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The award-winning team at RealWheels Corporation put together another killer theme vehicle for this year’s SEMA show. Starting off with a Chevy Avalanche, the team layered on some BASF paint and added a ProCharger blower, Corsa exhaust, Superlift suspension, GWG 20-inch wheels wrapped in Toyo tires, Katzkin leather interior, custom bodywork and grille, auxiliary lights and brush guards and a whole bunch of A/V equipment. Oh, and there’s a guitar; drumsticks; fog machine; laser lighting; airbrushed graphics of Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson, and Bun E. Carlos; band vinyls and a Rockband video game, all to remind us that this is, after all, the Cheap Trick Dream Police Tactical Vehicle. Continue reading…

While covering this year’s SEMA show from Las Vegas, we were shocked to see so many young ladies who had apparently gotten lost on the way to the pool at the Hilton. Smart businesspeople in the hall coaxed these girls into standing around their cars to attract customers to their booths. Continue reading…

The first word that came to mind when we saw the Knight XV was this: warthog. Sure, there are other words you could use, but consider this: it’s not attractive, it’s ridiculously tough, it’s called in to deal with nasty situations and it kills things, all of which tend to be the traits of vehicles that earn the moniker “warthog.” Based on the Gurkha military vehicle, the 10,000-pound, Ford F-350 Super Duty-based Knight XV is armored to an unspecified degree, but looks like it will stop more than a pea-shooter. It’s got a 6.8-liter V10 that packs 400 hp and 500 lb-ft to keep you moving, and inboard ABS brakes to get you stopped. Those tires are 40-inchers wrapped around 20-inch aircraft-grade wheels. Oh, and it also runs on E85, which means it’s more environmentally friendly than any other warthog. Except the hairy one. Check out the specs after the jump, and the gallery of high-res photos below featuring details shots and images of the interior, as well. Continue reading…

The Knight XV is inspired by the Gurkha military vehicle. It is handcrafted and also a fully armored luxury SUV. The Knight XV is powered by Bio-fuel V10 (good for 400 hp and 498-ft lbs of torque) and features Wilton Wool carpeting, Andrew Muirhead leather, 6-way seating, tandem sunroof glass with privacy shades, side-mounted laptop stations, LED cabin lighting, an Alpine DVD navigation and Bluetooth setup, TVs, night vision and rear op camera system, and surprisingly a Sony PlayStation 3. They took 1,500 hours to make one, that’s about two months and there were only 100 units made available, one will cost $295,000. More pictures after the break.

:: Product page Continue reading…

SEMA 2008: Ring Bros bring the goods once again with 1969 RAZOR Camaro

We first heard of the Ring Brothers back in 2006 when they brought their REACTOR Mustang to the ROUSH booth. That car was nothing less than stunning, and we’ve made sure to check out any of their custom creations since then. On display this year is the RAZOR Camaro that won the Goodguys Street Machine of the Year for 2008, making it the second year in a row that the Ring Brothers have earned the award. Continue reading…

Car enthusiasts will see some spectacular cars at the 2008 SEMA. One of them is 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow built by Joe’s Street Rod Shop. With 1350bhp, this very special Rolls Royce is a land speed record breaker! This beast is packed with luxurious features including full leather, Vintage Air A/C, four TVs and a jar of Grey Poupon.

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We’ve certainly heard of massive wheels custom made for trucks and vehicles, but hearing of someone actually making 30-inch tires seems like a new revelation. The one we’re talking about here is the Pirelli’s Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico in 315/30R30 size being made from year 2006.

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Neil Young starts Linc Volt electric car conversion company

Sure, you’ve got a couple Neil Young CDs and maybe a battered Farm-Aid T-shirt, but if you’re really into ol’ Shakey, you’ll pick up one of his hotrod electric Lincoln conversions. Yep, Neil’s started a company called Linc Volt to develop electric car technologies, and he’s already converted his own personal ‘59 Lincoln in an attempt to win the Automotive X-Prize — a process that’s the subject of an upcoming documentary. Young says he’s mostly focused on developing the tech — Linc Volt will provide instructions as well as performing the actual conversions. Sure, we’re into it — just make sure it’s got one of those rumbling speaker systems and we’ll take two.

[Via AutoblogGreen]

Top Gear - Porsche 911 GT2 vs Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4

In the new season of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson pits the Porsche 911 GT2 against the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. Both are about the same price, what about performance. Can the 911 beat the Gallardo? Find out after the break.

Judge sides with Fisker in Tesla arbitration case

It started out with allegations of stolen secrets and quickly gave way to plenty of jokes involving “bad karma” before ultimately winding up an in arbitration, and it now looks like the legal tussle between Tesla Motors and Henrik Fisker of Fisker Automotive has finally come to a close. That lawsuit, as you may recall, had accused Fisker (who worked on Tesla’s WhiteStar sedan) of stealing Tesla’s hybrid technology and using it in Fisker’s own car, the Fisker Karma. The judge in the case apparently couldn’t disagree more with Tesla’s claims, however, and has now cited “overwhelming” evidence in ruling in Fisker’s favor. For it’s part, Tesla simply said that, “we disagree with the ruling, and we’re focused on producing and shipping cars to our customers,” while Fisker is expectedly taking the opportunity to gloat a bit, saying that the ruling “completely vindicates” Fisker.

[Via AutoblogGreen]

A garage full of Lamborghini’s which uses an Aircraft carrier like system to take cars to and from an underground garage.

[Geekologie]

Flying car to be a reality soon

Whoever thought that the Jetsons era is yet far, far away, had better think again. Thanks to Moller International who are developing The ‘Autovolantor’ - based on a £200,000 ($328,000) Ferrari 599 GTB, the flying car could soon be a reality. The car will have the ability to take off vertically and hover thanks to eight powerful thrusters, which direct air down, for take off. The vents then tilt helping the car to fly forward. Designer Bruce Calkins says the car features a specially designed hybrid fuel and electric system to power the thrusters, creating as much as 800 horsepower. Continue reading…

Fireworks Help Find Your Car

Every time I get out of a car I yell to my friends the exact floor, side, and column it’s located on. Two hours later we’re all wandering around trying to find it. Constantly clicking the remote keyless entry doesn’t help unless you’re within audible distance. I need something bigger, something I can’t miss. How about fireworks? Continue reading…