Indy Limo
"I, just as Preston Tucker have believed in a brighter future .I believe that we are suppose to be driving hover cars and living on the moon by now (Blade Runner, 2001 Space Odyssey). Just thought you might have some readers that once believed in that too." [sic]
That's part of the letter we got from Mike Pettipas about "my company and my dream." He's an automotive designer and builder who has patented the street-legal Indy Limo. Check out the Indy-style car for yourself at indylimos.com.
New Dearborn Development Center
It has been a test track and even an airport in the past 60 years, but now the locale is the Dearborn Development Center for Ford employees and engineers who work at the Ford Research and Engineering campus. In the past, everything from fuel-economy testing to government certification shared the land, but now it will be dedicated to engineering functions, including a vehicle-dynamics area for high-risk maneuvers, a steering-and-handling track, and a section with varying road surfaces for checking for leaks, rattles, and other bad noises.
TrailBlazin'
Here's the package-a 6.0L, 395hp, 400-lb-ft of torque LS2; a Hydramatic 4L70-E four-speed automatic; 12.8-inch front disc brakes; and ABS all standard. Sounds like a fun car, right? This isn't packaged in a car, instead it's the outline for the TrailBlazer SS, which is Chevy's upscale version that is also rated to tow 6,700 pounds. If you were looking for something to tow that 9-second drag car to the strip or your boat to the river, a pickup would probably get the job done. But today, we want to pack our friends and family along as well. The TrailBlazer SS can seat five passengers easily and up to seven with the third-row seating. Try that with a single-seat pickup
This is what brought us to the GM Milford Proving Grounds and a test ride with GM Performance Vehicle Operations Director John Heinricy. If you follow sedan racing, that name probably sounds familiar. Put John behind the wheel of a Corvette or Camaro on a road course, and he'll find a way to win. So diving into a hard right-hander at over 100 mph in the rain with John behind the wheel was disconcerting at first but became totally enjoyable as the TrailBlazer SS cooked through the water-sheeted corners with tremendous control. And John was driving the rear-wheel-drive version, not the all-wheel-drive option that would have probably been even better in the wet. By far the most impressive part was the SUV's braking effort, where this 4,550-pound Blazer hauled down from triple-digit speeds with consistent precision, guided by optional, 20-inch, polished-aluminum wheels and 255/50R20 V-rated tires. At more than 4,500 pounds, this monster should not be able to do the apex-cutting tricks John mustered it to perform, and it's a high-14-second vehicle on the dragstrip thanks to that LS2 power. It may not be a musclecar in appearance or towing capacity, but its performance in the twisties would embarrass most '60s machines. Just so you know. -Jeff Smith