chrysler C300 the “Beautiful Brutes”. This car was truly a brute in looks as well as power and was the car that really kicked off the horsepower race when it came out with the first 300 horsepower engine in a production car. The C300 could be considered to be the first muscle car but it didn’t fit the popular description of what was then called a super car. To be a super car the engine had to be the biggest one in the smallest body. The engine was the biggest by far but the body was also one of the largest so it wasn’t a super car even though it ran like one.

In 1951 Chrysler came out with a Hemispherical Combustion Chamber engine with 180HP which caused quite a stir and gave an indication of the horsepower race that was going to heat up over the next 20 years. If people were surprised in 1951 then they were flabbergasted when the horsepower was raised to 300HP in just 4 years.

The 1955 C300 was called the “Forward Look” styling. Even though it was designed by Virgil Exner people joked that it was designed as much from the Chrysler parts bin as it was by him. The front clip along with the grill was taken from the 1955 Imperial with the midsection from the New Yorker model and the Windsor contributed the rear quarter. Exner was able to put all these together along with base model Chrysler bumpers and ended up with a design that turned out to be one of the classic body styles of all time. While it was a stripped down model with no back up lights or out side mirrors it did come with tan leather upholstery and the options included power seats and windows tinted glass radio and heater and stylish KelseyHayes wire wheels.

Chrysler had good success in NASCAR National Association Of Stock Car Automobile Racing racing with their Hemi engines in the years leading up to 1955. They were 2nd in NASCAR in 1953 and won the championship in 1954. Even though the Chryslers more than held their own it wasn’t until 1955 when it appears they decided to dominate NASCAR by basically building the C300 especially forNASCAR racing. With a Firepower Hemi engine putting out 300 horses from 331 cubic inches it was the hottest production car in America. They won 22 out of the 40 races in 1955 in one of the most dominant racing displays ever.

Although the Chrysler C300 only sold 1725 cars in 1955 they packed the showrooms with people wanting to see the monster that was setting speed records from the drag strip to the Bonneville Salt Flats and all types of speed events in between. Even though it was over 50 years ago I remember when the 1955 cars hit the showrooms like it was yesterday. My buddies and I were like kids in a candy store as we went from showroom to showroom. That was the year Chevrolet debuted their new V8 and they also had the newly designed Corvette. Ford brought out their new Thunderbird that year. Both Oldsmobile and Buick were redesigned and their super cars both got power increases.

All of these and several other were exciting but the one that topped them all was the Chrysler C300. It was the first American production car to have an engine with 300 HP and even though it weighed over 4000 pounds the statistics were pretty amazing. It would do 060 MPH in less than 10 seconds and had a top end of over 130 MPH depending on which one of the 3 optional rear axle ratios were used.

Due to it being an automotive icon and with low sales numbers the 1955 Chrysler C300′s bring some eye popping prices when they can be found. One sold earlier this year for 181500. Not a bad increase from the 4000 they cost new which was pretty pricey back in 1955. If you are a Mopar Collector this would be the crown jewel in your collection.

About the writer:  I’ve been a driver and collector of classic cars and hotrods for over fifty years. Check out my website at Classic Car Hunter

Texas Dealer Opens E85 Station

Last Friday those traveling in Texas who have vehicles that could run on E85 fuel had just a grand time. A refilling station of E85 fuel opened in Texas and this is the very first E85 station that is wholly owned by a dealership.

This dealership is the Classic Chevrolet/Hummer and this dealership has invested over 500000 to make sure that this biofuel refilling station goes to work. Of course it is important to note that this dealership has been one of the most successful dealerships in the nation and knows just how important it is to invest money right. According to statistics this dealership has been able to sell the highest number of trucks under the Chevrolet brand last year.

As per the new biofuel pump the Classic Chevrolet/Hummer pump known as the Classic Clean Fuels station would be able to fill up the fuel tanks of cars which can run on E85 biodiesel and E10. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oils or even from animal fats. E85 is a combination of 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent conventional gasoline. E10 is a mixture of 10 per cent ethanol and the rest is made up of conventional gasoline.

Charles Martin is the general manager for the Classic Chevrolet/Hummer dealership and on the new refueling station he commented We sell a lot of trucks capable of running on alternative fuels like E85 and even though there has been some increased availability we saw a need for more E85 pumps where drivers could fill up. This was the right thing for us to do for our customers and it’s good for the Metroplex.

As part of the grand opening of the Classic Clean Fuels station car maker General Motors took part in the opening. The company had sponsored a promotion that lasted for two hours it started from 7 oclock in the morning and ended at 9 oclock. During this period consumers who would be purchasing E85 fuel from the pump would be given a discount. The regular price of E85 is 2.74 for each gallon. However during the promotion period of two hours each gallon could be bought for only 85.9 cents.

Larry Burns is GMs vice president for Research and Development and Strategic Planning. He stated Theres no telling where this might lead. We have to keep looking for ways to improve the overall ownership experience of our customers.

Of course this is the very first dealershipowned biofuel pump. But analysts are looking at more pumps like this. Soon there may be even dealerships selling automobiles with Lincoln Zephyr parts who would be opening pumps like this.

About the writer:  Anthony Fontanelle is a 35yearold automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.