VW Beetle celebrates 65 years in the US

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Volkswagen Beetle: 1949 and 2014

Although the existence of the Volkswagen Beetle dates back to the early 1930s, it wasn't until 1949 that the first of what would turn out to be millions would find its way to the US. Sixty-five years ago this month, Dutch businessman Ben Pon, Sr. brought the first Beetle - or Type 1 - to the US, and Volkswagen is marking the occasion not with a special edition, but with a small gallery of images showing a gorgeous '49 Type 1 alongside a 2014 Beetle.

In that first year, only two Beetles were sold in the US, but just 20 years later, the car had become the face of a generation, selling 423,000 units in 1968 alone. Even though that's about 10 times as many Beetles sold in 2013, the bubbly hatchback remains one of the more popular vehicles in VW's lineup. Scroll down to read VW's informative press release marking the Beetle's 65th year in the US, and be sure to check out the great photographs, too.

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VW Beetle celebrates 65 years in the US originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Jan 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First-ever Porsche headed home to company museum

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Porsche P1

About 30 years before Ferdinand Porsche designed the Volkswagen Beetle, he created the Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton model - or simply, the P1 - you see above. This was the first vehicle created by Porsche, and the car gets its nickname from the fact that he had stamped "P1" on many of the parts marking it as the first Porsche... sorry, 356 No. 1.

Now while you'd think that such an important piece of Porsche heritage has been in a museum or even the automaker's not-so-secret lair, it has actually been sitting at a warehouse for the last 112 years. Thankfully, that's all about to change as Porsche has recovered P1, and the car will soon be on "permanent display" at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.

The P1 has a 3 horsepower motor capable of delivering a top speed of 21 miles per hour and a driving range of 49 miles, and, like many vehicles in Porsche's history, the motor is positioned at the rear of the vehicle. According to the press release posted below, the P1 finished first in a 24-mile electric vehicle race in Berlin in 1899, but it has been sitting since 1902.

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First-ever Porsche headed home to company museum originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Jan 2014 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Aficianauto sets his lens on Black Beauty

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In the short time we've known about the works of The Aficionauto, we've become fans of the video series highlighting some of the most famous and iconic movie/television cars ever. While past episodes featured cars from 1980s movies and tv shows, the latest video shows off the 1965 Chrysler Imperial affectionately known as Black Beauty We saw the Imperial for the first time at the 2009 Comic-Con; the car actually used in the 2011 action comedy The Green Hornet.

Of the 30 cars made for the movie, host Chris Rutkowski says that Sony only preserved two, and if you're a collector of movie cars, this one is currently being sold for $165,000. Scroll down to watch as Rutkowski takes Black Beauty for a spin through Beverly Hills, CA with its assortment of exposed weapons including the hood-mounted machine guns, numerous missiles and flame thrower.

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The Aficianauto sets his lens on Black Beauty originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Jan 2014 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jay Leno spends time with Indian motorcycles new and old

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Jay Leno has had plenty of cool cars roll through his garage lately (including the 2015 Ford Mustang and the Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer), but every once in a while, he checks out vehicles of the two-wheeled variety. Such is the case with this episode of Jay Leno's Garage, where the funnyman gives us a quick history of Indian Motorcycles before taking a spin on the company's newest cruiser.

Now owned by Polaris, Indian is making another comeback in the motorcycle business, and a company exec and designer help Leno show off the reborn company's new line. Although these are modern bikes designed from the ground up, they still share styling cues with iconic Indian bikes from years past and feature air-cooled engines designed by Polaris.

In addition to the new bikes, this episode of JLG features a handful of classic Indians from the '40s, but there's also a replica of Burt Munro's land speed record 1920 Indian Scout, which was the basis for the 2005 film The World's Fastest Indian. Scroll down to check out the whole episode, and head over to Jay's Garage for some great pictures of all the bikes.

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Jay Leno spends time with Indian motorcycles new and old originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michigan museum offers Model T driving classes

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Halfway between Detroit and Chicago, there is a car museum that gives visitors a unique level of interaction with antique cars. The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI has a driver's training class to teach people of any age to learn how to drive a Ford Model T.

From the crank starter to the column-mounted throttle control, this driving school teaches people all there is to know about driving and operating a Model T. Each class lasts about two and a half hours and is only open to 18 students. There are ten sessions planned for 2014 - twice a day on May 3, June 22, July 22, August 23 and September 14. The class costs $95 (or $85 for members), and it also includes a tour of the museum's automobile collection.

In addition to this driving school, the museum has plenty of exhibits on the property, and it's open all but three days per year (Easter, Christmas and New Year's Day) with free admission for school field trips and active military. Be sure to check out the Gilmore Car Museum's website or visit them on Facebook for more info.

