Kurt Ernst, Contributor
Articles
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On October 16, Johnny Bohmer, owner of Performance Power Racing, strapped himself into the driver’s seat of his 1,700+ horsepower Ford GT, then pointed the nose towards the end of NASA’s... -
Jay Leno Drives The 2012 Tesla Model SJay Leno may have 10w40 coursing through his veins, but that doesn’t mean the comedian and car guy is averse to embracing new technologies. Leno’s commuter car is a Chevy Volt, which he bought to save enough gas to drive his Hemi ‘Cuda on the weekend (though we seriously doubt...
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NASCAR Recap: Jimmie Johnson Takes Win, Series Points Lead At MartinsvilleJimmie Johnson hadn’t won at Martinsville since 2009, but you’d never know that from the way the Hendrick Motorsports driver raced on Sunday. Starting from pole, Johnson led the highest number of laps in the race before dueling Kyle Busch for the lead with five laps remaining. When the...
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NASCAR Tums Fast Relief 500 Preview: The Chase Returns To MartinsvilleIf it’s stock car racing history you’re after, it’s hard to beat a trip to Martinsville Speedway, located just south of Martinsville, Virginia. Built in 1947, it was one of the first tracks to be paved, and it’s been on the NASCAR schedule since 1949. The half-mile oval...
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Ford Racing’s Raptor Assault Program: Our Kind Of Driver’s EdIf you buy a high-performance automobile, there is no shortage of factory-backed training programs to teach you how to be both fast and safe behind the wheel. Porsche has its own academy, as do AMG and BMW, while automakers like SRT and Fiat rely on the services of others. Buy a serious off-roader...
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Jay Leno And The World's Strangest 1968 Camaro: VideoWhen it comes to restored or modified cars, an insurance agent can either be your best friend or your biggest nightmare. Few things are worse that finding out your cherished ride wasn’t insured for replacement value, adding insult to the injury of theft or accident damage. State Farm...
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Chevrolet has released details on the fifth-generation small block V-8, destined for use in the new C7 Corvette. The base LT1 6.2-liter V-8 will make 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque,... -
2014 Chevrolet Corvette (C7) Gets New LT1 V-8If you expected the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette’s fifth-generation small block Chevy V-8 to be chock full of technology, it sounds like you won’t be disappointed. Chevy has announced the specifications for it’s latest 6.2-liter LT1, and they are impressive indeed. First, the new...
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Ford F-150 Tuner Trucks Headed To SEMA, TooThe best-selling vehicle in Ford’s lineup is the F-Series pickup, and that’s been the case for many years. If Ford is using SEMA to highlight other hot sellers, like the Escape and Fusion, it stands to reason that tuned F-Series pickups would command booth space, too. Truckin’...
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Renault Discusses The 2014 F1 Engine Design RegulationsToday, Formula One cars are powered by naturally-aspirated, 2.4-liter V-8 engines, made by either Renault, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari or Cosworth. That changes for 2014, as the new regulations call for turbocharged V-6 engines, not to exceed 1.6-liters in displacement. Although the 2014 Formula One...
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Autonomous Tech Coming To Volvo Cars In 2014Like it or not, a future filled with semi-autonomous (and eventually, fully-autonomous) automobiles is coming. For all the complaining from enthusiasts (ourselves included), there’s no denying that self-driving cars will improve safety for today’s attention-impaired drivers, as well as...
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Pagani Huayra Chassis Number 1 For SaleConventional wisdom tells us that cars depreciate in value, and that even “sure bet” collector cars have been known to lose money for investors. We recently told you about the oldest-known Ford Model A, which sold in 2007 for $693,000, but hammered at just $264,000 when resold last...
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Back in June, we told you about a contest tied to Ford’s latest Mustang customizer website that would award four lucky designers the Mustang of their dreams. The process was simple enough:... -
Kepler Shows Its Hybrid Supercar In Action: VideoIn 2009, a company calling itself Kepler Motors revealed its Motion hybrid supercar at the Dubai International Auto Show. The concept produced a claimed 800 horsepower, and was capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds, on its way to a 200 mph top speed. At the time, Kepler said...
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Full Jeep Lineup May Be Manufactured In ChinaAs it looks to counter the effects of declining European sales, Fiat is turning an eye towards China. Still viewed as the world’s largest automotive market, Fiat thinks there’s opportunity to resume Jeep production in China for the local market. Today, all Jeep models are produced in...
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Local Motors And Domino’s Select Ultimate Delivery Vehicle DesignLast August we brought you news that Domino’s Pizza was collaborating with Local Motors, creator of the Rally Fighter, to crowdsource the “Ultimate Delivery Vehicle” for Domino’s wheel-shaped, tasty edible wares. Besides 15 minutes of fame, the contest promised to pay...
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Gasoline, Created From Air, Heading To Motorsports - EventuallyThe idea of using air to create gasoline sounds like the stuff of science fiction, on par with the efforts expended by ancient alchemists to turn lead into gold. If such a process were successfully developed, it stands to reason that it could make its inventor very, very wealthy. As New Scientist...
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Mercedes To Rely On Plug-In Tech For Future Large CarsWhile mainstream cars downsize to four and even three-cylinder engines, there will always be demand for large and luxurious cars like the Mercedes-Benz S Class. Buyers have no issues accepting a four-cylinder C Class, but it’s unlikely that the same can be said about the flagship S Class...
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The Sao Paulo Auto Show may not rank among the highest-profile events in the automotive world, but that’s not to say it’s insignificant. In fact, Nissan chose Sao Paulo to show it’s... -
Fisker Partners With The Aftermarket To Show The Karma At SEMAIf you thought that SEMA was limited to tuners and mainstream automakers, think again. Even extended-range electric sedan builder Fisker is back in on the action this year, partnering with suppliers to demonstrate personalization options for its Karma sedan. First up is 3M, who will be on hand in...
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NASCAR Recap: Matt Kenseth Survives The Carnage In KansasWhile new pavement generally means faster speeds, it also means lots of cars into the SAFER barrier as tire wear can be unpredictable. Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at the freshly-surfaced Kansas Speedway was no exception to this rule, and the race drew 14 cautions over its 400 mile length...
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NASCAR Hollywood Casino 400 Preview: The Chase Returns To KansasNASCAR has been running Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway since 2001, but the track the series returns to this weekend isn’t the same track that drivers have known for years. It’s still in the same location, and it’s still a mile-and-a-half tri-oval, but a freshly-paved surface...
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Ford Showing Pair Of Tuned Escapes At SEMAFord’s list of tuned vehicles for this year’s SEMA show just keeps on growing, and now the automaker has announced a pair of unlikely show cars based on its new Escape compact crossover. Both variants are based on a 2.0-liter EcoBoost-powered SE model, though only one gets all-wheel...
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Volvo Welcomes Maryland Man To The Million Mile ClubIrv Gordon is perhaps the best known Volvo owner on the planet, having racked up nearly three million miles on his 1966 Volvo P1800 over his four and a half decades of ownership. That’s earned him notoriety and a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, but he’s by no means...
Kurt Ernst