Autoblog

Click above to view gallery of stills from Saturn's Project Runway appearance

Project Runway is one of those reality shows that you both can watch, if you know what we mean. Though most men man not admit it, watching Heidi Klum and a bunch of models walk down a runway makes up for the obnoxious antics of the designers. This week's episode incorporated one of the show's long-time sponsors, Saturn, which heretofore has been relegated to supplying the winner with that year's Saturn du jour as a grand prize. Episode 7, however, brought Saturn onto the runway in a challenge that required the contestants to create fashions using parts from the new VUE. Make it work, indeed. Though we haven't watched the episode yet (oh yes, we DVR it), the best part appears to be when the designers begin dismantling a pair of VUEs for materials. Mental note: be wary of used late-model VUEs for sale in and around New York City. It appears the designers were most attracted to any cloth they could find in the vehicles, with seat belts being a hot item. We're not going to spoil for you who won the challenge, except to say that the design was not our top choice. You can check them all out in the gallery below, as well as some stills from the episode.


[Source: Bravo via Jalopnik]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Splinter Wooden Supercar

You may remember our post on the Splinter wooden supercar late last year. At the time, the grad students behind the project being led by Joe Harmon only had renderings of what the Gaia-approved exotic would look like. They deserve extra credit, however, for having the actual car ready for the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta last week. While they've yet to reach the running prototype stage, they did marry the car's body to its all-wooden chassis. Renderings are one thing, but seeing photos of the actual car is inspiring. The body is comprised of basket-woven wood that's coated with resin in a mold, which we suppose makes it a different kind of carbon fiber altogether. Next up is actually fitting the drivetrain, which thankfully is not made of wood, and getting the Splinter moving under its own power. We may have doubted at the beginning that this project would ever be completed, let alone be this cool, but consider us converts.



[Source: Building the Splinter via Jalopnik]

Click above for high-res gallery of the EarthRoamer in action

Being that my family's in the motor home business, I know a thing or two about RVs. One thing I know is that they don't like going off road. Hell, they don't like potholes and speedbumps. Being constructed mostly of balsa wood and tinker toys, modern RVs tend to shake like an earthquake over anything but ribbon-smooth pavement. That's why the EarthRoamer XV-JP is unique. It's the only camper that's ever traversed the Rubicon Trail without flipping on its roof, and that's due mostly to the fact that it's based on the Jeep Wranger Rubicon Unlimited platform. In place of the standard Jeep's two rear doors is a big box containing a bench seat, small kitchen, a toilet (!) and extra storage. It's not very roomy, but the 'Loftop' roof flips opens to increase headroom to, oh, about nine feet, as well as make room for the queen size bed on which you'll be sleeping. There's even an 80-watt solar panel on the roof to charge the batteries when you're parked and a 160-amp engine alternator to keep things powered while on the move. A 6,100btu furnace, 25-gallon water tank and indoor and outdoor showers round out the RV-ification of this Jeep. For those looking to tackle some serious bush, the EarthRoamer packs electric locking front and rear differentials, an electric sway bar disconnect, twin Dana 44 differentials and a Warn 9000 heavy-duty winch. If you do head for the trail, though, just make sure your pots and pans are securely stowed.


[Source: Squob]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Topos Sail concept

Turns out the recreational and commercial vehicle show in Dusseldorf, Germany has attracted more concepts than the just the Fiat Portofino. Volkswagen showed up with the Caddy Topos Sail concept, another nautical-themed vehicle that brings the boat life to land locked lovers of the water. Based on the Caddy MPV, the Topos Sail concept's biggest attraction is its roof, which is covered in wood decking and surrounded on all sides by aluminum roof rails. The roof deck is designed for lounging in the sun just like on the deck of a yacht, and the panels flip up to act as back rests. The concept also features a nifty ladder built into the rear lift gate with wooden steps, as well as wood trim elsewhere on the vehicle's exterior. We're certain it doesn't float, but you could park the Topos Sail down by the docks, climb up on the roof and order a daiquiri to get the full effect.


