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Following Monday's surprise announcement that GMAC financing will be approving auto loans only for customers with a 700-plus credit score for the immediate future, General Motors told dealers today it will be ...

So we admit it: the US car industry is not doing so well. But that’s because the whole economy is down, people are spending less, gas recently became very expensive, etc. There are reasons that are out of the manufacturer’s control. Despite all of this, you can’t say that US car-makers have consistently produced hideous-looking cars. Although not all, most cars would pass the “ok, that looks fine” test. But what the heck is it with these European car markers (except for many of the German brands/models, of course).

Missing for nearly 35 years, and dubbed by Hot Rod magazine as the “most incredible barn find ever”, the Roth creation, Orbitron, was recovered from Juarez, Mexico, where the original fiberglass body and frame, with engine intact, was being used as a dumpster in a permanent parking spot in front of a sex shop.

It’s the day you have been waiting for your entire life. A few weeks ago you passed your driving test, and purchased your first car. In that time, you have slaved over your new baby, slowly transforming it from a front-wheel drive hatchback into a certified street racer. You have installed a body kit, new racing gauges, a new exaust, and more stickers than you can count. Today however it is finally finished. You just bolted on the rear wing.

Dear Future: We're really, really sorry. Kinda got carried away, what with all the petroleum and all. You're probably wishing that we had saved a few barrels of oil for you, for airline travel and making fertilizer. And those little plastic swim fins would come in handy, now that Greenland has melted.

Wow look whats right-minded arrived in time for Christmas! The All New Acme-Tech 1/10th Ranking Electric Radio Controlled Rock Crawler.
If assist is the key to racing, finesse is the key to rock crawling. RC rock crawling is a investigation of machine, concentration, driving ability and sheer will. RC unnerve crawlers carefully negotiate difficult rock formations and surmount obstacles that bourgeois vehicles couldn't even begin to climb.

The mother of a missing 3-year-old Florida girl went before a judge Wednesday to hear charges she killed her daughter, a day after she was indicted after four months of searches yielded no sign of the child.

Filed under: Motorsports, China

Click above for high-res gallery of the Chinese Grand Prix

If you've been following the 2008 Formula One World Championship and watched the last few races from Japan Singapore and Italy, you've likely grown accustomed to some serious white-knuckle, wheel-to-wheel racing. This weekend's Chinese Grand Prix bore little resemblance to those topsy-turvy, order-upsetting races, and more like a centrally-planned parade that Red China has grown accustomed to. So if you missed today's race from Singapore, don't fret. You can follow the jump to find out how it turned out.

Continue reading Parade Laps at the Chinese Grand Prix [SPOILER ALERT]

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Filed under: Acura, Honda

Honda's engines have always been a bit special. Not Mazda rotary, miller-cycle or tiny V6 special, but a bit off the beaten path and resistant to market trends. For decades the Japanese automaker insisted on making engines that rotate the opposite direction than the rest of the industry (in line with its motorcycle roots), and took what seemed like an eternity to go back on its founders aversions to any more than four cylinders. Well, as anyone who's stepped into an Acura dealership knows, a V6 still doesn't cut it when you're trying to lure customers away from the likes of Lexus and BMW. And the new TL may have the company's most powerful V6 to date, but even in today's socio-economic climate, luxury consumers still want V8 muscle. Reports now indicate that Honda is ready to cough it up.

The confirmation reportedly comes straight from Honda CEO Takeo Fukui, who says that a V8 engine will be earmarked towards the company's luxury brand Acura. No official word on where the eight-cylinder engine will land, but we can expect it to find its way into the engine bay of the top-of-the-line RL and probably an SUV, as well. Fukui reportedly promises his V8 will be highly efficient, but while we won't expect it to rotate in the opposite direction, it promises to plug the gap between the company's existing V6s and the V10 in the highly anticipated successor to the NSX.

[Source: All Cars, All the Time]

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Filed under: Motorsports, Alfa Romeo

IndyCar teams and fans have grown accustomed to the proliferation of Italian racing car chassis as Dallara has been supplying them for the past eleven seasons, now all but exclusively. But with Honda's engine supply contract coming to a close, series organizers have been discussing new powertrain options with a number of manufacturers. Among them is Alfa Romeo, the Italian automaker widely anticipated to make a return to the North American market in the near future.

This wouldn't be the first time Alfa Romeo has provided motivation for the largely American racing series, having participated in the late 80's and early 90's with a project adopted from Ferrari. However, despite the company's deep racing heritage, Alfa Romeo does not currently compete in any major form of motorsport since the N.Technology team stopped campaigning race-prepped 156 Super Turismos in the World Touring Car Championship. The responsibility for developing the IndyCar engines - 3.5-liter V8s under the current regulations, tipped to be replaced by turbocharged fours - would presumably fall to Fiat Powertrain Technologies, headed by Paolo Martinelli, formerly head of Scuderia Ferrari's engine program. Nothing's certain, however, since IRL organizers are also rumored to be discussing a renewal with Honda as well as with Audi, Porsche and an undisclosed fifth automaker.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

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