Michigan museum offers Model T driving classes originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Dec 2013 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This woman owns the first Ford Mustang sold in the US

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As Ford celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Mustang with the unveiling of the all-new sixth-gen design, one Chicago women can lay claim to a piece of Mustang history. According to CBS Chicago, Gail Wise was the first person in the US to buy a Mustang in 1964, and she did so two days before the car was even unveiled to the public.

Wise, then a 22-year-old teacher, went into the Chicago Ford dealership wanting to buy a convertible, and a salesperson ushered her over to car covered by a tarp. That car was a baby blue Mustang convertible, which she still owns today - along with the documentation. After sitting for almost 30 years and undergoing a full restoration, the car now looks to be in original condition. The report says that this $3,400 purchase could be worth anywhere between $100,000 and $250,000. While this worked out well for Mrs. Wise, we wouldn't recommend anyone going into a dark, back room of a dealership hoping to get a jump on the purchase of a 2015 Mustang.

Scroll down to watch the video report.

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This woman owns the first Ford Mustang sold in the US originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Dec 2013 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: 1994 Dodge Viper RT/10 with 504 miles

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It's typically hard to find early examples of the Dodge Viper that haven't been crashed or modified, but one eBay seller has a showroom-fresh version of the V10 roadster up for sale worthy of an eBay Find of the Day.

With just 504 miles on the odometer (according to the description and not the images) and "no defects at all," this 1994 Viper is a rare find indeed. Tack on the Buy It Now price of just $37,500 and it seems like a steal - especially when checking out the prices and conditions of other early Vipers currently listed on eBay.

Even after spending months ogling the all-new 2014 SRT Viper, it's hard to ignore the raw beauty of the original open-top model. From the three-spoke wheels to the calf-searing side pipes, everything about this Viper looks just the way it did when it rolled off the line almost 20 years ago. The seller even says that the top and windows have never been installed meaning there are no scratches anywhere on this car!

eBay Find of the Day: 1994 Dodge Viper RT/10 with 504 miles originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Nov 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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1964 Chevrolet CERV II concept going up for auction

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1964 Chevrolet CERV II

Tons of precious metal will cross the RM Auctions block this week in New York, but Chevy Corvette enthusiasts will want to pay extra special attention to Lot No. 139.

According to the auction listing, this Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle II (CERV II) is the "first known operating example of torque-vectoring, all-wheel drive." In 1969, Chevy engineers also used this car as a test bed for an aluminum 427-cubic-inch V8 capable of around 700 horsepower. As it sits, the car is estimated at around 550 hp with a curb weight of just 1,848 pounds, but we have a feeling this car may never be driven again.

Estimates for the selling price range from $1.4 million to $1.8 million when it crosses the block on Thursday. Scroll down for more information about this one-of-a-kind concept vehicle.

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1964 Chevrolet CERV II concept going up for auction originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This classic Jaguar XJ has a 720-hp ungentlemanly secret

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drag racing Jaguar XJ Series 1

Forget Tawny Kitaen. If you want to make a Jaguar XJ rock, just do what this guy did: stuff a heavily modified and turbocharged General Motors V8 under the hood, and take it to the track.

The video calls this Series 1 XJ a sleeper, but with its open exhaust and obvious turbo whistle, the once-gentlemanly sedan is anything but. The owner says that the engine is GM LQ9 V8 that has been stroked to 402 cubic inches putting out around 720 horsepower with 12 pounds of boost (in standard form, this 6.0-liter V8 was used in the second-gen Cadillac Escalade). Check out the video below to see what that kind of power does for this classic Jaguar in the eighth-mile.

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This classic Jaguar XJ has a 720-hp ungentlemanly secret originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Nov 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This classic Jaguar XJ has a 720-hp ungentlemanly secret

Filed under: , , , , , ,

drag racing Jaguar XJ Series 1

Forget Tawny Kitaen. If you want to make a Jaguar XJ rock, just do what this guy did: stuff a heavily modified and turbocharged General Motors V8 under the hood, and take it to the track.

The video calls this Series 1 XJ a sleeper, but with its open exhaust and obvious turbo whistle, the once-gentlemanly sedan is anything but. The owner says that the engine is GM LQ9 V8 that has been stroked to 402 cubic inches putting out around 720 horsepower with 12 pounds of boost (in standard form, this 6.0-liter V8 was used in the second-gen Cadillac Escalade). Check out the video below to see what that kind of power does for this classic Jaguar in the eighth-mile.

Continue reading This classic Jaguar XJ has a 720-hp ungentlemanly secret

This classic Jaguar XJ has a 720-hp ungentlemanly secret originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Nov 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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