[Source: VW]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Dodge Viper ACR

The Dodge Viper has been Chrysler's halo car since it was introduced back in 1992, but times are tough. Faced with the fact that it might not be able to continue making the brutish sports car, the Auburn Hills-based automaker is reportedly considering doing something that's never been done before by a domestic automaker (as for as we know): selling the Viper's future to a third party. Automotive News quotes Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli saying, "We have been approached by third parties who are interested in exploring future possibilities for Viper." Nardelli claims that whatever happens, his company will work to make sure the best interests of Viper fanboys are served and that Chrysler would continue to offer "operational and financial" support for the car if a transaction takes place. We're honestly a little stunned that Chrysler would consider such a drastic action, though if it means the Viper won't be sacrificed at the altar of economic woes, we're all for it. On the other hand, how does one separate Dodge from the Viper? Can you imagine Ford selling the Mustang to ROUSH or GM selling the Corvette to Lingenfelter? Chrysler has not identified any of the Viper's suitors, so rather than a familiar tuning house, it could also be a conglomerate of investors or another automaker. Is a Viper sold by another brand still a Viper?


[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Click above for high-res galleries of models from Moscow

While Russia's auto industry is certainly not known for the beauty it produces, the country's stock of fashion models seems limitless. Standing next to each vehicle on display at this year's Moscow Motor Show was a maiden who, as you can see in the gallery below, was usually more attractive than the metal against which she was leaning.

Click above to enlarge

Oh sure, we've already shown you spy shots of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse that reveal the kit and kaboodle, but don't let that take away from GM's release of a teaser shot showing the upcoming sedan's new grille. Along with the pic, GM confirmed that the new LaCrosse will debut at the upcoming LA Auto Show in November. We'll be there to cover the reveal, as this smallest of Buick sedans (for now) will be a big player in the brand's future success. It's nice and all to have a critically acclaimed full-size crossover in the Enclave, but more and more buyers are moving away from big CUVs into smaller vehicles at the moment, and Buick hopes they'll move right into the new LaCrosse.

[Source: GM]

Credit goes to our friends at Jalopnik for orchestrating the shot you see above, which took some quick planning and a lot of luck. General Motors recently held a sneak peak media drive for the Chevy Camaro V6 out in San Diego, and unfortunately only the biggest buff books and Edmunds Inside Line were invited (tsk, tsk). Jalopnik decided to crash the party the best way they know how - by showing up driving the Camaro's two biggest competitors, the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. Classic Jalopnik, and how they managed to find two black ones we'll never know.

This is the first published picture of all three modern muscle cars together, at least that we know of. Jalopnik EIC Ray Wert and his team weathered an extremely miffed GM PR person to get it, and word is we'll have video later of the heated exchange. What GM got miffed about is unknown, since last we checked San Diego had no laws against driving your car and parking it on public streets. Now if you'll excuse us, we have to rummage through our junk folder to find the invitation to this event that we're sure GM sent and we somehow never got.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Click above for gallery of the 2010 Camaro SS

We've had fun looking at the new Camaro in LS and LT trim, and even the RS appearance package livens things up a bit, but if we're to be honest, we really only care about the SS model. Fortunately for us, new photos of the Camaro Super Sport have found their way online thanks to Kevin Kolvenbach who goes by the handle of RagSS on the forums. It's claimed that RagSS took these pics, which we find suspect considering their high quality. Well, maybe he took this one. Regardless, they were taken and we're told show the Camaro SS basking in the sun around Hudson Valley, New York, another claim we doubt considering the type of vegetation and, oh, we don't know, large mountains in the background. Go west, young man.

With a 6.2L LS3 V8 producing 422 hp and 408 lb-ft of torque, the SS will be the cream of the Camaro crop for now and probably some time to come, as its power level puts the SS nearly on par with the base Corvette. While the Camaro SS may lack many of the Corvette's other attributes, we're fairly certain Chevy doesn't want to start cannibalizing Vette sales.


[Source: AutoInsane]

Click above for more pics of the U.S.-spec Ford Fiesta

Autoblog reader Chris stopped for a Whopper with cheese at just the right moment the other day, as he happened upon a U.S.-spec Ford Fiesta five-door hatchback in his local Burger King's parking lot. The car's status was confirmed by the rather open Ford engineer who was driving it, who claimed that his car was 98% production ready for the U.S. He even let Chris sit in it, and he reports that the interior (see pic here) fit and finish was top notch with soft-touch materials and some seriously impressive seats. He told us the switch gear, IP dials, etc. also worked well and that he was surprised to find push button start in such a small car. While Chris did ask about what was powering this particular Fiesta, the engineer refused to comment saying only "we should be excited with what the plans are." Consider us excited. Thanks for the tip, Chris!