Check out interesting facts in the car world.
The Boss is back.
Ford's New Boss 302 Crate Engines
You can now get your filthy hands on a 5.0L V-8 again. A new line of Boss 302 crate engines has arrived, with racing as the key design in the blueprint. While the original Boss 302 made less than 300 hp, the new version can crank out up to 500 hp.
Displacements from 302 to 363 ci are on tap, and there are even "entry-level" ones with the Ford Racing GT-40X Xtra Performance Turbo Swirl aluminum heads, allowing for stock exhaust locations. These pups are rated at 340 and 345 hp. The more potent Z-head version is for 360 to 450 hp, and the mother of all Boss 302 crates is capable of 500 hp.
Bond, Insurance Bond
Close to $14,000. That's how much Virgin Car Insurance has determined James Bond's insurance bill would be on the Aston Martin DBS V-12 driven in the latest installment, Casino Royale. To come up with the dollar amount, the company used Bond's age (38), occupation (export consultant), and optional equipment on the car, such as ejector seats, speed-trap detector, and supercharger.
Previous write-offs were also factored in, including explosion (For Your Eyes Only), driving via remote control off a rooftop (Tomorrow Never Dies), and having a car split in two by helicopters with chain saws attached (The World is Not Enough)
7-Second Reads
*Look for GM to stop already with the minivans. Ford has.
*Remember when we told you in the Jan. '07 issue that the supposed Blue Devil Corvette was a fake, even though bigger names than ours claimed it to be reality,complete with spy photos? Turns out a couple of guys took a Z06, slapped on some homemade fender flares and a cardboard hoodscoop, and took it for a spin to see what would happen. Duped just about everyone. Except CC.
*Speed limits are hitting the Northern Territory of Australia for the first time.
*Hot trend? Buying an emblem on eBay for something your car doesn't have, such as a Hemi.
*Yes Insurance out of the UK has done extensive research to determine that 68 percent of Brits have bumped the uglies in their cars, with the Volvo Estate being the number-one "passion wagon." The Mini Cooper was 20th (ouch, in more ways than one), and the Ford Escort was number five.
*Continental Tyres says you are most likely to crash your car between 4 and 5 p.m. on a Friday. TGIF?
*Amazon.com is selling Ford-brand vehicles, including Lincoln.
Bold Moves for Chevrolet
It has windowless side panels, rear cargo doors, and seating for only two-and we likey. For 2007, the HHR gets Panelized. Pricing starts at $16,750, and the HHR Panel has a flat-load floor with tie-downs in place of rear passengers, creating 57 cubic feet (in addition to 5 cubic feet of under-floor storage). The LS version has a 149hp 2.2L, but stepping up to the LT earns you a 2.4L worth 175 horses.
Drive
Coming to a TV near you in the spring will be a new automotive show called Drive. The one-hour drama will air on Fox and be set within a fictional cross-country rally (as in, not another a reality show, finally). Think of it as Cannonball Run, hold the cheese. The plot will involve racers of all kinds (expect a single mother, the token hot female stowaway, and brothers in a stolen Cadillac, among the competitors/characters), all after a supposed $32-million payday.